King Charles’s security for US visit under review after Washington shooting 26. April 2026 (13:21) Buckingham Palace says talks taking place in light of gunman’s attempt to storm dinner attended by TrumpUS politics live – latest updatesKing Charles’s security is being reviewed before his state visit to the US this week after a gunman attempted to storm a dinner with Donald Trump in Washington DC, Buckingham Palace has said.Guests at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night hid under tables when gunshots were heard, as the Secret Service evacuated the president and other members of his administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NatWest faces AGM showdown over ‘climate backtracking’ 26. April 2026 (13:21) Shareholders including the Church of England back call for protest votes against bank’s chairNatWest is at risk of an embarrassing showdown at its shareholder meeting this week as investors and scientists call for an urgent reversal of what they describe as “climate backtracking”.Campaigners including ShareAction are calling for protest votes against the bank’s chair, Rick Haythornthwaite, at its annual meeting in Edinburgh on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Suicide-related callouts to fire services triple in England in a decade 26. April 2026 (09:01) Exclusive: Samaritans call for mandatory training for firefighters amid rise in incidentsSuicide-related callouts to fire and rescue services in England have tripled in the last decade, with Samaritans now calling for mandatory training for firefighters, who they say are struggling to deal with the increase in traumatic incidents.New figures show that fire services in England attended 3,250 suicide callouts in the year ending September 2025, the equivalent to 62 callouts a week. This was up from 997 callouts in 2009-10 when records began.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres 26. April 2026 (09:00) Discrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zeroOne vision of the UK’s future involves a decarbonised economy powered by clean, renewable energy. Another involves making the UK an AI superpower.The government departments responsible for these two visions do not appear to have agreed on their numbers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dozens of MPs oppose Streeting’s new power to say what NHS pays for drugs 26. April 2026 (09:00) Health secretary’s ‘power grab’ to override Nice comes amid growing concern move may be illegal and benefit big pharmaDozens of MPs are opposing Wes Streeting’s decision to award himself power to dictate what the NHS pays for drugs amid growing concern the move may be illegal.Thirty-one MPs have signed a House of Commons motion voicing their disapproval of the health secretary being handed the power to override the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (Nice) judgment on how much the NHS should spend on individual medicines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Patient shot with Taser after allegedly injuring nurse and others in Sydney hospital 26. April 2026 (08:01) Man, 51, arrested after allegedly assaulting multiple people at Prince of Wales hospitalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA patient has been shot with a Taser after allegedly attacking several people at a Sydney hospital, including a nurse who was left seriously injured.Police restrained a 51-year-old patient after the Saturday night melee at Sydney’s Prince of Wales hospital, which left a nurse in hospital. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The tortoise and the hare: will China beat the US in the race back to the moon? 26. April 2026 (08:00) The rival superpowers are ramping up preparations for a crewed lunar landing nearly six decades after the first moon walkThe world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China. And China may well win.Both countries plan to build inhabited lunar bases – the first settlement on another celestial body – as well as searching for rare resources and using the deep space environment to test technology for future crewed missions to Mars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ghost MOTs: drivers warned over fake certificates that lead to huge repair bills 26. April 2026 (08:00) Secondhand car buyers urged to carefully inspect vehicles, while owners told to beware tests that are suspiciously quickRise of the ‘ghost owner’: 18,000 UK vehicles in use without proper recordsYou have just bought a secondhand car. It was older than you wanted, but were reassured because it had recently passed its MOT.Within a few days, you notice a problem with the steering and take it into a garage to be checked. As well as that issue, they find the tread depth of the tyres is so low it should not have passed the test. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From syringes to stents: Iran war exposes NHS dependency on petrochemicals 26. April 2026 (08:00) NHS chiefs fear rising costs and healthcare shortages due to the shipping standstill in the GulfThe war in Iran has put the NHS on high alert amid fears about looming shortages and rising costs for medicines and medical products such as syringes, intravenous bags and gloves.Much of modern healthcare is dependent on the petrochemicals now held up by the Gulf shipping standstill – whether for active pharmaceutical ingredients or to produce the millions of sterile single-use items, ranging from personal protective equipment (PPE) to catheters and diagnostic-device casings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Violence must never be the way’: world leaders react to Washington shooting at Trump event 26. April 2026 (07:14) Leaders of Canada, Mexico and Australia denounce political violence and voice their appreciation that Donald Trump and guests at correspondents dinner are unharmedWhite House correspondents’ dinner shooting – latest updatesWashington Hilton shooting – what we know so farFull rerport: Suspect in custody after Trump evacuated in shooting incidentLeaders from around the world have condemned an act of “political violence” and expressed relief that US president Donald Trump, officials and journalists were unharmed after a shooting incident at the White House correspondents dinner.Donald and Melania Trump, as well as members of the US cabinet, were evacuated from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday after gunshots could be heard from the hotel lobby. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
