Security vetting stepped up after MP is given bodyguard with far-right links 25. April 2026 (18:00) Extra social media checks brought in amid growing threat to politicians from extremistsThe security company that provides bodyguards for MPs has tightened its vetting processes after it sent a bodyguard with far-right links to protect a politician who was under threat from extremists.Mitie, which has a £31m contract for the work, is updating its CPO (Close Protection Operative) vetting processes to include regular social media checks. There will also be random checks on the social media activity of those already taken on. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Met investigates hundreds of officers after using Palantir AI tool 25. April 2026 (17:34) Met says AI software unearthed rule-breaking ranging from work-from-home violations to suspected corruptionThe Metropolitan police have launched investigations into hundreds of officers after using an AI tool built by the controversial tech company Palantir to root out rogue cops.The software was deployed by the Met over the course of a week, snooping on staff members using data the force has ready access to, unearthing rule-breaking ranging from work-from-home violations to suspected corruption and even criminal allegations such as rape. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Conspiracy theory over UFOs and missing scientists spreads from web to White House 25. April 2026 (17:00) Claim of nefarious plot draws attention of lawmakers and president – but are disappearances and deaths really linked?Are the disappearances or deaths of at least 11 US scientists, each allegedly connected in some way to space, defense and nuclear research, really linked in a nefarious plot: one that involves the Chinese or other state enemies, or possibly links back to UFOs?A conspiracy theory positing exactly that has roared through sections of the US population in recent weeks, spreading rapidly from the internet into rightwing media and hence into the mainstream press and prompting an inquiry from Congress and questions from Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California’s jet fuel supply drops to three-year low as Middle East turmoil squeezes global oil market 25. April 2026 (17:00) Industry analysts say fuel price surge could lead to canceled flight routes that could snarl travelers’ plansCalifornia’s jet fuel supply has dropped to a level not seen since 2023, as turmoil in the Middle East continues to squeeze the global oil market.As of 17 April, the state’s jet fuel stock was just over 2.6m barrels, in comparison to 3.2m barrels two years prior, according to the California energy commission (CEC), which publishes a refinery stocks data dashboard. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What counts as the woods? Judge axes Nova Scotia’s ban that defied ‘commonsense definitions’ 25. April 2026 (16:00) The court sided with a Canadian hiker who deliberately challenged the order imposed to curb spread of wildfiresAs wildfires raged across Nova Scotia last summer, the Canadian province made a simple plea to residents: stay away from the woods.As the situation deteriorated, authorities turned the request into a prohibition: anyone caught hiking under the shade of the forest canopy faced a C$25,000 fine – a figure more than half the average worker’s yearly salary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mississippi school kids stop school bus on highway after driver passes out 25. April 2026 (15:54) Students aged 12 to 15 steered bus to safety and called for help after driver lost consciousness from asthma attackMiddle school students in Mississippi acted quickly to halt their school bus from crashing after their driver passed out while on a highway, prompting the operator to declare: “They saved my life.”The bus in question had just left the Hancock middle school in the Mississippi community of Kiln on Wednesday when the driver, Leah Taylor, suffered an asthma attack and lost consciousness. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Roommate charged with murder in deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students 25. April 2026 (15:12) Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested after standoff with police and charged with killing Zamil Limon and Nahida BristyThe man who was detained after two Bangladeshi doctoral students went missing from the University of South Florida (USF) has been booked with two counts of murder.Hisham Abugharbieh faces two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office announced on Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russian airstrikes kill at least seven people in Ukraine overnight 25. April 2026 (15:03) Dnipro bore the brunt of the attacks but Odesa and Kharkiv were also targeted in largest onslaught for several daysRussian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine killed at least seven people overnight, including five in the city of Dnipro, Ukrainian local authorities have said.Reports say that at least 34 people have been injured in the strikes, which lasted “practically all night”, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. The bodies of four people were found in the ruins of a house destroyed in the attacks, and workers continued to search for bodies on Saturday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE planning facility for children and families on Pfas-contaminated site 25. April 2026 (15:00) Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found at least 41m ppt in groundwater at former military facility in LouisianaDonald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning a detention facility for children and their families on one the nation’s most Pfas-contaminated sites, which also serves as a hub for the president’s deportation program.The England air force base, now called England Airpark, is a sprawling former military facility in Louisiana where Pfas levels in the groundwater have been found at least 41m parts per trillion (ppt). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Partygate v Mandelson: Keir Starmer faces attack from his own playbook 25. April 2026 (14:00) Some familiar, arcane terms are returning to the fore as the Tories study the tactics Labour used against Boris JohnsonThe lexicon of a British parliamentary scandal is arcane.As Keir Starmer fights to remain prime minister, he has had to respond to a “humble address”, had his judgment picked over during an “emergency opposition day debate” and now faces the ignominy of a “privilege motion”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
