How safe is Starmer’s premiership after his Mandelson vetting statement to MPs? 20. April 2026 (20:15) Despite his explanation and the need for political stability, the PM is still unpopular – and Olly Robbins has yet to give his side of the storyLabour MPs frustrated with the lack of a clear mission from Keir Starmer’s No 10 have often urged the prime minister to be more forceful in his arguments, to prosecute his values, to find an enemy to define himself against.The prime minister has found one: Olly Robbins. Starmer prosecuted his case against the former Foreign Office chief on Monday with the vigour of his former life at the bar. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Singer D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old girl found in car 20. April 2026 (20:06) Musician has been charged after the dismembered and decomposing body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in abandoned TeslaThe singer D4vd has been charged with the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenage girl whose dismembered and decomposed body was found in the artist’s apparently abandoned Tesla in September.The Los Angeles county district attorney’s office said the 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Rivas Hernandez, who was reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Authorities say she was 14 when she died. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
John Keats’s love letters returned to owner after being stolen in the 1980s 20. April 2026 (18:22) Romantic poet’s letters to Fanny Brawne, dated between 1819 and 1820, had been stolen from a Long Island estateEight original handwritten letters from the Romantic poet John Keats to his muse and “one passion”, Fanny Brawne, were returned to the family of John Hay “Jock” Whitney, the former US ambassador to the UK, on Monday after being stolen from Whitney’s home in the 1980s.Keats’s letters, including the first letter he ever wrote to Brawne, are dated between 1819 and 1820. Valued at approximately $2m, the 37 letters are held in a gilt morocco-bound portfolio. Brawne was Keats’s neighbor in Hampstead, with whom he became infatuated and elevated to muse and goddess. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Supreme court to hear Catholic preschool case over funding and LGBTQ+ rights 20. April 2026 (18:01) Schools say Colorado violated their rights by excluding them from state-funded program over admission policiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe supreme court will hear from Catholic preschools that say Colorado violated their religious rights by excluding them from a state-funded program over their admission policies.The court agreed on Monday to take up the appeal from St Mary Catholic Parish, which is supported by the Republican Trump administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Remains of US soldier who went missing in Korean war laid to rest after 75 years 20. April 2026 (18:01) Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr, accounted for in 2025, given full burial honors and posthumous medals in New MexicoThe remains of a US soldier who went missing in action during the Korean war were identified by DNA analysis, and he was recently laid to rest in his hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, authorities said.US army Sgt Celestino Chavez Jr’s burial ended a decades-long saga that began with him being wounded while defending his post near the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir in North Korea and then being taken to an aid station on 30 November 1950. Chavez, 19, was then reported missing in action three days later, when enemy fighters attacked his convoy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer tells MPs Foreign Office has been stripped of power to overrule vetting 20. April 2026 (17:36) PM says in Commons statement he has ordered inquiry into any security concerns relating to Mandelson’s tenure in USUK politics live – latest updatesThe Foreign Office has been stripped of its powers to overrule vetting decisions after the Peter Mandelson scandal, Keir Starmer told MPs as he sought to set out his side of events in a politically crucial statement in parliament.Saying to jeers that he accepted it appeared “incredible” he and other ministers were not told Mandelson was initially refused security vetting, Starmer also said he had ordered an investigation into any security concerns related to Mandelson’s tenure as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform’s Richard Tice posts picture with telltale signs of AI manipulation, say experts 20. April 2026 (17:31) Deputy leader’s image on X was almost certainly generated or altered using AI, according to Peryton IntelligenceUK politics live – latest updatesIn a picture of a blue-skyed day in Birmingham, a diverse group of Reform supporters gathered with placards and cheesy grins to knock on doors for their party. Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, posted the picture as evidence of the activists’ commitment through thick and thin.“That is what resilience looks like,” he wrote. “This is what belief looks like.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prediction platform Polymarket in talks to raise funds at up to $15bn valuation 20. April 2026 (17:13) Bets placed on Middle East conflict has led to US firm experiencing big increase in volumePolymarket, the online prediction platform that hosts bets on events such as the Iran war, is in talks to raise $400m (£296m) at a valuation of up to $15bn.The company has gained notoriety in recent months over wagers placed on the Middle East conflict, including on the timing of US-Israel strikes against Iran, and on a US-Iran ceasefire, some of which appeared to bear signs of insider trading. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zoologist, author and presenter Desmond Morris dies aged 98 20. April 2026 (17:07) Morris pursued dual passions of zoology and surrealist art, presenting BBC documentaries and hosting exhibitionsThe zoologist Desmond Morris, perhaps best known for his book the Naked Ape and his work on the ITV programme Zoo Time, has died aged 98.Morris’s son Jason paid tribute to him after his death on Sunday, praising his many professional achievements as well as his role as a father and grandfather. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration begins accepting refunds on over $166bn in tariffs 20. April 2026 (17:02) Claims system launches months after supreme court ruled Trump had no legal authority to impose tariffsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration has begun accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them.The administration launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
