The Guardian

Protesters are enjoying greater freedom of expression since Nicolás Maduro’s downfall despite lack of regime change Protesters have taken to the streets of cities across Venezuela in the latest sign of an embryonic political shift after Nicolás Maduro’s recent downfall. Student demonstrators gathered on the campus of the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas on Thursday to demand the release…

The Bob Coveiro (the Gravedigger) Law ‘recognises the emotional bond between guardians and their pets’ A dog that remained beside his former owner’s grave for 10 years has now given his name to a new state law allowing pets to be buried alongside their loved ones in São Paulo. The new law – already being informally referred to as the Bob Coveiro (the Gravedigger) Law, in tribute to its inspiratio…

Monaco-based Manchester United co-owner responds to politicians’ and football fans’ anger at ‘disgraceful’ words UK politics live – latest updates The Monaco-based billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has said he is sorry his “choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe” after a fierce backlash over his comments that the UK was being “colonised” by immigrants. The Manchester United co-o…

The Monaco-based billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has said he is sorry that his ‘choice of language has offended some people’, after growing outrage over his comments that the UK was being ‘colonised by immigrants’. The Manchester United co-owner has faced a mounting backlash since making the remarks, which have been labelled hypocritical and reminiscent of ‘far-right narratives’. Lucy Hough speaks to t…

Move puts AI firm in opposition to ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which has advocated for less stringent AI regulations Anthropic will spend $20m to back US political candidates who support regulating the AI industry, according to a company statement released on Thursday. Anthropic’s donation puts it in opposition to the ChatGPT maker OpenAI , which has advocated for less stringent regulation of AI. The c…

Labor unions are fundraising and providing mutual aid for workers affected by ICE surges in Minnesota and across US Labor unions are fundraising for workers affected by the surge of immigration enforcement across the US, providing legal and financial support to members affected by the brutal crackdown. Nearly $20,000 was raised for a homecare worker, Maria, a member of Service Employees Internati…

Video of a masked suspect in Arizona spurs a surge of calls as the desert search near Tucson yields little evidence The search for the missing mother of the Today show host Savannah Guthrie continued on Thursday as investigators revealed they had received more than 18,000 calls about the case. A search of desert terrain near her Arizona home came up mostly empty. Almost a quarter of the tips came…

Wes Streeting says rise is above inflation forecast and will be in pay packets earlier but union criticises figure More than 1.4 million NHS workers will receive a 3.3% pay rise from April, the government has announced. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said the uplift was above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of 2.2% inflation for 2026-27, delivering a “real-terms pay rise” fo…

Anointment was made as president directed the Pentagon to buy billions of dollars worth of energy from coal plants US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump was crowned the “undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal” during a White House ceremony on Wednesday, during which the president received a trophy after ordering the US defense department to purchase billions of dollars worth of powe…

Jeremy Carl, assistant secretary of state nominee, has espoused ‘racist, antisemitic’ views, says non-profit leader US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump ’s pick for a top diplomatic post has championed “white supremacist, racist, antisemitic and homophobic views”, a former US state department official has warned. Jeremy Carl is set to go before the Senate foreign relations committee on …

Advocate general questions decision, saying reforms needed to unfreeze about €10bn have not been carried out Europe live – latest updates The top adviser to the EU’s highest court has said it should annul a decision by the European Commission to unfreeze billions of euros of payments to Hungary that had been suspended because of serious concerns over corruption and the rule of law. Tamara Ćapeta,…

Corporation denies defamation but must hand over revealing documents after judge dismisses jurisdiction argument President Trump’s multibillion dollar lawsuit against the BBC over the editing of one of his speeches has been set for a year’s time. In a blow to the corporation, the Florida judge has also rejected the BBC’s attempt to put off disclosing internal documents relating to the episode of …

Legislation is latest step in Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government’s crackdown on irregular migration Italy’s prime minister says her government will deploy every tool at its disposal to “guarantee the security of our borders” after approving a bill authorising naval blockades to stop boats from arriving in Italy during periods of “exceptional pressure”. The bill is the latest step in the crackd…

Billionaire’s business has in recent years claimed UK and EU support for refineries and chemicals plants worth about €800m Jim Ratcliffe apologises for ‘choice of language’ after saying immigrants were ‘colonising’ UK The backlash against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments about immigrants to the UK “costing too much” for the state comes at an awkward time for his loss-making Ineos business. The billio…

South Korea’s spy agency monitoring whether girl, believed to be 13, will appear at political conference this month South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers it believes the teenage daughter of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, is close to being designated as the country’s future leader, as Kim moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation. The assessment by the national intel…