Cubans study oil tanker diplomacy for signs of progress in secret talks with US 04. April 2026 (13:00) Despite hostile rhetoric Trump let a Russian ship break his blockade – could it herald a Venezuela-style outcome?When a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, docked at Cuba’s Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, unloading 700,000 barrels of crude, it was not immediately clear why the ship had been allowed to pass through Donald Trump’s oil blockade.In January, the US president had proclaimed on social media: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” yet last week he told reporters, “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it” – and waved the Russian ship through. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unions privately voice misgivings over BMA pay demands and doctors’ strikes 04. April 2026 (12:00) Senior figures express concerns over medical union’s refusal of pay rise that is higher than offer to other NHS staffTrade unions have privately expressed qualms about the forthcoming doctors’ strikes, expressing frustration at the conduct of the talks and the demands of the British Medical Association.The BMA is pushing for a pay rise higher than the 3.5% offered to doctors by the government, with strikes planned for next week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One dead and dozens injured at Peru football stadium during pre-match event 04. April 2026 (12:00) Initial reports suggested parts of arena’s wall had collapsed, but Alianza Lima says there were no structural failuresOne person has been killed and dozens more injured at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru, according to the football club Alianza Lima.Hundreds of fans were attending a “flag-waving event” on Friday around the stadium, a day before a derby match between the home team Alianza Lima and local rivals Universitario de Deportes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New North Sea drilling would barely reduce UK gas imports at all, data shows 04. April 2026 (11:00) Exclusive: research finds Jackdaw field would provide only about 2% of current demand, and Rosebank only 1%Opening major new fields in the North Sea would make almost no difference to the UK’s reliance on gas imports, research has shown.The Jackdaw field, one of the largest unexploited gasfields in the North Sea, would displace only 2% of the UK’s current imports of gas, which would leave the UK still almost entirely dependent on supplies from Norway and a few other sources. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Forget euphemism, Trump is using unabashed viciousness in his language against Iran 04. April 2026 (11:00) The Trump administration takes pleasure in deploying dysphemism to describe the killing of IraniansOn 23 March, Donald Trump said that if things didn’t go to his liking in Iran, “we just keep bombing our little hearts out”. A week later the US president told journalists on Air Force One: “You never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up.”On 4 March, Pete Hegseth squirmed in pleasure as he described “death and destruction from the sky all day long”. Whatever happened to the subtle art of political euphemism? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Biometric checks stalled again for cross-Channel travellers 04. April 2026 (10:00) Fears of Easter chaos over scaling up of new EU border system are eased, with no facial IDs for Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengersPassengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), ports say.Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Wild west’ reformer pilates boom is causing rise in injuries, experts warn 04. April 2026 (10:00) Lack of regulation for specialist classes leaves UK fitness enthusiasts at risk, say professional bodiesThe boom in reformer pilates has created a “wild west” of studios where poor regulation has resulted in inexperienced teachers and a rise in injuries, professional standards bodies have warned.Pilates is not formally or legally regulated, and as its popularity has surged, industry experts say, so too has the growth of packed reformer-based classes often led by instructors with limited training. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italian council buys Mussolini’s villa to keep it away from ‘fascist nostalgics’ 04. April 2026 (10:00) Riccione’s leftwing mayor, Daniela Angelini, says public purchase is victory for town and ‘act of love and vision’An Italian council has bought a villa where Benito Mussolini spent his summer holidays, partly to avoid the property falling into the hands of “fascist nostalgics”.Daniela Angelini, the leftwing mayor of Riccione, a town close to Rimini along Italy’s Adriatic coast, said the acquisition of Villa Mussolini through an auction was “an act of love and vision” and that bringing it back into public hands was a victory for the entire town. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Confidential report found former home affairs boss Michael Pezzullo was ‘reckless’ in engagement with Liberal powerbroker 04. April 2026 (08:40) Previously unreleased report obtained via freedom of information battle says Pezzullo exceeded ‘boundaries of normal public service practice’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former head of the Department of Home Affairs’ engagement with a Liberal powerbroker was “reckless”, “ill-advised” and beyond the boundaries of normal public service practice, a previously unreleased confidential report found.The independent probe led to the sacking of Michael Pezzullo as secretary of the Department of Home Affairs in November 2023 after it concluded he had breached the government’s code of conduct at least 14 times. This included using his power for personal benefit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man and woman arrested on suspicion of murder in Barnsley after pedestrian dies in collision 04. April 2026 (08:34) Two people in police custody after a fatal incident in Cudworth area on Friday eveningTwo people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died after a collision in the Cudworth area of Barnsley.Emergency services responded to reports of a collision between a Volkswagen Touareg and a pedestrian on Rose Tree Avenue about 4.55pm on Friday, South Yorkshire police said in a statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
