1 hour ago The Guardian view on Friedrich Merz’s grand coalition: gambling on a new centre ground | Editorial

The deal signed last week between the centre-right CDU and centre-left SPD paves the way for vital investment in Europe’s biggest economySome years ago, hundreds of German finance ministry staff dressed in black and formed a giant zero to salute their boss, Wolfgang Schäuble, as he left office. It was a tribute to Mr Schäuble’s extreme fiscal conservatism, which had delivered Germany’s first balanced budget in the postwar period. Amid resurgent prosperity in the Angela Merkel years, the so-called black zero – symbolising a constitutional prohibition on public debt – had gradually acquired cult status.As a new administration prepares to take power in Berlin, it seems unlikely that human euro signs will welcome the latest politician to take on Mr Schäuble’s former role. But in dramatic fashion, the spending taps are set to be turned on. Via a swiftly staged March vote in the outgoing Bundestag, “debt brake” dogma was consigned to history by the chancellor‑elec...

Politics

2 h. ago British Steel crisis spurs greater scrutiny of Chinese investment in UK

Ministers urged to review Beijing’s role in critical national infrastructure and supply chains

Events

3 h. ago New Brendan Rodgers Celtic deal a 'sure' thing as £10m summer investment slides into view – Parkhead news bulletin

Could Rodgers pen a new deal and stay at Celtic beyond his current deal which expires in 2026?

Economics

4 h. ago So Katy Perry went to space. Wasn’t there anyone else we could have sent? | Zoe Williams

No disrespect to the pop star or the rest of Blue Origin’s all-female crew, but most of them weren’t obvious astronaut materialI am broadly of the view that Katy Perry should do whatever she likes, and wear whatever she likes, and if she wants to be shot into space for no obvious purpose looking like one of Charlie’s Angels, then that falls squarely into those categories. So why am I so bothered by Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which has just made a suborbital flight to the edge of space and back? OK, it’s partly the outfits (see Angels, Charlie’s, above), but it’s mainly the flight manifest: Perry joined Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’s fiancee; Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights activist; CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King; film producer Kerianne Flynn and former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe. I cannot help but notice that only two of these women had anything to do with astronauting (Nguyen studied astrophysics and interned at Nasa before becoming an activist).Obviously it’s very staid...

Politics

5 h. ago New York helicopter tour operator behind fatal crash shuts down

FAA said New York Helicopter Tours will be shuttering ‘immediately’ after accident that killed all six on boardThe company that operated the helicopter that crashed into New York City’s Hudson River on Thursday – killing all six people on board – has been shuttered with immediate effect, the US’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late on Sunday.New York Helicopter Tours is “shutting down their operations immediately”, the FAA said in a statement on X. The agency added that it would launch a review of the company’s license and safety records in the meantime. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Post Malone at Coachella review – chameleonic megastar wows in the desert

Empire Polo Club, Indio, CaliforniaThe 29-year-old singer travelled through his genre-shifting back catalogue in a charming and energetic 90-minute headliner set Three songs into his Coachella headliner set on Sunday, Post Malone asked his band to stop and restart. It wasn’t that he’d made a mistake; rather, he had to get serious for a second. “How the fuck is everyone doing?” he asked, before reiterating for the second time already how thankful he was, how he hopes “everyone is taking care of themselves and having a great fucking night.” The 29-year-old singer, so adept at shape-shifting that he has bounced from trap to hip-hop to pop to rock to country in less than a decade, maintains at least one consistency: with an exceedingly foul mouth and a beer in hand, he will always be polite. He will check in. He will refer humbly to the “ladies and gentlemen”, even when asking “how fucking bitchin’ is it to be able to come here and play for you tonight?”That warmhearted goofball from hi...

Politics

5 h. ago Zelenskyy urges Trump to view devastation in Ukraine caused by Russia’s invasion

Ukrainian president calls on US counterpart to visit country as Trump appears to downplay Russia’s latest strike by calling it ‘mistake’Europe live – latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to see the devastation caused by Russia’s invasion, while the US president appeared to play down Moscow’s latest deadly attack, the worst on civilians this year, calling it “a mistake”.International leaders condemned Russia’s strike on the centre of the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, which killed 34 people, including two children. Two ballistic missiles hit as people made their way to church for Palm Sunday. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Live Review: The Delines + Peter Bruntnell, Union Chapel, London – 4th April 2025

Live Review: The Delines + Peter Bruntnell, Union Chapel, London – 4th April 2025  Americana UK

Politics

5 h. ago The Last of Us series 2 review: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay reunite

The Last of Us is back on our screens with its long-awaited second series - however, Laurence Mozafari warns that while Joel and Ellie are back, fans can expect a different dynamic

Politics

5 h. ago Maura Higgins' campaign to ditch her reality roots and manoeuvre her way into the A

The former grid girl burst into the public eye in 2019 on the fifth series of Love Island, where she finished in fourth place with Irish Dancing In The Stars' Curtis Pritchard .

Politics

6 h. ago Sergio Ramos urged to 'go for' shock Wrexham transfer by former Real Madrid star

The Spaniard was a legend at Real Madrid but now plays in Mexico

Events

7 h. ago Good news at last: just a little exercise can reduce the risk of dementia | Devi Sridhar

A recent study shows the benefit of being a middle-aged ‘weekend warrior’ who only exercises once or twice a weekIn these bleak times, glimmers of hope often seem to come out of the pages of scientific research. Take what we know about exercise. Just in the past few months, we’ve learned that moderate exercise may almost halve the risk of postpartum depression for new mothers, and that even five minutes of exercise a day could help lower blood pressure.But what really caught my eye recently was a study from Latin America that included roughly 10,000 people who were assessed over two decades using the Mexico City prospective study. The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined cognitive function with the aim of understanding the impact of exercise on mental ability, including mild dementia. The researchers took account of confounding variables such as age, diet, smoking and alcohol intake, nightly sleep and educational attainment, which have all been sho...

Events

7 h. ago Gardening expert says avoiding 'common mistake' will make your peonies thrive

Peonies, which are often planted in autumn, will have had time to establish their roots ahead of the spring. But a common mistake could mean they don't bloom as expected

Science

8 h. ago Maura Higgins' campaign to ditch her reality roots and elbow her way into the A

The former grid girl burst into the public eye in 2019 on the fifth series of Love Island, where she finished in fourth place with Irish Dancing In The Stars' Curtis Pritchard .

Politics

8 h. ago Manchester United thrashed as race for Champions League heats up – Football Weekly podcast

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Mark Pougatch and Sam Dalling as Newcastle’s form puts them fourth in the Premier LeagueRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today; the race for fifth place in the Premier League is just about all that’s left to play for this season and Newcastle hammer Manchester United to move fourth. Can they now reel in Nottingham Forest? Nuno Espírito Sant’s side have now lost back-to-back games to leave them looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack. Continue reading...

Sport

9 h. ago The WeGotTickets Musical Comedy Awards Final at Bloomsbury Theatre review: hit all the right notes

It was a pity only one winner could be crowned: this strong line-up boasted so many potential victors

Events

9 h. ago Abarth 600e review: Sports SUV is more than just a Fiat in a tracksuit

Abarth’s hot all-electric SUV has been reengineered as a focused sports SUV – but with a fair few compromises

Politics

9 h. ago Seven Last Words, Edinburgh, review: 'profound spiritual power'

The SCO Chorus and Strings delivered a compelling, immediate performance of Sir James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words, writes David Kettle

Politics

9 h. ago Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry's rift after 'money became root of all evil' admission

Rory McIlroy was greeted at the 18th green by childhood friend Shane Lowry at Augusta National after winning the 2025 Masters, but the duo were not always on such good terms

Events

10 h. ago Gary Neville faces backlash after saying Arsenal have 'gone backwards' as star name slammed

Gary Neville took aim at Arsenal as he cited their notable drop off this season but his opinion was quickly challenged by his fellow pundit, who offered an alternative view

Events