3 h. ago Key route set for £20m works but anger at Welsh Government remains

'Council tax money is going on something that should be supported by the Welsh Government,' said one councillor

Economics

3 d. ago Reform could pip Labour to form biggest opposition to SNP in Scottish Parliament with parties neck

They are both on course to win 18 seats at Holyrood, behind the SNP, which is on course to marginally increase its share to 61 seats and remain in government with Green support.

Politics

3 d. ago Iran closes airspace to all flights as foreign minister denies it plans to execute protesters – live

Abbas Araghchi says hangings over anti-government demonstrations are ‘out of the question’ while flight tracking data shows airlines avoiding Iranian airspaceUS and UK military to withdraw some personnel from Middle East amid Iranian threatsAnalysis: why western diplomats are wary of predicting end days for Iran’s regimeMassacres and executions: what are we hearing from inside Iran? – podcastFor the first time in days, Iranians were able to make calls abroad from their mobiles on Tuesday, according to reporting by Associated Press. Texting services have not been restored, however, and nor has the internet.Although Iranians were able to call abroad, they could not receive calls from outside the country, several people in the capital told Associated Press. The internet remained blocked, they said, though it is possible to access some government-approved websites. Cloudfare - an internet infrastructure provider, and one of several companies and monitors tracking the status of internet ...

Politics

4 d. ago MPs 'not convinced' Chancellor's cash Isa limit cut to £12,000 will result in investing boom

MPs 'remain to be convinced' the Government's cut to the cash Isa allowance, unveiled in the Budget,will spark a culture of investing in stocks and shares.

Economics

4 d. ago Iran protests live updates: death toll passes 2,500 as Trump warns Tehran against executions

US president says ‘help is on its way’, as reported death toll rises into the thousands and concerns Tehran may carry out first protest-related execution, that of Erfan SoltaniTrump promises ‘help is on its way’ and tells Iranians to ‘keep protesting’Hundreds of gunshot eye injuries found in one Iranian hospital amid brutal crackdown on protestsIran protests: what we know so far about the spiralling anti-government demonstrationsFor the first time in days, Iranians were able to make calls abroad from their mobiles on Tuesday, according to reporting by Associated Press. Texting services have not been restored, however, and nor has the internet.Although Iranians were able to call abroad, they could not receive calls from outside the country, several people in the capital told Associated Press. The internet remained blocked, they said, though it is possible to access some government-approved websites. Cloudfare - an internet infrastructure provider, and one of several companies and mon...

Events

2 w. ago Trump’s shadow war in Venezuela grows, but country’s strongman leader still clings to power

Report of a drone attack on a port facility signals new phase in US military campaign against Nicolás MaduroUS wargames played out scenarios for Maduro’s fall. None of them ended well for VenezuelaNearly a week after Donald Trump first announced what he said was the first US ground strike in a four-month-long military pressure campaign against Venezuela, details remain very thin on the ground.CNN and the New York Times reported late on Monday that they had confirmed the CIA had used a drone to target a “port facility” allegedly used by the Tren de Aragua street gang. No casualties were reported, but the date, time and location of the attack remain unknown. Venezuela’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his government have remained silent. If confirmed, the first strike on land would mark a new phase in a campaign that since August has involved the deployment of a massive US naval fleet, airstrikes that have so far killed 107 people, a “total blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers, t...

Politics

2 w. ago The mystery of flight MH370: will a new search find the missing airliner after more than a decade?

In 2014 the Malaysian Airlines jet vanished over the Indian Ocean. Now the team that located Shackleton’s Endurance is looking again with the latest undersea robotsMore than a decade after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing after veering thousands of miles off course, its location remains unknown.The Malaysian government has promised to pay a private company, Ocean Infinity, $70m (£56m) to search for the plane on a “no find, no fee” basis. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Elgin Marbles to stay on display at British Museum during £1bn refurbishment

Director reaffirms ancient Greek sculptures will remain in London despite Greek government hopes for their return

Economics

last month Gaza PhD student and family evacuated to UK after Foreign Office U

Manar al-Houbi’s family had been denied entry despite a scholarship covering their living costs, but other students remain strandedThe UK government has finally evacuated Manar al-Houbi, the Gaza student who won a fully funded scholarship to pursue her PhD at the University of Glasgow, along with her family from the war-ravaged territory this week.In October, the Guardian highlighted Houbi’s desperate battle to get her family evacuated after they were denied entry to the UK, despite her scholarship and visa permitting her to bring them. Continue reading...

Society