The Guardian - March 01, 2025

In this issue

March 01, 2025

Pharma firm GSK pauses diversity policies in UK, citing Trump's executive orders

The British pharma company GSK has paused diversity targets for UK workers, claiming it is obliged to do so in response to executive orders signed by Donald Trump.

2 mins

Protests grow across Greece two years on from deadly train collision

Two years after 57 people died and dozens were injured in Greece's worst train crash, hundreds of thousands of protesters filled plazas around the country and a general strike paralysed the transport network in an outpouring of anger over ministers' handling of the tragedy.

2 mins

In the pink: why drinkers and keen cooks are into the rhubarb

Slowly, the shapes of hundreds of pale stalks emerge from the darkness like an alien species, visible only by the glow cast by a handful of candles.

3 mins

Faulty foghorn breaks the peace in Cornwall... every 13 seconds

The warning sounds from a distant lighthouse can add to the ambience of coastal living. But for residents near Land's End the whimsy has worn off.

1 min

Bank error in your favour? $81tn credited to account by mistake

The US bank Citigroup credited a client's account with $81tn when it meant to send $280 before the \"fat finger\" error was caught.

2 mins

Up in smoke again? Mexican tourism officials say latest Fyre festival 'does not exist'

When tickets to the second Fyre festival went on sale this week, there was just one concrete detail: it would take place on Isla Mujeres, a tropical island off the coast of Mexico, near Cancun.

3 mins

Price of train tickets up 4.6% and railcards to cost an extra £5

Rail passengers in England and Wales face a steep increase in the cost of travel from tomorrow, with fares rising by 4.6% and most railcards going up by £5.

1 min

AI firm deepens copyright row by releasing video-making tool

The artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT has launched its video generation tool in the UK amid a row between the tech sector and creative industries over copyright.

2 mins

No external trauma found on bodies of Hackman and wife in mystery over deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, suffered no external trauma, the initial results of autopsies have found, as the mystery over the couple's deaths at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, remains unanswered.

2 mins

The right stuff

Actor with a rare talent of not needing to be liked

3 mins

Hotel receptionist 'paid with her life' for prison and policing mistakes

The family of a hotel receptionist killed by a man with psychosis have said she \"paid with her life for lapses in the English prison and policing system\" after a coroner said failures by prison and police authorities contributed to the killing.

3 mins

Cat food for ham? Online shoppers reveal bizarre substitutions

Sanitary towels substituted for tortilla wraps, fish steaks in the place of lemon cupcakes and beef dog treats instead of steak.

1 min

Lamb, cheese or tiramisu? Supermarkets see rise of the 'not cross bun'

Is nothing sacred? The hot cross bun, a spiced bun traditionally served with butter and a cup of tea at Easter, is modernising.

2 mins

Scientists reveal device that can share the taste of food online

If you resent a colleague sending you pictures of their lunch in an exotic location, then a new gadget could make your life even worse.

2 mins

Explainer Key questions for any deal on Ukraine - if one can be struck at all

Will Vladimir Putin abide by any peace deal?

3 mins

Defence talks Starmer to host summit to secure lasting peace for Ukraine

Keir Starmer will hold talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italy's Giorgia Meloni in Downing Street tomorrow before a major London defence summit aimed at securing \"lasting and enforced\" peace in Ukraine.

2 mins

'She did her duty' How the royals are weaponised in the name of politics

How the royals are weaponised in the name of politics

3 mins

Aid cuts 'Thousands of children will die' if vaccinations affected

Thousands of children in the world's poorest countries will die if the UK cuts back funding for a hugely effective vaccination programme as part of its significant reduction in overseas aid, the Guardian has been told.

3 mins

Man accused of stealing gold toilet used its 'splendid facilities'

One of the men on trial over the theft of a £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace \"took advantage of its facilities\" the day before it was taken, a court heard yesterday.

1 min

Mother's life at risk after long hunger strike to free jailed son

Laila Soueif, lying in a hospital bed after refusing all food for 152 days in an attempt to free her jailed son, said she agreed on Wednesday night to be put on a glucose drip, but it is only likely to delay full collapse by days.

3 mins

Culture secretary intervenes as BBC admits 'flaws' in Gaza film

The culture secretary held an urgent meeting yesterday with Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, after the corporation apologised for \"serious flaws\" in the making of a documentary about the war in Gaza.

2 mins

Generation exercise 'Change of mindset' as women train to stay stronger for longer

All it the revenge of the middle-class, middle-aged woman. A recent report found that women aged between 40 and 50 are doing more exercise than women half their age.

3 mins

Timothée Chalamet The most gen Z Oscar campaign ever seen

Tomorrow night Timothée Chalamet could become, at 29 years, 2 months and 3 days, the youngest best actor winner in Oscar history.

2 mins

Prisoners could earn credits for early release in US-style changes

Prisoners may have to earn their freedom through \"good behaviour credits\" rather than being automatically released after a set period as part of an overhaul being considered.

1 min

Labour will challenge Farage over 'softness on Putin'

Labour is setting out to increase its attacks on Nigel Farage's Reform UK party over its stance on Russia, as polling and focus groups show the public are firmly pro-Ukraine and opposed to Vladimir Putin.

3 mins

Meta apologises after violent videos flood Instagram feeds

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta apologised yesterday after Instagram users were subjected to a flood of violence, gore, animal abuse and dead bodies on their Reels feeds.

2 mins

Extreme violence online fuelling rise in 'O to 100' killers, crime experts warn

The rise of \"O to 100\" killers who go from watching torture, mutilation and beheading videos in their bedrooms to committing murder suggests there could be a link between extreme violence online and in real life, experts have said.

2 mins

Microsoft pulls the plug on its 20-year-old Skype service

Skype will ring for the last time on 5 May as its owner, Microsoft, retires the two-decade-old internet calling service that redefined how people connect across borders.

1 min

Trump to Make English US's Official Language for the First Time

Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order that would make English the official language of the US for the first time.

1 min

I'm appalled by Bezos's betrayal of free expression, says former editor of the Washington Post

Jeff Bezos has \"betrayed\" the idea of free expression by narrowing the focus of the Washington Post's opinion section, according to a highly regarded former editor of the title.

3 mins

Macron Calls for Release of Writer on Jail Hunger Strike in Algeria

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said he is concerned about the \"arbitrary detention\" and the health of Boualem Sansal, days after the French-Algerian author began a hunger strike over his imprisonment in Algeria.

1 min

Side by side How a nun's crucifix links Velázquez to Michelangelo

Side by side

3 mins

Second US raw pet food recall after more cats catch bird flu

As the bird flu outbreak continues to grow in the US, a second company selling raw pet food has issued a voluntary recall after cats from two households in Oregon contracted H5N1 from tainted meat.

1 min

Losing hope' Torment of ships' crews abandoned out at sea

When Vihaan set off from his home in Tamil Nadu, south India, to work on a vessel crossing the Bay of Bengal to neighbouring Bangladesh, he told his family he would be gone a few months.

2 mins

Beijing warns Taiwan: 'We will come and get you sooner or later'

China's defence ministry spokesperson has warned Taiwan \"we will come and get you sooner or later\", after Taipei announced an expansion of military exercises.

2 mins

Soft scoop Ice-cream seller among pals praying for the pope

When Sebastian Padrón opened his ice-cream parlour around the corner from Pope Francis's home in Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City, his wife, Silvia, came up with a plan to ingratiate him with his fellow Argentinian.

2 mins

China says it need not say sorry over live firing off Australia

China doesn't even need to \"think\" about apologising over the way it notified Australia about live-fire naval drills off the Australian coast, the country's ambassador said.

1 min

Fire and ice Fury at visitors risking lives to see Etna's lava flows

Fire and ice

3 mins

Glue helps bring rare lichen back to East Anglia

A rare lichen has been reintroduced to its historical habitat of East Anglia with the help of bookbinding glue.

1 min

Rise in marine heatwaves in 2023-24 'cost lives and billions in storm damage'

The world's oceans experienced three-and-a-half times as many marine heatwave days last year and in 2023 compared with any other year on record, a study has found.

2 mins

Bank must be cautious over more rate cuts, says deputy governor

Bank of England policymakers must proceed cautiously, like mountaineers, when they cut interest rates over the next few months as inflation risks rise, according to the central bank's deputy governor, Dave Ramsden.

1 min

House prices rise for sixth month despite 'affordability challenges'

UK house prices grew for the sixth month in a row in February despite signs of a sluggish economy, as economists expected a rush of people trying to complete purchases before stamp duty increases in April.

1 min

Payday banking problems hit thousands of online accounts

Thousands of bank customers were struggling to access their accounts yesterday, prompting concerns among MPs as lenders continue to close branches in a wider push towards digital banking.

2 mins

BA's transatlantic ticket sales help lift IAG's annual profits to £2.2bn

Booming transatlantic ticket sales have lifted British Airways and its parent group to ever higher annual profits.

2 mins

Constrained options Is there any wiggle room for Reeves?

Rachel Reeves is rapidly running out of wiggle room amid higher borrowing costs, stubborn inflation, a sluggish economy and a promise to find room for billions more in spending on defence.

3 mins

Money hacks How to get the best broadband deal

In the age of true fibre broadband the speeds available can be tremendous - and providers often try to upsell people to expensive, higher-speed packages.

4 mins

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