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)
Victoria police arrest two people as part of Dezi Freeman investigation 04. April 2026 (08:32) Man and woman released pending further enquiries after arrests at separate properties in state’s north-east on Saturday morningTwo people have been arrested as part of the investigation into how Porepunkah fugitive Dezi Freeman was able to survive on the run for seven months before he was shot dead last week.A man and a woman were arrested at separate properties in north-east Victoria on Saturday morning around 7am, before being later released. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The frontline is like Terminator’: fighting robots give Ukraine hope in war with Russia 04. April 2026 (08:00) Use of unmanned ground vehicles has grown exponentially since 2024 turning the war into a technological contestVictor Pavlov showed off Ukraine’s newest and most versatile weapon: a battery-powered land robot.The unmanned ground vehicles come in various shapes and sizes. One runs on caterpillar tracks and resembles a roofless milk float. Another has wheels and antennas. A third carries anti-tank mines. Since spring 2024 their use has grown exponentially. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Voters in Wales failed by inaccurate UK media reports on devolved issues, study finds 04. April 2026 (08:00) Reports on English policies seen in Wales as relating to whole of UK contribute to widespread confusion, researchers sayUK media is failing to report properly on devolved issues in Wales, leaving voters ill-informed about May’s Senedd elections, a report has found.A Cardiff University study of more than 3,000 news items found repeated patterns in coverage across different broadcasters and platforms, including not signposting whether an issue was relevant to England or England and Wales only, widespread references to “the government” rather than “the UK government”, and the use of “you” and “your” in contexts that apply only to people living in England. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Over the top and fun:’ TGI Fridays boss insists time is right for a UK revival 04. April 2026 (07:01) Ray Blanchette admits he may be a ‘little crazy’ as he outlines chain’s hopes of building 1,000 outlets globally“I am a little crazy maybe,” admits Ray Blanchette, a former TGI Fridays kitchen manager who has taken on the revival of the bar-restaurant chain’s UK business in the face of blasting industry headwinds.Blanchette’s family investment firm, Sugarloaf, rescued the Dallas-based parent business from administration in 2025. He then went on to pick up its UK arm in January after the local franchisee got into difficulties, retaining 33 UK restaurants but closing 16, with the loss of 456 jobs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
As a state visit looms … can the king tame Trump? 04. April 2026 (07:00) Royal visitors have long been popular in the US, and Charles has decades of diplomacy under his belt. But can soft power save the special relationship?What’s the worst that could happen when King Charles visits Donald Trump in Washington at the end of this month? And what will be the best outcome from Keir Starmer’s point of view, since it is the prime minister who directed the visit to go ahead in the hope of improving our battered, supposedly special relationship? While the relationship is still apparently meaningful to Britain, to the US it appears to not mean so much – especially now.The king goes where he is told, whether he would prefer to stay at home or not. This time to a land whose president denounces our aircraft carriers as toys and accuses us of cowardice, and whose defence secretary talks derisively of our Royal Navy. Perhaps Charles ought to wear his naval admiral’s uniform when he goes to the White House, medals and all. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
