business 
The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold at 4.5% amid rising global uncertainty and concerns over stubbornly high inflation. The central bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) voted to pause its cycle of rate cuts after three previous reductions in the past year. Financial markets had widely expected the MPC to leave … Read more
It is an intriguing piece of land art, a hymn to the almost-lost craft of Cornish hedging and also – perhaps – an optimistic message from the early 21st century to future generations. As the sun rose over Bodmin Moor on spring equinox morning, a Cornish bagpipe struck up and Kerdroya, five years in the … Read more
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s biggest, has made a fresh bet on the future success of central London, as the country’s investment vehicle struck a £570m deal to buy a quarter of the capital city’s Covent Garden estate. Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages $1.8tn (£1.4tn) and invests government money from the oil … Read more
Tesla and Elon Musk are embroiled in a “brand tornado crisis moment” and the electric carmaker’s chief executive needs to cut back on his work for Donald Trump to stem the damage, one of the company’s biggest supporters has said. The warning came as Tesla announced a recall of 46,000 Cybertrucks in the US on … Read more
Good morning. Israeli strikes have killed at least 58 people overnight in Gaza, according to three hospitals, with the Associated Press reporting that airstrikes hit multiple homes in the middle of the night – killing men, women and children as they slept. Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire that had … Read more
One person has died trying to cross the Channel in an overloaded boat, after another person died earlier attempting the same journey, according to the French authorities. In the latest incident, 15 people were rescued after a boat containing 40 people picked up more migrants on the coast of Gravelines, in northern France, at around … Read more
The regional government of Madrid has unveiled plans to limit the use of computers and tablets in primary schools to a maximum of two hours a week in an effort to tackle “the risks associated with the early, intensive and inappropriate use of information technology”. Under the proposals, which are set to come into effect … Read more
Opening summary Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news over the next couple of hours. We start with news that president Donald Trump will sign a long-anticipated executive order on Thursday that aims to shut down the Department of Education, … Read more
Conservatives prepare for local election losses as Kemi Badenoch launches campaign Good morning. For Keir Starmer, it is a military day. This morning Downing Street has released video footage and pictures of Starmer meeting the crew of a nuclear-armed submarine as it returned to Faslane in Scotland. Later this morning he is in Barrow, where … Read more
Official UK data recording people’s biological sex and their gender identity is often unclear or conflated, a government-commissioned report has found, causing confusion and potential risks, for example in healthcare and safeguarding. The review, led by Alice Sullivan, a professor of sociology and research specialist at University College London, said guidance should be updated to … Read more