The Guardian • 21 October 2025

Defiant Sarkozy begins jail sentence as lawyer says he will be held in solitary confinement – as it happened

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived at La Santé prison in Paris on Tuesday to start a five-year prison term.

Sarkozy, who was the conservative president of France between 2007 and 2012, was handed a five-year jail term in September for criminal conspiracy over a plan for late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to fund his electoral campaign.

He walked out of his home hand-in-hand with his singer wife, Carla Bruni, and left in a car escorted by police on motorbikes.

The i Paper • 13 October 2025

Trump hailed ‘the peace president’ as all 20 living Israeli hostages freed

All 20 living Israeli hostages have now been handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas as part of Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal.

The US President was given red carpet treatment as he arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday, where he will meet with the families of hostages and address the Knesset.

Families and friends of hostages broke out into cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross.Follow The i Paper’s liveblog for the latest updates....

The i Paper • 11 October 2025

The options to replace stamp duty – and how it could affect you

Plans from the Tories to cut stamp duty on primary residences could see other payments such as council tax being reformed as a result, a leading fiscal policy analyst has said.

Kemi Badenoch made the pledge in her closing speech at the party’s conference in Manchester, with the opposition leader calling on Rachel Reeves to cut taxes in an effort to boost growth.

Stamp duty i...

The Guardian • 9 October 2025

Zelenskyy says he will nominate Trump for Nobel peace prize if he secures Ukraine ceasefire – Europe live

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, floated the idea of nominating the US president, Donald Trump, for the Nobel peace prize in a briefing to reporters, two days ahead of the announcement of this year’s winner, who would have been selected earlier in the autumn, Reuters reports. Zelenskyy said in comments released on Thursday:
If Trump gives the world – above all, the Ukrainian peo...

The Guardian • 9 October 2025

Trump says he will be ‘involved’ in keeping peace in Gaza – as it happened

The Israeli army has said it is “preparing to receive” the hostages held in Gaza.“ The Chief of Staff instructed to be prepared to lead the upcoming operation to return the abductees with sensitivity and professionalism,” the Israel Defense Forces posted in Arabic on X. The military also welcomed the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The Guardian • 8 October 2025

Outgoing French PM says ‘there is desire’ to agree budget and talks down prospect of snap election – as it happened

France’s caretaker prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said his talks with various party leaders had revealed a “willingness” to pass a budget by the end of the year and that snap parliamentary elections were now looking less likely.“This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote,” he said in a brief address on Wed...

The i Paper • 21 September 2025

Starmer confirms recognition of Palestine 'to keep alive possibility of peace'

The UK has officially recognised the state of Palestine in a symbolic move of support. Sir Keir Starmer has described the move as an effort “to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution”. Speaking via video message, the Prime Minister said: “Ordinary people, Israeli and Palestinian, deserve to live in peace, to try to rebuild their lives free from violence and suffering. That’s what the British people desperately want to see.” The declaration comes alongsi...

The Guardian • 20 September 2025

Poland scrambles aircraft as Russia attacks Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles – as it happened

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Saturday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, armed forces of the Nato-member country said. “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest...

The i Paper • 19 September 2025

Why Trump might want Afghanistan air base back (despite previously letting it go)

Trump said the Afghanistan base should 'never have On Thursday, during a press conference with British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump said he wanted the US to reclaim the Bagram air base in Afghanistan. The Soviet-built airstrip was the main base for American forces in the mountainous South Asian nation following the attacks of 9/11. They withdrew in 2021, with the Taliban taking over shortly after. Later, aboard Air Force One, the US president s...

The Guardian • 13 September 2025

MPs express shock after alleged racially motivated rape of Sikh woman

MPs have expressed their shock at reports of the racially motivated rape of a 20-year-old Sikh woman, said to have occurred in broad daylight. Detectives are looking for two white male suspects alleged to have racially abused the woman during the assault – they believe one suspect had a shaved head and wore gloves. The incident is alleged to have taken place on Tuesday morning in Oldbury, close to Birmingham. A Sikh community group said it had spoken to the woman and her family and that the words...

The i Paper • 9 September 2025

Russia's latest deadly strikes on Ukraine show Putin remains intent on conquest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that more than 20 civilians had been killed in a Russian airstrike on a village in the eastern region of Donetsk. He wrote on X: “Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed. ”In the aftermath, Zelensky called on Kyiv’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow to...

The i Paper • 9 September 2025

Trump's Epstein bombshells keep dropping. Here's what happens next

New allegations of ties between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein could expose rising tensions in the Republican Party and sway swing voters, a political analyst has said.US lawmakers released a copy of a “birthday book” on Monday which included notes given to deceased convicted paedophile Epstein for his 50th birthday. The book includes a letter allegedly written by Trump whic...

The i Paper • 5 September 2025

Putin inviting Zelensky to Moscow for talks is a dangerous trap

Vladimir Putin’s invitation to host Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow has been described as a “trap” by analysts, who suggested that such a meeting could weaken Kyiv’s positions in negotiations or even place Zelensky in danger. The Russian president said on Wednesday that any direct talks between him and Zelensky to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war must take place in his capital, r...

The i Paper • 5 September 2025

Poland on high alert as Russian air strikes edge closer to Nato borders

Russia is testing Poland with a series of “provocations” that stop short of triggering a full confrontation with a Nato member, analysts said. Warsaw announced on Thursday that two drones had entered Polish air space the previous night without specifying their origin.“We had two airspace violations,” said General Maciej Klisz, Operational Commander of the Armed Forces. “These...

The Guardian • 27 August 2025

Middle East crisis: Israeli military carries out raid in West Bank city of Nablus – as it happened

Israeli army carry out raid in NablusThe Israeli military on Wednesday launched an operation involving dozens of soldiers and armoured vehicles in the old city of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, witnesses and Palestinian officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The Israeli military confirmed to AFP that it was conducting an operation, without specifying its purpose.The raid began at about 3.00am (0.00am UK time), residents said, with soldiers storming several nei...

The i Paper • 26 August 2025

Labour vows to fix 'chaotic' asylum system after winning appeal

The UK Government has responded to Friday’s Court of Appeal ruling on the Bell Hotel in Epping by pledging to fix the “chaotic asylum accommodation system”, which was said to be currently “costing billions”. The appeal came in response to a High Court order last week which stopped the Epping hotel from being used to house asylum seekers. But Lord Justice Bean, Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb ruled in favour of the Government on Friday, allowing the Home Office and the hotel’s owne...

My London • 19 August 2025

Business owners fear closure if £40m scheme with 3,500 homes approved

Business owners fear they may have to shut as plans for a new £40 million scheme including a 8,000 seat stadium and 3,500 homes has been proposed in the area. The owners have also criticised apparent links between the new proposal and the nearby failed ‘Dartford Disneyland’, while representatives for the previous project’s owner have denied any connection...

The Guardian • 31 July 2025

Senate votes against resolutions to block arms sales to Israel even as it continues to starve Gaza – as it happened

Senator Bernie Sanders just spoke on the Senate floor in support of two resolutions that would stop the sale of offensive weapons to Israel over its bombardment of the besieged civilian population of Gaza. Ahead of a vote on the resolutions scheduled for Wednesday night, Sanders delivered his plea for the Senate to block $675.7m in bombs paid for by US taxpayers and the sale of tens of thousands of fully...

The i Paper • 31 July 2025

The aid routes into Gaza mapped - and why food isn't getting through

Israel announced on Sunday new efforts to improve aid access in Gaza, including routes for UN aid trucks, “pauses” in military operations and airdrops. However, the UN has said it is still not getting the permissions it needs to deliver enough aid, with several key crossings into the territory remaining shut indefinitely.The UN published figures yesterday stating that onl...

The Guardian • 30 July 2025

Easter and Galápagos Islands evacuate coastal areas as warnings rattle Pacific – as it happened

Authorities ordered evacuations on Ecuador and Chile’s Pacific islands on Wednesday, after the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. Residents and tourists on Chile’s Easter Island, located some 3,700 km (2,300 miles) off South America’s western coast, evacuated to a church on higher ground, while evacuations began along the mainland’s Pacific c...

The Guardian • 26 July 2025

Music venues subject to noise complaints to get ‘greater protection’

Music venues that are subject to noise complaints by nearby residential developments will be offered “greater protection” under new government plans.The measures, which are set to be introduced under the national licensing policy framework, would mean developers taking responsibility for soundproofing flats and apartments near existing pubs or music venues.The changes are designed to stop the kinds of rows that have seen pubs and gig venues dogged by complaints from people who live in homes buil...

The Guardian • 24 July 2025

Thai military closes all Cambodian border checkpoints as death toll from fighting rises – as it happened

Thailand’s health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said 12 people, including 11 civilians and one soldier, were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces, Reuters reports. He added that 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. One child was included among the civilians killed. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. The country’s military said in a statement:
The Thai Army condemns Cambodi...

The Guardian • 23 July 2025

Mass starvation spreading across Gaza, aid agencies warn, as Israeli government says it is not responsible – as it happened

The Israeli government on Wednesday said it was not responsible for a chronic shortage of food in Gaza, instead accusing Palestinian militants Hamas of deliberately creating a crisis, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. The comments come after 115 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation“ was spreading in Gaza. The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all lan...

The Guardian • 15 July 2025

Sycamore Gap pair jailed for four years and three months – as it happened

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, have each been jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the landscape. The judge said at Newcastle crown court that the pair would be released no later than 40 per cent through their prison sentences. Each will serve a further six months co...