Author: The Guardian

A federal judge suggested on Wednesday that Michael Cohen committed perjury under oath, giving fresh support to the former president Donald Trump’s claims that his one-time personal lawyer and star witness at his upcoming criminal trial in New York is an untrustworthy liar.Judge Jesse M Furman in Manhattan questioned Cohen’s truthfulness in a written order denying his request for early release from the court supervision that followed his three-year prison sentence for crimes including tax evasion, lying to banks and Congress and violating campaign finance laws.Furman cited Cohen’s testimony at Trump’s civil fraud trial last October. On the witness stand,…

Owen Farrell says he wants to play rugby for as long as possible and has opened the door to a return to the England squad. The former captain will be out of the national team for at least two years after agreeing a summer move to French club Racing 92.Farrell sat out this year’s Six Nations for the welfare of his family but insists his love for the game remains undiminished.Asked about his international future, he said: “I’ve taken a step back and that will obviously change next year. [moving to France]. Then we’ll see. There’s no point in saying…

The first trailer for franchise relaunch Alien: Romulus promises a return to the roots of the iconic sci-fi horror series.The film comes from the director of Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead, Fede Álvarez, yet has retained the director of the original, Ridley Scott, as producer and the Aliens director, James Cameron, as unofficial consultant.Originally intended to go straight to Hulu, in the footsteps of the Predator prequel, Prey, Alien: Romulus is now heading to cinemas this summer with Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny leading a cast of young actors.The timeline places it between Alien and Aliens and follows a group of young…

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced new rules on emissions that could reshape the U.S. transportation industry. The rule calls for a 56% reduction in fleet-wide average carbon emissions by 2032, the toughest-ever limit on pollution from cars and light trucks nationwide.”Today, we are setting new pollution standards for cars and trucks,” Joe Biden said in a statement. “American workers will lead the world in producing clean cars and trucks, and every car and truck will bear the stamp of ‘Made in the USA.’ I guarantee you that.The new standards are part of the White House’s efforts to cut greenhouse…

An error by a shop on the Orkney island of Sanday has left it with 720 Easter eggs in the store – far more than its entire population.Sinclair General Stores needed to order 80 eggs, but instead accidentally ordered 80 cases of nine, giving it a total of 720 for the 500-strong population.The shop’s owner Dan Dafydd described his initial “embarrassment and shame” when he realised how many eggs had arrived.“The rest of the staff were chuckling and finding it very entertaining,” he added.In the spirit of Willy Wonka, he is now running a competition to let one person win…

Former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin has overturned EU sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The EU has placed the 25-year-old Russian on its sanctions list because of his links to his father Dmitry, an influential businessman who is said to be the main sponsor of his son’s racing driver activities . It described Dmitry Mazepin as “a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest circle”.But in its ruling on Wednesday, the General Court said Mazepin was no longer a driver for Haas, meaning the EU was wrong to keep him on its sanctions list after he…

Jewish figures are speaking out in support of Jonathan Glazer amid a backlash over the Zone of Interest director’s Oscar speech, with some calling his words “honest and brave”.While accepting the award for best international film, Glazer said he refuted his “Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people” in Gaza and Israel. His speech drew applause in the Dolby Theatre but was quickly condemned by groups such as Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and this week hundreds of Jewish Hollywood figures signed an open letter denouncing it.But other filmmakers and…

Paola Badosa admits it will be “uncomfortable” to face best friend Aryna Sabalenka at Miami Open following the death of boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, the world number two ”.Former ice hockey player Koltsov, 42, died in Miami on Tuesday in what police called an “apparent suicide,” a day after Sabalenka was photographed practicing on social media. Her first match is scheduled for Thursday against Spain’s Badosa, who beat Simona Halep on the Romanian’s return from a doping ban.Badosa said of Sabalenka: “I spent a lot of time talking to her yesterday. Same thing this morning. So I know what she’s going…

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureThe International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to ban Russia’s athletes from the opening parade of the Paris Olympics in July does not paint the IOC in a good light, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.According to Reuters, Peskov called it a violation of the athletes’ interests that ran against the entire ideology of the Olympics.ShareThe Kyiv Independent reports that Russia has lost 433,090 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, according to the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces.This number, reported…

AThe ambulance made its way through the chaotic cargo terminal at Dhaka International Airport, tiptoeing past trolleys piled high with boxes, people hauling rolls of cloth and trucks reversing into loading bays. It stopped, and soon after, a coffin was pushed out from between the towering piles of cargo. Then another. There is another one. On this day, the bodies of 10 migrant workers were being flown back from Saudi Arabia to their families in Bangladesh.One of those present to greet the coffin was Khadija Begum, whose 35-year-old husband Abdul Jalil Shaikh left for Saudi Arabia in early 2023 for…