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Japan tsunami alert issued following powerful earthquake off northern coast – follow latest

Authorities in Japan are urging people living near the country’s north-east coast to evacuate to higher ground after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake triggered a tsunami alert, writes our Tokyo correspondent, Justin McCurry, with waves forecast to reach heights of three metres. Tsunami waves have been observed in several areas, prompting warnings and advisories in Fukushima, Iwate and Aomori prefectures, as well as the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The public broadcaster NHK showed live footage of sections of coastline, with announcers repeatedly urging people to flee before darkness fell. The earthquake, which struck offshore at a depth of 10km shortly before 5pm local time, recorded an upper-5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, meaning the shaking was strong enough to make movement difficult without support and to topple furniture. It has been 15 years since the same region was devastated by a magnitude-9 earthquake that set off a tsunami and a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The disaster killed almost 20,000 people, most of whom were swept away by the tsunami.

Eurosceptic Radev poised for majority in Bulgarian election – Europe live

But as Eden Maclachlan reported in his correspondence from Sofia for us over the weekend, younger voters are not particularly convinced by Radev’s platform – which concerns he could prove to be another tricky partner in the bloc, like Viktor Orbán. Here is what Eden wrote before the Sunday vote: Compared by some to Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s recently defeated rightwing populist, Radev [was] leading in the polls, buoyed up by the support of older, rural voters who hope he can smash what he calls an “oligarchy” of corrupt veteran politicians. For voters like Aleksandar Tanev, 22, Radev is not a credible option. The law student believes Radev, who resigned as president in order to run in this election, “is part of this same model” of politicians and “had the opportunity to use the caretaker governments to fight this mafia” as president but did not. Dimitar Keranov, a Bulgarian fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s European resilience programme in Berlin, said voters were split along broadly generational lines. “I don’t think [Radev] would be a straightforward vote for young Bulgarians, because I think he represents the same status quo young Bulgarians would like to see dismantled,” he said. “He’s representing the same old guard or the usual political elite.” A victory for Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria (PB), a left-leaning but Moscow-friendly coalition, could prove another headache for Brussels and its allies just as the EU breathes a sigh of relief over Orbán’s demise. On Wednesday, amid concern over the rising cost of living, Radev took aim at the previous government for its introduction of the euro “without asking” voters. “And now, when you pay your bills, always remember which politicians promised you that you would be in the ‘club of the rich’,” he said.

Middle East crisis live: ceasefire under pressure as Iran says it has no plans for talks after US seizes ship

Here is an extract from some useful analysis by the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, in which he identifies key sticking points in the negotiations with Iran so far: Iran’s three demands before entering another round of talks were a ceasefire in Lebanon, an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports and progress on Iranian asset releases. Iran and the mediators in Pakistan saw this as a traditional diplomatic step-by-step reciprocal process whereby one confidence-building measure from one side would lead to another on the other side. As a result, the imposition on Israel of the two-week ceasefire in Lebanon by Trump was regarded as significant by Iran, and was due to lead to a reciprocal partial lifting of the Iranian chokehold on the strait of Hormuz – a step announced somewhat clumsily by the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in a tweet on Friday morning. In return it was expected that Trump would lift the US blockade of Iranian ports, and the momentum surrounding the virtuous circle would build. But in a series of tweets on Friday Trump kept the blockade in place, claimed Iran had completely lifted the restrictions on tanker traffic in the strait, and for good measure said Iran had agreed to hand over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US for safe keeping. In short, he gave the impression that Iran had surrendered. The backlash that followed in Tehran on Friday was inevitable.

US military seizes Iran-flagged ship trying to pass strait of Hormuz blockade

The US military has attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged container ship that attempted to get past an American blockade near the strait of Hormuz, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command said Tehran would respond soon and called the US seizure an act of piracy that violated the ceasefire that has been in place since 8 April. The news threw into question Donald Trump’s earlier announcement that US negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday, but Iran has not confirmed it will attend. In a post on X, US Central Command said US marines departed the USS Tripoli assault ship by helicopter and rappelled on to Touska on Sunday. The post included a video of the marines onboard the helicopter Trump had earlier posted on X that the ship had tried to get past the US blockade “and it did not go well for them”. The US president said a US navy guided missile destroyer warned the Touska to stop in the Gulf of Oman but the vessel did not. “[Our] Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” Trump said, adding that US marines now had custody of the vessel. He said the ship was under US treasury sanctions because of “prior history of illegal activity”. The ship is on the treasury department’s list of sanctioned vessels. A spokesperson for Iran military’s central command centre, Khatam al-Anbiya, cited by the Isna news agency, said: “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the US military.” Iranian state media also reported that Tehran had – for now – rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands”. Video posted on social media by the US defence department showed the interception of the ship by US forces. The video includes audio of the container ship’s crew being warned that they will be fired on if they refuse to stop. “Vacate your engine room,” a US sailor can be heard saying. “We’re prepared to subject you to disabling fire.” The video then shows the USS Spruance firing on the Touska. The cargo ship was stopped near Iran’s border with Pakistan. Touska had previously left Port Klang, a major port in Malaysia, when the vessel then attempted to move past the US blockade, according to tracking information from TankerTrackers.com. The escalating standoff threatens to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed fighting, in a conflict that has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers in Israel, and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.

Monday briefing: How is it possible the prime minister didn’t know about Mandelson’s vetting failure?

Good morning. Today the prime minister will face parliament in the wake of the Guardian’s exclusive revelation that during the process of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, the former New Labour “prince of darkness” failed UK security vetting – something Keir Starmer says he was not told about. On Friday, Starmer said he was “absolutely furious” and described the situation as “totally unacceptable”. But the episode has once again raised questions about his political judgment, with opposition parties – and some of his own MPs – calling for his resignation. The story has ramifications beyond the immediate fallout for Starmer. For today’s newsletter I spoke to the Guardian’s head of investigations, Paul Lewis, about what the story tell us about how power operates inside government – and who is really in charge. First, the headlines. Five big stories Iran | Tehran is not planning to take part in new talks with the US in Islamabad, Iranian state media reported, as its military accused America of violating a fragile ceasefire by attacking a cargo ship. US news | At least eight children were killed and two adults wounded in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Police said the suspect, who died after a police pursuit, killed seven of his own children and wounded their mother, as well as killing another child. UK politics | Keir Starmer will deliver a high-stakes statement to MPs on Monday setting out how Peter Mandelson was able to take up his role as UK ambassador without the Foreign Office revealing it had overruled the decision to fail his vetting. Protest | Seven people from an activist group calling for higher taxes on the super-rich have been arrested by police on suspicion of conspiracy to steal after a plot to steal from high-end stores was uncovered. Crime | A woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car hit pedestrians in central London in the early hours of yesterday morning. A woman in her 30s was in hospital in a critical condition and a man in his 50s suffered life-changing injuries. In depth: ‘It needed to be in the public domain’ Peter Mandelson was appointed the UK’s ambassador to Washington in February 2025. He was sacked in September 2025 after documents released in the US revealed the extent of his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which the Foreign Office said were “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment”. But “who knew what, and when” about his relationship with Epstein has never been satisfactorily explained despite the release of documents to parliament about the appointment process. Then it appeared there might be another dimension – that Mandelson had failed security vetting but had been given the role anyway. “The moment we got a sense this story might be true,” Paul tells me, “my colleagues Henry Dyer, Pippa Crerar and I worked relentlessly to stand it up.” If, after his appointment as US ambassador, Peter Mandelson failed his UK security vetting – and then that decision was overruled by officials at the Foreign Office – unbeknownst, allegedly, to the prime minister or other members of the cabinet, Paul knew it needed to be in the public domain. Once it was, he predicted there would be very significant ramifications: for Keir Starmer, for Olly Robbins, and for the wider intelligence and security establishment – all of which is just starting to pan out. *** What actually happened? After Labour’s July 2024 election victory, Mandelson quickly re-emerged as an influential figure around the new government, advising ministers and building ties in No 10 before being announced as the next US ambassador. It now appears that in January 2025 he failed developed vetting clearance – a rare outcome – only for the decision to be internally overruled by the Foreign Office, allowing him to take up the post. On 2 September last year, the closeness of Mandelson’s relationship to Epstein was laid bare in the first tranche of files released in the US. On 10 September Starmer said in parliament he had “confidence in him”, and on 11 September a Downing Street spokesperson told the media that Foreign Office vetting had been done “normal way”. Later that day Starmer fired Mandelson. In February, Starmer said that Mandelson had passed vetting, with Morgan McSweeney then resigning as Starmer’s chief of staff, saying he took full responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson. In March, document released to parliament stated that national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, had doubts about Mandelson’s appointment, describing it as “weirdly rushed”, but crucially the documents do not disclose that Mandelson failed security vetting. *** Why does it matter beyond Starmer? “If you believe Downing Street, no politician was told – not David Lammy as foreign secretary, and not the prime minister. That’s extraordinary.” Paul is not alone in thinking this is extraordinary. Others have gone further. Veteran Labour MP Jon Trickett said: “It simply doesn’t sound credible,” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the idea as “completely preposterous” and said there was “deliberate dishonesty”. Paul tells me that as much as this is clearly a very significant political story, what really fascinates him is “the wider question of where power resides in the British state”. “It’s a massive Westminster story,” he says. “About Starmer’s candour in parliament and in public, his judgment in appointing Mandelson, and the resignation of the Foreign Office permanent secretary, Olly Robbins. “But what this episode seems to reveal is the really significant, and potentially unchecked, power of senior civil servants and officials.” According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025, but Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, potentially posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office. Paul points out it very much reminds him of the television sitcom Yes, Minister with its wily senior Whitehall mandarins manoeuvring politicians, running the show behind the scenes by seemingly pressing ahead with a plan without consulting ministers about an important change of circumstances. As revealed on Friday, Starmer was apparently left in the dark about sensitive information relating to Mandelson’s security vetting by two other top civil servants besides Robbins, including the recently appointed cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo – who has known since March. *** Who is really making the decisions? Mandelson’s role would have been one of the most sensitive in government. “Think about the implications,” Paul says. “The UK’s most senior diplomat in Washington, dealing with intelligence from GCHQ and the NSA, handling top-secret material, was allowed into that role despite failing a vetting process that even relatively junior civil servants have to pass. “That’s a hugely consequential decision, apparently taken without ministers being informed.” A second strand of the story raises even more profound constitutional questions. In February, parliament passed a “humble address” requiring the government to release all papers relating to Mandelson’s appointment. While sensitive material can be withheld from publication, it must still be shared with the intelligence and security committee. But the Guardian found that “officials were considering not even disclosing those vetting documents to that committee. In other words, potentially resisting a direct parliamentary order.” That, Paul says, raises a fundamental question: “Who ultimately holds power: parliament, or the national security establishment?” *** What happens next? “These kinds of journalistic investigations are difficult,” Paul says. “They involve national security, they’re complex, and they deal with material that is, by nature, highly secret. “And this was a story where it became clear quite early on that there were people in government who really did not want it to come out.” It is exactly this kind of difficult, vitally important journalism that the Guardian can only carry out because of the unique way we are funded by you, our readers. What happens politically now is not clear. Starmer’s leadership has looked fragile for some time, and Labour is braced for a difficult set of elections in May. But that alone may not be enough to trigger a move against him. The three most frequently mentioned potential successors – Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham – each face obstacles. Streeting has drawn criticism over perceived manoeuvring, Rayner remains under scrutiny over her tax matters and a perception she is not up to big international issues, and Burnham is still outside parliament. Starmer may take heart from some backbench MPs going in to bat for him. Southport’s Patrick Hurley called it a “fuss over nothing”, saying: “By an order of magnitude, the bigger problem for us is the shock from the Iran war, the ongoing challenge on prices of consumer goods, and the very long shadow of Liz Truss’s mini-budget. Everything else is a sideshow.” The Guardian has learned that Adrian Fulford, who led the Southport inquiry, is expected to review Mandelson’s vetting process and the wider system. The recently departed Foreign Office permanent secretary, Robbins, has been invited to give evidence to the Commons foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday, and Pippa Crerar has written that he is “understood to be extremely angry at what he believes to be his unfair treatment by the prime minister”. And before that, Starmer faces the House of Commons today. The Mandelson affair has already claimed multiple senior figures. Whether it ultimately claims the prime minister remains to be seen. What else we’ve been reading London Zoo celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, and the Guardian’s photographer David Levene has been given a behind-the-scenes access to its veterinary team. Patrick Elena Saavedra Buckley relays her experience of taking part in a mission to live on Mars with the caveat that it is taking place at a purpose-built camp in Utah. Martin I was gripped by this essay by American writer Siri Hustvedt about the death of her husband, Paul Auster. Patrick They used to warn us about the dangers of the internet, but increasingly people are finding it is their parents being radicalised by social media. Simon Usborne investigates. Martin Another birthday. This time, Michael Rosen is turning 80. The much-loved children’s author reflects on the death of his son, antisemitism and surviving Covid. Patrick Sport Football | Manchester City took one step close to an unlikely comeback in the Premier League title race thanks to a winner from Erling Haaland, pictured above, against Arsenal at the Etihad. The 2-1 win puts them three points behind with a game in hand. Tennis | Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Madrid Open due to a viral illness. She has been out of action since March. Snooker | Mark Allen revealed how a burger and a few drinks fuelled his surge into the second round of the World Snooker Championship after he defeated Zhang Anda 10-6 at the Crucible. The front pages “Commons showdown for Starmer over Mandelson vetting scandal” – that’s the lead story in the Guardian at the start of the week. “Mandelson had top level of security clearance” reports the Times while the Telegraph says “Starmer knew about Mandelson red flags”. The i paper runs with “Starmer faces showdown in Commons – and fights for his future”. “Day Starmer has to stand up and take the blame” is the Mail’s verdict. The Mirror has a puff piece by comparison – “Heroes of the deep” – as it joins the PM on a tour of a British nuclear sub. The Express’s preferred angle of attack is a Tory claim that “Crime costs UK taxpayers £90m a day under Labour”. The Metro’s splash is “Britain boots out grieving jet crash dad”. Top story in the Financial Times is “Iran war will squeeze US voters long after conflict ends, economists warn”. Today in Focus Stonewall’s new chair on trans rights, JK Rowling and the future of the LGBTQ+ movement An exclusive interview with Kezia Dugdale on the charity’s mistakes and the future of the LGBTQ+ movement. With reporting by Libby Brooks Cartoon of the day | Tom Gauld The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Amanda Barry’s father, George, died when she was nine. She discovered his Antarctic journals and photos in her mother’s loft, sparking a lifelong desire in her to visit Port Lockroy, where he had served as base leader in 1948. After a career in PR, she returned to study environmental science and worked on building experience in museums and as a guide. In her 60s, she was selected as museum manager for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Amanda reached the tiny island and stood where her father once stood. The experience offered her the closest sense of reunion she believes she will ever have. “The first time I walked in, I saw his picture on the wall,” she says. “I cried, of course. It was such a magical thing.” Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Arrests fuel fears among Madagascar’s gen Z protesters that new regime no better than one they overthrew

The arrest of several protesters in Madagascar has increased fears among young people that the military regime that took power last year after huge Gen Z demonstrations will be no better than the government it overthrew. Four Gen Z activists, Herizo Andriamanantena, Miora Rakotomalala, Dina Randrianarisoa and Nomena Ratsihorimanana, were arrested on 12 April, one of their lawyers said, two days after taking part in a protest calling for an election date to be set. They are accused of offences related to undermining state security and criminal conspiracy, said Aliarivelo Maromanana. “They’ve all denied it and there’s no evidence whatsoever,” he said. Col Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October 2025 after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner Gen Z Madagascar. His spokesperson, Harry Laurent Rahajason, asked about the arrests, said: “Here in Madagascar there is what we call the separation of powers. So the presidency has nothing to do with cases dealt with by the national police.” Two of the activists were released and admitted to hospital on Tuesday, Maromanana said. On Friday, only Herizo, the group’s leader, was still in detention. Local media quoted the national police as saying that the activists were not harmed or intimidated during detention and the two in hospital had taken ill. Two more activists were arrested on Wednesday night, Gen Z 261, one of the groups that emerged from the previously leaderless Gen Z Madagascar movement, said on Thursday. No further information was available about their detention. Young people had been jubilant when the previous president, Andry Rajoelina, fled in October. However, many have since become disenchanted by Randrianirina’s choice of government officials, whom they see as being part of the old, corrupt elite; a lack of economic reforms; and the new regime’s closeness to Russia. The arrests raise “serious concerns around the respect for fundamental freedoms,” said Ketakandriana Rafitoson, a Transparency International Madagascar board member. “It is a pattern we saw under the previous administration and one that many hoped would be broken with the transition. So [last] Friday’s protests were a test for this regime and they failed it.” Madagascar, an Indian Ocean island of 32 million people, is rich in biodiversity and natural resources, including vanilla, rubies and sapphires. However, the former French colony has been bedevilled by coups and corruption, as well as cyclones and droughts that have been made worse by the climate crisis. In 2024, it was the fifth poorest country in the world, with a GDP per capita of $545 (£403), according to the World Bank. September’s protests erupted after two councillors in the capital, Antananarivo, were arrested for protesting against water and electricity outages. Since the regime change, these services have not substantively improved, said Elliot Randriamandrato, a leader of Gen Z Madagasikara, another Gen Z Madagascar group. He said: “For the moment, there’s no real reforms that have been implemented by the government. That’s maybe why everyone is so frustrated, because we don’t see anything clear and visible.” Randriamandrato said he was less concerned with the government announcing an election date – the president has said it would be within two years of his October takeover – than with a new constitution. “We ask for more clarity on the date of the constitutional consultation, because the date and the methodology and the way they’re going to lead this important moment … it’s during those consultations that the real issues are going to be addressed,” he said. He cited electoral reform as one example of the change his group wanted, adding: “It’s [currently] a system that only permits people with more money to win.” The president’s spokesperson, asked about the constitutional reform process, referred to a press conference he had held on Wednesday where he told reporters authorities were investigating corruption estimated at 3,811bn ariary (£679m) and linked the investigations to threats to the president. Rahajason showed a video of what he said were drones flying above the president’s home on the night of 11 April, Radio France Internationale reported. He also said there was a plan to set the national parliament on fire. Meanwhile, the military regime has received donations of military trucks, helicopters and tanks from Russia, after Randrianirina visited Putin in Moscow in February. Shely Andriamihaja, a member of Gen Z Madagasikara, said her group was “very worried about the risk of new state capture from foreign countries”, adding that she was not defending Madagascar’s former colonial ruler, France. Rahajason confirmed there were Russians in Randrianirina’s presidential guard. Asked for the number and the reason for their presence, he replied: “Why are you asking this question? … Why did the Ukrainian president call on guards of other nationalities? Why is it normal? And why, when a Malagasy calls on the services of international guards, why is it not normal?”

IDF map shows its advance into southern Lebanon – as it happened

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Ukraine war briefing: Europe needs homegrown missile defence in a year – Zelenskyy

Europe must have its own defence system against ballistic missiles and Ukraine is holding talks with several countries to create one, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday. Ukraine relies heavily on scant supplies of the Patriot system, produced by the US, to shoot down Russian missiles, which are often fired at Ukraine’s electricity generation and transmission systems. “I believe, and my idea is, that we should have a European anti-ballistic missile defence system. We are in talks with several countries and are working in this direction,” Zelenskyy told the national TV channel, Marathon. “We need to build our own anti-ballistic missile defence system within a year.” Fire Point, maker of Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, told Reuters this month that it was in talks with European companies to launch a new air defence system by next year, creating a low-cost alternative to the Patriot which is in increasingly short supply amid extensive deployment in the Gulf because of Donald Trump’s war against Iran. Europe’s only anti-ballistic system, the Italo-French SAMP/T, is produced in relatively small numbers. A “massive” night-time drone strike on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded four others, the head of the city’s military administration said on Sunday. Russian drones also attacked the southern city of Kherson on Sunday, local officials reported. A man died of his wounds after a drone hit a van driving through the city centre, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional administration. A second man was hospitalised with blast injuries, regional authorities said. Ukraine hit the Atlant Aero drone factory in the city of Taganrog, the Ukrainian military general staff reported. The site lies about 55km (35 miles) east of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine in south-western Russia. According to the military, the strike started a fire at the factory, which designs and produces strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as components for more powerful UAVs that can carry guided bombs weighing up to 250kg. Ukraine’s navy said it carried out the Atlant Aero attack using domestically manufactured Neptune cruise missiles. Russian officials in Taganrog confirmed an attack on “commercial enterprises” as well as a vocational school and multiple cars. Russia launched 236 drones into Ukrainian territory overnight into Sunday, Ukraine’s air force reported. Of those, 203 drones were shot down while 32 hit targets in 18 separate locations, it said. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces shot down 274 Ukrainian drones during the night, as well as guided aerial bombs and a Neptune cruise missile. The ministry did not say how many struck targets. The centre-left coalition of Rumen Radev is expected to win Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, though without an outright majority, after polls closed on Sunday. Radev is seen by critics as pro-Russian and Eurosceptic. If he is able to form a government, this could pose another headache for the European Union in its support of Ukraine’s defence. Though Radev has denounced the Russian invasion, he has opposed military aid to Ukraine and has favoured reopening talks with Russia as a way out of the conflict. It comes after Hungarian voters ousted Viktor Orbán, who cultivated close ties with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and obstructed European help for Ukraine. Ukraine’s interior minister said on Sunday that two police officers had been suspended after a video circulated online showed them fleeing the scene of the shooting in Kyiv in which six people were killed. “Shameful, unworthy behaviour. This is a disgrace for the entire system. They have been suspended, and an investigation into this is underway,” said Igor Klymenko, the government minister. Zelenskyy, added that “there will be a full review of the patrol officers’ actions”. Ukraine’s police chief, Ivan Vygivsky, told reporters that the suspect had served in the Ukrainian armed forces before retiring in 2005 and then lived in Russia until 2017. “We checked his social media pages … His views there are negative. You can’t say he had a pro-Ukrainian stance, it was, let’s say, somewhat in the other direction,” Vygivsky said.