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Odesa bears brunt of latest Russian attacks on Ukraine – as it happened

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today! French president and Andorra’s co-prince Emmanuel Macron is expected to arrive in the microstate and intervene in a tricky abortion debate, endorsing the government’s plans to reform the existing draconian laws, according to Élysée Palace’s briefing to the French media (16:01). The European Commission and the incoming Hungarian government are expected to hold further talks about unfreezing billions of euros in EU funds this week, amid preparations for Péter Magyar to take office in early May after his election win over Viktor Orbán earlier this month (15:17). At least 14 people were injured in overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine, with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressing the need to keep investing in the air defence systems (12:30). Lithuania has charged 13 people with two attempted murders linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, the chief of the Baltic country’s criminal police said (9:47, 14:16). And since most news are a bit grim these days, here is something to clean your palate and give you some hope: A Polish social media influencer has raised more than £50m after a nine-day, non-stop online stream during which he was joined by a parade of celebrity guests to help a charity supporting children battling cancer (12:46). If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Mali’s militant attacks expose limits of Putin’s power in Africa

When Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali’s military junta, sat down with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin last summer, it symbolised Moscow’s commanding sway over Mali at the expense of the west. As the two men spoke, roughly 3,500 miles to the south, about 2,000 Russian troops were propping up the regime in the landlocked desert country, as part of Moscow’s broader push for influence across the Sahel region. But in the last few days, a wave of coordinated, surprise attacks by jihadist militants and a separatist group has exposed the limits of Moscow’s reach and military might in the impoverished west African state. Over the weekend, rebel fighters launched one of their most effective assaults in years against the Russian-backed authorities. Fighting continued into Monday, with the full picture still unclear. The rebels have so far achieved at least one major victory. Russia’s Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner group, said on Monday it had pulled out of Kidal, a strategically important northern town. “This crisis is definitely affecting the credibility of Russia’s interventions in the region,” said Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim of the International Crisis Group thinktank. Mali’s eastern neighbours, Burkina Faso and Niger, expelled French and American forces following coups in 2022 and 2023 respectively. They, too, turned to Moscow, with the three countries forming a Russian-backed bloc across the heart of the Sahel. But it is in Mali that Russia’s presence runs deepest. “Questions will be raised now over whether the Russians can provide the kind of solution that African nations facing insurgencies are looking for,” Ibrahim said. The Africa Corps has acknowledged some casualties in the fighting, saying it had evacuated its wounded and heavy equipment. Military bloggers close to the defence ministry, meanwhile, said a Russian helicopter had been shot down near the city of Gao, killing those on board. The losses also extend to the highest levels of the Malian government. The junta confirmed late on Sunday that Sadio Camara, Mali’s defence minister and a key architect of the partnership with Russia, died of wounds sustained in a suicide attack on his residence. When Mali’s military seized power in 2021, Camara was the driving force behind the country’s quick shift in alliances, Ibrahim said. The junta expelled France – which had maintained troops in the country since its 2013 intervention against Tuareg and Islamist militants – and turned to Russia as its primary political and military backer. Since then, Moscow has sought to replicate in Mali a model it has used elsewhere in Africa, offering security support and political backing in return for access to plentiful resources. The junta initially turned to the Wagner group, the notorious paramilitary network backed by Russia and led by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin. Around 1,000 mercenaries arrived in late 2021 and helped secure a series of battlefield gains. In November 2023, Wagner-backed Malian forces retook Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold that had been in rebel hands for more than a decade. But Wagner’s fortunes shifted after Prigozhin’s failed march on Moscow and his murky death in a plane crash two months later, as the Kremlin moved to bring his mercenary empire to heel. Wagner was wound down, and its fighters in Mali were absorbed into the Africa Corps, a new structure under the direct command of Russia’s defence ministry. The restructured Russian force has struggled to match Wagner’s military effectiveness and political reach, analysts and former members say, with its most capable forces either fighting in Ukraine or killed there. The Africa Corps first ran into serious trouble in the summer of 2024, when up to 50 Russian soldiers were ambushed and killed by rebels in Mali – thought to be the deadliest single incident for Russia on the continent. “Africa Corps is nowhere near as good at its work as its predecessor,” said Marat Gabidullin, a former Wagner commander who remains in contact with members of the new formation. “Morale is low, commanders are often not qualified, and the soldiers are poorly trained.” The loss of Kidal now marks a sharp reversal of Russia’s fortunes in Mali. Ibrahim said: “Losing Kidal after first recapturing it is a major symbolic setback for the Russians.” But, he added, without Russian backing, the junta’s losses would likely have been far heavier. “It would have been much more catastrophic for the military regime if the Russians were not stationed in the big cities,” he said. Moscow has so far struck a cautious tone. The foreign ministry issued a brief statement condemning the attacks but offered little detail on Russia’s role in the fighting. But state media and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels were quick to emphasise Moscow’s involvement, crediting Russian forces with helping to hold the rebels at bay. Kommersant, a well-connected Russian newspaper, wrote: “Largely thanks to the fighters of the Russian armed forces’ Africa Corps stationed in Mali, most of the attacks were repelled.”

China blocks $2bn Meta takeover of AI agent developer Manus

China has blocked Meta’s $2bn (£1.5bn) acquisition of an AI startup as it cracks down on US investments in domestic tech companies. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced the acquisition of Manus, a developer of autonomous AI agents, in December. However, the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday it had cancelled the takeover. In a statement, China’s top economic planning body said that it will “prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project” and “requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction”. Bloomberg reported last week that Chinese regulators are planning to block tech firms, including leading AI startups, from accepting US investment without government approval. Several private firms have reportedly been warned in recent weeks that they should reject US funding unless it receives explicit approval from Beijing, in a policy move triggered by the Manus deal. Manus, which launched in Beijing but is now based in Singapore, described the deal as “validation of our pioneering work with general AI agents”. AI agents are designed to carry out multiple tasks – such as planning holidays, handling customer queries or drafting research presentations – without human intervention and are important products for tech executives touting the labour-saving possibilities of the technology. Meta, which is pouring billions of dollars into its AI drive, said when it announced the deal it would bring a “leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products”. Asked to comment on the NDRC move, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said: “The transaction complied fully with applicable law. We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry.” China and the US are the leading AI superpowers, with all of the top 20 best-performing models produced by a developer from one of those countries. The US president, Donald Trump, claimed in January that “we’re leading China by a tremendous amount” in what the White House has billed as a straight race between Beijing and Washington for AI dominance. The sudden move comes weeks before a planned mid-May summit between US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing. China rarely orders corporate deals to be unwound after completion, in a sign of heightened regulatory scrutiny amid US-China tech competition. China’s request to unwind the Manus deal is the latest high-profile case of it blocking a cross-border transaction. Last year, China criticised billionaire businessman Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison for agreeing a $23bn sale of dozens of ports worldwide to a consortium led by US asset manager BlackRock. The deal was welcomed by Trump. Manus was hailed early last year by state media and commentators as China’s next DeepSeek – one of the country’s leading AI startups – after releasing what it said was the world’s first general AI agent. Manus does not produce its own AI model, but an agent framework that operates on top of existing western large-language models.

Pro-choice campaigners in Malta create lockboxes containing abortion pills

Rights campaigners have affixed lockboxes containing abortion pills to sites across Malta, in a campaign designed to highlight the country’s near-total ban on abortion. The 15 black boxes aim to provide practical help to women grappling with the EU’s strictest abortion laws; anyone who is less than nine weeks pregnant and in need of an abortion is invited to send an email to obtain the location and codes to access the pills. In the first eight days of the campaign, 16 women were in touch, hinting at an unmet demand for the procedure in the southern European country, said Rebecca Gomperts of Women on Waves, the Netherlands-based charity behind the campaign. “It’s just archaic, in that sense, compared with the rest of Europe,” she said. “It’s such a violation of women’s rights that’s still happening there.” The campaign flies in the face of the law, as abortion is only permitted in the staunchly Catholic nation if a woman’s life or health is in danger. The lockbox campaign has stirred debate across the country and prompted one anti-abortion group to tell local media that it would call on police to launch an investigation. Gomperts, a medical doctor who founded Women on Waves in 1999, said she had yet to hear anything from Maltese authorities. But she likened the campaign to the organisations that mail abortion pills to women around the world. “The only thing that we did is to make sure that they’re available there for women instead of having them wait for the mail,” she said. Malta’s strict laws were thrust into the international spotlight in 2022 after an American suffered an incomplete miscarriage while on holiday in the EU country. Doctors said they could not carry out a potentially life-saving abortion, citing laws that, at the time, barred the procedure under any circumstance. She was eventually airlifted to Spain where an abortion was carried out. The case led politicians in Malta to tinker with the law, voting in 2023 to allow terminations when the mother’s life was in danger, as long as it was agreed to by three doctors and if all other possible treatment options had been exhausted. Abortion, however, remains illegal under all other circumstances, including rape, incest and severe foetal abnormalities, making Malta an outlier in western Europe. Data collected by Doctors for Choice Malta indicates that many women are being forced to choose between complying with the law and their right to decide. In 2025, two of the main online providers of abortion pills shipped 667 packages to Malta, up nearly 12% from one year earlier, the organisation said. Isabel Stabile, a doctor and a co-founder of Doctors for Choice, said: “At the moment, I would call the situation in Malta dire, absolutely dire. So we’re talking hundreds of women, basically two a day, having an abortion.” Other women travel abroad, spending thousands of euros to access the procedure at clinics across Europe. The risk that women in Malta face was underlined last month, after a woman was handed a suspended prison term for inducing her own abortion using pills. While she did not formally admit to the charges, she was found guilty after the court reportedly relied heavily on the testimony of healthcare workers who treated her after she was admitted to hospital for heavy bleeding. While the last known case of a woman in Malta ending up in prison for an abortion is believed to have occurred in 1980, Stabile described it as the third case in which a woman was known to have been reported by doctors. In this case, she had been “given a suspended sentence, but nevertheless found guilty,” said Stabile. “What sense does it make to put women through all of this torture of prosecution and then a court case? It’s expensive, of course, because you need to pay your lawyer.” Instead, she called on politicians to take the “simplest, safest, first baby step” towards protecting women’s health: decriminalising abortion for women. Doing so would allow them to seek care more easily if needed after taking pills, she said. The lack of choice for women in Malta was exacerbated by the country’s minimal level of sex education in schools and scant access to free contraceptives, said Stabile. “We are making it exceedingly difficult for women to protect themselves and at the same time we’re saying: ‘Oh well, if you get pregnant, that was God’s will, wasn’t it? So get on and be a good lady and deliver this baby.’ It doesn’t really make any sense.” She remained optimistic, however, that things would eventually change, citing a survey of attitudes carried out in 2021 and 2022 that suggested the majority of post-secondary school students polled in Malta were pro-choice. “So there is hope for the future. This is going to change,” Stabile said. “The question is, how soon can we make it happen?”

Mali in turmoil after insurgents seize towns and kill defence minister

Mali has been left reeling from sweeping attacks by jihadists and separatist rebels who seized several towns and military bases and killed the defence minister and military intelligence chief. The weekend assault on the west African state’s security architecture was coordinated by al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the separatist Tuareg-led movement Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) – former foes with distinct agendas. Mali’s defence minister, Sadio Camara, was killed in an attack on his residence in the garrison town of Kati, the country’s junta-run government said. A spokesperson said a car laden with explosives was driven by a suicide attacker into his residence and that in an ensuing firefight Camara sustained injuries from which he later died in a hospital. The military intelligence chief Modibo Koné was reportedly also killed and forces from the Kremlin-run Africa Corps paramilitary group backing the military-led government withdrew from a key city. The attackers used car bombs and armed drones in their assaults on Kati – a junta stronghold just outside the capital, Bamako – as well as the eastern city of Gao and central towns of Mopti and Sévaré. Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard near Modibo Keita international airport and the main military base at Kati. The airport was temporarily closed. Videos emerged on social media of jihadists laughing and relaxing at the residence of the governor of Kidal, a town 250 miles (400km) south of the Algerian border. The Guardian has not independently verified the footage. Camara and Koné were among the lead actors in the ousting of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s civilian government in 2020. Another coup in May 2021 led to Assimi Goïta, a young captain, becoming head of the junta and the denouncement of an existing peace deal between the government and the rebels. Goïta, believed to be guarded by a private military outfit from Turkey, which has provided military support for Mali in recent years, is yet to comment publicly on the weekend’s attacks. Authorities are yet to provide a death toll, but said on Sunday that the assault was over. Speaking on state TV on Sunday night, Gen Oumar Diarra, the chief of general staff, said the army had left Kidal but that Malian forces had “neutralised” more than 200 terrorists across the country and recovered ammunition. Russia’s Africa Corps – the successor to the mercenary Wagner Group – confirmed it had also left Kidal, long coveted by the separatists as their capital. “In accordance with a joint decision by the leadership of the Republic of Mali, units of the African Corps that were stationed and engaged in combat in the town of Kidal have withdrawn from the area alongside Malian Army personnel,” the statement, posted on Telegram, said. The FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan claimed the forces left after an agreement was reached for their peaceful exit. Mali has long battled militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State as well as a separatist rebellion in the north. Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP), formerly known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), was not heard from at the weekend. Like other countries in the region that fell to juntas, Mali reached a security agreement with the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led Wagner Group after turning away from western allies for help in combating Islamic militants. Camara oversaw the transition to Africa Corps after the death of Prigozhin in August 2023. The partnership failed to produce results. For months last year, JNIM enforced a blockade of fuel trucks from neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, cutting off crucial supply to the capital until a deal was reached. Over the weekend, an Mi-8AMTSh helicopter belonging to Africa Corps was reportedly shot down by a surface-to-air missile near Gao, with everyone onboard killed. According to Ulf Laessing, the Bamako-based head of the Sahel programme at the German thinktank the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the attack was a serious setback for Moscow’s ambitions in the region. “For Russia the attack has been a disaster,” Laessing told Reuters. “They were unable to prevent the fall of the highly symbolic Tuareg stronghold of Kidal and now need to leave this northern city.” Meanwhile, there have been reports of an Ivorian aircraft conducting surveillance at the border. Côte d’Ivoire – seen, like Nigeria, as a French puppet by the Malian junta – has been pursuing American collaboration in its north for cross-border operations into Mali and Burkina Faso, another jihadist-hit Sahelian country. In the Nigerian capital, Abuja, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) issued a statement on Sunday calling for “all states, security forces, regional mechanisms and populations of west Africa to unite and mobilise in a coordinated effort” against insurgency. Mali split from Ecowas to form the parallel Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2025, alongside Burkina Faso and Niger. Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s military ruler and AES chair, said the attacks in Mali were “backed by the enemies of the Sahel liberation struggle” but did not give any supporting evidence. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, expressed deep concern over the violence, emphasising the vulnerability of an estimated 5 million people in Mali who were in need of humanitarian aid.

Clean energy switch must not be excuse to plunder Indigenous lands, say leaders

The energy transition must not be used as a fresh excuse to plunder Indigenous territories, delegates at a groundbreaking global conference on phasing out fossil fuels were warned. High oil prices and war in the Middle East have boosted the attraction of renewable technologies in many parts of the world, but the economic, security and climate benefits should not come at the expense of well-protected natural environments, Indigenous leaders said at the weekend. They were speaking at the first world conference, in Santa Marta, Colombia, on transitioning away from fossil fuels. It aims to “create a coalition of the ambitious” and provide fresh energy to faltering global climate negotiations. More than 50 countries, dozens of subnational governments and thousands of civil society representatives are attending the event, which has been arranged outside a UN process that has become so hamstrung by industry lobbyists that the final declaration of the most recent Cop30 in Brazil could not even mention the words “fossil fuels”. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) published research at the conference showing the vast financial support planet-heating fossil fuels continue to receive. In 2024, the report says, fossil fuels globally received $1.2tn of subsidies and other forms of support from the public purse, in contrast to the $254bn of support that went towards clean energy. Angela Picciariello, senior researcher at the IISD, said: “Governments need to stop making the same mistakes and expecting different outcomes. When energy prices spike, the instinct is often to spend more public money on fossil fuels. But that approach is costly, hard to unwind, and leaves people exposed to the next crisis. The better option is to protect households in the short term while using public finance to scale up renewables and build more resilient energy systems over time.” The debate in Santa Marta has been more liberated, creative and hopeful than similar previous gatherings, with input and support from a wide spectrum of international society, including Indigenous participants who spelled out how they and their lands had been adversely affected by fossil fuels. “When extractivists move in, they don’t just destroy nature, but also our way of living,” said Luene Karipuna, an Indigenous leader in the Brazilian state of Amapá. While endorsing the eradication of fossil fuels, several Indigenous speakers also expressed concerns that alternatives could also bring challenges to their territories because wind turbines, solar panels and electric car batteries all depend on the mining of critical minerals. “It is not just about fossil fuels. Because after that, what is next? They will find some other reason to come after our land and minerals,” said Patricia Suárez of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon. “We can’t cut out one problem just to open the door to another. We need to say no to fossil fuels and no to mineral extraction in the Amazon.” Others said the discussion needed to encompass nature and health, as well as energy. “The transition should be towards standing forests and fresh water,” said Gregório Mirabal of the Kurripako Indigenous People from Venezuela. “If we don’t change this [current economic] model of death, we will be left without water, without health.” Irene Vélez Torres, director of the Colombian National Environmental Agency, said Indigenous groups had a more central role in Santa Marta than they usually played at UN summits. They held their own forum on Sunday, from which suggestions will be fed into the main “People’s Summit” document that representatives will share at the start of high-level ministerial meetings on Tuesday. Vélez Torres said Indigenous territories were particularly vulnerable to exploitation by outsiders, who take what they can from the land and leave only scars. “Extractivism has left deep wounds in the territories of the Indigenous communities,” she said. How to avoid or heal those wounds, she said, would be part of the discussions at Santa Marta.

Polish influencer’s nine-day, non-stop live stream raises £50m for cancer charity

A Polish social media influencer has raised more than £50m after a nine-day, nonstop online stream during which he was joined by a parade of celebrity guests to help a charity supporting children battling cancer. Streaming from a studio flat in right-bank Warsaw, the 23-year-old influencer, known by his nickname Łatwogang, listened to a charity song dedicated to children battling cancer on loop for nine days straight, filling time with entertaining dares and celebrity appearances. The song “I’m still here”, recorded by Polish rapper Bedoes 2115 with Maja Mecan, 11, is written in the form of a rap diss track intended to insult or disrespect a rival – but aimed at cancer. “If you suffer from cancer just like me, this song is for you. I’m Maja and this is my third relapse, and I have reasons to diss you,” the girl says. The song – at times a battle cry, at others a deeply moving tribute to young patients, their parents, nurses and doctors – features a chorus sang by Maja: “I’m still here/Did you think you had me?/I’m still here/We laugh in your face/I’m still here/And I’m not going anywhere.” The streamer, previously best known for recording with Ed Sheeran a Polish language version of his hit Azizam, was joined by a parade of country’s leading music artists, actors, sportspeople and influencers, who recreated their biggest viral hits and pop culture moments. Coldplay’s Chris Martin made a brief appearance, sending a video of himself performing an improvised keyboard song featuring the Polish word for “pushing” the fundraising total even further, adding: “Sorry for my Polish!” Joining the stream at just past 3am, Russian-born Polish-naturalised speed skater Vladimir Semirunniy donated his silver medal from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in the 10,000 metres event, before following the host’s example and shaving his head in solidarity, as did numerous other guests. The campaign also received high-profile endorsements on social media, with Poland and Barcelona’s footballer Robert Lewandowski dancing to the song on his TikTok and donating more than £200,000. A teammate, ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, also recorded a social video in which he was joined by Barcelona and Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Six-time tennis grand slam champion Iga Świątek also gave her support, donating more than £20,000 and two tickets to her match at this year’s Wimbledon tournament. Despite an initial goal of just 500,000 złoty (£102,000), the stream is understood to be among the highest-ever fundraising events on YouTube. As of Monday morning, the total raised during the stream topped 257m złoty (£52.5m), with more than 1.5 million people watching the finale with Łatwogang, Bedoes 2115 and child cancer patients live on Sunday night. On Monday, Łatwogang and Bedoes 2115 thankedsupporters on Instagram, congratulating them for “what you did for the kids and [how you] moved the entire country”. “We ask the media … to publicise the fundraiser and the awareness that cancer is not a death sentence. Because that is all we care about,” they added. The money will support the Cancer Fighters foundation that supports children with cancer and their parents, with a public promise that every penny will be publicly accounted for on a special website.

Monday briefing: Everything we know about the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting

Good morning. On Saturday night the annual Washington ritual of the White House correspondents’ dinner descended into chaos as the US president and first lady were evacuated after the event was interrupted by gunfire. Journalists ducked under tables as authorities rushed Donald Trump and members of his cabinet out of the room. The president and his wife were unharmed, and a suspect is in custody – identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from southern California. In today’s newsletter, I will bring you the latest updates on what we know about the incident. First, the headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Labour figures from across rival factions have begun circulating informal proposals for an “orderly transition” of power away from Keir Starmer, the Guardian understands, shifting their discussions from whether the prime minister could be removed to how. Europe news | Private jets laden with the spoils of those whose wealth swelled during Viktor Orbán’s years in power have been taking off from Vienna, while other individuals are racing to invest their assets abroad. Trade | UK business leaders have called on the government to build an EU-style “trade bazooka” to protect Britain’s economic interests in response to the latest tariff threats from Donald Trump. Middle East | Hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations between Iran and the US faded further on Sunday, amid a deepening sense of a deadlock in the nearly two-month-long conflict. Science | Simultaneous exposure to toxic chemicals and climate change’s impacts likely contributes to the broad global drop in fertility. In depth: ‘Like a scene from a dozen Hollywood movies’ The Guardian’s Washington bureau chief David Smith was at the Washington Hilton on Saturday as events unfolded, and described chaotic scenes. He saw men in tuxedos, women in dresses, diving under the circular tables, “like a scene from a dozen Hollywood movies, but now it was happening to me, right here, right now.” David has since spoken about the experience to Nour Haydar for our Full Story podcast, which you can listen to here. *** What is the White House correspondents’ association dinner? The annual event is a tradition that dates back to the 1920s, and is a fixture in the US political calendar. Most presidents have attended at least one, and often make self-deprecating remarks for the entertainment of the journalists who spend most of the year diligently reporting on the administration. There is also usually a “comedy roast” from a guest speaker, although perhaps with an eye on how sensitive Trump can be to criticism, this year’s main event was due to be the magician Oz Pearlman. Perhaps the most infamous incident – prior to this weekend’s shooting – was in 2011, when Barack Obama taunted Donald Trump to his face over the latter’s obsession with where Obama had been born. Many observers have linked Trump’s decision to run for the presidency in 2016 with the events of that evening. *** What do we know about what happened? Shortly after 8.30pm on Saturday, gunshots were heard at the Washington Hilton, triggering panic among the roughly 2,000 guests inside the ballroom. Secret Service agents rushed in shouting instructions as journalists and officials dived under tables, and Trump and other senior figures were quickly evacuated. The shots came from an attacker who attempted to breach a security checkpoint near the event while carrying multiple weapons, including a shotgun, handgun and knives. He was intercepted by law enforcement before reaching the ballroom but managed to fire, striking a Secret Service officer – whose ballistic vest prevented serious injury. The suspect was subdued and arrested at the scene. The dinner was cancelled but is expected to be rescheduled, while the incident has raised fresh questions about security and the broader climate of political violence in the US. *** What do we know about the suspect in custody – and their motive? The suspected gunman has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles. He has no record of criminal charges or a civil court history in Los Angeles county, according to a records search. Jeffery Carroll, the interim police chief for Washington’s metropolitan police department, told reporters: “We do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. We have secured a room here in the hotel, and again, we’ll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside there.” Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche said in a television interview: “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.” Investigators are assessing a manifesto reportedly written by the suspect, which included a list of targets for the shooting, ranked from highest to lowest priority, with Trump administration officials at the top. An official familiar with the matter told the Guardian that the manifesto, published by the New York Post, was authentic. The suspected gunman sent writings listing his grievances against the administration to his family members about 10 minutes before shots were fired, according to White House officials who spoke to the Associated Press. *** How has Donald Trump reacted and what happens next? The US president has used the event as an opportunity to press the case for his planned White House ballroom. “What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump posted on Truth Social. The US president then spoke with the CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell about the events in an interview that aired Sunday night on 60 Minutes. “I wasn’t worried,” Trum said. He told O’Donnell that his curiosity probably slowed the Secret Service’s efforts to rush him to safety. “I wanted to see what was happening,” Trump said. “I wasn’t making it that easy for them. I wanted to see what was going on. I was surrounded by great people. And I probably made them act a little more slowly.” Trump urged the event to be rescheduled within 30 days, saying: “I don’t want to see it be cancelled. I think it’s really bad for a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this.” Then, in his typically bombastic style, he added a caveat, saying: “It’s not that I want to go. I’m very busy. I don’t need that.” What else we’ve been reading I’m a sucker for a photo gallery and this one showcasing the All About Photo awards winners is a magical, visual feast. Katy Vans, newsletters team I am about as graceful as a giraffe on roller skates, but like every Londoner I have done my time admiring the skills at the South Bank’s skatepark, which has turned 50. Marianne Eloise celebrates it. Martin The big idea delivers another great read on strong borders, highlighting that history shows them to be futile exercises in control, resulting in huge financial costs and preventable human tragedies. Katy It must be a strange experience to be mourning when your loved ones’ death has been the focus of world attention. Pamela Gordon speaks to Christine Dawood, who lost her husband and son on the Titan submarine. Martin This interview with the great actor and director Adjoa Andoh, shines a light on a talent that some people may only recognise from Bridgerton. Katy Sport Football | Chelsea are into yet another FA Cup final, their 17th overall and the 13th in the last 30 years, after a hard-fought victory at Wembley over Leeds where they won 1-0. Athletics | Sabastian Sawe, the 30-year-old Kenyan runner, made history by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon, finishing the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59mins and 30 seconds. Meanwhile Ethiopian Tigst Assefa defended her title after finishing the women’s race in 2:15:41. Football | Coventry celebrated their Championship title win with a 3-1 victory over Wrexham that leaves the Welsh team’s playoff ambitions in the balance. The front pages The Guardian leads with “Washington in shock after Trump press gala shooting”. The Financial Times has “Questions mount over Trump security lapses after brush with alleged shooter”. The Sun’s headline is “Bedlam in the ballroom”. The i reports “King flies into US with extra security after gunman fails to shoot Trump”. The Times says “Trump hails ‘brave’ King for US visit after shooting”. The Mail goes with “King keeps calm and carries on”, while the Mirror characterises it as “King’s US visit security crisis”. The Telegraph leads with an exclusive “Hermer insulted war heroes”. Today in Focus Sanae Takaichi’s push to change Japan’s pacifist constitution Justin McCurry on the political rise of the Japanese prime minister and her plan to amend rules constraining the country’s military. Cartoon of the day | Tom Gauld The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Jillian Gibbs was heavily pregnant and recovering from months of hyperemesis gravidarum. She was exhausted, vulnerable and unsure of her readiness for motherhood. One day, a stranger gently pointed out that her shoelace was undone – something she couldn’t see herself due to how pregnant she was – and offered to tie it for her. This small act reminded her that the world contains compassionate people who look out for others without judgment or expectation; the stranger’s practical kindness stood out. It affirmed the value of accepting help and highlighted how meaningful simple gestures can be. You never know when your small act of kindness can make a huge difference to someone else. 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