Global trade war escalates as Beijing hits back against Donald Trump with new tariffs on US goods

• IMF warns of ‘significant risk’ to global economy from Trump tariffs as markets slide
• Global markets in turmoil as Trump tariffs wipe $2.5tn off Wall Street
• Analysis: Trump’s ‘idiotic’ and flawed tariff calculations stun economists

New Civil Liberties Alliance, a conservative legal group, has filed what it says is the first lawsuit seeking to block Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, saying the US president overstepped his authority. Reuters reports:

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, alleges that Trump lacked the legal authority to impose the sweeping tariffs unveiled on Wednesday as well as duties authorized on February 1 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

“By invoking emergency power to impose an across-the-board tariff on imports from China that the statute does not authorize, President Trump has misused that power, usurped Congress’s right to control tariffs, and upset the Constitution’s separation of powers,” NCLA senior litigation counsel Andrew Morris said in a statement.

Joanne Sharkey had previously admitted to manslaughter after incident when she was suffering postnatal depression

A woman who killed her newborn baby 27 years ago while suffering from severe postnatal depression has been spared jail as a judge said the case “calls for compassion”.

Joanne Sharkey, 55, was handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility over the death of her days-old son, whose body was found wrapped in bin bags in woodland in 1998.

Livia Tossici-Bolt given conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 costs in case that drew US state department concern

An activist whose case had been cited by the US state department over “freedom of expression” concerns in the UK has been convicted of breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic.

Livia Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner, went on trial at Poole magistrates court last month accused of breaching a public spaces protection order on two days in March 2023 near to a clinic in Bournemouth. On Friday she was found guilty of two charges of breaching the order.

Chanel Tapper holds Guinness World Records title with her 3.8in tongue that is longer than a medium-sized lightbulb

Party tricks are second nature to Chanel Tapper, who has long wielded the Guinness World Records title for woman with the globe’s longest tongue.

The California native can easily use the 3.8in (9.75cm) organ to remove Jenga blocks from a stack. She can flip red plastic cups with it; touch the tip of her nose as well as under her chin; and raise a spoon by curling it around the utensil.

The court said Yoon had ‘committed a grave betrayal of the trust of the people’ over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December

South Korea’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been removed from office after the country’s constitutional court voted unanimously to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December.

After weeks of deliberations and growing concerns about the future of South Korea’s democracy, all eight justices voted to strip Yoon of his presidential powers.

Brosnan, who co-stars with Mirren in new series MobLand, said ‘there’s always going to be conflict’ when it comes to the 007 spy series

Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in four films between 1995 and 2002, has said he has qualified sympathy for Helen Mirren’s feelings about what she called the “profound sexism” of the spy series.

Speaking last week, Mirren said she had “never liked James Bond” because the concept is “drenched and born out of profound sexism.”

• Belgian announces news via social media post
• ‘As players we all know this day eventually comes’

Kevin De Bruyne has confirmed he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium. The Belgian is the most decorated player in the club’s history, having won 19 medals since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015.

The City captain’s contract expires at the end of June. De Bruyne has struggled physically in recent years and Pep Guardiola has admitted he needs players who can cope with the rigours of playing twice a week.

Dismissing Haugh, who headed the US Cyber Command, puts the country at risk at a time of ‘unprecedented cyber threats’, congressional Democrats say

Top congressional Democrats on Thursday protested against the reported firing of Gen Tim Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), with one lawmaker saying the decision “makes all of us less safe”.

The Washington Post reported late Thursday that Haugh and his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, had been dismissed from their roles. Haugh also headed US Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon’s cybersecurity operations. The Post report cited two current US officials and one former US official who requested anonymity.

Temperature could hit 24C in central England on Friday with ‘very high to extreme’ risk of wildfires across Britain

The UK could experience its warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures higher than European holiday hotspots.

The Met Office said much of the country would be dry and sunny on Friday, and some of central England could hit 24C (75F) as weather “nearer to what we’d expect in July” continued.

Shoppers also face more ‘shrinkflation’ as manufacturers ‘try to offset rising production costs’

Exchanging Easter eggs and tucking into a roast dinner are among the highlights of the spring holiday but Britons face paying more for this year’s celebrations after a sharp rise in the price of essentials such as chocolate, lamb and hot cross buns.

A leg of lamb joint now costs on average £13.94 a kilo in in supermarkets, which is 10%, or £1.31, more than last year, according to the price analysts Assosia. Over two years, the jump is nearly 27%, or approaching £3 more a kilo, based on the pre-promotion price across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons.