World news | The Guardian

The Manchester Arena attack, the Europa League final, riots in Venezuela and the destruction in Syria – the news of the week captured by the world’s best photojournalists. Continue reading...

We examine how the average burden on British people earning £25,000, £40,000 and £100,000 compares with taxes paid by similar earners in Europe, Australia and the USLabour’s plan to tax incomes over £80,000 more heavily is a “massive tax hike for the middle classes” that will “take Britain back to the misery of the 1970s”, according to rightwing newspapers. But are British households that heavily taxed?

‘If you had raped three, I will admit it, that’s on me’ Philippines president tells soldiers on Mindanao island where he has imposed martial lawPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to reassure soldiers who might be accused of committing abuses under martial law and jokingly said that if any of them were to rape three women, he would personally claim responsibility for it.Duterte is notorious for comments often deemed offensive and made the remark as a joke, reiterating that only he would be liable for any backlash over military rule on southern Mindanao island. He has, however, said he would not tolerate abuses. Continue reading...

Economic and political chaos left in wake of Gaddafi’s fall provide ideal opportunity for militant groups to gain traction

A rousing documentary profiles Joshua Wong, the adolescent activist who found fame with his protests against the Chinese governmentRelated: Joshua Wong, the student who risked the wrath of Beijing: ‘It’s about turning the impossible into the possible’The Joshua of the title is Joshua Wong, an unassuming Hong Kong schoolboy who decided to pick a fight with the next global superpower, and won, at least initially. In 2011 14-year-old Wong and his Scholarism movement managed to defeat an effort to make China’s communist National Education curriculum mandatory in Hong Kong schools through the power of peaceful protest. It was the first victory an activist group managed in the territory since it came under Chinese rule in 1997, when Wong was a year old. Continue reading...

Li Ming-che, a 42-year-old NGO worker known for supporting human rights, went missing in mysterious circumstances in China on 19 MarchA Taiwan rights activist who was secretly detained in China in March has been officially arrested on suspicion of subversion, charges Taiwan said were vague and unconvincing.The case has strained already poor relations between China and Taiwan, which have cooled since Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen took power last year, because she refuses to concede that the self-ruled island is part of China. Continue reading...

Man’s family and partner allege South Australian police denied his requests for medical help related to heart conditionIndigenous rights groups have raised concerns about police treatment of a South Australian man who collapsed and died while being arrested on Friday.The police arrived at a home in Parafield Gardens in Adelaide in the early hours following reports of domestic violence. Continue reading...

Actors were married in May 2000 and have two children, who they said will remain their priorityActors Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have announced that they are separating after 17 years of marriage.Stiller and Taylor released a joint statement on Friday announcing their breakup. They were married in May 2000 and have two children, who they said will remain their priority. Continue reading...

Islamism is rising across Indonesia, where a toxic mix of religion and political opportunism has been percolating for some timeIt was the young who came first to Indonesia’s public caning of gay men. They arrived on motorbikes and on foot, from nearby boarding houses and two universities, some skipping class and the others using up their holidays. An announcement was made barring children under 18, but some stayed anyway, reluctant to break up a family outing.By 10am on Tuesday, a 1,000-strong crowd had congealed at the Syuhada mosque plaza in Banda Aceh. As someone sang a stirring Qur’anic hymn to inaugurate the ceremony, a verse about how God created man and woman in couples, young men were perched in the trees, on trucks, and all the balconies across the street. Girls huddled between jasmine bushes. Continue reading...

Family of off-duty officer Elaine McIver say she would want people to live without fear, as last victim is named as Megan Hurley, 15

When Holt went on his fateful swim on 17 December 1967, all hopes that the referendum would result in positive change drowned with himIn the aftermath of the referendum, there was a belief among the younger black activists in Redfern that the commonwealth government was disinterested in the result. After all, the young activists reasoned, wasn‘t the referendum result an overwhelming expression of support from white Australians for the idea of justice for Aboriginal people? This perception among the young Redfern radicals was a significant contributing factor in the later emergence of the Black Power movement but a key player in the events in Canberra has recently offered an alternative version of how events played out in Canberra in the immediate period after the referendum.In his memoir Pandora’s Box, Barrie Dexter has presented a firsthand account of details of the events and government actions that occurred in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 referendum. Because Dexter was at the heart of the events he describes, his description is the most credible version yet published. At the time of the referendum Dexter was happily ensconced in his position in the diplomatic corps as Australian ambassador to Laos. The prime minister at the time of the referendum was Harold Holt who had assumed office just 18 months earlier on 26 January 1966 after the long serving Sir Robert Menzies had retired. Continue reading...

Disagreements with US are so fundamental that Sicily summit might not be able to issue communiqueDivisions between Donald Trump and other members of the G7 at the summit in Sicily have become so broad and deep that they may be forced to issue a brief leaders’ statement rather than a full communique, dashing Italian hopes of engineering a big step forward on migration and famine.

Decision of five-year investigation into deal with Qatar sovereign wealth fund now expected in June after officers fail to meet end of May deadlineThe Serious Fraud Office has further delayed its decision on whether to bring any criminal charges against Barclays and former executives at the bank over a 2008 fundraising.A decision is now expected in mid-June, despite the SFO setting an end-of-May deadline earlier in the year – itself a delay from an end of March deadline. Continue reading...

US pop singer whose concert ended with a terrorist attack that killed 22 people says she plans to hold fundraiser in city

David Lowry and John Cummings question the UK’s sales of arm to Saudi Arabia, Randhir Singh Bains claims radical Islamism predates the ‘west’s war on terror’ and Peter McKenna examines the implications of the west’s role in the overthrow of Colonel GaddafiOn 19 May 2015, as home secretary, Theresa May, was openly criticised at the Police Federation conference by a former Manchester police officer, Inspector Damian O’Reilly, who had been named community officer of the year in 2010, but had subsequently resigned in frustration over policing cuts. He told May bluntly: “We run the risk here of letting communities down, putting officers at risk and ultimately risking national security.” May accused the police of “scaremongering”.May wants to be elected on a strong and stable platform. But her actions belie her words. Jeremy Corbyn is absolutely right to identify British foreign policy as a proximate cause of – not a justification for – terrorist threats (Report, 26 May). Six weeks ago, the PM led a trade mission to Saudi Arabia. Under fire from Labour, she denied the UK had been selling its principles for the sake of trade deals for the post-Brexit era. Saudi Arabia is primarily important for selling us oil, and spending billions on buying arms. But what is the record of the Saudis in combating extremism? On 5 October 2014, retired General Jonathan Shaw told the Daily Telegraph that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were “primarily responsible for the rise of the extremist Islam that inspires Isil terrorists,” emphasising “This is a timebomb funded by Saudi and Qatari money and that must stop.” Continue reading...

The James Bond star called out animal abuse with wit and charm, writes Jennifer White of Peta UKAnimals have lost a dear friend with the passing of Sir Roger Moore (Obituary, 24 May). The long-time Peta supporter may have been best known for his suave portrayal of James Bond, but we believe some of his greatest achievements were his efforts on behalf of animals, including fronting a campaign pushing Selfridges to stop stocking foie gras (it did!), boldly calling for the Queen’s Guard’s bearskin hats to be replaced with synthetic materials, and offering to pop a champagne cork with Theresa May if she brought forward a long-awaited ban on wild-animal circuses. Sir Roger was always an inspiration to work with. He called out animal abuse with wit and charm, and Peta will continue campaigning to help the animals he cared so deeply about.

The message we hear is of cleaning up, carrying on, rebuilding – but for a few people life will never return to normalIt was an unusually beautiful day in Manchester, not a cloud in a deep blue sky, when that huge IRA bomb blasted the heart of the city 21 years ago; and this week when terror struck it turned out eerily sunny again. But as the devastating news of so many deaths and injuries hit on Tuesday, and people made their way quietly along Cross Street to the evening vigil held in Albert Square, the differences from what happened last time were dreadfully clear.Back then, on a busy Saturday, 15 June 1996, the explosives in a truck parked outside Marks & Spencer wreaked astonishing damage to buildings, but there was a warning, and 75,000 people were evacuated. Although people suffered injuries, some of them serious, from the debris and glass that rained beyond the cordon, miraculously nobody was killed. The Mancunian pride and make-a-brew spirit that has been broadcast to the world this week could get on with a story which has become straightforward in the telling since: clean up, carry on, rebuild. Continue reading...

Temperatures expected to reach 30C in Scotland on Friday but weather warnings issued for heavy rain moving across UKTemperatures are expected to reach 30C in Britain this weekend, but the warm bank holiday weather is expected to be interrupted by thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Sterling hits one-month low after YouGov reports that the Conservatives only have a five-point lead over Labour

Hardline groups said sculpture of woman holding sword and scales outside supreme court was example of idol worshipA statue of Lady Justice has been removed from the supreme court building in the Bangladeshi capital after objections from Islamist groups.The sculpture, by the local artist Mrinal Haque, was installed in front of the court in December, and depicts a woman in a sari clutching a sword and scales, similar to the traditional depiction of the Greek goddess Themis. Continue reading...

Esteban Navarro, who wrote novel about corruption set in his own station, said to be under investigation over social media useA Spanish police officer who has written 10 thrillers is being investigated over allegations that he is damaging the force’s reputation and using his day job to promote his books.

Rights groups claim only two people have received compensation since law entitling survivors of human trafficking was introduced a decade agoRights groups in Nepal say they know of only two survivors of human trafficking who have received compensation under a law introduced a decade ago.

Damon Smith, 20, who has autism, had claimed he left bomb on busy London Jubilee line train as a prankAn autistic student has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planting a homemade bomb, built according to instructions in an online magazine linked to al-Qaida, on a London Underground train during morning rush hour.Damon Smith, 20, constructed the rucksack bomb, which was filled with ball-bearing shrapnel, using a £2 clock from Tesco as an improvised timer, after reading an article titled How To Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of your Mum. It did not go off. Continue reading...

This is not about forgiveness. What happened cannot be changed; this is our way of dealing with itMy daughter Renske met her boyfriend Samarie on the train. She was heading from the Netherlands to Switzerland; he was an asylum seeker from Benin. They got chatting and exchanged phone numbers. That was how it started. They had a good relationship. He was attentive and they were very respectful towards each other. They spent holidays with me and my wife Lieuwkje.Just before midnight on 13 April 2011, I saw on the news that a girl had been killed in Baflo, where Renske lived. About an hour later, they showed a picture of the scene, and I recognised her flat. I called the police and said, “I think my daughter is the victim of the incident in Baflo.” At 5am, two officers came to the house and we learned what had happened. Continue reading...

His views on climate change may differ from his winemaker’s at Moraga estate, but Murdoch appears bitten by viticulture bugRupert Murdoch’s empire is under a cloud – turmoil at Fox News over sexual harassment allegations, threats to the Sky takeover deal – but he has found solace in a small, sunlit corner of his domain: the vineyard he calls home. Continue reading...

Model, Laura Lacole, and Leeds Utd footballer, Eunan O’Kane, say they face discrimination under European lawsA celebrity couple is mounting a court challenge to have their humanist wedding recognised as legal, arguing that they are being denied the rights given to religious couples.Model, Laura Lacole, is marrying Leeds Utd and Republic of Ireland midfielder, Eunan O’Kane, in Northern Ireland next month. The couple, both humanists, want a ceremony that reflects their beliefs, but the only legal options available to them are a religious or a civil service. Continue reading...

In Finland, policing the internet means not only finding and removing illegal images, but providing online help for those who are concerned about developing a sexual interest in childrenLaura Keisanen closes the window on her computer and gives a sickened sigh. Images of a three-year-old girl being raped by a man in his 40s fade from the screen. Seconds later Keisanen’s attention switches to the 1980s computer game Tetris, and for the next 20 minutes she concentrates on fitting brightly coloured blocks together. The game is all part of a day’s work for Keisanen, who as an adviser to Save the Children Finland’s digital and media unit is involved in policing the internet, and making it a safer place for children.“I see traumatic images every day, from six-year-olds being forced to touch one another while someone is filming, to infant girls being assaulted. It has been scientifically proved that playing Tetris straight after you see something traumatising helps you kind of forget the images,” says the 31-year-old former social worker. Continue reading...

Paul Reid tells Sky News about his experience as a first-aid responder in the wake of Monday night’s attack at Manchester Arena. He says it is important to stay united – ‘if we stand together, we’re harder’.

French comic artist Emma illustrates the concept of the ‘mental load’. When a man expects his partner to ask him to do things, he is viewing her as the manager of their household chores Continue reading...

Three-day battle between army and Isis-linked Maute insurgents for city on island of Mindanao has left at least 46 dead

European council leader says he was surprised by US president’s comments on Brexit at G7 meetingThe president of the European council, Donald Tusk, has claimed he convinced Donald Trump that Brexit is an “incident not a trend” and that the EU27 is more united than ever.Speaking at a press conference at the G7 meeting in Sicily, Tusk said he was buoyed by a positive conversation with Trump, who has previously suggested other EU countries might follow Britain’s lead. Continue reading...

Morena party leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador campaigns in Mexico state in hopes of historic victory that could seal Enrique Peña Nieto’s fateThe crowd cheers as a mariachi band belts out a song dedicated to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, leader of Mexico’s National Regeneration party (Morena), while he poses for selfies with jostling supporters in front of the stage.

Suspicions fall on homegrown guerrilla group after attack on ex-prime minister as he was being driven home in AthensGreek security officials are scrutinising courier and postal services after a letter bomb attack on Thursday that left former prime minister Lucas Papademos in hospital.Papademos, who underwent surgery after sustaining injuries to his leg, stomach and chest, opened the envelope as he was being driven home in Athens. Two Bank of Greece employees were also wounded. Continue reading...

Canadian and global media fawn over what appear to be candid images of the prime minister, a social media savant one journalist described as ‘the political equivalent of a YouTube puppy video’He’s tackled quantum physics, photobombed a beach wedding, posed shirtless for selfies with a family hiking in the woods and, most recently, jogged past a group of Canadian teenagers heading to prom.And each time, Justin Trudeau’s actions have earned lavish attention from media outlets in Canada and around the world. Continue reading...

The actor says legal action against her was ‘final straw’ after publisher painted her as serial liar in an ‘orchestrated, malicious take-down’Rebel Wilson decided to sue the publisher of an Australian magazine after a journalist launched an alleged “shakedown” against her over a tweet, the actor has told a court.The Australian star is suing Bauer Media, the publisher of Woman’s Day, for defamation, claiming a series of articles painted her as a serial liar and cost her movie roles. Continue reading...

With more than 94% of the rural population accessing safe water, nations across Latin America and beyond can learn from Paraguay’s phenomenal successIn the small community of Juan Augusto Saldívar, about an hour outside of Paraguay’s capital, Julian Marecos is president of the local water board. He volunteers with four others to supervise the community’s water service, which was founded in 1993 and supplies more than 3,800 users, including the school, health centre, church, and other people in neighbouring areas.Related: How can Peru prepare to withstand more devastating floods and landslides? Continue reading...

Social workers need a better understanding of the circumstances that lead to trafficking to help them identify those affected or at riskAlmost 21 million people fall victim to forced labour globally, and there are thought to be up to 13,000 people trapped in slavery in the UK alone. In 2015, UK authorities identified 3,266 potential human trafficking victims.However, social workers need a better understanding of the dynamics of trafficking – and especially the way it is linked to migration – to help them identify those affected or at risk, according to Hlín Sæþórsdóttir of the State University of New York. Continue reading...

Voters in France chose Emmanuel Macron to be their next president. Find out where his vote was strongest, and which regions favoured his opponent, the Front National’s Marine Le Pen Continue reading...

We committed armed aggression against sovereign peoples who had not attacked us, claiming our motive was ‘to keep terror off the streets of Britain’Jeremy Corbyn is perfectly right to relate this week’s Manchester terrorist atrocity to British foreign policy in the Middle East. Whenever Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron struggled to explain why British blood and finance had to go on toppling regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, they were explicit: it was “to prevent terrorism in the streets of Britain”. The reason was given over and again: to suppress militant Islam.When that policy clearly leads to an increase in Islamist terrorism, we are entitled to agree with Corbyn that it has “simply failed”. Regimes were indeed toppled. Tens of thousands died, many of them civilians every bit as innocent as Manchester’s victims. Terrorism has not stopped. Continue reading...

After falls, the second-most common cause of death was choking, 7.9%, and suicide, 4.4%The number of reported preventable deaths in nursing homes increased fourfold in a past decade, according to the Medical Journal of Australia.Researchers attributed the increase to improved reporting, but believed the true number of preventable deaths still remained underestimated as they called for a national framework into aged care to tackle the issue. Continue reading...

Viktor Orban calls on Hungarians to have more children at summit for World Congress of Families, dubbed hate group by Southern Poverty Law CenterHungary’s rightwing government has opened a potential new front in its war of words with Brussels by hosting a lavish international gathering for an American Christian organisation that has been accused of being anti-LGBT hate group with links to the Kremlin.

Energy regulators say energy sector needs policy certainty before investment can grow, Senate toldThe uncertainty of Australia’s carbon policy is causing reduced investment, including in renewable energy, regulators have told a parliamentary committee.Officials from the Australian Energy Market Commission told the standing committee on the environment and energy on Friday that an emissions intensity scheme was the best solution to end uncertainty because it was technology neutral and could respond to variables such as high gas prices. Continue reading...

From ‘meeting’ a resident affected by HS2 to ‘cycling’ along a proposed bike lane through the city, VR can have a powerful impact in the real worldWhen I first meet him near Euston station in central London, the Norwegian architect Haavard Tveito is carrying a copy of Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel Ready Player One. The book is set in the year 2044, and tells the story of how people have turned to a virtual reality simulator, Oasis, to avoid facing the poverty, pollution and societal problems that contaminate the real world.Tveito is also holding a VR headset. Continue reading...

Mother of six Amina Mohammed rose from a humble upbringing in the Lake Chad region to become a government minister and second in command at the UNIn a Twitter aside during his election campaign, Donald Trump dismissed the UN as “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time”. For Amina Mohammed, the organisation’s new deputy secretary general, it is anything but.Attempting to meet some of the world’s most intractable crises and developmental challenges head on is what drives the focused Mohammed, for whom battling against the odds has been a lifelong theme. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Melissa Jade Higgins, who was convicted of 81 offences in November, have filed a motion of intention to appealA NSW childcare director who bought a pool, expensive car and house with $3.6m worth of fraudulently obtained federal government payments has been sentenced to at least four years in jail.But lawyers for Melissa Jade Higgins, who was convicted of 81 offences in November, have already filed a motion of intention to appeal and a bail application was expected to be heard later on Friday. Continue reading...

PM says extremism on internet must be shut down … ‘body slammed’ Guardian reporter tells his story … and, Jupiter’s psychedelic stormsGood morning, it’s Warren Murray with the news you need to read this morning. Continue reading...

The former president addresses the greatest challenges facing the world, and what we can do about them

The ratings agency is likely to attract further criticism from Beijing after doubling down on its view that the economy is headed for troubleChina’s structural reforms will not be enough to arrest its rising debt and another credit rating downgrade for the country is possible unless it gets its ballooning borrowing in check, two officials at Moody’s ratings agency have said.