World news | The Guardian

Police decry ‘orchestrated disorder’ after officers were attacked close to a polling station

People reportedly turned away from European election polling booths due to admin errors

Sam Little arrested after Guardian exposed massive distribution network of MMS in Uganda that was being supervised by US pastorA British man has been arrested in Uganda on suspicions of “intoxicating the public” after he claimed to have carried out a trial of a “miracle cure” on local villagers using industrial bleach.Sam Little, 25, from Arlesey in Bedfordshire was picked up by Ugandan police at 6am on Thursday in a village church in Kitembi, a few miles outside Fort Portal in western Uganda. Also arrested were two Ugandans who are suspected of being involved in the distribution of the bleach, which is known by advocates as MMS or Miracle Mineral Solution. Continue reading...

Carl Beech said he was a boy when former PM intervened in incident, court hearsA former nurse accused of fabricating claims of an establishment paedophile ring told police that former prime minister sir Edward Heath stepped in to stop him being beaten by a Tory MP, a court has heard.Carl Beech, known under the pseudonym “Nick”, alleged to a Scotland Yard detective that Heath prevented ex-Conservative MP Harvey Proctor from assaulting him when he was a schoolboy. Continue reading...

Thousands of Syrians are dead and their city devastated. How dare the US, UK and French militaries speak of ‘surgical strikes’?

The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...

The demise of the centre-left SPD in Bremen could herald bigger changes nationwideA bronze statue outside Bremen town hall reminds visitors this northern German port city inspired one of the world’s most enduring fairytales. The Grimm Brothers’ Town Musicians of Bremen tells the story of a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster who escape their masters and join forces to seek their fortunes in the city.When Bremen, the smallest of Germany’s 16 federal states, votes in regional elections on Sunday, held at the same time as the European parliamentary election, the result is likely to demonstrate a trend across the rest of the country. For German politics, the future could lie in once unimaginable collaborations as traditional parties fade. Continue reading...

The Italian luxury fashion house is the latest to announce it will ban fur, starting with its SS20 collectionsThe Italian fashion house Prada has announced it will stop using fur in its collections. The ban will come into effect this September for its spring/summer 2020 women’s collections, although items that have already been made will continue to be sold.The move has come about in collaboration with the Fur Free Alliance, an international coalition of more than 40 animal protection organisations working together to end animal cruelty. Continue reading...

Two friends’ playful kiss rekindles suppressed feelings in a film swept along by rattling dialogue and simmering tensionsXavier Dolan’s unstoppably garrulous, sweet-natured new movie is a coming-of-age film, or possibly an approaching-thirtysomethinghood film. Or perhaps it’s a portrait of a bunch of friends for whom things would never be the same again after that summer. It is not exactly a sexual awakening tale because the sexuality in question never really went to sleep. But it is a love story.Related: Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood review - Tarantino's dazzling LA redemption song Continue reading...

Former Tory leader says it would not be right to ‘assist her in this charade any longer’The former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has stepped up the pressure on Theresa May by urging her cabinet to resign en masse if the revised EU withdrawal bill is published on Friday.Downing Street is still insisting May plans to publish the bill despite Andrea Leadsom’s resignation as leader of the House of Commons and speculation that the prime minister will have to set a date for her departure on Friday. Continue reading...

Improvements in detection, diagnosis and treatment hailed by World Health Organization as ‘a model for other countries’Algeria and Argentina have been declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization, in what has been described as a “historic achievement” for both countries.The declaration follows warnings that the global fight against malaria has slipped off track in recent years, with cases rising in many of the countries worst affected by the disease. Continue reading...

John Quigley says laws include ‘ongoing orders’ for activists who have been charged with trespassingWestern Australia is considering introducing restraining orders for animal activists to prevent them returning to farms and slaughterhouses, a move the attorney general said was aimed at “mushy-headed vegans”.John Quigley said the proposed laws would go before the cabinet of the McGowan government next week and would “include ongoing orders” for activists who had been charged with trespassing on a farm or agricultural business to “desist from the conduct”. Continue reading...

Fifteen years ago, all the Slovenian capital’s waste went to landfill, but by 2025, at least 75% of its rubbish will be recycled. How did the city turn itself around?Words and photographs by Luka DakskoblerFrom the lush green hill you can see Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, in the distance. Populations of deer, rabbits and turtles live here. The air is clean and the only signs that we are standing above a 24-metre (79 feet) deep landfill are the methane gas pipes rising from the grass.Ljubljana is the first European capital to commit to going zero-waste. But fifteen years ago, all of its refuse went straight to landfill. “And that is expensive,” says Nina Sankovič of Voka Snaga, the city’s waste management company. “It takes up space and you’re throwing away resources.” Continue reading...

General assembly strongly condemns British occupation of Indian Ocean territoryThe United Nations general assembly has overwhelmingly backed a motion condemning Britain’s occupation of the remote Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.The 116-5 vote left the UK diplomatically isolated and was also a measure of severely diminished US clout on the world stage. Washington had campaigned vigorously at the UN and directly in talks with national capitals around the world in defence of the UK’s continued control of the archipelago, where there is a US military base at Diego Garcia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: removal of four people could put pressure on other countries to follow suitA US family have been removed from a Syrian detention centre for suspected members of Islamic State and returned to the US. The move could have implications for hundreds of children born to non-Syrians who have been in legal limbo since the disintegration of the terror group.The family of four were taken from al-Roj camp in the country’s north-east over the weekend, sources inside the camp have confirmed to the Guardian. They are believed to be US citizens of Cambodian ancestry and to include children born under Isis rule. Continue reading...

Katharine Wright of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and 18 others say a trusting relationship between responders and community members makes a vital difference to whether the response is effectiveYour article (Agencies plead for ceasefire as fresh Ebola epidemic spirals out of control in DRC, 15 May) brings home how essential community involvement and participation is in responding to outbreaks such as Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When such crises emerge, a trusting relationship between responders and affected community members makes a vital difference to whether the response is effective. As shown in DRC, trust is not a given, which is one of the reasons why community engagement – involving local people in the development of the response from the very start – is so important. In conflict zones this is more difficult than in other emergencies, and yet even more important.This also holds true when conducting research during an outbreak – an essential part of the emergency response, as shown by the way research in the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa led to the vaccine available in the current outbreak in DRC. Social science research is an essential part of any emergency response to understand how the response should best be tailored to local circumstances. Continue reading...

Hundreds gather in St Ann’s Square to observe minute’s silence for 22 bombing victimsThe 22 victims of the Manchester Arena attack have been remembered two years on. Hundreds of people gathered to observe a minute’s silence in St Ann’s Square, where thousands of floral tributes were placed after the bombing on 22 May 2017.Inside St Ann’s church, survivors and the bereaved attended a private service of remembrance. Continue reading...

Carl Beech, known as Nick, accused of perverting course of justice with paedophile claimsThe man known as “Nick” whose claims of a VIP paedophile ring prompted a multimillion pound police inquiry gave Scotland Yard a list of potential abusers after being shown a series of photographs by a journalist, a court has been told.Carl Beech is accused of making a string of false allegations about being among the victims of a group of senior figures in politics, the military and the intelligence services whom he claimed raped, kidnapped and murdered boys in the late 1970s and early 80s. Continue reading...

Director reacts angrily to questions about limited screen time for Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood, and violence against female charactersQuentin Tarantino responded sharply to questions about the portrayal of women in his films and disgraced director Roman Polanski at a press conference in Cannes for his new drama Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood.The director, whose latest effort premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes film festival on Tuesday evening, was in no mood to discuss difficult topics, at one point snapping “I reject your hypothesis” at a journalist who asked why Margot Robbie had so few lines in the film. Continue reading...

• Body criticises decision to stage Europa League final in Baku

Vehicles set alight in Jakarta after supporters of losing candidate take to the streetsSix people died and more than 200 were injured in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after protesters clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles, officials have said.Protests by supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate that had ended peacefully on Tuesday afternoon resumed and turned violent late on Tuesday and continued through the night, said the national police spokesman, Dedi Prasetyo. Police said they had arrested 20 “provocateurs”. Continue reading...

One of Africa’s best-known authors and gay rights activists died on Tuesday after an illnessOne of Africa’s best-known authors and gay rights activists, Binyavanga Wainaina, has died at the age of 48.The Kenyan author died on Tuesday night in Nairobi after a short illness, the BBC reported. His death was confirmed by Tom Maliti, the chairman of the Kwani Trust, which Wainaina founded. Continue reading...

Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London

If at least one house of parliament was more representative of voters, maybe generational inequality would be less of an issueGreg is a 56-year-old man from Brisbane. Which of these people do you think he has more in common with: Steve, a 52-year-old from Adelaide, or Melanie, a 24-year-old from Toowoomba?It’s Steve, right? Sure, they live in different states, but Melanie is a different gender, age and comes from a regional town. Continue reading...

Wong says former Australian Labor party leader could ‘undermine the very unity’ he helped build before electionLabor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, has warned Bill Shorten not to damage the party’s hard-won unity as she throws her support behind leftwinger Anthony Albanese to lead the opposition to the next election.As the party embarks on an internal leadership contest that will see MPs and party members choose between Albanese and the shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, Wong issued a thinly veiled warning to Shorten to stay out of the process. Continue reading...

Air quality rated ‘poor’ for second day in a row, as NSW Health warns conditions could aggravate respiratory issues

Wednesday: Watchdog took no punitive action on unlawful or deceptive advertising. Plus: the charts that help explain Morrison’s winGood morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday May 22. Continue reading...

Report highlights ‘massive gap between scale of ambition and scale of resources allocated’The Scottish government will miss its own child poverty targets unless it substantially increases investment, according to a report on last December’s budget published by the independent Poverty and Inequality Commission.The report highlights “a massive gap between the scale of Scotland’s ambition to tackle child poverty and the scale of resources allocated to delivering that commitment”, according to the Scottish branch of the charity Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). Continue reading...

Government department workers say they have been forced to rely on food banksOutsourced workers who clean civil servants’ desks and toilets have begun a four-day strike after missed payments and low pay left them living in poverty and forced them to turn to food banks set up inside the business department.Baked beans, tins of tuna and potatoes from boxes set up on every floor of the department’s headquarters at One Victoria Street, Westminster – including outside the office of the business secretary, Greg Clark – were circulated among cleaners and security guards in the offices every day last week. Continue reading...

Grimbergen Abbey brew incorporates methods found in 12th-century booksIt has taken more than 220 years but an order of monks at Grimbergen Abbey, producers of a fabled medieval beer whose brand was adopted by mass producers in the 1950s, have started to brew again after rediscovering the original ingredients and methods in their archives.In a sign of the significance of the news for beer-loving Belgians, the announcement was made by the abbey’s subprior, Father Karel Stautemas, in the presence of the town’s mayor and 120 journalists and enthusiasts. Continue reading...

Isaías Rodríguez says US sanctions against Caracas means he cannot afford to carry out his dutiesThe Venezuelan ambassador to Italy has resigned, saying his government’s financial difficulties have made his job impossible.In a letter addressed directly to President Nicolás Maduro and posted on Twitter, Ambassador Isaías Rodríguez reiterated his “immense respect for Maduro’s battle” but insisted the sanctions imposed by the US mean he cannot carry out his duties. Continue reading...

Kami Rita Sherpa reaches summit for 24th time and aims to do it again before retiringA Nepali Sherpa has reached the summit of Mount Everest a record 24 times with his second ascent in only a week, and he has set his sights on one more climb before he retires.Kami Rita Sherpa, 49, reached the 8,850-metre (29,035ft) summit by the traditional south-east ridge route, Mira Acharya, an official in the tourism department, said. Continue reading...

Show Quanli de Youxi so widely viewed that even president Xi Jinping is believed to have referred to it in meetingsChinese fans have voiced their anger and disappointment – and a sense that the drama in Westeros is not unlike to their own nation’s political machinations – after the final episode of HBO epic Game of Thrones came to an end at the weekend.Game of Thrones, translated as Quanli de Youxi, “Game of power”, has been a huge hit in China since it debuted eight years ago. For years, online volunteers have helped write Chinese subtitles for pirated copies of the show, often censored in sanctioned versions for violence and nudity. Continue reading...

The UK government’s attempts to justify arms exports to the Saudi-led coalition are becoming ever more absurdAfter more than 1,500 days of war in Yemen, in the midst of the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, reports of the Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah port are a welcome but extremely fragile development, surrounded by suspicion and fear.A Houthi pullout from Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa ports would be one step in the implementation of the Stockholm agreement, but a very small step. There are much wider conflict dynamics to be addressed before we can talk confidently of moves towards peace. Continue reading...

New Zealand police add terrorism charge to existing murder and attempted murder charges against Brenton TarrantBrenton Tarrant has been charged by New Zealand police with engaging in a “terrorist act”, in addition to existing murder charges over the two mosque attacks in Christchurch in March.The Australian man, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the shooting deaths of 51 people, was previously charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder, though New Zealand police said other charges were under consideration. Continue reading...

Spain’s paternity leave was part of a set of policies to promote gender equality in the labor market and at home, a researcher said

Firefighters at scene as intruder seen dangling near top of towerThe Eiffel Tower has been evacuated after a man tried to scale it.The man could be seen dangling just below the third and highest level of the structure. A rescuer dressed in red could be seen above him. Continue reading...

Safwaan Mansur and Hanzalah Patel used travel website to look at area near Syrian borderTwo friends who planned their journey to Syria on TripAdvisor have been jailed for 14 years for preparing to join Islamic State.Safwaan Mansur and Hanzalah Patel, both 22, used the travel review site to check out an area near the Syrian border before travelling to Turkey in 2016 and 2017. Continue reading...

Home secretary applies for closed hearing into ‘serious’ breaches by security serviceThe home secretary has applied to the high court for a secret hearing to prevent public disclosure of the nature of “serious” breaches recently admitted by MI5 in its surveillance safeguards.In a seven-page submission, Sajid Javid requested the court hold what is known as a “closed material procedure” – from which the claimants, the media and public will be excluded – into failures by the intelligence agency in its “internal” handling of intercepted material. Continue reading...

New bill needed to tackle hostile activity by Russia and others, says home secretaryHostile state actors – spies, assassins or hackers directed by the government of another country – are to be targeted by refreshed espionage and treason laws, the home secretary has announced.In a speech to security officials in central London, Sajid Javid revealed plans to publish a new espionage bill to tackle increased hostile state activity from countries including but not limited to Russia. Continue reading...

Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, took the oath of office on Monday and immediately announced he was dissolving parliament and calling a snap election, aiming to win seats in a legislature still dominated by politicians loyal to his predecessor

A bent detective becomes entangled in the crimes he’s investigating in Corneliu Porumboiu’s nifty, twisty dramaCorneliu Porumboiu is the film-maker whose movies such as Police, Adjective (2009) gave festival audiences a taste for his brand of bone-dry black comedy satirising bureaucracy and corruption in post-Ceaușescu Romania. Now he has put together this very watchable, rather exciting noir suspense thriller that has playful echoes of Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa and even Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai.

Deputy chancellor and head of far-right party has resigned after video sting operation

Mainstream parties hope voters will shun populists in wake of ‘politicians for sale’ revelation

Outgoing independent MP Kerryn Phelps speaks to media in Sydney after conceding defeat to Liberal candidate Dave Sharma in the seat of Wentworth. Phelps talks about her achievements during her seven months in office. "I operated in Canberra with conviction, with integrity and a belief that individuals can impact on the political conversation," she says, listing her advocacy for stronger action on climate change and getting refugees off Manus Island and Nauru as things she is proud of. Phelps says "the one thing the last seven months have shown is that one voice can make a difference" Continue reading...

Facing challenges from Russia, China and the US, the continent can no longer neglect its core values of peace and human rightsSometimes, when it comes to Europe, things are clearer from afar. Take Viktor Orbán’s encounter with Donald Trump last week: a love-fest perfectly timed to signal that this US president is out to disembowel the European Union, if not break it entirely. Ahead of the European elections, here was Hungary’s self-proclaimed “illiberal” prime minister – a man teaming up with Italy’s far-right strongman Matteo Salvini – receiving his long-awaited anointment from a white-nationalist US president who has called the EU a “foe”.Meanwhile, in Syria, barrel bombs and Russian military ordnance continued to rain down on Idlib’s hospitals and schools, as the noose tightened on 3 million civilians trapped in the last rebel-held area that the president, Bashar al-Assad, wants to reconquer. Historians will perhaps one day tell us whether Vladimir Putin timed that particular offensive to coincide with other items on his EU-destroying agenda, already well on display with disinformation campaigns aimed at helping extremist political forces across the continent. Continue reading...

Destroyer moved near Scarborough Reef to ‘challenge excessive maritime claims’, says commander of Seventh FleetA US warship has sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal claimed by China in the South China Sea, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense ties between the world’s two biggest economies.The destroyer USS Preble carried out the operation on Sunday, a US military spokesman said. The busy waterway is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a trade war, the blacklisting of tech company Huawei US sanctions and Taiwan. Continue reading...

Dispute likely to escalate after Nicosia said it would seek to arrest anyone caught drillingTensions over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean have risen sharply after Turkey said it would “exercise its sovereign rights” to drill off Cyprus in flagrant defiance of warnings from western allies.As the dispute over potential gas reserves intensified, Ankara insisted its state-of-the-art drilling ship, the Fatih, and its support vessels would begin operations in waters viewed by the EU as being within the island’s exclusive economic zone. Continue reading...

Reducing blue light exposure at night may decrease fatigue and mood swings, researchers findSleep problems suffered by teenagers can be improved after just one week by limiting evening exposure to light-emitting screens on mobile phones, tablets and computers, a study suggests.The research indicates that by reducing their exposure to blue light-emitting devices in the evening, adolescents can improve their sleep quality and reduce symptoms of fatigue, lack of concentration and mood swings after seven days. Continue reading...