World news | The Guardian

Judges' verdict on embezzlement challenge will determine whether far-right leader can stand in 2027 electionDefence lawyers for Marine Le Pen have told a Paris appeals court she did not orchestrate a system to misuse European parliament funds, at the close of an embezzlement trial that will determine whether the far-right leader can run in the 2027 French presidential election.Le Pen's lawyer, Sandra Chirac Kollarik, told the court on Wednesday: At no moment did Marine Le Pen imagine that she broke the rules." She added: Never in her life would she have deliberately accepted making a false contract." Continue reading...

Masoud Pezeshkian tries to convey message of national unity as negotiations with US hang in balance

Jewish activists interrupt speech at synagogue and accuse party of paving way for persecution of other minoritiesJewish activists have heckled Nigel Farage at the launch of a Jewish members' organisation for Reform UK and accused the party of planning to use the new group as cover for persecuting other minorities.Farage spoke at the inaugural event on Tuesday night of the Reform Jewish Alliance (RJA), which he said would help the party target up to 15 parliamentary seats. Continue reading...

Kwok Yin-sang arrested after he tried to end pro-democracy daughter's insurance policy and withdraw fundsA Hong Kong court has found the father of a wanted activist guilty of a national security violation, after he tried to end her insurance policy and withdraw the funds, drawing international criticism for the targeting of relatives of pro-democracy campaigners.Kwok Yin-sang, 68, is the first person to be charged under a homegrown national security law, also known as Article 23, for attempting to deal with, directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets or economic resources" belonging to an absconder. Continue reading...

Shaista Gohir says every group has right to be protected after critics warn proposed definition risks breaking lawFailing to adopt a definition of anti-Muslim hostility would signal to British Muslims that their safety does not matter, a charity's head has warned, as critics argue that adopting a definition risks breaking the law.Shaista Gohir, a cross-bench peer and head of the Muslim Women's Network, was part of a working group on anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia launched by the government in 2025 to define what would constitute unacceptable treatment, prejudice and discrimination against Muslims. Continue reading...

Swedish company claims ruling is ruling is anti-competitive and solely benefits Big Dairy'

PM to use address to call out white supremacy ideology' behind alleged bombing attempt, as annual report shows 15 targets still off track

Jamaat e-Islami, oppressed under Sheikh Hasina's rule, could take unprecedented share of the vote on ThursdayAs the clock hit midnight, the women held their flame torches aloft and marched into the Dhaka night. The people have given their blood, now we want equality," they shouted above the roar of the traffic.For many in Bangladesh, the past few weeks have been a cause for jubilation. The first free and fair elections in 17 years have been promised for Thursday, after the toppling of the regime of Sheikh Hasina in a bloody student-led uprising in August 2024 in which more than 1,000 people died. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Norway's chief of defence Eirik Kristoffersen, who served in Afghanistan, rejects Trump's claim that Nato troops stayed off frontlinesNorway's army chief has said Oslo cannot exclude the possibility of a future Russian invasion of the country, suggesting Moscow could move on Norway to protect its nuclear assets stationed in the far north.We don't exclude a land grab from Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which is the only thing they have left that actually threatens the United States," said Gen Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway's chief of defence. Continue reading...

Christos Flessas being detained in case seen as exposing Beijing's strategy of infiltrating western military and security servicesA Greek air force officer arrested on suspicion of spying for China has been detained pending trial after appearing before a military judge in a case that is seen as exposing Beijing's determination to infiltrate Europe's security and intelligence services.Surrounded by armed escorts, a squadron leader identified as Col Christos Flessas emerged late on Tuesday from the court after giving testimony for over eight hours. Continue reading...

Everyone around PM agrees chaos' at No 10 has to be sorted, but there are competing factions trying to gain upper handWith three vacancies opening up at the very top of Keir Starmer's operation, there is already a battle over who will win the war for his ear - and the direction of the government.The departure of Starmer's most important political advisers: his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was focused on the fight against Reform in Labour's working class heartlands, and Tim Allan as director of communication, considered a Blairite, has immediately raised hopes on Labour's soft left of a shift in their favour. Continue reading...

Earl's Court performance of Heroes in 1978 is among highlights of exhibition exploring singer's life and workRare holy grail" footage of David Bowie performing Heroes at Earl's Court in 1978 is to feature in a new immersive show about the singer's life and creative practice.Extended footage of the performance has been pieced back together by the team behind the new Lightroom exhibition, who had access to new camera angles found on film reels discovered in the artist's archives. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor calls for unity while setting out what he thinks the government's platform should be

Countries' drop in scores in annual table comes amid worrying trend' of backsliding in established democraciesThe UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a worrying trend" of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists.Experts and businesspeople rated 182 countries based on their perception of corruption levels in the public sector to compile a league table that was bookended by Denmark at the top with the lowest levels of corruption and South Sudan at the bottom. Continue reading...

Judges, including Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, praise Georgina Duncan's play as the kind producers dream of and audiences yearn to watch'A work that explores what happens when trauma is left to fester, set in Troubles-era Belfast, has been named the winner of the Women's prize for playwriting 2025.Judges praised what they described as unflinching and moving writing in Sapling by Georgina Duncan, a working-class playwright from Lancashire. Continue reading...

While Trump has attacked the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican star, celebrities have come out in force to support the half-time showAs blue, red and white fireworks filled the sky at the end of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl half-time show, a message filled the screen in all capitals: The only thing more powerful than hate is love."It was the enduring statement from a 13-minute spectacle that invited an estimated 135.4 million viewers into Bad Bunny's world, with richly textured references to politics, history and Puerto Rican culture. The artist born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio transformed the pitch of the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, into his own love letter to the island, with cinematic set pieces including sugarcane fields, a house party, and a lively wedding ceremony featuring a surprise performance by Lady Gaga. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Home Office ruling means thousands more Hongkongers will be eligible to come to the UK over next five yearsMinisters have opened up visas to thousands more people from Hong Kong in the wake of the 20-year prison sentence handed down to the pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.Adult children of British national (overseas) status holders who were under 18 at the time of Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China will be eligible to apply for the route independently of their parents, a Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian on Monday. Continue reading...

Photograph, first published by anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe, purportedly taken at Townsville hospital

Ukrainian president says Trump administration has proposed to host next round of trilateral talks in USVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said the US has given Ukraine and Russia yet another deadline to reach a peace settlement, and is now proposing the war should end by June. The Ukrainian president also told reporters that both sides had been invited to further talks next week.Zelenskyy said the Trump administration will probably put pressure" on Ukraine and Russia to end the war by the beginning of the summer. They say they want to get everything done by June," he said. They will do everything to end the war and they want a clear schedule of all events." Continue reading...

YouTuber Sur Ronster issued with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving in relation to the bridge ride-out

Police investigating whether blast that injured at least 169 at Friday prayers in Islamabad was suicide attackAn explosion has ripped through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.There were fears the death toll from the blast at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad could rise as some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals. Continue reading...

Saif al Islam Gaddafi, shot dead by gunmen on Tuesday, appealed to a nostalgia for a past that is remembered as more secure'

Reform UK leader who received two guest passes from Iranian-born billionaire declares attendance at event on register of MPs' interestsNigel Farage's two-day trip to Davos cost more than 50,000 after he was given two guest passes by an Iranian-born billionaire, documents show.The Reform UK leader officially declared his attendance at the conference on the register of MPs' interests, after giving speeches at the Switzerland summit in which he pledged to put the global elites on notice". Continue reading...

Teenager admitted it was not the first time he had taken the vehicle but told the court he won't do it again'A 13-year-old boy who drove his family's Volkswagen campervan on a 70mph road in the middle of the night for a joyride in Dorset has been given penalty points for a future licence, a court heard.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by other motorists driving the 2.5-litre silver van on the A35, a busy dual carriageway in Poole. His father told the judge at Poole magistrates court his son would be washing cars for the next year" to pay off his debt. Continue reading...

Local politician says armed men rounded up residents, bound their hands behind their backs and shot themMore than 160 people have been killed in two villages in western Nigeria in the country's deadliest armed assaults this year, as communities reel from repeated and widespread acts of violence perpetrated by jihadists and other armed groups.The death toll from Tuesday's attacks in Woro and Nuku in Kwara state stood at 162 on Wednesday afternoon, according to Mohammed Omar Bio, a member of parliament representing the area. Continue reading...

Film-maker Peter Ettedgui responded to BBC interview in which Reform leader apologised for any hurt causedNigel Farage has been accused of making a non-apology" by a school contemporary who accused him of racist and antisemitic behaviour, after saying he was sorry" if he had genuinely" hurt anyone.For the first time since the row broke after a Guardian investigation, the Reform UK party leader appeared to indicate some remorse for the impact of his alleged behaviour while at Dulwich college, a private school in south London. Continue reading...

Spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs calls for immediate action to recover the missing statue'

In 2010 then business secretary contacted Jes Staley, then at JP Morgan, about funding for 700m listing on London Stock ExchangePeter Mandelson was described as devious" by Jeffrey Epstein after lobbying a bank to underwrite a mining project launched by their mutual friend Nat Rothschild, emails included in the latest tranche Epstein files suggest.In April 2010, the then business secretary appears to have contacted banker Jes Staley, then at JP Morgan, from his personal email account in what appears to be an attempt to secure funding for Rothschild, a longtime friend of the Labour peer. Continue reading...

David Lammy also tells MPs he will draw up legislation to stop prisoners using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditionsThe most dangerous extremist prisoners in England and Wales will be held in supermax-style units" similar to those used in US jails, David Lammy has told MPs.The deputy prime minister also said he would consider drawing up legislation to stop prisoners from using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditions in jail. Continue reading...

The appointment of the ex-ambassador despite his lurid past raises potentially fatal doubts about the judgment of the PM and his teamIn many political scandals there is an agreed full stop, a time for the circus to move on: maybe a resignation, certainly a police investigation. But for Downing Street, Peter Mandelson risks being a headache that simply won't end.Mandelson's future in public life is now definitively over, or as definitive as you can be for a figure who, much as with the Conservative saying about Boris Johnson, would possibly need to be buried at a crossroads with a stake through his heart before you could completely rule out another comeback. Continue reading...

The RBA's widely anticipated decision marks the end of the shortest rate-cutting cycle in the reserve's modern history, hitting mortgagees hard

Economists and the central bank might see a roaring economy but workers and mortgage holders still feel like they're doing it tough

Peter Mandelson has resigned his Labour party membership after new details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. But why did Labour ever decide to appoint him as US ambassador? Pippa and Kiran chat through what No 10 knew and when Continue reading...

Lady Lawrence tells high court she is a victim all over again' owing to alleged unlawful information gatheringThe mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has said she felt she had been taken for a fool" by the publisher of the Daily Mail, after she was told about allegations it had targeted her with unlawful information gathering techniques.Appearing at the high court in London, Doreen Lawrence said she felt angry because of the trust she had placed in the Daily Mail, owing to its coverage of her son's case. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old Swiss national injured in blaze at Swiss ski resort died on SaturdayA teenager injured in the fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during new year celebrations has died in hospital, taking the death toll from the blaze to 41.The Wallis canton's public prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said in a brief statement on Sunday: An 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich on January 31. The death toll from the fire at Le Constellation bar on January 1 2026 has now risen to 41." Continue reading...

Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 citiesPakistan's security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a large-scale assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed.A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the province's capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities. Continue reading...

Labor set to take advantage of shambles with blistering attacks in question time as Sussan Ley presides over barest opposition benches since 1943Normally this column focuses on the agenda for the coming parliamentary week, unpacking a dense policy issue or two that will dominate the political discussion.This week is a little different. You would expect the government's big agenda would be front and centre in the first regularly scheduled programming sitting week of the year - but not this Monday. Continue reading...

Famous figures including Woody Allen were invited to party with disgraced financier and Mountbatten-Windsor, documents indicateAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended an intimate party with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein months after he was released from prison, files suggest.The US justice department released another cache of documents relating to the disgraced financier on Friday.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Child sex offender sent thousands of pounds to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, according to documents published by US justice departmentJeffrey Epstein sent thousands of pounds in bank transfers after his release from prison in 2009 to Peter Mandelson's husband, according to emails published by the US Department of Justice on Friday.The latest documents raise fresh questions about Epstein's relationship with Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK's ambassador to Washington when details of his support for the disgraced financier emerged in September. Continue reading...

Israeli military's U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as Hamas propaganda'Israel's military has accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate, marking a U-turn after years of official attacks on the data.A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing. Continue reading...

Postcards showing Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan in character were printed as postcards and secreted around the performing arts school co-founded in the city by Paul McCartneyPictures of the stars of Sam Mendes' forthcoming four-part Beatles film in character as the musicians have been published, offering a first look at the actors in costume.The pictures were released in postcard form at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the school co-founded by Paul McCartney which occupies the premises formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where both McCartney and future bandmate George Harrison were pupils. Continue reading...

Ariel Seidman declared persona non grata and given 72 hours to leave country after remarks on social mediaSouth Africa has ordered Israel's top diplomat to the country to leave within 72 hours, citing insulting attacks" on South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and the abuse of diplomatic privilege".Ariel Seidman, the charge d'affaires at Israel's embassy in Pretoria, was declared persona non grata by South Africa's department for international relations and cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement on its website on Friday afternoon. Israel's embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...

WA police say both Mosman Park children had significant health challenges' and had been in contact with care services

Any organisation that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,' says Kaja KallasThe EU has listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, ending years of division over the issue in response to the regime's brutal repression of protesters.Repression cannot go unanswered," said Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, on Thursday. The paramilitary organisation has played a significant role in suppressing demonstrations in Iran. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise," she wrote on X. Continue reading...

CBS announced in July that Late Show would end in May, more than 30 years after 1993 debut under David LettermanThe final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air on 21 May, the host has announced.Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, revealed the date on Monday during a taping of NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers to air on Tuesday night. Colbert will appear on Meyers's show as a guest. Continue reading...

Judicial review request made in Edinburgh says Avtandil Kalandadze of Russian-flagged Marinera is being detained unlawfullyLawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully.The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in the Moray Firth in recent days. Continue reading...

Return of police sergeant Ran Gvili's body should pave way for progress on second phase of Trump ceasefire planThe remains of the Israeli police sergeant Ran Gvili, who was killed fighting Hamas-led militants on 7 October 2023, have been returned to Israel.Militants took Gvili's body to Gaza to use as a bargaining chip. He was the last of 251 people captured that day still held in the territory. Continue reading...

Men in custody for live broadcasting discriminatory content to YouTube likely to incite hatred, police sayTwo far-right British activists have been arrested by French authorities in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.The arrests followed an order issued on Friday prohibiting British participants in a planned stop the boats" protest, dubbed Operation Overlord, in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. The order was due to expire at 8am on Monday but it has been extended for two more days. Continue reading...

Business wing of Christian Democrats aims to scrap legal right to fewer hours, saying people should need permissionThe business wing of Germany's leading Christian Democrats party is proposing a ban on workers' legal entitlement to work part-time, arguing that those wishing to work fewer hours should have to acquire special permission to do so.Currently, every employee in Europe's largest economy has a fundamental right to carry out part-time work, with many, particularly women, often needing to do so for reasons relating to childcare or looking after elderly relatives. Continue reading...

Joel Guerriau is alleged to have drugged centrist member of parliament Sandrine Josso in order to sexually assault herA former French senator has gone on trial in Paris accused of drugging a fellow politician in order to sexually assault her, in a case that has shaken French politics.Joel Guerriau, 68, was a centrist senator for Loire-Atlantique in the west of France in November 2023 when he is accused of spiking a glass of champagne with MDMA and serving it to Sandrine Josso, a centrist member of parliament. Continue reading...