World news | The Guardian

Lengthy meeting heard grumbles about blue wall' policies and Ming vase' tactics but no real rancourAs political showdowns go, this week's gathering of Liberal Democrat MPs, billed by some as a crunch moment for Ed Davey, was a touch underwhelming. I had expected a damp squib," one attender put it. It was damper than I thought."Far from generating a mass of opposition to Davey's leadership, let alone a formal challenge to his position, the lengthy gathering in a Commons committee room on Tuesday evening brought a few minor grumbles, but little else. Continue reading...

Interior minister says the Republic will not yield' to France's worst protests in yearsParis police said about 110,000 people took place in a protest march on Saturday against the cost of living and school conditions.Numbers have differed for those nationwide, with authorities saying it was about 550,000 but organisers claiming it was higher at about 800,000. Continue reading...

Green leader in England and Wales calls debates about words' unhelpful and denies recent motion was controversialZack Polanski has said Zionism in its current form is racist, that no country has a right to exist and that the controversial Green party motion on the issue was not controversial.The leader of the Green party in England and Wales gave an unapologetic interview to the BBC on Sunday two weeks after his party approved a motion equating Zionism with racism. Continue reading...

Health secretary says it is total disgrace' if staff looked up William Chapman, who died at Yorkshire Wildlife ParkNHS staff who inappropriately accessed the medical records of a man mauled to death by a tiger should be sacked, Yvette Cooper said.The health secretary said the incident - which followed reports earlier this year that staff had unnecessarily viewed details about the Southport attack victims and those murdered by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham in 2023 - was a total disgrace". Continue reading...

Large cordon in place around Angel Row area of city centre after shocking incident' in the early hours of SundayA police officer is in hospital after being shot in the foot in Nottingham in the early hours of Sunday.Nottinghamshire police said the officer had approached two suspects in the city centre when he was struck by a bullet. The force said the two suspects, a woman and a man, had fled the scene and were being sought by police. Continue reading...

Style of emceeing based on high-octane, ad-libbed vocals has flourished thanks to its unique way of captivating crowdsFor the 2015 freshmen cohort of the history degree programme at the University of Lagos, their classmate's first-semester presentation was so captivating that they began calling him Toby Shang, after the 16th-century Chinese dynasty he had focused on.His crowd engagement that day had been harnessed from his high school days as a ginger-man (energiser) in a three-man band and as a private tutor. By his final year at university, his viral catchphrases and infectious energy had resulted in a hit song, Shedibalabala. Today, he is one of the self-acclaimed evangelists and pioneers" in the Afrobeats sub-genre some are now calling Afrohype or lamba. Continue reading...

Markus Zusak's novel The Book Thief secures second place, while Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe rounds out podium dominated by menCloudstreet, Tim Winton's sprawling Australian family epic, has been voted Australia's favourite book in a poll run by ABC Radio National.The broadcaster announced over the weekend the results of a nationwide poll to determine a list of readers' top 100 Australian books. Continue reading...

A girl called Aina was captured by an African king and later taken to England to become Sarah Forbes Bonetta, protege of the imperial monarchWhen she was seven years old, Bayo Randle's great-great-grandmother Sarah Forbes Bonetta was presented to Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle as a diplomatic gift" from an African king.Victoria would go on to pay for Bonetta's education, approve her marriage to one of west Africa's wealthiest men, and become godmother to her eldest daughter. Continue reading...

Magazine group points to restructuring bill but says it remains profitable in the UK for another year'Profits at Conde Nast's UK arm slumped by more than a third last year, according to figures published shortly after the billionaire family that owns the luxury magazine group and titles from Vogue to GQ ruled out a sale.The publisher, which enjoyed a bumper 2024 after booking 64m in proceeds from the sale of its UK headquarters Vogue House in London, saw pre-tax profits excluding exceptional items tumble 36% from 28m that year to nearly 18m last year. Continue reading...

For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator's position on IslamWatch the full episode with Michael Gove here.

Facing a slump in the polls, Argentina's president is making economic attacks on the islands' oil industry, and suggesting its key fisheries industry could be nextA dozen local people and a uniformed military police officer (Do you mind if I sit in?") took their seats at the back of the handsome wood-panelled courtroom that doubles as the Falkland Islands' legislative assembly. Outside, it was a typically blowy early evening. It may nominally be spring in the south Atlantic, but Stanley harbour, with its dark grey water speckled with historical shipwrecks, was a cauldron of swells and churn.Six of the assembly's eight members - five men, one woman - waited patiently at a row of desks and microphones. The heating had been turned up to just short of uncomfortable. Behind them, a portrait of King Charles. From the other walls, dusty photographs of governors, of varying popularity, gazed disinterestedly at the scene. Continue reading...

Meet some of the elderly residents of Bolotana, in line to be the world's sixth blue zone' for its high number of female centenariansWhen Giovanna Marras opens the door to her home in Bolotana, a mountain village in central Sardinia, her eyes are bright with curiosity as she sizes up her visitors. Her sister, Mariangela, peeks out too, soon ushering her guests inside and handing out dishes of ice-cream. The sisters are full of life, talking animatedly. Giovanna is 101 and Mariangela is 99.Sitting in their living room, Giovanna swiftly recaps her life story: she excelled at school before moving to Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island, at 18 to train as a seamstress. The sisters went on to run a successful tailoring business in Bolotana before travelling the world after retirement. Neither married. Continue reading...

Birth happens days before Labor and Coalition block bill to ban barbaric practice' of shackling incarcerated women during childbirth

Patients being taken to hospitals in Edmonton as Wainwright completely overwhelmed' by number of injuries, local doctor saysPeople have been killed and injured after an incident at one of Canada's busiest military training bases in Alberta caused a large fire, Canada's defence minister said Saturday.I'm saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base," defence minister David McGuinty said at a press conference on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Police fire teargas in Paris and Limoges town hall largely lost' to fire - with officials blaming violence on ultra-left'More than 1,200 people were arrested in France on Saturday after protesters supporting high school students clashed with police, with some demonstrations later spiralling out of control as buildings were set ablaze and shops looted.Police fired teargas in confrontations with protesters, as demonstrations across France were boosted by other groups angry about high prices and the fraying of a social welfare system. While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in street marches in scores of cities, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, luxury boutiques and supermarkets and attacked police vehicles and officers. Continue reading...

Sydney teenager charged with offensive behaviour and sexual touching without consent in relation to incidents involving females aged 13 to 54

Hurricane warning in effect from Manzanillo to Cabo Corrientes as storm moves toward Pacific coastTrudy strengthened to a category 2 hurricane as it moved toward Mexico's south-western and west-central Pacific coast on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said.A hurricane warning was in effect from Manzanillo in Colima state to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco. The latest NHC data showed Trudy with maximum sustained winds of 100mph (155km/h) and about 205 miles (330km) south/south-east of Cabo Corrientes and 115 miles (180km) south/south-west of Manzanillo, moving north-west at 10mph (17km/h). Continue reading...

Tweet by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, does not meet criminal threshold'No further action will be taken against Sarah Helm, the wife of the prime minister's national security adviser, after she was accused of supporting the banned protest group Palestine Action.Helm, a journalist and author who is married to Jonathan Powell, posted on X on Thursday: God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action." Continue reading...

Would-be MP recorded telling undercover reporter in ITV investigation that Muslims could not be BritishA would-be Reform UK MP told an undercover reporter that Muslims could not be British and asylum seekers should be put in concentration camps".The comments were recorded as part of the undercover investigation by ITV that has already seen Reform accused of appalling behaviour" and extreme racism". Continue reading...

While masked lapwings have a reputation for swooping during nesting season, Windsor Park oval's resident plover just wants a good inningsAt Windsor Park in Riverside, just outside Launceston in northern Tasmania, a masked lapwing has claimed prime real estate in the middle of a community sports ground, showing complete indifference to the weekend cricket matches taking place around it.Warming a nest of eggs, the bird has been affectionately dubbed Faf Swoop Plessis" by locals - a play on former South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research confirms official advice about high-risk properties and warns worsening conditions will make more homes unsafe

French mayor and archbishop also attacked during violent attempt to stop Palestinians harvesting olivesIsraeli settler militants have attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, injuring three people and damaging a car, in the latest violent attempt to prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives on their own land.Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was wearing his red, white and blue sash of office and attempting to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground on Saturday. Continue reading...

Belgian foreign minister urges further EU sanctions and links attack to Israel's illegal settlement policy'Masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats during a visit to the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Belgium's foreign minister said, on a second day of high-profile assaults on Palestinians and others during the sensitive olive harvest.At least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began earlier this month, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Activists say Israeli authorities do little to stop attacks that involve weapons ranging from slingshots to guns. An attack on Friday seriously injured a Washington Post photographer and others. Continue reading...

French government launches investigation into why cars funded by UK to prevent asylum seekers crossing Channel were used in school protestsFrench police have used 4x4 vehicles paid for by British taxpayers to charge at student protesters during the school protests that have swept the country.The French government has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into why the cars, funded by the UK government specifically to prevent asylum seekers crossing the Channel, were used during a protest involving school students in Dunkirk. Continue reading...

Descendants say theft from Portchester Castle reflects racism that has haunted generation after generation'The theft of a plaque in Hampshire that told the little-known story of African-Caribbean prisoners in 18th-century Britain reflects the enduring racism that has fuelled centuries of atrocities against Black and Indigenous Caribbean people, their descendants say.Ronald Raymond McDonald, a professional drummer, was part of a delegation that travelled from Belize and elsewhere to Portchester Castle near Portsmouth last week to honour their ancestors: 2,500 men, women and children transported to Britain as prisoners of war in 1796. Continue reading...

John Swinney tells party conference SNP will use six-figure war chest' to renew argument for leaving UKJohn Swinney has said that the second referendum campaign for Scottish independence has already begun", revealing a nationwide effort to renew the argument for leaving the UK in his keynote address to the SNP party conference.On Saturday, the Scottish first minister said the SNP would launch its most sophisticated campaign in history" to convince Scottish voters of the benefits of independence, backed by a six-figure war chest". Continue reading...

Ukrainian president warns it will embolden Russian leader and intensify war as Moscow hits country's power plants

Actor experienced a medical emergency' on flight during which she allegedly injured crew members, statement saysActor Selma Blair did not mean to hurt anyone during the recent flight which led to her arrest on allegations that she assaulted a pair of cabin crew members, a police officer and a nurse, her representatives said on Friday in a statement that characterized the episode as a medical emergency.The lengthy statement also dismissed prior media coverage of Blair's arrest after a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York as unsympathetic and inaccurate, singling out reporting from several outlets alleging that she tried to open the door of the airplane that she and her fellow passengers were on. Continue reading...

Doctors say pontiff is fit for discharge' after operation to remove cancerous tumour from his lung

Chilean-American author awarded Premio Planeta for sequel to her 1982 debut novel, The House of the SpiritsThe Chilean-American author Isabel Allende has won Spain's 1m (843,000) Premio Planeta, one of the world's most lucrative literary prizes, under a pseudonym, with a sequel to her celebrated debut novel, The House of the Spirits.Allende, 84, won the 75th edition of the award on Thursday with La hora antes del alba, which returns to the characters of her 1982 novel, a multigenerational family saga set against political upheaval in a country inspired by Chile. Continue reading...

School looking to sell piece of open land beloved by people in Devon town to fund refurbishmentsOn Saturdays throughout autumn, residents of Totnes have met at a field on the banks of the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and chat.But it hasn't just been about having fun - this has been a play protest" aimed at trying to save a beloved piece of open land in the historic Devon market town. Continue reading...

Andrew Bailey among finance leaders to leave session in Bangkok when Russian finance minister addressed groupThe Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has taken part in a walkout of finance leaders who left an International Monetary Fund meeting in protest against Russian involvement.Bailey joined counterparts from France, Germany and a number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries who left the session in Bangkok when the Russian finance minister, Anton Siluanov, addressed the group in Russian. Continue reading...

As Mark Cocker approaches a landmark for the world's oldest column in an English-language newspaper, he is still inspired by powerful encounters with natureIn the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on, some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world's oldest column in an English-language newspaper.In his next diary, he will reflect on the changing birdlife around Flint Clough, in the Peak District, where he first marvelled at rare birds aged 12 after devouring bird books in his bedroom. As a boy, he would find cuckoo, golden plover, ring ouzel and twite, a once-common bird which is now virtually extinct in England. Continue reading...

United Arab Emirates will reportedly resume payments to Yemeni forces as gains by Iran-backed Houthi fighters alarm Gulf state rulers

Environmental watchdog Mighty Earth reveals two-year effort to postpone and weaken EU Deforestation RegulationUS corporate lobbyists launched a two-year blitz" to postpone and weaken the world's most progressive legislation to protect forests, according to a new investigation by the environmental watchdog Mighty Earth.Major US firms and trade associations, including Cargill, Bunge, Mondelz and the US Soybean Export Council, as well as numerous other US firms and organizations, sought to influence the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in more than 350 meetings, the advocacy group found. Continue reading...

Mark Smith, who is married to a Swedish woman, says he was told three times he needed to do nothing in order to remain after BrexitA seriously ill British man living in Sweden has been forced into hiding amid fears he will be deported as a result of what he says is a government Brexit residency error.Mark Smith, 60, who has had hearts attacks, strokes, severe headaches and chronically high blood pressure that has been difficult to treat, was told on the phone he should leave Sweden by 17 October as he was an alien" without permission to stay. Continue reading...

As a surge in beekeepers has lead to increased numbers of honeybees, researchers record them pushing bumblebees and other rival species away from flowersHoneybees are outcompeting wild pollinators for resources by aggressively bumping into them and chasing them away from flowers, research has shown.The study, by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, found that areas where there were higher concentrations of honeybees had fewer wild pollinators, such as bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies. Continue reading...

Data shows 2026 could be worst harvest on record, as growers suggest painting faces on vegetables instead of carvingIn the lead-up to Halloween, front porches across the country feature fat, proudly carved pumpkins, lit from within by tea lights.But this year there is likely to be a shortage due to drought, experts have warned, with the squashes much smaller than usual. Continue reading...

Owner and mechanics fear for their health and future of the Herne Hill shop with no date for fixing problemThe leafy south London neighbourhood of Herne Hill is a haven for cyclists who can often be seen lapping the local parks and refuelling at the many cafes that line the suburban streets. But there is something foul in the air of this corner of the capital - and for once it's not the traffic fumes hitting bicycle riders.A toxic stench thought to be caused by untreated sewage stuck in Thames Water drains has been emanating from the subterranean depths for months, most likely caused by the summer's lack of rain. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers considering overhaul of apprenticeship funding scheme to tackle youth jobs crisisEmployers in England are to be forced to pay more to train an older worker than a youth apprentice under plans being drawn up by the government to tackle the youth jobs crisis.The Guardian understands ministers plan to overhaul Labour's apprenticeship funding scheme to increase the cost of training by 25% for a worker over the age of 25 in order to encourage businesses to train young people instead. Continue reading...

Families have been scattered, fathers separated from their children, and couples unable to reunite and marryWijdan Abu Matar, 43, was forced to leave Gaza in November 2023 with her eight children for medical treatment, while her injured husband, Hatem, remained behind.Wijdan and her family were living in the Nuseirat refugee camp when the Gaza war began with the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Ten days later, on 17 October that year, an Israeli strike hit the al-Muhandseen tower, near their home, injuring Wijdan and every member of her family. Continue reading...

For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible, the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and the Spectator's position on IslamWatch the full episode with Michael Gove here.

British father would like to take his family to Lancashire to see ill relative but officials refused visa for his partner, a refugee from MyanmarThe Home Office has denied a great-grandfather from Lancashire the chance of meeting his five-month-old British great-grandson, who lives abroad.William Cross was born in Thailand on 30 April to parents Matthew Cross, 31, who is from Burnley in Lancashire, and Khin Thant Zin, known as Jue Jue, also 31, a refugee who fled persecution in Myanmar to Thailand. Continue reading...

Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, were killed while on a surf trip in Baja California in 2024

Former minister and OECD head urges Australia not to adopt migration caps, with research showing migrants boost employment

As house prices plateau, the gap between the cost of buying and renting is narrowing in dozens of suburbs

Thousands pack Wentworth Park for the final time before the stadium is demolished and returned to parkland

Alan Feeney, who sat on Solihull and Birmingham councils, said there was no excuse' for his commentsAlan Feeney has resigned as a Reform councillor for Solihull and Birmingham after backlash over racist comments that were captured in an undercover investigation.In a Facebook post on Friday, Feeney wrote: There is no excuse for my comments. With responsibility comes accountability, and it is for that reason that I have resigned every post I hold on both Solihull borough council and Birmingham city council." Continue reading...

Chancellor says government will study responses to public consultation, with airports being big part of jobs and growth'John Healey has said there is a pro-growth case for going ahead with a third runway at Heathrow despite the prime minister declining to back it.Healey's predecessor as chancellor, Rachel Reeves, put approval of the long-planned runway at the heart of her growth speech" last year, saying it would make Britain the world's best-connected place to do business". Continue reading...

Prosecutors allege Moises Freire gave two students at FIT the opioid, saying it was cocaine, and raped one as she overdosedA man raped a student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) after giving her a dose of fentanyl that rendered her unconscious and ultimately killed her, federal prosecutors allege.That student's friend also experienced an overdose and nearly died after taking the potent synthetic opiate, leading to charges against three men, the US Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading...