World news | The Guardian

Exclusive: Scientists find a way to forecast hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which affects millions worldwideScientists are developing a simple blood test to predict who is most at risk from the world's most common inherited heart condition.Millions of people worldwide have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease of the heart muscle where the wall of the heart becomes thickened. It is caused by a change in one or more genes and mostly passed on through families. Continue reading...

The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns awayThe old world is dying," Antonio Gramsci once wrote. And the new world struggles to be born." In such interregnums, the Italian Marxist philosopher suggested, every act, even the smallest, may acquire decisive weight".In 2025, western leaders appeared convinced they - and we - were living through one such transitional period, as the world of international relations established after the second world war crashed to a halt. Continue reading...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's daughters seen at Sandringham church as more details about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein emergePrincesses Eugenie and Beatrice attended church with the royal family on Christmas morning, in a year where their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles.Mountbatten-Windsor's two daughters could be seen walking behind King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their way to church on the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Continue reading...

Government poised to officially protect 200,000 hectares of remote Patagonian coastline and forestChile's government is poised to create the country's 47th national park, protecting nearly 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of pristine wilderness and completing a wildlife corridor stretching 1,700 miles (2,800km) to the southernmost tip of the Americas.The Cape Froward national park is a wild expanse of wind-torn coastline and forested valleys that harbours unrivalled biodiversity and has played host to millennia of human history. Continue reading...

Sarah Harper says society must create new ways of living and working amid potential silver economy'Concerns over an ageing population are overblown and society should learn to celebrate and capitalise on its massive cohort of healthy, active, older, creative adults", a leading population expert has said.While pundits and pressure groups have raised concerns over falling fertility rates, highlighting the challenges for the economy and healthcare, others are more upbeat, arguing the rise of the silver economy" brings new opportunities for growth. Continue reading...

No snow confirmed by 8am on Thursday but yellow weather warning for wind issued for south-west England and much of WalesWarnings for cold and windy weather have been issued for parts of the UK but a white Christmas was highly unlikely", according to the Met Office.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Thursday to noon on 27 December for south-west England. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind affecting a similar area and much of Wales, which lasts until 11.59pm on Christmas Day. Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally says national conversations ... continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us'The incoming archbishop of Canterbury has warned in her Christmas Day sermon that our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us".Acting in her current role as the bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally told St Paul's Cathedral: Joy is born exactly where despair expects to triumph. As joy breaks through in our lives it gives us the opportunity to become people who make room. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which has no affiliation to direct action group, informed by deputy mayorA grassroots pro-Palestinian organisation in the UK has been told its bank account was frozen because of an investigation into Palestine Action", despite it having no affiliation to the direct action group.Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), which organises peaceful protests and vigils, had access to its funds cut off indefinitely by Virgin Money after Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act and the account remains blocked. Continue reading...

Kateryna Endeberia says teachers made the hurtful' request when she had difficulty with other subjectsA Ukrainian refugee has been forced to drop out of sixth-form college after she said she was put under pressure to study Russian.Kateryna Endeberia moved to Stoke-on-Trent after fleeing Ukraine in 2022, after the start of Russia's invasion. Continue reading...

Rising numbers of people flee jihadists, as violence against civilians increases and foreign aid dwindlesMore than 300,000 people have been displaced by an Islamic State insurgency in Mozambique since July, amid growing fears that authorities lack a workable plan to end the fighting.With wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan attracting more attention and foreign aid falling, the grinding conflict in Mozambique has been largely ignored or forgotten. More than 1 million people have been displaced, many of them two, three or even four times. Continue reading...

WA facing several fire warnings as Perth temperatures exceed 40C while Melbourne on track for coldest Christmas since 2006

Figures from FoI request show increase in ministerial use of social media personalities to present campaignsMore than half a million pounds has been spent since 2024 on using social media influencers to promote UK government campaigns on subjects ranging from the environment to welfare.The spending has included hiring 215 influencers since 2024, of which there were 126 in 2025 - an increase on the 89 hired in 2024 - and is seen as an attempt to use platforms such as TikTok to reach younger people. Continue reading...

Winning margin of 28,000 votes announced a month late but before review of all inconsistent' ballots was completedDonald Trump-backed candidate Nasry Tito" Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras's presidential election after a vote count that dragged on for almost a month and was marred by fraud allegations and criticism of interference by the US president.The rightwing Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the centre-right Salvador Nasralla, a margin of just 28,000 votes. Continue reading...

Refusing to help those in need is tantamount to rejecting God himself, says pontiff during Christmas Eve massPope Leo has told Christians that the Christmas story should remind them of their duty to help the poor and strangers.In his Christmas Eve sermon, the pope said the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn showed followers that refusing to help those in need was tantamount to rejecting God himself. Continue reading...

Martin Thomas Glynn, 39, was arrested in Yangebup, where police allege they found firearms, ammunition and Hamas and Hezbollah flags

Two stars of Irish acting unite in eagerly anticipated film about Birmingham gangster Tommy ShelbyTwo stars of Irish acting are united as Cillian Murphy meets Barry Keoghan in the first look at the eagerly anticipated Peaky Blinders film.Murphy questions his identity as famous gypsy gangster" Tommy Shelby in the 70-second teaser released by Netflix on Christmas Eve. Continue reading...

Shoppers predicted to spend $3.8bn in the week after Christmas, with household goods and fashion to dominate sales

The 44-year-old has gone through three rounds of surgery in a Sydney hospital since suffering five gunshot wounds

Exclusive: Reform leader promotes Direct Bullion - but experts say commodity is not for everyday investorsNigel Farage has been criticised over his 400,000-a-year second job promoting the idea that people should buy physical gold and put it into their pension pots.Farage is paid more than four times his MPs' salary for the four-hour-a-month job at Direct Bullion, where he has featured in Facebook and YouTube videos. Continue reading...

Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to suppress American viewpoints they oppose'The Global Disinformation Index, which is run by Clare Melford, one of the two Britons on the list of five Europeans facing US visa restrictions because of their work to stop online disinformation and hate (see 9.28am), has described the US state department's decision as immoral, unlawful and un-American". In a reponse, a GDI spokesperson said:The visa sanctions ... are an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship.The Trump Administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with. Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American.WE'VE SANCTIONED: Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, the leader and founder of HateAid, a German organization founded after the 2017 German federal elections to counter conservative groups. HateAid is an official trusted flagger" (a censor) under the EU's anti-speech Digital Services Act (DSA) and routinely demands access to propriety social media platform data to help it censor more. Hodenberg cited threat of disinformation" from right-wing extremists" online in upcoming U.S. and EU elections when circulating a petition for the DSA to become more strongly enforced to allow data access for researchers".WE'VE SANCTIONED: Josephine Ballon, co-leader of HateAid, who flags disfavored speech throughout Europe under the Digital Services Act. In addition to her running an official trusted flagger" body under the DSA, she serves on Germany's Advisory Council of the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC), which directly advises Germany's DSC on the application and enforcement of the DSA. In February 2025, Ballon spoke before an American audience in a notable 60 Minutes interview, outlining her position on censorship succinctly: Free speech needs boundaries." In October 2024, she vowed to stop the emotionalization of debates" by regulating platforms". Continue reading...

Boy, 14, arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after death of one of a kind' Madison RichardsonA family has paid tribute to their one of a kind" 13-year-old daughter after her death a month ago as police said they would continue to investigate the full circumstances.A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of harassment and later bailed after the death of Madison Richardson. Continue reading...

Strikes were latest violation of year-long ceasefire and targeted what Israel said were Hezbollah sitesIsrael has carried out several airstrikes in southern Lebanon on what it said was Hezbollah infrastructure, as a new year's deadline for the Lebanese state to disarm the group in the south of the country loomed.Israeli warplanes bombed the valleys of Houmin, Wadi Azza and Nimeiriya in the southern Nabatieh area on Wednesday morning. Residents reported that Israeli drones continued to hover over the area and other areas of south Lebanon and its eastern Bekaa valley after the strikes. Continue reading...

France's rule over Algeria from 1830 to 1962 is marked by mass killings and large-scale deportationAlgeria's parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France's colonisation of the country a crime and demanded an apology and reparations.Lawmakers, standing in the chamber wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted long live Algeria" on Wednesday as they applauded the passage of the bill, which states that France holds legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused". Continue reading...

Christmas Day expected to be dry and bright, with low temperature warnings posing greater risk to vulnerable peopleChristmas Day will bring bright weather in much of the UK, but a cold health alert has been issued warning of a greater risk to life of vulnerable people".While the prospect of a white Christmas is highly unlikely", according to forecasters, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Christmas Day to noon on 27 December for south-west England. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Donna Ockenden paid highly for advice in relation to the biggest review of maternity failings in NHS historyThe midwife leading the biggest inquiry into maternity failures in the history of the NHS is charging NHS England up to 26,000 a month for her advice through her company, the Guardian can reveal.Donna Ockenden, who has been chairing a review into maternity failings at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust since 2022, is paid an 850 daily rate for every 7.5 hours she works. Continue reading...

Negotiations expected to last four days as each side calls on the other to show sincerity in words and actionsCambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday intended to negotiate an end to the deadly clashes between the two countries, Phnom Penh said.The meeting in Thailand's Chanthaburi province had been at risk after Phnom Penh demanded a switch to a neutral venue. Continue reading...

Reports that Stanislav Orlov was killed by Moscow security services highlights careful managing of non-state powerBeneath the frescoed ceilings and golden icons of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, hundreds of men packed tightly into the lower hall as priests intoned prayers for the dead. Dressed in dark winter jackets, the mourners on Monday filled one of Russia's most sacred spaces - a church usually reserved for moments of state ritual and national commemoration. Later, near his grave, the crowd lit bright flares and shouted: One for all, and all for one."They had gathered to bid farewell to Stanislav Orlov, better known by his callsign Spaniard", the founder of the far-right Espanola unit - a formation of football hooligans and neo-Nazi volunteers who fought as a paramilitary force on Russia's side in Ukraine. Continue reading...

The omnibus bill, which included amendments to multiple pieces of legislation, was criticised by both progressives and conservatives

Four-year-old child among those killed in drone and missile assault targeting energy infrastructureA massive Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine has killed three people and cut power to several Ukrainian regions two days before Christmas and as the country enters a period of very cold weather.Russia sent more than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles into Ukraine in the attack, which began overnight and continued into Tuesday morning, local officials said. At least three people were killed, including a four-year-old child. Continue reading...

Demand for CD players rises 74% this year amid deluxe releases from artists such as Taylor Swift and Pink FloydForget the vinyl revival. CD players and compact discs are back on Christmas lists this year amid a wave of 90s nostalgia and coveted deluxe" releases from big acts such as Taylor Swift and Pink Floyd.Demand for compact discs peaked in the mid-00s and many households ditched their systems and libraries as digital music took off. But the distinctive whirr is returning to bedrooms around the country, with retailers and marketplaces experiencing an uptick in appetite for vintage tech and music to play on it. Continue reading...

Philip Young appears at Swindon magistrates court charged with 56 offences relating to 13-year periodA former Tory councillor has appeared in court charged with drugging and raping his former wife over a period of 13 years.Philip Young, 49, and five other men have been accused of more than 60 rapes and sexual offences against Joanne Young, 48. She can be named as the alleged victim because she has waived her right to anonymity, which would otherwise apply in such cases.Norman Macksoni, 47, a black British national of Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, who has been charged with one count of rape and possession of extreme images.Dean Hamilton, 46, of no fixed abode, who is white British, has been charged with one count of rape and sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual touching.Conner Sanderson Doyle, 31, of Swindon, described as white British, has been charged with sexual assault by penetration and sexual touching.Richard Wilkins, 61, of Toothill, Swindon, who is white British, has been charged with one count of rape and sexual touching.Mohammed Hassan, 37, of Swindon, described by police as British Asian, has been charged with sexual touching. Continue reading...

Those under-25 to receive help while a pilot will trial paid internships in NHS and a guaranteed interview schemeYoung people leaving care in England will receive free prescriptions, and dental and eye services up to their 25th birthday, the government has said.A pilot to trial paid internships for care leavers in the NHS and a guaranteed interview scheme for NHS roles also forms part of a package of measures announced by the Department of Health and Social Care. Continue reading...

National Socialist Network member originally refused bail in November after accusation of menacing message' about Allegra Spender

Hugh Marks calls questions about media's role in wake of mass tragedy understandable' but says reviews must be factual and accurate'

The 82-year-old singer said the disease was in its early stages and he plans to be back on stage in FebruaryBarry Manilow has revealed that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo surgery.The 82-year-old singer, whose parade of high-spirited hits from Copacabana to Mandy has made him one of pop music's most beloved showmen, will have surgery to remove part of his lung in an effort to fight off the disease, which is in its early stages. Continue reading...

Putin's top foreign policy aid says proposals could prolong conflict as talks with US negotiators are held in MiamiRussia has renewed its criticism of efforts by Europe and Ukraine to amend US proposals to end the war in Ukraine, saying they did not improve prospects for peace.Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters on Sunday that the proposed tweaks to Washington's plan could prolong the conflict. Continue reading...

Decision takes the total number of new settlements to 69 in past few years as construction binge continuesIsrael has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government pushes ahead with a construction binge in the territory that poses a further threat to the possibility of a Palestinian state.It brings the total number of new settlements over the past few years to 69, a new record, according to the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has pushed a settlement expansion agenda in the West Bank. The latest include two that were previously evacuated during a 2005 disengagement plan. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Warning from Social Mobility Commission chair comes after UK report found entrenched disadvantages'Keir Starmer has no coherent strategy to tackle entrenched inequalities harming the life chances of millions of people, the government's social mobility commissioner has said.A report warned last week that young adults in Britain's former industrial heartlands were being left behind as a result of failed or abandoned promises by successive governments. Continue reading...

Jewish voices say an attack of this kind was entirely predictable given the surge in antisemitic attacks in Australia since 2023The sun rises early at this time of year, hitting the south of the beach first before chasing the shadows north, the gradual retreat of the darkness to the light.Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, was being celebrated here on Sunday evening, when the darkness came brutally roaring back. Continue reading...

President Nicolas Maduro orders Venezuelan navy to escort oil tankers after seizure by US forces

Neuroscientists, psychologists and have-a-go heroes' themselves explain why it is about more than just instinctAs a knife-wielding terrorist wearing a fake suicide belt caused panic on London Bridge in 2019, Darryn Frost remembers entering a state of intense focus.Having grabbed a decorative narwhal tusk from the wall of Fishmongers' Hall, the formerly shy civil servant zoned in on the danger and ran towards it, helping pin the attacker to the ground. Continue reading...

Group called Robins des Ruelles later said in statement stunt was intended to highlight cost of living crisisDressed in red suits and backed by masked elves, a group of Santas marched into a Montreal supermarket, loaded their bags with thousands of dollars worth of groceries and disappeared into the night.The bandit Santas later released a statement saying the food would be distributed to the needy, and saying the Robin Hood-style stunt was intended to highlight the spiralling cost of living crisis that has pushed basic necessities increasingly out of reach for ordinary Canadians. Continue reading...

Colombia's ELN guerrilla group used drones and explosives in Thursday night attack that also injured at least 30 soldiersColombia's ELN guerrilla group has attacked a military base near Venezuela with drones and explosives, killing seven soldiers and wounding 30.Founded in 1964 and inspired by the Cuban revolution, the ELN is the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, and controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia. Efforts to negotiate a peace settlement have repeatedly stalled. Continue reading...

Boy, 15, has appeared in court charged with murder after girl died from single stab wound in Weston-super-MareThe family of a nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death have paid tribute to the most beautiful little soul" as a teenage boy appeared in court charged with her murder.Aria Thorpe died from a single stab wound at a property in Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset on Monday. Continue reading...

Cindy Butts says she's determined to stop victims being forced to investigate for themselves after state failingsVictims of disasters such as Hillsborough and Grenfell having to wait years for justice is shameful and a stain on our society", the new Independent Public Advocate (IPA) has said in her first interview in the role.The former police complaints commissioner Cindy Butts said she was determined to stop people from being forced to become investigators and de facto lawyers at the time of grief" in order to get justice after tragedies involving state failings in England and Wales. Continue reading...

The US Department of Justice is expected to release files relating to the disgraced late financier and sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, this evening. Jonathan Freedland joins Lucy Hough to discuss why it's such a big moment Continue reading...

People of Silverdale report rattling and shaking as 2.5 magnitude earthquake strikes in probable aftershockA village in Lancashire has been hit by a radiator rattling" earthquake for the second time in little over two weeks.Residents of Silverdale, a small coastal village located five miles south of the Cumbria border, reported the now strangely familiar feeling of rattling and shaking in their homes at 5.03am as a 2.5-magnitude earthquake hit the area with its epicentre 1.6 miles (2.6km) off the coast. Continue reading...

Extraordinary' high court ruling covers Jacob Corlett's attempt to seize back control of parcel delivery firm

Chris Bryant confirms October cyber-attack as the Sun names Storm 1849, a Chinese hacker group, as being responsibleThe BBC's editing guidelines do not need to be altered in the wake of controversy surrounding the edit of a Donald Trump speech, a review has found.The US president is seeking up to $10bn (7.5bn) in damages in response to the BBC's editing of a speech he made before the 2021 attack on the Capitol.I was asked to look at the editorial guidelines on use of editing. I do not believe any changes are required, but we will ensure these lessons are reinforced.More actions had been taken than acknowledged in Michael Prescott's document and since this was made public we have also dealt with some remaining issues. Continue reading...

Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry sentenced to 19 years each for conspiring to murder Christopher MillsA woman who plotted with her secret lover to murder her husband so they could start a new life together has been jailed for 19 years.Michelle Mills, 46, and Geraint Berry, 47, planned to kill Christopher Mills so they could continue their affair, and Berry recruited Steven Thomas, also 47, to help carry out their attack on 20 September last year. Continue reading...