World news | The Guardian

Equating to the loss of 5% of its 93,000 global staff, job cuts come as bank announces jump in quarterly profits

Some 32 government services are offline while work is carried out to address potential cybersecurity issues, a minister has saidThe Office for National Statistics has also published a report on the gender pay gap. It says:The gender pay gap for full-time employees has continued to decline in the UK. It was 6.8% in April 2026, down from 7.2% in April 2025. This compares with 9.4% a decade ago and 16.4% 25 years ago.Secondly, I asked Healey whether he sees the banks as making excessive profits, which would be the coherent justification for him to increase the surcharge on bank profits - as he is expected to do in the Budget next week.He said: You know the banks are the engine of investment in this country. The banks are doing well at the moment and that is good to see. Continue reading...

French government will show absolute' determination to stop the riots, Macron saysAs we are waiting for Macron, first details of the planned police response to this weekend's protests are emerging.Junior interior minister, Jean-Didier Berger, said that the police presence will be 20% higher" than last weekend, with reinforcements from the army, elite police forces and gendarmerie. Continue reading...

Nancy Mace said: This ad is going to go down as the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season'

This animated map shows the insect's population exploding in Australia's eastern states, with the endangered species coming back from the brinkIf you live anywhere on the eastern side of Australia, you've probably noticed that bogong moths are back in a big way.While we don't yet have figures from ecologist-led surveys to compare with previous years, there is a wealth of data on the great moth revival being generated by citizen scientists across the eastern states. Continue reading...

Hostility from constituents is not new for the state's politicians, including its premiers. But the alleged attack on Helen Haines has sent a chill down the collective spine

Democratic lawmaker says family's safety is at risk amid death threats and raid making apartment's address public

Warning by defence secretary comes as he opens a tank gun barrel factory in the West Midlands

The Cali Fund, set up to raise $1bn a year for biodiversity from drug companies, remains near emptyBig pharmaceutical companies have been accused of free-riding on nature", after a landmark biodiversity fund that invites businesses to put some of their profits back into conservation was left virtually empty.The Cali Fund set out to raise $1bn (750m) annually, by asking companies that profit from nature's genetics to contribute towards conservation in low-income countries. But more than 18 months after the fund was launched, it remains far below this target. Continue reading...

British authorities were unable to investigate case of Christopher Mooty, who went on to commit another offenceThe US military failed to notify British police of an allegation that one of its airmen had been drink-driving in Suffolk, preventing the British authorities from being able to investigate the offence.The failure broke a longstanding formal agreement with British police that enables the UK to investigate alleged illegality by US military personnel who are stationed in Britain. Continue reading...

France's bond market hit by another bout of selling as country recovers from weekend protests

Nation's favourite play makes London comeback amid renewed debate about future of humanities teachingThe History Boys is to return to the West End for the first time in two decades, with a warning from its director of an almost terminal decline" in humanities teaching in state schools.Nicholas Hytner, who directed Alan Bennett's play at the National Theatre and its 2006 film adaptation, said the themes of education, history and the value of literature for its own sake felt especially relevant amid renewed debate about what schools should teach. Continue reading...

England and Wales judges to be able to keep inmates in their cells for longer or stop visits if they refuse to face victims' families in courtOffenders who refuse to face their victims' families in court for sentencing could be stripped of privileges or kept in cells for weeks under government changes granting wider powers to judges in England and Wales.The imposition of new prison sanctions, coming into effect next year, builds on existing laws that order offenders to attend sentencing or face a fine or be jailed for a further two years for contempt of court. Continue reading...

Decision was widely expected after lobbying by Shell but will dismay environmental campaigners

Critics say move will jeopardise climate targets, fail to cut cost of living and distract from need to decarbonise energy

Government paid 10.9bn in debt interest, the highest September figure since records began

Independent MP was struck by a car on Monday and her alleged attacker appeared in court on Wednesday

Queensland correctional services officer did not have access to details of Kerrie Struhs' past offending which included child neglect

This blog is now closedSeveral leaders offered Zelenskyy very friendly welcome or, in some cases, simply a big hug as he walked into the room before the formal part of the meeting got under way.Speaking to Newsmax last night, Donald Trump repeated his views of the two leaders involved in the conflict. Continue reading...

Inquiry said to have been launched after force received report relating to alleged unauthorised access of a political party's database'Police are carrying out a criminal investigation into a row over the founding of Your Party, which split the leftwing party as it was established last year.A spokesperson for London's Metropolitan police said they had launched an investigation after they received a report in September 2025 relating to the alleged unauthorised access of a political party's database", the Politico website reported. Continue reading...

Polish PM praises police for swift and decisive action' after threat against him and defence minister revealedThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Sunday that a man accused of plotting to assassinate him and his defence minister had been detained.The man threatening an attack has been detained," Tusk wrote on X, praising the police for their swift and decisive action". Continue reading...

UK Health Security Agency notes above-average flu activity in September and urges at-risk groups to get vaccinatedFlu is striking earlier than usual in England, experts have said, insisting that vaccination is the best way to blunt its impact.According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), flu is at low levels, but various metrics, such as the proportion of positive tests and GP consultations for influenza-like illness, suggest it is on the rise, with the number of emergency-department attendances for influenza-like illness above seasonally expected levels. Continue reading...

US president's plan to park the conflicts in Iran and Yemen, while blaming Ukraine for high diesel prices, has unravelled

Part of site of First Hampden in Glasgow is up for rent and campaigners want to turn it into a community hubFans of Scotland's national football team may not have had many reasons to celebrate in recent years, but that hasn't always been the case. Almost 150 years ago, in 1878, the team moved into their first home in a Glasgow ground known as First Hampden and promptly won every game they played there.As well as being celebrated as Scotland's tartan fortress", First Hampden, about half a mile from where Hampden Park sits today in south Glasgow, is widely considered the world's first purpose-built international football stadium. Many features now commonplace in grounds around the world - including season tickets, turnstiles and pavilions - have long been thought to have originated there. Continue reading...

Actor says he should have made a joke of his admission, he felt institutionalised there and he is not watching the seriesRichard E Grant has said his early exit from The Celebrity Traitors was due to his failure to realise his fellow contestants would take him seriously.The Withnail and I actor was voted off as a traitor after brazenly admitting his status to other contestants. Continue reading...

As one in, one out' scheme ends, refugees still want to cross the Channel despite French police aggression and hostile welcomesThe smuggler works quickly. Using a small shovel, he digs up a dinghy buried in a sand dune on a beach not far from Boulogne-sur-Mer, assembles it and affixes a motor in record time.I never saw anyone work like this," says Amad, from Iraq, one of a group of about 30 asylum seekers waiting to cross the Channel. The UK government wants to stop the smugglers, but they are smart. They have plan A, plan B and plan C, so there is always a way for them to get people across this sea. For as long as asylum seekers will pay them, there is too much money involved for them to give up." Continue reading...

England-focused mental health review returns stark warning and calls for shift to needs-led' system

Prof Peter Fonagy's 607-page report is categoric that mental distress has increased substantially and cannot be explained by greater awareness alone'

Peter Fonagy lauds courage of young people and warns of consequences of rising prevalence of mental illness

Nine in 10 school heads who responded say inspections still negatively affected' staff mental healthSchool inspections in England continue to damage the mental wellbeing of teachers and senior leaders, according to a survey commissioned by Ofsted that casts doubt on efforts to reduce the stress caused by inspectors' visits.The independent survey of school leaders who had undergone the revised inspections since last year found that 88% said it had negatively affected" the mental wellbeing of school staff, including 29% who said it affected them a lot". Continue reading...

People tell of lives changed beyond recognition after the 7 October attacks by Hamas three years ago and the subsequent Israeli offensive

Overhaul of special education in England could unravel, thinktank finds, because of use it before you lose it' dynamicLabour's flagship changes to special education in England are at risk of unravelling because parents are rushing to secure support for their children before the system changes, new analysis has found.The Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank says the government's plans to largely replace education, health and care plans (EHCPs) in England with more widespread support in mainstream schools may be too optimistic and take longer to complete than its 2030 timeline. Continue reading...

Maricarmen's eviction from Madrid apartment after over seven decades set off wave of protests against housing crisis

Jukka Salovaara, who served in London during Cool Britannia era, will be very close' to negotiations as Burnham government resets relations with EUJukka Salovaara, the newly installed European Union ambassador to the UK, is likely to become a ubiquitous figure in national politics as the Andy Burnham government grapples with the question of its future relationship with the European Union.Burnham has been clearer than his predecessor Keir Starmer in saying that what exists now is not working and that a full range of options, including rejoining, has to be on the table ahead of Labour's next election manifesto. Continue reading...

One executive received a $1.5m package last year, while 10 other staff received remuneration exceeding $1m each

Former New Zealand prime minister's purchase is the highest sale price recorded in suburb of Dee Why this year

Elor Azaria's conviction in 2017 for manslaughter of man who stabbed soldier continues to divide countryIsrael's president has pardoned a combat medic who shot dead a badly wounded Palestinian attacker who had stabbed a soldier in the occupied West Bank, in a case that divided the country a decade ago.Elor Azaria's conviction in 2017 for manslaughter and his release after serving two-thirds of his 18-month sentence drew enormous attention in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jewish men. Continue reading...

HMRC wins challenge over John Griffin's claim to be non-dom despite having lived in England since childhoodThe founder of Addison Lee owes 20.5m in tax after a tribunal dismissed a claim that he should be treated as a nom-dom despite living in the UK since childhood.John Griffin had argued he should be treated as a nom-dom due to his connection to Ireland, saying: I was and am besotted with Ireland, infatuated with Ireland. I believe that I have always been and am Irish." Continue reading...

The US artist, whose swirly, colorful, instantly recognizable designs became hugely commercially successful, died on MondayPeter Max, whose colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the flower power" movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship, has died at 88.Max died on Monday, his son, Adam Max, said in a written statement on Wednesday. No cause was given. Continue reading...

Not enough evidence to explain circumstances of Noah Donohoe's death, partly due to police mistakes, inquest findsAn inquest into the death of a teenager whose body was found in a Belfast storm drain has found there is not enough evidence to explain the puzzling circumstances of how he died, partly because of mistakes by police investigators.Noah Donohoe, 14, was last seen on 21 June 2020 when he left his south Belfast home on his bicycle, telling his mother he was going to visit friends. His naked body was found six days later, deep inside an underground water tunnel in the north of the city. Continue reading...

Estimated 100,000 Yemenis displaced amid renewed fighting as Qatar sounds alarm over Bab al-Mandab straitSaudi cities faced the threat of a second day of Houthi attacks as fighting across Yemen led the UN to warn of a humanitarian crisis with 100,000 Yemenis already displaced.As oil prices remained well over $100 (74) a barrel, Qatar warned of a catastrophe if the Iran-backed Houthi militants won full control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, the narrow waterway at the bottom of the Red Sea dominating the key naval route to Asia. The strait has become vital to Saudi crude oil exports as the wider Middle East war chokes the strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. Continue reading...

Backing comes after Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor were threatened with having their citizenship revoked and accused of treasonFilm industry heavyweights across the globe have expressed solidarity with Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Oscar-winning Israeli directors of documentary NAZA, who have been threatened with having their citizenship revoked by Israel's culture minister, who accused them of treason against the state".NAZA, which was produced by the Guardian, is named for an acronym euphemistically used by Israel's intelligence service to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike on Gaza. It includes interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence soldiers and officers who outlined the AI-powered targeting systems used to bombard Gaza, resulting in the mass killing of Palestinian civilians. Continue reading...

Greens-run council will also curb ads for SUVs, airlines, cruises and fossil fuels on sites it owns, in city known for radical political sceneBristol has become the first British city to impose a ban on advertising fast fashion, in new restrictions that will also curb SUV and airline ads.The ban is part of moves by the West Country city, known for its radical political scene, to impose sweeping bans on advertising for polluting industries. Continue reading...

Congresswoman awarded the convicted abuser and musician a congressional record recognition in ArlingtonDemocratic US representative Jasmine Crockett is under fire for honoring musician Chris Brown, a convicted abuser, with an official recognition at a Texas concert over the weekend.Crockett, a Texas congresswoman, awarded Brown and R&B musician Usher a congressional record recognition at a performance in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. Appearing alongside Texas state representative Venton Jones, Crockett said she was there to honor" Brown and Usher. Continue reading...

UK union leaders meet on Monday to discuss possible support for a domestic cap on political donations

Universities Australia says party can't take skills and jobs out of the country and pretend there will be no consequences'

Hampshire and Isle of Wight force says it wants to speak to men in connection with anti-migrant unrest that left seven officers injuredPolice have released images of six men they would like to speak to after violent disorder in Portsmouth last week that left seven officers injured.About 200 people gathered at Eastney Marina on Sunday night after a small boat carrying asylum seekers arrived on the south coast having crossed the Channel. The activists dispersed the following day in the early hours. Continue reading...

Key government meeting this month will consider US bid to try James Fergie' Chambers over alleged support for HamasAttorneys for James Fergie" Chambers, the US citizen and wealthy donor to leftwing and humanitarian projects worldwide who is currently imprisoned in Madrid and sought in extradition, have submitted a brief ahead of a decisive government meeting on the case.Meanwhile, Chambers' partner, the actor and activist Stella Schnabel, met last week with multiple members of the Spanish parliament to assert his innocence. Continue reading...

At least 760,000 children in England and Wales missed lessons as more than 1,700 schools closed or finished earlyThe gruelling heatwave that hit the UK in June caused pupils to miss more than 15m hours of lesson time as soaring temperatures forced hundreds of schools to close, according to a study.The research found that at least 760,000 schoolchildren in England and Wales missed lessons owing to closures during the heatwave - one of five in the UK this summer - as temperatures inside some classrooms topped 40C (104F), leaving pupils and staff suffering from heat stress, nausea and headaches. Continue reading...

Militant feminist led campaigns to legalise abortion and divorce and went on to become foreign ministerEmma Bonino, the radical Italian politician who led campaigns to legalise abortion and divorce against the objections of the Vatican, has died aged 78.Today we lose not only our leader but also one of the most clear-sighted, courageous and free figures in the political history of our country," the small party she founded, More Europe, said on Facebook on Friday. Continue reading...