World news | The Guardian

Writing on social media, US president says countries should make settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event'

Senior lawyers call on prime minister to request Indian prosecutors drop charges that would breach double jeopardy ruleFour senior lawyers, including the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, have written to Keir Starmer urging him to request that Indian prosecutors drop charges against the British national Jagtar Singh Johal on the basis that continued prosecution would be in manifest breach of the double jeopardy rule which prevents someone being tried twice for the same offence.Johal has been held in an Indian jail for eight years, and in March last year was acquitted of the terrorist charges laid against him in a court in Punjab. The court found the prosecutors had miserably failed' to present any reliable evidence, despite having had seven years to do so. Continue reading...

Tom Kopke from Germany out-tumbles local hero Chris Anderson on a meltingly hot day in GloucestershireIt was billed as the great cheese-off: a helter-skelter, bone-jarring downhill race between the all-time champ and a young upstart.After the hype and hyperbole, youth won out as the 24-year-old German YouTuber Tom Kopke beat the 38-year-old local hero Chris Anderson at the annual cheese-rolling event in the English West Country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former health secretary's intervention comes as government closes consultation on age limits for platformsSocial media companies should be treated like the tobacco industry, Wes Streeting has argued, as he called for a ban on under-16s accessing certain platforms.Speaking publicly about the prospect of a ban for the first time since he left government, the former health secretary said one was needed because large technology companies were trying to dodge regulations. Continue reading...

Netanyahu's joint war with the US began with talk of regime change in Tehran but may leave him with few strategic gains

Exclusive: Chancellor pushes for procurement of ships, steel, energy and AI to prioritise Britishness as well as costRachel Reeves has instructed cabinet colleagues to award government contracts in four critical industries directly to British companies, making clear her irritation that ministers have been sending too much government business abroad.In a letter seen by the Guardian, the chancellor tells every cabinet minister in charge of a spending department to buy British" wherever possible, adding that she is disappointed they are not already doing so. Continue reading...

Police launch murder investigation after incident in early hours of bank holiday Monday outside One Four One barA 30-year-old woman has died after being shot outside a bar in a busy area in Sheffield city centre.South Yorkshire police have launched a murder investigation after the incident in the early hours of this morning outside the One Four One bar on West Street. Continue reading...

Region adapting to diminished US power after Washington fails to land knockout blow on Tehran or safeguard allies

Changes to political funding and the need for crossbenchers to remain relevant are driving discussions but some independents are opposed

Two other small British children who stayed at same hotel fell critically ill from same condition months earlierThe travel company Tui is under scrutiny over its safety protocols after a British baby girl died from a gastric illness following a stay at an Egyptian hotel - the same resort where two other children were left critically ill from the same condition months earlier.Ariella Mann, one, died in January from a kidney condition linked to E coli after falling ill at the fivestar Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel in Hurghada on an allinclusive twoweek package holiday booked through Tui. Continue reading...

Restore Britain, set up by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, appears to be taking some support from Nigel FarageAndy Burnham is unlikely to be Elon Musk's first pick to be prime minister of the UK. But an intervention by the US tech billionaire on behalf of a far-right offshoot of Reform UK is one of several signs that a divided right wing could deliver the Makerfield seat to the Manchester mayor.On 18 June, Burnham will fight a byelection in Greater Manchester, and polls have him only slightly ahead of Reform's candidate, Robert Kenyon, a plumber. But a far-right party set up by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe looks as if it is taking some support from Reform. Continue reading...

Group have been stuck in flooded cave in central Laos for five days after heavy rain caused landslidesDivers who helped in the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018 have joined efforts to free seven people who have been trapped for five days inside a remote, flooded cave in central Laos.The group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province on Wednesday to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, reports suggest. Heavy rain led to landslides, which blocked the cave entrance. Continue reading...

Charing, Challock and Molash worst affected, as South East Water says technical failure at pumping station' to blameHundreds of homes in Kent and Sussex have been left without water by a company that MPs recently accused of incompetence.South East Water said the hot weather and extra demand for water meant it was having to pump more drinking water than usual to higher ground. Continue reading...

The now 88-year-old is urging Australian governments to throw their support behind a new national plan for Stolen Generations survivors as they enter their final years

Alan Milburn, who is leading review commissioned by government, says current strategy going in wrong direction'Labour has failed to tackle soaring youth unemployment and must launch a system reset" involving a fresh attempt to overhaul health and disability benefits, a report commissioned by the government is to warn.Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into why almost a million young people are not in education or work, said ministers had so far responded with a series of disjointed jobs programmes. Continue reading...

Dominic Grieve says people are perfectly entitled' to ask Richard Hermer for review of teenagers' sentencesAppeal judges would be unlikely to criticise the attorney general, Richard Hermer, if he asked them to review unusual" non-custodial sentences handed to three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls, one of his predecessors has suggested.Dominic Grieve, who also served as home secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the goal of rehabilitating offenders - particularly younger ones - needed to be balanced with providing deterrence. Continue reading...

Research shows cost of crime for each affected business was on average 83,000 in past yearNine in 10 retailers based in rural locations have been victims of crime in the past 12 months, according to research, underlining the widespread impact of the rise in shoplifting and theft even in more remote parts of the UK.Rural retailers include farm shops as well as stores selling machinery and other equipment. The financial cost of crime for each affected retailer was on average 83,000 during the past year, according to a survey carried out by the commercial insurer NFU Mutual. Meanwhile, one in 20 victims said crime had cost them more than half a million pounds. Continue reading...

Danny Kruger says matter is private', after party leader claimed hack was behind Guardian story about 5m giftA senior Reform UK figure has refused to call on the party's leader, Nigel Farage, to hand evidence to the UK's security services to support his claim he was hacked by Russian agents.Farage has come under mounting pressure to substantiate the claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure published by the Guardian last month of a 5m gift he had received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives have both stressed the threat to national security posed by the Russian state. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cache of internal documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC's Four Corners show multinational has war-gamed ways to massively delay decarbonisation

Exclusive: Mining giant says technology is not yet advanced enough to run a fully electrified fleet but experts say it is hooked on federal fuel tax credits

Exclusive: Jimblebar processing facility would have produced higher quality iron ore sought by steelmakers around the world - themselves under pressure to curb pollution

Mexican-themed Australian fast food chain accused of terminating staff without adequate pay or notice as it pulls out of the USAmerican workers at Guzman y Gomez's shuttered US stores have launched a class action lawsuit against the Mexican-themed Australian fast food chain over allegations staff were terminated without adequate pay or notice.The legal claim, filed in a US federal trial court in Illinois, was sparked by GyG's decision last week to immediately close its string of Chicago stores after giving up on its highly vaunted plans to expand in the US. Continue reading...

Most people have joyful memories of playing outside as children - and now wildlife charities are urging people to rewild their inner child'Climbing trees, squelching in mud, paddling in ponds or making dens in the woods - people's memories of playing outside as children are often vivid and, a new poll has found, overwhelmingly positive, even those who remember falling in cowpats.Almost 90% of UK adults had rosy memories of the excitement and the feeling of freedom that outdoor play had brought them, the survey found. However, almost half of adults now spend less than three hours a week in natural settings such as gardens, parks, fields or woods, according to the survey. For one in 10 it is less than one hour. Continue reading...

Ulf Kristersson aims to expand state-funded IVF as Sweden grapples with lowest fertility rate since records beganSweden's prime minister has promised to put IVF at the heart of his re-election campaign as he tries to win over female voters amid the country's record low birthrate.Ulf Kristersson's government recently increased the number of state-funded IVF attempts granted to aspiring first-time parents from three to six. Continue reading...

Paris police looking into more than 100 allegations of mistreatment by monitors' after parents' groups said they had fought for years to be taken seriouslyFrance is facing a child abuse scandal as monitors' at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape.Paris police are examining more than 100 allegations of mistreatment, physical violence and rape of children as young as three by school monitors during lunch breaks, nap times and after-school activities, prosecutors have confirmed. Continue reading...

Directions hearing over deaths of Victoria police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart told of new details of Porepunkah shooting

The actor, who played Tracy Jordan's gentle bodyguard in 80 episodes of the beloved comedy, died in his sleep after years of health problemsGrizz Chapman, best known for his role as Grizz on the hit comedy 30 Rock, has died aged 52.His cousin, the Harlem Globetrotter Donte Harrison, confirmed Chapman's death on social media on Saturday. Continue reading...

Nearly a third of vice-chancellors would cut hardship support if necessary over next three years, according to pollVice-chancellors have said they may need to cut hardship support for impoverished students and reduce outreach activities aimed at disadvantaged groups if the dire funding struggles at universities continue.The anonymous poll of leaders by Universities UK (UUK) revealed the extent of the budgetary quagmire facing higher education, with more than two-thirds prepared to cut staff jobs by compulsory redundancy if difficulties continue over the next three years, while nearly 90% said they were looking at hiring freezes or voluntary redundancies. Continue reading...

Russia suspected of obstructing signal on flight bringing John Healey home from visit to British troops in EstoniaAn RAF jet carrying the defence secretary, John Healey, had its signal jammed for the entire three-hour flight after it flew near the Russian border.Healey had been visiting British soldiers in Estonia and was travelling back to the UK when the electronic attack happened, the Times reported. Continue reading...

Announcement comes after former minister Alan Milburn says Britain has neglected a generation of young peopleMinisters are expanding youth work-experience and training schemes, after Alan Milburn warned Britain is spending 25 keeping young people on benefits for every 1 spent helping them into work.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, will announce plans for 300,000 extra work experience placements over the next three years as the government attempts to tackle what the minister described as a quiet crisis" in youth employment. Continue reading...

American president says he is not rushing into a deal after proposed plan to end war prompts Republican backlash

Some casualties after attacks on multiple locations in south and east of country on Sunday, state media reports

World Health Organization says outbreak poses very high' risk for Congo, but risk of disease spreading globally remains lowCongolese authorities say that suspected Ebola cases have now passed 900 in the ongoing outbreak in the east of the country.The Congolese ministry of communication, in a post on X on Sunday, said there were 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths. Continue reading...

The US has apparently had to agree to unfreeze billions of Iranian assets for a regime more hardline than before the war

Actor recounts three alleged approaches by intelligence services, including through senior BBC executiveRiz Ahmed, the Oscar-winning actor, has claimed that Britain's intelligence services tried three times to recruit him, including one occasion involving a senior BBC executive.Ahmed, 43, said: Well, it's happened three different times and they're all slightly ridiculous, and this is what I mean by it, it's just like inherently comedic. Continue reading...

Alleged incident said to have happened at racing event in 2002, the year of the queen's Golden Jubilee, according to the Sunday TimesPolice investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are looking into an allegation that he behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot, according to a report.The alleged incident is said to have happened at the annual five-day racing event in Berkshire in 2002, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

Speaking at Hay literary festival, former Labour minister says complete disengagement has potential for us to end up in a very, very difficult position'Former foreign secretary David Miliband has said Europe should have separate bedrooms" from the US, but not seek a divorce" from its traditional alliance, despite the Trump administration's impact on the relationship.Speaking at the Hay literary festival on Sunday, the former Labour minister, who has served as the president of the International Rescue Committee since 2013, said: You can see the argument that strategic autonomy for Europe means divorce from the United States. I really counsel the dangers of that." Continue reading...

Explosives-laden vehicle detonated as passenger train travelled through south-western city of QuettaA suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train travelled through the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials have said.The force of the explosion on Sunday caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online. Continue reading...

Charter to be adopted along river's entire catchment from Cambrian mountains to Chepstow and Bristol ChannelThe entire catchment of the River Wye has been formally recognised as a living ecosystem with intrinsic rights in a charter, a UK first that campaigners hope will help save the highly polluted river.The charter was celebrated at a community event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday. It includes the right to flow, to biodiversity, to be free from pollution, to be supported by a healthy catchment, to regenerate, and the right to be represented, described as a significant step" towards protecting and restoring one of the UK's most beloved rivers. Continue reading...

Discussions highlight how seriously senior Labour figures are treating Burnham's path back to WestminsterAndy Burnham has sought advice from Sue Gray, Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, on how to manage a potential transition into Downing Street if he returns to Westminster and succeeds the prime minister.Lady Gray is understood to have advised Burnham on how a future government could be formed as Labour's internal succession chatter intensifies before the Makerfield byelection. Continue reading...

Labour MP writes to chair amid concerns building societies are overusing quick votes and failing to add members to boardsNationwide is under pressure to address emerging governance issues" across the building society sector, amid concerns bosses are bundling voting options and failing to allocate board seats for members.The Stockport Labour MP Navendu Mishra has sent a formal letter to the chair of Nationwide, Kevin Parry, outlining growing unease over the way executives, including at Nationwide, have been engaging with members who ultimately own their building societies. A letter raising similar concerns was sent to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Research by National Preparedness Commission calls for worst-case scenario' planning by European statesBritain's vital supply chains are unprepared for the prospect of a major shock such as war with Russia, and bold steps are needed to catch up with worst-case scenario" planning by European states, ministers have been warned.Donald Trump's America First" transformation of the US, which has made what was once a trusted UK ally a much less reliable partner, should also feed into that planning, according to a new report. Continue reading...

Gerry the monk' Hutch comes fourth in contest won by Daniel Ennis of Social DemocratsThe Irish gangland figure Gerry the monk" Hutch has failed in his bid for a parliamentary seat in a Dublin byelection.The 63-year-old came fourth in a contest won by Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats, a victory for progressive politics after a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living and immigration. Continue reading...

Department for Transport is understood to back reducing levy, which critics have called a pavement tax'

Travellers warned to beware of debit card cons after one was charged 1,500 for a kebab and another 3,000 for corn on the cobWhen Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (5.90) for the snack.But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. Continue reading...

More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018Hunger is being increasingly exploited as a weapon of war with more than 20,000 documented incidents of food-related violence" in the past eight years, new analysis reveals.Attacks include 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents in which food distribution systems were targeted and workers killed. Continue reading...

The 39-year-old was reportedly fishing at Kennedy Shoal between Cairns and Townsville when emergency services alerted about midday

Global events and the climate crisis have left Britain's food system dangerously exposed and in desperate need of an overhaulThe news that the Treasury was asking UK supermarkets to cap price rises on essential foods was greeted with predictable squeals of horror this week. Supermarkets were reportedly furious", while luminaries from the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to the former chair of M&S could be found harrumphing about the evils of price controls.But this caterwauling is a distraction from two unpleasant facts. Firstly, the food price surge over the summer and beyond is likely to be significant - and will come on top of a near-40% rise in the price of food since 2020 - due to a devastating combination of the Iran war and a forecast record-breaking El Nino, which will hammer global food production. And secondly, Britain's food system is painfully exposed to such shocks. The long-held assumption that a global food system can be relied on to meet the nation's needs, at a reasonable price, no longer applies. Continue reading...

US president says it's a solid 50/50' on either making a good' deal with Iran or striking the country anewDonald Trump said he would meet today with American negotiators to review Iran's latest proposal and decide by Sunday whether he will strike Iran to kingdom come".The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also told reporters in India on Saturday that there may be news later today" about Iran. He did not specify what that news would be. Continue reading...

More people are being jailed in England and Wales as a result of acting to prevent climate breakdown and the war in Gaza, research revealsBritain has created a new breed of political prisoners through the systematic incarceration of people acting to prevent climate breakdown and the annihilation of Gaza, a report claims.The research by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the protest group Defend Our Juries says that custodial sentences for acts of direct action or civil disobedience were once rare but are now being imposed with increasing length and frequency. Continue reading...