World news | The Guardian

Expected next prime minister focuses on restoring faith in politics, cost of living and devolution in major speech

Report says once-in-a-generation changes needed to tackle why such children are lowest-performing large demographicHigh-performing primary and secondary schools in England should be encouraged to admit more disadvantaged pupils from white working-class backgrounds to help reverse a continuing crisis in underachievement, an independent inquiry has said.The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes concluded the current education system was not set up to serve white working-class children and families". Continue reading...

Mangione, accused of killing health executive Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty in state and federal casesLuigi Mangione 's Manhattan federal court trial related to to the murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson is scheduled to start in January 2027.Mangione stands accused of the 4 December 2024 killing of Thompson on a New York City street. He faces murder and weapons charges in his state-level case, and stalking counts in the federal proceedings. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte stressed need for military investment ahead of long-awaited UK funding announcement on TuesdayNato's secretary general has said he is confident Andy Burnham will stick to the alliance's long-term spending commitments, and that the man expected to be the UK's next prime minister would recognise that rearmament can spur economic growth.During a visit to London, Mark Rutte said he did not expect the UK to meet an alliance target to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035 in one big step" when its long-delayed defence investment plan was published on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Legal and labor experts say Trump v Slaughter decision upends settled constitutional law in favor of loyalty test'As a reality TV show host, Donald Trump rose to fame with the catchphrase: You're fired!" On Monday, the US supreme court handed him - and all future presidents - the power to fire leaders of independent agencies or commissions, overturning 90 years of court precedent curbing executive power.While Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social as a big win", labor advocates, unions, and consumer advocacy groups criticized the supreme court decision on the case, Trump v Slaughter, and warned of the long-term impacts for democracy in the US.Court rules Trump can fire leaders of independent agenciesCourt rules geofence warrants require constitutional privacy protectionsCourt rules Trump's firing of Lisa Cook from Fed was unconstitutionalCourt upholds law to count mail-in ballots arriving after election dayCourt rejects Trump's bid to appeal $5m E Jean Carroll Continue reading...

No damage reported in 4.6 magnitude aftershock; At least 1,450 people are known to have died in initial quakes but number is expected to riseIn an update to X, El Salvador's president has said that after hours of intensive work rescuers have freed Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas, 21, who was trapped under a building in Caraballeda, La Guaira, calling the operation a miracle".This rescue was made possible thanks to the coordinated effort of the rescue teams from Venezuela, Mexico, and El Salvador, who worked tirelessly to reach Aaron," Nayib Bukele wrote in a social media post, adding that the 21-year-old is now receiving specialised medical attention. Continue reading...

Trial begins of Simon Levy, who denies killing Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins and attacking third womanA man who was arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a woman was freed by police and went on to kill another woman four months later, a court has heard.The prosecution said Simon Levy, 40, had previously raped and attacked a third woman, whom he left for dead, and sexually assaulted six others during a series of attacks between January and August 2025. Continue reading...

Two independent reviewers of terrorism legislation call for safeguards for NGOs and journalists before bill becomes law this weekBritish foreign correspondents could be at risk of prosecution if they use sources within state-backed groups in countries such as Iran under national security legislation being rushed through parliament this week.David Anderson, the UK's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has warned that unless the bill is amended it could accidentally pull journalists working in danger-zone countries into prosecutions for terrorism. Continue reading...

Team hope 30 of hours of footage held by three countries will be enough to bring to life film-maker's visionMore than 70 years after he shot the first few frames, Orson Welles's ambitious project to put Don Quixote on the big screen may finally be completed thanks to a consortium of European film archivists.Oja Kodar, the American film-maker's partner and collaborator, has given her blessing to the project led by archives in France, Spain and Italy, along with the Munich film museum, to produce a coherent film out of 30 hours of footage scattered among them. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed

Subsidiary of FTSE 250 company says Coffee Studio's phrase too similar to its Eat Drink Meet' trademarkWhen Tahir Mehmet, the owner of an independent coffee shop, tried to register three simple words", Eat Drink Work, as its slogan, he had little idea it would pitch him into a legal battle with one of the UK's largest hospitality groups.The application in relation to the Coffee Studio, which has two London cafes, has been opposed by a subsidiary of Mitchells & Butlers, whose brands include Toby Carvery, Harvester, All Bar One and O'Neill's, which says it is too similar to its Eat Drink Meet trademark. Continue reading...

Dozens of civilians reported dead by Taliban after strikes launched following militant attack in KarachiPakistani airstrikes in three eastern provinces of Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others, the Taliban government's deputy spokesperson has said as attacks between the two countries showed no sign of abating.Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the operations on Sunday night were aimed at a terrorist group his country blamed for a deadly militant attack in Karachi that killed three security personnel over the weekend. Continue reading...

Melissa McIntosh's comment comes after Angus Taylor's claim Morrison government breached trust'

Judge says no legitimate forensic purpose' to former Liberal staffer's subpoena requesting footage, ahead of his Queensland trial

Jacinta Allan resists calls for royal commission into state's $100bn Big Build infrastructure project as pressure mounts following new reports

British-born, older men among those most likely to have disease found only postmortem, say researchersOne person a week dies with undiagnosed and therefore untreated tuberculosis in England, a study has found.British-born, older men were among those most likely to have TB diagnosed only after death, researchers said, suggesting healthcare workers could be overlooking the possibility of the disease in these patients. Continue reading...

Show at Martin Gropius Bau gallery in Berlin is biggest ever celebration of an East German female artist in a state museumGabriele Stotzer remembers the days when she had to decide: Am I buying a sausage, or film for my Super 8 camera?"Stotzer was one of the most radical artists in communist East Germany, and her desire to create was born in defiance of and in spite of the material conditions and oppressive restrictions of the GDR regime. Continue reading...

NAO inquiry follows suspension of payments after erroneous records that claimants had emigratedAn HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) anti-fraud crackdown that stripped 23,000 families of their child benefit failed to adequately consider" the policy's impact on claimants, an official report has found.The report by the National Audit Office followed HMRC's decision to suspend payments after flight records provided by the Home Office purportedly showed thousands of parents had emigrated. Continue reading...

Mallorie Jane Roberts, 23, found with gunshot wounds on Sunday evening with her partner arrested at the home

Greens and David Pocock accuse industry of using programs and sponsorships to build social licence', push for parliamentary inquiry

At least seven people have died in water-related incidents during record-breaking June temperaturesThe body of a 15-year-old boy has been recovered from a reservoir near Manchester, as police renewed warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water during soaring temperatures.Greater Manchester police said officers had been called to reports of a boy getting into difficulty in the water near Cowbury reservoir in Stalybridge at about 6.30pm on Saturday. A body was recovered later that evening, and was identified as the missing teenager. Continue reading...

The Australian Electoral Commission is examining if party breached laws in its $6m public funding claim after the last election, documents show

Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him

Sussexes trip to Britain in balance after government declines request for taxpayer-funded securityThe Duke of Sussex is understood to be reconsidering plans to bring his wife and children to the UK next month after his request for taxpayer-funded police protection was rejected.Prince Harry and Meghan were planning their first trip to Britain as a family in four years for events related to the Invictus Games, due to be held in Birmingham in July. Continue reading...

Vice-president appeared on Bill Maher's show hours before more military strikes were exchanged in strait of HormuzJD Vance said on Friday that the US wins either way" regarding negotiations with Iran, pointing to what he called the destruction of its nuclear program and diminishment as a country.If we make the final deal, then great," the US vice-president told HBO's Bill Maher. If we don't make the final deal, their nuclear program is still destroyed. They're still much weaker as a country, so my attitude is America wins either way." Continue reading...

Denmark experiences highest temperature on record on Saturday as weather system spreads eastward

Passengers report being stuck on grounded planes in sweltering conditions as severe weather causes travel disruption across Europe

Leader of local authority in Oxfordshire faces backlash over injunction to maintain neutral, safe space for residents'While Londoners scurried from building to building seeking shade on another baking hot day this week, one man paused in the shadow of the Royal Courts of Justice.The leader of Oxfordshire county council, Tim Bearder, was not only happy in the shade of the court's gothic towers. He had just won a landmark legal victory. Continue reading...

Activists aim to repeat disruption of Jeff Bezos's wedding when billionaire Tilman Fertitta drops anchorProtesters in Venice are planning to disrupt a visit by the billionaire US ambassador to Italy in his 117-metre superyacht, which they fear he plans to dock in the lagoon city.We ruined the party for Jeff Bezos's wedding last year - this year let's ruin the ambassador's tour!" said Stella Faye, a 28-year-old researcher and activist, at a meeting of about 40 demonstrators on Thursday. Continue reading...

Accumulation on Switzerland's glaciers from last winter expected to all be gone by Monday amid enormous' melt rates across AlpsSwiss glaciers are set to lose an enormous amount of ice due to the heatwave battering Europe, according to the head of Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (Glamos).The snow and ice accumulated last winter by Switzerland's glaciers is expected to have all melted away by Monday, marking the alarming second-earliest arrival on record of the tipping point known as glacier loss day. Continue reading...

Strikes against military facilities were in response to drone attack a day earlier on a cargo vessel

Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about immigrationA rift between Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood has deepened after it emerged the home secretary wanted to deny the migration minister, Mike Tapp, access to sensitive documents without her approval as she called for him to be sacked.Downing Street said Tapp - who has been a loyal supporter of Keir Starmer - remained a minister but that the prime minister was taking advice on whether he broke the ministerial code on collective responsibility. Continue reading...

Various issues - including a rodent infestation and mold - have left the historic, sprawling Ottawa estate empty10 Downing Street has two things: mice and a chief mouser. For more than a decade, an officially recognized feline has kept the residence's rodent infestation to a minimum.Over a similar period, the official residence of Canada's prime minister has seen an unchecked explosion of rodents. Continue reading...

Worst incident of its kind in country for more than 125 years leaves many searching for multiple family members - and pleading for international help

Neso asks generators to provide extra electricity on Friday evening to meet demand from fans and air conditioning

Plans to protect people fall far short of what is needed', government told, as MP warns of heatwave deaths

Plans by Wolfgang Porsche to bore private 500-metre road link through Austrian hill caused anger among localsWolfgang Porsche, the Austrian-German automotive magnate, appears to have abandoned plans to build a private 500-metre tunnel for his cars through the Salzburg hills after a public uproar over the tunnel for one".In 2020, Porsche bought a storied 17th-century villa on the outskirts of Salzburg for 8.4m (7.2m), and last autumn he secured permission from the city authorities for an estimated 10m private access road through the rugged limestone hill. Continue reading...

High temperatures make some workplaces dangerous, with economists warning disruption will dent growthMonique Mosley is used to sweltering conditions at the food factory in Yorkshire where she works, but June's record-breaking heatwave has made conditions unbearable. We make hot filled food products and it's common that we see temperatures in the high 30s," she said. Thanks to our union, our employer is offering extra breaks, but not every workplace is the same."The latest heatwave to grip the UK and much of western Europe has presented significant challenges to employers and their employees, from sweltering offices, disrupted commutes and school closures to dangerous construction sites where workers are at risk of dehydration, heatstroke and other injury. Continue reading...

Gwent police say accused will face court in Newport following arrest over discovery of teenage girl's body in Duffryn Park area of BlainaA 14-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the discovery of a missing 14-year-old girl's body, Gwent police said.The boy, from the Blaenau Gwent area, was arrested after the discovery of the body in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina in Wales on 22 June. Continue reading...

International Maritime Organization says safety guarantees must be confirmed before ships can move againA United Nations agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman following the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the UN.The head of the UN's International Maritime Organization said on Thursday that the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the strait would be on hold until the agency could confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region. Continue reading...

King Charles's property management firm rakes in 1.2bn as it continues to benefit from offshore windfarm boom

We know the monarch paid 24.6m in tax over the last two years, but we still don't know how wealthy he actually is

Accuser declines to testify in fourth trial after May mistrial with prosecutors citing her extraordinarily taxing ordeal'Manhattan prosecutors on Thursday moved to drop a third-degree rape charge against Harvey Weinstein after the woman accusing the disgraced movie mogul of assaulting her said she did not want to testify in what would have been a fourth trial.Weinstein's third trial in New York state court over an allegation that he raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann ended in a mistrial in May after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Continue reading...

Heatwave-related deaths climb in Spain, Italy and France as continent battles another day of extreme temperaturesFarryn StockOver in the UK, South East Water has announced a temporary hosepipe ban in Kent amid growing strain from the ongoing heatwave (31C today, 33C tomorrow).To safeguard that shared supply and prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we sadly need to ask our communities to not use their hosepipes immediately. We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect Kent's water." Continue reading...

Burnham is coming under pressure from some to ditch net zero targets but this could be highly damaging on many levels

Extreme weather breaks MRI scanners and cooling units, as workload rises for sleep-deprived staff on sweltering wards

Debate in Labour and union movement over climate commitments as many call for Burnham not to allow drilling in North Sea

Latin American and European counties also among those offering solidarity and help for country already facing a humanitarian crisis

Rescue efforts under way after buildings reduced to rubble in capital and along northern coastHundreds of people are feared to have died and thousands have been injured in Venezuela's largest earthquake in more than a century.Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit 39 seconds apart near the town of Moron. Continue reading...