World news | The Guardian

Follow today's news live

Response of universities to incidents on campus investigated in royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion

Exclusive: Work and pensions secretary signals possible reform to welfare as ministers await key reviewsLabour must stop simply writing a cheque" for health and disability benefit claimants and will provide more job support instead, the work and pensions secretary has said.Pat McFadden said the government was preparing to launch a renewed effort at welfare reform with a focus on encouraging more people with health conditions to get into work and off benefits. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lewisham council's move marks first step in Greens' plan to create a corridor of sanctuary boroughs across LondonA Green-led London council is planning to ban its officials from working with the Home Office on immigration raids, after uncovering evidence suggesting government officials wanted to use environmental health data to target restaurant workers.Councillors on the Lewisham borough council are due to vote next week on a motion that would review its systems with a view to ending any cooperation with the government's attempts to deport people without the right to remain in the UK. Continue reading...

Watchdog says about 1,700 people were affected during a price surge triggered by the Middle East crisisHeating oil customers whose deliveries were cancelled when the war in the Middle East caused a price surge are to receive compensation of up to 350 each following an investigation by the UK competition watchdog.As the crisis unfolded, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was investigating heating oil suppliers after complaints that existing orders were being scrapped, with customers offered new deliveries at a significantly higher price. Continue reading...

Officials set up traps and electric fences after 14 break-ins recored in one town in two weeks, amid fears of a repeat offenderAuthorities are searching for a bear that sneaked into the home of an elderly couple and raided their fridge amid concerns it may be behind 14 break-ins across a Japanese town in the past fortnight.On Monday evening, Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, was confronted by a large Asiatic black bear when he went to investigate a noise in his kitchen. His fridge was open, and food was strewn across the floor. His wife called the police. Continue reading...

Catholic Schools NSW's alleged donations to Liberal party show the need to ensure public money is spent for approved purposes, expert says

City of Yarra councillors end trial, claiming the company has not done enough to stop dumping and misuse of share bikes

Commons health committee also recommends end to junk food advertising on billboards and public transportFast food chains such as KFC should be stopped from opening near schools, and advertising for junk food on billboards and public transport should be banned to help curb obesity, MPs will say today.The Commons health committee will also urge ministers to stop giving in to food industry lobbying and get tough to tackle a problem that costs the UK 74bn a year and causes huge illness.Supermarkets should be forced to display fruit and vegetables prominently, for example near entrances and checkouts, to help boost sales.All food must start carrying front-of-pack, traffic light-style labels telling consumers how healthy or unhealthy they are, which some supermarket chains already use.The government should urgently progress its previously announced intention to compel food producers to reveal what percentage of their sales come from healthy and unhealthy products.Ministers should be more courageous [and start] standing up to challenge from industry", which often seeks to delay the introduction of measures to limit bad diet. Continue reading...

Andrew Bailey warns that US will not be able to achieve its ambitions aloneThe Bank of England governor has called for international cooperation to tackle growing AI threats, warning that the US and Trump administration would not be able to achieve their ambitions alone.Andrew Bailey's comments come weeks after the US president, Donald Trump, temporarily banned foreigners from using Anthropic's powerful Claude Mythos model. Continue reading...

Shania Care-Slede, 20, arrested over incident at Dovestone reservoir on Saturday in which fireworks were launchedA woman has been charged with arson in connection with a major moorland wildfire, as large parts of Manchester were covered with smoke.Shania Care-Slede, 20, from Hyde, was arrested on Monday by Greater Manchester police in Oldham. She has been charged with aggravated arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and dangerous driving. Firefighters have declared a major incident near Dovestone reservoir, Greenfield, where fireworks were launched before a large moorland fire broke out on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

Svetlana Grkovi says she grabbed her husband's legs while he was outside up to his chest' for two minutes

Victoria police say they have arrested high-ranking' man from syndicate accused of orchestrating arson attacks

Boy, 16, charged after an alleged altercation with a 17-year-old boy at Islamic College of Brisbane

This blog is now closed

Landlord of deconsecrated building sends notice of breach to Divine Playhouse, claiming it insulted and mocked' beliefs of Christian Australians

Legal challenges launched over accommodation adequacy' as UK government closes more asylum hotelsHuda and her two children aged 10 and 12 had been living in two rooms in a London hotel for six months when they were told with just a few days' notice they would be moved. The 41-year-old engineering graduate from Tunisia fled death threats from extended family and is waiting for an asylum application to be processed.The Home Office had decided that Staycity, the hotel the family was staying in, would be closed as part of a government pledge that asylum seekers would be moved out of hotels and into military barracks or other forms of shared housing. The move followed protests by anti-migrant activists, with many arguing hotels were too luxurious to accommodate asylum seekers.Some names have been changed. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons. Why did it take so long?Good morning. We think we know this story, the one about the 97 who went to watch a football match on a sunny afternoon. Perhaps you remember, as I do, watching footage of the lethal crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium, on the evening news in your childhood living room. Or maybe you read later how South Yorkshire police presented a series of false narratives that blamed Liverpool football club supporters, rather than take responsibility for their own catastrophic mismanagement of the FA Cup semi-final.Today, after a decade of campaigning, a new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public, and supporting people fighting these authorities for the truth, is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons, pushed through by Keir Starmer as one of his final acts as prime minister.UK news | British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder.Middle East | The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and, in an apparently policy reversal, charge ships for safe passage.UK politics | Andy Burnham is to become Britain's next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 Labour MPs, including all eligible members of Keir Starmer's current cabinet, making it impossible for any rival to secure enough nominations to challenge him.Environment | Most of the UK media stories about the record-breaking heatwave that struck in June failed to mention the climate crisis, analysis has found. Even fewer pieces drew a link between the heatwave and government policies designed to tackle the climate crisis.US news | The US government has already paid back tens of billions of dollars in tariffs it collected before the supreme court ruled them illegal, according to budget figures released on Monday. Continue reading...

Lobby appeals to prospective PM's reindustrialisation agenda as it pushes for Rosebank and Jackdaw approvalThe UK's North Sea oil industry has made a last-ditch attempt to curry favour with the Labour government by appealing to Andy Burnham's reindustrialisation agenda just days before he is expected to become Britain's next prime minister.Industry lobbyists have written to more than 400 Labour MPs to call on the government's new leaders to allow more oil and gas drilling in UK waters to support homegrown energy and show a commitment to UK manufacturing, industrial capability and the skilled workforce that has powered the nation for generations". Continue reading...

Issue must be addressed with even greater rigour', says government spokesman, after New York Times report on how it has become a spy hub for Vladimir PutinJapan has said it recognised the need to counter foreign intelligence better after the New York Times reported that Russia had turned the country into a den of spies" and key source of weapons components.The newspaper, in an investigation published on Sunday, reported that thanks to weak espionage laws", Moscow was using Japan as a key hub for intelligence gathering and procurement of dual-use technology needed for its war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Officers say decision made after new information and evidence has come to light' over death of former British ministerBritish counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of the former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians.Widdecombe's body was found with serious injuries by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor Vale, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder. Continue reading...

Home secretary updates Parliament after counter-terrorism police take over investigation into her death

Home Office announces move that officials say comes close to proscribing group as a terrorist organisationThe UK will ban support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Keir Starmer said on Monday, in a move that officials said came close to proscribing the military group as a terrorist organisation.The prime minister announced his government would designate the branch of the Iranian military under a new National Security Act, enabling law enforcement to take action against anyone deemed to be providing it with support. Continue reading...

After Ann Widdecombe's murder, Reform UK has criticised the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle and suggested its MPs are not given enough security. Pippa Crerar tells Kiran Stacey what Hoyle's team have been telling herPlease keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran at politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.comPlease follow and subscribe to the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here Continue reading...

Donald - a small community about 280km from Melbourne - is grieving after a missing teenager was found dead

Posts promoting illegal products appear across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as expert says platforms aren't doing the job they promised they would do'

Oliver Blume tells staff restructuring proposal includes controversial decisions' but he has broad support

Ursula von der Leyen's commitment comes after panel of experts calls for restriction for under-13sThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged an EU-wide social media ban for children after an expert group called for restrictions for those under 13.It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms," von der Leyen told reporters after the publication of a report on child safety online. Continue reading...

Premium cherry-on-the-vine are poised to take top spot in Britain's 1bn-a-year tomato marketFor a long time the classic round, red tomato has dominated British salads and sandwiches, but its supremacy is coming under threat as sales of rainbow colours and the upmarket rival cherry on the vine" take off.Non-red tomatoes" sales are up 21% this year, a growth rate that far exceeds the overall market, according to Paul Faulkner, of Evesham Vale Growers. Continue reading...

Ceasefire at the point of collapse after almost a week of tit-for-tat exchanges escalate tensions across Gulf regionDonald Trump has rejected Iranian claims to have closed off the strait of Hormuz as both sides battled for control over the waterway, leaving a ceasefire agreed last month at the point of collapse.US forces said they had attacked 140 targets in Iran on Saturday night and Sunday morning after Tehran struck and disabled a container ship in the strait, whose transit it said had not been approved. In a statement, US Central Command (Centcom) said its targets had included missile and drone sites, naval facilities, ammunition depots, communication networks and surveillance locations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Party's average registered donation was 137, 496 last year, almost six times that of Labour or ToriesReform UK would have held just 15% of the donations it received last year if a proposed 100,000 cap on political donations had been in force, according to analysis shared with the Guardian.The analysis by Friends of the Earth using Electoral Commission data highlights the party's reliance on a handful of wealthy backers in advance of a showdown over political funding. Continue reading...

Byelection winner says heatwaves are causing absolute chaos' and workers need protection from unsafe conditionsHannah Spencer is to introduce a bill in parliament that would pave the way for a maximum workplace temperature in the UK, as the country grapples with increasingly frequent heatwaves.If passed, the legislation will create an independent body to recommend maximum safe workplace temperatures and set out how those recommendations should be implemented. Continue reading...

Environmental and refugee groups have joined forces to benefit lives and wildlife in Wales and elsewhereShielding his eyes from the blinding midday sun, Abdullah, a Sudanese asylum seeker, gazes out at the expanse of green in T Mawr country park in north Wales.This place is so beautiful," he says. It feels a very long way from the Home Office." Continue reading...

Disruption at Channel crossings expected to rise amid new fingerprinting and facial recognition checksFrance and the UK have agreed to increase staffing at border controls in response to warnings of travel chaos caused by new fingerprinting and facial recognition checks.Disruption at Channel crossings is expected to rise sharply next weekend at the start of the summer holiday season, with MPs saying there would be utter chaos and miles of tailbacks" unless the EU's entry-exit system (EES) is fixed or checks are suspended. Continue reading...

Higher education chiefs, academics and students to give evidence this week at royal commissionAustralian universities will be required to adopt definitions on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from next year, under a legally enforceable standard designed to stamp out discrimination on campuses.Details of the anti-racism standard will be published on Monday as university bosses, students and academics prepare to appear at the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion. Continue reading...

Government to launch consultation after Everton's deal with Stake.com went ahead amid warnings from Gambling CommissionMinisters are poised to launch a crackdown on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams, amid criticism that a delay to the proposals has opened the door for offshore gambling firms to strike lucrative deals with Premier League clubs.Progress with plans to kick unlicensed gambling operators out of football has stalled since February, when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said a review would begin in spring. Continue reading...

Toowoomba woman Jana Armstrong, mother of a four-month-old baby, was last seen on Tuesday

Foreign ministers will discuss options on Monday but decision on imports is not expected for monthsThe EU has been accused of dragging its feet over upholding international law, on the eve of a long-awaited debate about banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements.EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday will discuss a possible ban on imports from the settlements, against an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where a UN inquiry found Israel to be committing a genocide, and surging state-backed violence in the occupied West Bank, which has killed at least 235 children. Continue reading...

Discontent with Trump-backed government mounts as Chavez heirs struggle to respond to disaster for which they seem ill-preparedEven before two powerful earthquakes reduced the OPPE 25 government housing project to an anarchy of shattered concrete and broken lives, the foundations of Hugo Chavez's populist Bolivarian" revolution were shaking in what was once a hotbed of support.Gabriel Gonzalez remembers his elation when, in 2013, he received the keys to his freshly completed apartment in one of the 12-floor tower blocks El Comandante had ordered to be built in an affluent corner of the resort town of Caraballeda. Continue reading...

Police say two people exchanged gunfire in shooting that mayor called an irresponsible act of violence' in festival attended by familiesA shooting near a Toronto street festival killed two men and wounded four other people on Saturday evening, police said, adding that what initially prompted an active-shooter warning was an exchange of gunfire between two people targeting each other.Toronto police deputy chief Frank Barredo said investigators recovered two firearms after the shooting, which was reported at 8.12pm near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St Clair festival was underway. Continue reading...

Suspect arrested in South Yorkshire after ex-politician was found dead at her Devon home on ThursdayA 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, police said.The suspect, who is a white British national, was arrested at an address in the South Yorkshire area on Saturday evening and is in police custody. Continue reading...

Warren Lyttle, who was in his 40s, died from his injuries after incident on the Braniel estate on FridayA man in his 40s has died after falling from an Eleventh Night bonfire in Belfast, police said.The incident occurred on the Braniel estate in the east of the city on Friday night. Continue reading...

By tying housing costs to immigration, Pauline Hanson promises a simple solution to a multilayered problem

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma was arrested in a Johannesburg suburb after an international manhuntA man has been charged with murdering his wife and two young daughters after being arrested in South Africa following an international manhunt.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had authorised three counts of murder against Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, after he was arrested on Friday in Kensington, a suburb of Johannesburg. Continue reading...

State had pardoned immigrant Tou Lue Vang in June over 2006 conviction but federal government expels him to LaosA Laotian man pardoned by state officialsin Minnesota last month has been deported from the country, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has announced.Tou Lue Vang, an immigrant from Laos, faced deportation for a 2006 conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after raping a young girl between 2002 and 2004. Because Laos initially refused to accept deportees, Vang spent nearly two decades living in Minnesota. Continue reading...

Five charges related to encounter with woman Ward met at New Year's Day party in London in 2023The Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been cleared of raping and sexually assaulting a woman who claimed he had attacked her in the back of a car.Ward, 28, who is best known for his roles in the crime drama and Steve McQueen's Small Axe, was acquitted of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault, after a 10-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court. Continue reading...

A 26-year-old man in custody and officers say incident is not being treated as terrorism

Interviews of Farage aide and his mother believed to be part of investigation into donations to Reform UK before 2024 electionNigel Farage's aide George Cottrell and his mother, Fiona Cottrell, have been interviewed under criminal caution by Scotland Yard detectives, the Guardian understands.The interviews are understood to form part of an ongoing investigation into donations to Reform UK before the general election in July 2024. Continue reading...

Sian Astley doubles down on stance that people who vote for open borders should house criminals and rapists' who enter UK

Exclusive: Move comes as allies of Andy Burnham work on proposals to take water companies into public controlMinisters are drawing up plans to set legally binding debt targets for England's water companies as they look for ways to avoid another corporate failure such as Thames Water.Sources say Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, is working on proposals that would force companies to keep their debt below certain levels for the first time or face legal punishment. Continue reading...