World news | The Guardian

Party says they are willing to negotiate to pass housing bill through Senate ‘but Labor has to shift’ on rent freezes and direct action

Police say four arrested for ‘seditious’ acts while a further four taken away on suspicion of breaching the peaceHong Kong police detained eight people, including activists and artists, on the eve of the 34th anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown, a move that signals the city’s shrinking freedom of expression.Police said in a statement late on Saturday that four people had been arrested for allegedly disrupting order in public spaces or carrying out acts with seditious intent. Four others were taken away for investigation on suspicion of breaching public peace. Authorities did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment late on Saturday. Continue reading...

Major demonstration is the fifth recent anti-government protest and was sparked by anger over two mass shootingsTens of thousands gathered on Saturday for the fifth anti-government protest in recent weeks in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, after two back-to-back shootings that killed 18 people, half of them children.The “Serbia against violence” protests have evolved into some of the largest rallies since widespread demonstrations triggered the fall of strongman Slobodan Milošević more than two decades ago. Continue reading...

Director and producer of Toy Story spinoff lose roles after $200m production brought in just $226.7m in global ticket salesWalt Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind the box office disappointment Lightyear, sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade.The cuts included Lightyear director Angus MacLane, a 26-year Pixar veteran who was part of the senior creative team on such acclaimed films as Toy Story 4 and Coco. Galyn Susman, producer of Lightyear, also departed. Susman had been at Pixar since the release of the original Toy Story movie in 1995. Continue reading...

Drug importer fled UK in 2018 before trial that led to 11-year prison term but was captured at a Bangkok garage in FebruaryAn organised crime boss described as a most wanted fugitive after going on the run in 2018 has been jailed after his extradition to the UK from Thailand.Richard Wakeling arrived back in the country on Thursday evening and appeared at Chelmsford crown court on Friday afternoon, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Continue reading...

Speranza Scappucci hopes to demystify the art form for the English public when she becomes principal guest conductorIn her native Italy, conductor Speranza Scappucci stars in a national television show in which she sits at the piano explaining symphonies and operas to viewers, before performing them with an orchestra, to help bring classical works to new audiences.And soon she hopes to help demystify opera for British audiences. On Sunday the Royal Opera House announced her appointment as its first principal guest conductor in more than a quarter of a century. Continue reading...

Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin criticises factionalism within Russian hierarchyPetraeus continued to discuss Putin and whether he could escalate attacks:I think you can’t dismiss it. But I think that the actions to dissuade him from doing that have been very considerable. And I think I would certainly hope that they have convinced him that he and Russia would be much worse off if tactical nuclear weapons were used.President Xi, his partner without limits has actually turned out to have very distinct limits, and prime minister Modi from India at their summit, some months back, both of them made it very clear that this is something he shouldn’t even think about.I do tend to think that they [Ukraine] will cut this ability of the Russians to resupply Crimea, along the southeast coast, they will severe that line of communication and begin the process of isolating Crimea as well.Not in this counteroffensive. No.But if they can get to the point of beginning to isolate Crimea, I think that changes the dynamics very, very substantially. It couldn’t even prompt Putin to start to consider a negotiated resolution. Continue reading...

Martin Frizell says people should ‘read between the lines’ of media storm surrounding presenter’s exitThe editor of ITV’s This Morning has further fuelled the row raging over the culture behind the scenes at the show, accusing some of those who have spoken out recently of seeking to settle scores, even as he called for some respite for his staff.The programme has been at the centre of weeks of media attention that started with reports about a rift between its longstanding presenting team. Continue reading...

Relatives tell of agony of searching for survivors among what one called ‘heaps of bodies’ as rescue activities draw to a closeThe carriages from three trains sat piled high in an entangled wreck. Some lay sideways, while others had been thrown so high into the air on impact that they had fallen back to earth twisted and upside down.A line of dozens of bodies covered in white sheets were laid out next to the wreckage waiting for vehicles – ambulances, local cars, even tractors – to take them away to local hospitals. Passengers’ possessions lay scattered around them, shoes and toys and thrown-open suitcases. Continue reading...

Communist party has campaigned for decades to eradicate remembrance events for the 4 June clashes in BeijingWhen Zhou Fengsuo was looking for a space in New York to display his art collection, he couldn’t believe his luck when he stumbled across 894 6th Avenue in the heart of midtown Manhattan. The numbers of the address – 8946 – were the same as the date he wanted to commemorate: 4 June 1989. It was “unbelievable”, the former student leader marvelled.That Zhou’s collection, which opened to the public on Friday as part of the June 4th Memorial Museum, ended up in such an uncanny location is the result of a concerted, decades-long campaign by the Chinese Communist party (CCP) to eradicate any remembrance of the 1989 massacre around Tiananmen Square anywhere in the world. Continue reading...

Humza Yousaf wrote to Rishi Sunak to say decision to remove glass containers from scheme has put environmental plan in ‘danger’Leaders in Westminster and Holyrood have been urged to get round a table to sort out a growing row over Scotland’s deposit return scheme, after the Scottish first minister indicated that it could be scrapped due to restrictions imposed in London.Humza Yousaf wrote to the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, saying the UK government’s decision to in effect remove glass containers from the scheme – under which retailers would take a 20p deposit on single-use containers, refundable on return – has put the whole plan in “grave danger”. Continue reading...

The family of Oladeji Omishore, who died soon after being Tasered by an officer, launches legal action against police watchdogThe Metropolitan police’s reputation on racism is again under scrutiny after it emerged that officers involved in the death of a man who was Tasered on a London bridge are under investigation for allegedly failing to cooperate with an official inquiry into the high-profile tragedy.A year ago tomorrow on Sunday, Oladeji Omishore, 41, fell into the River Thames after having been subjected to multiple Taser discharges by an officer on Chelsea Bridge, west London. Continue reading...

Though the number of railway accidents has come down in the past few years, derailment remains the main causeThere is no railway system quite like the Indian railways. Trains remain an essential lifeline in India, the world’s most populous country of 1.4 billion people, carrying about 13 million passengers a day for work, family and leisure on trains that weave across 40,000 miles of track, more than enough to wrap around the Earth.Friday night’s collision involving two passenger trains and a freight train in the eastern state of Odisha was one of the worst accidents since 1999, when a collision between two trains in West Bengal killed 285 people. More recently, 160 people died in 2016 when the Indore-Patna Express derailed and as recently as February, two goods trains collided in Uttar Pradesh. Continue reading...

Davis school district says it will assess text after complaint for ‘pornographic or indecent materials’ under law passed last yearA school district in Utah that last week banned the Bible from school libraries is now being asked to consider a further title for removal: the Book of Mormon.The Davis school district, which serves Davis county, north of Salt Lake City, said it was considering a new complaint demanding the removal of the foundational text of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Continue reading...

If claim is successfully validated, player will become 18th British £100m-plus EuroMillions winnerA claim has been staked for the £111.7m jackpot prize by a UK ticket-holder in Friday’s EuroMillions draw.Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd, the operator of the national lottery, said it had received a claim for the top prize won by a single UK ticket-holder. Continue reading...

When the sculpture in Bexhill was spray-painted white, its artist invited locals to help repair it in a powerful gesture against racismWhen a three-metre-tall sculpture depicting a Black woman leisurely turning in her chair towards the English Channel was spray-painted white by vandals, it was rapidly covered from view.But when Tschabalala Self, the New York-based artist behind Seated, heard what had happened to her sculpture soon after it was installed at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, her instinct was to show the defaced work. Continue reading...

Embedded tracking tool revealed details of users’ visits to content on depression, self-harm and eating disordersSome of Britain’s biggest charities providing support for people with mental health problems shared details of sensitive web browsing with Facebook for use in its targeted advertising system.The data was sent via a tracking tool embedded in the charities’ websites and included details of webpages a user visited and buttons they clicked across content linked to depression, self-harm and eating disorders. Continue reading...

Juul has been portrayed by ministers as a leader in combating youth vaping, but has settled lawsuits in the US that claim it targeted teenagersThe government has been criticised for its “completely inappropriate” endorsement of an e-cigarette manufacturer blamed for fuelling an “epidemic” of underage vaping in the US.Juul Labs was promoted in an official briefing circulated by the Department of Health and Social Care about the prime minister’s plan to close a loophole allowing free samples to be given to children. Continue reading...

EU is calling on leaders in Kosovo and Serbia to immediately de-escalate tensions and halt ‘divisive rhetoric’Turkey has announced it will be sending commandos to Kosovo on Sunday in response to a Nato request to join the peace-keeping operation following unrest in the north of the country.In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve a crisis it said could harm regional security and stability. Continue reading...

Details about gunman, who Israeli army says was also killed after a manhunt, have not been releasedTwo Israeli soldiers have been killed in a rare shooting along the Egyptian border, triggering a manhunt in which a third soldier and the “assailant” were killed, the army said.A fourth soldier, a non-commissioned officer, was lightly wounded and evacuated to hospital, it added. The military said an assailant was in Israeli territory when he opened fire at troops. The soldiers returned fire, killing the gunman. Continue reading...

Focus over affordable housing as Carla White says she will not leave unless Mondev provides similar apartment with cheap rentA single holdout tenant in a Montreal apartment block has halted a multimillion-dollar development project, in a standoff which has focused fresh attention on the lack of affordable housing in major Canadian cities.Real estate developer Mondev has been trying for years to persuade Carla White to move from her small, C$400-a-month apartment so it can demolish a row of mostly abandoned buildings and build 176 condominium units. Continue reading...

Steve Rodhouse is being investigated over complaints his team failed to properly handle reports witnesses liedThe former police officer who led Scotland Yard’s disastrous investigation into claims of a VIP paedophile ring has been removed from a senior role with the National Crime Agency (NCA) after it was found he had a case to answer for gross misconduct.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week that Steve Rodhouse was being investigated over complaints the high-profile operation he ran failed to properly handle allegations that two witnesses had lied to his officers. A jury found that a third, Carl Beech, fabricated claims about a murderous high-level conspiracy. Continue reading...

Rescue operation under way with death toll expected to rise in India’s worst rail disaster in more than 20 years

Man, 52, and woman, 49, detained in Bedworth on suspicion of owning dog dangerously out of controlA woman in her 70s has died after being attacked by a dog in Warwickshire.The woman was killed at a home on Kathleen Avenue in Bedworth at about 3.50pm on Friday, police said. Continue reading...

Unless Britain develops a closer relationship with the EU it will continue to haemorrhage investment and jobs, says the GMBThe leader of one of the country’s biggest unions has urged Labour to conduct an “honest debate” about the economic damage being caused to working people by Brexit, as evidence grows that it is fuelling inflation and driving jobs and investment abroad.In an interview with the Observer, Gary Smith, the general secretary of the GMB union, which is one of Labour’s biggest financial backers, giving more than £1m a year, said politicians of all parties had been too afraid to admit the adverse consequences that leaving the EU was having on jobs and life in working communities. Continue reading...

Officers were called to south-east London on Thursday morning but Ion Radu was confirmed dead at the scenePolice have appealed for information after a man believed to have been homeless and possibly vulnerable was stabbed to death.A murder investigation was launched after the body of Ion Radu, 46, was found in a car park in Homelands Drive, near Crystal Palace, south-east London, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading...

Ukraine’s president hints at concern over a possible Trump return in 2024 in Wall Street Journal interview

Broadcaster treats on-screen talent as ‘commodities’ and ‘learned nothing’ from her daughter’s death, she has saidCaroline Flack’s mother has criticised ITV over the way it handled Phillip Schofield’s departure and said it has “learned nothing” from her daughter’s death.Christine Flack, whose daughter previously hosted ITV’s Love Island, said the broadcaster treated on-screen talent as “commodities” and that Schofield and the young man he had an affair with “should have been looked after”.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Woman, 51, died at scene after she was found with stab wounds in Edge Lane, Droylsden, on FridayA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed to death in Greater Manchester, police have said.Officers were called to Edge Lane, near the Ashton Canal in Droylsden, at about midday on Friday. A 51-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Network chief executive reportedly wanted New Hampshire event to be ‘extra Trumpy’ but broadcast prompted wide condemnationThe CNN chief executive, Chris Licht, wanted the network’s New Hampshire town hall with Donald Trump last month to be “extra Trumpy”, according to a report on Licht’s attempts to remodel the news giant, how the Trump event came to be and how the controversy it set off continues to reverberate through US politics and media.In a lengthy profile published on Friday, Tim Alberta of the Atlantic wrote: “Licht wasn’t scared to bring a bunch of Maga enthusiasts onto his set – he had remarked to his deputies about the ‘extra Trumpy’ make-up of the crowd CNN was expecting – and he damn sure wasn’t scared of Trump. Continue reading...

Aslef members are striking in England and on some cross-border routes into Scotland and WalesWith 12,000 train drivers striking on Saturday, rail services will be heavily disrupted.Members of the drivers’ union, Aslef, are walking out for 24 hours on the majority of lines in England and some cross-border routes into Scotland and Wales, leaving only 40% of services running. Continue reading...

Firefighters were able to rescue the two young boys but the woman was unable to be revived at the scene

Premier suffered lowest approval rating on record in recent poll but message at Queensland Labor state conference was about unity

Allies desert former prime minister amid disappearances and torture as powerful military reasserts controlIn recent days, Imran Khan has cut an increasingly isolated figure. Since Pakistan’s former prime minister was released from jail, after a brief but explosive attempt to arrest him last month, his return has been marked by a mass exodus of the top leadership of his party, on a scale that has surprised even his critics.Late on Thursday night, Pervez Khattak, the former chief minister and defence minister, became the latest high-profile resignation from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. He followed in the path of Khan’s former finance minister, his former human rights minister, his former information minister and his former shipping minister, who all stepped down from senior posts or left PTI altogether in recent weeks. Dozens of other federal and state ministers have followed suit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ms A’s comments come as another MP, Geraint Davies, faces allegations of sexual harassmentA woman who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a Labour MP has condemned the party’s complaints procedures as “fake” and “a political stunt” after the launch of a separate inquiry into claims against Geraint Davies.The former member for Hartlepool, Mike Hill, was found by a tribunal last year to have victimised his former staff member, known as Ms A, after she spurned his advances. She said the party had initially ignored her complaints, then tried to cover them up, and had offered her little support during a four-year fight for justice. Continue reading...

Education minister stands by three-decade high indexation rate of 7.1% but acknowledges need for minor reforms amid backlash

Dozens injured amid flooding from heavy rains caused by remnants of former typhoon Mawar, with new warnings issued near TokyoHeavy rain across parts of Japan killed one person, left two missing and injured dozens more, authorities said, with thousands of people issued evacuation warnings.The inundation was caused by the remnants of former typhoon Mawar, downgraded to a tropical storm. Continue reading...

About 40% of services expected to run on Saturday as 12,000 Aslef members hold second day of industrial action this weekRail services across England have again come to a halt as 12,000 train drivers strike for the second time this week amid a long-running dispute with the operating companies over pay and conditions.Members of the drivers’ union Aslef are walking out for 24 hours on the majority of lines in England and some cross-border routes into Scotland and Wales, leaving only 40% of services running. Continue reading...

Kyiv mayor orders air-raid shelters to operate around the clock; Washington says training for Ukraine on advanced US Abrams tanks has begun

Police unable to confirm identity or flight direction of male attacker after woman, 44, dies at scene of stabbing in DroylsdenA hunt has been launched for a man after a 44-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester police said.Officers were called to Edge Lane at about noon on Friday to reports of a stabbing, and confirmed the woman died at the scene. Continue reading...

Unite says it will serve notice to airport of fresh round of strikes in long-running pay disputeFresh strikes by security guards at Heathrow airport are expected to be announced next week.Members of Unite are embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay which has led to previous industrial action. Continue reading...

40,000 sq ft manor overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu is thought to be California’s most expensive home everWith its steep green cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Malibu is a top contender in America’s ultra-luxury real estate market. Its rise in the rankings of the favorite spots of the super-rich was solidified again in past weeks, with reports that Beyoncé and Jay-Z purchased a 40,000 sq ft oceanfront mansion in the coastal enclave.TMZ first reported that the star couple had snapped up a modernist mansion designed by the celebrity Japanese architect Tadao Ando. With a sale tag of $200m, the acquisition appears to break the record for the most expensive home in California. Continue reading...

Attacks said to be ongoing in Russian border region, but no new casualties; Moscow launches sixth airstrike in six days

Party factionalism blamed for decision not to include North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll from mayoral longlistLabour is embroiled in a fresh “factionalism” row after a leftwing regional mayor was blocked from being the party’s candidate to contest the North East mayoralty.Jamie Driscoll, the serving mayor for the North of Tyne – an area that includes Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland – said on Friday that he had been “barred” from running for the new mayoral authority without explanation. Continue reading...

Lakshmi announced on Twitter that she will be leaving the hit cooking show ahead of its 21st seasonThe longtime host and producer Padma Lakshmi has announced that she will be exiting the Top Chef kitchen ahead of the hit cooking show’s 21st season.Lakshmi announced the news on Twitter and Instagram on Friday, saying that she had made the decision “after much soul searching”. Continue reading...

Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman, conspired with Colombian mercenaries, to kill Jovenel Moïse in 2021A mastermind of the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse two years ago has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal court judge in Florida.Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman, conspired with a group of Colombian mercenaries to murder Moïse at his home in Port-au-Prince on 7 July 2021. Prosecutors at his sentencing hearing in Miami said Jaar obtained the weapons used in the “commando-style” attack that killed Moïse, 53, and seriously injured his wife. Continue reading...

Tobias Ellwood also calls for safety review after deaths of 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boyAn MP has called for a safety review after the deaths of two young people who got into difficulties in the sea off a crowded Bournemouth beach, and urged police to clarify the circumstances to end “wild speculation”.The sightseeing boat the Dorset Belle appeared to be at the centre of the investigation into Wednesday’s incident in which 10 people were rescued from the sea. Continue reading...

A rift widened between the president and Kyiv’s mayor after witness reports that three people were locked out on the street during Russian attack

Strikes on the capital have caused few casualties but residents face a new ‘psychological terror’