World news | The Guardian

New SNP leader seventh to hold the office, vacated after Humza Yousaf axed deal with GreensThe new Scottish National party leader John Swinney will become Scotland's seventh first minister after winning the backing of MSPs.As is traditional, opposition leaders stood against Swinney in the vote, which he won just eight days after Humza Yousaf dramatically announced his departure, with the backing of 64 SNP MSPs, while the seven Scottish Greens abstained. Continue reading...

Chinese premier has lunch with Emmanuel Macron before heading to Serbia on his closely watched trip to Europe. This live blog is closedChina hacked UK ministry: reportThe Chinese state has hacked the British ministry of defence, Sky News reported this morning. Continue reading...

Sector wants tax cuts, better buying incentives and more electric charging points as sales in EVs stallCar manufacturers have called for urgent action to reignite the switch to electric vehicles, after sales figures showed slowing demand among ordinary motorists for battery-powered cars.While overall UK registrations grew by 1% in April year-on-year to 134,000, the increase was caused by fleet sales, with private buyer sales down by almost 18% on last year. Continue reading...

Oil company to maintain pace of share buybacks despite impact of falling gas prices

The new premier had little relief from cost-of-living pressures for single people, couples without children and older Victorians

Education minister doubles down on need for states to do more for students with a disability, in the wake of Guardian Australia investigation

Turnaround is likely to redouble calls on Benjamin Netanyahu not to go ahead full-scale offensive on Rafah

Exclusive: Acting inspector removed from role after ethical standards command investigation into high-ranking officers' social media use

Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno widely expected to win poll as observers voice doubts over electoral processChad goes to the polls on Monday in its first presidential election in three decades without Idriss Deby, the former president, in contention.Ten men will be on the ballot, but Deby's son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who seized power at the head of a junta on the day rebels shot and killed his father in April 2021, is widely expected to win. Continue reading...

About 52,000 people are eligible under the scheme, but a government spokesperson said Kigali would accept thousands'Rwanda has admitted it cannot guarantee how many people it will take from the UK under Rishi Sunak's deportation scheme.The east African country did not give assurances that the estimated 52,000 asylum seekers in the UK who are eligible to be sent to Kigali would be accepted, instead saying it would be thousands". Continue reading...

Carly Kind's comments come after major leak of customer data collected by IT provider for NSW and ACT clubs

Midwives and social workers will also be given $320 weekly payment for undertaking mandatory work placements at university

People around the world have sent the book, with their personal stories, to Edinburgh for an installation to mark its publication 75 years agoCopies of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four have been arriving at an artist's studio in Edinburgh for months. Every shape and size, posted from Ukraine, Hong Kong, Peru, Germany, Cape Cod and Sarajevo.Some are in mint condition, others dog-eared, tea-stained, heavily annotated or turned into graffitied art works. One is a water-stained first edition; one is a secret love letter from a married woman to her first love; another, a graphic novel version, came from Orwell's son Richard Blair. Continue reading...

Area around Rio de Janeiro beach filled for several blocks as singer closes her Celebration world tourMore than a million people have thronged Brazil's Copacabana beach for a free Madonna concert, braving the heat to see the end of her Celebration world tour.The sand and oceanfront boulevard around Rio de Janeiro's famed beach were filled for several blocks on Saturday night by a crowd the city estimated at 1.6 million. Continue reading...

Measure to ensure student debts can't outpace wage growth by retrospectively capping indexation rate for loans

Family devastated' by fatal stabbing of 14-year-old while he walked to school, as Arsenal remember him at Emirates StadiumThe family of Daniel Anjorin have issued a statement paying tribute to their son, as Arsenal led tributes to the teenager, who was fatally stabbed as he walked to school.Daniel, a 14-year-old Arsenal fan, was attacked with a sword in Hainault, east London, and suffered fatal wounds to his neck and chest. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereIsraeli warplanes have attacked targets in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, after a rocket was launched towards the Ein Hashlosha kibbutz in Israel on Friday, the IDF has said.The Israeli army said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that the rocket fell in an area near the border fence between Israel and southern Gaza. Continue reading...

Ghassan Abu-Sitta, who was due to speak in French senate, is told Germany has enforced Schengen-wide entry ban

Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota urged the Texas congressman to step down after charges against him were unveiledThe Minnesota congressman who unsuccessfully challenged Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary became the first member of their party to call on fellow US House representative Henry Cuellar to resign after federal bribery charges were unveiled against the Texas politician on Friday.In a post on X, Dean Phillips urged Cuellar to step down, along with other politicians faced with pending criminal cases - including Biden's presidential predecessor and Republican rival Donald Trump as well as Democratic US senator Bob Menendez. Continue reading...

Egyptian and US mediators report signs of compromise but many analysts remain pessimistic

Flood watch in effect through Sunday with evacuations in some areas as more rain forecast for already soaked regionThe Houston area was under threat of worsening flood conditions on Saturday, a day after heavy storms slammed the region - and authorities warned those in low-lying areas to evacuate ahead of an expected catastrophic" surge of water the likes of which haven't been seen since Hurricane Harvey.A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall on Saturday night, bringing another 1-3in (2.5-7.6cm) of water to the soaked region and the likelihood of major flooding. Continue reading...

Last year's deadly Maui wildfire revealed the extent of short-term rentals and their contribution to the state's housing shortageHawaii lawmakers have voted to put limits on short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. On Friday, the governor, Josh Green, signed a bill that would give counties the power to regulate short-term rentals and even phase them out to become long-term housing for local residents.The move on short-term rentals was one of several legislative decisions to come out of Friday's meeting of the state legislature. It also appropriated $1b to go toward the ongoing recovery from the Lahaina fire on 8 August, including more than $120m in rental assistance for people who are ineligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and $500m for emergency housing for residents who remain displaced, according to ABC News. Continue reading...

Government investigation into wartime atrocities on Channel Island will ask why Nazi perpetrators never stood trial in BritainThe government inquiry into Nazi wartime atrocities on the Channel Island of Alderney has been extended to investigate why none of the Nazi perpetrators responsible for the crimes was put on trial in Britain, the Observer can reveal.Originally set up to review the number of victims in camps on the island, the inquiry will release a report later this month revealing the full scale of the unspeakable and unimaginable brutality and sadism" that occurred on British soil. Continue reading...

Diplomatic spat began when Spanish minister suggested Javier Milei had taken substances' while campaigningSpain has denounced comments by Argentina's presidency that accused the Spanish government of bringing poverty and death" to its own people.The office of the Argentinian president, Javier Milei, had published a statement on X, accusing the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, of damaging Spain's economy and stability. Continue reading...

Unnamed source said Andy Street was likely to win mayoral vote thanks to Middle East not West Midlands'

Ex-PM turned away from South Oxfordshire police commissioner vote for not having valid ID - a rule he introduced

Tory council representation has imploded, but Labour's gains have not been seismic. These charts show what this may signal for a general election

Third-party hospitality packages are outlawed, yet agency part-owned by associates of Rafael Nadal and LeBron James promises access to top events as well as to starsMembers of the global super-rich are spending as much as $500,000 (400,000) on ultra-exclusive" packages for the Paris 2024 Olympics that promoters claim include meeting athletes, access to the athletes' village and the chance to be part of the opening ceremony".GR8 Experience, an international experience agency" part-owned by the business manager of the basketball star LeBron James and the PR manager of the tennis player Rafael Nadal, is selling Olympic packages that it claims include tickets to 14 events such as the men's 100m finals and the opening ceremony for $381,600. Continue reading...

Inadvertent poisoning of scavengers across Indian subcontinent is forcing some communities to give up ancient customTraditional Zoroastrian burial rites are becoming increasingly impossible to perform because of the precipitous decline of vultures in India, Iran and Pakistan.For millennia, Parsi communities have traditionally disposed of their dead in structures called dakhma, or towers of silence". These circular, elevated edifices are designed to prevent the soil, and the sacred elements of earth, fire and water, from being contaminated by corpses. Continue reading...

Tuesday's debate on whether the existing rules do not in fact bar women comes amid rising resignations and threatsIn May 1924, the Manchester Guardian revealed a recent innovation in the Garrick Club to admit ladies to one of its rooms" meant that the queen of Romania would be lunching at the club during her visit to London. What would Queen Victoria have said about such a notion!" the article wondered.A hundred years later, the club's lethargic advance towards allowing women into the building on equal terms with men continues. On Tuesday, members will once again vote on the matter. Continue reading...

Exhibition of mini Moores is billed as first of its kind and Holburne also hosting Mr Doodle's first UK museum exhibitionHenry Moore is celebrated for his monumental sculptures that turn city squares and parks into outdoor art galleries. But the Holburne Museum in Bath is staging a groundbreaking exhibition called Henry Moore in Miniature, a collection of the great artist's works that could fit into the palm of the hand.The museum's director, Chris Stephens, said its relatively small spaces meant one of the themes of its programme was to showcase the intimate in art - and the retrospective of mini Moores met the brief perfectly. Continue reading...

Survey by NAHT union finds funding shortages mean pupils are losing out on vital supportShortages and funding cuts are causing a full-blown crisis" in special needs education for children and young people in England, according to school leaders who say they are struggling to give pupils the support they require.Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders' union the NAHT, accused the government of treating schools as a sideline" compared with headline-grabbing issues such as immigration. Continue reading...

Sydney airport is auctioning more than 2,500 unclaimed items, including a wedding dress and laptops

Spread of Tory losses leads former minister to say there's no such thing as a safe seat any more'The Conservatives are facing one of their worst local election results in 40 years, with striking Labour gains across England and Wales in key battlegrounds they need to secure victory at the general election.The spread of the Conservative losses led one former minister to claim there was no such thing really as a safe Tory seat any more", but the prime minister appeared committed to clinging on until polling day, with rebels in his own party lacking the support to oust him. Continue reading...

Prime minister said there were credible allegations' that India was behind killing of Hardeep Singh NijjarCanadian police have charged three members of an alleged hit team for their role in the assassination of the Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the first arrests in a high-profile killing that officials believe was masterminded by India.The arrests come nearly a year after the prominent activist was killed in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh gurdwara on the evening of 18 June in the city of Surrey, British Columbia. In what investigators previously described as a carefully orchestrated operation, two assailants fired about 50 bullets at Nijjar and escaped the area in a grey car. Continue reading...

With almost all council elections declared, Conservatives are on course to lose up to 500 seatsAt the start of a long weekend of election results, the first outcomes have been every bit as dire for the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak as analysts had predicted. Here is the state of play. Continue reading...

Many see demonstrations as an attack on Israel itself rather than its government, reinforcing a sense of isolationAt the Jerusalem Theatre on Thursday night, concertgoers and staff expressed a mixture of anger, sadness and defiance as weeks of pro-Palestinian protests across dozens of US college campuses reached a tumultuous climax 6,000 miles away.The noisy demonstrations have been closely followed in Israel, reported by major media and discussed by prominent public figures. Continue reading...

Francois Legault advocates removal of week-long demonstration at Montreal's McGill University: The encampment is illegal'Quebec's premier has said police should begin dismantling an illegal" week-long pro-Palestinian encampment at Montreal's McGill University, as students at Canada's largest universities ramp up demands that the schools sever relationships with groups linked to Israel.The encampment is illegal," Francois Legault told reporters. The law must be respected, so I expect the police to dismantle these illegal campsites, which is what McGill has requested." Continue reading...

Communications minister Michelle Rowland won't rule out strengthening the news media bargaining code to compel platforms to make news available

Russia had said that a Ukrainian agent had entered country from Lithuania with the aim of targeting a fuel facilityUkraine's president and foreign minister has pressed British foreign secretary David Cameron to accelerate the delivery of promised military aid to Kyiv, as Russia heaps battlefield pressure on depleted Ukrainian forces in the third year of war.It is important that the weapons included in the UK support package announced last week arrive as soon as possible," Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the social platform X, as Cameron visited Kyiv on Thursday. Continue reading...

Glencore understood to be considering takeover offer while BHP could move again after initial rejectionThe global mining industry is braced for a multi-billion pound bidding war for Anglo American amid growing speculation that mining companies are preparing rival bids.The Australian miner BHP is understood to have sent senior executives to Anglo's base in South Africa to meet key company stakeholders after an initial offer of 31bn was rebuffed by Anglo's board last week. Continue reading...

Russians in separate compound and do not have access to US forces or equipment, says defence secretary

Man who emerges from German TV series is a far cry from myth of tortured artist alienated from his family and jobThe word kafkaesque" has come to describe the sensation of powerlessness when dealing with bureaucratic systems; of getting lost in labyrinthine administrative errands, being shut out by faceless officialdom and having your hopes strangled by red tape.But kafkaesque does not come close to describing the life of the man who lent the term his name, according to an irreverent biopic of the Prague-born author. Continue reading...

Matthew Dunster, who directed Allen in her West End debut 2:22: A Ghost Story, will write and direct the show for Bath's Ustinov Studio next yearLily Allen is to play Hedda Gabler in a new version of Henrik Ibsen's classic at Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio next summer.The production will see the actor and singer reunite with Matthew Dunster, who directed Allen in her West End theatre debut in the supernatural thriller 2:22: A Ghost Story in 2021 and her subsequent role as a writer held prisoner in The Pillowman in 2023. Continue reading...

Some are optimistic about a change of government after the next general election while others are frustrated with both main partiesJoshua Holmes, 29, from Barton Hill, Bristol, went out to vote in the local elections on Thursday afternoon.The polling station was pretty quiet," he said, I was probably the youngest person there, and the only person in my shared house that voted." Continue reading...

One tornado in Oklahoma was the first of 2024 to be rated as EF-4, the second most severe categorySevere thunderstorms affected parts of the US last week, spawning at least 129 tornadoes across midwestern and southern states between 25 and 28 April. The majority occurred on 26 April, with most touching down in Nebraska and Iowa.Two that formed were particularly large and long-lived, lasting about an hour and reaching a mile in diameter, with surface wind speeds of about 160mph at their strongest. The first travelled over 31 miles across eastern Nebraska, causing severe damage in the Omaha suburb of Elkhorn. The second, which also developed secondary vortices, travelled almost 41 miles across western Iowa, and killed one person in Minden. Continue reading...

Group of Eight chief says campuses don't want to see escalation' like what is occurring in the US

Pledge comes after Victoria's supreme court dismisses residents' class action against government, saying it has no real prospect of success'

The Illawarra, Sydney and Hunter coast regions are expected to see up to 100mm of rainfall, with Sunday the very wet day'

After a long spell of intense heat and little rain, water levels have fallen to reveal parts of a sunken church, tombstones and foundations at PantabanganRuins of a centuries-old town have emerged at a dam parched by drought in the northern Philippines.After a prolonged spell of intense heat and little rain, water levels in the dam have fallen to reveal parts of a sunken church, tombstones and the foundations of structures from the 300-year-old town in Nueva Ecija province. Continue reading...