World news | The Guardian

Golden Globe and Tony-winning actor will star as Willy Loman in a Melbourne production directed by Neil Armfield

Despite adding millions of people and dwellings over the past decade, our cities are well behind globally in terms of population density

Ten Americans will pay €1 a month to live in Ollolai, birthplace of former Mr Universe Franco ColumbuTen American professionals are moving to a small town in the middle of Sardinia known for being the birthplace of a former Mr Universe who was a close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, paying a token rent of €1 (86p) a month.The project, called Work from Ollolai and launched by the local council in collaboration with the Sa Mata association, is aimed at boosting the population in the town, located in the mountainous Barbagia region of the Italian island. Continue reading...

Classic, smoke-stained Dutch drinking spots should be given protected status, say campaignersOn the bar is a dispenser for Dutch jenever – the liquor that inspired British gin – silver taps of lager and 10 hard-boiled eggs at €1 a pop.Café de Druif is one of Amsterdam’s oldest “brown bars”, or bruine kroegen, and part of a movement to preserve these cosy drinking rooms. Continue reading...

UK surveillance watchdog informed large group of asylum seekers of their right to bring a case before a tribunalThe Home Office faces a wave of legal claims after the UK’s surveillance watchdog found a blanket policy of seizing thousands of asylum seekers’ mobile phones caused “significant harm”.The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office has written to a large group of asylum seekers to notify them of their right to bring a case before a specialist surveillance tribunal. Continue reading...

Gary Smith of the GMB, a key Labour donor, says plan shows ‘lack of intellectual rigour’The head of a union that is one of Labour’s biggest donors has accused the party of “being naive” over its plans to ban North Sea oil and gas production.Labour has pledged to block all new domestic oil and gas developments if it wins power, proposing instead to invest heavily in renewable sources such as wind and also in nuclear power. Continue reading...

Robert Jenrick says government will not restrict what former PM can say to Covid-19 inquiryA minister has said the government will not restrict what Boris Johnson can say to the Covid-19 inquiry, but in effect issued a warning that the former prime minister should ensure he is using public funding for legal advice “appropriately”.Robert Jenrick’s comments on Sunday come after it was reported that Cabinet Office lawyers had told Johnson he could lose the funding if he tries to “frustrate or undermine” the government’s position on the inquiry. The former prime minister was informed that the money would “cease to be available” if he breaks conditions such as releasing evidence without permission, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

University taking disciplinary action against 11 students who occupied buildings during demonstrationsA group of Manchester University students face expulsion over a rent strike that saw more than 350 collectively withhold more than £2m.The university is taking action against 11 of its students in a bitter row over rising rents and what some students claim is a failure to provide adequate financial support to those who are struggling during the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Cabinet Office lawyers warn ex-PM of consequences if he tries to ‘frustrate or undermine’ government positionBoris Johnson has been warned that he could lose public funding for legal advice if he tries to “frustrate or undermine” the government’s position on the Covid-19 inquiry.

Officers injured while checking on an individual in Billingham and taken to hospital to receive stitchesThree police officers were taken to hospital after being injured in a knife attack in north-east England on Friday evening. Officers attended an address in Billingham to carry out a welfare check on an individual.At the site, they encountered a man with a knife who became aggressive towards them, leaving two Cleveland police officers with puncture wounds and the third with slash wounds. Continue reading...

Mark Nicholls arrested after body of Emily Sanderson discovered 11 days after going missingA man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was found dead in Sheffield 11 days after going missing.The body of 48-year-old Emily Sanderson was found at an address in the Hillsborough area of the city last Tuesday. She had not been seen since 19 May, when she reportedly attended a family funeral. Continue reading...

Specialist in recovery of missing and looted art and antiques accuses businesses of protecting commissions and fees ahead of restoring legal ownershipToo many auction houses and dealers are failing to cooperate when they are found to be selling stolen items, a leading lawyer has warned.Christopher Marinello, a London-based specialist in recovering stolen, looted and missing art and antiques, told the Observer that “most are uncooperative at first” and some are “so desperate to protect their commissions that they will do anything to avoid cooperating”. Continue reading...

Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for dawn attack on 26 MayAt least 54 African Union peacekeepers were killed when militants attacked a base housing Ugandan units in Somalia last week, the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, said.“We discovered the lifeless bodies of 54 fallen soldiers, including a commander,” Museveni said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account late on Saturday. Continue reading...

Train was diverted on to wrong tracks, says railways minister as efforts to clear wreckage continueIndia’s railways minister has said the train derailment that killed at least 275 people and injured hundreds more was caused by an error in electronic signals that sent a train on to the wrong tracks.Ashwini Vaishnaw’s explanation on Sunday came as authorities worked to clear the mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed on Friday night in eastern India, in one of the country’s deadliest rail accidents in decades. Continue reading...

Since the coup in 2021 the carnage has been unceasing, meanwhile Russia and China continue to send weapons

Porthmadog in Wales hits Saturday high of 23.9C with dry weather likely to remain for at least another weekThe UK could experience the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures potentially reaching 26C.On Saturday, a UK high of 23.9C was recorded in Porthmadog, Wales, and temperatures are expected to be slightly higher on Sunday. The dry weather is likely to remain for at least another week. Continue reading...

The 22-year-old was arrested at the Golden Sheaf in Double Bay and granted bail to appear at Downing Centre local court next week

Criminal landlords are using uniformed security guards to force out tenants, says the charity Safer RentingVulnerable families are being tricked out of their rented homes by private security guards dressed like court bailiffs, a charity has warned.Safer Renting, a charity-run tenancy relations service operating in seven London boroughs, said criminal landlords were increasingly turning to private security companies to get tenants to leave their homes without a court order. Continue reading...

After refusing to meet with his US counterpart, general says ‘some countries’ interfering in others’ business but Beijing does not seek confrontationChina’s defence minister, Li Shangfu, has said a cold war mentality is resurgent in the Asia-Pacific region, but Beijing seeks dialogue over confrontation. The remarks came after Li refused to formally meet the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.Speaking at the dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, on Sunday, Li took thinly veiled digs at the US, repeating familiar grievances and accusing “some countries” of intensifying an arms race and interfering in the internal affairs of others. Continue reading...

Lack of mental health resources and basic facilities leaving inmates and workers traumatised, party member and daughter of state MP says

NSW’s Labor government launching maintenance backlog blitz on the state’s beleaguered rail system. This blog is now closed

Barnardo’s fears the cost of living crisis will leave families unable to afford holiday activities, leaving children prey to sexual predators online and criminal gangs on the streetA record number of children are at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation this summer as the cost of living crisis leaves the majority of families unable to afford activities over the holidays.The UK’s largest children’s charity, Barnardo’s, issued the warning after polling revealed six in 10 parents will struggle to afford clubs, take time off work or go on family outings over the six-week school break. Continue reading...

Carla White’s battle has shone a light on city’s lack of affordable new housing for those on low incomesA single tenant in a Montreal apartment block has halted a multimillion-dollar development project in a standoff that has focused fresh attention on the lack of affordable housing in major Canadian cities.Property developer Mondev has been trying for years to persuade Carla White to move from her small C$400-a-month (£238) apartment so it can demolish a row of mostly abandoned buildings and build 176 luxury apartments. Continue reading...

Ukrainian officials say air defences shot down all missiles and drones aimed at capitalRussia launched a wave of air attacks on Ukraine early on Sunday, with air defence systems repelling all missiles and drones on their approach to Kyiv, the city’s military officials said.“According to preliminary information, not a single air target reached the capital,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the military administration, posted online early on Sunday. “Air defence destroyed everything that was heading towards the city already at their distant approaches.” Continue reading...

Speaking at an event commemorating Mabo’s high court win, the constitutional lawyer said support from Australians will ‘endow the voice with legitimacy’

Blast near Dnipro leaves 20 injured; Zelenskiy says Ukraine is ready to launch counteroffensive; Prigozhin says Kremlin factions are destroying Russia

Defence minister is also believed to have raised concerns about the ongoing detention of Australian citizens and human rights issues

Rain Newton-Smith hopes to reanimate the scandal-plagued British lobby group this week: but is it still even a necessary voice?The CBI’s new boss, Rain Newton-Smith, faces a make-or-break moment on Tuesday, as the scandal-hit lobbying group’s members meet to decide its fate.She published a 30-page recovery plan last week, promising “a renewed CBI,” as she battles to bring the confederation back from the brink of extinction. Its 300 staff were warned last week that would mean job cuts, as the wage bill is reduced by a third. Continue reading...

Sources say newly crowned king is letting property go as it is ‘unlikely’ he will be able to use it as beforeKing Charles is giving up his home in Wales on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog, the official new name for Brecon Beacons, with the lease due to expire later this summer.Llwynywermod was bought for £1.2m by the Duchy of Cornwall estate on behalf of the then prince in 2007 after he spent 40 years searching for the right property. Continue reading...

The London-born singer of Kosovan-Albanian parents says the way Albanians have been discussed has ‘hurt’Singer Dua Lipa has criticised the way ministers have discussed migrants as “shortsighted and small-minded”.Lipa, born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents, said the way the government has discussed Albanians caused her “hurt” as she called for “more empathy”. Continue reading...

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...