World news | The Guardian

Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington as momentum gathers in negotiations for a US-sponsored dealIsraeli warplanes launched a wave of strikes in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 38 Palestinians, according to hospital officials, as talks over a ceasefire in the devastated territory reached a critical point.Officials at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said 18 people were killed by strikes in al-Mawasi, a nearby coastal area that is crowded with tented encampments of those displaced by fighting elsewhere. Continue reading...

MPs and parents worry shake-up may abolish vital education, health and care plans that SEN children rely onDowning Street is facing another bruising battle following last week's humiliating retreat on welfare reforms, as MPs, campaigners and parents voice concern at its overhaul of special needs education for children in England.A letter to the Guardian, signed by dozens of special needs and disability charities and campaigners - including the broadcaster Chris Packham, actor Sally Phillips and Jane Asher, actor and president of the National Autistic Society - says parents fear the reforms may restrict or abolish the vital education, health and care plans (EHCPs) that more than 600,000 children and young people rely on for individual support. Continue reading...

Reduction from 43 forces to as few as 12 could save money and end postcode lottery' for crime victims, leaders sayPolice chiefs in England and Wales have told ministers that the number of forces should be cut to end the postcode lottery for victims of crime", the Guardian has learned.They believe a reduction from the current 43 forces would save money, cut overheads and boost crime-fighting efforts. Continue reading...

The American designer balances a homage to the past with a nod to his own fashion storyAfter a year of musical chairs in fashion, September is gearing up to be one of its biggest show months ever: with debut collections slated from new creative directors at brands including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and ex-Balenciaga designer Demna at Gucci.On Sunday in Paris, Michael Rider, who recently succeeded Hedi Slimane at Celine, decided to get a head start. Continue reading...

Research finds correlation between car dependency and loneliness, particularly in rural townsPeople who depend on cars to get around are more likely to feel lonely and disconnected than those who have access to good public transport, a UK study has found.Analysing official statistics on loneliness and transport usage, researchers said there was a clear correlation between people without decent transport alternatives and those who describe themselves as feeling left out or without companionship. Continue reading...

Exclusive: group representing Commons workers say some parliamentarians wilfully ignored' security adviceDozens of MPs have refused safety measures for their staff despite record levels of abuse and a spate of violent attacks, according to a group representing Commons workers.Staff employed by MPs said they had been put in extremely dangerous" situations after a small number of parliamentarians wilfully ignored" security advice. Continue reading...

Lender says Debbie Crosbie's package should compete with banks' but critics say building societies are supposed to be the good guys'Nationwide is under fire for refusing to give members a binding vote on a 43% pay rise for its chief executive, Debbie Crosbie, that could mean her pay package reaches up to 7m.Campaigners say it leaves the building society's members with fewer rights than shareholders of listed UK banks and exposes a worrying loophole" in building society rules. Continue reading...

Steve Reed says changes to living standards are happening and will make a big difference to trust in governmentIt was probably easier for Steve Reed to feel more cheerful about Labour's most torrid week in government while sitting on bales of hay in the blazing sunshine about 40 miles from Westminster.The environment secretary might have sympathised with Rachel Reeves and Liz Kendall - he has experience of bearing the flak for some of the government's most controversial decisions on family farm taxes - but at Hertfordshire's Groundswell festival, named the Glastonbury for farms, he may simply have been happy not to be pelted with manure by unhappy farmers. Continue reading...

Former Labour leader says government needs a better narrative and risks being bogged down by imposed limitations'Keir Starmer's government is suffering from a lack of narrative" about what it is trying to achieve and should be more fiscally bold and consider a tax on wealth, Neil Kinnock has said.The former Labour leader said too many of the government's achievements were being overshadowed. A year after a landslide election win, the party is struggling in the polls and has U-turned on policies including cuts to winter fuel payments and welfare. Continue reading...

Benedict Kuria was ambushed by suspected gang members in March while serving in security missionThe relatives of a Kenyan police officer who went missing while working in Haiti have spoken of their anguish and anger at Kenyan authorities over a lack of definitive information about what has happened to him.Benedict Kuria and some colleagues were ambushed in March by suspected gang members. Haitian media reported that he had died, but Kenya's police service says a search is continuing. Continue reading...

Findings will be handed down almost five years after the Warlpiri man died during a bungled arrest in the remote Northern Territory community of YuendumuGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe inquest findings into the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker will be handed down in Yuendumu on Monday, almost five years after the Warlpiri man died during a bungled arrest in the remote Northern Territory community.Zachary Rolfe shot Walker three times while trying to arrest him on 9 November 2019 in Yuendumu, about 300km from Alice Springs.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Relatives tell of their determination to see good come from the killing of their loved ones in 2005 London bombingsIn the city of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the north-east Indian state of Odisha, there is an eye clinic that has transformed the lives of thousands of children.Before the unit was established in 2008, according to its vice-chair, there was no dedicated children's eye care centre in the entire eastern part of India, a country home to 20% of the world's blind children. The clinic now sees about 3,000 children a month and performs 350 eye surgeries - a significant proportion of them at no cost to the often very poor families who need them. Continue reading...

Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez in custody after the non-fatal attack on Miguel Uribe Turbay in a Bogota park in JuneThe alleged mastermind behind the shooting of a conservative Colombian senator and presidential candidate has been taken into custody, almost a month after the attack, law enforcement authorities have said.Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez, alias Chipi" or Costeno", was arrested in the north-western part of the capital, Bogota, on Saturday, national police director Maj Gen Carlos Fernando Triana told reporters. Authorities had previously accused him and other suspects of being near the Bogota park where Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot on 7 June. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says it is in UK's interests to support new government' in first visit by British minister for 14 yearsBritain is re-establishing diplomatic relations with Syria after the country's years-long civil war, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, has announced during a visit to the capital, Damascus.There is renewed hope for the Syrian people," Lammy said in a statement. It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians." Continue reading...

Officers arrest protesters day after direct action group banned as terrorist organisationMore than 20 people holding signs referencing Palestine Action have been arrested by police in London a day after the group was banned as a terrorist organisation.The direct action protest group was banned on Friday after a last-minute legal attempt to suspend the group's proscription under anti-terrorism laws failed. It means that, from Saturday, being a member of, or expressing support for, the organisation became a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Continue reading...

Culture secretary says BBC must get a grip' in wake of film featuring son of Hamas official and Bob Vylan Glastonbury rowThe culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has demanded to know why no one at the BBC has lost their job over the airing of a documentary on Gaza that featured the son of a Hamas official.A review looking into the broacast of Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone is reportedly due to be published next week. The programme first aired in February, but was pulled by the broadcaster after the link between its 13-year-old narrator and Hamas emerged. Continue reading...

Longstanding tradition set to resume as new pontiff opts to spend summer holiday in Castel GandolfoWhen, soon after being elected in 2013, Pope Francis broke from longstanding Vatican tradition by choosing not to spend his summer holiday in the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo, a sleepy hilltop town overlooking a lake about an hour south of Rome, residents were taken aback.One shopkeeper, Anna, compared the perceived rejection to a divorce, while another said it slightly ruptured a sense of belonging. Continue reading...

Music critics unite in five-star praise of Gallagher brothers' opening night in Cardiff as the kings of rock'n'roll'Even the most optimistic fans had begun to suspect Oasis would never go on stage again, given that as recently as January 2024, in this newspaper, Liam was pacing around slagging off his brother at considerable length. But the Oasis reunion did indeed come to pass, and the reaction has universally been one of wonderment. You'd expect that from fans - if you ended up spending north of 300 on a dynamically priced ticket, you'd decide you were going to have fun - but critics have also been united in their praise. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's aides said to be trying to work around Chris Wormald, who was only appointed six months agoKeir Starmer's No 10 increasingly has buyer's remorse" about the new cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald, who has only been running the civil service for six months, Downing Street and Whitehall sources have told the Guardian.Wormald, who was the permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care during the Covid pandemic, was chosen by the prime minister from a shortlist of four names. Continue reading...

Saturday's 10-hour concert will reunite original lineup of Black Sabbath and feature a multitude of metal bandsHe is considered to be the godfather of heavy metal, but after more than five decades in the game, the prince of darkness", Ozzy Osbourne, brings his blistering performing career to an end with a highly anticipated final concert this weekend.Thousands of metal fans will descend on Birmingham's Villa Park on Saturday to see the original Black Sabbath lineup reunite for the first time in 20 years, in what has been billed as the greatest heavy metal show ever". Continue reading...

Insurers may be failing in their duty to offer fair value when 40% of motorists do not make a fuss over often big hikesIt is a familiar scene: you open the renewal letter from your insurer, and the quote is much higher than last year, even though nothing has changed. So you phone up and complain, and maybe suggest you will take your business elsewhere. Suddenly and miraculously, you are offered a much better price.Most of us would chalk that down as a serious win - but what if you hadn't called? Continue reading...

Amy Hawkins visits one of the many bars popping up across Chinese cities offering drinks, snacks and a vision of the futureIn the age of self-help, self-improvement and self-obsession, there have never been more places to look to for guidance. Where the anxious and the uncertain might have once consulted a search engine for answers, now we can engage in a seemingly meaningful discussion about our problems with ChatGPT. Or, if you're in China, DeepSeek.To some, though, it feels as if our ancestors knew more about life than we do. Or at least, they knew how to look for them. And so it is that scores of young Chinese are turning to ancient forms of divination to find out what the future holds. In the past couple of years, fortune-telling bars have been popping up in China's cities, offering drinks and snacks alongside xuanxue, or spiritualism. The trend makes sense: China's economy is struggling, and although consumers are saving their pennies, going out for a drink is cheaper than other forms of retail therapy or an actual therapist. With a deep-rooted culture of mysticism that blends Daoist, Buddhist and folk practices, which have defied decades of the government trying to stamp out superstitious beliefs, for many Chinese people, turning to the unseen makes perfect sense. Continue reading...

Justice department says the men - including nationals from Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico, Laos, Cuba and Myanmar - will be flown to South SudanEight migrants lost their last-ditch effort to halt their deportation to South Sudan by the Trump administration on Friday, clearing the way for their imminent transfer after a judge in Massachusetts denied their request.Lawyers for the justice department said the men were scheduled to be flown to South Sudan on Friday at 7pm Eastern Time after two courts considered the request on an emergency basis on 4 July, when courts were otherwise closed for the Independence Day holiday. Continue reading...

Lobbying effort by independent delegation follows Jamaica's move to ask King Charles to request legal adviceGlobal campaigning for slavery reparations gathered pace this week with lobbying in Westminster and Brussels, days after the Jamaican government revealed it will ask King Charles to request legal advice on the issue.On Tuesday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Afrikan Reparations, a group of UK MPs and peers calling for an apology and reparative justice for the historical and ongoing impact of slavery and colonialism, hosted an independent delegation of Caribbean researchers and activists who are lobbying for reparations. Continue reading...

Hamas says it is reviewing US truce proposal, but it is unclear what terms Israel has agreed toDonald Trump has claimed that Israel is ready to agree to a peace deal with Hamas as he seeks to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza war that has claimed almost 60,000 lives, but it is unclear what conditions specifically Israel has agreed to.In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night, the US president wrote: Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War." Continue reading...

Comments from Simon Case come as UK defence review highlights military exercises around Taiwan as driver of global instabilityThe former head of the UK's civil service has described the Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator" and said Donald Trump had put helpful pressure" on Europe to increase defence spending.Simon Case, who served as cabinet secretary until December when he stepped down on health grounds, said China had sent a clear message to prepare for serious conflict" in Taiwan. Continue reading...

Family of Avtar Singh Khanda, who was thought to be on Indian authorities' radar and died in 2023, call for inquestThe family of a Sikh activist who died suddenly in 2023 have made new calls for an inquest after a pathologist found the result of the postmortem exam does not mean that a poisoning can be completely excluded".Avtar Singh Khanda, 35, died in June 2023, four days after being admitted to a hospital in Birmingham feeling unwell. The official cause of death was acute myeloid leukaemia, a blood cancer. Continue reading...

Shares fall almost 13% after bakery chain's profit warning over heatwave hit to salesThe UK's biggest bakery chain, Greggs, has said last month's heatwave harmed its sales and profits as customers went off the idea of hot pastries in the unusually high temperatures.Shares in Greggs slumped almost 13% as investors reacted to the profit warning a day after the UK experienced the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching as high as 35C. Continue reading...

Miriam Margolyes, Alexei Sayle and Mike Leigh among signatories to letter criticising Jewish Chronicle tiesMore than 400 stars and media figures including Miriam Margolyes, Alexei Sayle, Juliet Stevenson and Mike Leigh have signed a letter to BBC management calling for the removal of a board member, Robbie Gibb, over claims of conflict of interest regarding the Middle East.The signatories also include 111 BBC journalists and Zawe Ashton, Khalid Abdalla, Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and the historian William Dalrymple, who express concerns over opaque editorial decisions and censorship at the BBC on the reporting of Israel/Palestine". Continue reading...

Ofgem opens investigation into National Grid as report finds incident that cut airport power was preventable

Home affairs minister says decision to revoke rapper's visa came after widely condemned track released in May

Purchase would be third major change of ownership for high street lender in 13 yearsThe Spanish bank Santander is buying the British high street lender TSB for 2.65bn, raising fears of job cuts and branch closures across the combined group.The proposed deal, announced on Tuesday evening, is the result of a takeover tussle in Santander's home base of Spain, with the lender Sabadell having decided to sell TSB as it faces an 11bn (9.4bn) hostile approach from a rival, BBVA. Continue reading...

Philip Urquhart tells the inquest into the 16-year-old's fatal self-harming that the state justice department failed in its duty of care

Turkey police face demonstrators after prosecutor orders arrests at LeMan magazine, whose editor-in-chief denies allegation and says image has been deliberately misinterpretedClashes erupted in Istanbul with police firing rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a mob on Monday after allegations that a satirical magazine had published a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad.The clashes occurred after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the editors at LeMan magazine on grounds it had published a cartoon that publicly insulted religious values". Continue reading...

Jacqui Smith says live broadcast should have been pulled, but rapper stands by performance calling for change in foreign policy'

Former PM's claim - which relates to the super contribution rate increasing to 12% - goes further than other critics of the policy

Modella Capital negotiates price downwards after weaker trading in recent weeks

Critical incident investigation declared into arrest of former Greens candidate who says she could lose sight in right eye

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Watchdog says woman's conduct was serious because of her seniority, as well as concern over nepotism, cronyism and undeclared conflicts' in recruitment

Parliamentary watchdog will invite people to citizens' forum to debate what democracy is worth'The thorny topic of MPs' pay and funding will be debated by randomly selected members of the public at a new citizens' forum, as parliament's watchdog said it was launching an open and honest conversation" about what democracy is worth.Invitations are being sent out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which this year set the basic annual salary for an MP from 1 April 2025 at 93,904. It is also responsible for approving MPs' expenses, which it prefers to call business costs. Continue reading...

Christopher Moore reported missing on Friday after failing to return from solo camping trip at Jerrawangala near Nowra

Jurors retire to consider verdicts in triple murder trial over beef wellington lunch that contained death cap mushrooms

Queues also expected for shuttle buses to railway station as 200,000 music fans depart festival on MondayThe tents are drooping, the heads are throbbing, the ears buzzing; Glastonbury festival is over for another year.Most of the 200,000-plus ticket holders at the performing arts and music bonanza in Somerset will be leaving the site on Monday in gruelling 30C heat. Continue reading...

Premier hits back at Queensland treasurer, saying sunshine state's budget black hole' has nothing to do with Victoria

Report finds more than a third have considered leaving their job due to the physical and emotional strainPeople undergoing fertility treatment should have the legal right to take time off for their appointments, according to research that finds over a third have considered leaving their job due to the physical and emotional strain.The campaign group Fertility Matters At Work is calling for IVF to be recategorised as a medical procedure, rather than an elective treatment equivalent to cosmetic surgery, in guidance for employers under the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) code of practice. Continue reading...

Newly restored material from vast archive destroyed in civil war takes in Anglo-Norman conquest and 1798 rebellionSeven centuries of lost historical records covering espionage, political corruption and the lives of ordinary people in Ireland have been recovered and are being released.A pioneering project to fill gaps in Irish history is making 175,000 more records and millions more words of searchable content freely available to researchers and members of the public. Continue reading...

Tolo Thakeli had long campaigned on youth joblessness, but a post questioning Sam Maketane's promises on work creation landed him in prisonIt took a single video complaining about Lesotho's unemployment rate to turn Tolo Thakeli into the prime minister's enemy. Within a day of posting there were armed police at his door.It was Father's Day, and the 31-year-old father of two was in his pyjamas when they arrived. He had no idea his post would land him in trouble; after all, he had campaigned for a long time, under different governments, for action on jobs for young people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as whip over welfare bill, urges ministers to work with affected people on changesThe Labour whip who resigned in protest against disability benefit cuts has said Keir Starmer's concessions do not yet go far enough to win her over, as No 10 launched a fresh attempt to stem the revolt against its welfare bill.Vicky Foxcroft, who quit her frontbench role over the welfare bill a little more than a week ago, urged the government to work jointly on the changes with disabled people and to publish the review of the system before bringing in cuts. Continue reading...

Sites will accommodate 4,000 children as part of ministers' plan to improve childcare, Bridget Phillipson to announceAbout 200 school-based nurseries will open in England this September as part of the government's plan to improve access to childcare for working parents.The milestone will be announced on Monday by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, who will say that the sites will accommodate 4,000 children under school age. Continue reading...