World news | The Guardian

Partygate photos anger those who were at socially distanced funerals, on Covid wards or facing a mental health crisis

The non-stop service between the French and German capitals hopes to attract travellers seeking to reduce their carbon imprintFrench rail operator SNCF has said it hopes to launch a Paris-Berlin high-speed service next year with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn to tap into a perceived willingness by passengers to take longer train trips.SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said they hoped to begin offering one trip a day between the French and German capitals in December 2023. Continue reading...

Sievierodonetsk under intense bombardment and surrounded on three sides by Russian forces

Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, asks police force to explain to the public how decisions were reached

Some partygoers at Downing Street leaving do had to sit on each other’s laps, insiders allege to BBC Panorama

Levy could be extended beyond oil and gas producers to help households in cost of living crisisRishi Sunak is reportedly considering imposing a wider windfall tax on electricity generators, as well as on oil and gas producers, that could bring in billions of pounds to help households struggling with soaring food and energy costs.The chancellor has instructed Treasury officials to work on plans for a potential tax on more than £10bn of excess profits made by electricity generators, including renewable energy operators such as windfarms, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. Continue reading...

#FreeHerFace campaign gathers force as high-profile men rebel against crackdown on face coverings in AfghanistanMale TV presenters in Afghanistan are wearing face masks on screen to show solidarity after the Taliban issued an order that all women on news channels must cover their faces.In a protest dubbed #FreeHerFace on social media, men on Tolo News wore masks to mimic the effect of the face veil their female colleagues have been forced to wear after a Taliban crackdown. Continue reading...

Jonathan Brearley tells MPs price cap due to rise to about £2,800, blaming soaring cost of wholesale gas and electricityOfgem is on course to raise the cap on household energy bills to about £2,800 in October, the regulator’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, has told MPs.The increase in the cap would push up the average annual bill by more than £800, after the regulator increased it by £693 in April to £1,971. Continue reading...

Universities minister launches working group to spearhead plans for practical action to help keep students safeUniversities are to be required to introduce policies by the end of the year to crack down on spiking, amid concern about increasingly brazen attacks on students.Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, said she had seen the impact of spiking first-hand and that it was a horrific crime that she was determined to stamp out in higher education. Continue reading...

Dress worn by Judy Garland set to sell for up to $1.2m but relative of priest who was given dress in 1973 claims it belongs to herThe dramatic story of a costume from The Wizard of Oz thought lost for decades went through another plot twist Monday, when a judge blocked its planned sale at auction.One of the blue-and-white checked gingham dresses that Judy Garland wore in 1939 for her role as Dorothy was scheduled to be part of an auction of Hollywood memorabilia in Los Angeles on Tuesday, put up for sale by Catholic University of America. The dress was rediscovered at the school last year in a shoebox during preparations for a renovation. Continue reading...

After delays to tunnelled section under London, first trains run on timeSamba dancers, passengers taking selfies, the mayor climbing on station signs, and purple all around. It was a day of celebration and wonder as the Elizabeth line, “fit for a Queen”, finally opened its doors to more than 100,000 passengers.The first Elizabeth line trains to carry passengers through the new tunnels under London departed on time just after 6.31am on Tuesday – a giant leap in speed, space and comfort from the underground service the capital has known until now. Continue reading...

PM’s spokesperson unable to say firmly whether Johnson may have wondered aloud whether publication should go ahead

Fawzia Amini advocates for rights of Afghan women and girls from London hotel room she’s been stuck in for nine monthsOne of Afghanistan’s top female judges has been honoured with an international human rights award while she continues her work to advocate for her country’s women and girls from a London hotel.Fawzia Amini, 48, fled Afghanistan last summer after the Taliban takeover of the country. She had been one of Afghanistan’s leading female judges, former head of the legal department at the Ministry of Women, senior judge in the supreme court, and head of the violence against women court. Continue reading...

Curve-hugging maxi dresses are a fixture at Kim Kardashian’s Skims, Balmain and Rick Owens, this seasonWhen the Duchess of Cambridge attended the Top Gun premiere last Thursday, wearing a maxi bodycon dress by Roland Mouret, it became clear there was a new contender for summer’s It-dress.British Vogue announced it was “a departure from her normal red-carpet attire”: minimalist black, curve-hugging, floor-skimming, and sexy. And a million miles away from the dress of last summer, the ubiquitous flower-print frock. Continue reading...

The Canadian director made the comments at a press conference for his latest body horror film Crimes of the FutureDavid Cronenberg, director of Crash, The Naked Lunch and A History of Violence, has said that “the US is completely insane”.Speaking to the press at the Cannes film festival premiere of his new film Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg referred specifically to attempts to overturn Roe v Wade. “In Canada … we think everyone in the US is completely insane. I think the US has gone completely bananas, and I can’t believe what the elected officials are saying, not just about Roe v Wade, so it is strange times.” Continue reading...

Pre-action letter questions Home Office claims that east African country is ‘generally safe’Priti Patel’s plan to send refugees on a one-way ticket to Rwanda is being challenged in the courts over the government’s alleged failure to identify risks facing vulnerable groups such as LGBTQ+ people.A pre-action letter sent to the Home Office on behalf of the pressure group Freedom from Torture questions government claims that the east African state is “generally a safe country” for refugees.the government’s claim that Rwanda is “generally” a “safe third country” is irrational;it relies upon apparent pre-determination or bias;the home secretary has breached her duty not to induce breaches of the European convention on human rights by her agents;removing asylum seekers to Rwanda is beyond Patel’s legal authority because it is contrary to the refugee convention. Continue reading...

Said Gutseriev says he has no financial or commercial links to his father, who was sanctioned last year for ‘supporting’ dictator of BelarusThe son of a Russian billionaire sanctioned for supporting the dictator who runs Belarus has been linked to a £160m portfolio of London properties.Said Gutseriev, a 34-year-old businessman with British and Russian nationality, appears to have spent years amassing a collection of at least seven properties in central London, according to the findings of a joint investigation by the Guardian and the Belarusian Investigative Center, part of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Continue reading...

Photos of PM at leaving event raise fresh questions about what he knew, and the subsequent investigations

West Ham defender pleads guilty after footage showed him kicking and slapping his petThe West Ham defender and French international Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences over video footage showing him kicking and slapping a cat.Zouma appeared at Thames magistrates court alongside his brother, Yoan, who filmed the video that appeared on social media in February to widespread condemnation. Kurt Zouma pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act. Continue reading...

Prime minister in Tokyo says no ‘serious person’ had believed Coalition line that a Labor government would adopt a softer approach towards Beijing

Nine in 10 people say they are worried about rising price of shopping, Kantar survey findsMore than a fifth of households in Great Britain say they are struggling to make ends meet as the price of the weekly grocery shop rises 7%, the highest level of inflation in 13 years.Nine in 10 people say they are worried about the rising price of groceries, according to the market research group Kantar, putting the issue in second place behind concerns about energy bills as the cost of living crisis hits families hard. Continue reading...

Increase in coca plantations could give rise to a new generation of drug traffickers, and refortify the clans of oldAfter an hour-long hike from the nearest road, a Honduran anti-narcotics inspector with a shotgun slung from his shoulder led the way into a mountainside clearing littered with wilting coca bushes his unit had uprooted in the days before.Black irrigation hoses crisscrossed the roughly four-acre field down to the confluence of two creeks, where, under a canopy, lay the charred remains of a makeshift laboratory for processing the coca leaves into paste – the precursor of cocaine. Continue reading...

Eight-metre-tall statue in pose some liken to a Nazi salute will be moved from Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands

Owner of property in Chinatown, Soho and Covent Garden returns to profit as rents increaseThe central London landlord Shaftesbury anticipates a rise in visitors and spending in the West End now that the Elizabeth line has finally opened, as it hailed a swing back to profit after the value of its 16-acre property portfolio was boosted by rising rents.The central section of the new line originally known as Crossrail opened on Tuesday morning, running between Paddington in the west through central London to the new station at Abbey Wood in the east. A full service incorporating the outer legs out to Shenfield in the east and to Reading and Heathrow in the west is expected by next spring. Continue reading...

Expert says collective bargaining is a ‘minefield’ for employers and simplifying it should be a focus of the forum

Analysis: The presence of cooler water can have wider-ranging impacts on global weather patternsIt’s not the first time recently that chilly conditions have gripped parts of southern South America in the lead-up to the southern hemisphere winter. Over the past couple of days, an area of low pressure has positioned itself just south-east of the continent and allowed cold air to filter northwards into southern Chile and Argentina. This process will continue over the coming days with temperatures 5-10 degrees below normal in Argentina from Thursday.In fact, the western side of South America, including farther north into Peru, has experienced almost perpetually cool conditions of late linked to an ongoing La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean. During these events, which usually occur every few years, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the south-eastern Pacific cool significantly as colder waters from the deep upwell to the surface. Current observations suggest SSTs just off the coast of Peru are between 1.5 and 3.5C colder than normal and they have been cooler than normal since last autumn. The presence of cooler water has an often moderating impact on temperatures in South America but can have wider-ranging impacts on global weather patterns too. Continue reading...

Sources reveal frustration at likely delay of package to help households hit by squeeze on budgetsCabinet ministers are frustrated that a “mano a mano” standoff between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak is holding up measures to help people through the cost of living crisis.Downing Street denied there was a rift between No 10 and No 11, with one source insisting that the prime minister and the chancellor were on the same page but simply taking time to find the right way to “target help at the most vulnerable”. Continue reading...

Law firm believes thousands could join suit against emergency calls operator after reports of errors that led to deaths

Cluster bombs, fléchettes and unguided missiles on residential areas: as prosecutors investigate alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine, our reporters reveal the evidence they discovered on the groundAt about midnight on 1 March 2022, a Russian air force jet dropped a series of 250kg Soviet-era explosives over Borodyanka, north of Kyiv. They were powerful FAB-250 bombs, designed to hit military targets such as enemy fortifications and bunkers. There were no such structures, however, in this quiet town of 13,000 people.The bombs fell on at least five residential buildings, splitting them in two. Dozens of bodies were found under the rubble when the Russians withdrew from the Kyiv region in early April, leaving in their path a gigantic crime scene that Ukrainian prosecutors investigating alleged war crimes by Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, have been working on for weeks. Continue reading...

Exclusive: researcher calls for sale of marble head of Greek philosopher Antisthenes to be haltedAn archaeologist is calling for a US auction house to withdraw a monumental Roman sculpture from sale, claiming he has photographic evidence of its direct link to a dealer involved with illicit trade.Prof Christos Tsirogiannis, whose academic research focuses on antiquities and trafficking networks, said Hindman Auctions in Chicago should cancel its auction of the portrait head of Antisthenes, the Greek philosopher, scheduled for Thursday. Continue reading...

Bernie Finn will be forced to sit on crossbench and is unlikely to be preselected ahead of November election

Boris Johnson shown raising a glass at event during a national Covid lockdown, in newly released photosImages have emerged of Boris Johnson raising a glass at a No 10 party during a national Covid lockdown, sparking fresh acrimony across the UK front pages on Tuesday.The prime minister is facing fresh claims of lying to MPs after four pictures, first published by ITV News, showed him toasting a senior aide at a Downing Street leaving drinks event. Continue reading...

Activists say woman’s death is an example of people with serious mental health problems being detained without adequate care

President says US’s responsibility to protect island is ‘even stronger’ after Russia’s invasion of UkraineJoe Biden has said the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if it came under attack from China, in an unusually forceful presidential statement in support of self-governing that drew a defiant response from Beijing.Speaking in Tokyo on the second day of his visit to Japan, and against the backdrop of growing concern over Chinese military activity in the region, Biden said the US’s responsibility to protect the self-ruled island – which China considers a renegade province – was “even stronger” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Black Equity Organisation, whose trustees include David Lammy and Dame Vivian Hunt, aims to dismantle systemic racism in UKA national civil rights group to advance justice and equity for black people in Britain has been created by some of the country’s most influential black figures.The first of its kind, the Black Equity Organisation (BEO) aims to dismantle systemic racism nearly two years after George Floyd was choked to death by a US police officer in 2020. The killing spurred large protests around the world – including in the UK, where the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was toppled into Bristol harbour. Continue reading...

Pupils and bus driver taken to hospital as a result of after-school collision in Llanfair CaereinionFive children were injured when they were struck by a school bus while waiting to go home after classes in a Welsh village.The incident happened at about 3.25pm outside the high school in Llanfair Caereinion, Powys. The children are believed to be aged between 11 and 16. Continue reading...

Images obtained by ITV News reveal table strewn with bottles at leaving do for a senior aide in November 2020Boris Johnson is facing fresh claims of lying to MPs after photos emerged of him toasting a senior aide at a Downing Street leaving drinks event during a national Covid lockdown.The Metropolitan police later fined staffers for attending the event on 13 November 2020 – but did not sanction Johnson, who is clearly seen raising a glass in a room full of alcohol. Continue reading...

Max Mendoza has been arrested after a judge said his 32-year enrollment at university on a government salary may be a crimeMax Mendoza has been a remarkably persistent student – and a profitable one: he has been enrolled at a public university in Bolivia for 32 years but never graduated, much of it while being paid a government salary to serve as a student leader.On Monday, though, he was detained and sent to jail after a judge ordered a six-month investigation into allegations his tenure as a state-paid student leader constituted a crime. Continue reading...

Michelle Bachelet begins trip amid fears that authorities will use Covid restrictions as cover to limit her accessChina has said the UN rights chief’s visit to the country this week will be conducted in a “closed loop” as previously agreed with the UN, referring to the Chinese model of isolating people inside a “bubble” in order to contain the spread of Covid-19.The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, embarked on a six-day trip to China on Monday. She will be visiting the southern city of Guangzhou and two locations in the Xinjiang region, where Chinese authorities have been accused of human rights abuses against Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic group. Continue reading...

The approach backfired at a federal level, with the party facing the possibility of holding just two Melbourne seats

Diversity advocates welcome new additions but say there is still a long way to go before parliament reflects Australian society

Data prior to current outbreaks suggested resurgence of the disease, with waning immunity from smallpox vaccination contributing to spread

Labor leader in tight position after China said dialogue with US, India and Japan would be test of new Australian prime minister’s ‘political wisdom’

Survivors who reported abuse to executive committee were ‘ignored’ as leaders were ‘singularly focused on avoiding liability’Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a scathing 288-page investigative report issued Sunday.These survivors, and other concerned southern baptists, repeatedly shared allegations with the SBC’s executive committee, “only to be met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some” leaders, said the report. Continue reading...

More than four in five workers want to continue flexible model despite government push for return to officeMore than a third of working adults in Great Britain spent at least part of their time working from home this spring, an official survey of working patterns shows, with the proportion of people hybrid working growing even as Covid restrictions eased.More than four in five workers – 84% – told the Office for National Statistics (ONS) they wanted to continue splitting their time between home and the office after the pandemic, while the ONS also found hybrid working patterns had shifted towards employees spending more working hours at home. Continue reading...

Boris Bondarev issues public statement saying: ‘Never have I been so ashamed of my country’A veteran Russian diplomat in Geneva has resigned over his country’s invasion of Ukraine in a rare political protest from within the Russian foreign policy establishment.Boris Bondarev, a counsellor at the Russian permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, wrote in a public statement: “Never have I been so ashamed of my country.” Continue reading...

Ex-MP jailed after being expelled from Tory party following conviction for groping teenager at party in 2008The former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy after plying him with gin at a party in 2008.The 48-year-old was expelled from the Conservative party and later resigned from the Commons, triggering a byelection in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after he was convicted last month following a trial at Southwark crown court. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Health leaders call for uplift for lowest-paid staff, to prevent ‘mass exodus’ to pubs and supermarketsThe NHS faces a “mass exodus” of thousands of staff to better-paid jobs in pubs, shops and supermarkets as a result of the cost of living crisis, ministers have been warned.Health leaders fear significant numbers of lower-paid workers will leave for higher wages in the private sector amid rising food and heating bills and soaring inflation. The NHS already has 110,000 vacancies, and there are fears that a further deepening of the workforce crisis will “jeopardise” the ability of hospitals to tackle record-high waiting lists. Continue reading...