World news | The Guardian

Figures show many still out of the habit' of visiting museums, galleries, cathedrals, castles and country housesVisitor numbers to the UK's museums, galleries, cathedrals, zoos, castles and country houses are increasing but remain stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels, with a significant number of people still out of the habit" of having a day out.Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) on Monday show a mixed picture. On the bright side, there was a 19% increase in visitor numbers in 2023 compared with 2022. The British Museum saw a 42% rise, making it the most visited attraction in the UK. Continue reading...

Civil liberties network says in states where far-right parties influence power, rule-of-law deterioration risks becoming systemicThe rule of law is declining across the EU as governments continue to weaken legal and democratic checks and balances, a leading civil liberties network has said, highlighting in particular a sharp rise in restrictions on the right to protest.Berlin-based Liberties said in its annual report, compiled with 37 rights groups in 19 countries, that in older democracies with mainstream parties in government, such as France, Germany and Belgium, challenges to the rule of law remained sporadic. Continue reading...

Starmer's shadow cabinet less popular before election than Blair's and Britons have lost confidence in politicians and their prospectsBritish voters will go into the election this year poorer, more pessimistic and less approving of politicians than they did in 1997, according to data showing how difficult it will be for Keir Starmer to replicate Tony Blair's landslide victory.An analysis of economic and polling data by the political consultancy Public First shows the country has lower wage growth, higher levels of debt and less affordable housing than it did when Labour last ousted the Conservatives from power. All five of Labour's most senior shadow ministers are less popular than their 1997 counterparts, as are most of the top ministers in cabinet. Continue reading...

Rideshare company agrees to settle long-running class-action lawsuit, finally giving cab and hire-car drivers the compensation they deserve, lawyers say

Police continue to investigate suspected hit and run in Fletcher Street, Tamarama that killed 28-year-old Arnold Bloch Leibler lawyer Mitch East

Some visas reinstated after further security checks but Amnesty urges government to provide clarity on vetting processes

Company founder Felix Barrett says Viola's Room, written by Daisy Johnson, will be an audio-driven production perfect for date nightsPunchdrunk's last immersive production, The Burnt City, drew more than 600 masked theatregoers each night to spend three hours venturing around a sprawling saga based on Greek myths. Their next show, announced on Monday, will invite them to take off their shoes and socks for a slumber party.This whole thing is a bedtime story," said the company's founder, Felix Barrett, of Viola's Room, which will open in May at their headquarters in Woolwich, south-east London. Audiences will wear headphones rather than masks and follow what Barrett called an audio-driven linear story" rather than explore the open world" of Punchdrunk's trademark shows, which let you roam freely around the space. Theatregoers will, according to publicity material, feel their way through a maze-like installation as an unseen narrator guides them on a sensory journey". Continue reading...

Russian president uses victory speech to say war in Ukraine and strengthening military will be his main tasksVladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia's presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner.In a vote denounced by the United States as obviously not free nor fair", Putin won 87% of the vote, according to exit polling published by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the Public Opinion Foundation. Continue reading...

Re-elected Russian president makes first public comment on death of opposition leader, which he calls sad event'Vladimir Putin has claimed he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving Alexei Navalny before the opposition leader's sudden death in an Arctic prison last month.Speaking in central Moscow after early results indicated he had won Russia's presidential election in a landslide, Putin said unnamed people made an offer to release Navalny in a swap deal with the west a few days before he died. Continue reading...

Wind gusts of up to 200km/h expected to bring heavy rain and flooding to coastal communities

Minister was provided information about allegations against Paul Reynolds before ceremony

Wuga escaped Germany in 1939, settled in Glasgow and spent decades educating people about the horrors of the HolocaustTributes have been paid to the force for good" Henry Wuga, a Holocaust survivor and educator, who has died aged 100.The death of Wuga, who escaped Germany on the Kindertransport in 1939 and settled in Glasgow, was announced by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on Sunday. Continue reading...

Voters turn out at midday from the UK to Latvia and Turkey to Thailand in action Alexei Navalny endorsed before his death

No direct casualties in attack that Moscow says was a Ukrainian attempt to sabotage the Russian presidential election

Six of bloc's leaders sign agreement in Cairo aimed at boosting economy and bringing stability to regionEU leaders have sealed a 7.4bn (6.3bn) deal with Egypt to help boost its faltering economy, in an attempt to bring stability to the troubled" region and avert another migration crisis in Europe.The three-year EU-Egypt strategic partnership involves 5bn in soft loans to support economic changes, 1.8bn to support investments from the private sector and 600m in grants including 200m for migration management. Continue reading...

PM acknowledges international pressure is increasing but says it will not stop Israel achieving its goalsBenjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with sending Israeli troops into Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, rejecting deep international concerns over the risks to more than a million Palestinians who have sought shelter there.Netanyahu said no amount of international pressure would stop Israel from realising all of its war aims. Continue reading...

Lib Dem leader uses conference speech to urge change so that even the wealthiest racists cannot buy power'The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has used his spring conference speech to call for a cap on donations to political parties so that even the wealthiest racists cannot buy power and influence".Davey criticised the Conservatives for refusing to hand back millions in donations from the donor Frank Hester after a Guardian investigation revealed he had made comments about Diane Abbott that have been widely condemned as racist and misogynistic. Continue reading...

Despite UK government outrage the legal loopholes remain and operator has been let off the hook', says joint statementUnions have called for proper legal protection for seafarers on the second anniversary of the P&O Ferries mass sackings scandal, warning that ministers have done nothing" to stop other firms following suit.The cross-Channel ferry operator fired 786 British crew on 17 March 2022 in order to replace them with low-paid agency staff. Although the firm admitted to breaking the law, it has continued to operate without sanction while undercutting rival operators on labour costs. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter best known for 1975 song Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) died on Sunday, family saysSteve Harley, the frontman of the British rock group Cockney Rebel, has died aged 73.The English singer and songwriter, best known for his 1975 song Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), had been receiving treatment for cancer. He died at his Suffolk home on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Study compares electoral systems, with proportional representation shown not to be as volatile as critics sayCabinet ministers in the UK's post-2019 parliament have lasted in their jobs for an average of just eight months, a report comparing political stability across 17 countries has found, with Westminster also faring badly on a series of other metrics.The study, Strong and Stable, which looked at 10 aspects of parliamentary and governmental stability in countries using various electoral systems over the past 50 years, concluded that proportional voting did not mean more volatility compared with UK-style systems, and often the contrary. Continue reading...

In 2022, MoJ data shows 34% of those targeted with synthetic Pava spray were Muslims, who make up 18% of prison populationMuslim prisoners in England and Wales are being disproportionately targeted with the use of pepper spray according to campaigners, with statistics showing the number of incidents has risen sharply in recent years.The Ministry of Justice data, obtained from a freedom of information request submitted by the advocacy organisation Maslaha, shows that in 2022, 34% of those targeted with Pava, a synthetic form of pepper spray, were Muslim, despite only making up 18% of the prison population. Pava was drawn and used against Muslim prisoners 188 times in 2022 and was drawn but not used by prison officers 54 times. Continue reading...

More than 200 people across three retirement schemes were tricked into losing 11.5m, with some expecting long wait for refundsThe Fraud Compensation Fund has paid 9.4m to the three retirement schemes that collapsed during the Norton Motorcycles pension scandal, more than a decade after victims had seemingly lost their life savings.The payment represents some long-awaited good news for more than 200 people who fell victim to what is known as a pensions liberation fraud" during 2012 and 2013, when they were tricked into allowing about 11.5m to be transferred out of their existing retirement plans. Continue reading...

Cabinet minister urges backbenchers to have confidence in party leadership amid reports of plot to remove PMRishi Sunak will lead the Conservative party into an election at the end of the year despite reports of rebellious MPs plotting to oust him to avoid wipeout at the polls, a senior cabinet minister has said.Mark Harper, the transport secretary, told his fellow MPs to have some confidence" in the party leadership, insisting Sunak was focused on making the right decisions" for the country. Continue reading...

Charities and education providers say young carers should be eligible for welfare when they study more than 21 hours a weekYoung carers in England and Wales are being blocked from staying in education and going to college or university by benefit rules that unfairly penalise them, according to a coalition of charities and education providers.The group of more than 200 organisations and representatives is lobbying ministers to exempt young carers - those aged 16 to 24 who often look after relatives - from the rule that makes them ineligible for the government's carer's allowance if they study for more than 21 hours a week. Continue reading...

Only a single hospital in Port-au-Prince remains open, with others devoid of staff as patients look for care and the dead pile upHaiti's healthcare system has all but collapsed amid the ferocious gang insurrection which forced the resignation of the country's prime minister, leaving victims of the violence with little hope of medical attention, according to aid workers in the stricken Caribbean country.In the past two weeks hospitals have been set ablaze, doctors murdered and the most basic medical supplies have now dried up. Only a single public hospital in Haiti's capital now remains operational - and that too is expected to shut its doors soon. Continue reading...

Names of 77 ex-students of women-only Newnham College who worked at Bletchley Park are revealed for first timeThey worked day and night during the second world war, deciphering Nazi messages, breaking Enigma codes and analysing top-secret military documents. But until now it was not known just how many of the intrepid female codebreakers who worked at Bletchley Park had studied at the same place, forming a hidden network of scholars who secretly changed the course of history.The names of the 77 alumnae of Newnham College - a women-only college that is part of Cambridge University - who were recruited to intercept, decrypt and translate military messages for Bletchley Park during the war have been revealed for the first time, in a college exhibit and roll of honour. Continue reading...

Shadow ministers step up preparations by holding informal meals to pick the brains of senior political figuresSenior members of Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet have been meeting with top Whitehall mandarins and former cabinet ministers as part of the party's growing preparations for government, the Observer haslearned.Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser who helped guide the government through the pandemic, as well as former New Labour cabinet ministers James Purnell and Patricia Hewitt, are among those to have attended a series of informal dinners designed to brief Labour frontbenchers on life in government. Former Blair-era adviser Sarah Hunter has also attended. Continue reading...

Premier Steven Miles says massive swing against ALP in two key byelections was very bad' for his government

Steven Miles's government is fighting battles on multiple fronts - and shifting right or left will only create new problems elsewhere

This blog is now closed.

Couple married in Adelaide after nearly two decades together, with prime minister Anthony Albanese in attendance

Defence secretary warned by British intelligence that Kremlin was aware of his travel plansGrant Shapps was forced to abandon a trip to Ukraine's southern city of Odesa because of a Russian missile threat.The defence secretary aborted the visit after he was warned by British intelligence that the Russians had become aware of his travel plans. Continue reading...

Feleti Teo tells the Guardian Tuvaluans fear last year's treaty may give Australia too much say over the Pacific nation's securityTuvalu's new prime minister, Feleti Teo, wants guarantees" from Canberra that a landmark treaty with Australia will not undermine his country's sovereignty.Teo, who was appointed leader last month, told the Guardian a controversial security clause in the Falepili Union treaty has led to fears among Tuvaluans that Australia might encroach on Tuvalu's sovereignty". Continue reading...

Sainsbury's was unable to deliver majority of daily orders, while Tesco hit by separate issue that impacted small number of deliveriesSainsbury's has resolved technical issues that led to the cancellation of online grocery deliveries and card payments in stores on Saturday.The supermarket chain was unable to fulfil the vast majority" of its online orders after an overnight software update led to problems that affected some stores, grocery online services and its ability to contact customers. Continue reading...

Tories accused of deserting those without financial support, as proportion relying on help with deposits rises from 27% to 37% in a yearRishi Sunak has been accused of locking the door on home ownership" and entrenching inequality, amid evidence that tens of thousands more young house buyers have been forced to turn to the bank of mum and dad" to secure a new home.A crisis in housing affordability is again set to be a major election flashpoint, with the prime minister already admitting in recent months that the Conservatives needed to do more to address falling home ownership rates among the young. The party has failed in its manifesto pledge to build 300,000 houses a year. Continue reading...

Singer was praised for earlier allowing distribution of Plan B at her shows, but is now stepping back citing the presence of childrenOlivia Rodrigo has reportedly stepped in to halt the distribution of free contraceptives and the morning-after pill at her concerts, days after the American singer was praised for encouraging young people to take responsibility for their sexual health.According to abortion organizations cited by Variety, Rodrigo's team" became concerned about the messaging and insisted groups no longer pass out lubrication, condoms and the emergency contraceptive pill known as Plan B because children are present at the concerts". Continue reading...

Modi favourite to win third term in largest democratic exercise in history held across six weeksIndia is to hold a national election in April, with Hindu-nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, strongly favoured to win a third term in the world's largest democracy.Nearly a billion people are eligible to cast ballots in what will be the largest exercise of the democratic franchise in history, conducted over six weeks. Continue reading...

Millions viewed footage of Anne Hughes dangling upside down while clinging to shopping trolleyA woman who went viral when her jacket caught on a shop's moving shutter has been immortalised" in a mural painted on the very shutter responsible for hoisting her into the air.Millions have viewed the CCTV footage of Anne Hughes, 72, getting lifted several feet off the ground and dangling upside down while clinging to her shopping trolley. Now anyone passing that same Best One convenience store in Tonteg, Rhondda Cynon Taf, after closing time can see the moment captured in a mural by the Welsh artist Tee2Sugars. Continue reading...

Outcome of election paves way for first black head of a European country or the UK's most senior gay leaderThe winner of the race to become the next first minister of Wales is to be revealed on Saturday.Whether Vaughan Gething or Jeremy Miles is elected Welsh Labour leader, it will be a historic moment. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology expects the cyclone to strengthen to a category-two system overnight and into category three by Sunday evening

Proposed 100 charge could be seen as a price worth paying to continue to sell the productsFirms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.Under the government's plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of 100 by their local council. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Photograph of Sunak with Hester at Tory fundraiser last June raises further questions for prime ministerRishi Sunak is facing calls to say how many times he has met the Conservative mega-donor Frank Hester, who made comments about Diane Abbott that have been widely condemned for being racist and misogynistic, after a picture of the pair at a Tory fundraiser emerged.Hester is understood to have attended two Tory fundraisers in the last year, in June where he was photographed with Sunak, and as recently as two weeks ago at Raffles in London. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Money raised from a tax on companies buying their own shares could be used for green investment, party saysThe Liberal Democrats are to kick off their spring conference with a call for the UK to mimic Joe Biden's tax on share buybacks by big corporations, as the party prepares for a further push into Conservative-held blue wall" seats before the election.The plan, the set-piece announcement of Saturday's first full day of the gathering in York, would impose a 4% tax on any share buybacks by FTSE-100 companies, which on the basis of the past two years of such activities would raise about 2bn annually. Continue reading...

Which? survey finds a third of online supermarket shoppers have been given a substitutionMushrooms in place of tampons, a frozen pizza substituted for tinned peaches, and cream crackers instead of Christmas crackers. These are among the bizarre" supermarket substitutions reported by online shoppers in a new poll.Just over a third of online grocery shoppers (34%) reported having received a substitution in their most recent grocery delivery, the survey for consumer group Which? found. Continue reading...

Hamas seeks scaled-back release it can portray as victory as Israeli government weighs conflicting pressures over hostagesIn a cafe on a dusty roundabout in the small West Bank town of Silwad, men sit and play cards, one eye on the large TV screen showing the latest news from Gaza. When there is any mention of a possible ceasefire deal - and so the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails - there is silence.Nobody tell us anything officially. We see on the news about a deal. So we just know that my brother might be released," said Akhram Hammad, a 45-year-old blacksmith whose sibling Tayyer is serving multiple life sentences for shooting dead seven Israeli soldiers and three civilians at a checkpoint not far from Silwad in 2002. It would be really good and everybody would be really happy; otherwise, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars." Continue reading...

Outrage from the far right over rumours of a performance at the opening ceremony has exposed deep divisions in FranceShe is the most listened-to French singer in the world, whose relentlessly catchy hits about love and betrayal have been streamed 7bn times and who made history last year when she sold out three Paris gigs in 15 minutes.But Aya Nakamura, France's biggest pop superstar who is known for her unique French style influenced by Afrobeats and Caribbean zouk, called out racism and ignorance this week after far-right politicians expressed outrage over the possibility that she could sing at the Paris Olympics. Continue reading...

Actor also says dealing with press headlines about Fox's remarks has made her stronger'Billie Piper has said she dislikes being told or asked about her ex-husband Laurence Fox's incendiary comments.However, Piper, 41, who was married to the actor turned political campaigner from 2007 until 2016, believes dealing with press headlines over his remarks had made her feel stronger in many ways". Continue reading...

Hackney MP tells large crowd this is not about me, this is about the level of racism in Britain'Diane Abbott greeted large crowds of people who gathered at a rally in support of her on Friday night, telling the crowd they had to stand firm" against racism.The rally was organised by local black women in Hackney after remarks emerged about the longstanding MP by Frank Hester, the Tories' biggest donor, that were widely condemned as racist and misogynistic. Continue reading...

The model and actor wrote on Instagram My heart is broken' after house in Studio City apparently collapsed after a fire broke outA Los Angeles home that appears to belong to the model and actor Cara Delevingne was destroyed in a fire Friday.One firefighter was taken to a hospital in fair condition with unspecified injuries, and a housesitter who was inside at the time was treated for minor injuries, a Los Angeles fire department spokesperson, Nicholas Prange, said. Continue reading...

As NHS England prepares to end routine provision for children with gender dysphoria, here's all you need to know about themChildren with gender dysphoria will no longer receive puberty suppressing hormones, also known as puberty blockers, as routine practice after an NHS England review concluded there was insufficient evidence for their safety and effectiveness.Under the new policy, the hormones will be only available for children with gender dysphoria through clinical trials intended to fill gaps in medical knowledge, though provision is expected to be made in exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Treatment for young people already receiving the hormones will not be affected. Continue reading...