World news | The Guardian

Nesrine Malik’s columns | Ex-leaders compared | Love for Guardian letters | A mother’s placeYour columnist Nesrine Malik writes (11 April) that the pandemic has made her reflect wistfully on the bargain she made when she left Sudan to find success far from home. Nesrine’s columns, expressing subtle thoughts with admirable lucidity, have been something I’ve looked forward to reading all during lockdown. Perhaps we in her adopted country are not the audience she most longs for, but her eloquence has surely touched many readers.

Woman, 21, and man, 36, arrested in connection with baby boy’s death after child found in supermarket car park

World Health Organization says ‘confusion and complacency’ prolonging global situation

Voters in presidential race reject leftist movement, while Peru vote heads for second roundA conservative businessman has unexpectedly won Ecuador’s presidential election as voters rejected the leftist movement started by the former president Rafael Correa more than a decade ago.Preliminary results showed that Guillermo Lasso took 52% of the vote in the runoff following a campaign that pitted free-market economics against the social welfare plans of Andrés Arauz, an economist. Continue reading...

Analysis: Prince of Wales will be increasingly at Queen’s side as he takes role at a time of internal divisionsAn indisputable truth of hereditary monarchy is that promotion to the “top job” is accompanied by deep personal sorrow. So it will be for the Prince of Wales, who will eventually take the throne as he mourns his mother.But the loss of his father will have had no less profound an effect on Prince Charles. And, though on any official level it does not alter his royal status, it does change the family dynamic. Continue reading...

China sends 25 military jets a day after US secretary of state’s comments about Beijing’s aggressionA record number of 25 Chinese military jets have breached Taiwan’s defence zone, the island’s government said, after a senior US official warned of an “increasingly aggressive” Beijing.The defence ministry scrambled aircraft to broadcast warnings to leave after China’s jets, including 18 fighters, entered the island’s southwest air defence identification zone, for a 10th straight day. Continue reading...

Analysis: there are several reasons Russia would want to raise tensions, but an attack appears unlikelyRussia’s fortnight-long military buildup to the east and south of Ukraine has helped it mass an estimated 80,000 troops in the border region in an attention-grabbing exercise that is increasingly occupying western thinking.Tanks and other artillery units have also been arriving at Voronezh, east of Ukraine, according to Janes, a military intelligence firm, and a staging ground for about 3,000 troops been established to the south of the city. Continue reading...

The Grammy award-winning rock band have received commercial success yet critics haven’t been quite as receptive – can their new album change that?Talk to Josh Kiszka, lead singer of the band Greta Van Fleet, about his time growing up in a small town in the American midwest and you’d think he was describing the life of Huckleberry Finn. “We were outside most of the time, building rafts and taking them down the river,” the 24-year-old told the Guardian. “There wasn’t a lot of television in the house. And when all the other kids wanted cellphones, I fought that. I preferred to take a hike.”Kiszka’s parents strongly encouraged him and his two brothers in that pursuit. “My mother even took the clocks off the wall at one point,” he said. “They were the opposite of helicopter parents. They taught us to do things independently.” Continue reading...

Analysis: Apparent attack by Israel is a reminder of the weaknesses of industrial control systemsThe apparent attack by Israel on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facility appears to be the latest episode in an increasing tit-for-tat cyberwar. Both sides have already targeted so-called industrial control systems [ICS], which have emerged as a key weakness for countries across the globe.While Iran described the latest attack as “sabotage”, Israeli media called it a cyber-attack. Continue reading...

Jury at inquest into 2019 deaths of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones hears how killer taped knives to his handsThe mother of a victim of the London Bridge terrorist attack has described how her son was a “force for good in the world”, as an inquest heard how his killer taped knives to his hands in a toilet cubicle before killing two people and injuring three.The jury for the inquest into the deaths of Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were shown photographs of knives, together with tape and scissors that Usman Khan left in a cubicle before beginning his attack at 1.56pm on 29 November 2019 at a prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers’ Hall. Continue reading...

Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry pay tribute to ‘extraordinary’ grandfather in separate statementsThe Duke of Edinburgh would want family members “to get on with the job”, Prince William said, as he and his brother paid tribute to a “grandpa” and “an extraordinary man”.Prince Harry, who has flown from California to attend Saturday’s ceremonial royal funeral, described Philip as “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end”. Continue reading...

Efforts are focused on removing ‘rolling deadlines’ from border control implementations, sources say

Independent investigation launched into former PM’s lobbying for now-collapsed firm

Colourised images from Tuol Sleng prison during 1970s genocide were manipulated, media group saysCambodia has condemned images published by Vice media group that featured victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide, colourised and with some apparently edited to add smiles to their faces.The artist Matt Loughrey modified images taken at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, where thousands of people were tortured and interrogated before they were sent on to the killing fields of Choeung Ek. Continue reading...

Media billionaire receives ‘full confidence’ of Morrison government following calls for him to quit for backing former soldierThe Morrison government is backing Kerry Stokes to continue overseeing the Australian War Memorial amid new reports about the media baron’s support for former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, who is seeking to clear his name over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.The minister for veterans’ affairs and defence personnel, Darren Chester, told Guardian Australia he had “full confidence in the council of the Australian War Memorial”, despite the Greens arguing that Stokes’ position as chair was untenable. Continue reading...

Carey Mulligan’s character in this Oscar-nominated drama utilises the ‘good girl’ look to get revenge. Costume designer Nancy Steiner explains why the wardrobe packs such a punchAt one point in Emerald Fennell’s debut film, Promising Young Woman, Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) goes to lunch with a former college classmate, Madison McPhee (Alison Brie). Madison, who is a stay-at-home mother, gets – as she calls it – “afternoon drunk” and proceeds to give her thoughts on gender politics. “All guys want the same thing,” she slurs. “A good girl.”This desire – and Cassie’s subversion of it – is spelled out in what she wears. Cassie’s clothes are the epitome of the “good girl” type – pink, floral and fluffy. There is a baseball shirt with a unicorn on the front. A sweater with daisies. A midi dress, softly flowing in sky blue. Her clothes are sweet – as sweet as the cupcakes on display in the coffee shop where she works. Continue reading...

Sir Philip Rycroft says PM’s ‘muscular brand of unionism’ has deepened divisions between four nationsThe pandemic has seeded the idea of a prime minister “who speaks for England alone” as relations between the four nations of the UK deteriorate amid “deep-rooted complacency”, a senior former civil servant has warned.There is widespread ignorance towards the union, meaning ministers can be kept in the dark about major reforms with little consideration for the four nations, Sir Philip Rycroft, the permanent secretary to the Brexit department until 2019, says in a report. Continue reading...

Continuing our series of writers defending loathed films is an argument to rewatch Jared Hess’s inventive post-Napoleon Dynamite comedyAny heat generated by Jared Hess’s oddball debut Napoleon Dynamite had cooled by the time his third film, Gentlemen Broncos, was dumped on to a handful of screens by its neglectful distributor, Fox Searchlight, in 2009. It made just over $118,000 (a fraction of that from a three-day UK run in 2010). Time Out magazine labelled it “unsavoury”, the New York Times a “misfire”. Others were less kind.Related: Hear me out: why A View to a Kill isn't a bad movie Continue reading...

Inquest will ask if deaths of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones at hands of convicted terrorist Usman Khan could have been prevented

Charity warns of 22,000 additional deaths in poorest countries if Wish reproductive health programme endsThe director of a leading sexual and reproductive health charity has accused the government of “abandoning” women and girls it promised to help, as aid cuts derail a leading Tory programme to reduce maternal deaths and prevent unsafe abortions in poor countries.The threat to the women’s integrated sexual health (Wish) programme could mean 7.5m additional unintended pregnancies, 2.7m unsafe abortions and 22,000 maternal deaths over the next year, said Dr Alvaro Bermejo, director general of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Continue reading...

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He declared his intention to go away for a while after pointed criticism of his second memoir. But now the musician is back with a new album - and a visceral documentary

Overfishing and smuggling of this crucial animal are affecting biodiversity and the livelihood of local fishers in Sri LankaIt’s after sunset in Jaffna when Anthony Vigrado dives into the waters of Palk Bay, scanning the seafloor to collect what seems to be prized treasure. What he comes back with are sea cucumbers – long, leathery-skinned creatures that are increasingly valuable and the source of his income for the past 12 years.But after a 10-hour search, his harvest is only a fraction of what it used to be, as the shores of northern Sri Lanka and southern India have become a prime spot for exploitation. Continue reading...

High-powered weapons, as well as a hand grenade, were used in fighting near Kainantu Town in Eastern Highlands provincePolice are warning a “all-out war” could erupt in Eastern Highlands province in Papua New Guinea, after 19 people were killed in tribal violence late last week.High-powered weapons, as well as a hand grenade, were used in fighting on Thursday and Friday near Kainantu Town in the east of the country, causing 19 deaths, with many more people unaccounted for, and properties destroyed. Continue reading...

Prime minister’s comments come after border worker diagnosed last week said to have missed two vaccine appointments

Public encouraged to report internet users who cast doubt on party’s version of history ahead of its 100th anniversaryChina’s cyber regulator has launched a hotline to report online criticism of the ruling Communist party and its history, vowing to crack down on “historical nihilists” ahead of the party’s 100th anniversary in July.The tip line allows people to report fellow internet users who “distort” the party’s history, attack its leadership and policies, defame national heroes and “deny the excellence of advanced socialist culture” online, said a notice posted by an arm of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Friday. Continue reading...

UK has now given 32.1 million people a first dose of the vaccine and 7.5 million a second dose; Iran reports 258 further Covid-19 deaths

West Midlands Police had asked for help finding mother after baby’s body was discovered in supermarket car park

Caribbean island blanketed in ash following biggest eruption since 1979, which has forced thousands to flee

The death of George Floyd after being restrained by Minneapolis police last year sparked a wave of outrage that swept across the US and the world. Now the police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes is on trial for his murder. Oliver Laughland has been following the proceedings inside the courtroom, and explains the key evidence and arguments so far. Plus Amudalat Ajasa tells Anushka Asthana that for black people across the US, it is difficult to watchYou can also read: Continue reading...

Ministers missing out on valuable advice amid tense relationship with Beijing, policy paper warnsThe Australian government is missing out on valuable sources of advice on the increasingly complex relationship with China because Chinese-Australians are under-represented in the public service, a new policy paper says.For decades governments have recognised that “Australia’s Asia literacy is meagre”, according to the Lowy Institute paper. But the paper argues that where China literacy does exist in the Australian public service, “it is often underutilised or undervalued”. Continue reading...

Scottish first minister tells Guardian fresh poll impossible to resist should her party land majority next month

Transportation to one’s own funeral is becoming more personalised, as more seek ‘something different’The send-off for Prince Philip will be a royal funeral like no other, not least because his coffin will be carried in a bespoke Land Rover hearse he helped to design himself.It’s a break from royal tradition – but his choice is not uncommon. Alternative hearses have become increasingly popular in recent years as people opt for more personalised funerals. Continue reading...

Duke of Edinburgh’s family say his death was ‘peaceful and gentle’ as they prepare for funeral on SaturdayThe Queen has described the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as leaving “a huge void” in her life, Prince Andrew has revealed, saying it had brought home to him the loss suffered by so many during the coronavirus pandemic.The Duke of York said the Queen had “described his passing as a miracle”, thought to refer to the fact Prince Philip died peacefully at home with her and not alone in hospital amid Covid regulations. Continue reading...

Union flags will fly at half-mast, public services will continue but some sports fixtures will be rescheduledThe UK is in a period of national mourning following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. It officially began on Friday, when Philip died, and will last up to and including his funeral on Saturday 17 April. Continue reading...

In the stillness of lockdown, I now see that the costs of globalisation have come to outweigh its benefitsFor as long as I have been able to remember, I have known that I would not always live where I was born. I knew that at some point, I would have to leave my country of Sudan if I wanted to secure work that would provide a meaningful living.At the time, it wasn’t a sad realisation but more an exciting prospect, one that promised a shot at a “modern” life. To me, that modernity meant social mobility, the loosening of oppressive family ties and economic prosperity. Continue reading...

Iran announced on Saturday that it had started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at Natanz, in breach of its undertakings under a 2015 nuclear deal and days after the start of talks on rescuing the accord. The following day a spokesperson for Iran’s civilian nuclear programme said an 'accident' had happened at the facility's electrical distribution grid. Behrouz Kamalvandi says the reason for the loss in power is unknown and will be investigated but there were no injuries and no contamination

Whistler, in British Columbia, has nearly 200 of 877 confirmed cases in the province but officials have only a murky idea of how widely variant has spreadFor ski resorts, spring normally marks a final chance for visitors to carve sun-drenched runs before the season ends.But at Canada’s most famous ski resort, the gondolas have stopped, and the slopes are eerily quiet. Continue reading...

Former prime minister calls for any ‘friction’ within royal family to be swiftly resolvedGrief and emotions surrounding the death of the Duke of Edinburgh represent “an ideal opportunity” to mend rifts in the royal family, the former prime minister John Major has said, as he called for “friction” to be swiftly resolved.His comments came as Prince Harry prepared to fly from California to the UK for his grandfather’s funeral on Saturday, where he will be reunited with his relatives for the first time since he and Meghan, his wife, laid bare their anger and pain at alleged treatment by the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Continue reading...

Intensive care consultant says doctors are hoping to create a uniform structure for follow-up clinics

Red alert called for 800km stretch of coast south of Carnarvon to Lancelin, as premier describes storm as ‘like nothing we have seen before in decades’Residents in Western Australia’s mid west have been told to take shelter during what their premier has described as a cyclone “like nothing we have seen before in decades”.

Jewellery, a wedding dress and tour outfits are among memorabilia up for grabs after the superstar decided on a cathartic clearoutIntent on making sure her birthday weekend will be one to remember for fans across the world, Janet Jackson has finally agreed to auction more than 1,000 pieces from a career spanning four decades.The star, who has sold over 185 million records and remains the only female artist in history to score seven top-five singles from one album, has partnered with celebrity auctioneer Julien’s to host the three-day sale in Beverly Hills from 14 May. Continue reading...

Stella Moris says Britain’s continued detention of WikiLeaks founder is compromising its global standingBritain would be on stronger ground campaigning against authoritarian regimes if it pressed the Biden administration to drop its call to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges, Stella Moris, Assange’s partner, has told the Guardian.Moris – who has had two children by Assange – is trying to broaden the campaign of support for him by pointing to the global damage to the UK’s reputation by keeping him in jail for so long. Continue reading...

Move over man caves! Now women are discovering what a life-saver their own private sheds can beAt the entrance to Angela Benjamin’s shed is a copper sign that reads: “She Cave”, and a deep purple clematis weaves its way through the letters. The shed is a simple wooden structure at the end of her garden in Ealing, west London that backs on to a cemetery – “so I don’t disturb anyone when I’m working!” Continue reading...

Prince Charles paid tribute to his ‘dear papa’, Prince Philip, whose death was announced on Friday.Charles said the royal family was ‘deeply grateful’ for the outpouring of support they have received and was touched by the number of people around the world who have shared the family’s loss and sorrow.The Duke of Edinburgh’s royal ceremonial funeral is expected to take place on 17 April at Windsor Castle and will be entirely closed to the public

Activists fear billion-dollar climate deal will bolster Bolsonaro and reward illegal forest clearance – but US says action can’t waitThe US is negotiating a multi-billion dollar climate deal with Brazil that observers fear could help the reelection of president Jair Bolsonaro and reward illegal forest clearance in the Amazon.That is the concern of indigenous groups, environmental campaigners and civil society activists, who say they are being shut out of the most important talks on the future of the rainforest since at least 1992. Continue reading...

Irish government suggests talks after eight nights in which police have been attacked and cars torchedBoris Johnson’s government is resisting growing calls to hold a special crisis summit with Dublin to address rising tensions in Northern Ireland – amid growing international anxiety about a return to sectarian violence.The Observer has been told by senior sources that suggestions from Dublin to London that the crisis requires a high-level intergovernmental conference to help stabilise the situation have met with no enthusiasm on the British side. Continue reading...

Heavy rain reveals wooden beams of vessel, which smashed into shore on mid-north coast in 1893Heavy rain has fully uncovered a century-old shipwreck on the New South Wales mid-north coast over the weekend.The 39-metre sailing vessel, named the “Buster” wrecked on Woolgoolga beach north of Coffs Harbour on 17 February 1893. Locals can only see the Buster’s wooden beams, almost 120 years old, when wind or heavy seas wash away the sand. Continue reading...

An ambitious plan to take overnight services through the Channel tunnel reflects a growing interest in sustainable travelIt is being hailed as the latest evidence of a new dawn for the European sleeper train. Citing changes in attitude wrought by the two crises of the climate emergency and the Covid pandemic, a new night service in 2022 was announced last week between Brussels and Prague, stopping at Amsterdam, Berlin and Dresden, with tickets expected to cost from €60 one way.But an even more ambitious project could deliver Britons to continental Europe via surely one of the most romantic modes of transport around, Elmer van Buuren, a co-founder of the European Sleeper cooperative, told the Observer. Continue reading...

Ashmolean in Oxford turned down chance to buy exquisite paintings and drawings, which may now go to New YorkIndian paintings and drawings had been his lifelong passion and, before his death in 2017, the artist Sir Howard Hodgkin hoped that his collection would be acquired by the Ashmolean in Oxford – only for the museum to reject his offer amid concerns that some of the works should never have left India.Now Britain’s loss could be America’s gain. Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have discussed the possibility of acquiring works thought to be worth more than £7.2m. The collection contains more than 120 exquisite paintings and drawings dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Continue reading...