World news | The Guardian

Suggestions definition of petrostate is too narrow as many rich countries that could phase out fossil fuels double down

Zarah Sultana, one of seven MPs suspended over SNP motion, says she is victim of macho virility test'

Strong results achieved despite Easter holiday period falling outside quarterly trading period, says airline

Police and Crown Office also to face legal action in bid to hold authorities accountableThe family of a man who died in custody after he was restrained by 17 officers will sue the Scottish Prison Service, police and Crown Office in a last resort attempt to hold authorities accountable for his death.Allan Marshall, 30, from South Lanarkshire, died in 2015 after he was restrained for at least half an hour at HMP Edinburgh. The father-of-two, who had an underlying heart condition, died in hospital four days later. His cause of death was recorded as brain injury due to cardiac arrest during physical restraint. Continue reading...

Victim sustains serious injuries' during attack near barracks in Gillingham, as 24-year-old suspect detainedA 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a soldier was stabbed in Kent, reportedly while wearing his uniform.The victim, in his 40s, sustained serious injuries" during the attack, an army spokesperson said. Continue reading...

An American contestant on Race to Survive has apologised for eating a weka, a large, brown flightless bird known for its curiosityThings got a little too real on the reality TV show Race to Survive when one of the contestants killed and ate a protected New Zealand bird species, prompting a warning from authorities.The contestants had been warned that certain food groups - including protected ones - were off limits. Spencer Jones, who killed and ate the weka, has since apologised, saying, I made a mistake. It was shortsighted, it was foolish," according to the website RealityTea.com. Continue reading...

Which? study found increase of 38% for one brand, while cheaper options often scored better in taste testsThe price of popular ice-creams and lollies including Cornetto and Solero have soared by more than 30% over the past two years amid the rising cost of ingredients and energy.Analysts at the consumer group Which? have suggested switching to supermarket own-label options that are cheaper and - their study suggests - often tastier. Continue reading...

Twenty artworks from Ron Walker's deceased estate to go under the hammer, along with seven Arthur Boyd paintings

Sydney has biggest drop in births as economist says couples delaying children because of cost-of-living crisis

Royal accounts show estate made 1.1bn profit, meaning sovereign grant will rise to 132m for 2025-26King Charles is set for a huge 45m pay rise with an increase of more than 50% in his official annual income, official accounts reveal.Profits of 1.1bn from the crown estate - a percentage of which funds the monarchy - mean the sovereign grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, will rise from 86m in 2024-25 to 132m in 2025-26. Continue reading...

Report warns of crisis of poverty and mental health which casts a shadow' over young people's wellbeingMinisters have been urged to reform the benefits system to tackle child poverty, after a report found it to be a major cause of mental illness that casts a shadow" over young people's wellbeing.The report, by the Centre for Mental Health, Save the Children UK and the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition, found that the number of children living in poverty in the UK had increased to 4.3 million, while one in five children and young people aged between eight and 24 had a diagnosable mental health problem. Continue reading...

Exclusive: E Street Band and Sopranos star visits south London to see his TeachRock programme in actionLegendary guitarist and Sopranos star Stevie Van Zandt has made an impassioned plea for more arts and music in England's schools as a way of engaging disaffected young people during a visit to south London.It was a last day of term like no other for pupils at Beckmead College - a school for students aged 14-19 with social, emotional and mental health needs - when the E Street Band member turned up, dressed like a rock star in purple velvet, winkle picker boots and trademark bandana. Continue reading...

State becomes first to mandate methodology in overhaul educators hope will allow disabled and disadvantaged students catch up to their peers

US rapper will conclude torch's relay through Saint-Denis and Olympic Village to mark start of 33rd GamesSnoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch through the final stages when it passes through Paris before the opening ceremony on Friday.The US rapper will be hoping he won't Drop It Like It's Hot when he holds the torch in Saint-Denis to mark the start of the 33rd Games. Continue reading...

Seven still missing as emergency teams scour south Atlantic after vessel experienced uncontrolled flooding'Fourteen fishermen stranded in lifeboats off the coast of the Falkland Islands have been saved in a dramatic rescue operation, but seven people remain missing and six others are believed dead.Late on Tuesday, emergency teams were still scouring the choppy waters of the south Atlantic for survivors after the Argos Georgia, a Saint Helena-flagged fishing vessel experienced uncontrolled flooding" on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MPs to face restrictions on second jobs that fail to put constituents first', Lucy Powell saysMPs will be prevented from taking on second jobs that fail to meet a new test of putting constituents first, under government plans to turn the page" on an era of sleaze and scandal.Despite growing anger over MPs doing lucrative outside work while also serving their constituents, the new Labour government will not ban second jobs but will severely restrict lobbying work. Continue reading...

Vessel moored in Dorset, which is home to 400 people, to be shut down in January when contract endsThe Bibby Stockholm, the controversial barge that has been used to accommodate asylum seekers, is to be shut down, the government has said.Use of the vessel, which is housing 400 people and is moored at Portland, Dorset, will stop when the current contract ends in January 2025. Continue reading...

Lockwood resigned as director of watchdog in 2022 after being accused of assaulting 14-year-oldsA former chief of the England and Wales police watchdog has been cleared of raping and molesting two 14-year-old girls 40 years ago.Michael Lockwood, 65, resigned from his job as director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in December 2022 after allegations first emerged. Continue reading...

Ex-Labour leader initially planned to sell personal and political documents to Canadian university for 212,500The former UK prime minister Harold Wilson agreed to sell his archive of private papers to help fund his care, official documents have revealed.Papers released by the National Archives and identified by the BBC show Lord Wilson initially planned to sell the collection to McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, for 212,500 - the equivalent of about 700,000 in today's money. Continue reading...

Former Manchester City and Newcastle player says charges are over tweets relating to pundit Eni AlukoThe former footballer and manager Joey Barton has been charged with making malicious communications, police have said.The ex-Manchester City and Newcastle player is due to appear at Warrington magistrates court next week after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge, Cheshire police said. Continue reading...

Presenter says Games could be time to appreciate steadier' nature of British politics amid political upheaval in EuropeThe Paris Olympics will provide a moment to celebrate modern Britain and bring the nation together, Gabby Logan has said.Speaking before the opening of the 33rd summer Olympic Games in Paris on Friday, the presenter said the Games could be a time to appreciate the steadier" nature of British politics, which had not had to face down the far right as France did in elections held weeks before the Olympics. Continue reading...

Son and grandson of the painter unveil exhibition of her work to restore her place in cultural historyShe was a painter, he was a sculptor. They worked side by side, describing their marriage as a 64-year conversation about art". They influenced one another's work and regarded one another as equals - but today, Anthony Caro is a household name while Sheila Girling is all but forgotten.This weekend, however, the couple's son, Paul Caro, and grandson, Ben Caro, hope that's about to change. They've been instrumental in helping to organise a comprehensive exhibition of her work: more than 90 paintings and collages go on display at the Bowhouse community space in St Monans, near St Andrews, Scotland (to 1 September, with a break in August - see spacetobreatheexpo.com fordetails). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Several sent home for slow fruit picking face debts as watchdog investigates alleged illegal feesIndonesian workers who paid thousands of pounds to travel to Britain and pick fruit at a farm supplying most big supermarkets have been sent home within weeks for not picking fast enough.One of the workers said he had sold his family's land, as well as his and his parents' motorbikes, to cover the more than 2,000 cost of coming to Britain in May and was distressed to find himself unemployed with few possessions. Continue reading...

The ex-PM is opening the new facility supplying food and basic necessities against a backdrop of concerns for the wellbeing of children over the summer holidaysThe first multibank" in London, distributing everything from basic foods to baby products and toiletries, will be officially launched this week, amid continued concerns about levels of poverty as the school summer holidays begin.The opening of Felix's Multibank, which has the backing of former prime minister Gordon Brown and London mayor Sadiq Khan, is the latest in a growing network of multibanks. Continue reading...

Minister pledges more sports and drama in curriculum review as row deepens over two-child benefit cap Interview Labour's Bridget Phillipson: I will help working-class pupils defy the odds to succeed'Expanding opportunities for working-class children by broadening the school curriculum to include more sport, drama, art and music alongside core academic subjects will be top priorities for the Labour government, the new education secretary says today.In her first newspaper interview since being appointed to the cabinet by Keir Starmer, Bridget Phillipson insists her aim is to break the link between background and success", and to ensure every child has the same level of opportunity, regardless of their parents' means. Continue reading...

As archbishop of Canterbury visits Jamaica, research reveals trader left money to church's missionary armThe archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of the work to address the Church of England's historic links to chattel slavery on a trip to Jamaica, as archive research reveals that the slave trader Edward Colston left a bequest in the 18th century to the church's missionary arm.Justin Welby is on a three-day visit to the West Indies to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. He said a 100m fund set up by the church would be used to benefit communities which still bear the scars" from slavery. Continue reading...

The Labour government has plans to end their outdated and indefensible' lawmaking position in the upper houseFor centuries in Britain, the country's noblemen have sat in parliament by virtue of their bloodline - but not for much longer.The last dukes, earls, viscounts and barons are to be removed from the UK's unelected upper house, the House of Lords, by the newly elected Labour government - which has declared their presence outdated and indefensible". Continue reading...

A massive dump of snow on Friday night has continued into Saturday, bringing super thick fresh powder snow' to alpine areas

St James's Park in central London records highest reading, with health alerts in place across the Midlands, eastern and southern EnglandUK temperatures have reached their highest point of the year so far, the Met Office has confirmed, with 31.9C recorded at St James's Park in central London.The high temperatures, which were recorded largely along the eastern half of the country, came as the majority of schools in England and Wales closed for the summer. Continue reading...

El Atentado a Trump by Conjunto Diamante Norteno adopts style long used to narrate tall tales and historical eventsFor centuries, Mexican corridos have narrated tall tales and historical events to the backing of accordion, guitar or brass band, preserving the memory of fictional heroes and villains - as well as real-life figures from revolutionaries to drug lords.After a man with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, it took barely two days for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump to be immortalized in a viral corrido. Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks, makes video at contested holy site in JerusalemIsrael's extremist national security minister has visited the holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem, recording a video saying he went to pray, in a provocative move as he seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks.Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist and champion of the settler movement, recorded footage at al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, a site holy to Muslims and Jews. Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks, makes video at al-Aqsa mosque compound in JerusalemIsrael's extremist national security minister has visited the holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem, recording a video saying he went to pray, in a provocative move as he seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks.Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist and champion of the settler movement, recorded footage at al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, a site holy to Muslims and Jews. Continue reading...

Lady Hallett says failure to challenge consensus views on UK's readiness to respond to pandemic was acute problem'Groupthink underpinned the flawed thinking behind the UK's pandemic response, a succession of witnesses at the heart of government told the Covid-19 public inquiry.The former prime minister and the former chancellor, David Cameron and George Osborne, admitted it; as did the current and former chief medical officers Prof Chris Whitty and Dame Sally Davies. The former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and the Cabinet Office minister Sir Oliver Letwin agreed. Continue reading...

Letter revenues rose 11% in quarter, with update coming as Czech tycoon progresses takeover bid for parent firm

Health secretaries failed to fix flaws in contingency planning before Covid killed more than 230,000 in UK, report says

Sarah Shaweesh says she entered the prime minister's office as a constituent seeking information about her family's declined visa application

Paul Harding tells court Haigh had recalled to him having her hands tied together at the wrist'

Boy and younger brother, whose parents died in the house fire, remain in hospitalA woman has revealed how her partner saved a four-year-old boy from a house fire in Blackpool that killed the child's parents.The mother and father of the boy died in the fire in the early hours of Wednesday and their two children remain in hospital. The youngest child, a boy, is in a very poorly condition", police said. Continue reading...

Speaking to German media ahead of Munich concert residency, singer says she wants to do other creative things' and has no plans for new materialAdele has announced she intends to go on hiatus from music after a forthcoming concert residency in Munich.The British singer told German broadcaster ZDF: My tank is quite empty from being on stage every weekend in Las Vegas. I don't have any plans for new music, at all. Continue reading...

A crackdown on the use of overseas workers and an AI bill were also missing from the speech

Once seen as the world's most powerful woman, the former German chancellor is now immersed in the arts - and not only as an admirerAt the peak of her career, she was hailed as the world's most powerful woman and the de-facto leader of the EU.But as Angela Merkel turns 70 today, there will be no gathering of dignitaries to pay tribute to her legacy. Instead, she will celebrate entering her eighth decade in private", a spokesperson for her office told the German news agency dpa. Continue reading...

Broxtowe council votes to build new oak headstocks after dismantling of original structure prompted protestsCouncillors in Broxtowe, in Nottinghamshire, have unanimously voted to replace Brinsley Headstocks in their original form, after the dismantling of the structure last year due to safety concerns prompted a backlash from residents.The headstocks, the last remaining structure of the type in England, were used to transport men and coal up and down mines in the area from 1872 until the last colliery closed in 1970. Continue reading...

Tony Burke's request to federal police comes as he vows to take action' after Nine investigation into construction division of union

Research suggests at-home tests could encourage 400,000 more women a year to have a screeningWomen could be offered DIY cervical screening tests on the NHS, after research found self-testing at home significantly improved screening rates.Researchers calculated that being able to take their sample at home could encourage about 400,000 more women a year to have a cervical screening. Continue reading...

Driver and passenger had been shot dead after car had reportedly been driven from Copenhagen to MalmoSwedish police are investigating a double shooting after two bodies were found in a burnt-out car rented by a British citizen.The driver and passenger, who had driven across the Denmark-Sweden border into the southern city of Malmo, were shot on Sunday, according to the daily newspaper Aftonbladet. Continue reading...

Likely outcome' of Trump victory means EU should reopen diplomatic talks with Moscow, says Hungarian PMViktor Orban has claimed that Donald Trump has detailed and well-founded" plans for peace between Russia and Ukraine in a letter to a top EU body that is likely to inflame tensions about the Hungarian prime minister's diplomatic freelancing.Orban, who met Trump at his Palm Beach compound last week, said in his letter to the president of the European Council, who organises meetings of the bloc's 27 national leaders, that the Republican presidential nominee was ready to act as peace broker immediately" after his election. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Muslim voters are grossly underrepresented at all levels of government', Ghaith Krayem says

Gething joined Labour party at 17 and was elected to Welsh Assembly in 2011

Actor and rock musician says I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence' after Kyle Gass joked about assassination attemptJack Black has put his rock duo Tenacious D on hold following an onstage comment made by his bandmate Kyle Gass, which seemed to support the assassination of Donald Trump.Gass was celebrating his birthday during a concert in Sydney on Sunday, with a cake presented to him on stage. Black told Gass to make a wish as he blew out the candles, and Gass responded, to audience laughter, Don't miss Trump next time" - a reference to the failed assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks at a Trump rally the previous day.I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding. Continue reading...

Lancashire teenager disappeared after attending music festival on the island four weeks agoAn autopsy has confirmed that the body found by Spanish rescuers in Tenerife on Monday is that of the missing British teenager Jay Slater.A court spokesperson has reportedly confirmed that fingerprints taken from the body match those of the missing 19-year-old from Lancashire. Continue reading...