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The International IDEA's survey of democratic markers finds US is offering encouragement' to populist leadersPress freedom around the world has suffered its sharpest fall in 50 years as global democracy weakens dramatically, a landmark report has found.According to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), democracy has declined in 94 countries over the last five years and only a third have made progress. Continue reading...

Caesareans drive rise in assisted deliveries as experts warn of complex pregnancies linked to age, obesity and other conditionsMore than half of women having a baby in Britain now do so with the help of medical intervention, an audit of NHS maternity care has revealed.Of the 592,594 births that took place in 2023, 50.6% involved either a caesarean section or the use of instruments such as forceps or a ventouse suction cup. Continue reading...

Isaac Herzog says when allies meet they can argue' after some Labour MPs condemn Downing Street meetingThe British prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, had a tough" set of exchanges over humanitarian aid in Gaza at a Downing Street meeting, amid street protests demanding Herzog's arrest as a war criminal.Herzog, speaking to the Chatham House thinktank immediately after the meeting, said he had offered the British government a fact-finding mission to look at the levels of aid entering Gaza. He denied there was any famine and blamed the high civilian death toll on Hamas placing missiles in living rooms. Continue reading...

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Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani calls for Benjamin Netanyahu to be brought to justice'Qatar's prime minister has said that Benjamin Netanyahu killed any hope" for the remaining hostages in Gaza following Israel's extraordinary strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha on Tuesday.In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called the deadly strike in the Qatari capital an act of state terror". Israel's attack the previous day killed six members of Hamas who were negotiating a ceasefire deal brokered by the US and other Gulf countries. Continue reading...

Education secretary and Manchester MP look destined for face-off as three other candidates struggle for MP nominationsLabour's deputy leadership contest is set to be a race between the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and the ousted cabinet minister Lucy Powell, as three other candidates in the race struggled to make nominations.Phillipson comfortably cleared the hurdle of 80 nominations on Wednesday evening with backing from 116 MPs, but Powell was not yet at the threshold with 77 nominations. Continue reading...

Cockpit union says the issue has become a worrying reality' for its members as a result of growing fatigueA German pilots' union has said that napping during flights has become a worrying reality" for its members, as it sounded the alarm over increasing fatigue" in the sector.The Vereinigung Cockpit union said it had carried out a survey of more than 900 pilots in recent weeks, which found that 93% of them admitted to napping during a flight in the past few months. Continue reading...

More than 10 Infidels MC members deployed to sites run by US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian FoundationSenior members of an anti-Islamic biker gang have been hired by US contractors and deployed to Gaza to oversee security at food distribution sites backed by the US and Israeli governments, according to a BBC investigation.The investigation found that more than 10 members of Infidels MC, a US biker gang that uses the Crusader cross as its symbol and whose members have anti-Islamic tattoos, have been hired by UG Solutions and deployed to food aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to the BBC, seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing [GHF] sites". Continue reading...

UK's ambassador to US urged financier to fight for early release' after charges of procuring child for prostitutionThe British ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, told Jeffrey Epstein to fight for early release" and wrote: your friends stay with you and love you" when the disgraced financier was facing charges of procuring a child for prostitution, according to leaked emails.The emails, first published by the Sun after circulating in Washington DC, will put further pressure on Mandelson after he admitted on Tuesday that more very embarrassing" details of his friendship with Epstein were likely to emerge but insisted he had never seen any wrongdoing". Continue reading...

Central, Northern and District lines partly running as RMT presses Sadiq Khan for talks over shorter working weekLimited tube services ran on Wednesday as more staff turned up for work on the London Underground, while RMT strikes disrupted the capital for the third day this week.No talks have taken place to resolve the dispute, with the RMT now demanding a summit with the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, in its quest for a shorter working week. Continue reading...

PM was grilled by Kemi Badenoch on suitability of Mandelson for job as US ambassadorHelena Horton is a Guardian environment reporter.Emma Reynolds, the new environment secretary, had a difficult job this morning: meeting a group of farmers after Labour caused fury in the rural community by introducing a new inheritance tax.The Treasury reserve, designed to be used for genuinely unforeseen, unaffordable and unavoidable pressures" has recently been used to fund higher public sector pay and compensation payouts.In a letter to ministers, the chancellor said Treasury would only consider providing reserve funds to departments that have already maximised their savings ... Continue reading...

Many of 1 million residents say they will not leave as they do not believe al-Mawasi humanitarian zone is safeThe Israeli military has killed at least 41 people in Gaza, including 12 aid seekers, over the last 24 hours as it continued to order the population of Gaza City to evacuate before its planned offensive.The evacuation orders were accompanied by intensified Israeli bombing of the city, the Israeli military interspersing orders with announcements of high-rise towers they had bombed. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereA teacher taking part in the protests in Paris said he was against the ousted government's planned budget cuts. [Francois]Bayrou was ousted, [now] his policies must be eliminated," Christophe Lalande told Reuters, calling for more funding for schools and hospitals.At another protest in the city, unionist Amar Lagha told the news agency:This day is a message to all the workers of this country: that there is no resignation, the fight continues, and a message to this government that we won't back down, and if we have to die, we'll die standing. Continue reading...

Official log refers to Wafic Said, a Canadian billionaire whose British wife has given millions to party, as donor'The Conservative party is facing questions over a possible breach of electoral law involving one of its largest benefactors, after leaked files cast doubt on official declarations of donations worth 2.6m.More than 40 donations to the Tories over 23 years have been registered in the name of Rosemary Said, a British woman. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Thousands of film workers join new boycott initiative criticized by Israeli producers' group as misguided'Thousands of actors, directors and other film industry professionals have signed a new pledge vowing not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".As film-makers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognise the power of cinema to shape perceptions" the pledge reads. In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror." Continue reading...

Grid failure follows string of nationwide blackouts that plunged antiquated power system into near-total disarrayEmergency crews were working to restore power to 10 million people on Wednesday as Cuba suffered its fifth nationwide blackout in under a year, the energy ministry announced.There has been a total disconnection of the electric system," the energy ministry and National Electric Union said early on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Several raise concerns that disclosing their donors exposes them to political attack but others warn not doing so can prompt legitimate questions about influence

The Liberal MP bought the product, which profits when the ASX 200 falls, in early 2020, his register of interests shows, but an analysis and experts say it has been a poor investment

Exclusive: Unicef-commissioned report shows being unable to finish high school - and the associated wage loss - is the most significant impact of increasingly frequent disasters on young peopleKangaroo Valley was hit by raging fires and floods three times in three years.In 2019, the black summer bushfires had forced Layla Wang's family to flee their home. Then in 2022, after floods and landslides isolated the valley, she was trapped there, spending several stressful" weeks isolated from school - in the middle of year 12, with no access to her classes and limited resources. Continue reading...

Number of attempts to cross Channel has been particularly high for several days, say French authoritiesFour people including two children have died in two separate incidents while trying to cross the Channel to the UK in the past 24 hours, while three others are missing in a third incident.On Tuesday night off the coast of Sangatte, France, three people lost their lives while travelling on a dinghy with 38 people onboard. Three others are missing after an incident in Neufchatel-Hardelot, France, on a boat with 115 people onboard. Continue reading...

Choi Mal-ja's appeal gained momentum after #MeToo movement inspired her to seek justiceA court in South Korea has acquitted a woman convicted six decades ago for biting off part of a man's tongue during an alleged sexual assault, after she challenged the ruling, inspired by the country's #MeToo movement.Choi Mal-ja was 19 in 1964 when she was attacked by a 21-year-old man in the southern town of Gimhae. He pinned her to the ground and repeatedly forced his tongue into her mouth, at one point blocking her nose to stop her from breathing, according to court records. Continue reading...

Drivers forced to flee in what police are investigating as racially-motivated incidents near retail parkA group of men in Belfast have surrounded and attacked two cars and forced their drivers to flee in suspected racially motivated hate crimes.At least a dozen men, some masked, targeted the motorists on Monday evening near Connswater retail park in what appeared to be the latest incident in a vigilante campaign against migrants in the east of the city. Continue reading...

Bath museum celebrates varied ways illustrators of author's work and adapters of her novels have portrayed her characters through historyFor the 21st-century Jane Austen fan, the images of Colin Firth's Mr Darcy in the beloved BBC series Pride and Prejudice or Anya Taylor-Joy's big-screen portrayal of Emma may be the first to leap to mind.But an exhibition opening in Bath celebrates the varied ways illustrators of Austen's work and adapters of her novels have depicted some of her most cherished characters. Continue reading...

Extensive meetings in 2022 between Lewis, then vice-chair of AP, and Johnson were not disclosed in transparency recordsThe publisher of the Washington Post, Will Lewis, is facing fresh questions over his independence after a cache of leaked files revealed he gave extensive support to Boris Johnson as a secret political adviser when Johnson was prime minister.The files shed light on how the media executive, who at the time was vice-chair of the Associated Press news agency, worked behind the scenes with Johnson as his premiership was engulfed by a series of scandals. Continue reading...

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Coalition leader says firebrand Northern Territory senator failed to uphold the standards I have set'

Exclusive: James Lyons rewrote 2024 election pledges over evenings and weekends' before his exit from social media companyA senior executive at TikTok helped write the Labour manifesto while still working at the Chinese-owned technology company, he has said.James Lyons, who left his post as Keir Starmer's director strategic communications last week, wrote on LinkedIn that he was asked last year to help write the party's election pledges while he was still working for the social media platform. Continue reading...

In effort to end Russia's war in Ukraine, US president reportedly proposes tariffs of up to 100% targeting Putin allies and trade partnersDonald Trump has asked the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China as part of an effort to force the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in Ukraine, according to reports.The US president made the demand during a meeting between US and EU officials discussing options to increase economic pressure on Russia on Tuesday, according to the Financial Times, BBC and Bloomberg, who cited multiple sources familiar with the discussions. Continue reading...

Tarek Zahabe, 27, was charged in July for allegedly orchestrating four attacks in January, along with alleged accomplice Kye Pickering, 26

US president says fifth-grade student forced to read aloud My Shadow Is Pink, a book about a boy who loves things not for boys'

Exclusive: Refugee organisations dismiss Home Office-endorsed publicity campaign as a gimmick'Asylum seekers in northern France who hope to reach the UK in small boats are to be targeted with Home Office-endorsed posters and leaflets telling them that they are risk of being returned under a new one in, one out" deal.Signs in English and French will be mounted near French beaches around Calais and Dunkirk to tell people that they are risking their lives and are being deceived by smuggling gangs about the opportunities they will be given in the UK. Continue reading...

Donald Tusk says operation was launched after repeated violations of Polish airspace'

Economics expert criticises last-minute cancellation of report that would shed light on cost-of-living and housing crises

Study claims Swiss firm provided Nazi concentration camp with anti-frostbite product used in deadly tests in early 1940sThe natural cosmetics company Weleda supplied a skin cream to the Dachau concentration camp that went on to be used for human testing, resulting in the agonising deaths of prisoners, a historian specialising in Nazi Germany has claimed.Weleda, founded 104 years ago and known worldwide for its holistic remedies, sourced large quantities of medicinal herbs during the Nazi era from an agricultural plantation overseen by the SS in Dachau, southern Germany, according to a major report by Anne Sudrow commissioned by the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Continue reading...

The White House is caught between supporting Israel's war against Hamas and patching up relations with a key US ally in the region

One in six households went hungry last year, says Trussell, with Britain facing new normal' of severe hardshipDowning Street's failure to tackle child poverty and reduce food bank use is helping to drive public discontent with falling living standards and fuelling a desire for political alternatives, the UK's biggest charity food provider has warned.Trussell said one in six UK households went hungry last year and, without ambitious policies to tackle deepening poverty, Britain faces the prospect of locking in a new normal" of increasingly severe hardship across society. Continue reading...

Under the plan, the state government will seize planning controls for the designated areas - near train and tram stops - from local councils

This blog has now closed. You can read our full report on the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar here and all our reporting on Israel's war on Gaza hereDan Sabbagh is the Guardian's defence and security editorFifty-one Israeli arms makers and the US defence giant behind the F-35 fighters used to bomb Gaza are among the 1,600 exhibitors at the biennial DSEI trade show that begins in London's Docklands on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Andy Cooke says the cases take up little time for forces in England and Wales but create intense controversyPolice should no longer record or investigate non-crime hate incidents, the chief inspector of constabulary has said.Sir Andy Cooke said handling the incidents took up a minuscule amount of time but drew vehement criticism. Continue reading...

Cheap ultra-processed food behind rise in overweight children, with one in 10 now obese globally, says UnicefMore children around the world are obese than underweight for the first time, according to a UN report that warns ultra-processed junk food is overwhelming childhood diets.There are 188 million teenagers and school-age children with obesity - one in 10 - Unicef said, affecting health and development and bringing a risk of life-threatening diseases. Continue reading...

Three more supreme court justices to cast their votes in coming days, with verdict expected by Thursday

Sebastien Lecornu, a presidential ally, is tasked with bringing France's divided parties together to pass a budgetSebastien Lecornu, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, has been appointed prime minister, tasked with consulting France's divided political parties to try to find a consensus on the budget.The 39-year-old began his political career in the traditional rightwing party of Nicolas Sarkozy before moving to Macron's centre in 2017 and is seen as fiercely loyal to the president. Continue reading...

Both policies have been criticised for being too simplistic, and the star regime was eventually scrapped, will Wes Streeting's update work?The Department of Health and Social Sare (DHSC) was glowing in its description of the league tables by which all of England's 205 NHS trusts are now being judged: a landmark" moment, a pioneering new system" and a new era of transparency".Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that sunlight is the best disinfectant" in his zeal to expose, and drive out, poor care. Continue reading...

Israeli officials say US notified before attack, which Doha calls cowardly and a flagrant violation of international law

Office is part-funded by public duty costs allowance, which should only be used to support public work of former PMsBoris Johnson is under mounting pressure to explain how his private office complies with rules over taxpayer subsidies after further revelations about how his staff appear to be overseeing his global commercial operations.A leak of data from the Office of Boris Johnson appears to show all three of his staff helping Johnson's business and profit-making ventures.Secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture in a potential breach of ethics rules. His work as a principal adviser" for Bia Advisory, a climate finance solutions" firm seeking backing from Abu Dhabi's $300bn investment fund, involved courting a top Emirati official Johnson hosted in No 10 when he was prime minister.Approached Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, on behalf of Evgeny Lebedev. The Evening Standard owner, whom Johnson made a peer, was seeking a business relationship between his newspaper and Musk, who bankrolled Donald Trump's ascent to the White House.Secured contracts with a combined total of more than 850,000 in separate deals with GB News and Associated News, the owner of the Daily Mail. GB News suggested some of the information was incorrect but confirmed an ongoing arrangement with Johnson.Earned more than 5m from less than two years of paid speeches, for some of which he charged $350,000 (259,000). The 34 speeches include a conference leadership in Delhi, a blockchain symposium in Singapore and a bizarre turn as the headline act at the 50th birthday party of a German pharmaceuticals company boss. Continue reading...

Loughborough University and ONS study of 1 million school-age children reveals risks increase with longer absenceSchool absences significantly contribute" to children's mental ill health, according to research backed by the Office for National Statistics that shows the risks increase the longer a child is absent.Our research shows that the more times a child is absent from school, the greater the probability that they will experience mental ill health," the authors, from Loughborough University and the ONS, concluded. Continue reading...

Alison McGovern and Paula Barker latest to join contest, as well as Emily Thornberry, Lucy Powell and Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Terminal 4's check-in area evacuated for three hours on Monday while police located CS sprayPolice have arrested a man on suspicion of bringing teargas into Heathrow airport, which caused Terminal 4's check-in area to briefly shut down.The check-in area at the UK's main international airport was evacuated for around three hours on Monday evening as emergency services probed a potential hazardous materials incident". Continue reading...

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say it is not the Ben & Jerry's' they founded after being silenced' by Unilever over matters of social justiceThe co-founders of Ben & Jerry's have called for the ice-cream brand to be made independent and excluded from current owner Unilever's plans to list its ice-cream business on the stock market.Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), a new division of Unilever that is set to be separately listed in November and includes the brand founded by the pair in 1978 alongside Magnum, Cornetto and Wall's, must free Ben & Jerry's" in an open letter to prospective investors and the group's board. Continue reading...

Findings of CQC survey from November 2024 lead experts to say waiting in such settings has become normalisedCorridor care has become the new normal in England, experts have said, as a national survey found that one in five patients admitted to hospital had to wait in such settings.The report by the Care Quality Commission also found that nearly 10% of patients waited more than 24 hours to be admitted to hospital and 17.5% waited 12 to 24 hours.More than half of all patients waited more than six hours. Continue reading...