World news | The Guardian

Murder inquiry launched after blaze in Grangetown area, amid investigation into collision in which seven diedA murder investigation has been launched after two people were killed in a house fire in Middlesbrough, with police not ruling out links to organised crime or the fatal crash on the A66 that killed seven people including two police officers on Saturday.The blaze in the early hours of Wednesday came as police continued to investigate the wider circumstances around the collision. Continue reading...

More than 380 tourists among those unaccounted for after homes, roads, bridges and power plants swept away

Prime minister spoke to press while on visit to a Sainsbury's supermarket in London this morningOver 40,000 more people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.The figures do not include this summer, when England has sweltered under a succession of heatwaves and is on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths. The UK Health Security Agency announced on 30 July that an estimated 2,877 people had died in the May and June heatwaves alone. The total is almost double the figure for the whole summer in 2025. Continue reading...

Trump administration had not formally announced John Ratcliffe's trip, but various outlets captured the flight tracking data of the US jet and the Kremlin confirmed the meeting

Neil Gilson completes 230-mile challenge after a tough' 22-hour crossing of Lac LemanHe staggered rather than sprang out of the lake but it wasn't surprising.Neil Gilson, a former international athlete, could be forgiven for feeling a little wobbly, having become the first person to swim the 10 largest lakes in Switzerland, a total of about 230 miles (370km). Continue reading...

Academic was found unresponsive by family members, inquest told, as coroner adjourns proceedings to later dateA coroner has formally opened an inquest into the death of Jason Arday, who resigned as a professor at the University of Cambridge amid allegations of plagiarism.Arday, 41, died at his home in Battersea, south London on 14 August, nine days after his resignation. Family members watched the 10-minute hearing at London inner south coroner's court via a video link. Continue reading...

Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime by another

Scientists found those who had used hormone replacement therapy were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with dementiaHormone replacement therapy may reduce the risk of dementia, a study has found.Scientists tracked more than 180,000 postmenopausal women in the UK in the largest study of its kind. They found that those who had used HRT were 10% less likely to develop any type of dementia and 16% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the most common form, compared with those who had never used it. Continue reading...

To Nicola, Love Peter will focus on couple's relationship during 12-year period of embezzlement and fallout of caseChannel 5 is reuniting with the producers of Power: the Downfall of Huw Edwards for a drama about how Nicola Sturgeon's former husband embezzled 400,000 from the Scottish National party and the impact it had on her reputation.To Nicola, Love Peter will examine the couple's relationship over the 12-year period that Peter Murrell diverted funds from the SNP while he was the chief executive to spend on items including a 124,550 motorhome and more than 2,600 on a pair of luxury salt and pepper grinders. Continue reading...

The public health emergencies in 2022 and 2024 saw the virus reported in 145 countries, but in the new cases children appear particularly affectedA fresh outbreak of mpox in Guinea Bissau - the country's first - means the virus formerly known as monkey pox is back in the headlines. So what has changed?Since 2022, there have been almost 190,000 lab-confirmed cases of mpox reported worldwide in 145 countries. Before then, outbreaks of mpox tended to be relatively small and in a handful of African countries, where the viral infection was known to be endemic. Continue reading...

Efforts to rebuild domestic food production face severe challenges and have come at deadly costAs Gaza's population of 2.1 million has been hemmed into an ever smaller slice of the territory, farmers are using every last remaining patch of unspoiled earth, no matter how tiny, in their struggle to survive.With severe shortages of water, fertiliser and pesticide, and with more than 80% of greenhouses ruined, it has taken inventiveness and determination to clear land of debris and coax new seedlings into life. Moreover, venturing out into the open to tend to plants can be deadly. Continue reading...

In effort to prime chatbots to make pro-Israel arguments the site published 124 reports, over 560,000 words in nine days, Guardian analysis showsA pro-Israel messaging website badged with the name of a thinktank that does not exist has published more than half a million words in nine days, built on a commercial platform that promises to optimize content so that AI chatbots will cite it.The site gives Israel's position on subjects including the torture of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli war crimes and whether Israel has deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza, all presented as neutral research. Continue reading...

ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further recordsMore than 40,000 more people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected in normal temperatures, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.The figures do not include this summer, when England has sweltered under a succession of heatwaves and is on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths. The UK Health Security Agency announced on 30 July that an estimated 2,877 people had died in the May and June heatwaves alone. The total is almost double the figure for the whole summer in 2025. Continue reading...

Microsoft co-founder also expresses concern governments not prepared for technology's impact in 6,000-word essay

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Reproductive Freedom for All - one of the country's oldest pro-choice groups - backs Jackson in his fight against Republican Susan CollinsOne of the oldest abortion rights groups in the US is endorsing Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee in Maine's critical US Senate race, according to details first shared with the Guardian.Reproductive Freedom for All is supporting Jackson, the former state senate president, in challenging Susan Collins - the fiveterm Republican incumbent who has been dogged on the campaign trail for her role in overturning abortion access in the US. Continue reading...

Legendary country singer died surrounded by loved ones after being diagnosed with cancer, her team says; Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Dionne Warwick lead tributes

In Ghana, a grassroots movement is championing nutritious, homegrown, climate-resilient produce, rather than western importsAfter three years at catering school, Abiro Wisdom was certain of one thing - he did not want to go into catering. At least not the route that he might be expected to take. His course at Accra Technical University had prepared students for working in international hotels, focusing on French, Italian and Mexican cuisine. The nutritious, homegrown food that Wisdom had eaten while growing up in Bolgatanga, northern Ghana, did not feature at all.I didn't see myself there," he says of the big chain hotels. I felt I wouldn't be myself working there - I wouldn't be able to talk about the food from where I come from." Continue reading...

Lily Tomlin, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Celine Dion and Oprah Winfrey are among those remembering the queen of country after she died aged 80

Commissioner Angela Jackson also said it was disappointing' that Anthony Albanese had ruled out changes to Western Australia's GST arrangements

Labor put levy on all public transport fares in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria' since January 2025, auditor general finds, as questions raised over premier's involvement

Authorities at biggest state hospital in Islamabad say 15 babies were in the ward when fire broke outAt least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire that broke out in the maternity ward at one of Pakistan's most prominent state hospitals.The blaze began in the early hours of Wednesday and engulfed the ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the biggest state hospital in Islamabad. Continue reading...

Civil society groups argue climate crisis means transport sector needs to urgently reduce its carbon emissionsDozens of civil society groups have demanded the UK government do more to promote cycling and walking, after this summer's extreme heat exposed the desperate need to decarbonise transport.This summer's heatwaves and wildfires were immediate, real-world manifestations of the climate emergency", the groups said, making reform of transport - responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in the UK - an urgent priority. Continue reading...

Bureau of Statistics says CPI was 3.5% in July, casting doubt on Reserve Bank meeting its 2.5% inflation target without further hike

Australia's first Olympic breakdancer became a viral sensation after her performance at Paris 24, where she failed to receive a single pointRachael Raygun" Gunn says her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was not as bad as I thought!" after the Sydney-based breakdancer revealed she had finally watched back the moment that catapulted her to international fame - and mockery.The Sydney academic turned speaker was Australia's first Olympic breakdancer and became a viral sensation after her unconventional routine at Paris 2024, where she failed to receive a single point from the judges. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A collapsing trade deal has united Canadians more than ever, in an existential confrontation with the US presidentGood morning. When the Guardian asked Canadian readers whether they planned to boycott US products after dramatic escalations in the ongoing DC/Ottawa trade war, we received more than 2,000 responses within 12 hours.This inundation is perhaps evidence of the existential crisis many Canadians feel they now face, something often lost in the granular reporting of trade negotiations: this is about so much more than the price of lumber.US news | Dolly Parton, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in country music who was also much cherished for her philanthropy, has died aged 80.UK news | UK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take steps to ensure they are prepared for national emergencies as part of a new government campaign to improve the nation's resilience.UK politics | Andy Burnham will face an immediate test of his backing for electoral reform in his first week in parliament as prime minister, with almost 100 Labour MPs supporting a bid for a new national commission.Ukraine | A man from South Yorkshire is believed to be the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.Climate crisis | The carbon emissions from just two planned datacentres in England will exceed all of the fossil fuel company ExxonMobil's UK emissions, analysis has revealed. Continue reading...

State's child safety minister Amanda Camm confirms police are investigating alleged attack west of BrisbaneA Queensland teenager has allegedly been raped in a state-funded residential care home in what has been described as a heinous" act.A staff member is accused of assaulting the girl, who is understood to be intellectually impaired, at the home west of Brisbane. Continue reading...

Spectrum Building leaseholders awaiting payouts after freeholder, Arinium, went bankrupt shortly after 2024 blazeSarah Williams vividly remembers the night in 2016 when she camped overnight in a car park to put down a deposit on a flat in the newly completed Spectrum Building in Dagenham, east London.People started queuing for those flats 24 hours before they went on sale," she said. It was basically the only flat I could afford in London. This was a year before Grenfell, and the flats market in London was completely crazy." Continue reading...

As photojournalist sentenced to 15 years, rights groups warn law would turn civic engagement into security crimeIran has taken the first step towards criminalising contact with foreign media, in a move human rights groups have said attempts to sever the entire Iranian society from the rest of the world".For journalists, researchers and even ordinary citizens, the proposed law being discussed by Iranian lawmakers this month could make speaking to international audiences and groups a potential criminal act and restrict coverage of events such as January's mass anti-regime protests. Continue reading...

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodentAnimal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation. Continue reading...

Yorgen Fenech tells jury he had nothing to do with killing and alleges top adviser to Malta's then PM was instigatorA businessman on trial for the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has spoken about the charges for the first time in court since his arrest seven years ago, telling the jury he was framed by police and had nothing to do with the killing.During four days of questioning by defence and the prosecution lawyers, Yorgen Fenech, 44, accused the most senior adviser to Malta's prime minister of giving the go-ahead for the murder. Continue reading...

Internal calls to end war get louder as Gulf neighbours plan alternative pipelines to cut reliance on waterwayIs the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as the pillar of Iran's new security order", and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions?It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran's negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait's value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran's negotiators should seek a deal soon. Continue reading...

Commissioner Virginia Bell resists push to extend antisemitism inquiry noting need for timely recommendations

Seals and sea lions often communicate by touch and share spaces with wild birds, placing them at risk of infection from H5N1 virus

Heavy rain expected in parts of Vietnam and southern China, as another storm system, Typhoon Saudel, heads for Japan and TaiwanWidespread flooding triggered by Typhoon Narra has submerged homes and forced mass evacuations in southern China, as another storm system tracked towards Japan and Taiwan.Authorities in Chongzuo, in China's Guangxi region - famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains - on Tuesday evacuated more than 15,000 people after water levels surpassed a record high set in 2008. Continue reading...

Lawyer Baltasar Garzon, representing Chambers, said case against his client is very strange' as US requests extraditionFBI agents raided the Ibiza, Spain, vacation rental of 41-year-old James Fergie" Chambers, a US citizen and wealthy donor to leftwing and humanitarian projects worldwide, in the days following his arrest last month, the Guardian has learned.Baltasar Garzon, a human rights lawyer representing Chambers, revealed the details in an exclusive interview. Chambers is wanted for extradition by the Trump administration for alleged financial support of Hamas, as well as other charges. Continue reading...

Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, deported to Honduras, is latest military spouse to face removal amid Trump 2.0The wife of an active-duty US soldier was deported on Monday to her native Honduras, according to her family and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty US soldier to be deported under the immigration crackdown during Donald Trump's second presidency. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Nearly 100 Labour MPs support commission on changing the system used for Westminster election

Songwriter of I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 also invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes

Gang leader threatens to kill hostages after attack in Kenscoff in which homes were also set alight

Beijing says it will take all necessary measures' to protect its interests as US steps up efforts to isolate Tehran

Government resilience campaign aims to ensure people can cope in a national disaster, in order to free resources for most vulnerableUK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take steps to ensure they are prepared for national emergencies as part of a new government campaign to improve the nation's resilience.The new campaign from the Cabinet Office will set out ways people can prepare for extreme weather events and potential attacks from hostile states, including stocking up on bottled water, sources told the Guardian. Continue reading...

UK PM to join delegation of leaders lobbying US president to step up supplies, as Kremlin accuses Burnham of wanting to continue war

Drivers concerned that bus operator's offer to retrofit cabs on 730 buses will not be complete by next summerLondon bus drivers have resumed strike action over having to work in high temperatures, amid fears that proposed improvements to air conditioning will not be complete by next summer.About 1,500 members of the Unite union working across north London and Essex are taking part in the four-day strike from Tuesday to Friday, after industrial action earlier this month. Further stoppages are planned for the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Oliver Blume faces workforce at German HQ as carmaker struggles against Chinese competition and US tariffsThe chief executive of Volkswagen has faced boos and whistles of protest at the company's headquarters after telling thousands of workers that a comprehensive reorganisation, which could include job losses and factory closures, is vital for its future.As Oliver Blume urged more than 10,000 workers on Tuesday to pull together", saying drastic restructuring measures at the struggling manufacturer were essential, they held up banners and shouted slogans, including: Our jobs are not your balance sheet adjustments". Continue reading...

Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two high-priority' initiativesAll US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump's administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged unlawful" voters.Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two high-priority" initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in the near future". Continue reading...

PM known to be keen to attend UN general assembly after meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine

10bn for housing with 60% social renting is at odds with PM's previous call for programme to be spent entirely on social homesMinisters are looking at a range of support" for vulnerable households struggling with rising bills, the energy secretary has said ahead of tomorrow's Ofgem announcement on the energy cap level.PA Media reports forecasts have indicated that households could see their bills rise by another 4% to the equivalent of 1,729 a year, as the widened conflict in the Middle East sparked by Donald Trump's war on Iran continues to push up wholesale energy prices. Continue reading...

The Guardian's Luke Harding discussed Trump, Putin and the state of the war in Ukraine, his expulsion from Russia, his new book Betrayal, and his career as a foreign correspondentIpswichred asks: Why is Russia considered a wider threat when it cannot even defeat Ukraine?Pressfreedomorbust asks: What do you think is the likelihood of Russia taking military action (drones or troops) against another country such as Poland or Estonia? This would force Nato to use its military resources on this second conflict instead of supplying Ukraine.Russia says it is at war not just with Ukraine, but the collective west". Accordingly, it carries out a number of hostile actions against the UK and EU countries. They include sabotage (undersea cables, bombs on cargo planes), disinformation and support for pro-Russian Eurosceptic parties (AFD in Germany, Reform in Britain, etc.)Last year Moscow sent a swarm of decoy drones into Poland, to probe Nato's defences. European leaders are generally reluctant to describe the Kremlin's acts as war, preferring to use the qualifier hybrid". For now Putin is bogged down in Ukraine. In the meantime, Russia's diversionary behaviour will continue. I wouldn't rule out some kind of military provocation", probably limited in scope, against a Nato country.He's safe. There was much speculation around the time of the full-scale invasion that Putin was sick and possibly dying. This turned out to be wishful thinking. Similarly, there is little prospect of a palace coup or popular revolution in Russia. The reality is Putin will stay in power for life. Most people support him, state propaganda is as potent as ever, and the security services keep a close eye on dissent. Many of those who oppose him left the country in 2022. The majority are passive and fatalistic. The fate of Alexey Navalny - murdered in a Siberian gulag in 2024, likely on Putin's orders - sent its own grim message. Continue reading...