World news | The Guardian

The 133-page report released Friday says the memorial arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites around US capital

Nepal reverses earlier decision and says foreign teams will be allowed to help with rescue efforts

The $134,000 cost of the statue of the former Victorian premier has been heavily criticised by the Liberal opposition

US president says US will have majority' control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reservesDonald Trump announced Friday a new US oil agreement with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez, saying the US will have majority" control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves.The terms of the agreement remain to be seen, but the US president said on his social-media platform that it had been brokered through a partnership with private business" by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Continue reading...

Six more people hospitalised after incident at Big Church festival near SteyningA 41-year-old man has died and at least six other people have been injured after a large sign fell at a Christian festival in West Sussex, police said.The man, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was pronounced dead at the scene after the incident at the Big Church festival near Steyning on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

There are now 41 Australians missing, and four rapid response team members are expected to arrive in Kathmandu

Nearly 600 days after the devastating 2025 fires, thousands of Los Angeles residents are still waiting for more than $15bn in federal funds to rebuild their communitiesAs thousands of residents in Spokane, Washington, begin to grapple with a long recovery after a destructive set of blazes that consumed hundreds of homes in the state's second most populated city this month, victims of the Los Angeles firestorm broke a grim record - they have faced the longest delay in modern history for federal aid.Nearly 600 days since a historic firestorm roared into communities across Los Angeles, reducing more than 16,000 structures to ash and toxic debris, the Trump administration has failed to appropriate more than $15bn in long-term recovery funds that are crucial to rebuilding. The delay in supplying the badly needed funds is months longer than the last record set when victims of the Maui fires had to wait 500 days to receive the support, LAist noted this week. Continue reading...

Cleveland police say a total of 24 people arrested in investigation after crash that killed two officersSeven more men have been arrested as part of an operation tackling alleged organised crime after the head-on crash on the A66 that resulted in seven deaths, Cleveland police have said.Officers said four men, aged 21, 25, 35 and 40, were being held on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life after a vehicle crashed into a house in Steele Crescent, Middlesbrough. Continue reading...

About 125 firefighters tackle blaze at Neasden waste facility as nearby Amazon warehouse is evacuatedA large fire has broken out at a waste facility close to Wembley Stadium in north-west London, disrupting tube and train lines in the area.Twenty fire engines and about 125 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze at a mixed-waste facility on an industrial estate in Neasden, less than a mile from the venue. Continue reading...

Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital seeks to acquire land to construct private road to development outside parkThe Trump administration is reportedly pushing to give a parcel of land inside Yosemite, the country's first national park and one of its most popular, to a Nevada-based private developer.Staff with the National Park Service have been exploring how the agency can give a quarter-mile parcel to a company operated by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the news outlet Notus reported on Friday, citing agency documents and unnamed sources directly familiar with discussions". Continue reading...

Official death toll approaches 600, with many of the missing Americans having been on a pilgrimage to a sacred siteAt least 90 Americans were still missing on Friday among almost 2,000 people unaccounted for following the catastrophic flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.With the official death toll creeping towards 600 on Friday and expected to continue rising, there were survivors, victims and missing people from many nationalities. Continue reading...

Relatives really worried, but hopeful' as they wait anxiously for news in the aftermath of the flash flooding disaster

Critics call move to gain long-term access to country's massive energy reserves predatory' and unconstitutional'Reports that the US is preparing to claim a big stake in Venezuela's massive energy reserves have sparked an outcry, with critics describing the move as predatory" and a rapacious" land grab.Several media outlets this week reported that the Trump administration - which abducted Venezuela's authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, in January and has steered the South American country ever since - hopes to secure long-term access to its oil and gasfields. Continue reading...

Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day but western officials say it cannot keep up with casualty levelRussia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said.While Russia is still acquiring new battlefield recruits at speed, with an estimated rate of 1,000 a day, in the last two months even this has not been sufficient to replace those killed or injured. Continue reading...

Leading cardiovascular health groups reclassify overlooked causes and introduce sex-specific diagnostic thresholdsDoctors have agreed the world's first universal definition of a heart attack, paving the way for millions of women to finally receive better treatment after decades of being deprioritised".In one of the biggest procedural shake-ups in a generation, the world's four leading cardiovascular health groups have signed off on new guidance for healthcare professionals when seeing suspected heart attack patients. Continue reading...

Campaigners say seismic shift' follows years of pressure to sever ties with oil and gas firmThe London Science Museum has ended its decades-long partnership with the oil and gas company BP in what has been described as a seismic shift" for the museum.The Science Museum Group academy, which was established in 2018 to provide training and resources, announced on Friday that it would be ending its partnership with BP. In a statement, the director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, Sir Ian Blatchford, said the partnership had drawn to a close at the end of the current contract term". Continue reading...

Experts say imported eggs served in cafes and restaurants may be behind hundreds of infections and one deathSalmonella cases in the UK are expected to rise until the common source is identified, something that is notoriously difficult to establish, experts have warned.There have been 474 confirmed cases and one death linked to the current outbreak, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with the latest investigations suggesting it is associated with eating imported eggs in cafes and restaurants. Continue reading...

Federation says it fears death toll of nearly 600 will continue to rise as rescuers reach cut-off areas

Norwegians gather to remember monarch whose death comes amid scandal over links between crown princess and Jeffrey EpsteinNorwegians have gathered in their thousands to pay their respects to King Harald V, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, who has died, aged 89, in Oslo. He was succeeded immediately by his son, King Haakon VIII.The new king thanked the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the royal family at this time". A period of national mourning was announced as crowds left wreaths and messages outside the royal palace in Oslo. Continue reading...

Brazil failed to prove compliance with EU rules on use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farmingThe UK's leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports.The National Farmers' Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk. Continue reading...

Government says Green leader's proposed moratorium on energy-guzzling' AI projects would be disaster for economyLabour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres".The government hit back at the opposition party's proposal of a moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community", saying it would be a disaster for jobs and national security". Continue reading...

Desperate relatives trying to reach loved ones last seen in area where entire villages have been swept away

The brother of former premier questioned over what, if anything, was done in return for $2m from developer turned fugitive Jean Nassif

Critics say painting looks more like a zombie but artist Chris Ashmore says touch-ups' are still to happenA street artist has defended his mural of the snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan in Sheffield after critics suggested the world champion looked like a zombie.Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring the seven-time world champion for the back wall of the Spot On snooker club, the BBC reported. Continue reading...

Jake says his parents never stopped helping' his brother Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering both of them at their Los Angeles homeJake Reiner has given his first interview since the killing of his parents, the film-maker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, saying: I will never understand why this happened."Reiner, who directed films including The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, was found dead alongside Singer Reiner from apparent stab wounds in their home in Los Angeles in December. Continue reading...

Chair Allan Leighton says lower prices and an improved online service are attracting more shoppersAsda has heralded its first quarterly growth in more than two years as the supermarket's boss said it was attracting more shoppers with lower prices and an improved online service.Allan Leighton, the executive chair of the UK's third-largest grocer, said a 0.2% rise in sales at established stores, excluding fuel, in the three months to the end of June was a huge milestone" which was psychologically important for the business". In the previous quarter sales had fallen 2.3%. Continue reading...

Christian Drogan's Invading Britain shows former builder turned journalist trying to travel from France to England in small boatRupert Murdoch's online channel TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist.The channel revealed the world exclusive" this week, stating that the treacherous journey had made the former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan the first British man to invade his own country". Continue reading...

As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10CLeaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing - restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree.Some restaurants, cafes and bakeries in the UK grew so hot that they were forced to close, or reduce their hours, for the safety of their staff. There is still no maximum working temperature, despite calls from the TUC, and tens of thousands of kitchen staff are thought to have carried on working in furnace-like" conditions. Continue reading...

Risk of fresh flooding had forced rescue teams to withdraw as residents rushed up hills to escape possible river surge

Sales of beans, lentils and soya bean derivatives on rise while Britons buy less real and fake meatBritish shoppers are munching more beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh - while cutting back on real and plant-based fake meat - to save money and improve their diet.The amount of beans, pulses and soya bean derivatives sold in the UK increased by 7.3% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, led by a rise in cheap dried lentils, an analysis has found. Continue reading...

Survivors begin receiving letters with payment amounts months after $305m settlement agreement was struckSurvivors of child rape and other sexual abuse within New Orleans's Roman Catholic archdiocese learned that $641,000 or so is the most they can individually get under a settlement approved in December to resolve a years-long bankruptcy protection case.Those amounts were communicated in letters that hundreds of clergy abuse survivors participating in the New Orleans archdiocese's bankruptcy began quietly receiving on Tuesday. The figures are well below a $2.4m jury verdict awarded to an unrelated Louisiana religious sexual abuse claimant in June 2025 after the state's legislature temporarily eliminated filing deadlines for such cases. Continue reading...

Chancellor pledges fiscal discipline' as plan to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 deferred until 2027 reviewThe new chancellor, John Healey, will delay setting out when the UK will meet the target of spending 3% of GDP on defence until next year's spending review, the Treasury has confirmed.Healey resigned as defence secretary in June under Keir Starmer's leadership, accusing the then prime minister of being unable" and the Treasury unwilling" to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country". Continue reading...

Soaring demand for services has led to tenfold increase in spending in a year in some areas, says NHS AllianceNHS leaders have warned that the costs of meeting soaring demand for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism services in England are running out of control" and have become unsustainable, with spending in some areas rising by as much as tenfold over the course of a year.The NHS Alliance, which represents health managers, said the rise in demand since the coronavirus pandemic was forcing some to close waiting lists and look at reining in other services they provide. Continue reading...

Brother of former state premier tells Icac he sent message to his wife referring to a plan to damage the career of rival David Elliott

Two 17-year-olds accused of subjecting teenage girl to hours-long sexual assault granted bail

Cara Severino calls parents - but still faces trek of more than 110km to reach Kathmandu on foot

Flash flooding and mudslides in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, while convective storms hit western EuropeAfter an unprecedented" deluge in Chiba in mid-August, Japan has experienced further extreme rainfall in recent days. Moisture from the Sea of Japan brought relentless heavy rain to the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama on Thursday.In Himi, Toyama, 361.5mm of rain fell in 24 hours, equivalent to half the average annual rainfall in London and Paris. Several rivers burst their banks, triggering flash floods and mudslides, felling and damaging buildings. Continue reading...

Expeditioners at research station on Macquarie Island will be evacuated over possible psychological stress', while 100 dead little penguins found on Tasmanian island

This blog is now closed

It is polite to reposition a guest's shoes when they arrive, but the emergency services in one city advise just skipping that partEtiquette, manners and consideration for others are integral pillars of Japanese society but there are times when they might go a step too far, according to one city's emergency services.The fire department in the central city of Kanazawa has urged people not to tidy up the shoes that paramedic crews have taken off when entering a house, warning it could hinder their ability to get in or out quickly, particularly when carrying someone on a stretcher. Continue reading...

Man - referred to as MM by court - will keep his identity hidden after legal challenge against suppression dismissed

Nepali and Tibetan communities plan vigils and work to raise funds for recovery in devastating' time

Flash floods have killed at least 469 people while homes and infrastructure have been swept away

Book was removed for review earlier this month following complaint but reinstated after petition and State Library letter to Waverley council

Coronor finds 31-year-old deviated from a walking track as dusk fell, four days before the winter solstice

Course at Donald Trump's Turnberry resort was painted with words Gaza is not 4 sale' and clubhouse was sprayed with graffitiSeven people charged with vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland have been accused of malicious damage having a terrorist connection".The clubhouse at the five-star Trump Turnberry hotel and resort on the west coast of Scotland was graffitied on 8 March last year and the course was dug up and painted with the words Gaza is not 4 sale". Continue reading...

Renewed scrutiny comes after police officer accused of falsifying records in order to close the cases of people who were later found deadSouth Korean police will re-examine about 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years, prompted by a scandal in which an officer was arrested on suspicion of falsifying records to close files on two people who were later found dead.The case has drawn national attention, with President Lee Jae Myung ordering an investigation into the police handling of it and telling the force to draw up a reform plan. Continue reading...

Confusion and politics aside, Australia can't pretend to be removed from the world - and the millions of people in need of sanctuary

This live blog has now closed - but our coverage continues at a new blog hereEyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning when her group encountered the flood about 4km from Gyirong port.Trees and electricity poles had already been knocked down, and the flood water was bearing down on us. We didn't dare turn around, so we could only reverse," the woman, surnamed Fang, told Xiaoxiang Morning News.I was really scared. My whole body was trembling. Continue reading...

Congressman Jamie Raskin asks president's son to detail firm's recent success after he joined 1789 Capital as partnerDemocrats on a powerful US congressional committee have launched an investigation into a venture capital firm which has thrived since recruiting Donald Trump's son.Donald Trump Jr joined 1789 Capital as a partner just days after his father won a second term in office in November 2024. Congressman Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the US House of Representatives judiciary committee, has asked the president's son to detail the firm's recent success. Continue reading...