World news | The Guardian

New Order and Simon Armitage among more than 100 signatories to criticise foolish and shortsighted' cutsMore than 100 artists, writers and scientists have called for the UK government to save the world's clearest eyes on the sky", after funding for thenetwork of radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank Observatory was slashed.New Order, the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, are among those calling on the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, to save the deep space observatory which includes the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope, prized by astronomers who study galaxies, star formation and planets beyond the solar system. Continue reading...

Decision comes after group of survivors claimed ex-Harrods owner's associates must have helped facilitate his crimesAt least five victims of the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have been confirmed by the Home Office as victims of human trafficking.A group of survivors of abuse by the deceased businessman had called for the Metropolitan police to make trafficking the main focus of its investigation, arguing that Fayed could not have committed his offences without a steady stream of women sent to him by associates. Continue reading...

Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being taken for a ride' at the pump or tillThe chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from being taken for a ride at the pump or the till" as the Iran war continues to hit prices.While he said there had been no significant evidence of so-called price gouging" during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were watching closely" for any signs of profiteering. Continue reading...

Meanwhile fuel excise cut, imposed after outbreak of Iran conflict, ended at midnight on Monday. Follow today's news liveAlan Jones trial on indecent assault and sexual touching charges begins in SydneyThe high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones for indecent assault and sexual touching charges begins today in Sydney's Downing Centre local court and is expected to run for four months and hear from 76 witnesses. Continue reading...

Twin Falls police chief believes Chad Williams, 24, was alone in Saturday attack that killed three peopleAuthorities say the man accused of opening fire at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as investigators say quick action by an off-duty law enforcement officer and an armed bystander helped prevent even more bloodshed.Speaking on Sunday, Matthew Hicks, the Twin Falls police chief, said investigators are confident 24-year-old Chad Williams carried out Saturday's attack alone. Continue reading...

Lowe says the two should put personalities and our past disagreements aside for good of the country'The leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe, has extended an olive branch to Nigel Farage, saying the two should put personalities and our past disagreements aside for the good of the country".Lowe told the Reform UK leader that if he was prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform and serious government, then so are we".Mass deportation of illegal migrants including women and children".Tougher rules on legal migration, a ban on halal and kosher slaughter, the burqa, cousin marriage and sharia courts.A referendum on the death penalty.Welfare cuts to fund self-sufficiency".The exclusion of former Tory ministers from any future cabinet. Continue reading...

Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMRRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years.Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), made his call in the course of a contentious interview with CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Toledo police say Ohio Democrat is active and alert after two-vehicle hit-and-run collision on SundayMarcy Kaptur is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a car crash in Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday, the Democratic US representative's office said.Kaptur, 80, was a passenger in the vehicle and on her way to church, her office said. Toledo police did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment. Continue reading...

Greek police say 26-year-old Afghan national is believed to have left Elisabeth-Jane Ross's body in derelict buildingGreek authorities have arrested an Afghan national in connection with the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in central Athens.Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, a charity worker described as an angel full of innocence and goodness" by friends, had been in Greece for almost three weeks when she is believed to have died. Continue reading...

Prime minister says UK needs to bring back that control' and safe routes for refugees are necessary to tackle traffickingAndy Burnham has pledged to be relentless" in tackling small boat crossings after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta, and he said safe routes" for refugees were necessary to tackle trafficking gangs.Speaking during a visit to Dover, the prime minister said he had been assured by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, that approximately 98% of the estimated 50,000 people who entered Spain's north African territory of Ceuta last week had now been returned to Morocco. Continue reading...

Fire department says two-person crew of one aircraft killed in incident during gale-force winds to west of capitalTwo firefighting helicopters have collided west of Athens, killing the two-person crew of one of the aircraft, as efforts to control a massive wildfire barrelling towards the outskirts of the Greek capital intensified.Footage showed one of the helicopters losing control in the face of gale-force winds that have pushed flames towards settlements on Athens' western fringes. Continue reading...

Farmers battle to salvage what they can of their crops as heatwave set to continueBritain could face shortages of certain foods after punishing drought in parts of England, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned as a heatwave was forecast to continue into next week.The UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts for eight regions of England, with temperatures set to rise above 30C in parts of the country. UKHSA said rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. Continue reading...

Harrison Simpson was subject of arrest warrant for breach of court order 18 months before killing girlfriend's daughterCleveland police failed to arrest a paedophile for breaching a non-molestation order, 18 months before he sexually assaulted and murdered and his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter, a court heard.Isabelle Welsh died on 14 September 2025 after what police described as a campaign of violence" against her. The two-year-old collapsed at her home in Teesside after weeks of abuse that left her covered in bruises and with 21 broken bones. Continue reading...

Review goes down to the wire after ministers speak with victims' representatives and support servicesAndy Burnham is focused on preventing the release of child sexual abuse perpetrators as part of the government's early release scheme, as urgent talks on which serious criminals could be exempted go down to the wire.Government ministers are understood to have 24 hours to assess which criminals can be released early to free up prison space, with every exemption weighed up against the threat of the criminal justice system's collapse. Continue reading...

Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid - and figures reveal a surge in new installationsSolar energy supplied more power to Great Britain's grid in July than in any previous month as households turned to rooftop panels to cut their energy bills.Solar farms and rooftop panels provided 14.4% of the country's electricity after some parts of the UK recorded almost twice the average sunshine hours for the time of year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Outsourced guards, largely from minority ethnic backgrounds, barred from staff hub for mainly white employeesThe National Gallery's security staff, of whom the vast majority are from minority ethnic backgrounds, are facing shocking segregation, a senior curator has claimed.Its outsourced guards are barred from the building's high-quality hub" - bright and airy recreation rooms that are available to the institution's mainly white employees. They are not allowed to take their breaks there, or even sit in that area. Continue reading...

The 85-year-old former broadcaster faces 22 charges from six different complainants in what is expected to be a four-month trial

Exclusive: Karlene Whitton says her son Matthew Roberts took his own life three months into his jail term. I keep picturing it every night'

Cotality data shows a drop in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as nation's median home price falls about $19,000 below its March peak

New education secretary says it is false trade-off' by critics to suggest schools cannot pursue academic excellence alongside technical skillsLucy Powell has said she wants to be an ambitious tiger mum" for all young people, whatever their route through education, after the government was accused of dumbing down England's schools with plans to create more vocational routes.The new education secretary said secondary pupils should be able to pursue academic excellence as well as high-quality vocational training, and it was a false trade-off" to suggest schools could not provide both. Continue reading...

More than 20 people injured in blast near Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in centre of Russian capital on Saturday nightA homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, prompting speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine.The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time (6pm UK time) close to an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow's seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, police said. Continue reading...

People among the more than 50,000 who entered Spanish enclave this week describe the journey and their prospectsFour days ago, Youssef El Abbas saw an opportunity to reclaim the life he had lost seven years earlier. News was circulating that about 400 people had swum from Morocco to the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the north African coast, approximately 12 miles (19km) across the strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain.Here was a chance for the 44-year-old Moroccan father of four to return to Spain, from which he had been deported when his residency expired after the loss of his job in Bilbao in 2019. Continue reading...

Volunteers painstakingly gather plastic pellets washing up on beaches after ship collision on 19 JulyYou've got a local community that really cares about the coastline," said Alice Laverty, reflecting on the huge army of volunteers who had taken to crisis-hit beaches in north-east England with passion and only the most basic tools. They've all got a dustpan, a brush, a bucket, a kitchen sieve."On beaches from Cambois in Northumberland to Seaburn on Wearside, up to 2,000 dedicated volunteers have been painstakingly sifting through sand to find tiny, lentil-sized pellets of plastic. Continue reading...

After years of building lives in UK, potentially thousands of EU citizens could be told they have no right to remainThe UK Home Office has started stripping some EU citizens of their post-Brexit residency rights, in a move that has raised concerns about Britain's compliance with its withdrawal agreement with Europe.The UK internal affairs authority has told at least 100 people that they were given residency rights in error", disrupting their lives just as they come to the end of their five-year pre-settled status" and prepare to upgrade to the permanent settled status". Continue reading...

The measure will impact people travelling by plane or boat between the two countriesSpanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez is now in Ceuta, accompanied by interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.He first visited the Tarajal border crossing, and is now talking to officials from local authorities, border and police services. Continue reading...

Authorities in Delaware tackle cluster with vaccination and contract tracing - but field has been weakened by cutsMeasles outbreaks are igniting throughout the United States as the nation passes the highest case count in 30 years - putting greater pressure on state and local health departments and highlighting the importance of early identification and quick action.The US has officially surpassed last year's tally of measles cases, reaching 2,371 confirmed infections by the end of July. Those numbers have been driven by clusters in Arizona, South Carolina, and Utah - but in times of high transmission, outbreaks elsewhere become more likely. And with decreasing vaccination rates across the country, these sparks are falling on increasingly dry timber. Continue reading...

Visible impact of warming climate is impossible to ignore across landscapes that have been starved of rainfallHalf of England and the whole of Wales are officially in drought and July is set to be the driest month on record as extreme heat intensified by the climate crisis continues to grip the UK and Europe this summer.The announcements this week by England's Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales mark the third such event over the past five years, and come in the wake of four record-breaking heatwaves since May which have fuelled huge wildfires and left farmers, wildlife and protected habitats running out of water. Continue reading...

David Crisafulli says Queenslanders will enjoy for generations' as opponents point to lack of detail

Council leaders say crumbling infrastructure and lack of water are jeopardising government's plans for new homesThe government's housebuilding agenda is hitting the stark reality of a lack of water and crumbling infrastructure across the east and south-east of England.Half the country was declared to be in serious drought this week, for the second consecutive year, with the Environment Agency warning of dire consequences for the economy, environment and wildlife. Continue reading...

The EU is using a currency revamp as an opportunity to be less neutral and try some finely balanced identity-buildingIs Europe best represented by the bold intellect of Marie Curie, the sprawling imagination of Miguel de Cervantes and the intense musical genius of Ludwig van Beethoven? Or by a migrating stork and a bee-eater, swooping across borderless plains and enjoying freedom of movement across European countries?The quest to settle this issue has engaged a surprising number of people across the continent, after more than 6 million people voted in a survey within just a week of its launch to determine whether the newly redesigned euro bank notes should depict either cultural figures or birds and waterways. Continue reading...

Security lapse leaves sensitive information and contact details of 51 government officials exposed for 40 hoursThe public body in charge of the UK's state investments has been pushed to improve its internal security after a data breach left high-level management information" publicly accessible for nearly two days.UK Government Investments (UKGI), the agency that manages the taxpayers' interest in a swathe of companies including Channel 4 and the Post Office, said the security failure also left more than 50 government officials' personal details exposed for nearly 40 hours. Continue reading...

Police chief say shooter found dead after very chaotic scene' near busy shopping area in Twin FallsThree people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesperson said.Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count. Continue reading...

Australians bought EVs and hybrids at nearly same rate as petrol cars between April and June, Australian Automobile Association data shows

Senior officer behind closure says SDS caused incalculable harm' by infiltrating groups that posed no threatAn undercover police unit that spied on tens of thousands of political activists had to be shut down amid severe criticisms and recriminations, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Jon Boutcher, a senior police officer who took over responsibility for the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) unit, concluded within months that it had to be wound up because it was conducting unjustified surveillance and was badly run. Continue reading...

Exclusive: At a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite Magyar's Birds' brigade are turning Russia's vast size into a weaknessSparrows were cheeping as the sun set over a field of tall yellow sunflowers when a moped-like growl suddenly disturbed the evening calm. The noise rose, dipped, and rose again. Lt Col Ray - a Ukrainian commander with the 414th aviation brigade - took cover in a leafy ditch.Seconds later a Ukrainian drone roared into a mauve sky. It jerked upwards at a 45-degree angle, orange flames fizzing, and then motored serenely onwards. The flying object resembled a sleek grey biplane with a wooden propeller and tail. It left behind clouds of billowing black smoke and a whiff of gunpowder. Continue reading...

Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power'A growing number of west African countries are implementing or strengthening anti-LGBTQ+ laws, amid local political pressures and a global pushback against LGBTQ+ rights.In March, Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the promotion" of homosexuality. Niger criminalised sexual relations with a person of the same sex" in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country. Continue reading...

Community members concerned about loss of community green space and areas of cultural importance. This blog is now closed

PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of stateAndy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries.The prime minister has long believed the UK's antiquated" political system needs a dramatic overhaul if opportunity is to be shared equally across the country. Continue reading...

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authoritiesPolice in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines.Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site. Continue reading...

Divisions remain in the bloc over mass crossing of migrants into Spanish territory in north AfricaThe EU is to hold an urgent meeting of interior ministers on Tuesday amid continued divisions in the bloc over the arrival of more than 50,000 migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta in north Africa.The decision was taken by officials representing EU member states and Frontex border agency experts at what was described as a sobering" meeting on Saturday. Continue reading...

Police also released notes received from presumed abductors of mother of Today anchor Savannah GuthrieThe family of Nancy Guthrie issued a new appeal on Saturday for information on the whereabouts of their missing grandmother, six months after she disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, and a day after local investigators released two purported ransom notes.Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night. We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since," a post on Instagram said. Continue reading...

Not a single person reached mainland Spain or rest of EU,' says European Commission president, after Spanish PM condemned selfish, polarising' reaction of some countriesBack to Ukraine, where nine people were killed in Kyiv this morning from a Russian missile and drone attack.Damage was reported in seven districts of the capital, according to Ukrainian officials, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying fires broke out across the city and residential buildings, a school and infrastructure sites were hit. Continue reading...

After declaring anti-weaponization' fund dead', Trump reverses and says he'll revive it despite Senate oppositionThe US Senate judiciary committee has scheduled a meeting early next week to consider Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, as Donald Trump promised to revive the controversial $1.8bn anti-weaponization" fund.The meeting, set for Tuesday, comes as Blanche's confirmation has stalled over a dispute between the president and outgoing Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who are seeking written confirmation that the justice department would not establish the proposed fund. Continue reading...

At least five taken to hospital and about 300 evacuated in strongest quake to hit southern Italian region in 40 yearsAt least 26 people have been injured after a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked a region near Naples, in southern Italy.The quake, which occurred at 7.46pm on Friday night, caused power outages, disrupted public transport and damaged a pier in Campi Flegrei, the site of Europe's largest volcanic crater. Continue reading...

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak have also died, climbing company saysA world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak.Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world's 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...

Texts reveal that singer and Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been in touch stretching back to when she was 11 years oldThe rising pop singer D4vd and 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were in the throes of a clandestine relationship months before her mangled and decomposing body turned up last September stuffed in an impounded car registered to the musician.D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, is set to stand trial for murder, child sexual abuse and mutilation of human remains in connection to the teenager's death. Continue reading...

Nationwide actions seek to counter view that talking about climate crisis distracts from affordability messagingThis summer, torrential rains have washed away Texas neighborhoods, dangerous heat has blanketed swaths of the country, and smoke from Canadian wildfires has choked communities as far south as Florida.Research makes clear that global warming is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. Yet the climate crisis has largely disappeared from the political agenda, with many Democrats who once described it as an existential threat now shying away from talking about it. Continue reading...

Britons move away from trend of grey paving and pristine lawns in an embrace of colour, with lavender a top choiceIf you manage to spot a garden in bloom this summer, beyond the strips of bleached and torched grass, there may be one colour you see more than any other: purple, the horticultural hue of the season.Plants such as lavender, salvias and catmint are in vogue, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which conducted extensive research into the colours Britons best love to see in their gardens. Continue reading...

Some in Dover say their town is being exploited by content creators and politicians, but others claim there is a genuine problemIf you believe rightwing influencers and politicians, Dover and the wider Kent coast has been the site of an invasion" for years now. And, for an online audience of millions, they and their camera crews have been the vanguard in the nation's defence.Indeed, if you believe all you see on the algorithms of amateur Channel watchers, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, braved a hail of French gunfire as he took to the water in a fishing boat this week; an attempt by the French authorities, he suggested, to deter him in his mission of highlighting the small boats crisis. Continue reading...