World news | The Guardian

Scotland Yard is looking at two 250,000 donations to the party by Britain Means Business before the 2024 electionPayments to Reform UK first revealed by the Guardian are now being investigated by the Metropolitan police.The inquiry is scrutinising payments made to the party via a company controlled by its deputy leader, Richard Tice. Continue reading...

Analysis finds more than 4 million Americans lost Snap benefits, or food stamps, from July 2025 to March 2026More than a million children across the US have lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) food benefits since Congress approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).The analysis found that more than 4 millions Americans were removed from Snap from July 2025 to March 2026, marking a significant decline in participation in the federal food assistance program. Continue reading...

Temperatures of 95-105F (35-40C) are expected, spanning Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwestAbout 70 million people in the US are set to face excessive heat advisories as dangerously hot temperatures scorch much of the country's southern and central states.The third major heat dome" event to hit the US in the past month is gathering strength over the weekend, spanning a vast swathe of the country, from the Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest. Continue reading...

Vega made remarks to ABC's John Quinones at National Association of Hispanic Journalists conferenceCecilia Vega, the former 60 Minutes correspondent, said on Thursday she felt pressured by CBS News's executives to incorporate political bias" into segments for the broadcast program.Vega made the remarks during an onstage interview with John Quinones, the ABC News correspondent, at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' annual conference in New Orleans. Her comments were first reported by Status. Continue reading...

Progressive former state senate president gains nomination after Graham Platner dropped out over sexual assault allegationsIn a race defined by scandal, withdrawals and a frantic hunt for a replacement candidate, Maine Democrats hit reset on their chaotic Senate primary on Saturday as Troy Jackson officially secured the party's nomination.He took the stage at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor to rapturous applause, a standing ovation and Noah Kahan's Northern Attitude blaring over the speakers. Continue reading...

Meanwhile, in the UK, a blaze in the Cairngorms national park has been described as very serious' by Scotland's first minister

Scottish first minister hopes aerial support will help quench 10-day fire that has forced evacuation of Highlands villageThe first minister of Scotland has asked for military aid from the UK government as more than 500 firefighters continue to tackle a fire that has raged in the Cairngorms national park for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote region.John Swinney has said the blaze remains a major and serious" incident but that Saturday afternoon had brought an improved picture". Continue reading...

Hundreds of firefighters battle blazes as strong winds drive fires towards Bordeaux and smoke prompts health warnings in MadridUnrestrained wildfires in Spain and France have forced more than 250,000 people to flee, authorities from both countries have said, as they struggle to contain the blazes.About 70,000 people were evacuated from central Spain, while 197,000 people fled in France, including tens of thousands from the wine region city of Bordeaux. Continue reading...

Dharmendra Pradhan steps down after demonstrations over exam leak scandal, prompting celebrations among thousands of protestersIndia's education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned after a week of mass demonstrations, handing a major victory to a new youth movement that has posed an unprecedented challenge to Narendra Modi's government.In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Pradhan said he had submitted his letter of resignation to the prime minister after student pressure. Continue reading...

Bollywood stars accused of cowardice' as hundreds of thousands of young Indians take to the streets to challenge governmentBollywood stars and other Indian celebrities have faced fierce criticism for staying silent in the face of some of the biggest protests India has seen in years.Hundreds of thousands of young Indians took to the streets this week as part of a new youth movement that calls itself the Cockroach Janata party (CJP), demanding accountability over exam paper leaks in an unprecedented challenge to prime minister Narendra Modi's government. Many vented their anger against what they saw as cowardice" from India's biggest celebrities. Continue reading...

Robot from company that acquired sex doll maker to be introduced in school with large Native American populationA humanoid robot is being introduced as part of a pilot program, along with an AI teaching assistant, at Salamanca high school in Salamanca, New York, located on the Allegany territory of the Seneca nation.Teachers have criticized the program, deeming it inappropriate" and claiming it dehumanizes the profession with the introduction of human-like robots. Some local Native American residents have also criticized the pilot program, citing its implementation as culturally tone deaf". Continue reading...

Initiatives including cutting permits just to serve ice-cream amount to a sweeping program of deregulationRed Scare? The democratic socialist mayor of New York City spent this week talking about red tape.On Tuesday, Zohran Mamdani - the politician at the center of a revived rightwing panic about socialists and purported communists winning elections across America - posted a video on X of himself putting a sheet of paper with the phrase RED TAPE" into a paper shredder. Other pieces of paper, with phrases like cumbersome fees and fines" and a permit you need just to serve ice-cream", were shredded too. The video, set to Wu Tang Clan's If Time Is Money, shows Mamdani joining a handful of city officials and small business owners throwing the resulting paper shreds into the air like confetti. Continue reading...

Jewellery made from BC Iran worn at Odyssey photocall throws spotlight on the trade of rare archeological findsThe Odyssey has stormed cinemas, but while its take on the Homeric epic has created ripples among western classicists, it is an actor's earrings that have made waves further afield.Zendaya, who portrays the goddess Athena in the movie, provoked outrage when she appeared at a London photocall wearing earrings that were allegedly made from Iranian artefacts dating back to the 1st millennium BC. Continue reading...

Comment follows news Axel Rudakubana was transferred from prison to psychiatric hospitalThe lawyer for the families of Axel Rudakubana's victims has said the Southport killer is trying to retraumatise the families from his cell" after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rudakubana, now 19, was given a life sentence for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults. Continue reading...

I can't tolerate this life,' said the 24-year-old in his last voice message to his relatives. Attacked by the military, a rebel army and criminal gangs, Siraz Ullah risked all for a better futureThe fear was audible as he spoke, recording a message to his family, asking for their prayers. After pressing send, 24-year-old Siraz Ullah boarded a boat he hoped could deliver him from the violence and persecution surrounding him at home in Myanmar.Instead, Siraz is among 500 Rohingya refugees who have vanished at sea after setting sail for Malaysia in late June. Continue reading...

Campaigners urge government to introduce right of access to water, particularly as heatwaves become more commonAlmost three-quarters of riverbanks in England have no public access, according to data released by the Right to Roam campaign.Across the country, the public cannot use riverbanks or gain access to the rivers themselves in most of the river catchments from the west of Cornwall up to the Tweed, which flows through northern England and Scotland. Continue reading...

In the Warrington suburb of Culcheth, people are hopeful about what one of their own can achieve as the first northern PM in half a centuryThe Cherry Tree pub is an unassuming local. On a busy road in the Cheshire village of Culcheth, it is a chain-run pub where four shots cost 8, every burger comes with a soft drink, and sport is shown all day on the big screens. It is also a favourite of Andy Burnham, the new prime minister.Many of the drinkers have a story about - arguably - Culcheth's most famous son. Continue reading...

Jalsa Salana in Hampshire has had enhanced support from police, emergency services and local authoritiesSecurity has been increased by several hundred additional staff at the UK's largest Muslim convention, Jalsa Salana, alongside enhanced coordination with police, emergency services and local authorities, against a backdrop of growing anti-Muslim sentiment.Last month, another big Islamic gathering was forced to close early after 12 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, over a suspected far-right threat. Continue reading...

In sea pools built with sandbags and rubble, Amjed Tantesh gives traumatised children brief respite from their daily livesSwimming classes have started again in Gaza after three years of war, with hundreds of children learning to float, doggy paddle and take their first strokes in five makeshift sea pools built from sandbags and rubble.The lessons allow a few hundred girls and boys to reclaim their childhood for a few hours in a place where there are no playgrounds, no formal education and children live in fear of continuing Israeli attacks. A UN survey in March found that 96% of children felt death was imminent.Activity on the Gaza seafront Continue reading...

Don't delay in taking advantage of the competition that is pushing up interest rates and increasing choice, experts sayIt is shaping up to be a decent summer for savers as fierce competition among providers pushes up interest rates and increases choice.You can currently get instant- and easy-access accounts that pay up to 5% interest, and fixed-rate savings bonds that pay almost that much. Meanwhile, those looking for a regular savings account can now get up to 8%. Continue reading...

Syngenta says it will stop selling paraquat in Australia after new regulations on chemical linked to Parkinson's disease

Officials have long lobbied for peak that rises 2,918 metres above sea level to be given coveted designationMore than four decades have elapsed since Evangelos Geroliolios made his first ascent to the home of the ancient gods. At the top of Mount Olympus, on the rocky peak of Greece's highest mountain, he felt unalloyed awe.I've never forgotten that unique moment, that unique feeling up there on the throne of Zeus," recalled Geroliolios, who as mayor of Dion-Olympus now spends a great deal of his time administering the area around the site. Continue reading...

Highly unpredictable' blaze forces evacuation of Cap Ferret on French coast and Spain declares national emergencyMore than 200,000 people have fled or been ordered to lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France on Friday, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country's best-known holiday spots.Authorities in south-west France ordered the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast to be evacuated village by village" in the face of an intense, highly unpredictable" wildfire that has burned through more than 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) of forest. Continue reading...

Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, remanded in custody after intelligence-led operation against dissident republicansA 25-year-old law student has been charged in relation to an extremely significant" bomb intercepted near the UK-Irish border.Isobella Perrie Sullivan, from Clane, County Kildare, was charged with possession of explosives at a special sitting of Trim district court on Friday evening. Continue reading...

After Google fined 890m by EU, US president said Brussels was robbing' American companies and taxpayers

The film-maker, also behind A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, died on Wednesday in his San Diego homeDirector Chuck Russell, who helped propel actors such as Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz and Dwayne The Rock" Johnson to the Hollywood A-list, was found dead in his San Diego, California, home on Wednesday. He was 74.Russell directed several box office hits in his decades-long career including A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob and The Mask. In 2002, his film The Scorpion King featured The Rock in his first leading role. Continue reading...

Colt Gray, who was 14 at time of attack on Apalachee high school, admits 55 charges including four counts of murderThe wife of a teacher killed in a high school shooting in Georgia two years ago told a court on Friday that the families of the four victims had been handed a life sentence of grief and trauma" by the teenage student who murdered them.Shayna Aspinwall, whose husband Richard died at Apalachee high school, about 45 miles north-east Atlanta, on 4 September 2024, was speaking at the sentencing hearing for Colt Gray, 16, who earlier pleaded to 55 charges, including second-degree murder. Continue reading...

Joanna Ruth Shields' body was discovered in a pool of water with suspicious marks, driving speculation she was attackedA young woman whose body was found in the backcountry of California's Big Sur with suspicious marks on her face and neck died of alcohol withdrawal, the Monterey county sheriff's office said on Thursday.The discovery of Joanna Ruth Shields' body back in April had driven widespread suspicion that she had been the victim of a violent attack. A group of hikers found Shields, 37, naked in a pool of water in the Sykes hot springs area of the Ventana wilderness with marks on her neck and a cut across her forehead. Continue reading...

The latest milestone, a recorded 2,318 infections, makes 2026 the worst year for measles in the US since 1991The US has officially surpassed last year's record number of measles infections, marking the highest case count since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.New figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Friday show the country has recorded 2,318 measles cases in 2026, overtaking the 2,289 cases reported during all of 2025 - with five months still remaining in the year. The country crossed the 2,000-case threshold last month before climbing even higher in July. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Andy Burnham thought to be considering waiving stricter right to remain rules for people already working in the sectorHundreds of thousands of care workers could be exempted from the home secretary's plans to toughen up the immigration system under proposals being considered by Andy Burnham as he looks for ways to relieve pressure on the social care sector.The prime minister will give a speech next week spelling out his determination to start creating a National Care Service before the next general election as he looks to accelerate the process set up by his predecessor, Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Member states vote to remove British barrister found to have committed serious misconduct over alleged sexual abuseThe prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, has been removed from office after the court's oversight body found he had committed serious misconduct in connection to allegations of sexual abuse.The ICC's member states voted on Friday to oust the British prosecutor in an unprecedented move that concludes a damaging episode for the court two years after the allegations were first raised. Continue reading...

No end to fighting in sight as Revolutionary Guards launch drones at targets in Bahrain, Jordan and KuwaitThe US has struck targets across Iran, reaching as far as the Caspian Sea, as Donald Trump threatened major military punishment" for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the war to a second shipping chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea.As Iran retaliated on Friday with missile and drone fire against US bases and allies across the region, the New York Times reported that Tehran had rejected a US ceasefire proposal delivered by the Iraq prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi. This despite the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, claiming a day earlier that Iran was begging for a ceasefire. Iraq later disputed the report. Continue reading...

At least 90 active blazes in British Columbia in what PM says is one of the country's most intense seasons on record

Metropolitan police say officers on marine policing boat are receiving treatment after incident in central LondonFive officers have been injured after a police boat struck Westminster Bridge in central London on Friday afternoon.The Metropolitan police said the incident occurred at about 3.40pm and involved a boat from the marine policing unit. Continue reading...

Latest attacks come after Trump vowed major military punishment' for Tehran and its Houthi alliesAs we reported earlier, Iran's military said on Friday that it carried out attacks targeting US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for Washington's latest strikes on the Islamic republic.Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp, meanwhile, said they had targeted a data centre in Bahrain belonging to Amazon, according to state media, though neither the US tech giant nor Bahrain have commented on the claim. Continue reading...

Party briefing notes say: Daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning next general election'Reform UK has instructed its councillors to describe a police investigation into donations from the mother of George Cottrell as an establishment stitch-up, as polling showed the party's popularity plummeting.Internal briefing documents circulated to the party's councillors included instructions to respond to questions about a Metropolitan police investigation into party donations with: It is now clear that the establishment will try anything to stop us", the Times revealed on Thursday. Continue reading...

V&A event celebrates all shapes and sizes as wider fashion industry stalls on body diversityVisitors to London's Victoria and Albert Museum on Friday afternoon to watch Sinead O'Dwyer's Fashion in Motion show would have encountered something a little different. The cast of performers and models wore everything from underwear to skirt suits and sequins, and sometimes danced interpretively on the catwalk to a performance by the band Jeanie and The White Boys, but most notably came in all shapes and sizes.O'Dwyer's work has pushed against fashion's insistence on a thin body type since she appeared at London fashion week in 2021. If most brands make the samples for clothes shown on the catwalk based on a size 4-8, she uses a size 18. She has won awards for her work, as well as celebrity fans including Cardi B and Bjork. Continue reading...

A physio, a tailor and a historian on the style trends that can put women in hospital and how to avoid the dangersBuyer beware" is one of the oldest principles in English law. Now, a pair of wide legged trousers from Zara is bringing the phrase back to the forefront of shoppers' minds.On social media the 25.99 wide-legged trousers from the high-street retailer have earned the moniker Zara death pants" thanks to a slew of videos showing wearers tripping over the leg of the trousers and injuring themselves. Continue reading...

A 10,000 bar tab was drunk, there was a lot of anger', and now ex-ministers are thinking how to cooperate in futureKeir Starmer's leaving party had been planned for some time. But in years to come it might be seen as the birth of a new Labour movement.Dozens of ministers, aides and Starmer himself headed to the Grafton pub in Kentish Town on Monday night to drown their sorrows, hours after the former prime minister left Downing Street for the last time. Continue reading...

Of the estimated 179 people aboard, 76 were rescued as efforts continue to salvage the ship and recover all bodiesThe confirmed death toll from the recent capsizing of a state ferry off Guyana's coast has risen to 72, with more bodies recovered as a multinational team struggle to salvage the partially submerged vessel.Of the estimated 179 people aboard, 76 people were rescued. The government has estimated that 100 may have died in the accident, which would make it the worst marine tragedy on record for the South American nation. Continue reading...

PM, on his first day at new base, says it will create that sense of a more balanced country, that big things can be done from here'Andy Burnham has arrived by police convoy at No 10 North at Heron House in Manchester:Andy Burnham was probably feeling left out of the Celtic alliance", after apparently telling John Swinney that Scottish independence was off limits". Continue reading...

Warning in place until Sunday morning in southern and central regions after drought declared in parts of WalesHeat alerts are in place across parts of England, with officials saying temperatures are likely to have an impact on health and wellbeing.The yellow heat health alerts issued for the East Midlands, east of England, London, south-east, south-west and West Midlands are in place until 9am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Angel Rampersad, Michael Swinton, Isabella Gonzales and Tyler Feehan were among 18 US troops killed in the warA 30-year-old husband and father of two. A 25-year-old officer just weeks away from earning his MBA. A 19-year-old recent high school graduate. And a 28-year-old from Queens, New York, with a radiant smile".The Pentagon this week identified three American service members who were killed, and a fourth believed to have been killed, in the Middle East over the past week amid an escalation in attacks between the United States and Iranian forces. Continue reading...

Kyiv's attacks on Wildberries, country's answer to Amazon, destroy goods made, sold, and bought by everyday RussiansStanding in front of a vast warehouse engulfed in flames outside Moscow, Tatyana Mikhailova watched as her entire stock of 4,000 fur coats, bought months in advance for the winter season, burned.It's not just a warehouse that's burning," Mikhailova said in a video she shared on Instagram. It's the time you've invested, the immense stress you've endured, your money, and your last bit of hope. All I feel is emptiness." Continue reading...

Connor Read, who is married and has two children, was apprehended in June during residency permit interviewA British-born man who has lived in the US since he was nine years old has been held in an ICE detention facility for more than a month and a half under threat of deportation, it has been reported.Connor Read, 29, was taken by ICE agents after he was invited to a green card (residency permit) interview in Tampa, Florida on 3 June, and separated from his wife, Jaelin, 25, and his twin sons Ryder and Ozzie, three. Continue reading...

US courts, state officials and Democrats warn that moves are endangering voting rights and the rule of lawThe Trump administration continues to expand its authoritarian and radical drive to revamp voting rules and seize state election powers, though it faces growing resistance from US courts, state officials and Democrats, who warn the moves are sparking chaos" and endangering voting rights and the rule of law.Donald Trump's unprecedented drive to change election rules, which states legally set, is fueled by his obsession with his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, which he falsely attributes to voting fraud, coupled with his fear that Democrats will find a reason to impeach me" if they take control of the House in November's midterms elections, say former election officials and legal experts. Continue reading...

Researchers tracked mother-child pairs for up to 11 years, finding Pfas mixtures may affect developing gutsPrenatal and early life exposure to Pfas mixtures is probably linked to higher levels of intestinal inflammation in children, new first-of-its-kind research shows. Intestinal inflammation can cause irritable bowel diseases, like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer.While Pfas has been linked to irritable bowel disease and intestinal inflammation in adults, the new peer-reviewed Mt Sinai study is the first to look at how the chemicals impact children during a critical developmental phase. Continue reading...

Axel Rudakubana moved to psychiatric hospital after it was concluded he could not be safely managed in prisonThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of attempting to manipulate the system" by the families of his victims, after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rubakubana, 19, was jailed for life in January last year, with a minimum sentence of 52 years, for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Continue reading...

Several others seriously injured in attack that residents of Palestinian village say also involved Israeli militaryFour Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed in a shooting in the northern West Bank, health officials have said, during what residents described as a settler attack also involving the Israeli military. Several more people were seriously injured.The serious incident in the Palestinian village of Tell, near Nablus, is the deadliest attack in the West Bank this year and has the potential to lead to a series of reprisals between Israeli-backed settlers and Palestinian communities. Continue reading...

Inquiry's focus this week is on security for the Jewish community, with the MP telling the commissioner his son is afraid to attend synagogues and events