World news | The Guardian

Statement from Keith Kellogg comes a day after he cancelled their joint press conference in KyivA 51-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in jail in Poland for preparing acts of diversion which the prosecutors found to be commissioned by Russia.The man, a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested in 2024 as part of a broader investigation into several suspected acts of diversion, including arson, in western Poland. Continue reading...

Statement from IDF spokesman contradicts Hamas claim the family was killed in an airstrikeOne of the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, Israel's military has said, calling it a violation of utmost severity" of a ceasefire deal that was already precarious.The Israeli military confirmed that two of the bodies belonged to Bibas' children, Ariel and Kfir, in the early hours of Friday. However, it added During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body"... Continue reading...

Senate Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; mass layoffs get all-clear after judge lifts block

MP, who was suspended from Labour party earlier this month, investigated for actions causing significant damage' to the reputation of the CommonsThe Democratic Unionist Party has described Sinn Fein's decision to boycott a visit to Washington DC on St Patrick's Day as short-sighted" and reckless", PA reports.Earlier today, Sinn Fein's leaders announced that they would not be attending an event at the White House in a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza".The fact that Sinn Fein's decision to boycott the annual St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington DC was announced in Dublin speaks volumes about where Northern Ireland sits as a priority for Sinn FeinThe DUP will be represented in DC for St Patrick's events. We always use the opportunity to strengthen Northern Ireland's economic and political ties with the United States, regardless of who occupies the White House. We will continue to engage with our partners in Washington, promoting Northern Ireland as a place to invest, work, and do business.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Platform cites legal requirements around when we remove data' after lawsuit filed over deaths of children attempting blackout challenge'Four British parents who are suing TikTok for the alleged wrongful deaths of their children say they are suspicious" about the social media platform's claim to have deleted their children's data.The parents have filed a lawsuit in the US that claims that their four children died in 2022 as a result of attempting the blackout challenge", a viral trend that circulated on social media in 2021. Continue reading...

Julia Wandel allegedly sent letters, calls, WhatsApps and visited family of missing girlA woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been remanded in custody after being charged with stalking the missing girl's family by turning up at their home and contacting them repeatedly.Julia Wandel, also known as Julia Wandelt, was arrested at Bristol airport on Wednesday and appeared in Leicester magistrates court on Friday. Continue reading...

Solicitors Regulation Authority says it has further information about claims business secretary misrepresented his careerThe Solicitors Regulation Authority has said it will reinvestigate the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds over accusations he misrepresented his legal career.A spokesperson for the SRA said: We looked at that issue at the time we became aware of it and contacted Mr Reynolds about the profiles. Continue reading...

Musk claimed without evidence Nasa's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left stranded on orbital outpost for political reasons'Elon Musk has become embroiled in a heated row with a Danish astronaut who criticised the tech billionaire's claim that the former US president Joe Biden abandoned two American astronauts at the International Space Station on purpose.Andreas Andy" Mogensen accused Musk of lying when he claimed in a Fox News interview alongside Donald Trump that Nasa's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left stranded for political reasons" by Biden. Continue reading...

Emilli Beck says army failed to protect her sibling and she would not advise other young women to enlistThe older sister of Gnr Jaysley Beck, the 19-year-old soldier who killed herself after allegedly being sexually assaulted and harassed, has said the army has blood on its hands" and claimed her sibling would still be alive if the abuse she suffered had been properly investigated.Speaking to the Guardian, Emilli Beck, 25, said the army had swept Jaysley's case under the carpet rather than protecting her, and said she would not advise any young woman to join the service. Continue reading...

HSBC, Citi and Morgan Stanley among five banks CMA investigated for competition law breaches between 2009 and 2013The UK competition regulator has fined four major banks, including HSBC and Citi, more than 100m after it found traders had been using Bloomberg chatrooms to share sensitive information about government bonds.The penalties follow a long-running investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that discovered that individual traders at Citi, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Deutsche Bank had messaged rival bankers about the buying and selling of UK government bonds - known as gilts - on specific dates between 2009 and 2013. Continue reading...

Partnership comes as London station looks at ways to almost triple passenger numbersLondon's St Pancras railway station and the Channel tunnel operator have agreed to work together to open up more trains from Britain to France, and routes to Germany and Switzerland.The agreement is the latest sign of growing momentum for new passenger rail links from England across the Channel, after the UK's only international station announced plans to triple the number of passengers who can travel through every hour. Continue reading...

Corporation removes show from iPlayer to carry out further due diligence' after admitting boy is son of Hamas ministerA BBC documentary about Gaza has been pulled from BBC iPlayer while the corporation conducts further due diligence", following the broadcaster admitting a child featured was the son of a man who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.A statement from the BBC said: Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone features important stories we think should be told, those of the experiences of children in Gaza. Continue reading...

Fears that cuts will decimate' ability to react to crises as sector loses expertise and skills at every level, report findsSome of the world's largest aid organisations are axing thousands of jobs as a result of US president Donald Trump's freeze on overseas aid, potentially decimating" the sector's ability to react to future crises.Those that have already announced job cuts include the International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council and war zone-focused Norwegian People's Aid. Continue reading...

Trump's attempts to intervene in Tate's rape and human trafficking cases in Romania might seem strange, but their worlds are intimately linkedEver since I began reporting on Andrew Tate four years ago (during which time my colleague Jamie Tahsin and I made two documentaries, wrote a book on him and interviewed his alleged rape victims), I've been sounding the alarm on the far-right disinformation network that connects him to Trump's inner circle.

Lawyer says astounding' purge will cost government, after workers with positive reviews cut due to poor performance'Donald Trump's administration could wrack up a monumental" bill and is breaking the law by firing government workers on spurious grounds, according to a top labor lawyer.Officials have cited poor performance" when terminating thousands of federal workers. In many cases it's not true, according to employees embroiled in the blitz, many of whom are now seeking legal advice. Continue reading...

IDF statement comes hours after Benjamin Netanyahu orders further crackdown on occupied West Bank over bus explosionsOne of the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday is not that of the hostage Shiri Bibas, Israel's military has said, calling it a violation of utmost severity" of a ceasefire deal that was already precarious.The Israeli military confirmed in the early hours of Friday that two of the bodies belonged to Bibas's children, Ariel and Kfir. However, it added: During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage." Continue reading...

Japanese carmaker's shares rise almost 10% after reports that a group wants US EV firm to put in moneyElon Musk has rebuffed the idea that Tesla could put money into the struggling carmaker Nissan, after a report that said a Japanese group was seeking its investment sent shares soaring.Nissan's stock market value jumped by 9.5% on Friday after claims that the former prime minister Yoshihide Suga was among those who want the US electric carmaker to become a strategic investor, possibly in exchange for Nissan's American factories. Continue reading...

Countries meeting at Caricom summit not seeking handout' but appropriate apology' and compensationCaribbean leaders have defended the region's pursuit of slavery reparations, describing the compensation for centuries of enslavement and oppression as a matter of simple justice.Speaking to the Guardian at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) heads of government meeting in Barbados, the Antigua and Barbuda prime minister, Gaston Browne, said Caribbean states were not seeking a handout". Continue reading...

Proceedings filed Friday for man scheduled to be deported Monday as Human Rights Law Centre makes case for dangerous precedent'

Exclusive: Advance commissions' said to total millions of pounds allegedly pushed customers to certain providersUK lenders paid advance commissions" to car dealers that may have encouraged them to push costlier loans on to consumers, legal filings linked to the motor finance scandal reveal.Court documents seen by the Guardian show that lenders, including Lloyds Banking Group, have paid commission to individual dealerships in lump sums upfront, which campaigners say total millions of pounds. Continue reading...

Critics say NGA decision is nothing less than a disgraceful act of censorship' that is rooted in political cowardice'

Ad Standards Community Panel upholds complaint over Hancock Prospecting's promotion in the Weekend Australian

Drop in 2024 is biggest recorded as small companies struggle with rising costs, and aggressive tactics from big brewersThe number of independent breweries in Britain declined at its fastest rate in 2024, figures from the indie beer" trade body suggest.The UK had 1,715 breweries at the end of 2024, 100 fewer than at the start of the year, according to the data released by Siba, which represents independent brewing companies. The overall fall the previous year was just eight. Continue reading...

US sales aren't growing as fast as we'd like ... it takes time,' founder says, while analyst notes target market not exactly short of Mexican food options'

Agriculture Victoria says H7N8 strain of avian influenza has been detected at a poultry farm at Euroa

Democratic party chair Lo Kin-hei would not comment on whether Beijing had put pressure on membersHong Kong's oldest pro-democracy party, which became an influential voice of opposition before Beijing cracked down on dissent, will start preparations to shut down, its leader has said.Lo Kin-hei, chair of Hong Kong's Democratic party, said on Thursday: We are going to proceed and study on the process and procedure that is needed for the disbanding." Continue reading...

Train passengers will be able to tap-and-go with a bank card, phone or smart watch early next year, with trams and buses to follow

Sharri Markson defends News Corp after attorney general says antisemitism must not be weaponised'. Plus: a sprinkling of Australian culture for the NYT

Long-running Australian soap will be resting' from December, after streaming giant withdraws from production

Companies increase hiring for first time since June, and households more optimistic about their financesCompanies have ramped up hiring in recent weeks while consumer confidence has started to rise, research suggests, in a boost for Rachel Reeves as the government looks for signs of economic growth.The chancellor has received a fillip after the market research company GfK's consumer index improved from -22 in January to -20 in February as households said they were more optimistic about their personal finances and the economic outlook. Continue reading...

Move apparently empties military facility on Cuban base of migrant detainees and comes in wake of ACLU lawsuitThe US government has flown 177 deportees from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras, from where they are set to be transferred on to Venezuela, apparently emptying the military facility of migrant detainees.The move on Thursday came days after human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit seeking access to dozens of people who had been held at the US naval base. Continue reading...

By Ramsay's own estimate, he has lost more than 2,000 during one week in stolen maneki-neko cat modelsNearly 500 cat figurines were stolen in one week from Gordon Ramsay's new London restaurant, the TV chef has said.The restaurateur, 58, recently launched Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate by Gordon Ramsay in one of London's tallest buildings, which features the beckoning Japanese cat models called maneki-neko. Continue reading...

Charges of criminal negligence dropped against three key defendants over death of British singer in OctoberA court in Argentina has dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last October.In a decision issued Wednesday, the Argentine federal appeals court ordered the other two defendants in the case to remain in custody. They are facing prosecution on charges they supplied the famed British boy band star with narcotics. Continue reading...

No injuries reported after three explosions in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, with two more bombs being defusedIsrael's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has ordered the military to conduct an intense operation" against terror hubs" in the West Bank after a series of explosions on three parked buses that authorities said was a suspected terrorist attack. No injuries were reported.The explosions on Thursday happened on a day when Israel was grieving after Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages from Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal. The bus explosions were reminiscent of bombings during the Palestinian uprising of the 2000s, but such attacks are now rare. Continue reading...

Police watchdog is investigating death of 27-year-old who showed unusual behaviour' at security checkA 27-year-old man has died at Manchester airport after being arrested by Border Force officers.The man had been stopped while going through security in Terminal 2 on Wednesday after displaying unusual behaviour", the police watchdog said. Continue reading...

Local authorities can collectively borrow 1.5bn to plug budget gaps caused by underfundingA record 30 English local authorities have been granted effective bailouts" enabling them to borrow money to avoid bankruptcy, as ministers advised them against selling off prized local assets such as historic buildings, parks and allotments.The councils, all of whom were considered to have unmanageable debts", were given the green light by ministers to collectively borrow 1.5bn to plug significant budget gaps caused by underfunding and soaring demand for social care and other services. Continue reading...

Systemic' flaws criticised in army's investigation into sexual assault of Jaysley Beck, 19, before her suicide

Reform leader contradicts Trump rant, saying you shouldn't always take things Donald Trump says absolutely literally'Nigel Farage has contradicted his ally Donald Trump, saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a dictator" after the US president's attack on the Ukrainian leader this week.Farage, who became one of the last UK party leaders to distance himself from Trump's remarks, said he had been delayed in calling it out earlier because he was heading to the US to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Continue reading...

University of Chichester had suspended recruitment to its history of Africa and the African diaspora MResAn independent adjudicator has ruled partly in favour of students who challenged the University of Chichester after their African history course was abruptly terminated in 2023.The University of Chichester suspended recruitment to its research master's (MRes) in the history of Africa and the African diaspora without warning, and made the course leader, Prof Hakim Adi, an academic and expert in African history, redundant. Continue reading...

Republican Kentucky lawmaker formally announced his retirement in a Senate floor speech on ThursdaySenator Mitch McConnell announced he will not run for re-election next year, bringing an end to a decades-long career for a Republican leader who marshaled his party through multiple administrations with a singleminded focus on power that enraged his critics and delighted his allies.The Associated Press broke the news of McConnell's retirement on Thursday, which marked the Republican senator's 83rd birthday. McConnell formally announced his retirement in a Senate floor speech on Thursday. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary criticises Russia over Ukraine war, saying it faces a test' over Ukraine war as he speaks at G20 foreign ministerial meetingAs well as appearing on the airwaves this morning to promote Labour's 270m Arts Everywhere fund, culture secretary Lisa Nandy also supplied some quotes for the press release accompanying the launch.She said:Arts and culture help us understand the world we live in, they shape and define society and are enjoyed by people in every part of our country. They are the building blocks of our world-leading creative industries and make a huge contribution towards boosting growth and breaking down barriers to opportunities for young people to learn the creative skills they need to succeed.The funding we are announcing today will allow the arts to continue to flourish across Britain, creating good jobs and growth by fixing the foundations in our cultural venues, museums, libraries and heritage institutions [and] will ensure that arts and cultural institutions truly are for everyone, everywhere.Look, we've had a decade where funding to the arts, funding for communities has been slashed. We've seen culture erased from our classrooms and our communities. It's economic madness.This is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK - film, music, literature, TV. We export them all over the world. We've got countries clamouring to invest here in the UK. Some of the biggest streamers in the world, who want to invest more in the UK, but it takes support from the government Continue reading...

Vicar calls MP's position untenable after newly revealed messages show him suggesting she be burned on a bonfire'A serving Anglican priest has called for Andrew Gwynne to resign after new WhatsApp messages emerged in which the member of parliament suggested she should be burned on a bonfire".She described the chat involving two Labour MPs, as well as several other Labour party members, as reminiscent of playground bullying and name-calling". Continue reading...

From MPs' demands for peerages to Rishi Sunak calling a minister fucking useless', stories from former chief whip Simon Hart's diaries have drawn attentionThey say that to govern is to choose, but for one former chief whip it meant rescuing a Conservative MP from a suspected KGB agent in a London brothel.The story of said MP is one of many colourful anecdotes in Simon Hart's political diaries, which have become the talk of Westminster this week. Continue reading...

Claudia Sheinbaum's warning follows Washington designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizationsMexico will never tolerate an invasion" of its national sovereignty by the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum has warned after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.This cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty," the Mexican president said. With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion." Continue reading...

Plane caught fire and flipped at Toronto's Pearson airport, hospitalizing 21 of 80 people onboardDelta Air Lines is offering passengers of a jet that caught fire and flipped over on a Toronto runway $30,000 each - no strings attached".Flight 4819 crashed after touching down at Toronto's Pearson airport on Monday afternoon. Videos of the crash were captured by witnesses and then passengers inside the plane. Continue reading...

Layoffs affect workers with around one year or less of service at Internal Revenue Service as tax deadline loomsThe US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning on Thursday, a person familiar with the plans told the Associated Press.The layoffs affect probationary employees with roughly one year or less of service at the agency and largely include workers in compliance departments, according to the person, who was not authorized to disclose the plans and spoke on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. Compliance work includes ensuring that taxpayers are abiding by the tax code, filing their returns and paying their taxes, among other duties. Continue reading...

Deal struck with heirs to legendary film producer Albert Cubby' Broccoli, long-serving stewards of franchise

Party had brought in a new constitution declaring its 200,000 members were now in control

This blog is now closed, you can read our full report on the day's events hereThe handover of the four bodies from Hamas to the Red Cross is now complete.The vehicles are on their way to Israel, and the crowd in Khan Younis is beginning to disperse. Continue reading...

CEO of owner Centrica says service will be my obsession' as profits slump by a third to 2.3bn