World news | The Guardian

Health worker describes 40-year-old as compliant' and diligent' patient but recalls 2020 phone call and a possible warning sign' of mental health relapse

Former leader had been due to visit in October but trip was cancelled when it coincided with David Lammy's trip to BeijingFormer Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will visit Britain this week at the invitation of British politicians, a trip that comes as London is trying to improve ties with Beijing and China ramps up efforts to diplomatically isolate the island.Britain, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but the economic and political exchanges between the two sides have increased as Beijing ratchets up military threats to force Taipei to accept its sovereignty claim over the democratic island. Continue reading...

Amelia Hamer could only secure small primary vote swing towards Liberals in Kooyong, while Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown holds inner-Brisbane seat of Ryan

Senate race will be key to future of Sara Duterte as she faces impeachment trial, while her could become mayor despite being detained in The HagueMillions of Filipinos began voting on Monday in a midterm election widely seen as a referendum on the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached vice-president Sara Duterte.Workers in the capital, Manila, were busily setting up polling stations on Sunday for a race that will decide more than 18,000 posts, from seats in the House of Representatives to hotly contested municipal offices. Continue reading...

ABC programme is designed to give clinicians more confidence to take swift action in an emergencyAn NHS programme to boost maternity safety and prevent brain injuries during childbirth is to be rolled out across England.The avoiding brain injuries in childbirth (ABC) programme is designed to help maternity staff better identify signs that a baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer abandons idea foreign workers generate growth in favour of language reminiscent of Nigel Farage

Keir Starmer says system will be tightened up' in all areas, following sharp rise in support for Reform UK in elections

Police say other passengers sustained serious injuries in single-vehicle crash near WokinghamA child has died after a minibus overturned on a motorway slip road, police have confirmed.The single-vehicle crash occurred on the M4 eastbound junction 10 exit slip road on to the A329M, near Wokingham in Berkshire on Sunday afternoon, Thames Valley police said. Continue reading...

The show is called public service television at its best', while Marisa Abela and Lennie James are among other winners

Ukrainian president proposes face-to-face meeting after Russian leader suggests two sides hold talks in TurkeyVolodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Vladimir Putin to meet in person for peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, in a dramatic gambit after a weekend of diplomatic flurry.His comments came after Putin rejected a demand from Ukraine and European allies to sign up to a 30-day ceasefire, but said Russia was ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine. Putin said delegations from the two countries should meet on Thursday in Turkey. Continue reading...

Talks described as positive by US but Iran will not back down from its right' to enrich uranium for energyIran and the US have ended a fourth round of talks on a surprisingly upbeat note, despite the two sides appearing far apart on the central issue of a uranium enrichment programme on Iranian soil.The talks in Muscat, Oman lasted four hours and were described as positive by the US side. The Iranian foreign ministry said the talks had been difficult but detailed to better understand each side's positions". Continue reading...

Celebrations held in both countries while Kashmir residents beg for long-term solutions over disputed territoryIndia and Pakistan have both claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, which brought the two nuclear-nations back from the brink of war.After days of escalating clashes that culminated in both sides launching missile and drone strikes on each other's major military bases - the closest they had come to full-scale war in decades - the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was declared by Donald Trump on Saturday evening. Continue reading...

White paper proposes ban on recruitment from abroad despite care sector relying heavily on foreign workersUnions and care providers have accused the government of putting services at risk after it confirmed plans to shut down the overseas care worker visa route.The long-awaited immigration white paper, to be published on Monday, includes measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles, as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers. Continue reading...

About 300 families may not have been told whether children carry trait for genetic disorders such as sickle cell diseaseHundreds of families in Nottinghamshire have potentially been left unaware of whether their babies may be carriers of certain genetic blood disorders, the second such NHS error to come to light since the start of this year.About 300 families whose children were born between 2004 and September 2024 in Bassetlaw and mid-Nottinghamshire were identified by the NHS as being affected. Continue reading...

Mitch Hutchcraft swam the Channel, cycled to India and ran to Nepal, covering 8,000 miles, to raise money for charityA former Royal Marine has completed the world's longest triathlon", which he started in the UK eight months ago and finished at the summit of Mount Everest.Mitch Hutchcraft, from Cambridgeshire, travelled more than 13,000km (8,077 miles) in 240 days by swimming, cycling, running and trekking before reaching the world's highest peak on Sunday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: RCN's Nicola Ranger says nurses could bare our teeth' as they seek restoration of lost earningsNurses deserve a 25% pay rise and may go on strike again unless ministers dramatically improve their completely unacceptable" 2.8% offer to NHS staff, the profession's leader has said.Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said nurses wanted full restoration of lost earnings and could bare our teeth" in pursuit of that goal. Continue reading...

Exclusive: David Lammy asks BBC bosses to draw up tightened budget amid criticism move could harm UK's global influenceDavid Lammy is asking BBC bosses to draw up tens of millions of pounds' worth of cuts to the World Service as part of the spending review, as the fallout continues from Keir Starmer's decision to slash the aid budget.Sources have told the Guardian the Foreign Office has asked the BBC to draw up a budget of up to 70m a year lower than bosses say it needs over the next few years, and well below inflation. Continue reading...

The rapid rise in advertised rents grabs headlines but it's only a small part of the market, an expert says, and for most renting households there is no crisis

General Keith Kellogg has reacted to the Russian president's suggestion for talks with Ukraine on ThursdayOn Saturday morning, local officials in Ukraine's northern Sumy region said Russian shelling over the past day had killed three residents and injured four more.Another civilian died on the spot on Saturday as a Russian drone struck the southern city of Kherson, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Continue reading...

New pontiff also urges a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza and welcomes truce between India and PakistanPope Leo XIV has called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and pleaded for an end to global conflicts, which he likened to a third world war in pieces".In his first Sunday address at the Vatican, the new pontiff urged an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza and the release of all hostages. He also welcomed the truce between India and Pakistan and referenced the end of the second world war in 1945. Continue reading...

Man, 56, from Richmond, London, detained on suspicion of manslaughter, after death of James Messham, 60, of West SussexA second man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 60-year-old man onboard a cruise ship.James Messham, from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, died after an altercation" on the MSC Virtuosa as it was in British waters on Saturday 3 May during a short trip to Belgium. Continue reading...

Despite owners and networks forsaking journalistic independence, Trump continues to threaten journalistsIn the telling of Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues, the US media is fake news, stocked with radical-left monsters" who are guilty of illegal" reporting on the president.The reality is different. Continue reading...

Essex airport says problem affected check-in, baggage and security systems on Sunday morningPassengers flying out of London Stansted airport on Sunday morning experienced large queues, delays and some missed flights after an IT problem affected check-in, baggage and security systems.Images posted on social media showed long queues and although the issue was said to have been resolved, passengers were advised to stay in touch with their airlines as some flights faced possible delays. Continue reading...

A fraught history of race and immigration connect the new pope with his homelandPope Leo XIV, who on Thursday was elected as the first-ever US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church, has a familial bloodline that reflects his homeland's fraught relationship with race - and why the nation's stature as a melting pot of origins has long endured, records unearthed by genealogists show.The maternal grandfather of 69-year-old Robert Prevost, the newly minted pope, was evidently born abroad in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, according to birth records that professional genealogist Chris Smothers cited to ABC News in a recent report. When Leo's grandfather, Joseph Martinez, obtained an 1887 marriage license to wed the future pope's grandmother, Louise Baquie, he listed his birthplace as Haiti, which at the time was the same territory as Santo Domingo, Smothers noted. Continue reading...

Fort Lauderdale redevelopment would scrap oceanside basketball courts - and some have suggested a racial motiveA proposal to rip out decades-old public basketball courts on Fort Lauderdale's historic beachfront and replace them with new pickleball facilities has enraged residents, and prompted some to suggest an underlying racial motive.The two oceanside courts were built within 10 years of a landmark 1962 judicial ruling that ended segregation on the Florida city's beaches. They have remained popular with a diverse crowd of players and spectators since. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper to announce proposals to reduce net migration in response to growing pressure from Reform UKCare homes will be prevented from recruiting staff from abroad as part of an overhaul of rules to drive down net migration, Yvette Cooper has said.In a change that will concern employers in the sector, the home secretary said providers should instead seek to employ foreign staff who have already come to the country or extend existing visas. Continue reading...

Husic says long-term Labor governments thrive' on robust debate and he plans to continue to speak out on important issues

Researchers call on UK government to close advertising loopholes' that are driving excess calorie intake'Children will eat significantly more calories in a day after watching just five minutes of junk food advertising, according to a groundbreaking study.Young people who saw or heard adverts for products high in saturated fat, sugar and salt consumed an average of 130 extra calories, equivalent to two slices of bread, the research found. Continue reading...

Truce agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from US but within hours there was cross-border shellingA fragile ceasefire was holding between India and Pakistan on Sunday, after hours of overnight fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as US president Donald Trump said he would work to provide a solution regarding Kashmir.The arch-rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other's military installations and dozens of people killed. Continue reading...

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Artist borrows from past masters to create centrepiece of latest show, his first major mural in EnglandThere was a time when Nicolas Party would be pursued by police for decorating trains and buildings across Europe with his distinctive street art. Now, grand galleries and museums invite him to unleash his visions on their walls.His latest extraordinary piece, a large mural in soft pastel inspired by the works of a 17th-century Dutch artist and an 18th-century British master has materialised at the Holburne Museum in Bath. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ed Davey says Labour and Tories too scared of Reform threat to hold Nigel Farage's party to accountThe Liberal Democrats have set up an internal Reform watch" system to monitor Nigel Farage's party in local government, with Ed Davey saying Labour and the Conservatives are too scared of the threat from Reform to hold it to account.The Lib Dem leader defended his party's performance in last week's local elections, saying council contests where they unexpectedly ended up behind Reform mainly happened because of a collapse in votes for other parties. Continue reading...

Under pressure from Reform and from the former PM, Keir Starmer is facing a series of tests of his resolve on green policyPopulist politicians are striking a chord with the public in their attack on the green agenda" because they are right - climate policies are elitist. So says the man standing to be the next leader of the UK's Green party.We should all be angry about net zero," argues Zack Polanski, currently the Greens' deputy leader. The poorest people in our society are being expected to step up to tackle the climate crisis. But it's the government's fault, not the people's fault." Continue reading...

Price joins shadow treasurer Angus Taylor's ticket in Tuesday's leadership ballot

Husic says speaking out on Gaza was a factor in him being dropped from the ministry

The 1,110 blocks of cocaine on board are worth more than half a billion dollars on the street, police said

Leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland told Russian president to accept unconditional 30-day ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to UkraineVladimir Putin has rejected an ultimatum by European leaders to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine or face increased sanctions, but has proposed holding direct negotiations with Kyiv this week.The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland told the Russian president either to sign up to an unconditional ceasefire by Monday or face increased sanctions and weapons transfers to Ukraine. Continue reading...

Actor tells BBC about his relationship with the playwright, his mentor', and how he went off the rails'The actor Danny Dyer said the death of his mentor, the Nobel prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, triggered a spiral of madness" in his life.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dyer reflected on how he had stayed at Pinter's home while performing in his play Celebration. The play opened at London's Almeida theatre in 2000, before transferring to the Lincoln Center in New York. Continue reading...

Three Peruvians and two Colombians missing since setting sail from Peru in March arrive in Galapagos IslandsFive fishers who spent 55 days adrift at sea arrived on Saturday at a port in the Galapagos after being rescued by a tuna boat, the Ecuadorian navy said on X.The three Peruvians and two Colombians had been missing since mid-March and were found on 7 May by an Ecuadorian boat called Aldo. Continue reading...

Ban of former PM Sheikh Hasina's party under Anti-Terrorism Act will remain until trial over student deaths completesThe interim government in Bangladesh has banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League party headed by former influential prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year in a mass uprising.Asif Nazrul, the country's law affairs adviser, said on Saturday the interim cabinet headed by the Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus decided to ban the party's activities online and elsewhere under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban would stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of students and other protesters during an anti-government uprising in July and August last year. Continue reading...

This liveblog is now closed. Read our full report on the ceasefire agreement hereWho is Asim Munir, the army chief leading Pakistan's military amid the crisis with India?The general once fell foul of Imran Khan, but since taking the top spot has been quietly amassing power over the government and supreme court, as our profile here says.Yet even now that the country is out of the clutches of martial law, it is still widely understood that the most powerful man in Pakistan is not the head of the government but instead the chief of the army.Since Gen Munir took over as Pakistan's army chief more than two years ago, he has been accused of quietly consolidating greater power without even having to topple the country's civilian rulers. As he kept himself largely out of the limelight, he consolidated an iron grip over the army's ranks and bent government policy and even the supreme court to his will. Continue reading...

At a demonstration in Westminster, people from both sides of India-Pakistan divide call for more than mere ceasefirePeople around the world held their breath this week as India and Pakistan appeared to edge closer and closer towards war.For diaspora communities with family in the region, especially in Kashmir and along the border between the two countries, recent days in particular have been filled with fear and anxiety. Continue reading...

Trump announced breakthrough after talks apparently secured by secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and vice-president, JD Vance

Reports suggest four detained under Terrorism Act were allegedly targeting Israeli embassyFour Iranian men who were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack in London can be detained and questioned in custody for another week, police said on Saturday.Five men were arrested last week, with armed police and in at least one instance special forces soldiers sent in to detain them, with reports suggesting the alleged target was the Israeli embassy in Kensington. Continue reading...

The wheels of diplomacy are oiled by the exchange of tokens - and plenty of booze, it seems

Lindsay Hoyle's freebies include champagne, whisky, food hampers, skincare sets and presents for his pets

Work to raise the Bayesian is put on hold as investigators seek to establish the cause of the 39-year-old Dutchman's deathRecovery operations to raise the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off Sicily have been suspended after a diver died during underwater work.Rob Cornelis Maria Huijben, a 39-year-old Dutch diver, died on Friday while doing preparation work to cut the ship's mainmast. He was employed by the maritime company Hebo, whose barge arrived last week in Porticello, a fishing port near Palermo. The luxury vessel was anchored just off Porticello when it was struck shortly before dawn by a violent storm on 19 August 2024. It sank within seconds, killing seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah. Continue reading...

Fire at warehouse storing pool cleaning products sends cloud over wide area around Vilanova i la GeltruSpanish authorities have told more than 160,000 people near Barcelona to stay indoors after a fire at an industrial warehouse released a toxic cloud of chlorine over a wide area.The blaze, in the coastal city of Vilanova i la Geltru, south of Barcelona, started at dawn on Saturday in a warehouse storing pool cleaning products, the regional fire service said. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read our full report on this story hereIt is the first time the leaders of the four European nations (France, the UK, Germany and Poland) have made a joint visit to Ukraine, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).We are clear the bloodshed must end. Russia must stop its illegal invasion," the leaders said in a joint statement, adding:Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia's war machine. Continue reading...

US secretary of state urged both sides to de-escalate as he leads efforts to secure a solution to the deepening crisis