World news | The Guardian

Group surprised' when their song was used to disrupt an interview with Alice Weidel - but now they face a backlashIt was while Alice Weidel was being interviewed on the terrace of a parliament building overlooking the River Spree in Berlin that members of the Corner Chor's mobile phones began to ping with alerts as their song in protest at her far-right party, Schei AfD Jodler (Shit AfD Yodellers), blasted out from a 100,000-watt sound system on the other bank.We were hugely surprised and truly happy to hear at that moment that our song was receiving such a public airing," one choir member told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Overture from new president Lee Jae Myung is latest effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang that stalled under his predecessorSouth Korean authorities have begun removing loudspeakers that blare propaganda broadcasts along its border with the North, Seoul's defence ministry said on Monday, as the new government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang.South Korea's dismantling of the loudspeakers was a practical measure that can help ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military's readiness posture," the ministry said in a statement. Continue reading...

A man on a black e-scooter has tagged offensive phrases' on the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation five times between March and July, police say

Home Office's announcement follows growing number of protests outside asylum seeker hotelsMinisters will spend an extra 100m on measures to deter Channel crossings, including on the planned one in, one out" returns agreement with France, the Home Office has said.In a third immigration policy pledge within 24 hours, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the money would pay for up to 300 more National Crime Agency officers, as well as new technology and equipment to step up intelligence-gathering on people-smuggling gangs. Continue reading...

City regulator says motorists should start to get payments in 2026 with most payouts likely to be under 950'

Latest mass capture' in Zamfara state shows banditry crisis shifting from land conflict to organised crimeGunmen have kidnapped more than 50 people in north-west Nigeria in a mass abduction, according to a private conflict monitoring report created for the UN and seen by Agence France-Presse on Sunday.Armed bandits" targeted the village of Sabon Garin Damri in Zamfara state Friday, the report said, the latest attack in a region where residents in rural hinterlands have long suffered gangs who kidnap for ransom, loot villages and demand taxes. Continue reading...

Man understood to have been sitting in London stadium's upper tier was pronounced dead at the sceneOasis have said they are shocked and saddened" after a man fell to his death at Wembley Stadium during the band's Saturday concert.The man was understood to be sitting in the upper tier of the 90,000-seat stadium - the highest stands of which are 50 metres above the ground - as the Gallagher brothers performed as part of their reunion tour. Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir attended holy site in breach of status quo' arrangements with Muslim authoritiesThe Israeli army has said it entered southern Syria overnight, seized weapons and questioned several suspects it said were involved in weapons trafficking in the area.In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the raids followed prior intelligence surveillance and an in-depth field investigation." Continue reading...

Six more people die from malnutrition, while Itamar Ben-Gvir is first minister to publicly pray at sensitive siteAt least 27 people were killed by Israeli forces while trying to get food and six others died from starvation or malnutrition in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, amid a regional outcry over an Israeli minister's visit to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site.Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on hungry crowds who were attempting to get food aid from a distribution site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the south of the territory, with some describing the fire as indiscriminate. Continue reading...

Police say 27-year-old charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child after bus driver spotted a bag movingA New Zealand woman was arrested on Sunday after travelling on a bus with a two-year-old girl trapped in her luggage.DI Simon Harrison said the 27-year-old woman had been charged with ill treatment and neglect of a child. Continue reading...

Video shows black smoke pouring from facility in Sochi, while Russian attack on Mykolaiv wounds seven peopleAn overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi ignited a raging fire, as the two countries traded strikes at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months.More than 120 firefighters worked to put out the blaze, said the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, as emergency officials reported a fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) had burned before it was extinguished. Continue reading...

Relatives call for aid to be allowed to reach Evyatar David after video is released showing him emaciated and weak

Programme about performer Bonnie Blue condemned for glamorising and normalising' extreme pornographyThe new pornography taskforce will propose legislation this autumn aimed at banning a type of barely legal" content produced by the porn star Bonnie Blue, the Guardian has learned.The proposed action by the independent pornography taskforce, launched last month by the Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, comes in response to the broadcast of the Channel 4 documentary 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story. The programme followed the performer as she filmed herself having sex with 1,057 clients over the course of 12 hours. Continue reading...

Government to announce taxpayer-funded initiative after three children were brought to UK under private schemeThe UK government will evacuate seriously ill and injured children from Gaza to the UK for NHS treatment under a scheme to be announced within weeks.Ministers will enable children in severe need to receive taxpayer-funded care. Three children were brought to the UK this year through a private scheme by the charity Project Pure Hope. Continue reading...

New archbishop of Wales says faith kept her going through decades-long struggle for acceptance as a woman and lesbian in the Anglican churchThe new archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Cherry Vann, has told of how she kept her sexuality secret for decades as part of her struggle to be accepted as a female minister in the Anglican communion.Speaking to the Guardian on Thursday, the day after her appointment, Vann, 66, said that without the strong belief that God had called her to the priesthood she would not have survived" her journey through the ranks of the church. Continue reading...

Fewer than 10% of applicants hired, with some dropping out and many not meeting ADF standards

New biography of the Duke of York claims punches were thrown' after heated argument became physicalPrince Harry has denied he gave Prince Andrew a bloody nose" during a fight at a family gathering in 2013.According to an excerpt from a new biography of the disgraced Duke of York, published in the Daily Mail on Saturday, the pair had a heated argument that escalated into a physical altercation. Punches were thrown over something Andrew said behind Harry's back", the author Andrew Lownie claimed. Continue reading...

Union says complex work schedules and paid leave make it almost impossible to know how many took partThe doctors union has rejected NHS figures showing that less than a third of resident doctors joined strike action in England last week and 93% of planned operations and procedures went ahead.NHS England said it maintained care for an estimated 10,000 more patients during the latest doctors' strike compared with last year's, while the health secretary, Wes Streeting, seized on the figures and said it was time to move past the cycle of disruption". Continue reading...

Niece of Agnes Wanjiru says she thinks John Healey is taking us for a ride'The niece of a Kenyan woman who was murdered more than a decade ago, allegedly by British soldiers, has said her family now believe the defence secretary just made a promise for his political gain" when he met them in April.John Healey told the family of Agnes Wanjiru of his determination to see a resolution" in the case of her murder, pledging the UK's full support for the investigation. Continue reading...

Met Office issues amber threat rating in Scotland with severe travel delays expected on MondayHigh winds could pose a danger to life across parts of the UK on Monday, the Met Office has warned, as it upgraded the threat rating of Storm Floris from yellow to amber for Scotland.The storm, which was officially named on Friday, is expected to hit Britain early on Monday morning. The Met Office issued warnings of potential injuries and danger to life" as a result of large waves and beach material being thrown on to sea fronts, coastal roads and properties" and flying debris". Continue reading...

Barristers report going unpaid and cases being turned away amid fears firms will desert legal aid work altogetherLawyers have warned that a cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency has pushed the sector into chaos, with barristers going unpaid, cases being turned away and fears a growing number of firms could desert legal aid work altogether.In May, the legal aid agency announced that the personal data of hundreds of thousands of legal aid applicants in England and Wales dating back to 2010 had been accessed and downloaded in a significant cyber-attack. Continue reading...

Allegations were made in legal submission on behalf of former contestant Wynne Evans, Sun on Sunday reportsThe BBC has launched an investigation into alleged cocaine use by two stars of Strictly Come Dancing.The Sun on Sunday reported that the two stars' alleged drug use was talked about widely among the cast" of the BBC One primetime show. Continue reading...

NSW police estimate 90,000 walked despite force and premier opposing rally, while Palestine Action Group claims up to 300,000 peacefully protested

Common Wealth report calls discounted sales of council homes one of the largest giveaways in UK history'Margaret Thatcher's right-to-buy scheme has cost UK taxpayers almost 200bn, according to a report into the policy's contribution to Britain's housing crisis.In its report into the sale of millions of council homes to their tenants at steep discounts since 1980, the Common Wealth thinktank said the policy had fuelled vast shortages in social housing and turbocharged inequality. Continue reading...

Demands for metal detectors and security guards to protect officers facing increasing contact with serious offendersThere needs to be a review of safety for probation officers across England and Wales after a stabbing incident that has deeply concerned frontline staff, a watchdog has told the Guardian.The call from Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, follows demands for walk-through metal detectors and security guards to help protect caseworkers as they interact with growing numbers of released offenders. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedAs thousands of people make their way to Lang Park in central Sydney for the start of a march in support of Palestinians in Gaza, the organisers the Palestine Action Group have asked people to arrive early for the 1pm start.Rain, hail, or shine, we will free Palestine!" the group said in a post on Facebook this morning. The weather forecast for the city is for rain.Be patient and look out for each other.We urge everyone to plan for a long day. Bring wet-weather gear, plenty of water and snacks.The Palestine movement is an anti-racist movement. We will not tolerate any form of racism or bigotry, including antisemitism or Islamophobia. Continue reading...

Company says extra payments relating to work for Kelda Holdings were covered by shareholders not billpayersThe boss of Yorkshire Water, one of Britain's biggest water suppliers, has received 1.3m in previously undisclosed extra pay since 2023 via an offshore parent company, the Guardian can reveal.Nicola Shaw received 660,000 from Yorkshire Water's Jersey-registered parent company, Kelda Holdings, in the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 financial years. The size of the fees was not disclosed in the annual report of the regulated subsidiary, Yorkshire Water Services. Continue reading...

At least 100 people involved in rescue operation at El Teniente copper mine, which partially collapsed after seismic event'One of five miners trapped after a partial collapse at the world's largest underground copper mine has been found dead, Chile's state-owned Codelco group announced on Saturday, as rescuers continued their search for survivors.The collapse took place on Thursday at the El Teniente mine in Rancagua, 100km south of Santiago, after a seismic event." Continue reading...

Twenty-six-year-old Chinese engineer was trying to flee a vehicle in a swollen creek in Rothbury, near Cessnock

Family of Evyatar David condemn video as protesters in Tel Aviv call for a deal to be made to return hostages

The two MPs' cases are vastly different but the issue is the same: parliament's rules to enforce standards of behaviour are hopelessly outdated and ineffectual

Change to border security bill will also make it a crime to advertise fake passports, visas and work opportunitiesMinisters are to outlaw social media adverts promoting journeys on small boats across the Channel to asylum seekers.The government will create a UK-wide criminal offence that could lead to perpetrators being sentenced for up to five years in prison and a hefty fine. Continue reading...

Change to border security bill will also make it a crime to advertise fake passports, visas and work opportunitiesMinisters are to outlaw social media adverts promoting journeys on small boats across the Channel to asylum seekers.The government will create a UK-wide criminal offence that could lead to perpetrators being sentenced for up to five years in prison and a hefty fine. Continue reading...

Minister points to sexist' practice of country relying on women to provide services so government did not have toLabour MP Jess Phillips has said the UK has got fat" from the free labour of women for decades.The minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls said the country has relied on women providing charity, adding it was a fundamentally sexist" practice that meant the government was less willing to provide the service itself. Continue reading...

Dietitian Lyndi Cohen says her likeness is being abused and misrepresented' as websites posing as Australian businesses claim to offer GLP-1 substances

Singer of hits such as Houdini, One Kiss and Training Season was born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parentsSinger Dua Lipa has said she is feeling grateful" after being awarded citizenship of Kosovo by the country's president.The 29-year-old was born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents, Anesa and Dukagjin Lipa, and moved to the country's capital of Pristina aged 11, when her family returned after Kosovo gained its independence in 2008, before moving back to London aged 15. Continue reading...

Anti-racism campaigners outnumber those opposing hotel being used as Home Office accommodationAnti-racism demonstrators turned out in large numbers on Saturday outside a London hotel where asylum seekers are being housed to counter-protest against those opposed to it being used as Home Office accommodation.Both groups of protesters gathered near the Thistle City Barbican hotel in Islington, north London. Continue reading...

Nineteen-year-old stabbed several times in a car park and Greater Manchester police are appealing for informationDetectives have launched a murder investigation after a teenager died in Greater Manchester in a targeted attack", police have said.The 19-year-old sustained several stab wounds and died later from his injuries. Continue reading...

UN says 859 have died near GHF sites since May while hospitals report growing number of hunger-related deathsHospitals in Gaza say Israeli fire killed more than a dozen people on Saturday, eight of them while trying to get food, as malnutrition-related deaths continue to rise in the territory.The bloodshed comes a day after Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited an aid distribution site run by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Continue reading...

Chancellor admits voter frustration as government faces renewed calls from Labour politicians for a wealth taxLabour does not deserve" to win the next election if it does not change the country, Rachel Reeves has said, as she acknowledged some voters were disappointed with the party's record since entering government.The chancellor said she understood the unhappiness felt by some voters towards a government that has U-turned on winter fuel allowance and welfare policies in recent months. Continue reading...

Defending industry over consumers sends really bad message', says Treasury committee member Bobby DeanRachel Reeves's efforts to intervene in the supreme court case on the car finance scandal were unprecedented and disgraceful" and send a really bad message" to consumers that the government is willing to defend wrongdoing by banks, Treasury committee member and Lib Dem MP Bobby Dean has said.While the supreme court largely sided with finance companies on Friday - helping lenders avoid a 44bn compensation bill - Dean said the chancellor had gone too far to show she was on the side of business. Continue reading...

Conflict monitoring group Action on Armed Violence says Israel is seeking to create a pattern of impunity'Nearly nine out of 10 Israeli military investigations into allegations of war crimes or abuses by its soldiers since the start of the war in Gaza have been closed without finding fault or left without resolution, according to a conflict monitor.Unresolved investigations include the killing of at least 112 Palestinians queueing for flour in Gaza City in February 2024, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said, and an airstrike that killed 45 in an inferno at a tented camp in Rafah in May 2024. Continue reading...

Rights bodies say new law and proscription of direct action group create risk of censorship of Gaza-related contentThe Online Safety Act together with the proscription of Palestine Action could result in platforms censoring Palestinian-related content, human rights organisations have warned.Open Rights Group, Index on Censorship and others have written to Ofcom calling on it to provide clear guidance to platforms on distinguishing lawful expression from content deemed to be in support of terrorism. Continue reading...

DHSC rejected as unusable' PPE supplied by company linked to Lord Chadlington, which later went bustThey were the lucrative deals that epitomised the VIP lane" set up by Boris Johnson's government during the Covid pandemic, which gave priority for personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts to people with political connections.Peter Gummer, a former PR boss who has been Tory peer Lord Chadlington since 1996, had smooth access at his fingertips. The erstwhile adviser to John Major has close personal friendships with many senior Conservative party politicians", he has said, and as president of the Witney constituency association in the Cotswolds is close friends" with its most notable MP: David Cameron. Continue reading...

Jon Ruben, 76, remanded in custody in connection with the incident at Stathern Lodge in LeicestershireA man has been remanded in custody charged with child cruelty offences after children became unwell at a summer camp in Leicestershire.Jon Ruben, 76, appeared in Leicester magistrates court after being charged with three counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health, where he was told he would be remanded in custody and appear at Leicester crown court on Friday 29 August. Continue reading...

Ian Ball now says kidnap was always supposed to have failed and was plot to garner publicity to sell autobiographyThe gunman who shot police officers during a botched attempt to kidnap Princess Anne has claimed he is innocent, six years after being released from a psychiatric hospital.Ian Ball, who uses the pseudonym Anthony Stewart, claimed he expected Queen Elizabeth II's daughter to have been swapped for a double and the gunpowder removed from his bullets ahead of the attempt in March 1974. Continue reading...

Judges issued about 35 nationwide injunctions blocking various Trump orders before the supreme court stepped in, according to independent analysis from the GuardianA federal judge's ruling last week to maintain a sweeping nationwide ban on Donald Trump's birthright citizenship order highlights the dizzying legal battle that has defined the administration's opening months, with courts issuing dozens of such sweeping orders to systematically halt abrasive elements of the president's agenda.US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston rejected Trump administration arguments to narrow his nationwide injunction, a court order that prohibits the federal government from enforcing a law or policy against anyone across the nation, and not just the people who filed the legal challenge. Continue reading...

Prominent groups, including traditional defenders of Israel, urge action on aid as Gaza humanitarian crisis worsens

Some MPs question Streeting's framing of dispute as a war', but wider mood is likely to depend on how NHS holds upFrom Jeremy Hunt and Alan Johnson to Andy Burnham and Ken Clarke, politics is littered with ambitious former health secretaries who did not make it into No 10.The aspirational current health secretary, Wes Streeting, is believed by colleagues to have his sights on bucking that trend, and one day replacing Keir Starmer in Downing Street. Continue reading...