World news | The Guardian

Exclusive: 136 organisations call on PM to stop using demonising language', after his remarks before crime summitMore than 130 refugee and human rights organisations have called on Keir Starmer to stop using language that demonises migrants, after he made controversial remarks before an international people-smuggling summit.The criticisms are contained in a letter to the UK prime minister, coordinated by the campaign coalition Together With Refugees. It has been sent to the prime minister in response to comments he made before the Organised Immigration Crime Summit on 31 March, where more than 40 countries came together in London to focus on tackling organised immigration crime including people-smuggling gangs. Continue reading...

Partner confirms death of prolific author, criminal lawyer and playwright after illness in her home city of MelbourneAustralian author Kerry Greenwood, best known for her Phryne Fisher murder mystery novels, has died at the age of 70 after an illness.She was given a suitably royal send-off" at a small service in Melbourne's Yarraville on Sunday, according to her partner, writer David Greagg. Continue reading...

Follow today's news live

Majority of staff who leave each year have frontline jobs, meaning the Coalition will have to replace them or break its pledge

Combatants' testimonies describe how areas were destroyed to create a death zone of enormous proportions'Israel's military razed huge swathes of land inside the perimeter of Gaza and ordered troops to turn the area into a kill zone" where anybody who entered was a target, according to testimony by soldiers who carried out the plan.Israeli combatants said they were ordered to destroy homes, factories and farmland roughly 1km (0.6 miles) inside the perimeter of Gaza to make a buffer zone", with one describing the area as looking like Hiroshima. Continue reading...

Amelia Hamer, who is running in the Victorian seat of Kooyong, has also opposed construction of new apartments in Melbourne

Exclusive: Met to be handed dossier of evidence alleging crimes including killings of civilians and aid workersA war crimes complaint against 10 Britons who served with the Israeli military in Gaza is to be submitted to the Met police by one of the UK's leading human rights lawyers.Michael Mansfield KC is one of a group of lawyers who will on Monday hand in a 240-page dossier to Scotland Yard's war crimes unit alleging targeted killing of civilians and aid workers, including by sniper fire, and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including hospitals. Continue reading...

Victoria Rance says the 1970s technology' will cause pollution that will damage health for decades, but London mayor and TfL claim it will reduce congestionA multibillion-pound road tunnel under the River Thames will be out of date the moment it opens, according to campaigners.The first cars and lorries are due through the Silvertown tunnel in east London on Monday, passing between Greenwich on the south side of the river and Newham in the north. Continue reading...

Despite its links to oral cancer, people in Hainan have for centuries produced and eaten betel nuts, which give a natural high. But sales are fallingMany cities across southern China are known for the art of relaxing. Chengdu in Sichuan province is the tea house capital. Guangzhou is the birthplace of dim sum, a time to share steamed dumplings and chew the fat with friends. And in Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, people have been chewing the betel nut for centuries.You don't have to walk far in Haikou to find a vendor. The small, hard, green fruits are sold in little piles alongside fresh coconuts and bottled water at pretty much any convenience store, for about five yuan (0.52) a piece. Some vendors, mostly women, sit by the side of the road to dish out betel nuts to passing drivers on mopeds, nearly all of them men. Continue reading...

Court hears media should take extreme care' over stabbing case as businessman whose daughter, Dawn Singleton, was murdered, questions inquest's purpose

The Coalition has also walked away from plans to sack 41,000 public service employees, raising questions about how it will pay for major election policies

John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awards

Government officials and contractors long controlled spy operations. Now the likes of Musk and Bezos are in controlJust days before Donald Trump's inauguration in January, Blue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its New Glenn rocket, named for John Glenn, the Mercury astronaut who was the first American to orbit the Earth. Around 2am on 16 January, the 30-story rocket powered by seven engines blasted off into the Florida night from Cape Canaveral's historic launch complex 36, which first served as a Nasa launch site in 1962.The flight's end was marred by a failure to bring the booster rocket back for further use, but the successful launch and orbit still marked a watershed moment for Blue Origin in its bid to compete with SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, for dominance over American spy satellite operations. During the Trump administration, it is likely that both companies will play significant roles in placing spy satellites into Earth orbit, which could mean that the United States intelligence community will be beholden to both Bezos and Musk to handle the single most complex and expensive endeavor in modern espionage. Continue reading...

Craig Donaldson challenging ruling by UK regulator, which accused him of misleading investors over 900m accounting blunderThe former chief executive of Metro Bank says he has been made untouchable", advised to move to Australia and even had trouble opening bank accounts after the UK regulator accused him of misleading investors over a 900m accounting blunder.Craig Donaldson, who resigned in 2019, told the upper tribunal in London that both his career and personal finances had suffered as a result of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) 2022 ruling. Continue reading...

Visit would make Israel's president the first foreign leader to travel to Washington in attempt to negotiate a better dealBenjamin Netanyahu has announced a last-minute visit to Washington to meet with Donald Trump, where the Israeli leader is expected to discuss Iran, the war in Gaza, and tariffs with the US president.The Washington visit, Netanyahu's second since Trump was inaugurated in January, comes after the resumption of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, and underlines the strong relationship between the two men. Continue reading...

Just 2% of total penalties paid, raising concerns about agency given new powers to fight economic crimeThe UK government agency responsible for overseeing a national register of companies has collected just 1,250 in fines after being given new powers to crack down on corruption, it has emerged.Companies House is implementing a series of reforms, amid embarrassing revelations about fraudsters and jokers signing up to the corporate register with names such as Darth Vader" and Santa Claus". Continue reading...

Death of 15-year-old whose body was found in Beckenham Place Park on Friday is not being treated as suspiciousA 15-year-old boy who died after getting into difficulty in a lake in south-east London has been named by police.Izaiah Smith, whose body was recovered from the lake on Friday night, was named by the Metropolitan police on Sunday. Officers said that though his death was unexpected, it was not believed to be suspicious. Continue reading...

Book details how Biden's circle was reluctant to step down, Harris's handling of a listing ship and a lack of faith in bothIn their book Fight, Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes offer an account of the Wildest Battle for the White House" - and a scathing indictment of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the losers of that battle.By 2023, a year before the campaign, Biden's age and fitness to be president were the topic of conversation among senior aides. He had difficulty stringing together a coherent sentence yet, there was no serious discussion of his exiting the ticket until it was way, way too late. Harris, meanwhile, was isolated in her party and terrified of facing the press. She took the wheel of a badly listing ship. It sank.Fight is published in the US by HarperCollins Continue reading...

Recession fears are mounting, and anxiety is high - but the president remains unmoved by criticism of his trade plansSince Donald Trump returned to the White House, Americans have grown used to high drama and rapid-fire headlines, as executive orders from the Oval Office have reshaped the US, from stripping back LGBTQ rights to gutting environmental regulations amid a sense that America is slipping into authoritarianism.But even against that backdrop, last week stood out, as Trump launched a fierce global trade war, imposed tariffs on its trading partners and triggered a global market meltdown, including on Trump's own cherished Wall Street, where hundreds of billions of dollars of stock values evaporated. Continue reading...

David Lammy says it is unacceptable' the parliamentary delegation had been detained and deportedThe UK's foreign secretary has criticised Israeli authorities for denying two Labour MPs entry into the country and deporting them.

As the third season of the social satire draws to its finale, the costumes featured in the series are selling out fastThe third season of The White Lotus finishes on Monday, marking the end of group chats and column inches devoted to the Thai hotel and its super-rich guests.While some of this chatter has been dedicated to theories of who kills who in the finale, or the alleged fallout between creator Mike White and composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, a lot is focused on something else - the fashion. Continue reading...

The boss's bonus is an annual debating point at Britain's biggest company. But that's not the only issue this yearAstraZeneca is used to facing protests over pay at its annual general meetings, given the position of its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, as the best-paid FTSE 100 chief executive for most of the past five years. But pay is not the only issue overshadowing this year's virtual gathering on Friday.Britain's biggest listed company, valued at about 170bn, faces investigations in China over import and data breaches, while it ran into controversy when it ditched the planned 450m expansion of its vaccine site in Speke, near Liverpool, in late January, after failing to hammer out a state support package with the UK government. Continue reading...

Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh women say bill has insufficient safeguards' to protect those who are vulnerableThe legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women", particularly those subject to domestic violence and coercive control, say female faith leaders from different traditions.More than 100 women from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh groups have warned in an open letter that the terminally ill adults bill has insufficient safeguards to protect some of the most marginalised in society, particularly women subjected to gender-based violence and abuse by a partner".In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

Survey says queues outside emergency departments are leading to car park care' and fatalitiesParamedics across England are watching patients die in the back of ambulances because of delays outside emergency departments, according to a survey by Unison.The gridlock of patients in some of the country's hospitals has led to queues of up to 20 ambulances outside casualty departments in certain areas. In a number of cases, crews have been forced to wait more than 12 hours before handing over patients. Continue reading...

Protesters gather at more than a thousand events across the US and in cities abroad, such as London, Berlin and Paris. This blog is now closed.Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday as part of global demonstrations against Donald Trump's administration.Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square with banners that read No to Maga hate" and Dump Trump". The rally is one of hundreds of so-called Hands Off" demonstrations around the world - including in cities across the US, Paris and Berlin.We see the foundations of our society, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, the very safety nets that people have fought for, for generations, to ensure that our country lives up to its promise, are being targeted by the billionaires and the oligarchs and the corporations.This insidious rise of authoritarianism is fueled by corrupt billionaires and mega corporations who believe that they have the right to control every aspect of our lives, our healthcare, to our schools, to our thoughts, to our very free speech under the false banner of patriotism and freedom ... Continue reading...

Party suspends North East Somerset MP after he is taken into custody following police raid on his constituency homeLabour have suspended Dan Norris, the MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.Norris, a former Labour minister who defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg as MP at last year's general election, was taken into custody after police raided his constituency home on Friday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: young volunteers also allege spiritual abuse and controlling behaviour at bases of Youth With a Mission

Young people whose debts outweigh their assets are at risk of experiencing blighted earnings, and even poorer healthGen Z and young millennials are battling a negative wealth" problem due to growing debt burdens that limit their life chances, according to a new analysis from the Fairness Foundation.The thinktank says negative wealth, where debts outweigh assets, is linked to lower wages and worse health in later life, and that ministers should reintroduce the Child Trust Fund to give young people a greater stake in society. Continue reading...

Missile attack on Kryvyi Rih left 61 injured including three-month-old baby and elderly residentsEighteen people, including nine children, have been killed in a Russian missile strike on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's home city, a Ukrainian official has said.A further 61 people were injured in the attack on Kryvyi Rih on Friday, including a three-month-old baby and elderly residents, the regional governor, Serhii Lysak, said. Forty remain in hospital, including two children in critical condition and 17 in a serious condition. Continue reading...

Teenager was recovered from lake in Beckenham Place Park and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced deadA 15-year-old boy has died after he got into difficulty" in a lake in south-east London.Metropolitan police, the fire service and paramedics were called to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, shortly after 3pm on Friday 4 April after reports of a boy going missing. Continue reading...

Teenager, named by police as Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, received a single wound to the neck and died in hospitalA man has been charged with murder after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck in Huddersfield.Officers were called to Ramsden Street in the town centre at about 2.45pm on Thursday, West Yorkshire police said. Continue reading...

Edinburgh University report authors say dietary changes could benefit women living with the diseaseDietary changes could reduce the pain of endometriosis for half of those living with the disease, a new study suggests. The largest international survey ever conducted on diet and endometriosis, involving 2,599 people, found 45% of those who stopped eating gluten and 45% of those who cut out dairy reported experiencing an improvement in their pain.When women cut down on coffee or other caffeine in their diet, 43% said their pain was reduced, while 53% of women who cut back on alcohol reported the same. Continue reading...

Woman who worked with western governments in her home country before fleeing the Taliban told to returnAn Afghan woman who risked her life to defend human rights in her home country before fleeing to the UK has been told by the Home Office it is safe for her to return after officials rejected her asylum claim.Mina (not her real name) worked for western government-backed projects and was involved in training and mentoring women across Afghanistan, which left her in grave danger even before the Taliban took over in 2021. Continue reading...

The open space' event will discuss the future of the form and use irreverence and play as a gateway to life's big subjectsThe world may be a pretty unfunny place at the moment and global leaders don't seem to have the answers. But this weekend a different sort of talking shop will take place when a clown congress" convenes in Bristol to discuss the role of the funny people in troubling times.One of the leaders, Holly Stoppit, a clown therapist, teacher, and facilitator, summed it up succinctly: Do you know what? I think there is no accident that the world is going to shit and who do they call? It's the clowns." Continue reading...

The sums lenders charge to secure the best rates have risen in the past five years - and can make a loan much more expensiveThe spring months are typically the busiest of the year in the housing market as buyers mobilise and sunshine adds to a property's kerb appeal.However, today's buyers - and those remortgaging - need deeper pockets than a few years ago. Not only does the average mortgage rate start with a 5" but borrowers face hefty arrangement fees to secure the best deals. These are the fees paid to lenders purely to secure a certain rate, and come on top of any conveyancing or broker fees. Continue reading...

Relatives who waited agonising week before bodies were found speak of passion that drove Red Crescent workers Our aid workers were brutally killed and thrown into a mass grave in Gaza. This must never happen againGaza is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a civilian now that Israeli forces have resumed their military campaign with even more ferocity, but for the first responders who rush towards the wreckage of bombed buildings, the risks are multiplied many times over.The 15 paramedics and rescue workers whose bodies were found last weekend in a bulldozed pit outside Rafah knew they were putting their lives in peril to try to save others, but they could not have been prepared for what awaited them in the early hours of 23 March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Changes could mark biggest overhaul of policing since the 1960sPlans for a new national police body to lead the fight against terrorism and serious organised crime are being drawn up, as UK police chiefs consider the biggest overhaul of policing since the 1960s.Under the proposals, counter-terrorism policing units would gain independence from local forces and become part of a new force covering at least England and Wales, and sitting in a newly created national centre for policing. Continue reading...

Labor and Coalition would both end Chinese company Landbridge's long-term lease of strategically important asset

When clocks go back it means clarity on opening hours and reservation times for customers between states, Tweed Heads cafe owner says

PM says two options on table: for an Australian-owned company to take control, or for port to return to being a government asset

Agency that sends volunteers to countries around world expects additional visits' from Musk cost-cutting teamThe Peace Corps is the latest federal agency to be targeted by Elon Musk's unofficial department of government efficiency". It appears Doge" could be eyeing cuts to the agency, which sends US volunteers around the world to work in local communities on health, education and environmental initiatives.Staff from the Department of Government Efficiency are currently working at Peace Corps headquarters and the agency is supporting their requests," the agency said in an email to the Guardian on Friday. Continue reading...

The PM has so far avoided the Victorian premier on his campaign trail. It has some state Labor MPs worrying she could be made a scapegoat

County's offer - largest of its kind - would settle lawsuits filed over alleged abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959Los Angeles county has reached a $4bn agreement to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959, officials said Friday.The agreement, which still needs approval from the Los Angeles county board of supervisors, would be the largest of its kind and have long-lasting financial effects for the county, officials said. Continue reading...

Livia Tossici-Bolt given conditional discharge and ordered to pay 20,000 costs in case that drew US state department concernAn activist whose case had been cited by the US state department over freedom of expression" concerns in the UK has been convicted of breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic.Livia Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner, went on trial at Poole magistrates court last month accused of breaching a public spaces protection order on two days in March 2023 near to a clinic in Bournemouth. On Friday she was found guilty of two charges of breaching the order. Continue reading...

Labour accuses Nigel Farage's party of mass rebrand' after research into nominations of former ConservativesMore than 60 of Reform UK's council candidates standing in this year's elections are defectors from the Conservative party, according to research from the Labour party.Reform has also selected an ex-Conservative for its candidate in the upcoming Runcorn and Helsby byelection, while the party's mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire is the former Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, who lost her parliamentary seat in West Yorkshire last July. Continue reading...

Lawmakers say dismissing head of US Cyber Command puts country at risk at a time of unprecedented cyber threats'Top congressional Democrats are protesting against the firing of Gen Tim Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), with one lawmaker saying the decision makes all of us less safe".Haugh and his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, have been dismissed from their roles, the Washington Post reported late on Thursday, with CNN reporting likewise, both outlets citing multiple unnamed officials and other senior sources close to the matter who had requested anonymity. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest reporting on Trump tariffs here:

Slumps on S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq cap dismal day for global indices but US president doubles down on tariff planWall Street suffered its worst week since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis five years ago as investors worldwide balked at Donald Trump's risky bid to overhaul the global economy with sweeping US tariffs.The US president doubled down on his plan on Friday, insisting he would not back down even as the chairman of the Federal Reserve warned it would likely raise prices and slow down economic growth. Continue reading...

Appeals court sides with Jefferson Griffin, who lost supreme court election and wants thousands of ballots thrown outMore than 65,000 people in North Carolina who believed they were eligible to vote could have their ballots thrown out nearly five months after election day, flipping the results of a supreme court election, a state appeals court ruled on Friday.The 2-1 ruling from the North Carolina court of appeals came in response to Republicans' months-long effort to overturn the results of the state supreme court election in November. The Democrat Allison Riggs, who currently sits on the court, defeated appellate judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, by 734 votes. After the election, Griffin filed a protest seeking to get around 60,000 votes thrown out. Continue reading...

At least 25 killed in attack on Khan Younis in south as Israel says it is aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing hostagesIsrael has restarted ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip and killed at least 25 people in airstrikes on the southern city of Khan Younis in what it says is a renewed military campaign aimed at pressuring Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages.At least 25 people were killed in the attack on Khan Younis early on Friday, the local Nasser hospital told AFP, as the search for survivors continued. Continue reading...