World news | The Guardian

Deal would allow US to carry out military activities in and from Denmark, giving them powers over Danish civiliansWhen Copenhagen signed a new defence agreement giving the US unhindered access" to Danish airbases in December 2023, the idea of granting sweeping powers to US forces on Danish soil was quite a different proposition to what it is today.The US, then under the Biden administration, was an unwavering Nato ally that Denmark had followed into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Nordic neighbours Sweden, Finland and Norway had similar agreements with the US. Continue reading...

Aubrey Williams produced huge, colourful abstract paintings and was influenced by music and climate issuesAn artist whose work was part of the first wave of abstract art to hit the UK and presaged the climate breakdown protests as well as debates over the legacies of British colonialism is undergoing an overdue" reappraisal, according to experts and critics.Aubrey Williams, the Guyanese artist who moved to Britain in the 1950s, was a respected figure in his lifetime and the subject of several exhibitions in the UK. But after his death from cancer in 1990, the artist's influence and the legacy of his abstract painting has slowly faded from view in Britain. Continue reading...

Amid euphoria of JJ's win, acceptance that cash-strapped public broadcaster could face bill of 30m for 2026 eventAustria's triumph in the Eurovision song contest has sparked a wave of joy across the country, but also fretting about how to pay for hosting the event next year.The cash-strapped public broadcaster ORF, which would bear the bulk of the organising costs along with the still-to-be-named host city, admitted that Vienna-born JJ's win was a mixed blessing at a time of belt-tightening. Continue reading...

French media report that award-winning artist suffered heart attack and died in hospital early on Saturday morningWerenoi, one of the most successful rappers in France, has died aged 31.His record label Believe confirmed the news, writing on Instagram: It is with immense sadness that we learned of Werenoi's passing ... may he rest in peace." Continue reading...

Unique community in Israel appeals to UK for support after Knesset's proposed 80% tax on its fundingAn Israeli village where Jews and Palestinians live together to promote peace is in danger of losing vital overseas funding following Israeli government proposals to impose an 80% tax on foreign donations, residents have warned.Leading figures from the unique community - Wahat Salam/Neve Shalom, which translates as Oasis of Peace" - flew to the UK this week in a visit hosted by the Co-operative Group, which is calling for the UK government to support peace-building cooperatives worldwide with foreign and development policy. Continue reading...

Author of 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem says of his work about war, family and racism: I've basically been writing it my whole life'

Michael Fanone slams Mike Johnson and Republicans for long delaying congressionally approved officer tributeDonald Trump and his Republican allies are petty bitches" for refusing to display a congressionally approved plaque honoring police officers who protected the US Capitol when the president's supporters attacked the complex on 6 January 2021, says one of the cops in question, Michael Fanone.Speaking recently on the show hosted by political broadcast journalist Jim Acosta, the famously candid and oft profane Fanone said he also had a suggestion about where Republican US House speaker Mike Johnson could position the commemoration. I think that it would be ... perfect ... if the plaque was shoved up his ass," said Fanone, who retired from the Washington DC police force after being wounded during the January 6th attack. Continue reading...

Brussels understood to have dropped demands to link deal duration for food checks with fishing rights in run-up to summit

Anglers say more than a third of freshwater sites breach phosphate levels for good ecological status

Australian woman, 50, faces three murder charges and one charge of attempted murder over lethal mushroom lunch. Follow live updatesPatterson's defence lawyer, Sophie Stafford, is cross-examining McKenzie.She agrees she removed and disposed of every death cap mushroom she could find when she spotted the mushrooms. Continue reading...

Flood watches for several rivers in Hunter region, with damaging surf conditions from Sydney to north of Newcastle predicted to erode coastline

Counter-terrorism expert tells inquest into 2024 stabbing attack by Joel Cauchi guard talks about shots being fired with an armed offender' in triple-zero call

Researchers fear new models will circumvent forthcoming disposables ban as diverted imports also drive down pricesChina is set to flood Britain with cheap vapes, researchers have said, as manufacturers seek to capitalise on the world's second biggest market after Donald Trump's tariffs.A trade standoff between Washington and Beijing has thrown the business world into chaos, with investors watching as each country dares the other to blink first. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Bank also set to slash bonuses in wider shake-up that could help make it more attractive to potential buyersSantander UK is freezing salaries, slashing bonuses and cutting jobs across its commercial banking arm as part of a wider shake-up that could help make the bank more attractive to potential buyers.The bank began unexpectedly changing bankers' job titles and shuffling staff into new teams earlier this month amid a larger review of the Spanish lender's UK business, where there is mounting frustration over regulations and costs. Continue reading...

Treasurer Jaclyn Symes says budget will prioritise frontline services and cost-of-living measures over bigger savings

Netanyahu signals openness to deal with Hamas and says Israel will allow some aid into GazaThe Israeli army has announced the start of a large-scale offensive in Gaza, describing extensive ground operations" to seize operational control" of swaths of the devastated Palestinian territory as a second day of indirect ceasefire talks in Qatar ended without any breakthrough.Israeli military officials said its forces had eliminated dozens of terrorists, dismantled terrorist infrastructure sites ... and [were] currently being deployed in key positions". Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereIn an earlier post, we reported on the dire situation at the Indonesian hospital, which is reportedly under siege by Israeli forces.Now Gaza's health ministry has said that all public hospitals in the north of the territory were out of service". Continue reading...

Rafa Trzaskowski and historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by populist right, both claim about 30% of vote as runoff looms

EU ambassadors told to remain on standby for late-night meeting in scenes reminiscent of Brexit talksNegotiations on a significant reset of the UK's relationship with the European Union have gone down to the wire", with fisheries and youth mobility among outstanding sticking points with hours to go before the start of a crucial summit.In scenes reminiscent of the Brexit talks, British officials were still trying to reach a compromise with their EU counterparts overnight, as Keir Starmer prepared to host the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, in London on Monday. Continue reading...

Austrian-Filipino countertenor praised for melding techno with country's rich operatic tradition in song Wasted LoveAustrians have been celebrating JJ, an Austrian-Filipino countertenor lauded for singing Austria into the spotlight" after bringing home the country's first Eurovision song contest victory in 11 years with a song that gives a nod to both the country's rich operatic heritage and modern music.JJ, 24, hit all the right notes on Sunday with Wasted Love, an operatic ballad about unrequited love that mutates into a techno club anthem. The 69th edition of the contest was hosted in Basel, Switzerland. Continue reading...

Man, 25, who died after car bombing, reportedly wrote he was against bringing people into world against their willFBI investigators have identified the person suspected of detonating a car bomb outside a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic on Saturday - and dying in the process - as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus.A bureau official said agents had determined Bartkus held nihilistic views" before Saturday's blast outside an American Reproductive Centers clinic, which also injured four other people. Continue reading...

Low rate of successful searches of people subject to firearm prohibition orders, which never expire, raise fears scheme is being used to conduct surveillance without judicial oversight

The Big Picture, the story of the venue's renaissance as a grassroots community space, will premiere this monthIt was the cinema screen that - despite being extremely big - a city forgot.Now the feelgood tale of how Bristol's Imax screen was revived by a ragtag bunch of cinephiles with a DIY punk ethos is being told in a documentary that will, appropriately, get its premiere on the vast screen this month. Continue reading...

Rafa Trzaskowski still favourite to win as first round begins, despite KO's slow progress on promises since 2023Poles are voting in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in a vote seen a make or break" moment for the country's pro-European coalition government, which is still attempting to reverse damage inflicted on the rule of law by the previous populist-nationalist administration it ousted two years ago.Rafa Trzaskowski, the staunchly pro-European centrist Warsaw mayor from the prime minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition (KO), is the favourite to win the election, but his lead over his conservative rival, the historian Karol Nawrocki, has narrowed over the last few weeks of the campaign. Continue reading...

The Jacinta Allan government says more than 1 million children and their families will benefit from the $318m program

A far-right win is real possibility in eastern European state on same day as votes in Poland and PortugalRomanians are voting in a pivotal presidential run-off that could radically alter their country's strategic alignment and economic prospects, as voters in Poland and Portugal also cast their ballots in a European electoral super Sunday".The Romanian contest, the most consequential of the three, pits a brash, EU-critical, Trump-admiring populist against a centrist independent in a knife-edge vote that analysts have called most important in the country's post-communist history. Continue reading...

Zelenskyy attacks Kremlin over killing of civilians in minibus as European leaders remain focused on keeping troops out of Ukraine. What we know on day 1,180US president Donald Trump will speak to Vladimir Putin on Monday to stop the bloodbath" war in Ukraine, saying the conflict is killing thousands of soldiers a week, AND TRADE." Trump wrote on social media he would follow-up that chat with another with Volodymyr Zelenskyy so the war WILL END," Oliver Millman reports.The leaders of Germany and Italy said Europe is a long way away from deploying any troops in Ukraine as all efforts remained focused on an unconditional ceasefire deal from Russia. Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, said there was no reason" to talk about troops, adding we are far from that."Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Moscow after a Russian strike on a minibus killed 9 people. Ukraine said the vehicle was evacuating civilians from a town in the Sumy region that has recently come under repeated Russian attacks. All the deceased were civilians," Zelenskyy wrote on X. And the Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting. This was a deliberate killing of civilians."The Ukrainian president has been meeting with a slate of leaders in Rome as he appeals for support in the ongoing talks. On X, Zelenskyy said he's focused on a ceasefire, humanitarian commitments from allies and efforts to rebuild Ukraine once the conflict ends.US secretary of state Marco Rubio suggested the Vatican could serve as a future venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, building on Pope Leo XIV's vow to make every effort" to help end the war. I think it's a place that both sides would be comfortable going," Rubio told reporters.Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke with Rubio and said he welcomed the positive role" of the US in helping to continue talks between the Kremlin and Ukraine.But Russia's lead negotiator invoked the Kremlin's past wars as it threatened the potential for a long conflict in Ukraine, Pjotr Sauer reports. We don't want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three - as long as it takes," Vladimir Medinsky reportedly told his Ukrainian counterparts. We fought with Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?"Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, reaffirmed the country's support for Ukraine in his first face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy. Canadian people will stand in steadfast and unwavering support," Carney told the Ukrainian president. We underscore that there can be no peace without the full support and participation of Ukraine, and that you have our absolute support." The two met in Rome during the inaugural mass of the newly elected Pope. Continue reading...

Two pro-Palestinian protesters try to rush on stage as Yuval Raphael sings New Day Will Rise in BaselA Eurovision song contest crew member was hit with paint after two people tried to rush on stage to disrupt Israeli singer Yuval Raphael's performance on Saturday, organisers in Basel said.

Exclusive: Agreement could cut airport queues, caused by need to have passports stamped after BrexitBritish holidaymakers could face shorter airport queues this summer with negotiators on the verge of striking an agreement for UK passport holders to use e-gates across Europe.Downing Street said on Saturday that it was poised to strike a deal with the EU that would improve things for British families facing queues on holiday". Continue reading...

Two aircraft crashed just after noon on Saturday in wooded area near Eura airport in south-west of countryFive people were killed when two helicopters collided and crashed in a wooded area near Eura airport in south-western Finland, police have said.Police said the mid-air collision occurred shortly after noon on Saturday near the town of Kauttua, with the wreckage falling 700 metres from the Ohikulkutie road. Continue reading...

Refusal rate at its highest in a decade, prompting concern among transparency advocates

Man, 26, apprehended at Luton airport by counter-terrorism police in connection with fires that included damage to a carA second man has been arrested in connection with suspected arson attacks on two properties in London and a vehicle linked to Keir Starmer, police have said.

Met police say the three charged under National Security Act for allegedly assisting Iranian foreign intelligence serviceThree men have appeared in court charged under the National Security Act on suspicion of assisting the Iranian foreign intelligence service.Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, of St John's Wood, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, of Kensal Rise, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, of Ealing, appeared before Westminster magistrates court on Saturday. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says Britons have moved on but many in Thurrock think they were lied to in debate about leaving EUWhen Keir Starmer was asked last week whether he thought Britons had finally moved on from the issue of Brexit, his answer was a definitive yes.It's not difficult to see why the prime minister would hope to settle the question, before a week in which he hopes to reset the UK's relationship with the EU, clearing a way for easier access to a marketplace that could help increase the economic growth he badly needs. Continue reading...

Israel says intensified bombings are part of campaign expansion to achieve all of the war goals in Gaza'

Keir Starmer did not deny a rethink of benefit cut to 10 million pensioners blamed for Labour's electoral lossesDowning Street is actively investigating changes to the controversial winter fuel payment cut over growing concerns about the policy's deep unpopularity among voters.No 10 has stepped up its work on reviewing the policy by carrying out internal polling and focus groups on how voters would respond to potential modifications to it. Continue reading...

Deal that stops short of joining customs union or single market could pay for reversing benefit cuts, party saysA deeper trade deal with the EU that stops short of joining the customs union or single market could bring in 25bn of tax revenue and pay for reversing benefit cuts, according to research cited by the Liberal Democrats.The party is writing to all Labour MPs this week asking them to join forces in a push for a much more comprehensive deal with Brussels, saying that backing closer trade ties would help revive the public finances. Continue reading...

John Alite, 62, was a top earner for John Gotti, the Teflon Don - now he says he's on a mission to do things right'John Alite has big plans for Englishtown, New Jersey, a small hamlet best known for potatoes, a drag racing strip, and the Battle of Monmouth during the revolutionary wars.But not everyone is certain they want Alite, 62, having a say over municipal matters in the town of about 2,350 people, where he was appointed a council member earlier this year and comes up for confirmation early next month. Continue reading...

Ukraine president describes strike on minibus reportedly carrying mostly elderly women as deliberate killing of civilians'Nine people have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a minibus Ukraine says was evacuating civilians, prompting Volodymyr Zelenskyy to call for tougher sanctions on Moscow.Local authorities said that most of those killed were elderly women being evacuated from Bilopillya, a town in the Sumy region that has come under repeated Russian attack. Continue reading...

Russian peace negotiator invokes Peter the Great's 21-year struggle to defeat Sweden, as Putin is fond of doingPeter the Great's long war against Sweden - a grinding conflict that claimed countless Russian lives - is rarely held up as a model for modern diplomacy. Yet behind closed doors on Friday, during the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in three years, Russia's lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, cited it as an explicit warning: Moscow was prepared to fight for as long as it took.Just like when Russian troops rolled into Ukraine in 2022, the Great Northern War in the early 18th century began with humiliating defeats for Moscow. The tsarist Russian army was ill-prepared, poorly armed and easily outmanoeuvred. But instead of backing down, Tsar Peter I dug in. He conscripted peasants by the tens of thousands, poured resources into rebuilding his army, and waited. Twenty-one years later, he emerged victorious. Continue reading...

Labour members from Leeds West and Pudsey to write letter to chancellor over plans to reduce Pip paymentsRachel Reeves' local Labour party will call for the chancellor to abandon her plans to cut disability benefits as rebellion among MPs over the policy grows.The Leeds West and Pudsey constituency Labour party (CLP), which campaigned to return Reeves to parliament last year as its MP, has agreed to write to her as soon as possible" to make clear it does not support the cuts. Continue reading...

Building society offer means Virgin customers pay nearly 1,000 more in fees despite lender owning both brandsSome Virgin Money customers are crying foul over the fact that Nationwide borrowers are being offered better-value mortgage deals, even though they are now part of the same group.Nationwide bought Virgin Money last autumn, but the brands remain separate and some Virgin mortgage-holders claim that when it comes to moving on to a new deal, they are being treated as second-class citizens. Continue reading...

Jenny Chapman says the government is not treating reduction in spending on overseas aid to 0.3% as temporaryThe UK's drastically diminished aid budget is the new normal," the development minister, Jenny Chapman, has said, as she claimed Labour's approach would help repair voters' faith in overseas aid.Lady Chapman took up her post in February, after Anneliese Dodds resigned in protest at Keir Starmer's decision to slash overseas aid spending to 0.3% of gross national income from 0.5%, to pay for increased defence spending. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Seat Unique, a firm backed by stars including England captain Harry Kane, charged more than 3,000 for two seatsControversial dynamic pricing" has arrived in English football, the Guardian can reveal, after a company backed by sports stars including the England men's football captain, Harry Kane, charged more than 3,000 for two seats at the FA Cup final.Seat Unique, which sells VIP hospitality packages for events, has won endorsements and even financial backing from professional athletes and sports teams, promising to deliver exceptional, authentic experiences to fans". Continue reading...

The age of impunity is over for male violence against women, say campaigners after the actor was found guilty of sexual assaultWhen Gerard Depardieu, one of France's biggest cinema stars, was placed on the sex offender register this week after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021, it was a historic moment for the #MeToo movement in the country.It was a message to all men in power that they are answerable to the courts and can be convicted," said Catherine Le Magueresse, who represented the European Association Against Violence Towards Women at Work (AVFT) at the trial. The message is: watch out, the impunity is over." Continue reading...

The 33-year-old Melbourne man was convicted of being a mercenary in an armed conflict' by a Russian-controlled court

Euthanasia is most common response to welfare incidents in sheep, pigs and cattle with about 4% of animals experiencing serious incidents, research finds

Fast food giant increasingly seen as too expensive for what it offers and under pressure from new chains, analysts say

IDF aiming to seize strategic areas as part of expansion of war against Hamas in attempt to force release of hostagesIsrael has announced a major new offensive in Gaza after launching a wave of airstrikes on the territory that killed more than 100 people, in what it said was a fresh effort to force Hamas to release hostages.In a statement late on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had launched extensive attacks and mobilized forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the opening moves of Operation Gideon's Chariots and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza". Continue reading...

First week of testimony heard singer talk about in-patient treatment center she went to to help me with my trauma'Singer Casandra Cassie" Ventura, a former girlfriend of Sean Diddy" Combs and a key witness in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of the music mogul,concluded her testimony on Friday after further examination by Combs's legal team.Combs's defense team resumed their cross-examination of Ventura on Friday morning, with questions focusing on the time around the 2016 video footage of Combs attacking Ventura at the elevator lobby of a hotel in Los Angeles, and Combs's state of mind at that time.In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). 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. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...