World news | The Guardian

Directive allows government organisations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer services in languages other than EnglishPresident Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States.The order on Saturday allows government agencies and organisations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English. Continue reading...

Federal opposition refuses to reveal where money will come from to purchase 28 extra F-35s if it wins election

Minns government says contract with prison operator MTC Australia will end in late 2026

Ukraine leader embraced in No 10 and given 2.26bn defence loan one day after his White House dressing downKeir Starmer has described his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as meaningful and warm", according to Downing Street.The British prime minister met the Ukrainian president on Saturday evening, just 24 hours after Zelenskyy's meeting with the US president, Donald Trump, and vice-president, JD Vance, in Washington. Continue reading...

Dance-pop artist picks up album and artist of the year prizes, while Ezra Collective see off big names to become first jazz artists to win British group The Brit awards - in pictures

Veteran director, who originally opposed adapting 1967 film for the stage, is very proud' as Menier Chocolate Factory production will move to London's Garrick theatreThe Menier Chocolate Factory has announced that its acclaimed production of The Producers is to transfer to the West End this autumn. Having sold out its three-month run at the 180-seat London venue before first night, it is set to move to the Garrick theatre. But according to its original creator Mel Brooks, the musical might never have happened at all.The 98-year-old Brooks has told the Guardian he was initially reluctant to adapt his 1967 movie for the stage. Only through the persistence of a producer did he relent. Continue reading...

The star, who had been in the Sequence before solo hit Wish I Didn't Miss You, has died from her injuries in AlabamaSinger Angie Stone, known for her hit Wish I Didn't Miss You, has died at the age of 63.A representative for the singer confirmed to Variety that Stone was killed in a car crash in Montgomery, Alabama. She had reportedly been on her way home from a show and was the only person who died in the crash. Continue reading...

No sooner had the PM charmed the president in the Oval Office than consensus over Ukraine - and the future of Nato - was starting to fall apartEven as Keir Starmer and his entourage heaved sighs of relief and tried not to grin too broadly as they filed out of the Oval Office after the prime minister's meeting with Donald Trump, there were some in British circles who were, even then, anxious.The invitation from King Charles for a second state visit had been handed over to Trump in person and opened before the cameras. Trump, for once, had seemed genuinely lost for words. Starmer had at one point put his hand on Trump's shoulder like a close friend or relative to emphasise their closeness as the UK delegation looked on, stony-faced but amazed. Continue reading...

King Charles to hold official audience for Ukrainian president as show of support after Trump clashKing Charles will hold an official audience at Sandringham with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday as the UK and EU demonstrate their unwavering" support after his humiliation at the hands of Donald Trump and JD Vance in the White House.Keir Starmer will also host European heads of government and the leaders of Canada and Turkey at a special defence summit aimed at presenting a united front on the Ukrainecrisis. Continue reading...

Pontiff, 88, spends long periods off noninvasive ventilation, showing improving lung function as he battles pneumoniaPope Francis remains in stable condition a day after a respiratory crisis, and has spent long periods off the noninvasive ventilation he initially needed, in a sign that his lung function was improving as he battles double pneumonia.

Flamboyant singer helped point his city's music scene towards punk, before a successful solo career and eye-catching acting rolesDavid Johansen, the swaggering, peacocking frontman with glam rock band New York Dolls, has died aged 75.Last month he had announced he was living with cancer, and recently suffered a broken back. David Johansen passed away peacefully at home, holding the hands of his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, in the sunlight surrounded by music and flowers," reads a statement on a website created to raise funds for his medical care. Continue reading...

Peer argues that national trickledown' approach will fail to benefit those in most needKeir Starmer's government must strictly target the delivery of its core missions" at areas of maximum deprivation or lose huge numbers of votes to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, an independent commission led by a former Labour cabinet minister will suggest this week.The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON), chaired by Labour peer Hilary Armstrong, a former party chief whip and housing minister, will say the government risks wasting billions of pounds in higher public spending while failing to transform the places that need it most" unless it adopts the targeted approach. Continue reading...

Fredi Reviro was attacked in Islington on Thursday night, and died in hospital the following dayThree teenage girls, aged 14, 16 and 17, have been charged with manslaughter after a 75-year-old man died in north London.The Metropolitan police said the man, named as Fredi Reviro, was attacked on Seven Sisters Road in Islington at about 11.35pm on Thursday, and died in hospital the following day. Continue reading...

Guyanese president says Venezuelan coastguard patrol approached oil facility in latest incident in longstanding feud between the two nationsGuyana's president has triggered a military response and diplomatic action after a Venezuelan coastguard patrol entered its waters and approached an off-shore oil facility, breaching international maritime agreements.President Irfaan Ali issued a strongly worded statement after the Venezuelan vessel transmitted a radio message claiming that it was operating in disputed international waters". Continue reading...

Philip Foster lives in Spain and was sentenced in his absence after defrauding more than 6,000 peopleA former TV soap actor has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after masterminding a 13.6m fraud that targeted aspiring models.Former Brookside actor Philip Foster, 49, ran an operation involving a network of sham modelling agencies for more than eight years. Continue reading...

Europe can't wait to react to Trump's mood swings but must show we have the will and the wallet to take back control Ukraine war liveIt's exhausting and humiliating to have no control - watching every meeting in the Oval Office for a glimmer of Trump's approval or displeasure, our security resting on a perceived slight or a mood.The last week of meetings between Trump, Macron, Starmer and finally Zelenskyy always felt like crawling across a minefield. Some might agonise about whether Zelenskyy could have played things differently. It's the wrong question. The point is that we can't carry on being so dependent on every meeting at the White House. Until we start taking charge of our future, we will always be one heart palpitation away from dreading doomsday. Continue reading...

Nice may be at the heart of France's upmarket Mediterranean coast, but violent drug gangs making 1.5m a month are colonising part of itThe sight of the gun tucked into the man's trousers told us it was time to go. We had been in one of France's most notorious estates for several hours, trying to understand life on the frontline of the country's spiralling drug war.Seeing three people he did not know and a camera, he decided enough was enough. You, where do you live?" he said, rushing towards us from the foot of a tower block where he had parked his scooter. Don't talk back to me, I'll break your head in. Get out of here." Continue reading...

As he attempts to repair relations, the prime minister is being forced closer to a choice between the US and EuropeAs Keir Starmer surveys the wreckage of the US-Ukrainian relationship caused by the Oval Office bar-room fight, the UK prime minister is clearly intent on trying to repair the diplomatic damage, but it may be that the mood of mutual antagonism not just in the US, but in Europe, is too great.It is not as if Starmer, to use Trump's blunt phraseology, has many cards left to play. He had already played them, and his hand was not strong enough to prevent the US-Ukraine breakdown. Continue reading...

Revolutionary leader's derelict Adriatic getaway is on verge of a new life after starring in Kate Winslet film and hit Mr Beast YouTube videoWith its spectacular views over the Adriatic and a half-moon beach, Kupari, near Dubrovnik, was regarded as the Monaco of what was once called the Yugoslav Riviera.In the 1960s, the country's Communist leader, Josip Tito" Broz, ordered the building of a vast holiday complex exclusively reserved for members of the military on this hilly stretch of the Dalmatian coast. For the top brass there were individual villas; for the lower ranks, a choice of six hotels, while the foot soldiers were relegated to a camping site surrounded by palm trees and lush greenery. Continue reading...

This year's 16 fatal accidents fall below average rate of 20 per month, yet recent crashes were US's deadliest in a decadePeople across the US are worried about flight safety after several high-profile plane crashes this year, including a commercial crash in Washington DC that killed 67 people. Google searches for is flying safe" have jumped in recent weeks. But the numbers suggest 2025 has actually been a relatively safe year to fly - at least in terms of the overall number of accidents.January and February typically have about 20 fatal aviation accidents per month, according to numbers from the National Transportation Safety Board. By contrast, this January, there were only 10 fatal aviation accidents, and in February there were six. The data covers all US civil aviation, from large commercial planes to private jets. Continue reading...

Health secretary earlier said outbreak was not unusual' but with first US measles death in decade steps up responseTwo days after initially downplaying the outbreak as not unusual," the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Friday said he recognizes the serious impact of the ongoing measles epidemic in Texas - in which a child died recently - and said the government is providing resources, including protective vaccines.Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team," Kennedy - an avowed anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who for years has sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines - said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Kurdish militant group responds to call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to lay down armsA Kurdish militia has declared a ceasefire in its 40-year insurgency against Turkey after its imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm and dissolve earlier this week.We are declaring a ceasefire to be effective from today on. None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked," the executive committee of the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Police launch a murder investigation after officers were called to an incident in Holloway on Thursday nightThree teenage girls have been arrested over the death of a 75-year-old man in north London.Police launched a murder investigation after officers were called to an incident on Seven Sisters Road at 11.35pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Ukraine president also due to meet other European leaders as he attempts to mitigate fallout from Washington fiasco

Back home there was widespread support for Ukraine's president, but also dismay at his car-crash encounter in the Oval Office

Negotiations on next part of truce have begun in Egypt, but militant group has accused Israel of procrastinationThe latest round of talks on the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has yet to make any progress and it was unclear whether they would resume on Saturday, a senior Hamas official has said.The ceasefire took effect on 19 January after more than 15 months of war following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country's history. Continue reading...

Local MP writes to authorities over irresponsible' motorists flocking to see sunrise and sunset at Mam torAn MP has called for action on irresponsible parking at Peak District beauty spots that he says is being fuelled by a TikTok craze.Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, said people had been flocking to the area to see the sunrise and sunset at Mam tor. Continue reading...

Doctors caring for pontiff, 88, are assessing how Friday's incident will affect his condition, says officialPope Francis, who has been in hospital for two weeks with pneumonia in both lungs, has spent a peaceful night after suffering a breathing crisis, the Vatican said.Francis, 88, had suffered an isolated breathing crisis" that caused him to vomit and provoked a sudden worsening" of his respiratory condition, the Vatican said. Continue reading...

Union leader describes chain's record on overseas-trained teachers as Harris Federation's Windrush'The National Education Union has claimed a resounding improvement" in workload and conditions for teachers from Jamaica and other countries at a leading academy chain, as part of a deal ending threats of strike action.The Harris Federation of schools confirmed it will improve conditions for qualified teachers from Jamaica and others trained overseas, as part of a deal that eases the route for overseas-trained teachers to gain similar qualifications in England. Continue reading...

Just as in the Oval Office this week, history shows the royals can be deployed to serve British interests - whether they like it or notAs Donald Trump waved his personal invitation from King Charles III to pay a second historic state visit in the Oval Office, there was no disguising his delight before the TV cameras.Keir Starmer had retrieved the letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to the US president with the dramatic flourish of Neville Chamberlain's I have in my hand a piece of paper" moment. Continue reading...

Research shows strong support for keeping tax-free accounts in their current form with 20,000 annual limit

Almost a third of online deliveries from grocers such as Tesco and Aldi included a swapped item, says Which?Sanitary towels substituted for sandwich wraps, fish steaks in the place of lemon cupcakes and beef dog treats instead of steak.These are just some of the completely inappropriate" supermarket substitutions reported by online shoppers in a poll. Continue reading...

Supermarkets, bakers and chefs are modernising the hot cross bun with everything from tiramisu to jerk lambIs nothing sacred? The hot cross bun, a spiced bun traditionally served with butter and a cup of tea, around the time of Good Friday, is modernising.This year, a quick whip round the supermarkets will find you an embarrassment of alternative hot cross buns, flavoured with lemon curd, salted caramel or tiramisu. There are buns spiked with rhubarb and custard or Red Leicester. Head to Asda for a tiramisu version, Co-op for one cross-germinated with apple crumble. Continue reading...

Government targets party's softness on standing up to Putin' to show Reform is out of step with UK publicLabour is setting out to increase its attacks on Nigel Farage's Reform UK over its stance on Russia, as polling and focus groups show the public are firmly pro-Ukraine and against Vladimir Putin.One cabinet source said Labour was planning to take the fight" to Reform on the issues of the Ukraine war and the NHS after waking up" to the party's softness on standing up to Putin". Continue reading...

2024-25 summer at 1.89C above long-term average will be one of the coolest in the 21st century', according to one expert

Attenders able to check what substances are in their illicit pills and powders at two-day Yours and Owls music festival

Two children a week are killed in the West Bank. Two cameras recorded the circumstances of one such deathThe last time Nassar al-Hammouni talked to his son, Ayman, it was by telephone and the 12-year-old was overflowing with plans for the coming weekend, and for the rest of his life. He had joined a local football team and planned to register at a karate club that weekend. When he grew up, he told Nassar, he was going to become a doctor, or better still an engineer to help his father in the construction job that took him away from their home in Hebron every week.None of that - the football, the karate or his imagined future career - will happen now. Last Friday, two days after the call to his father, Ayman was killed, shot by Israeli fire, video footage seen by the Guardian suggests. Continue reading...

Ahmed Ouf, Cumberland councillor tilting at federal seat held by Jason Clare, shares thanks for outpouring of community support'

Press conference between US and Ukraine leaders cancelled and no minerals deal signed after angry scenes in Oval Office. This blog is now closed

PM pledges support for Ukraine but declines to directly comment on US president's approach as community rallies in Sydney

Dozens including man from Queensland and man from NSW arrested as part of international operation

Investigators say good assumption' actor died on 17 February while autopsies reveal no external trauma

Born in 1912 in Poland, Girone was one of about 245,000 survivors living across more than 90 countriesRose Girone, believed to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor and a strong advocate for sharing survivors' stories, has died. She was 113.She died on Monday in New York, according to the Claims Conference, a New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Continue reading...

The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the free world needs a new leader' and that it was up to Europeans to take this challengeThe EU foreign policy chief has declared that the free world needs a new leader", as European leaders threw their support behind Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the stunning White House confrontation between him and Donald Trump.Leaders from across Europe expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian leader after the fractious exchange with JD Vance, the US vice-president, and Trump, who claimed he was not ready for peace" and accused him of gambling with world war three". Continue reading...

At all of these schools, parents paid on average $1,800 a student, according to data from the national education and curriculum authority

Ukrainian leader abruptly left White House after being publicly berated by US president in Russia ceasefire talks

Vatican says pontiff was given non-invasive mechanical ventilation, to which he responded well and remains alertPope Francis has suffered an isolated breathing crisis" which caused him to vomit, provoking a sudden worsening" of his respiratory condition, the Vatican said.The episode happened on Friday afternoon after the pontiff, 88, spent the morning alternating respiratory training" with prayer in the chapel at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he has been battling pneumonia for two weeks. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands demonstrate amid outpouring of anger over state's handling of Tempe tragedyTwo years to the day since 57 people died and dozens were injured in Greece's worst train crash in history, hundreds of thousands of protesters filled plazas around the country and a general strike paralysed the transport network in an outpouring of anger over the government's handling of the tragedy.By 11am on Friday, more than 100,000 people had already gathered in Syntagma Square in Athens. Thousands who could not get to the area due to packed metro trains instead vented their anger outside stations in the capital's suburbs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: International development minister warns it will be impossible' to retain funding in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine

Plan for IDF-protected humanitarian hubs' to selectively issue aid casts doubt on Israeli intent to withdrawThe Israeli military has presented the UN and aid organisations with a plan for running Gaza that involves Israel having tighter control than it did before the war, according to humanitarian officials, casting doubt on whether Benjamin Netanyahu's government has any intention of carrying out a military withdrawal.At meetings with UN representatives on Wednesday and with officials from other agencies on Thursday, Cogat, the army unit given the task of delivering aid to the occupied territories, outlined a scheme of distributing supplies through tightly managed logistics hubs to vetted Palestinian recipients. Continue reading...