World news | The Guardian

Hamit Coskun, 50, held burning text outside Turkish consulate London, Westminster magistrates court heardProsecuting a man for burning the Qur'an is tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law" in Great Britain, a trial has heard.Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted fuck Islam", Islam is religion of terrorism" and Qur'an is burning" as he held aloft the burning Islamic text outside the Turkish consulate in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London, on 13 February, Westminster magistrates court heard. Continue reading...

Kenyan writer's death announced by his daughter, who wrote: He lived a full life, fought a good fight'The Kenyan writer Ngg wa Thiong'o, who was censored, imprisoned and forced into exile by the dictator Daniel arap Moi, a perennial contender for the Nobel prize for literature and one of few writers working in an indigenous African language, has died aged 87.It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, this Wednesday morning," wrote his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngg on Facebook. He lived a full life, fought a good fight." Continue reading...

Deysi Vargas, her husband and Sofia' entered US legally in 2023 on humanitarian grounds to seek medical careThe family of a four-year-old girl who is receiving life-saving treatment in the United States are fighting against deportation, as her medical team warns she will likely die within days" if forced to return to Mexico.Deysi Vargas, her husband and their daughter - whom lawyers identified by the pseudonym Sofia - came to the US in 2023, receiving permission to enter the US on humanitarian grounds to seek medical care. Sofia suffers from short bowel syndrome, requiring specialized care that includes IV treatments for 14 hours a day. She has seen significant improvement since arriving in the US and obtaining care at Children's hospital Los Angeles, her mother said. Continue reading...

The use of IEDs in a war between criminal groups in the Michoacan-Jalisco border region has increased drasticallyEight Mexican soldiers have died after triggering an improvised explosive device (IED) in the state of Michoacan, underlining the rising use of mines by organised crime factions.The soldiers were on patrol in an armoured vehicle in the municipality of Los Reyes, near the border with the state of Jalisco, when the mine detonated on Wednesday. Six soldiers were killed instantly, while two more later died from their wounds, according to El Universal. Continue reading...

Several in attendance say they weren't surprised a collision could take place, with access described as a free-for-all'Football fans who were at Liverpool's Premier League title victory parade, where a car ploughed into pedestrians injuring more than 50 people, have said they were staggered" by the traffic control measures in place before the incident.A 53-year-old man from the West Derby area of the city was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, driving while unfit through drugs, and dangerous driving. Merseyside police said detectives had been granted more time to question the man, with an extension until Thursday. Continue reading...

Defense lawyers argued prosecutors had improperly suggested Combs was involved in destruction of evidenceSean Diddy" Combs's lawyers on Wednesday morning called for a mistrial in the hip-hop mogul's federal sex-trafficking trial, alleging misconduct by prosecutors in the case - but their request was quickly denied by the judge.Defense lawyers moved to have the case declared a mistrial by arguing that prosecutors had improperly suggested and implied through questioning that Combs was involved in the destruction of evidence tied to the investigation into rapper Scott Mescudi's (also known as Kid Cudi) car being firebombed. Continue reading...

Mark Rowley, Met commissioner, had said plans for England and Wales were made without any analysis of the impact on policing'The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has hit back at the UK's most senior police officer in a row over the impact of allowing thousands of criminals to serve their sentences in the community instead of being sent to jail.The Ministry of Justice insisted on Wednesday that officials consulted with police" including the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, over proposed changes to sentencing policies introduced to ease prison overcrowding. Continue reading...

Marco Rubio says he is acting against flagrant censorship actions' overseas against US tech firms

Event commemorates estimated 75,000 Herero and Nama people killed under German colonial ruleNamibia has observed its first genocide remembrance day, honouring the estimated 75,000 victims who were massacred by soldiers or forced into concentration camps during German colonial rule.Between 1904 and 1908, an estimated 65,000 Herero people and 10,000 Nama people were killed when the groups rejected colonial rule. It amounted to 80% and 50% of their respective populations at the time. Continue reading...

German chancellor says there will be no restrictions to how far weapons can reach at press conference with ZelenskyyTurkey's foreign minister will travel to Kyiv on Thursday for a two-day visit after discussing peace efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine in Moscow earlier this week, a Turkish foreign ministry source told Reuters on Wednesday.Foreign minister Hakan Fidan held talks in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday, meeting Russian president Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, including Moscow's top negotiator at talks in Istanbul earlier this month aimed at ending the three-year war. Continue reading...

Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto now face gross misconduct hearings for incident at Leonards-on-Sea care homeTwo police officers who used a Taser and synthetic pepper spray on a one-legged 92-year-old man in a care home have been cleared of assault but will now face gross misconduct hearings.PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, were found not guilty of assaulting Donald Burgess during a confrontation at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. Continue reading...

The leaders' awkward shadow ministry reveal an early test as they seek to put damaging but short-lived split behind them

Former Labor senator also says child removals are a way to eradicate a people from the landscape'

Productivity Commission finds drop off from Covid bubble' was driven by people working more hours as lockdowns eased

Letter also signed by Hanif Kureishi and Russell T Davies urges ceasefire and unrestricted distribution of aidThree hundred and eighty writers and organisations including Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan, Russell T Davies, Hanif Kureishi, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and George Monbiot have signed a letter stating that the Israeli government's war in Gaza is genocidal and calling for an immediate ceasefire.The use of the words genocide' or acts of genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations," reads the letter, which was also signed by William Dalrymple, Jeanette Winterson, Brian Eno, Kate Mosse, Irvine Welsh and Elif Shafak. Continue reading...

Officers say they are now in contact with 79 people who were injured on Monday and they continue to question 53-year-old on suspicion of drug driving and attempted murder

Chronicle of the Years of Fire took the prize in 1975 for its portrayal of the Algerian war of independence, drawing on his own traumatic historyMohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, the first Arab and African director to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival, has died aged 91, his family said Friday.The film-maker was awarded the prize in 1975 for Chronicle of the Years of Fire, a historical drama about the Algerian war of independence. Continue reading...

Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star found to have died from combined effects of prescribed and illicit drugsThe soap opera and reality television star Paul Danan died from the combined effects of prescribed and illicit drugs, a coroner has concluded.Assistant coroner Debbie Rookes ruled that the death of Danan, an actor on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks and known for appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island, was misadventure. Continue reading...

Housing minister says previous government left prison system in state of criminal neglect' amid warnings over early release planGrocery price inflation in the UK jumped to 4.1% in the past month - the highest level since February 2024 - driven by the rising cost of butter, chocolate and sun cream.Sarah Butler has more here: UK grocery inflation jumps to highest level in 15 months Continue reading...

Fast-fashion retailer struggling to gain go-ahead from Chinese regulators for UK listingShein is reportedly aiming to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange as the online fast-fashion retailer struggles to gain the go-ahead from Chinese regulators for a flotation in London.The company, which was founded in China where the majority of its suppliers are based but now has its headquarters in Singapore, is aiming to file a draft prospectus with Hong Kong's stock exchange in the coming weeks, according to Reuters. Continue reading...

German chancellor expected to announce new plans to aid Ukraine and focus on efforts to bring about ceasefire

Haute couture mixes with theatricality in Maria Grazia Chiuri's deeply personal show, with hints this may be designer's swan songDior's first catwalk show in Rome was a night of high drama on and off the catwalk that left the fashion industry with a cliffhanger ending. Borrowing the original working title of Federico Fellini's film 8 , Maria Grazia Chiuri, designer of Dior since 2016, called it the Beautiful Confusion".She was talking about Rome, with its heady jumble of art, culture, faith and mopeds, and about a collection in which haute couture pieces were mixed with theatrical costumes. But there was also an inescapable allusion to the question of her own future of Dior. Continue reading...

Increase of 4.1% in past month driven by rising cost of chocolate, butter and sun cream, says Kantar

Exclusive: Defra sources say scheme, which pays farmers to protect nature, will be targeted at small farms'The nature-friendly farming budget is set to be slashed in the UK spending review, with only small farms allowed to apply, it can be revealed.Sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the post-Brexit farming fund will be severely cut in the review on 11 June. It will be part of a swathe of cuts to departments, with police, social housing and nature funding expected to face the brunt. Continue reading...

Report says British-Egyptian writer held for expressing political views and should be released without delayThe Britsh-Egyptian human rights activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being illegally detained by the Egyptian government, an independent UN panel has found after an 18-month investigation.He is being held in a Cairo jail while his mother, Laila Soueif, based in Britain, is on hunger strike. She is holding a daily one-hour vigil outside Downing Street, the limit her health and weight loss allows. She is on day 241 of the hunger strike, and her body weight has halved. Continue reading...

Labor MP Ed Husic reiterates support for targeted sanctions to oppose Israel's actions in Gaza. Follow today's news live

Lord Duncan of Springbank is the fourth peer to face a parliamentary inquiry after Guardian reportingThe House of Lords watchdog has launched an investigation into a Conservative peer who helped to secure a meeting with a government minister for a Canadian nuclear technology company he was advising.The watchdog will examine evidence that Ian Duncan potentially breached parliamentary rules when he facilitated an introduction between the minister and the company's chief executive while he was on the company's advisory board. Continue reading...

Biggest child abuse trial in French history reveals decades of medical oversight failuresA former French surgeon is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for the sexual abuse of hundreds of patients mostly aged under 15, as the biggest child abuse trial in French history ends.Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, worked as a digestive surgeon in public and private hospitals across Brittany and the west of France, often operating on children with appendicitis. Continue reading...

Murray Watt will approve the extension of one of the world's biggest liquified natural gas projects from 2030 to 2070

Australian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder after a mushroom lunch at her house in regional Victoria in 2023. Follow live updates

Sussan Ley and David Littleproud announce shadow ministry after reuniting parties after brief split

Policy will eventually right itself, adds Mark Preston, who heads Duke of Westminster's property groupDonald Trump's global tariff trade war is nonsense and stupid" and will damage every country in the world, including the US, the boss of one of Britain's most powerful property companies has said.Mark Preston, chief executive of the 348-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said he was convinced" that the president's sweeping tariff policies would ultimately be removed. Continue reading...

Estimated 16,000 litres of petroleum products spilled into Indian ocean on 8 May during decommissioning works at Griffin field

Times newspaper cites letter from chiefs of police and security agencies to justice ministry, while joint article calls for serious investment' in law and orderPolice chiefs and MI5 have called for the government to give them enough funding amid pressures from the latest plans to release prisoners early.The heads of the Metropolitan police, MI5 and the National Crime Agency were among those who warned that plans to release prisoners early could be of net detriment to public safety" in a letter to the justice ministry, the Times reported. Continue reading...

Glyphosate, a pesticide linked to cancer, found at very high levels in menstrual products in the UK, according to reportToxic pesticide levels have been found in tampons at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water.Traces of glyphosate, a pesticide linked to cancer, has been found at very high levels in menstrual products, according to a report by the Pesticide Action Network UK (Pan UK), the Women's Environmental Network and the Pesticide Collaboration. Continue reading...

Judaism has at its heart the idea that we grapple with one another,' says Rabbi Josh Levy after historic UK merger of Liberal and Reform traditionsCharley Baginsky's pink hair and piercings do not conform to the popular image of a rabbi, but her personal choices speak to the cornerstone of inclusivity on which a new British Jewish movement stands.In a historic step that could redefine British Judaism, the Liberal and Reform traditions in the UK merged earlier this month to form Progressive Judaism, with each group voting 95% in favour of uniting. Baginsky co-leads the movement with Rabbi Josh Levy, a self-confessed middle-aged man with a beard". Continue reading...

Those opposed to exclusive Sydney private school admitting girls from 2026 suffer loss in NSW supreme court

Acting deputy commissioner Mark Kelly tells coroner that Queensland's existing Mental Health Act causes confusion'

Marion council votes to seek state government approval for battery factory in Adelaide despite hundreds of submissions opposing it

Liberal party leader Sussan Ley expected to unveil her new shadow cabinet later on Wednesday

Rate of people moving to Australia's regions increases by more than 10% in March quarter

Senator makes complaint about colleague's behaviour at function, which she alleges was sexual and racial in nature

In her first interview since joining the frontbench, Jess Walsh pledges to withdraw subsidies from businesses that put profit before safety

Banks say every day 7,000 incidents take place where scammers get people to disclose unique set of numbersBanks are reporting a surge in a type of fraud where customers are tricked into disclosing online login passcodes they are sent, which has helped to fuel a 22% jump in crimes where scammers go shopping using people's stolen details.The banking body UK Finance revealed that remote purchase" fraud hit its highest-ever level in 2024, with almost 2.6m cases logged, which works out at more than 7,000 incidents a day, or almost five a minute. Continue reading...

Capricorn Clark takes stand at sex-trafficking trial of music mogul who has pleaded not guilty to all chargesThe federal sex-trafficking trial of Sean Diddy" Combs resumed on Tuesday, with his former employee testifying that the music mogul repeatedly threatened her and once forced her to accompany him to the home of rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, who Combs allegedly said he was going to kill".Combs, 55, is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs was arrested in September 2024 and has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Continue reading...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, chosen by Israel, unprepared for thousands of hungry Palestinians, leading staff to abandon postsIsraeli troops have opened fire near thousands of hungry Palestinians as a logistics group chosen by Israel to ship food into Gaza lost control of its distribution centre on its second day of operations.An 11-week total siege and a continuing tight Israel blockade mean most people in Gaza are desperately hungry. Hundreds of thousands walked through Israeli military lines to reach the new distribution centre in Rafah on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Sheriff advises people to stay vigilant, lock your house' after Grant Hardin, convicted of murder and rape, escapedAs law officers search Arkansas' rugged Ozark mountains for a former police chief and convicted killer who escaped prison this weekend, the sister of one of his victims is on edge.Grant Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape and became known as the Devil in the Ozarks". Continue reading...

IMF suggests chancellor could refine fiscal rules, but some fear policing and social housing face spending cutsThe Treasury is in a standoff with some ministers over proposed cuts to public services including policing and social housing, as the International Monetary Fund suggested the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, could give herself more flexibility to hit her fiscal rules.Senior police figures have raised concerns about the upcoming spending review with ministers, the Guardian understands. Chief officers from some of England and Wales' biggest forces argue they cannot take further budget cuts. Continue reading...

While delay has sparked anxiety among MPs, former PM says ministers need time to secure funding for flagship strategy