World news | The Guardian

Thinktank's board distances itself from Josh Simons' decision in 2023 to hire lobbying firm to investigate journalistsA Labour thinktank that helped Keir Starmer into No 10 has said it is making a clean break" from the past after its former director, Josh Simons, resigned as a minister over a report falsely linking journalists to a pro-Kremlin" network.The board of Labour Together distanced itself from Simons' decision in 2023 to hire a lobbying firm to investigate Sunday Times, Guardian and independent reporters who were looking into its failure to declare more than 700,000 in donations. Continue reading...

Hostility to the US is high even among reformists, which may set the surviving leadership on a destructive path

Senators Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham defend attack, Democrats say administration must answer vital questions

Some publicly mourn leader's demise but videos also show jubilant response after violent crackdown in January

Regulator says Prof Jacob George will no longer be involved after gender-criticial social media posts from last yearA health official who reportedly intervened to pause a clinical trial on the use of puberty blockers has been removed from any further involvement due to accusations of bias.Prof Jacob George, who was appointed chief medical and scientific officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in January, raised concerns that led to the Pathways trial being put on hold by the government, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

Missiles and bombs landed across Iran, hitting political and security targets in Tehran, including supreme leader's residence

Party leader Zack Polanski says surge in numbers proves that the future of progressive politics belongs to the Greens'The Green party said its membership had passed 200,000 this weekend in the wake of its victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, in which it overturned a huge Labour majority.The party's membership has tripled since September last year, when it was about 68,000, after the announcement of Zack Polanski as its leader. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police forces argue bean-bag and foam baton rounds are less harmful than firearms, but the projectiles have been linked to deaths around the world

Experts say trusted adults must be brave and discuss issue or risk children looking for answers from unsafe sourcesTeachers and parents in the UK need to be brave and discuss Jeffrey Epstein's crimes with children and young people or risk them looking for answers from dubious or dangerous sources, according to experts who will host the first public seminar for schools on the issue.Thrive, the education consultancy hosting the online seminar on the convicted child sex offender, said: Many children and young people are encountering this material often without context, warnings or adult support, leaving educators to manage the emotional and safeguarding impact in real time." Continue reading...

After byelection defeat and with right-leaning advisers gone, will PM return to his instincts and embrace Labour DNA' on climate?Less than a year ago, Keir Starmer stood in front of an audience of senior officials and business leaders from 60 countries in London to declare climate action was in the DNA of my government".Vowing to go all out" for net zero and to accelerate" while others were slowing down, the Lancaster House speech was his strongest intervention yet on the issue. We're paying the price for our overexposure to the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets," he said. Homegrown clean energy is the only way to take back control of our energy system." Continue reading...

Authorities seek to reassure visitors after tourists at five-star resorts had to shelter in underground car parks

Donald Trump threatens to unleash force that has never been seen before' in response to retaliation from Tehran

Employees say they have heard little from major defense contractor V2X Inc about safety and evacuation protocolsEmployees of major defense contractor V2X Inc on US military bases in Kuwait say they lack adequate bunker facilities and have had their pay reduced amid Iranian missile attacks across the Persian Gulf region, while receiving limited communication from their employer about safety and evacuation procedures.The Guardian interviewed three V2X employees on the US bases Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring in Kuwait, following Iranian missile strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan on Saturday. Continue reading...

Antics of RFK Jr, Kristi Noem and others prompt derision - could their erratic behaviour prove president's undoing?Heads bowed, linked by arms across their backs, they gathered in a solemn prayer circle. The quiet moments are often the most important," Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, reflected later on social media. Then Team Trump entered the chamber to cheers and applause for Tuesday's State of the Union address.Democrats gathered on Capitol Hill, however, regarded the people appointed by Donald Trump to his cabinet and other senior positions rather differently. In the past two weeks alone, they saw a health secretary who boasted about snorting cocaine off toilet seats; a homeland security secretary who allegedly fired a pilot for leaving her blanket on a plane; and an FBI director who chugged beer with Olympic hockey players in Italy at taxpayers' expense. Continue reading...

John Healey says there is real and rising threat' from Iran as US and Israeli military action divides political opinion

Woman deceived into relationship tells spycops inquiry the trip was not to meet Italian socialists, as Carlo Soracchi claimsAn undercover police officer is facing allegations that he used taxpayers' money to pay for a romantic break in Venice with a woman he was deceiving into a long-term relationship, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi pretended to be an activist for six years while he infiltrated socialist and anti-fascist campaign groups. Continue reading...

Ben Saul says rolling over' after Israel and US attack is counterproductive for middle powers because it undermines rules-based order

Investors are shifting toward physical assets that are partially insulated from disruption, says Goldman SachsInvestors have a new mantra as they prepare for AI to shake up the global economy - the Halo trade.Interest in Halo - short for heavy assets, low obsolescence" - has risen as investors seek out companies with tangible, productive assets, which might be insulated from AI disruption, such as energy and transport infrastructure companies. Continue reading...

Labour peer, who was a child refugee, criticises home secretary's response to Gorton and Denton byelection defeatThe home secretary's decision to double down on hardline immigration reforms in light of Labour's byelection defeat to the Green party is disappointing", according to the Labour peer Alf Dubs.Lord Dubs, a child refugee who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, had previously accused Shabana Mahmood of pulling up the drawbridge" on child migrants. Continue reading...

The text mimics a common fraud, but differs in that criminals appear to have hacked a genuine business accountJohn the delivery driver has tried to drop off something at your home from a company called Cleaning Superstore but you missed him, according to the message you have received via WhatsApp.Although you cannot remember buying anything from the company, the text appears to have come from a legitimate WhatsApp account so you try to rearrange delivery by clicking the link provided. Continue reading...

Confirmation of supreme leader's killing follows announcement by Donald Trump that one of the most evil people in history, is dead'

London mayor criticises PM for calling Greens extreme' after Gorton and Denton loss, saying it is a flawed strategy'

After a heist and the departure of its boss, the French institution wrestles with water leaks, strikes and much-criticised plans for a 1bn renovationJust over a year ago, Laurence des Cars, the intellectually brilliant (if famously prickly) former head of the largest and most-visited museum in the world, wrote a somewhat alarming note to her boss, France's culture minister.Des Cars, who on Tuesday resigned as president of the Louvre, lamented the advanced state of disrepair of the iconic museum's buildings and galleries. Continue reading...

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Regional authorities withdraw permit after citing risk of organised crime infiltration linked to a subcontractorIt is one of Europe's most celebrated shorelines, framed by mountains and 19th-century villas and famed for its Caribbean-blue water and white sand.But Mondello beach in Palermo, Sicily, has also been mired in controversy, the subject of complaints stretching back a century from residents and tourists who say its private lidos, cabins and deckchairs have left scant room for public access. Continue reading...

Australian foreign affairs minister says Israel and US should explain the legal basis for the attacks' on Iran and won't say if Pine Gap used during strikes

Olivia Dean tops the winners list with four, while Sam Fender bags two - see all the category winners here News: Olivia Dean sweeps the board at 2026 Brit awards, winning four including artist, song and album of the year

Bystander describes loud crashing sound from the rocks' as light aircraft goes into sea at Lee-on-the-SolentA pilot survived after a light aircraft crashed on to a beach in Hampshire on Saturday.The pilot had exited the aircraft before firefighters arrived and was subsequently assessed by the ambulance service, Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire and rescue service said. Continue reading...

The 26-year-old dominates in Manchester, landing the night's biggest prizes as Rose, Wolf Alice and Mark Ronson also take top honoursOlivia Dean was the big winner at the 2026 Brit awards, taking home awards for artist of the year, pop act, song of the year for her Sam Fender duet Rein Me In, and album of the year for The Art of Loving.In less than a year, Dean has leaped to the forefront of British pop thanks to The Art of Loving, her second album. With songs that get to the heart of the joys and frustrations of casual modern dating, she is enormously relatable, while her sophisticated and cosmopolitan songcraft, deftly finessing styles such as bossa nova, trip-hop, neo-soul and jazz together, has given her an unusually broad and cross-generational appeal. Continue reading...

Actor, originally charged on two counts, also accused of shouting homophobic slurs during attacks on 17 FebruaryShia LaBeouf surrendered to New Orleans police after they obtained a new warrant Friday to arrest him again in connection with a case that had already left him facing two counts of battery.The new warrant brought the number of people whom the Transformers film franchise star is accused of battering to three. He turned himself over to police in advance of a bail hearing on Saturday afternoon, after which he posted a $5,000 bond to continue out of authorities' custody while awaiting the outcome of the case. Continue reading...

Air strikes halt bitter political feuding ahead of elections as prominent Israelis call for broad open-ended war

Regime could try to retain control of streets as US and Israel have expressed no intention of mounting ground invasionVenezula's Nicholas Maduro was captured. But Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have chosen a different strategy for Iran: to target and aim to kill the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and as many other senior regime figures as possible.Though Iranian military sites and its air defence systems were also targeted by coordinated US and Israeli bombing, beginning in the morning, the most significant attack was on Khamenei's compound in Tehran. Continue reading...

Makerfield MP has been under pressure over thinktank's commissioning of PR firm to investigate reportersThe Labour minister Josh Simons has resigned from the government after the Guardian revealed that he falsely linked reporters to a pro-Kremlin" network in emails to GCHQ despite having claimed to be surprised" and furious" about a PR firm's investigation into their journalism.Simons, who had been a Cabinet Office minister, previously ran the thinktank Labour Together. He quit on Saturday, saying his position in office had become a distraction from this government's important work." Continue reading...

Tehran carries out extensive retaliatory strikes on Israel and US air bases as region is plunged into fresh conflict

Alan Nicolle was already approved for urgent aged care supports, but delays and confusion under a Kafkaesque' system made his final days exhausting and painful

Second Israeli-US attack during nuclear negotiations may finally jettison any chance of agreement

Lucy Powell calls for party to make more use of Greater Manchester mayor after Gorton and Denton defeatAndy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, Labour's deputy leader said as she called for the party to make more use of the Greater Manchester mayor.Labour fell to third in the previously rock-solid seat on Thursday, with the Greens winning a fifth seat in parliament and Reform UK coming second. Continue reading...

Leader launches roadmap' of first 100 days in power to show party is ready to govern if it wins Senedd electionsThe leader of Plaid Cymru has described the prospect of leading the next government in Wales as a heck of a task" but that he senses voters are increasingly driven by their Welsh identity and may be ready for Britain to be redesigned".Speaking to the Guardian as he published a glossy 60-page roadmap" for his party's first 100 days in government, if it takes power in May, Rhun ap Iorwerth said he was ready to lead the devolved administration in Cardiff but would work with other parties if he did not win a majority. Continue reading...

PM says British planes in the sky today' to protect allies in Middle East from retaliatory strikes by Tehran

North Carolina's Michael Phillips revealed that he had a 0.38in member in bid to reduce stigma of the conditionA North Carolina man has challenged anyone on earth to disprove his claim of having the world's smallest penis as he advocates against body shaming and aims to raise awareness about the medical condition known as micropenis.Michael Phillips, 38, threw down the gauntlet in an interview posted Friday on TMZ's YouTube channel, in which he purported that his penis was 0.38in (0.97cm) when fully erect - and, holding up the fingernail on his right pinky to illustrate that length, added: When it's flaccid, it's smaller than that." Continue reading...

The education secretary wants a fairer system and the Tories have leapt in with their own plan - but why now?For anyone who attended university in England in the last 15 or so years, the idea of student loans feeling like some sort of debt trap is hardly news. But three weeks ago, when the journalist Oli Dugmore discussed this on the BBC's Question Time, it felt like a moment.It was less the size of the initial debt, he explained, than the way above-inflation interest rates meant the interest charged alone was now almost as much as the original sum. So was it mis-sold to me?" he asked, rhetorically. Yes, I'd say so." Continue reading...

Caspar San Giorgio to appear in court after defacing London statue with slogans including Zionist war criminal'A 38-year-old man has been charged with criminal damage after Winston Churchill's statue outside the Houses of Parliament was sprayed with graffiti labelling the former prime minister a Zionist war criminal".The Metropolitan police arrested Caspar San Giorgio, of no fixed address, shortly after 4am on Friday. He was charged in the early hours of Saturday morning and is due to appear at Highbury Corner magistrates court in London. Continue reading...

Cygnet Texkimp was approved to export machines to Rydena, but ministers examining deal after Guardian highlighted founders' links to Kremlin military supply chainMinisters are reviewing a decision to allow a British company to export hi-tech equipment to Armenia after the Guardian uncovered links to the Russian military supply chain.Cygnet Texkimp, based in Cheshire, was weeks away from exporting two machines that produce carbon fibre prepreg", a lightweight material that can be used in a range of civil and military applications. Continue reading...

Experts say global measles vaccination rates are falling as Trump officials signal a deprioritization of the virusThe US government has amplified anti-vaccine rhetoric and signaled that it does not consider measles to be a priority, which could have global ramifications as countries around the world have lost or are on the brink of losing measles elimination status.The World Health Organization announced in late January that six European countries: the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan had all officially lost their measles elimination status, which means the virus has been circulating continuously in those countries for more than 12 months. In order to contain measles, at least 95% of children should be fully vaccinated against it, according to health recommendations, but vaccination rates have been falling across Europe. Continue reading...

US president violates UN charter just days into his Board of Peace era, and chooses to take the biggest gamble of his administration

Rebranded' terror group seeks to recruit those alienated by Damascus government's western pivotOn the surface, all that remains of Islamic State in the Syrian town of Baghuz are discarded tubs of whitening cream, spent RPG motors and children's backpacks, with an old grenade nestled in the frayed pink nylon.It was here nearly seven years ago that IS made its last stand. Its most zealous followers were obliterated along with the blood-soaked caliphate they fought to defend. Their bodies were collected and buried next to the town graveyard, while bulldozers came and sealed the entire area under a layer of heavy yellow earth. Continue reading...

Private providers accused of prescribing powerful stimulants without examining young patients properlyChildren with ADHD are being put at risk by poorly regulated private clinics that prescribe powerful stimulants without key physical examinations, doctors have warned.A surge in remote-only assessments has led to what one clinician described as widespread and unsafe practice", where children are being diagnosed and medicated via video link. The clinical warnings have now forced health authorities in Greater Manchester to overhaul prescribing rules, mandating face-to-face checks to protect the safety of children. Continue reading...

Few clues as to how 10 heavily armed men intercepted on stolen speedboat came together from across Florida or what they hoped to achieveFoot traffic was slow outside the Bay of Pigs Museum on Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood. A few tourists in T-shirts and shorts bypassed the gallery dedicated to one of the most fateful days in Cuba's history and headed instead to nearby Maximo Gomez Park to take photographs of Cuban exiles playing dominoes.This is the street at the heart of the Cuban expat community of more than 1 million people where tens of thousands partied through the night in November 2016 to celebrate the death of Fidel Castro, and where they gathered in sorrow almost exactly 30 years ago to mourn four Cuban-Americans shot down by the communist country's air force as they conducted a mission for the humanitarian exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Continue reading...

Project Play finds UK taxpayers are funding record child fatalities' and repeated violence' against children in northern FranceThe deaths of 22 children while trying to cross the Channel in the last two years, along with the mistreatment of thousands of others, were due to catastrophic failures" of the UK and French governments, according to a new report.Project Play, an NGO that has worked with 2,192 children hoping to cross the Channel from northern France to the UK to claim asylum in the last two years, has documented the impact of the hostile conditions in northern France due to regular teargassing, evictions and dinghy-slashing by the French police. Continue reading...

Legendary nightclub Le Palace, where Serge Gainsbourg and Prince also performed, to rise againIn the late 1970s, Le Palace in Paris's busy theatre district was one of continental Europe's most famous nightclubs.On the opening night on 1 March 1978, Grace Jones stunned VIP guests with her rendition of Edith Piaf's classic La Vie en Rose. Later, Serge Gainsbourg and Prince came to perform, Bob Marley was photographed there and Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol and Karl Lagerfeld were part of a glittering cast of international celebrities, politicians, designers and models who came to drink and dance. Continue reading...