World news | The Guardian

Democrats criticize deal as a slush fund that funnels taxpayer dollars' to president's political allies

Spokesperson for Indian Ocean island nation says they will try to recover explorers in next couple of daysRescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after they were reported missing.Searches had resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Continue reading...

President's remarks about Taiwan arms deals being a negotiating chip' with Beijing have been seized on by Chinese state mediaIt has been an unsettling few days for Taiwan's government. When Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, many feared the unpredictable US leader could upend Washington's longstanding support for Taipei.But beyond a starkly worded statement from Xi stressing China's claims over Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory despite never having ruled it, initial signs appeared good for Taipei. Continue reading...

Champion's childhood coach recalls his early promise while a six-year-old fan hopes to follow in Rai's footstepsThere was a real buzz and sense of pride at the 3 Hammers golf complex in Wolverhampton, the old stomping grounds of Aaron Rai, who on Sunday became the first Englishman since 1919 to win the US PGA Championship.It was the first major title of the 31-year-old's career and Rai described it as truly a dream come true". Continue reading...

Former contestants claim there was not enough protection for cast during making of Channel 4 showTwo women have alleged they were raped during the filming of Married at First Sight UK, one of Channel 4's biggest shows, and a third alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act.The show did not do enough to protect them, the women told an edition of the BBC's Panorama outlining their allegations. Continue reading...

Kalshi announces two-year investment to National Council on Problem Gambling focused on trader health and safety'The prediction market Kalshi, which maintains it is not a gambling platform, has announced plans to give $2m to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) as it continues to ride a nationwide surge.While prediction markets allow users to bet - or trade" - on the outcome of almost anything, from elections to sports to geopolitical events, the industry has vehemently fought efforts by state officials to regulate its platforms like those of conventional gambling giants. Continue reading...

Pouria Zeraati, who worked for a dissident Farsi-language broadcaster, was attacked outside his home in 2024The stabbing of a journalist in London was a planned attack ordered by a third party acting on behalf of the Iranian state, a court has heard.Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin had worked for Iran International, a Farsi-language dissident Farsi-language broadcaster, when he was stabbed in the leg outside of his west London home in 2024. Continue reading...

If most popular Labour politician cannot win this seat then party's electoral problems run deeper than Keir StarmerThe Makerfield byelection is bigger than Andy Burnham. Of the Labour MPs who were back on the constituency's doorsteps in Hindley Green and Winstanley, just after an intensive local election campaign, many said the fight felt existential.It matters because it is probably the closest the UK will ever come to a direct presidential-style election, run through one single constituency and likely to decide the future of the Labour party. Continue reading...

Accounts for Reform UK leader's media company suggest money was not withdrawn at time of property purchaseNigel Farage is facing fresh scrutiny over his claim that he paid for his 1.4m house from a reality show fee rather than the millions gifted to him by a crypto billionaire.Accounts for the Reform leader's personal media company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, suggest that money was not withdrawn from the firm at the time of the house purchase. Continue reading...

Bank founded 174 years ago could be phased out from as early as 1 July as part of group's reviewBosses at Lloyds Banking Group are considering axing the Halifax as a standalone brand, as part of a sweeping review that could result in the historic 174-year-old lender disappearing from Britain's high streets.Lloyds has been assessing the future of its branding strategy and whether it will continue to operate everyday banking under three different brands - Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland - after government-backed rescue efforts at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading...

Some in party fear all-out campaign could boost Reform UK chancesThe Greens are locked in an internal debate about how hard to challenge Andy Burnham in the Makerfield byelection, with some worried about allowing Reform UK to win and others wanting the party to go all out.While characterised by insiders as very civilised", the discussion has highlighted existing differences between Greens who believe concessions can be won from Labour through informal cooperation and others - including some newer leftwing activists - who argue it achieves little. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham may already be facing a tricky obstacle in his push to return to Westminster. Past comments about rejoining the EU have come back to haunt him, particularly given that the Makerfield constituency voted overwhelmingly to leave in the Brexit referendum. Plus, Wes Streeting has confirmed he will stand in any leadership contest, raising fresh questions about where all this leaves Keir Starmer Continue reading...

The former German chancellor added that diplomacy alongside military deterrence is crucial when dealing with Russia.Elsewhere, we are getting a line from Rome, with the Italian foreign ministry confirming that rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll, AP reported.Five Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's foreign ministry, way below the recreational diving limit of 30 meters. Continue reading...

The prime minister said he wouldn't be setting out a timetable to stand down if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield byelectionJakub Krupa writes the Guardian's Europe live blog.The European Commission has been asked about its response to the renewed talk about Britain's potential future attempt to rejoin the European Union - but did not take a bait.At this stage, there are discussions on closer cooperation in a number of areas, that's where we are, and that's what we are doing precisely in preparation for the next summit rather than speculating about big or renewed issues.We are not there. If we ever are in that situation, I will gladly reply to [this question].I just wanted to come here to Labour party headquarters to say a big thank you to you. The election results were not the ones that we wanted, they were really tough. But you worked your socks off.

Transport secretary to give budget details of troubled high-speed line, which backers hope will stay well below 100bnThe latest estimate of the cost of HS2 and a timetable to complete construction of the high-speed railway will be set out by the government on Tuesday, including plans to run trains slower to trim costs.The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, is expected to give the first official reckoning of the troubled project's budget in 2026 prices, which HS2's backers hope will remain substantially below 100bn. Continue reading...

Burnham vows to have relentless domestic focus' in first speech since announcing Makerfield byelection run

Closure of local shops and poor public transport leaves households struggling to access healthy and affordable food

Cuba's president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, says any US strike would be catastrophic after reports of 300+ dronesCuba's president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has warned that any US military action against his country would lead to a bloodbath" with incalculable consequences for regional peace and stability.Cuba does not represent a threat," Diaz-Canel said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Pandemic report warns of growing global threat as health teams in Africa move to contain Ebola outbreakThe world is becoming less resilient to outbreaks of infectious diseases, experts have warned, as health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda scramble to contain an outbreak of Ebola.The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) said in a report published on Monday that as infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging", warning that pandemic risk is outpacing investments in preparedness and the world is not yet meaningfully safer". Continue reading...

Households increasingly gloomy' about finances amid fears of interest rate rises due to higher fuel prices

Bill Bailey and Alan Titchmarsh paint gnomes for king's garden at event, in one-off to raise funds for RHS campaignGarden gnomes should make a permanent return to the Chelsea flower show, say celebrities who have painted the mythical creatures for the king's garden at this year's event.At the high-end event, which kicks off on Tuesday in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, south-west London, the tacky" statues have been frowned upon since 1927. Speaking at the show's press day, the comedian and musician Bill Bailey and the gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh urged the Royal Horticultural Society to lift the gnome ban permanently. Continue reading...

Matt Brittin begins task of finding budget cuts as World Service and Radio 4 journalists protest against plan to increase workloadsMatt Brittin, the BBC's new director general, has warned staff that tough choices are unavoidable" under his tenure, as his first day coincided with a strike by a group of the corporation's journalists.Brittin, formerly Google's most senior executive in Europe, arrived at the corporation's New Broadcasting House while a group of journalists from the World Service's Newshour and Radio 4's The World Tonight were picketing in response to a plan to increase their workloads. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says Andy Burnham would be great addition to parliament' but leadership row is an own goal' for LabourKeir Starmer is not about to set a timetable for his departure from Downing Street, David Lammy, one of the prime minister's closest cabinet allies, has said, urging Labour to get beyond the spectacular own goal" of repeated leadership speculation.The prime minister visited Labour HQ on Monday, and said the whole party should show 100%" support to help win the crucial Makerfield byelection, as sources said he was not considering stepping aside for Andy Burnham should he win. Continue reading...

Washington-based fund praises Rachel Reeves for aiming to cut budget deficit as it upgrades growth forecasts

Singer says she has faced years of public shaming', as court rules tax agency made mistake over her 2011 statusA court in Madrid has ordered Spain's tax authority to pay Shakira back more than 55m (48m) after ruling that it had wrongly imposed huge fines on the Colombian singer and philanthropist because it had made mistakes over her tax status.In a statement released on Monday, the Audiencia Nacional said it had accepted an appeal from Shakira against the fine she was handed five years ago after the Agencia Tributaria claimed she had not paid the necessary tax in Spain in 2011. At that time, the singer was in a relationship with the FC Barcelona player Gerard Pique. Continue reading...

Participants who got single dose of psilocybin were more likely to abstain from cocaine than those who got placeboResults from a new clinical trial show that a single dose of psilocybin could be an effective treatment for cocaine addiction.The study, published in Jama Network Open this month, showed that 19 participants who received a single dose of psilocybin were more likely to abstain from cocaine than 17 participants who received a placebo of diphenhydramine, a common antihistamine. Continue reading...

Trump warning over peace talks drives up crude price as UK gilts hit by uncertainty over Starmer leadership

People's party wins regional election but loses absolute majority, opening door to possibly months of negotiationsSpain's conservative People's party (PP) won Sunday's Andalucian regional election, but lost its absolute majority, leaving it dependent on the support or abstention of the far-right Vox party to form a new government.After the poll in Spain's most populous region - which will serve as a barometer of wider electoral opinion before next year's general election - the socialists slumped to an all-time low and Vox picked up one additional seat. Continue reading...

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Inquiry into black market hears cost of destroying vapes has also soared, with some requiring manual dismantling

Federal court case begins for classical pianist who alleges Melbourne Symphony Orchestra unlawfully discriminated due to his views

Abu Dhabi denounces dangerous escalation' as Iran war ceasefire grows more precarious, and US president voices impatience at stalemateThe United Arab Emirates has blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies in what the UAE called a dangerous escalation".The fire was just outside the Barakah nuclear plant and caused no injuries or radiation alerts, with the emirate's nuclear regulator saying there was no radioactive leak or risk to the public. Continue reading...

Commission led by Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas asks public to share vision of community and country to help rebuild social cohesionSajid Javid has warned the country risks being torn apart by our differences" as figures from across public life launch a project that asks what it means to be British.The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, co-chaired by the former Conservative chancellor as well as the former Labour party policy chief Jon Cruddas, is urging the public to share their personal vision of their community and their country in the National Conversation project. Continue reading...

NSW transport minister says contracts signed for 24-metre, battery electric ferry to be trialled for 12 months from 2028

Charity estimates up to 1,360 children could remain separated from families for every month the suspension continuesHundreds of children every month face being separated from their families since the UK suspended refugee family reunion last September, according to analysis by the British Red Cross.Based on examination of Home Office data of family reunion grants previously made, the charity estimates between 550 and 1,360 children could remain separated from their families for every month that refugee family reunion suspension continues. Of these, between 180 and 430 each month are likely to be unaccompanied minors. Continue reading...

Banned White Australia group lodges documents with high court stating legislation burdens freedom of governmental and political communication'

Flight from Melbourne to Dallas forced to land in Tahiti due to man's alleged disruptive behaviour

Survey shows businesses struggling to absorb latest economic shock', while data says April vacancies down 7.7%The worsening fallout from the Iran war is forcing businesses to halt their UK investment and hiring plans, bosses have warned, as Britain enters a renewed period of political and economic instability.More than two months into the US-Israeli war on Iran, leading surveys of UK employers showed companies were increasingly prioritising cost management over growth as rising costs and global uncertainty weigh on confidence. Continue reading...

Two campaign groups claim that change to how NHS treatments are approved amounts to unlawful power grab'Campaigners against the UK's controversial drug pricing deal with Donald Trump are threatening the government with legal action unless it scraps a key element of the plan.They claim that a change to how drug treatments are approved for use by the NHS, which could lead to it paying even higher prices for them, amounts to an unlawful power grab". Continue reading...

Justice secretary's white paper will overhaul youth justice rules and could end lifelong criminal records for under-18sDavid Lammy has promised to cut the number of children kept in jail while they await trial by a quarter as part of an overhaul of youth justice rules that could also end lifelong criminal records for under-18s.The justice secretary is publishing a white paper on Monday that he says will reduce the number of children ending up in jail - something he admits was his greatest fear growing up in Tottenham in the 1980s. Continue reading...

Body says, on average, British women approaching retirement have half private pension savings of men - 81,000 versus 156,000A shake-up of pensions in Britain must involve measures to close the gap in retirement savings between men and women, the revived Pensions Commission is to tell ministers.According to the government-backed body, women approaching retirement have on average half the private pension savings of men, with a median pension wealth of 81,000 versus 156,000. Continue reading...

British Chambers of Commerce survey shows firms are dealing with rising levels of theft, fraud and cyber-attacks'UK business leaders have warned that crime is becoming an increasingly serious barrier" to growing Britain's economy amid a rise in shoplifting, fraud and cyber-attacks against companies.The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which represents tens of thousands of businesses across the country, called on the government to provide a step change in the support businesses can count on" as it said two-fifths of companies had experienced some form of crime in the past year. Continue reading...

Wave of almost 600 drones launched across 14 regions, after Moscow's deadly three-day attack on Ukraine last weekOne of Ukraine's largest ever drone strikes against Russia's regions, including Moscow, has killed at least four people and wounded a dozen more, the Russian authorities have said.The wave of almost 600 Ukrainian drones struck overnight across 14 Russian regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula and the Black and Azov seas, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday, with the area around the capital among the worst-hit. Continue reading...

Canal+ head says he will not work with hundreds of actors and directors who signed protest against Vincent Bollore's political swayThe head of France's biggest film producer, Canal+, has said the group will no longer work with hundreds of cinema figures who signed a petition voicing concern over the growing influence of the rightwing billionaire owner Vincent Bollore.The open letter, published earlier this week to coincide with the opening of the Cannes film festival, was signed by more than 600 figures, including the actor-director Juliette Binoche, the director and photographer Raymond Depardon, the French-Iranian film-maker Sepideh Farsi and the director Arthur Harari, who co-wrote the Oscar-winning Anatomy of a Fall and is premiering his film The Unknown in the main competition in Cannes. Continue reading...

Excluding capital would be missed opportunity', says Sadiq Khan, given existing assets and world-class infrastructure'The mayor of London has criticised plans to explore a bid for the north of England to host the Olympics, saying that excluding London would be a missed opportunity".Ministers have commissioned an assessment by UK Sport which could inform a bid for the international sporting event in the 2040s. If the campaign were successful, it would be the first time the Olympic Games and Paralympics were hosted in Britain since London 2012. Continue reading...

Bulgaria's first-ever win in European song contest delivers ray of hope at turbulent time after years of political instabilityBulgarians have rejoiced in their country's first victory at the Eurovision song contest as fans welcomed home the singer whose party anthem Bangaranga proved an unexpected breakthrough hit.Dara is yet more proof that Bulgaria can win," declared the new prime minister, Rumen Radev, of Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, known simply as Dara. He hailed a young artist who, thanks to her talent and professionalism, has managed to rise above all the complexities and prejudices surrounding the [Eurovision] voting process". Continue reading...

Officers were allegedly racially abused at Tommy Robinson march, which failed to draw huge numbers it was hoping forTommy Robinson's unite the kingdom" rally failed to get the huge numbers it wanted to march through London, with police confident that the crowd at his protest on Saturday was less than half the size of that at an event last year.The far-right rally happened on the same day as a pro-Palestinian march, and the Metropolitan police said 43 arrests were made during the two events. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Families of men facing death penalty join opposition to proposals to run courses for defence ministryThe families of two scholars facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia have appealed to the University of Cambridge to drop proposals to run staff training courses for Riyadh's defence ministry.The Guardian revealed last week that Cambridge's Judge business school has been authorised to offer leadership development" and innovation management" training for the Saudi defence ministry's staff, despite internal opposition within the university over the kingdom's record on human rights and academic freedom. Continue reading...

Cigarettes kill 66 Australians every day, coalition says, criticising MPs who heard evidence from Philip Morris in secret

Ex-health secretary's allies rally to defend him after culture secretary calls his comments about rejoining bloc odd'A row has broken out at the top of the Labour party over whether Britain should try to rejoin the EU after Wes Streeting said the country should eventually seek to regain membership.Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last week in protest at Keir Starmer's leadership, kicked off a war of words after he argued on Saturday that Britain's future lay back in the EU. Continue reading...