World news | The Guardian

Pentagon claims major damage inflicted, world leaders call for restraint and Israel continues to strike Iranian targets

Actor says it is good thing that Netflix hit has started conversations about phone use and parentingThe Adolescence star Ashley Walters has said the show led him to limit one of his sons' screen time, and that he can't even touch his device" for half of the week.The 42-year-old, who played DI Luke Bascombe in the series, said he had started drawing back on his son's screen time" because of concern he was not always doing what he said he was. Continue reading...

About 220,000 patients expected to receive Mounjaro over three years as GPs can prescribe the drugs for the first timeThousands of patients in England will be able to access weight-loss jabs via their GP from Monday for the first time.The mass rollout on the NHS means family doctors will be allowed to prescribe the drugs for the first time. About 220,000 people with greatest need" are expected to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide and made by Eli Lilly, on the NHS over the next three years. Continue reading...

Witnesses and NGO records show hundreds have been killed since GHF began distributing food but it says its model is workingJust after midnight on Thursday morning, Abdullah Ahmed left his sleeping wife and children in their small and crowded home in the battered al-Bureij camp in central Gaza and headed north.The 31-year-old vegetable seller had heard that the nearby food distribution site recently opened by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive Israeli- and US-backed private organisation that began operations in the territory last month, would be handing out food at 2am. Continue reading...

PM calls on Tehran to return to negotiations and holds talks with Macron and Merz after US attack on three nuclear sites

The United States has joined Israel in its attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Michael Safi hears from reporter Hugo Lowell and world affairs correspondent Andrew Roth on what happens now Continue reading...

Evening attack is first major atrocity by Islamist terror group in Syria since President al-Assad was deposedA suicide bombing by Islamic State (IS) targeting a church in Damascus has killed 20 people and wounded 52, Syrian authorities have said.The attack on Sunday night was the first major IS operation and the first suicide bombing in Syria since former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December and replaced by an Islamist-led government. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis finds domestic abuse training for staff in England and Wales sporadic and inconsistent'Domestic abuse is a public health emergency, experts have claimed, after a report concluded that the NHS is failing victims by not training staff to spot and respond to the signs of domestic violence.About one in four people (21.6%) in England and Wales aged 16 years and over have experienced domestic abuse, affecting 12.6 million people, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Continue reading...

Annabel Rook, who was found after a gas explosion at her home, gave her life to helping the vulnerable', relatives sayA woman who was found stabbed after a gas explosion at her home in north London gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged", her family have said.Annabel Rook, 46, was found injured at a house in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, just before 5am on Tuesday, and paramedics were unable to resuscitate her at the scene. Continue reading...

Leaders of UAE, Qatar and Oman criticise attack and urge de-escalation as EU and UN call for immediate diplomacy

People in Tehran say they feel angry and scared as bombing prompts renewed wave of displacement from capital

Peter Ricketts says US likely to have decided it was better not to ask, after minister says no request was made

Weakening of axis of resistance' forces leaves Iran with limited options if it chooses to retaliate

Trump claims the assault totally obliterated' the key facilities, but what do we know about its impact?

Investigators can now examine the Bayesian in Termini Imerese to determine cause of sinking in a storm last yearThe superyacht belonging to the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been moved to a town in Sicily where British and Italian investigators will examine its sinking.Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank off the Italian coast on 19 August 2024. Continue reading...

Police questioning two people as prosecutor says event at theme park was staged with girl aged about nine and actorsFrench police were questioning two people on Sunday after Disneyland Paris was hired for an alleged fake marriage ceremony involving a girl aged about nine.The theme park complex outside Paris had been hired for what was presumed to be a genuine private wedding early on Saturday morning before opening hours. Continue reading...

Conditional savers at ING who fail to meet monthly conditions do not receive bonus interest but despite regulatory advice, the bank does not actively alert customers who might miss out

Authorities should take a harm reduction' approach, removing excise for a period and making vapes more available, experts argue

Lord Falconer says protest group may have done other things' to warrant expected proscription by home secretaryThe spray-painting of aircraft at an RAF base by a pro-Palestinian group would not provide the sole legal justification for banning it, according to a former justice secretary.The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, is expected to move to proscribe Palestine Action in the coming days after an incident on Friday at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Continue reading...

Business and leisure centre in Brent was Europe's biggest Black-led community project when it opened in 1980sThe future of London's Bridge Park complex, a prominent location for Britain's Windrush generation, hangs in the balance as campaigners hope Historic England will save it from councillors' decision to close it within weeks.Bridge Park community leisure centre in Stonebridge, north-west London, was Europe's largest Black-led community enterprise when it opened in the 1980s and is cherished for its part in Black British history. Continue reading...

Strikes hit uranium enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan; Iran says US has blown up diplomacy'

Guardian reporting reveals confusing and contradictory events surrounding death of Abelardo Avellaneda DelgadoA 68-year-old Mexican-born man has become the first Ice detainee in at least a decade to die while being transported from a local jail to a federal detention center, and experts have warned there will likely be more such deaths amid the current administration's mass deportation" push across the US.Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado's exact cause of death remains under investigation, according to Ice, but the Guardian's reporting reveals a confusing and at times contradictory series of events surrounding the incident. Continue reading...

An exhibition explores the authors' love of theatre, highlighting the dramatic impact of his worksAs a sliding doors moment, it leads to arguably one of the greatest what if?" questions in literary history. Passionate about the theatre, Charles Dickens, then just 20, wrote to the famous Covent Garden theatre actor-manager George Bartley seeking an audition, saying he believed he had a strong perception of character and oddity, and a natural power of reproducing in my own person what I observed in others".Bartley responded saying they were producing the Hunchback" and arranging an appointment. Dickens planned to take his sister, Fanny, to accompany him singing on the piano. Continue reading...

Funds for service in England and Wales in short supply', health secretary says after MPs vote to legalise procedureWes Streeting has voiced doubts over whether the NHS can afford to establish an assisted dying service, after MPs passed a bill to legalise the procedure last week.The health secretary was previously a supporter of assisted dying but switched sides last year, expressing concerns about the ethics of offering such a service before significant improvements could be made to the NHS. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Systemic risk' to cybersecurity after devices worth more than 1m a year are taken or lostThousands of UK government laptops, phones and tablets worth more than 1m have been either lost or stolen, freedom of information disclosures have revealed, triggering warnings of a systemic risk" to the nation's cybersecurity.The Department for Work and Pensions recorded 240 missing laptops and 125 missing phones in 2024; while in the first five months of this year the Ministry of Defence recorded 103 missing laptops and 387 missing phones. The Cabinet Office, which coordinates government activity, lost or had stolen 66 laptops and 124 phones in 2024. Continue reading...

He knows my name,' says California Democrat, as Newsom condemns US vice-president and challenges him to debateJD Vance's decision to refer to California US senator Alex Padilla by the name of a terrorist conspirator showed how unserious" the Trump administration is, the lawmaker has said of the vice-president.He knows my name - he knows my name," Padilla told MSNBC's The Weekend on Saturday, 12 days after the FBI forcibly removed him from a 12 June news conference hosted by US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem amid anti-immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) protests in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Elon Musk's autonomous robotaxis slated to hit the streets of the Texas capital on Sunday after delayed launchAustin, Texas is set to be the first city worldwide to see Tesla's self-driving robotaxi service on its roads. Elon Musk, CEO of the electric carmaker, has said he is tentatively" planning to roll out a small number of these autonomous vehicles on the streets of the Texas state capital on Sunday.Details about the company's robotaxi service have been scant since its unveiling in October of last year, and its launch has been delayed. Musk has told reporters that there may be fewer than a dozen cars in Austin on Sunday and that the vehicles will stick to specific neighborhoods. Some analysts believe that the robotaxis will only be available to employees and invitees initially. Continue reading...

With reports of violence against women and girls increasing, a group of officers are guarding large-scale London events this summerIn the hours leading up to Dua Lipa's first headline show at Wembley stadium the stifling heat was as striking as the colours. Fans resplendent in costumes inspired by their idol milled around the concourse, and groups of women took selfies, jigging with excitement.But among the jollity, specialist Met Officers interspersed in the crowd were on the hunt for something different: We're here to spot predatory men." Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

Former adviser to Penny Wong argues Australia should make clear we are a country that stands up ... for the rules-based order'

Exclusive: Joe Booth, 23, says he has PTSD after arrest in which seven officers entered his flat when he was in bedThe Met police operation in which officers raided a Quakers meeting house also resulted in the arrest of an autistic climate activist at his supported accommodation, the Guardian can reveal.Joe Booth, 23, was in bed when seven police officers arrived at the flats for vulnerable adults in New Barnet, north London, to arrest him on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Continue reading...

Victims of other injustices are treated better, says founder of bittersweet' Windrush DayA founder of Windrush Day has called for a public inquiry into the scandal amid this year's bittersweet" celebrations of Black Britons and their contribution to national life.Patrick Vernon, who campaigned for the national day for nearly a decade before the government adopted it, said the mistreatment, detention and removal of Black Britons wrongly accused of being in the UK illegally had not been treated seriously enough. Continue reading...

Labour makes funding centrepiece of its industrial strategy in bid to counter Reform's surge in so-called red wallThe government will present a 275m investment in technical training and apprenticeships as the centrepiece of its long-awaited industrial strategy, in a direct challenge to Nigel Farage's growing influence in England's manufacturing heartlands.The package, announced by the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, on Sunday, includes funding for new technical excellence colleges, short courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital manufacturing, and major capital upgrades to training providers across England. Continue reading...

Iran's foreign minister urges US not to join war after a night of strikes from both Tehran and Israel

UK prime minister criticises band's inclusion in festival lineup after Liam Og O hAnnaidh allegedly displayed flag supporting HezbollahKneecap's Glastonbury festival performance next Saturday is not appropriate", Keir Starmer has said.Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday after allegedly displaying a flag in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah and saying up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a gig in November last year. Continue reading...

Senior military figures targeted overnight as talks between Iran and Europe in Geneva end with no breakthrough

LNP member for Mermaid Beach says absence of legislative power to remove tents set up in his electorate is unacceptable'

People report waiting hours in hot carriages after fault near Loughborough Junction brings some services to haltScores of UK passengers were forced to evacuate trains and walk along the tracks on Saturday after some services were halted due to a fault on the hottest day of the year so far.Videos posted on social media showed people walking on the tracks beside Thameslink trains near Loughborough Junction station in south London. Continue reading...

Man allegedly surveilled RAF Akrotiri and was planning imminent terrorist attack, according to reportsA British man has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and terrorism offences in Cyprus.He allegedly surveilled the RAF Akrotiri base on the island and is suspected of having links with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, local media reported. Continue reading...

Revelation marks second time crossbench peer may have broken Lords rules against lobbyingA member of the House of Lords lobbied the government to get financial support worth millions of pounds for a commercial deal he was steering, documents reveal.It is the second time that Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army, has potentially broken parliamentary rules that forbid lobbying. Continue reading...

Prosecutors weigh possibility that the Chinese student, who treated his victims as sex toys', could face further actionSerial rapist Zhenhao Zou is facing a second trial with police and prosecutors preparing to charge the Chinese student with a second round of offences.Zou, 28, is already serving a minimum 24 years for attacking 10 young women in London and China. Continue reading...

Witnesses say some of those onboard hurled themselves out to escape flames as reports say fire started from torch in balloon's basketAt least eight people have died after a hot-air balloon carrying more than 20 people caught fire and plunged through the sky in Brazil's deep south.Footage posted on social media showed the moment the multi-coloured aircraft fell to earth, engulfed in flames, in the state of Santa Catarina on Saturday morning. At least two of the balloon's occupants can be seen plummeting to the ground as the fire spreads. My God!" one witness can be heard gasping as the basket hurtles towards the ground. Continue reading...

Vessel to be transported to port where investigators will try to find cause of fatal sinking during stormSalvage teams in Sicily say they have lifted Mike Lynch's superyacht fully and finally out of the water" for the first time since it sank last year during a storm, killing seven people including the tech tycoon and his teenage daughter.The rusting hulk of the Bayesian, which ran into trouble off the coast of the Italian island in August last year, has been slowly raised from the seabed over the last three days. Covered with algae and mud, it was visible clear of the sea in the holding area of a yellow floating crane barge, a witness told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Syarhei Tsikhanouski arrested shortly after announcing candidacy in rigged 2020 election won by LukashenkoOne of the leaders of Belarus's opposition movement, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, has been released from jail after being pardoned following almost five years behind bars.His wife, the exiled politician Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, who took over the opposition cause after his jailing, on Saturday shared a video of him smiling and embracing her after his release. Continue reading...

Budget retailer had a pre-tax loss of more than 51m last year and is struggling to lure back customers amid stiff competition from rivalsIt's not actually that cheap any more. It's kind of lost its appeal because everything is not a pound."Samantha, a shopper outside Poundland's Luton retail park outlet who is heading off to B&M to find some better deals, sums up the feelings of many of her fellow bargain hunters and a central problem facing the new owner of the budget retailer. Continue reading...

David Litt's new book It's Only Drowning centres on an improbable friendship and how shared experience provides a neutral ground for connectionWhat do men want? Democrats need to know after their election drubbing by Donald Trump and the manosphere" last year. They have responded by commissioning Speaking with American Men", a strategic plan that will study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality" in online spaces.News of the two-year $20m project reinforced critics' view that Democrats have become the party of an aloof, college-educated liberal elite whose pursuit of working class men resembles a Victorian explorer wielding a butterfly net. Which makes the publication of David Litt's book, It's Only Drowning, a timely contribution to Democrats' ongoing post-mortem. Continue reading...

Islamabad says US president helped resolve India conflict but critic says Israel's sugar daddy in Gaza' not candidate for any prizePakistan has said it will recommend Donald Trump for the Nobel peace prize for his work in helping to resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.The move, announced on Saturday, came as the US president mulls joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Continue reading...

Campaigner, who has terminal cancer, hopes bill will make it past any potential obstacles in the LordsThe assisted dying bill, if it becomes law, will remove the burden of seeing a loved one die in pain, the campaigner Esther Rantzen has said, insisting its backers have got right the balance between helping those who ask for it and protecting vulnerable people.The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill cleared the Commons with a majority of 23 votes on Friday, but must yet be debated by the Lords before returning to the Commons for consideration of any amendments they may make. Continue reading...

People locators, 3D weapon blueprints, tactical planning - all accessible on the web for potential attackers or terroristsA rash of recent assassinations have brought on congressional scrutiny and concern among law enforcement agencies who are wary of an age of political polarization turning deadly.But experts say the violence is as much a byproduct of the times as it is the easy accessibility to DIY murder tradecraft, evident in some high-profile slayings of late. Continue reading...