World news | The Guardian

Regime lines up Khamenei's son for the top job in a country reeling from the US-Israeli onslaught and virtually at war with its Gulf neighbours

IDF bombing of energy sites in Tehran sparks fears for global economy, as Iran says it has selected supreme leader

Exclusive: System brought in after death of 13-year-old is helping transform culture' of NHS, says patient safety directorMore than 400 lives may have been saved as a result of Martha's rule, which lets NHS patients request a review of their care, official figures reveal.Helplines received more than 10,000 calls in the first 16 months of the scheme after its introduction in England in 2024, according to data seen by the Guardian. Thousands of patients were either moved to intensive care, received drugs they needed or benefited from other changes as a direct result of the calls. Continue reading...

Long hours, lack of flexibility and last-minute scheduling driving parents, particularly mothers, from industryThe performing arts industry in the UK is inhospitable to parents" and falling far behind other industries in supporting women who have children, according to research.The report, titled the Motherhood penalty", criticises the industry for failing to consider how it might adapt to better accommodate parents, with the result that many, in particular women, drop out. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Plane that flew Reform leader to Maldives appears to be linked to billionaire Christopher HarborneNigel Farage's attempt to reach the Chagos Islands military base was made on a private jet that appears to be linked to Reform UK's mega-donor Christopher Harborne, it has emerged.Harborne, who has donated 12m to Reform UK, has links to two charter planes that flew Farage to the Maldives and, separately, a group of Chagossian campaigners to Sri Lanka, before they attempted to reach the archipelago by boat. Continue reading...

Leaders discuss military cooperation day after US president hit out at PM over lack of immediate backing for attacks

Exclusive: Mumsnet survey shows half of female patients feel they have been ignored or dismissed by medicsMedical misogyny" in the UK is letting women down, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, has admitted, as a survey showed half of female patients felt they had been dismissed or ignored because of their sex.A report from Mumsnet, which examined data taken from the site over the past decade, warned of structural and deeply embedded" sexism in UK healthcare. A survey of women using the site found that more than half believed the NHS was institutionally misogynistic.50% of women believe they have been dismissed, ignored or not believed by an NHS professional because of their sex.64% say they have been explicitly told their pain or symptoms were normal" or in their head".68% think the NHS does not take women's health concerns seriously. Continue reading...

Starmer's purely defensive' stance has won support among voters, but what challenges lie ahead for each party when it comes to their base's view of war?Facing one of the most challenging moments of his premiership, Keir Starmer may at least draw comfort from polling showing that the British public broadly support his position on the conflict in Iran.Nearly half (46%) believe the UK military position should be purely defensive, tasked with shooting down drones and defending civilian areas and British military facilities such as an RAF base on Cyprus. Continue reading...

To truly pay less than two years ago, a family might need to make dinner from washed potatoes, cheese slices, white sugar and long grain rice

Aircraft touch down in Gloucestershire after Trump given use of British bases for defensive operations in Iran

Shah's Rastriya Swatantra party secures thumping victory in first poll since gen Z protests that toppled governmentBalendra Shah, the rapper turned politician and popular figurehead of a gen Z revolution, looks set to become Nepal's next prime minister after his party won by an unprecedented margin.Shah, known widely as Balen, and his Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP) secured a rare landslide victory in the first election since youth-led protests during which dozens were killed and the former government was toppled. Continue reading...

No country in Europe is likely to be affected more than Cyprus, the nearest EU member to the Middle EastThe season has barely begun but Ayia Napa is beginning to feel the pulse. Tourists are trickling back, enjoying the Cypriot resort's sunsets, eateries and shoreline views.On the seafront, Vassilis Georgiou is busy overseeing the construction of a new ramp for the jetskis that are a highlight of his water sports business. Last year, more than 500,000 holidaymakers visited the beachside booth, snapping up tickets for the boat cruises and parasailing also on offer. Continue reading...

Leader's centre-right CDU party is hoping to beat Greens in Sunday's election in Baden-WurttembergFriedrich Merz's centre-right CDU faces a regional election on Sunday, the first of several this year in which it hopes to stem the rise of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD).Voters will head to the polls in Baden-Wurttemberg, a prosperous hub of Germany's auto sector with a population of 11.2 million. A year after winning national elections, the CDU is aiming to snatch first place in the south-western state from the Greens, who have won the last two state elections. Continue reading...

Funding cuts, US political pressure and bureaucratic delays have left thousands of Haitians facing prolonged uncertainty in TapachulaA year ago, when Jean Baptiste Gensley stepped off a bus in Tapachula, Mexico's southern city on the border with Guatemala, he carried a small backpack and the hope that his journey was finally over.In his native Haiti, Gensley, 37, worked as a radio journalist and social worker, analyzing the effects of gang violence in some of Port-au-Prince's most dangerous neighborhoods. With time, as his research led to police intervention, he caught the attention of the city's gangs. Continue reading...

US drivers are largely insulated from higher oil prices caused by Middle East turmoil - but only to a pointAcross the US, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped nearly 27 cents in a week, to $3.25, and American consumers are bracing for higher prices at the gas pump as the US-Israel conflict with Iran threatens to disrupt the global oil supply.That fear has entered the White House too, where Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is reportedly hunting for ideas to lower gasoline prices and officials are getting screamed at" to bring good news, according to Politico. Continue reading...

Scientists fear NIH director will be even more absent and leave key issues unresolved as he takes interim CDC lead

Many of those attending the world's largest meeting on women's rights in New York this week are primed to defend the two key UN agencies that protect women and girls around the worldThousands of international delegates are gathering in New York this week for the world's largest meeting on women's rights. The United Nation's annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an opportunity for government ministers, UN officials, NGO representatives and activists to discuss the global state of gender equality and women's empowerment. This year, there will be a strong focus on ensuring and strengthening access to justice".But as senior UN figures urge countries to intensify their efforts to achieve gender equality, many of the delegates will be asking whether the UN is at risk of diluting its own commitment to women and girls. Continue reading...

Decision follows release of Epstein files that have disgraced her father, the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-WindsorPrincess Eugenie has stepped down as patron of the UK charity AntiSlavery International, the world's oldest human rights organisation.The decision follows the release by the US Department of Justice of millions of documents and emails relating to Jeffrey Epstein's role in sexual abuse and trafficking women around the world, which have disgraced her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Continue reading...

Most residents of Canadian province wanted change for years; Trump's unneighbourly rhetoric helped seal the dealSince 1918, the clocks in Creston, a town in eastern British Columbia, ran an hour ahead of nearby communities for half the year. For the other six months, they slipped back into sync. Not because they town changed them but because its neighbours changed back and forth from daylight saving time.Creston was an outlier: a community that effectively created its own time zone. But when residents in most parts of the province shift their clocks forward on Sunday, they will be doing it for the last time - and permanently joining Creston for the first time in nearly 70 years. Continue reading...

Carlo Soracchi admits exploiting empathy of woman who had abusive father by claiming his father abused his sisterAn undercover police officer told grotesque and cruel" lies while emotionally manipulating two women he had deceived into long-term sexual relationships, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi admitted he sought to elicit the empathy of one of the women by claiming that his sister had been abused by his father. He also told her that his father had died when he was actually alive. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigners urge Keir Starmer to back Philomena's Law' to protect payments for up to 13,000 survivors living in BritainSurvivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes have started to have benefits cut in Britain because they accepted compensation from the Irish government.The cuts to the means-tested benefits of survivors in Britain come as campaigners including the actors Siobhan McSweeney and Steve Coogan called on Keir Starmer to back a bill known as Philomena's Law, which would ringfence survivors' benefits. Continue reading...

Artefacts include souvenirs from 1972 Match of the Century' between Boris Spassky and Bobby FischerA vast collection of chess memorabilia, including souvenirs from the 1972 Match of the Century" and considered to be the largest and most important of its kind in private hands, is to be auctioned at Sotheby's in London next month.The collection belonged to the German grandmaster Lothar Schmid, whose passion for the sport extended way beyond the board. Continue reading...

Pauline Hanson says get over it' and fully backs David Farley, her party's candidate in Farrer byelection

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Entire Daly River town evacuated as Bureau of Meteorology warns river levels expected to rise in coming week

This live blog has now closed. Our live coverage continues hereThe Saudi defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, urged Iran on Saturday to avoid miscalculation" after missile and drone launches at the kingdom.Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said earlier in the day it had blocked repeated missile launches at an airbase housing US military personnel and drone attacks at a major oilfield.We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation. Continue reading...

Police arrest 16-year-old, 17-year-old and 18-year-old over savage' attack on 22-year-old man

Foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, tells Guardian Iranian-made drone that hit airbase was launched from LebanonBritain is facing growing calls to withdraw its military bases from Cyprus as locals step up protests against facilities seen as a threat to their security after an unprecedented drone attack on RAF Akrotiri.Anger over the installations spilled on to the streets of Nicosia, the capital, as protesters chanting out with the bases of death" marched to the colonial-era presidential palace on Saturday amid fears of the Mediterranean nation being dragged into the wider Iran conflict. Continue reading...

Foreign minister says Australia not participating in offensive action against Iran' but may help protect other countries

Speaking outside the embassy, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana told protesters: we will not be ignored again'

Detectives are investigating if alleged surveillance of Jewish locations and individuals is linked to possible attacks on British soilCounter-terrorism detectives have been granted more time to question four men arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran on locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community.The suspects, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, can now be held in custody until 13 March, the Metropolitan police said on Saturday. Continue reading...

Masoud Pezeshkian issues rare apology to neighbouring Gulf states for Iranian strikes as war enters eighth day

Explosion happened in pre-dawn hours at Dali nightclub in the province of Trujillo along Peru's northern coastA bombing at a nightclub in Peru has injured 33 people, including minors, authorities said Saturday.The explosion happened in the pre-dawn hours at the Dali nightclub in the province of Trujillo along Peru's northern coast, according to a statement from the local emergency operations center. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MoD-contracted workers assisting Ukrainians in a way no other nation has been willing to do', says ministerIn an unmarked and undisclosed location in western Ukraine, British and Ukrainian engineers work side by side to fix damaged military hardware, crawling under the chassis of artillery systems and pulling apart the insides of British-donated howitzers.Until now, the existence of this facility, along with three other similar sites inside Ukraine, has been kept quiet, buried in neutral language to avoid drawing too much attention to the sites, given the sensitivities of all military-linked work inside Ukraine. Continue reading...

As Masoud Pezeshkian tries to de-escalate conflict, hardliners urge installation of new supreme leader to marginalise the presidentThe surprise offer by the president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, to not attack countries in the neighbourhood so long as their airspace and US bases within their territories are not used to attack Iran has provoked a storm inside the country as the military appeared to contradict him, if not outright overrule him.There were also calls for a new supreme leader to be installed as quickly as possible, as a means of marginalising the president. Attacks on facilities in Bahrain and elsewhere have continued, and there were unconfirmed reports that Bahrain had become the first Gulf country to fire back at Iran. Continue reading...

Report indicates that US intelligence officials question effectiveness of strikes to produce regime change in IranUS government reviews of the war in Iran show that the Trump administration may be ill-equipped for a regime-change war, according to reports.The Washington Post reported on Saturday morning that a classified intelligence review found that the war in Iran is unlikely to oust the Iranian establishment, despite the Trump administration's desire to continue its attacks. Continue reading...

B-1 Lancers arrive at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after Starmer allows US to use UK as a base for defensive' action

Relatives call on institutions to help them find remains of ancestors who led fight against British colonisers in 1890sDescendants of freedom fighters executed and beheaded in southern Africa by colonial British forces have called on the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Cambridge to help them find their ancestors' looted skulls.Zimbabwean descendants of the first chimurenga heroes, who led an uprising against British colonisers in the 1890s, have long believed the museum and university hold several of the skulls. Continue reading...

Royal Navy readying HMS Prince of Wales so it can be quickly deployed if decision made to mobilise it to region

Commandos started digging up grave thought to be of famous IDF pilot, leading to gunfight followed by airstrikes

Defence minister urges serious politics' after Tory leader criticises prime minister's stance at spring conference

Call for urgent meeting comes after woman was assaulted by man who had been given her key card by hotel staffMore than 20 MPs have demanded an urgent meeting with the CEO of Travelodge after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who had been given her room number and a key card by hotel staff.The MPs said the case of Kyran Smith, 29, who was jailed for seven-and-a-half years last month, raised deeply concerning" questions. He attacked the woman after a party in December 2022. Continue reading...

Hampshire business seems to have benefited from phoenixism', which costs the taxpayer about 800m a yearA UK recruitment business has been acquired out of administration for a third time in four years as part of a succession of deals that left some of the former management team in place and millions of pounds owed to the public purse.The chain of insolvencies appears to contain more examples of phoenixism - a process when companies are liquidated and directors are able to rise from the ashes with a new entity, free of debts. Continue reading...

Presenter who entertained children with his sharp-witted, furry puppet Agro Vation, remembered for his brash and unapologetic humour

Charities warn estates of victims who died before the scheme began are losing hundreds of thousands in financial loss paymentsFamilies of victims of the infected blood scandal have criticised the government for imposing a penalty for dying" in its compensation scheme, which has seen them lose out on hundreds of thousands of pounds.The scheme awards payouts to living victims and the families of those who have died after being infected with HIV or hepatitis as a result of being given contaminated blood products by the NHS. Continue reading...

School caretaker who killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002 was reportedly assaulted with metal bar

Billy Bragg, Sarah Lucas and Kojo Koram among those encouraging people to share cultural artefactsFor some people it's a Morris Minor, for others, a beach windbreak, chicken tikka masala or Magna Carta.A new campaign is aiming to collect 50 objects that sum up Englishness in an effort to move the conversation away from reductive arguments over whether to hang a St George's flag or not. Continue reading...

In reality, US president's opposition to foreign entanglements had only ever been partial

Nusaybah Sattar and five relatives were kept off evacuation flight despite holding tickets and UK passports