World news | The Guardian

Demonstrations initially focused on economic issues but as they have grown and become political the regime has responded with deadly force

Arlene Lillis, 56, was escaping midwest winter in Caribbean before losing arm in attack and dying of her injuriesA shark recently killed a Minnesota woman by biting her arm off as she swam off the coast of the US Virgin Islands while on vacation recently, according to authorities and media reports.Arlene Lillis, 56, was in waters off St Croix's Dorsch Beach when the rare deadly shark attack occurred at about 4.30pm on 8 January, the Virgin Islands police department said in a statement. Emergency crews who responded to multiple calls about Lillis's plight soon confirmed she had lost an arm", and she ultimately died from her injuries, the police statement added. Continue reading...

Internal documents show tax officials withdrew funds without warning families despite concerns about data

Police ask Paramjeet Singh Pamma to install security cameras and reinforce door locks at his homePolice have advised a high-profile Sikh activist in the UK to install security cameras at his home and reinforce door locks because of threats from Hindu nationalist elements.Paramjeet Singh Pamma, 52, said he had been visited by police and received verbal advice to increase his security due to intelligence suggesting threats to his safety. Continue reading...

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another looks unstoppable ahead of the Oscars, despite Timothee Chalamet's triumph over Leonardo DiCaprio for best actorThe biggest backlash brewing concerns Ryan Coogler's Sinners, lauded by critics and embraced - especially in the US - by audiences as one of 2025's key cultural landmarks. The thriller did win two Globes - for cinematic and box office achievement and original score - but both wound up not really counting. The first is the Globes's consolation prize (it was won by Barbie in 2023 and Wicked last year); the second wasn't even broadcast on the telecast. Coogler missing out on screenplay to One Battle After Another was perceived by some as a slap in the face - the Oscars and Baftas separate the category into original and adapted, however, so a corrective could come. Continue reading...

Australian National Imams Council say criminalising slogan will unduly impact Muslim Australians including Palestinian and Arab communitiesBanning phrases such as globalise the intifada" is likely to disproportionately affect Muslim Australians, including Palestinian and Arab communities," a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has been told.The submission by the Australian National Imams Council [Anic] has been echoed by activist group the Palestine Action Group [PAG], who said a ban on the chant risks importing repressive models from overseas, particularly the United Kingdom", where police have announced they will arrest protesters who use the phrase. Continue reading...

Amy Scott, who confronted Joel Cauchi alone during the April 2024 Westfield attack, has been diagnosed with aggressive' breast cancer

Man, thought to be in his 50s, was found under 2.5 metres of snow and had been skiing off-pisteA British skier has been killed by an avalanche in the French Alps.The man, believed to be in his 50s, was found under 2.5 metres of snow after a 50-minute search, a statement from the La Plagne resort in south-eastern France said. Continue reading...

Stars from Bob Dylan to Brandi Carlile remember rock band co-founder as beautiful human' after his death at 78The death of Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead co-founder, rhythm guitarist, vocalist and writer of much of the legendary psychedelic rock band's songs, drew a chorus of tributes from fellow musicians and fans who described him as a musical guru" and the last actual hippie".Weir recently survived cancer but died from underlying lung issues", according to a statement posted on Saturday on Instagram. Continue reading...

Danish prime minister says country is at a crossroads and accuses US of turning its back on NatoMette Frederiksen has said that Denmark is at a fateful moment" amid Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland, accusing the US of potentially turning its back on Nato.Speaking at a party leader debate at a political rally on Sunday, the Danish prime minister said her country was at a crossroads". Continue reading...

Move would mean Brussels would receive compensation if future government reneged on deal Starmer is negotiatingThe EU is reportedly demanding guarantees the UK will compensate the bloc if a future government reneges on the Brexit reset" agreement Keir Starmer is currently negotiating.The termination clause is a stark reminder of the painful and costly divorce in which the EU set up a colossal 5.4bn (4.7bn) fund to help its member states cope with the disruption caused by the UK's exit in 2020. Continue reading...

Michael Steele argues law firms, universities and media capitulated with startling speed and voters want accountabilityThe biggest surprise of Donald Trump's first year back in office is how quickly America's institutions capitulated to the bully", said Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) turned arch critic.But with the midterm elections for Congress looming, Steele predicts a resounding Democratic victory amid a hunger among voters to hold the president and his allies accountable for threatening democracy. Continue reading...

Frances and Ceri Menai-Davis, who lost their son Hugh to cancer, say gap in financial help is devastating'Parents of critically ill children are being crushed" by a lack of statutory financial support when they need to take time off work, the parents of a six-year-old boy who died of cancer have said.Hugh Menai-Davis was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease when he fell ill suddenly in October 2020. The boy, then aged five, had been happy and healthy before he developed severe stomach pains. Continue reading...

Three hundred Kurds detained and further 400 evacuated following clashes in AleppoSyrian government forces have detained 300 Kurds and evacuated more than 400 Kurdish fighters after clashes in Aleppo, the interior ministry has said, as US and allied forces carried out separate large-scale" strikes against Islamic State targets.An interior ministry official told Agence France-Presse that about 360 Kurdish fighters and 60 wounded had been bussed to the Kurds' de facto autonomous zone in the north-east from the Sheikh Maqsoud district, the last area of Aleppo to fall to the army. Continue reading...

Videos emerging despite internet and mobile phone blackout show demonstrations continuing despite reports of escalating crackdownDemonstrators have continued to take to the streets of Iran, defying an escalating crackdown by authorities against the growing protest movement.An internet shutdown imposed by the authorities on Thursday has largely cut the protesters off from the rest of the world, but videos that trickled out of the country showed thousands of people demonstrating in Tehran overnight into Saturday morning. They chanted: Death to Khamenei," in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and: Long live the shah." Continue reading...

Barclays, HSBC and NatWest shareholders already approved big pay rises after post Brexit loosening of remuneration rulesLloyds Banking Group boss, Charlie Nunn, could be in line for a maximum annual pay packet worth more than 13m, as he becomes the latest boss to benefit from the UK's controversial decision to lift a cap on banker bonuses.The bank's remuneration committee has begun drafting a new three-year executive pay policy that, for the first time, will take advantage of looser pay rules that have sent potential payouts soaring at rival banks. Continue reading...

Palestinian academic rejects accusations of hypocrisy, saying board resisted attempts to remove Thomas Friedman, while cancelling her invitation this year

Officials expect charge against Daricka Moore, 24, to be elevated to capital murder, with death penalty consideredAuthorities in Clay county, Mississippi, say a man has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shootings of six people, including a child, on Friday night.Daricka Moore, 24, is accused of killing multiple relatives as well as a local pastor before his arrest, according to Clay county sheriff Eddie Scott, who addressed the case during a Saturday news conference. Officials said the charge against Moore, who lives in the county, is expected to be elevated to capital murder, and prosecutors could seek the death penalty if he is determined to be mentally competent. Continue reading...

Jacques Moretti, who is in custody, told Swiss prosecutor's office he forced door open and found people lying behind itThe French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during new year celebrations has told investigators a service door had been locked from the inside.Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was taken into custody on Friday, as prosecutors investigated the tragedy. Continue reading...

The New York mayor's popular moves on rent and free childcare defied rightwing predictions of a far-left hellscapeRightwing politicians and media issued grave warnings about Zohran Mamdani.The election of the democratic socialist would, according to some, cause a spike in crime, and a reduction in freedom, prompting rich people to flee the city and leading to, in the words of one conservative thinktank, collapse, dependency, and political repression" in the manner of Venezuela" and Cuba". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Voters say they have little confidence that government can control borders despite sharp falls in net migrationA large majority of UK voters believe immigration is increasing despite sharp falls in the number of people entering the UK, according to exclusive polling shared with the Guardian.Voters also say they have no confidence in the government's ability to control the UK's borders, according to the poll by More in Common. The results will come as a blow to Keir Starmer's administration, which has taken an increasingly hardline stance on immigration in recent months. Continue reading...

Warnings in place covering most of the weekend as weather system continues to sweep UKA man has been found dead after a tree fell on to a caravan during Storm Goretti, as weather warnings have been put in place covering most of the UK for the rest of the weekend.Devon and Cornwall police said emergency services were called at about 7.35pm on Thursday to the Mawgan area of Helston where work took place on Friday to remove the tree. A man in his 50s was found dead in the caravan. His death is not being treated as suspicious and his next of kin have been informed, police said. Continue reading...

Surge in 2025 sales correlates with growth in church attendances in England and Wales, research showsFor Christian booksellers, any good news about Bible sales has been few and far between. But recent retail figures have shown a revival.Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 - the highest since records began - according to industry research. Last year, total sales of Bibles in the UK reached 6.3m, 3.61m up on 2019 sales. Continue reading...

State and local officials say they do not believe investigation into shooting death of Renee Nicole Good will be objectiveState and local leaders say they do not believe that the FBI investigation of the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good will be fair and impartial, and are sounding alarms about the impact of federal officials holding onto evidence in a potential prosecution of the ICE agent who killed her.Minnesota's lead investigative agency, the bureau of criminal apprehension, initially began investigating the shooting in conjunction with the FBI. But the BCA issued a statement Thursday morning saying that the US attorney's office had reversed course: the investigation would now be led solely by the FBI, and the BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation". Continue reading...

Five parties issue joint statement after US president warns he would acquire the island the nice way or the more difficult way'Greenlanders don't want to be Americans" and must decide the future of the Arctic island themselves, politicians in the self-governing Danish territory have said, after Donald Trump warned the US would do something whether they like it or not".The leaders of five political parties in the Greenlandic parliament issued a united statement on Friday night, soon after the US president reiterated his threats to acquire the mineral-rich island. Continue reading...

Experts note the blackout is unprecedented in its extent but also selective, allowing some government communicationsIran's internet shutdown, now in place for 36 hours as the authorities seek to quell escalating anti-government protests, represents a new high-water mark" in terms of its sophistication and severity, say experts - and could last a long time.As the blackout kicked in, 90% of internet traffic to Iran evaporated. International calls to the country appeared blocked and domestic mobile phones had no service, said Amir Rashidi, an Iranian digital rights expert. Continue reading...

Human rights groups say at least 60 arbitrary arrests' have occurred for celebrating the US military operationAuthorities in Nicaragua have arrested at least 60 people for reportedly celebrating or expressing support for the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, a human rights watchdog group and local media outlets said Friday.Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, are staunch allies of Maduro, who was captured by US military personnel in Caracas last Saturday and taken to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges. Continue reading...

Nearly 300,000 violent and sexual assaults recorded by NHS trusts in England over three years, Guardian analysis shows

Consumers advised to review paying for services such as Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime if they are unusedBritons are spending up to 1,200 a year on subscription services but could save as much as 400 by killing off zombie" memberships, according to research.Millions of households have unused or duplicate subscriptions - whether for a neglected exercise app or an unwatched Netflix account - with recurring charges quietly draining spare cash from bank accounts. Continue reading...

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Trump's attack on Venezuela suggests expansionism is under way but some argue it is simply standard US foreign policy stripped of hypocrisyThe attack on Venezuela and the seizure of its president was a shocking enough start to 2026, but it was only the next day, when the smoke had dispersed and Donald Trump was flying from Florida to Washington DC in triumph, that it became clear the world had entered a new era.The US president was leaning on a bulkhead on Air Force One, in a charcoal suit and gold tie, regaling reporters with inside details of the abduction of Nicolas Maduro. He claimed his government was in charge" of Venezuela and that US companies were poised to extract the country's oil wealth. Continue reading...

Dozens of properties including some owned by firefighters and local councillors destroyed in fire that ripped through Victorian town

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters vandals' and saboteurs' and blames US for instigating the unrestIranians took to the streets in new protests on Friday to press the biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, as authorities sustained an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead.Iran's supreme leader vowed that authorities will not back down in the face of the rapidly growing protest movement, setting the stage for an intensified violent crackdown. Continue reading...

Letter from 11 South Australian cultural leaders labels cancellation of Palestinian-Australian's participation a grave mistake' which brought festival into disrepute

As dysfunction reigns, the party shows yet again that its greatest obstacle to winning government is not Labor but itself

Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales was held for 25 days even after attorneys said they presented ICE with US birth certificateA Maryland woman has been released and reunited with her family after spending 25 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody - despite her attorneys saying documentation showed she was born in the US and therefore is a citizen.Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales and her legal team maintain she was born in the US and possess records supporting that claim. ICE, however, had disputed this, asserting she is a Mexican citizen who entered the US unlawfully. Continue reading...

Artistic director of US's national opera also cites shattered' donor confidence and box office revenueThe Washington National Opera (WNO) announced on Friday it is moving its performances out of the John F Kennedy Center, in what could be one of the most significant departures from the institution since Trump took control of it.Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity," the opera said in a statement to the New York Times. A separate website appears to be set up for the opera. Continue reading...

Information watchdog says party's data controller should consider taking further action' over unauthorised portalZarah Sultana's unauthorised launch of a Your Party membership portal may have been serious criminal activity" and should be referred to the police, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has advised.Jeremy Corbyn's Peace and Justice Project (PJP), which referred Your Party to the information watchdog last September over a potential data breach, has been advised by the ICO that it should consider taking further action" regarding the matter, after deciding it was not a matter for them. Continue reading...

Met Office issues rare red warning as winter storm causes power cuts, travel disruption and school closuresSnow and ice are expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as parts of the country continue to reel from the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos.The storm brought winds of nearly 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for dangerous, stormy" winds in the south-west. Continue reading...

Palestine activist and doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah also cleared over alleged support for Hamas in case brought by GMCThe rector of the University of Glasgow has been cleared of misconduct by a medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a plastic surgeon and prominent Palestinian activist, appeared via video link on Friday before a fitness-to-practise panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, where a case of misconduct against him was rejected. Continue reading...

Local leaders' appeal for non-violence largely holds despite growing outrage over US immigration enforcement in the city

Agreement after 25 years of negotiations prompts farmers to block roads in Paris, Brussels and WarsawEuropean Union member states have backed the biggest ever free trade agreement with a group of Latin American countries, ending 25 years of negotiations but stoking further tensions with farmers and environmentalists around the bloc.The contentious Mercosur deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay prompted immediate protests in Poland, France, Greece and Belgium, with farmers blocking key roads in Paris, Brussels and Warsaw. Continue reading...

Many of the old challenges remain but there are a number of reasons why this time a deal of some kind could be possible

Military opens window for civilians to leave as Kurdish groups turn down demand their fighters withdraw from citySyria's army says it will renew attacks against a Kurdish-majority district of Aleppo where clashes have raged this week, after Kurdish groups rejected Damascus's ceasefire terms that demanded their fighters withdraw from the city.The army said it would target military sites used by Kurdish fighters in the Sheikh Maqsoud district, announcing the opening of a humanitarian corridor from 4pm (1300 GMT) to 6pm on Friday for civilians to leave. Continue reading...

Jacques Moretti was detained on Friday, a national day of mourning, because prosecutors considered him a flight riskPope Leo also chooses to express a view on the recent events in Venezuela, calling for world governments - I think he means US president Donald Trump in particular - to respect the will" of the Venezuelan people.Goes without saying that it's particularly important coming from the first US pope.I wish to repeat my urgent appeal that peaceful political solutions to the current situation should be sought, keeping in mind the common good of the peoples and not the defence of partisan interests."This pertains, in particular to Venezuela. In light of recent developments in this regard, I renew my appeal to respect the will of the Venezuelan people and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all ensuring a future of stability and concord."The Holy See strongly reiterates the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire and for dialogue motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace.I make an urgent appeal to the international community, not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples." Continue reading...

Bosses at body that trained chef Jamie Oliver were awarded million-pound bonuses after sale to private firm

Exclusive: In first comments since US attack on Venezuela, Richard Hermer refrained from singling out Trump administrationNations are right to consider diplomatic relations when deciding whether to call out" breaches of international law, the attorney general has said, after the UK government faced criticism over its reluctance to condemn the US attack on Venezuela.In an interview with the Guardian, Richard Hermer, the government's most senior law officer and a close ally of Keir Starmer, said that in a complicated and dangerous" world, leaders should be able to use statecraft" to consider other factors when establishing whether to hold allies to account. Continue reading...

Study of man often featured in works by the Flemish master reveals hidden painting of woman beneath model's beardIs it a bald elderly man with a big bushy beard and a wine-addled stare? Or a friendly young woman with flowing locks and a crown of braids?To Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller, an answer to that question mattered less than the fact that this particular take on the duck-rabbit optical illusion was painted by one Peter Paul Rubens. Continue reading...

Kyiv dismisses as absurd' Moscow's attempt to portray missile launch as retaliation for supposed attempted drone strike on Putin residence