World news | The Guardian

PM confirms Australia was asked on weekend to join new body focused on Gaza reconstruction and Middle East peace efforts

Government's truce with Syrian Democratic Forces follows advance on Kurdish-held areas amid struggle to control entire countryThe Syrian government on Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the north-east for over a decade.The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push by government forces towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province. Continue reading...

Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan warn against rushing new legislation in response to attack, and thank woman who saved their younger daughter

With Rob Minkoff, Allers directed 1994's The Lion King, which remains the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all timeRoger Allers, the Disney film-maker who co-directed The Lion King and worked on films including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, has died aged 76.Allers' colleague at the Walt Disney Company, Dave Bossert announced his death on social media on Sunday morning, remembering him as an extraordinarily gifted artist and film-maker, a true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance". Continue reading...

Moderate socialist Antonio Jose Seguro came out on top in the first round, followed by Andre Ventura of the far-right Chega partyModerate socialist Antonio Jose Seguro came out on top in the first round of Portugal's presidential election on Sunday, followed by the far-right leader Andre Ventura, and the two will face off in a runoff on 8 February.In the five decades since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before required a runoff - in 1986 - highlighting how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far right and voter disenchantment with mainstream parties. Continue reading...

Thousands of new mothers feel unsafe, unsupported and overwhelmed, according to the National Childbirth TrustWomen in the UK are being failed by a postnatal care system that is dangerously underfunded and understaffed", a damning report has warned.Thousands of new mothers feel unsafe, unsupported and overwhelmed in the weeks and months after giving birth, according to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). Continue reading...

Data collected by Oxfam shows 48 billionaires hold more wealth than bottom 40% of the population - 11 million people - combined

UK prime minister holds phone call with US president as European leaders scramble to protect Danish territoryKeir Starmer has told Donald Trump he is wrong to threaten tariffs against Nato allies to try to secure Greenland, as part of a flurry of diplomatic calls intended to tackle the crisis.The UK prime minister spoke to the US president on Sunday, as well as to Mette Frederiksen, the Danish PM, whose country's territory includes Greenland; Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission; and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron calls on fellow leaders to use powerful anti-coercion instrument if US goes ahead with tariffsThe EU was weighing up retaliatory tariffs on American goods and even deploying its most serious economic sanctions against the US as European leaders lined up to criticise Donald Trump's threat to levy new taxes on imports from eight nations who oppose his attempt to annex Greenland - which one minister called blackmail".Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral," the leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland said in a joint statement. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty." Continue reading...

Veteran MP says time to put country before party' citing Conservative position on Chagos IslandsAndrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford since 2001, has announced his defection to Reform UK, the second such departure to Nigel Farage's party in four days.Rosindell, who was a shadow Foreign Office minister under Kemi Badenoch, announced in a statement on X that he was joining Reform, giving as the main reason his opposition to the UK's handover of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Continue reading...

Proposed change relating to spies was criticised by campaigners and MPs as allowing an opt-out for senior officialsThe government has pulled an amendment to its proposed Hillsborough law amid concerns from campaigners and MPs that the legislation was being watered down and had become a car crash" for the government.The public office (accountability) bill aims to force public officials and contractors to tell the truth after disasters. Continue reading...

US demand to own Greenland leaves little scope for compromise, and forcing the issue would entail end of NatoGreenland, with a population of fewer than 57,000, might not seem to be the territory on which the future of the relationship between Europe and the US, the viability of Nato as the world's most successful defence alliance, or even the fractured relations between the UK and Europe would be determined.But battlefields are sometimes the product of chance, rather than choice. It now feels as if Donald Trump's threat to impose 10% tariffs on eight fellow Nato states for sending troops last week to support Greenland's sovereignty may be one of those clarifying moments in which Europe had no option. Successive European leaders condemned Trump's blackmail and intimidation on Sunday and they sounded as if they meant it. Continue reading...

Influential MPs including committee chairs say millions could benefit with minor changes to financial inclusion billA group of Labour MPs have called on Rachel Reeves to support a huge expansion of credit unions to increase access to cheap credit for millions of people on low incomes.The move coincides with celebrations on Monday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the UK's military credit unions, which are supported by Queen Camilla and provide an ethical and affordable alternative to high-cost lenders" for service personnel.Every employee, starting with teachers and nurses, should have a right to save" and be able to request that their employer allows them to save directly with a credit union via the pensions auto-enrolment scheme.Every social housing provider should promote credit unions to their tenants and staff.The City watchdog, the Prudential Regulation Authority, should ease the rules on credit unions lending to each other to help them manage their financial security and expand the range of financial services they can offer. Continue reading...

Opinion polls suggest three candidates, including anti-immigration Chega party leader, close to final twoPortuguese voters queued at polling stations on Sunday to elect a new president, with opinion surveys showing three candidates, including the leader of the far-right Chega party, close to a spot in a probable top-two runoff.In the five decades since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before - in 1986 - required a runoff, highlighting how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far right and voters' disenchantment with mainstream parties. Continue reading...

Korey LaVergne, 37, jailed Friday evening on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to officialsAuthorities in south-west Louisiana recently arrested a Roman Catholic priest on accusations of behaving indecently with a child, igniting a new scandal in the diocese where the US church's reckoning with clergy abuse began - an institution that just disclosed it could lose up to $162m over pending litigation.Korey LaVergne was jailed Friday evening on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to Acadia parish sheriff KP Gibson, whose agency arrested the priest. LaVergne had presided over mass at St Edward church in Richard - where the Lafayette diocese had assigned him as pastor - hours before he was booked into the Acadia lockup. Continue reading...

Vice-president has emerged as key defender of Maga flame - and is backed by big tech billions. Is this the heir apparent?We did not have a lot of money," said JD Vance, placing hand on heart as he recalled his childhood in Middletown, Ohio in the 1990s. I was raised by a woman who struggled often to put food on the table and clothes on her back."There was an earnest cry from the audience. Mamaw!" shouted a man. Continue reading...

Prime minister and opposition politicians condemn threat to impose 10% tariff unless deal reached to buy the Arctic islandKeir Starmer has said Donald Trump's decision to impose 10% tariffs on the UK and seven other European countries over Greenland was completely wrong".The US president said on Saturday that the levies would apply from 1 February to Nato members - including the UK, France and Germany - who have deployed troops to the territory in response to growing uncertainty over its future. Continue reading...

Country says some appointments to the group, which will oversee the administration and reconstruction of Gaza, are contrary to its policy'Israel has objected to the White House's pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza board of peace", meant to temporarily oversee governance and reconstruction in the strip.The White House and other sources announced a flurry of appointments and invitations to the organisation over the last two days, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, former UK prime minister Tony Blair and the president of Argentina, Javier Milei. Continue reading...

Despite the ceasefire, more than 100 children have died in the territory since OctoberA 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children in the region who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures, and that when she was brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis it was already too late to save her. Continue reading...

Museveni's opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protestsYoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent.His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called fake results" and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the rightful results". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Amazon, Meta and X among firms holding hundreds of meetings with people at heart of government, data showsTech companies have been meeting government ministers at a rate of more than once per working day, enjoying high-level political access that dwarfs that of child safety and copyright campaigners, who called the pattern shocking" and disturbing".Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk's X, whose Grok AI image generator has sparked outrage with its sexualised images of women and children, were among the US tech companies holding hundreds of meetings with people at the heart of government, a Guardian investigation has found. Continue reading...

Vincent Chan, who already pleaded guilty to 26 offences, accused of possessing indecent images of childrenA nursery worker who was convicted of dozens of sexual attacks on children left in his care has been charged with a further 15 offences.Vincent Chan, 45, previously pleaded guilty to 26 offences between 2022 and 2024, including sexually assaulting four girls aged between two and four at the north London nursery where he worked, and offences relating to more than 25,000 indecent images of children. Continue reading...

President's pardon of Adriana Camberos comes amid a flurry of other pardons Trump issued on ThursdayDonald Trump has pardoned a woman who ended up imprisoned for fraud a second time after he afforded her clemency during his first presidency.Adriana Camberos initially had a sentence commuted by Trump just before his first stint in the White House ended in 2021. That came after she was convicted as part of an effort to divert 5-Hour Energy drink bottles acquired for resale in Mexico and instead keep them in the US. Prosecutors said she and several co-conspirators attached counterfeit labels and filled the bottles with a phony liquid before selling them. Continue reading...

Betting exchange appeared to miss multiple opportunities to stop VIP' customer betting with stolen moneyBetfair is under pressure to hand tens of thousands of pounds to the victim of a fraudster and gambling addict, after appearing to miss multiple opportunities to stop the VIP" customer betting with stolen money.Andrew Morford, a former finance manager, was given a two-year suspended sentence on Wednesday, after admitting a 340,000 fraud against his former employer, carried out between May 2019 and February 2024. Continue reading...

Grieving, bruised and divided on the wisdom of foreign-backed revolt, how can the Iranian people achieve change?The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami in his novel 1Q84 may have foreshadowed the great and indelible rift Iranian society is about to experience. The ones who did it can always rationalize their actions and even forget what they did. They can turn away from things they don't want to see. But the surviving victims can never forget. They can't turn away. Their memories are passed on from parent to child. That's what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories."Inside Iran, contrasting memories are already being brought into even sharper relief and made more traumatic by the blanket propaganda from Iran state TV portraying protesters as drug-crazed or pawns of a foreign power attracted to a violent terrorist culture reminiscent of Islamic State. Continue reading...

Report claims unrestricted online access will be a government privilege', limited to individuals vetted by regimeIran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists.A confidential plan is under way to turn international internet access into a governmental privilege'," according to a report from Filterwatch, an organisation monitoring Iran's internet censorship, citing a number of sources in Iran. Continue reading...

Deputy state coroner concludes 21-year-old, who died after exiting a moving vehicle, was exploited' and exposed to potentially criminal' conduct in five weeks in Australia

Wanda Vazquez Garced, who accepted plea deal over campaign finance violation, endorsed Trump in 2020Donald Trump reportedly intends to pardon Puerto Rico's former governor Wanda Vazquez Garced, who was indicted in 2022 on federal corruption charges surrounding her earlier gubernatorial campaign.In addition to Vazquez, Trump plans to pardon her co-defendants including Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, founder of Britannia Financial Group; as well as Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent who served as a consultant for Herrera, according to CBS, which first reported the development on Friday. Continue reading...

Virginia joins states from California to Florida in mid-decade redistricting push after party-line senate voteVirginia lawmakers approved a measure on Friday that could ultimately clear the way for Democrats to redraw the state's congressional maps and add as many as four Democratic-leaning seats.The legislature sent voters a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to redraw the lines this year and circumvent a panel that is supposed to be in charge of drawing district lines. Democrats currently represent six of Virginia's 11 congressional districts, and have said they will pursue a plan in which they are favored in either nine or 10 of the state's congressional districts. Continue reading...

Congress members hold field hearing in St Paul, warning of future investigation into federal agents' deadly use of force

Ads to be placed alongside answers as OpenAI looks to beef up revenue for flagship AI productChatGPT will start including advertisements beside answers for US users as OpenAI seeks a new revenue stream.The ads will be tested first in ChatGPT for US users only, the company announced on Friday, after increasing speculation that the San Francisco firm would turn to a potential cashflow model on top of its current subscriptions. Continue reading...

Two sides trade blows over defection while Conservative polling suggests economy is key weakness for ReformThe Conservatives plan to intensify their attacks on Reform's economic policy as they gear up for a fight to the death between the two big parties of the right, a battle brought to new levels of acrimony by Robert Jenrick's defection.While Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, insisted he was uniting the right" in signing up to Reform, Kemi Badenoch portrayed her former colleague as dishonest and no loss to the Conservatives, saying: Nigel Farage is doing my spring cleaning for me." Continue reading...

Craig Guildford retires after inquiry found greatly exaggerated' intelligence was used to justify banThe head of England's second biggest police force has stepped down after an official inquiry found that greatly exaggerated" intelligence was used to justify a ban on fans of an Israeli football team attending a match.Craig Guildford retired with immediate effect as chief constable of West Midlands police on Friday, two days after a damning report led Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, to declare she had lost confidence in him. Continue reading...

Pre-empting rival's defection cements her position as leader and gives pause for thought for any others who may followIt is never ideal in politics to have a senior colleague defect, hurling insults as they depart, but as the dust settles on Robert Jenrick's move to Reform UK, many of the remaining Conservative MPs agree on one thing: it has left Kemi Badenoch stronger.Historically, the party has suffered from two weaknesses: too many people trying to bring down the leader, and not enough leaders getting rid of those people," one shadow minister said. Hopefully now we're all pulling in the same direction. Losing a senior shadow minister is not ideal. But given those basic facts, the day could hardly have gone better." Continue reading...

Transcripts of 911 calls and police communications after ICE agent killed Renee Good reveal chaotic scene

US president further steps up threats after US special envoy to Greenland says Trump is serious' about his plans to control islandMeanwhile, Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto does not seem to be convinced about the merits of European military deployments to Greenland.Speaking to journalists, he wondered what a hundred, two hundred, or three hundred soldiers of any nationality could do" in Greenland. It sounds like the beginning of a joke."It's not a competition to see who sends the military around the world."A part of me is not sure how much of this is a distraction, to try and take the attention of the American people away from some very real issues that we have in the United States right now.The cost of living is a real concern for Americans [and] Donald Trump got elected saying he was going to address the cost of living. Continue reading...

Trump administration struck policy requiring news outlet to have civilian editor and independent ombudsmanPress freedom advocates have condemned a move by the Pentagon to seize editorial control of the independent Stars and Stripes newspaper, a daily publication for service members that has covered the US armed forces since the US civil war.The Trump administration announced on Thursday that the outlet would no longer cover woke distractions", and instead modernize its operations ... and adapt to serve a new generation of service members". Continue reading...

Tourists keen to see island where couple exchanged vows, seven-star hotel where they stayed and paths trodden by their celebrity guestsFor the residents of Venice who travel daily through the city's waterways, the small wooden floating jetty outside the Gritti Palace hotel is nothing special, no different to a London underground stop," as Igor Scomparin, a tour guide, puts it.But for a certain type of tourist it is a must-see spot. In June last year, Kim Kardashian disembarked from a water taxi here and navigated its planks during the five-day wedding of the billionaire Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos, and Lauren Sanchez, a former TV journalist. Continue reading...

Judge finds Durham trust violated nurses' dignity and created intimidating environment by allowing use of single-sex spaceA group of nurses who complained about a trans colleague using single-sex changing rooms at work suffered harassment, an employment tribunal judge has ruled.The judge found the nurses' dignity was violated and they encountered a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment" at work. Continue reading...

Pair will be absent for short period' from vocational trainer, whose charity is under investigation by Charity CommissionThe two most senior executives at City & Guilds have been put on leave shortly after a scandal over millions of pounds of bonuses triggered a Charity Commission investigation into the vocational training body.The chief executive, Kirstie Donnelly, and the chief financial officer, Abid Ismail, will be absent from work for a short period", as its new owner, PeopleCert, commissioned an internal investigation into events before and after its acquisition of City & Guilds' training and qualifications business. Continue reading...

US president also calls for return of final Israeli captive's remains from group, which has refused to give up weaponsDonald Trump has issued a fresh ultimatum to Hamas, adding to calls for the group's disarmament as the second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel begins, even as key elements of the first phase remain unfulfilled.In a late-night post on social media on Thursday, Trump vowed to push for what he described as the comprehensive" demilitarisation of Hamas, warning of severe consequences should the group refuse to comply. He also demanded the return of the remains of the final Israeli captive still believed to be held by the group, sharpening tensions at a fragile moment in the truce process. Continue reading...

Trend of mini-me dressing - wearing same clothes as one's children - has extended to four-legged friendsBeyonce and Kim Kardashian are some of the many who have long indulged in mini-me dressing - wearing the same clothes as their children - but now the trend is being extended to people's four-legged companions, too. The dog clothing market is soaring and this winter it is coats that are topping the most in-demand list.Bestsellers at Pawelier, a London-based luxury pet accessories shop include a 135 four-leg puffer coat complete with a fuzzy hood and toggle detailing, and a 110 reversible down-filled jumpsuit in cornflower blue and cappuccino brown that wouldn't look out of place on a designer catwalk. The Italian greyhounds and whippets pictured bundled up in them appear to be prepped for an Alpine adventure rather than a lap around the park. Continue reading...

Russian attacks on Ukraine's power plants as severe frost set in have been described as crimes against humanity'Outside the main pumping station for Bucha, three engineers, bundled up in parkas, are working on the emergency generator keeping the Ukrainian city supplied with water.One holds a heat gun to the generator's filter in an effort to unfreeze it, his face reddened by blowing snow and a daytime temperature of -12C (10.4F). Watching attentively is the city's mayor, Anatolii Fedoruk. The generator in his office is also frozen when the Guardian visits and he apologises for the lack of coffee. Continue reading...

Some supporters are concerned about the number of Conservatives being welcomed by their party, and fear it could alienate votersIf Reform UK was officially celebrating Robert Jenrick's defection to Nigel Farage's party, the reaction of the rank-and-file was an altogether more complicated one - ranging from jubilation to despair that yet another Tory was coming onboard.Enough already! Reform uk please take note, you are going to lose members and voters if you don't cap this craziness ... We don't want a Tory party Pt II," was the early response from James Scott, one of a number of members expressing their unhappiness on one of the largest private Reform Facebook groups. Continue reading...

Yoon Suk Yeol's conviction for obstructing own arrest separate from main trial that could lead to death penaltyA South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for mobilising presidential security forces to block his own arrest and abusing his powers. It is the first judicial ruling linked to the events surrounding his failed martial law declaration in December 2024.The ruling is separate from Yoon's main insurrection trial, where prosecutors earlier this week sought the death penalty and a verdict is due next month. Continue reading...

The incident at Gunnedah near Tamworth is the third fatality involving police in the state this year

Jafar Panahi, director of Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident, says Iranian leaders want to destroy countryThe Khamenei regime will not be able to maintain control over Iranian society after the violent suppression of the latest wave of protests, one of the country's leading film-makers has predicted.It is impossible for this government to sustain itself in this situation," the director Jafar Panahi told the Guardian. They know it too. They know that it will be impossible to rule over people. Perhaps their only goal right now is to bring the country to the verge of complete collapse and try to destroy it." Continue reading...

Women allege Spanish singer subjected them to inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation ... in atmosphere of control'The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has broken his silence over allegations that he sexually abused two women who worked in his Caribbean mansions, saying he has never abused, coerced or disrespected any woman".The 82-year-old entertainer, whose career spans six decades, had been accused by two female former employees who allege they had been sexually assaulted and subjected to inappropriate touching, insults and humiliation ... in an atmosphere of control and constant harassment". Continue reading...

Italy's Giorgia Meloni and France's Marine Le Pen among figures showing support for Hungary's prime ministerRightwing leaders from around the world have come together to endorse Hungary's Viktor Orban, hinting at the symbolism that the country's elections hold for global far-right movements even as the populist leader lags in the polls.A campaign video published online by Orban this week includes endorsements from nearly a dozen leaders including Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, France's Marine Le Pen and Germany's Alice Weidel. Continue reading...