World news | The Guardian

Hundreds of thousands of households in line for electricity bill increases with NSW customers on standing offers facing steepest rise

New Zealand singer makes impromptu decision' to turn up at Mary's Underground, singing along, soaking it up' with fans

Government expected to sell last shares in banking group this week, drawing a line under 2008 financial crisis bailoutFred the Shred" Goodwin, the disgraced ex-boss of Royal Bank of Scotland, is estimated to be receiving an annual pension worth nearly 600,000, as the government prepares to declare a 10bn loss after selling its final stake in the bank as early as this week.The banking group, now known as NatWest, is expected to return to full private ownership within days, drawing a line under a 45bn state bailout that saved the bank from the brink of collapse at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading...

Lenders' routine purging after six years means details of some car buyers due compensation may have been lostConsumers are at risk of losing 1bn of compensation over inflated car loans because high street banks and specialist lenders deleted their data, claims lawyers have warned.Borrowers, banks and the government are anxiously awaiting a ruling from the supreme court that could spark one of the biggest redress schemes since the 50bn payment protection insurance (PPI) saga. Continue reading...

EU Staff for Peace letter accuses institution bosses of failing to exert influence to help PalestiniansA group of EU officials has written to the leaders of the European institutions criticising the bloc for little or no meaningful action" in response to the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.The group EU Staff for Peace said that more than 2,000 officials working for the European Commission, European parliament and EU agencies had signed a letter drafted in May 2024 which accused the EU of apathy to the plight of Palestinians. Continue reading...

Country at top of education charts aims to equip students and teachers with world-class artificial intelligence skills'While many schools in England have banned smartphones, in Estonia - regarded as the new European education powerhouse - students are regularly asked to use their devices in class, and from September they will be given their own AI accounts.The small Baltic country - population 1.4 million - has quietly become Europe's top performer in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's programme for international student assessment (Pisa), overtaking its near neighbour Finland. Continue reading...

Jake Wood's resignation comes after the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation faced criticism from the UN and other aid groupsThe head of a US-backed private humanitarian organisation that is tasked with distributing aid in Gaza using an Israeli-initiated plan resigned on Sunday, saying that the operation could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to humanitarian principles".Executive director Jake Wood announced his resignation in a statement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), adding fresh uncertainty to the operation's future. Continue reading...

Flood waters have receded but authorities concerned about impact of severe' cold front on stranded livestock

Anthony Albanese says Netanyahu government excuses' for stopping critical food and medical supplies are completely untenable'

With cases expected to rise again this year, analysis from Cancer Research UK finds men's torsos more susceptible, while for women it's the lower limbsAreas of the body most likely to develop skin cancer vary between men and women, research has found, as cases of melanoma are expected to rise this year.According to analysis by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), four in 10 melanomas in men are found on the torso, including the back, chest and stomach, the equivalent of 3,700 cases a year. Continue reading...

Royal College of Psychiatrists and British Medical Association among those saying risks mean police must always attendPlans for NHS staff to restrain and detain people experiencing a mental health crisis, instead of the police doing so, are dangerous", doctors, nurses and psychiatrists have warned.The former prime minister Theresa May has proposed legislation in England and Wales that would change the long-established practice for dealing with people who may pose a risk to themselves or others because their mental health has deteriorated sharply. Continue reading...

At least 12 killed including three children after Kremlin launches 298 drones and 69 missile strikes against neighbourUkraine has condemned US silence" after Russia carried out its largest air raid in three years of war, with a second straight night of massive drone and ballistic missile strikes killing at least 12 people, including three children.Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the US to speak out against the Russian attacks, after Ukrainian officials confirmed Moscow had launched 298 drones and 69 missiles in multiple waves on sites across the country. Continue reading...

Marilyn's Mater Paddle, now in its second year, held at Balcarrick beach to raise funds for women's cancer careAlmost 200 Marilyn Monroe lookalikes have made a splash by taking part in a themed charity swim at an Irish beach.Sporting retro swimsuits and blond wigs, swimmers dressed as the film star took the plunge at Balcarrick beach in Donabate, County Dublin, for Marilyn's Mater Paddle. Continue reading...

Dr Alaa al-Najjar was at work when Israeli strike destroyed her home, leaving one son and her husband as survivorsIn the early hours of Friday, as she did every day, Dr Alaa al-Najjar said goodbye to her 10 children before leaving the house. The youngest, Sayden, six months old, was still sleeping. And like every day, with war raging in Gaza and Israeli strikes landing just metres from her neighbourhood in Khan Younis, Najjar worried about leaving them at home without her.But Najjar, 35, had little choice. One of Gaza's dwindling number of medics, a respected paediatrician at the Nasser medical complex, she had to go to work to care for injured babies who had barely survived Israeli attacks. She could never have imagined that that farewell to her family would be her last. Continue reading...

Nusrat Usman, 43, Maryam Mikaiel, 15, Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, were pronounced dead at scene in BrentFour people who died after a fire in north-west London on Saturday have been named by police.Nusrat Usman, 43, and three of her children, Maryam Mikaiel, 15, Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died at the scene of the fire which gutted two homes in the Stonebridge area of Brent in the early hours of Saturday. Continue reading...

Civil defence agency says some people are still under rubble after attacks on Deir al-Balah and JabaliyaIsraeli strikes over the past 24 hours have killed at least 38 people in Gaza, health officials in the Palestinian territory have said, bringing the death toll to more than 100 in less than three days.An attack on a tent housing displaced people in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed a mother and her two children, according to Gaza's health ministry. Another strike in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza killed at least five, including two women and a child, it added. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis exposes lack of action taken despite major reports published over the past 40 years

At least 45,000 people affected by malicious act' in Nice, a day after Cannes film festival disrupted by similar outageFrench authorities have launched an investigation into a power blackout blamed on sabotage that affected at least 45,000 people, just a day after a similar outage disrupted the final day of the Cannes film festival.Authorities in Nice said an electrical transformer had been set on fire in the west of the city in the early hours of Sunday, with power restored later in the day. A day earlier, a separate blaze, believed to have been started by arson, contributed to a power cut that hit Cannes. Continue reading...

Tory leader denied there were security concerns about driver and private service she used while a ministerKemi Badenoch has questions to answer over her use as a minister of a car and driver that were not part of the official government car service (GCS), Labour has said.The Conservative leader denied there were any security concerns on Sunday, saying there was full clearance for the driver and he was recommended by the government service. Continue reading...

Bereaved families renew call for inquiry and demand access to documents that have been sealed away until 2094Families bereaved after a Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, which remains one of the RAF's worst peacetime losses of life, have demanded the release of documents sealed for 100 years.RAF Chinook ZD576 was carrying 25 British intelligence personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George, near Inverness, Scotland, when it crashed in foggy weather on 2 June 1994. All the passengers - made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British army - were killed, along with the helicopter's four crew members. Continue reading...

Despite praise for Sure Start from some in the Labour party, there are also concerns that resuming the service would be difficult and costlyThe government-backed child poverty taskforce is likely to recommend the return of the early years service Sure Start, the Guardian understands, though there are doubts in government about whether it could be funded.Senior ministers including Rachel Reeves, Liz Kendall and Bridget Phillipson have praised the service in the past, citing it as one of the crowning achievements of the last Labour government. Continue reading...

Candidates representing sharply divergent visions for nation's future are neck-and-neck in pollsTens of thousands of people in Warsaw have taken part in duelling political marches, led by the two men vying for the Polish presidency in a 1 June runoff election, which is expected to be close and consequential.

Bodies found after climbers raised alert over abandoned skis close to Rimpfischhorn summit near ZermattThe bodies of five skiers have been found in the mountains near Switzerland's luxury resort of Zermatt, police said.A helicopter was sent to survey the area around the Rimpfischhorn after climbers alerted authorities to abandoned skis near the summit on Saturday. Continue reading...

Patients previously saw specialist paediatrician or psychiatrist. Premier says change will break cycle of people having to wait years for life-altering diagnosis'GPs in New South Wales will be among the first in Australia to diagnose and provide medication for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the state government has announced.Currently, most people seeking a diagnosis, management and ongoing prescription medication for ADHD must see a specialist - often a paediatrician for children or a psychiatrist for adults. Continue reading...

Police say a 29-year-old will appear in court after a weapon was carried into Queen Elizabeth university hospitalA man has been charged after an incident in which a person entered a Glasgow hospital carrying a crossbow.Police were called to Queen Elizabeth university hospital at about 6.30am on Friday. Continue reading...

At least 12 people killed in strikes involving nearly 300 drones and almost 70 missiles

US state department says on website it may actively review' status of Americans who serve as a foreign head of state'Pope Leo XIV's election as the first US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church elevated him to the rare, legally thorny, position of being an American citizen who now is also a foreign head of state.Born in Chicago as Robert Prevost in 1955, the new pope for the past decade has held dual citizenship in the US and Peru, where he spent time as a missionary and bishop. Continue reading...

Wife pays tribute to profoundly moral man' who was creative in every cell of his body'Alan Yentob, the former BBC executive and TV presenter, has died at the age of 78, his family has announced.A statement from his family, released by the BBC, said Yentob died on Saturday. Continue reading...

Holyrood to increase number of gender neutral facilities, says presiding officer, but critics say ban could expose trans people to harassmentNearly 50 MSPs and their staff have signed a letter to the governing body of the Scottish parliament expressing deep concern" about its decision to ban trans people from using the toilets of their lived gender in the building.Alison Johnstone, Holyrood's presiding officer and chair of the Scottish parliament's corporate body, set out the interim position earlier this month in response to the supreme court's ruling on biological sex. Continue reading...

Alain Berset says no judiciary should face political pressure after nine countries make intervention over migrationEurope's leading human rights body has criticised nine governments that have urged a rethink of the interpretation of the European convention on human rights on migration issues.The Council of Europe secretary general, Alain Berset, spoke out against politicising" the European court of human rights after nine European leaders signed a letter organised by Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, calling for an open-minded conversation" about the interpretation of the convention. Continue reading...

The president's hawking of $Trump memecoin has sparked a firestorm of criticism over potential influence buyingDonald Trump's push to sharply ease oversight of the cryptocurrency industry, while he and his sons have fast expanded crypto ventures that have reaped billions of dollars from investors including foreign ones, is raising alarm about ethical and legal issues.Watchdog groups, congressional Democrats and some Republicans have levelled a firestorm of criticism at Trump for hawking his own memecoin $Trump, a novelty crypto token with no inherent value, by personally hosting a 22 May dinner at his Virginia golf club for the 220 largest buyers of $Trump and a private reception" for the 25 biggest buyers. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says final stage has been carried out in the largest swap yet between the warring countries

After boasting he would end the war within 24 hours, the question now is whether US president has disengaged

Starmer committed to backing young people' but charity says words are not being matched by investment in EnglandThe Labour government is spending less on youth work in England than the Conservatives did after a decade of cuts, despite the prime minister's commitment to backing young people", analysis has found.The UK's biggest youth work charity said warm words won't pay for youth workers" as it called on the government to urgently increase spending on a sector that has been decimated" by austerity. Continue reading...

Leader David Littleproud says he made principled stand on policy issues during spat with Liberals even if I have to lose my job for it'

Believed to have originated as an insult by Israel supporters, neologism is now used to campaign against war in GazaThe term was coined to disparage Ireland's solidarity with Palestine but has been adopted as a badge of honour that now adorns T-shirts, hoodies, pins and social media bios: welcome to Paddystine, home of the Paddystinians.Irish activists have embraced the neologism as a galvanising term to campaign against Israel's war in Gaza and to pressure the Irish government to do more to end the conflict. Continue reading...

Man in his 20s taken to Royal Melbourne hospital in serious but stable condition with upper body injuries'

Whether on leader favourability or on key policy areas, Labour is losing ground on almost every metricOpinion polls don't always provide a precise picture of voters' mood - and the next general election is still four years away. But Labour strategists will doubtless be poring over the data, and it's not pretty.Analysis by the Guardian found Labour's drop in the opinion polls in its first 10 months of power is the largest of any newly elected UK government in 40 years. Continue reading...

Institute of Race Relations says MoD's Channel role reflects global rise of hyper-militarisation' in law enforcementThe UK Border Force is in effect under military command, reflecting a wider increase of hyper-militarisation" in policing, according to a new report on international law enforcement.A report by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's death, says the 21st century has seen the emergence of paramilitary and political" policing across Europe, employed at borders, during civil unrest and against public protest. Continue reading...

Minister hails cultural reset' before the 6:14 South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to SheppertonMinisters have hailed a new dawn" for Britain's railways as the first train services renationalised under the Labour government started operating on Sunday.The 6.14 from London Waterloo to Shepperton was due to be the first rebranded train out on Sunday, its carriages adorned with a union jack and the logo Great British Railways: coming soon" as part of a publicly owned South Western Railway (SWR). Continue reading...

The Australian animals were locally extinct but have had a resurgence in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges national park

Campaigner calls compensation schemes quasi-kangaroo courts' after final offer made in response to his appealSir Alan Bates, who led the 20-year campaign for justice for post office operators over the Horizon scandal, has revealed he has been handed a take it or leave it" compensation offer of less than half his original claim.The 70-year-old, who was knighted last year, has accused the government of presiding over a quasi-kangaroo court" system for the compensation. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-Un vowed to punish those found responsible for criminal' damage to new 5,000-tonne naval destroyerNorth Korea has detained three people over an accident that occurred during the launch of a new warship this past week, state media reported early on Sunday.Pyongyang has said that a serious accident occurred" at Wednesday's launch ceremony in the eastern port city of Chongjin for a newly built 5,000-tonne naval destroyer, in which sections of the bottom of the vessel were crushed. Continue reading...

Councils will get powers to impose delayed home penalty' under latest government proposalsDevelopers face tens of thousands of pounds in fines if they slow down housebuilding under new powers being granted to councils to help deliver 1.5m homes.Under government proposals, housebuilders will need to commit to a timeframe for construction before they are granted planning permission, and deliver annual reports on their progress. Those who repeatedly fail to build or sit on land could be fined with a delayed homes penalty" or blocked from future planning permission by councils. Continue reading...

David Crisafulli's small-target election campaign has created problems for how the LNP governs that are already beginning to show through

Exclusive: Authors of two major superannuation reviews suggest proposal to trim tax breaks on $3m super balances might not be perfect but is the right way to go'

Dai Roberts, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene near Duns in the Scottish BordersA co-driver taking part in the Jim Clark rally in Scotland has died after a crash on Saturday morning.Dai Roberts, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene near Duns in the Scottish Borders. Continue reading...

Dr Alaa al-Najjar was on duty at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis when she received her children's bodiesAn Israeli airstrike on Gaza hit the home of a doctor, killing nine of her 10 children while she was on duty at her hospital.Dr Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatric specialist at al-Tahrir hospital within the Nasser medical complex, was treating victims of ongoing Israeli attacks across the Palestinian territory on Friday when she received the bodies of nine of her children killed by a strike in Khan Younis. The eldest of the children was 12. Continue reading...

Former prime minister and his wife share news of Poppy Eliza Josephine Johnson's arrival in an Instagram postThe former prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson, have welcomed a fourth baby to the family.The former leader of the Conservative party can be seen holding his daughter, Poppy Eliza Josephine Johnson, in an Instagram post shared on Saturday. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigner and former lead singer of the Undertones tells Daily Express problem now resolvedFeargal Sharkey has urged men to get tested for prostate cancer after revealing he was diagnosed with the disease after a GP visit for a sore throat.The environmental campaigner and former lead singer of the Undertones said the health problem was resolved" a year ago. Continue reading...