World news | The Guardian

Court of appeal rules in former actor's favour after finding tweets calling him racist did cause harm to his reputationLaurence Fox's libel claim after he was called a racist on social media will go to a retrial, the court of appeal has ruled.The former actor was successfully sued by Simon Blake, who is now the chief executive of Stonewall, and the drag artist Crystal over a row on the social media platform X. Continue reading...

Rudimentary but powerful device planted outside home of Report presenter Sigfrido Ranucci in Campo AscolanoA prominent Italian investigative journalist has been targeted in a bomb attack, with the rudimentary but powerful device almost destroying his car and causing damage to a neighbour's home.Sigfrido Ranucci, who hosts Report, an investigative programme aired by the state broadcaster, Rai, said the explosion happened about 20 minutes after he returned to his home in Campo Ascolano, close to Rome, on Thursday night. Continue reading...

John plays twinkling piano part in new song Talk to You, and says he truly loves' the Geordie singer-songwriterSam Fender has released a new song with Elton John entitled Talk to You, the day after winning the 2025 Mercury prize for his album People Watching.It features a twinkling piano line laid out by John, amid Fender's full-bodied guitar-led songwriting. Fender sings on the chorus Just wanna talk to you / Wanna talk with my best friend / Wanna let go of everything that I carry", and has said the song is about: the end of a long relationship - about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it. It's that feeling of losing your best friend, and coming to terms with that. I was playing around with the riff and thought, What I need is a really good pianist', and then, Hmmm, I wonder who I can call?' And of course, who better than Elton John?" Continue reading...

Typhoon Nakri sweeps through Izu Islands off Tokyo, a week after Halong, causing damage and disruptionThe Izu Islands in Japan have endured another powerful blow as Typhoon Nakri swept through on Monday, following in the footsteps of Typhoon Halong, which struck a week earlier.Officials on Hachijojima Island, south of Tokyo, reported disruption and damage to about 220 homes after the storm brought 37mm (1.5in) of rain in one hour and gusts of up to 95mph (152km/h). Airport operations were disrupted, infrastructure damaged, and heavy rainfall caused landslides across the island chain. The typhoon also generated 9-metre waves, creating dangerous coastal conditions. Off the Pacific coast in Oiso, in Kanagawa prefecture, three men were swept away while fishing, one of whom has been confirmed dead. Continue reading...

Owner and manager of venue which will be renamed say original decision was error of judgment' with mention of preferred mix' described as tone deaf and hurtful'

Fashion and art are familiar bedfellows but relevance of fashion at London contemporary art showcase has grown in past decadeWhen you are at the art fair, you push the fashion to be bold and experiment - no black allowed," says Belma Gaudio, at the opening of Frieze art fair in London.Gaudio is the founder of fashion boutique Koibird and an art collector, and carries a bright green Hermes bag, and her own knitted co-ords with pictures of insects to make her point. Continue reading...

The museum has declined to answer key questions about the decision to return the artwork, prompting the New York-based researcher who uncovered the story to challenge the NGV's handling of the case

With no law, order or any alternative administration under the ceasefire, the group is using violence to deter rivalsThroughout Israel's two-year war in Gaza, aid officials working in the territory avoided naming Hamas in conversations they suspected might be intercepted, instead referring to the militant Islamist group as the de facto authority".This careful euphemism for Hamas, which violently seized power in 2007, captured an important truth. Though the group was a less obvious presence in the last months of the conflict, in the absence of any alternative, it remained the closest the increasingly devastated territory had to a ruler. Continue reading...

Demonstrators clashed with police outside congress building amid public anger at crime crisis days after Jose Jeri assumed powerPeru is set to declare a state of emergency after at least one person was killed and dozens of police officers were injured in widespread protests against President Jose Jeri who assumed power just days ago.Prime minister Ernesto Alvarez said late on Thursday that the government would declare the state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity. Continue reading...

Housing secretary and capital's mayor draw up plans to boost housebuilding, but homelessness charities protestDevelopers will be allowed to build lower numbers of affordable homes and claim higher subsidies to build them under plans being drawn up by the government to solve London's housebuilding crisis.Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will announce the package within weeks, in what officials say will be a time-limited intervention designed to stall the sudden drop in new building in the capital. Continue reading...

Ceremony marks 80 years since release of the Rev W Awdry's first book and coincides with railway bicentenaryEighty years since the first of a beloved fleet of trains was introduced to the world, a national blue plaque is being unveiled at the redbrick house in Gloucestershire where the Rev W Awdry worked on his railway stories.The addition of the new Historic England plaque to Wilbert Awdry's old address in Stroud is expected to prompt fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and his fellow locomotives to make a pilgrimage to the street to pay their respects. Continue reading...

Jane Hume's office says comments about the regional party were meant to be teasing, attracting a sharp rebuke that the Liberals were out of touch'

It is unknown whether US military rendered aid to survivors after attack on suspected narcoterrorist' vesselThe US military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a US official told Reuters.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer additional details about the incident, which has not been previously reported. But it raises new questions, including whether the US military rendered aid to the survivors and whether they are now in US military custody. Continue reading...

Cambodia's rights commission said intense, high-pitched noises' broadcast by Thai soldiers along the disputed border threatened to escalate tensionsCambodia's former leader Hun Sen has complained about Thailand broadcasting ghost-like sounds across a disputed border, while the country's human rights commission has accused its neighbour of engaging in psychological warfare, despite both countries agreeing to a ceasefire in July.Posting on Facebook, Hun Sen, 73, who now serves as Cambodia's powerful senate president, said Cambodia's human rights commission had complained to the United Nations about the intense, high-pitched noises". Continue reading...

Editors at the Indiana Daily Student say administration's move to control news content amounts to censorshipIndiana University has ordered its student-run newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student (IDS), to cease printing new editions and fired the school's director of student media, who also served as the paper's adviser, according to multiple reports. Students at the school are criticizing these moves as censorship.The university's directive to halt print editions came just hours after Jim Rodenbush, the school's director of student media, was terminated, according to a letter from IDS editors. Continue reading...

FCA cites study showing victims' red flags' are often missed and calls for improved monitoring systemsThe City regulator has called on banks and payment firms to bring in stricter controls protecting customers from romance fraud after a study showed a number of missed red flags" that led to people losing huge sums of money.The review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) highlighted one case where someone lost 428,000, another where a customer made 403 payments totalling 72,000 to a fraudster and a case where someone wanted money to transfer cryptocurrency to their partner" in Iraq. Continue reading...

Daniel Birtwistle, 39, faces trial for manslaughter of 24-year-old tattoo artist and other charges including assaultA man has appeared in court charged with manslaughter, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour.Daniel Birtwistle, 39, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, appeared by video link at Dudley magistrates court on Thursday morning, where he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. Continue reading...

In response to pledge, company has claimed in a statement that its policies prohibit discrimination of any kind'Warner Bros Discovery has rebuked a pledge signed by more than 4,000 film industry figures to not work with Israeli film institutions implicated in the genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people", saying that such a pledge would likely violate its internal policies.In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson said the company is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for its employees, collaborators, and other stakeholders". Continue reading...

Zions and Western Alliance reveal problems with bad loans as scrutiny of regional banks' lending practices increasesUS regional banking stocks fell sharply on Thursday after two banks disclosed issues with bad and fraudulent loans, amplifying concerns on Wall Street around the state of credit markets.Zions Bancorp announced it had a $50m charge-off over two bad loans from its subsidiary, California Bank & Trust in San Diego. Western Alliance also said it was dealing with a fraudulent borrower. Continue reading...

Agents also appear to have violated order banning them from using riot-control, such as tear gas, without warningFederal immigration officers in the Chicago area have been ordered by a court to wear body cameras after they repeatedly deployed pepper balls, smoke grenades and tear gas against protesters and local police, seemingly in violation of a federal judge's ruling from last week.Sara Ellis, a US district judge, who had previously required immigration agents to wear badges and banned them from using riot-control techniques such as tear gas without warning, railed on Thursday against the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) continued aggressive tactics, many of which have been caught on camera, and which appear to violate her order. Continue reading...

Stephen Parkinson called on to give fuller explanation' as MI5 expresses frustration over charges being droppedThe director of public prosecutions has come under intense cross-party pressure to explain why the China spy trial collapsed as MI5 expressed frustration at the decision and MPs launched a series of inquiries into how it was taken.The chairs of the home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security committees wrote together to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on Thursday calling on him to give a fuller explanation for the dropping of charges". Continue reading...

Militant group says it needs specialist equipment to recover bodies as Netanyahu says fight is not over yet'

The actor has paid tribute to his Godfather co-star and one-time romantic partner, saying she had a once-in-a-lifetime gift'Al Pacino has paid tribute to the his co-star and ex-romantic partner Diane Keaton who died last week.The 85-year-old actor had been filming in Paris and reportedly needed some time to put together his thoughts and feelings on Keaton, who died of pneumonia on Saturday at the age of 79. Continue reading...

Killing of Lola Daviet three years ago led to outcry after far right was accused of exploiting her death for political gainA woman who allegedly abused and tortured a 12-year-old girl before leaving her to suffocate will go on trial for murder on Friday in a case that has shocked France and caused political waves.Lola Daviet's body was found stuffed into a plastic trunk that had been dumped on the street near her home. Continue reading...

Trustees working with legal and financial advisers as artists claim repeated emails have been ignoredManchester Pride has said it is determining the best way forward" with legal and financial advisers after allegations that its performers have not been paid.One of Europe's biggest LGBTQ+ Pride events issued a statement after performers who took part in this year's three-day festival claimed they are owed thousands in unpaid fees. Continue reading...

National security adviser, education secretary and science minister to visit before end of year as part of policy to reset relationsMinisters are pushing ahead with their reset of relations with China, including several planned high-level visits before the end of the year, despite the furore triggered by the collapse of a high-profile espionage trial.Plans have been drawn up for Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, to travel to Beijing in November for talks before an anticipated trip by Keir Starmer next year. Continue reading...

In excerpts from posthumously published text, Giuffre warns more women will suffer if people continue to believe Jeffrey Epstein was an anomaly'Virginia Giuffre's latest revelations are a mirror held up to a system" that still enables powerful men to groom, abuse and exploit women with impunity, women's rights campaigners have said.Excerpts from Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, which were released ahead of the book's publication next week, lay bare how Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell took advantage of their position of power to manipulate and groom Giuffre.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Prime minister also announces 10m funding to provide security for Jewish amenities, including synagogues and schools

Digital timepiece is UK rail's first national clock in more than 50 years and will be seen at stations across the countryCommuters rushing through London Bridge station may have missed it, but on Thursday morning a new era in railway timekeeping and design was looming above them: a 1.8-metre-high digital timepiece, hanging above the concourse, the first physical manifestation of the Great British Railways' signature station clock.The design, the first such for more than 50 years, will appear in digital form on electronic information boards at stations across Britain. Continue reading...

European court of justice asked to intervene after dog was lost on journey from Buenos Aires to BarcelonaPets on flights can be classified as baggage, the European court of justice (ECJ) has ruled, meaning airlines are not required to pay higher compensation if the animal is lost.Europe's highest court was asked to intervene after a dog was lost during a journey from Buenos Aires to Barcelona, triggering a claim for losses from the owner. Continue reading...

Still Life with Guitar, worth 600,000, noticed missing after van arrives in Granada from MadridPolice in Spain are investigating the disappearance of a tiny Picasso painting, worth 600,000 (520,000), which vanished en route from Madrid to an exhibition in the southern city of Granada.The gouache and pencil work, Naturaleza muerta con guitarra (Still Life with Guitar), was due to go on show at a new exhibition at the CajaGranada foundation, which opened last week. Continue reading...

Strikes cause outages in eight regions before Washington talks to discuss US providing Kyiv with cruise missilesA massive Russian drone and missile attack has hit gas facilities in eastern Ukraine as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, flew to Washington for a meeting with Donald Trump to discuss the US providing Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, as well as glide bombs early on Thursday, sparking outages in eight regions in another large-scale bombardment targeting Ukraine's energy network. Continue reading...

The facts had changed so MPs simply amended their conspiracy theories to fit the new evidenceIt's all as clear as mud. If Keir Starmer thought that releasing the three witness statements of the deputy national security adviser (DNSA) Matthew Collins late on Wednesday night was going to make the China spy case row go away, then he was in for a big disappointment.There was no way MPs were going to let a story like this out of their clutches. This was their moment to take centre stage. When they could bathe in their own importance. When they could believe that they and national security were one and the same thing.A year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar. On Tuesday 2 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back with special guests at another extraordinary year, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here Continue reading...

Labour MP and chair of security committee Matt Western says there are a lot of questions still to be asked'

Sussex police commend bravery of the victim' after arrest of Iranian national and two Eqyptian nationalsThree men have been charged in connection with the rape of a woman on Brighton beach, Sussex police have said.Officers received a report that a woman had been raped on the lower esplanade in Brighton at about 5am on 4 October. Continue reading...

Sebastien Lecornu and his government secure narrow backing from lawmakers after pension concessionsThe vote on the first no-confidence motion put forward by the left's La France Insoumise is now under way.It will take around 30 minutes. Even if Sebastien Lecornu survives the vote, there are difficult times ahead as parliament will begin to debate the 2026 budget. Continue reading...

Whistleblower testified that man known as HN86 gathered information to undermine Lawrence family campaignA former senior police officer at the centre of the controversy over the surveillance of the campaign to expose the killers of teenager Stephen Lawrence is taking legal action that would prevent him being questioned at a public inquiry.The officer, who is facing allegations that he called black campaigners monkeys", is intending to resist an order by the undercover policing inquiry that would require him to give oral evidence. Continue reading...

Closeness of first vote highlights difficulties Sebastien Lecornu faces

Sheinbaum says she has no information' about Trump administration claim as experts also deeply skepticalMexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has said her government has no information" regarding claims by the Trump administration that Mexican cartels are offering bounties for US immigration officials.We are requesting information but there is none," Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference on Wednesday. We learned of this, just like you, via [the Department of Homeland Security's] publication." Continue reading...

Exclusive: External consultancy report found discrimination baked into HR systems' at London forceA review of anti-Black racism within the Metropolitan police has been buried" by the force, despite finding discrimination baked into its HR systems", the Guardian can reveal.The internal review, commissioned by the Met from the consultancy HR Rewired, concluded that bias, racial stereotyping and inequity were woven through the force's recruitment, promotion and grievance processes, affecting Black staff specifically. Continue reading...

Provisional cause of death for former boxing world champion given at opening of inquest in StockportRicky Hatton, the former world champion boxer who died in September, is believed to have killed himself, according to a provisional cause of death given at the opening of his inquest at Stockport coroner's court.Hatton, 46, was found dead in his home on 14 September. News of his death caused an outpouring of grief across the world and thousands of people lined the streets for his funeral. Continue reading...

Survey by Internet Matters finds children being left worried and upset by content showing shootings, stabbings and warMore than half of children who get news from social media are left worried and upset after seeing content that involves war, violence and death, according to new research that found social media companies are pushing" distressing news to children who are not seeking it.Videos of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the Liverpool parade car-ramming attack, scenes from wars, shootings, stabbings and car crashes have recently been pushed into children's feeds, research by Internet Matters, an online safety organisation, has found. As a result, 39% of those who saw distressing content described themselves as very or extremely upset and worried by it. Continue reading...

In a Knesset speech, Trump urged Israel to reconcile with its longtime foe Iran. Both governments dismissed the ideaAmid the fanfare accompanying Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East and Israel's ceasefire with Hamas, one aspect of the US president's pitch as a peacemaker went relatively unscrutinised.In the highly unlikely setting of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Trump proffered an olive branch to an even less likely recipient: the Jewish state's arch enemy, Iran. Continue reading...

At almost every opportunity, the NSW premier chooses a conservative path: get the cops on side and let nobody fault Labor's toughness on crime. It's not working

Parliamentary inquiry into Containers for Change recycling program reveals allegations of bullying and conflicts of interest

Almost 6% of global workforce will be cut over next two years, including 12,000 white-collar professionals

The awards also included a lifetime achievement honour for Sir Thomas Allen and two gongs for Spanish violinist Maria DuenasThe Gramophone classical music awards 2025 were announced last night at a ceremony in central London in which Sir Simon Rattle made history as the first musician ever to win artist of the year for a second time, having first been awarded the title in 1993.The award recognises Rattle's recent work with the London Symphony Orchestra (where he is conductor emeritus), the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Czech Philharmonic and a string of acclaimed recordings spanning the baroque to contemporary repertoire. In a video acceptance speech, the conductor said: I was 10 years old when I started spending my pocket money on Gramophone magazine ... this is an extraordinary honour." Video tributes to Rattle from fellow musicians included Barbara Hannigan, Peter Hoare, Thomas Quasthoff, and composer John Adams, who said: How can someone be one of the great conductors of our time and also just a plain wonderful mensch, a good guy who cares deeply ... To have worked with him, to have heard him do my music with the intensity and passion that he's given it - it's been one of the great pleasures of my life." Continue reading...

Paramedics treated three military personnel at scene of single-vehicle incident near Townsville on Wednesday night

Investigations into Australia's past and present have been recognised in the excellence in journalism awards

Singer disputes account in ex-husband's memoir You Thought You Knew, in which he says she behaved erratically around their sonsBritney Spears has responded to her ex-husband Kevin Federline's claims in his upcoming memoir about their marriage, calling his depiction of her extremely hurtful and exhausting".In You Thought You Knew, Federline details his two-year marriage with Spears and their divorce in 2007, which was followed by a protracted battle over custody of their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Continue reading...