World news | The Guardian

Taxi drivers to face higher penalties for refusing jobs as NSW commissioner says all passengers have right to hire taxi regardless of length of trip

Bureau of Meteorology says current system will be phased out as it no longer meets cybersecurity, stability and resilience' standards

Chadema party says deputy secretary general arrested and calls election of incumbent president fraudulentTanzanian authorities have detained a senior official from the main opposition party, Chadema, amid a spate of arrests in connection to deadly protests during elections last week.More than 1,000 people were killed by security forces during the demonstrations, according to Chadema and human rights bodies. The Tanzanian government has said these figures were exaggerated but did not give its own figures. Continue reading...

Some say Denmark's rigid rules are key to Social Democrats' power, but critical Labour MPs think model echoes far-right themesThe UK government is expected to announce changes to the country's immigration rules, modelled on a controversial system used in Denmark which is widely seen as one of the most stringent in Europe. Continue reading...

UPS cites abundance of caution' and manufacturer's recommendation after 14 died when wing caught fire and engine fell offThe freight companies UPS and FedEx have grounded their fleets of MD-11 aircraft days after a cargo plane crash that killed 14 people in Kentucky.The grounded MD-11s are the same type of plane involved in Tuesday's crash at a UPS facility in Louisville. They were originally built by McDonnell Douglas until it was taken over by Boeing. Continue reading...

Many women are afraid to go out, particularly on their own, after religiously aggravated rapes and assaultsSikh women in the Midlands have told how a spate of religiously motivated attacks have caused fear in their community, forcing some to change everything" about their daily routines.Two rapes of Sikh women, both in their 20s, in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported in recent weeks. John Ashby, 32, has been charged in connection with a religiously aggravated rape in relation to the alleged Walsall attack. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood's proposals draw scorn from some Labour MPs, while others want government to go furtherShabana Mahmood is to announce changes to the UK's immigration rules modelled on the Danish system, largely seen as among the most stringent in Europe, the Guardian understands.Last month, the home secretary dispatched officials to Denmark to study its border control and asylum policies. Denmark's tighter rules on family reunions and restricting some refugees to a temporary stay are among the policies being looked at. Continue reading...

Presenter says she is in a much more positive place' after having lumpectomy and catching cancer earlyDavina McCall has revealed she has undergone surgery for breast cancer and urged others to get checked".In a video posted to Instagram, the presenter said she was very angry" when she found out about the cancer, but felt in a much more positive place" after a lumpectomy. Continue reading...

Azruddin Mohamed had emerged as a surprise contender in the presidential election and claims political persecutionGuyana has been thrown into political turmoil following the arrest and possible extradition to the United States of the country's main opposition leader just two months after he emerged as the surprise contender in the presidential election that kept incumbent Irfaan Ali in power.Azruddin Mohamed, 38, and his father, Nazar Mohamed, 73, two of Guyana's wealthiest figures thanks to their gold mining empire, were arrested on 31 October in the capital, Georgetown, in response to a formal extradition request from the US government. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Detainees at Rakefet include nurse deprived of natural light since January, and teenager held for nine monthsIsrael is holding dozens of Palestinians from Gaza isolated in an underground jail where they never see daylight, are deprived of adequate food and barred from receiving news of their families or the outside world.The detainees have included at least two civilians held for months without charge or trial: a nurse detained in his scrubs, and a young food seller, according to lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) who represent both men. Continue reading...

Comments by Karoline Leavitt follow allegations that Panorama documentary misled viewers with its editing of a Trump speechDonald Trump's press secretary has described the BBC as 100% fake news" and a propaganda machine" in an outspoken interview that comes after allegations of bias at the broadcaster.Karoline Leavitt, a senior White House official in the Trump administration, said watching BBC bulletins while on trips to the UK ruins" her day, saying taxpayers were being forced to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine". Continue reading...

Party was shell-shocked after 2024 defeat but Tuesday night's coast-to-coast romp signals brighter times aheadIt has been a year of soul-searching, hand-wringing, and self-flagellation for Democrats after a ballot-box rejection so thorough that some had come to believe that the party had lost not only the White House and Congress but the culture itself.Shell-shocked, Democrats entered Donald Trump's second term in a political stupor - unsure of who they were or what they stood for. Their base had lost faith in its aging leadership class, and their brand, in Democrats' own words, had become toxic": a party increasingly confined to coastal states, big cities and college towns. And even there, warning signs were flashing. Continue reading...

Traders report long waits at Sevington inspection post and claim trees and shrubs are repeatedly being damagedImporters of plants say long delays and damage to shipments at a Kent border control post risk driving up prices and could lead to transport companies stopping deliveries across the Channel.Traders have reported long waits in recent weeks at the government's Sevington facility off the M20 near Ashford, which was built to check goods of plant and animal origin arriving from the EU. One importer said delays were adding 200 of costs to each load. Continue reading...

Minority government benefitted from opposition members voting across the aisle, paving way for billions in spendingCanada's prime minister Mark Carney's minority government has survived two confidence votes on its budget, quashing fears - for now - of a winter federal election.The Liberals managed to pass the second of three votes on the plan on Friday, paving the way for tens of billions in new spending. Continue reading...

Draft template seen by the Guardian has no reference to countries receiving benefits for sharing information, such as guaranteed access to medicines developed as a resultThe US wants countries to agree to hand over information on bugs that could cause large-scale disease outbreaks in return for restoring aid to tackle health problems such as HIV and malaria, according to government documents.The Trump administration is seeking new bilateral aid agreements with dozens of countries, after an abrupt withdrawal from existing arrangements at the start of this year. The agreements form part of a new America First Global Health Strategy announced in September. Continue reading...

Eleanor Gittens, 107, and Lyle Gittens, 108, of Miami met at a basketball game in 1941 and have been married for 83 yearsA Miami husband and wife who recently attained the title of world's longest-married couple say they managed that feat just by loving one another.We love each other," Eleanor Gittens, 107, said to LongeviQuest when the website specializing on people who are in their second century of life asked what was the secret to her 83 years of marriage to her husband, Lyle. Continue reading...

UK expected to reduce contribution to Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 20%A group of seven Labour MPs who served as ministers under Keir Starmer have written to the prime minister warning that an expected cut to UK funding for aid to combat preventable diseases would be both a moral failure" and a strategic disaster.With ministers and officials expected to decide the UK's contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria within days, the letter renews pressure on Starmer to pull back from an expected 20% cut. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Imran Patel, who resigned last year after reports about his conduct, is being investigated by the IOPCA former Metropolitan police officer allegedly used sex workers while on duty in the midst of a major investigation into behavioural standards, the Guardian can reveal.Britain's largest police force has been described as institutionally misogynistic" after widespread claims that a toxic" sexist culture has been allowed to thrive for decades. Continue reading...

Popularity of Britain's top mouser - the guy to meet in No 10' - to feature in documentary seriesHe's on his sixth prime minister, has watched presidents and princes walk through the black door of No 10, and will soon become the longest continuous resident of Downing Street since Pitt the Younger.The landscape of British politics has changed a lot in the past 15 years, but Larry the cat has remained a reassuring constant. Now his enduring popularity - the like of which some of his temporary owners would kill for - is to feature in a new Channel 4 documentary series exploring Britain's love of cats. For his fans, the spotlight has been a long time coming. Continue reading...

Health authorities urge consumers not to eat affected products sold in multiple supermarkets and grocers

The toddler was treated by paramedics at the scene in the tiny village of Baan Baa on Friday night but later died in hospital

China launches 5.4bn ship capable of carrying 60 aircraft that Beijing values as much for maintaining its global influence as for its use in warfareIn port, the 80,000-tonne Fujian aircraft carrier would be impossible to miss. More than 300 metres long and capable of carrying about 60 aircraft, the 5.4bn super-vessel places China second among the world's navies, with three aircraft carriers, though still a long way behind the global leader, the US, which has 11.Yet for all the great power projection of the new warship, nearly 5,000 miles away from its home port another conflict appears to suggest size may not matter. In the Black Sea, Ukraine achieved an extraordinary military success by inflicting a functional defeat" on Russia's naval fleet using swarms of skilfully targeted sea drones. Continue reading...

Former NSW senator and right factional enforcer has died aged 76 after a long period of ill health

BoM says destructive winds and very dangerous thunderstorms' are most likely across the Hunter, mid-north NSW coast and northern tablelands

Revelation comes as LNP accused of intimidation' after demanding sensitive medical details from parents of transgender children

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell are last of series of penalised backbenchers to return to the partyFour Labour MPs who lost the party whip in July for being persistent rebels" have had the sanction removed, the last of a series of penalised backbenchers to be allowed back into the fold.Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell spoke to the party's chief whip, Jonathan Reynolds, and were allowed to hold the whip again after a review of how they had behaved since the suspension, it is understood. Continue reading...

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was accidentally released on 29 October, arrested in north London on FridayA convicted sex offender who was released from prison by mistake a week ago is back in custody.Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, from Algeria, was accidentally freed on 29 October from Wandsworth prison in south London. He was arrested in Finsbury Park on Friday after police said they had received a call from a member of the public. Continue reading...

Israeli PM, ministers and army chief accused of crimes against humanity perpetrated systematically' in GazaTurkey has issued arrest warrants for alleged genocide against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and senior officials within his government.Among 37 suspects listed were the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said a statement from the Istanbul prosecutor's office, which did not publish the complete list. Continue reading...

Upstate New York institution is the fifth university under government investigation to bow to White House demandsCornell University announced a settlement with the Trump administration on Friday, becoming the fifth university under investigation by the US government to do so.The agreement will see more than $250m in federal research funding restored. In exchange, the university will share admissions data with the government, pay $30m and invest $30m more in research programs benefiting farmers - a reflection of the university's longstanding record of agricultural research. Cornell also agreed to continue to evaluate the campus climate", particularly for Jewish students, and use the Trump administration's interpretation of civil rights laws, which views diversity initiatives as unlawful race-based discrimination, in training materials. Continue reading...

Jesse Butler, 18, faced 78 years in prison, but judge reduced sentence to community service and counselingAnger is growing in an Oklahoma community over a sketchy as hell" plea deal allowing an 18-year-old man convicted of multiple charges of rape and assault dating to when he was 17 to perform community service and commit to counseling.Jesse Butler, of Stillwater, originally faced 78 years in prison after being charged as an adult over 10 allegations including rape, battery by strangulation, rape by instrumentation and domestic assault involving two women. Continue reading...

Cashmere and wool tees will keep you warm, cool and stylish during the festive seasonWhen it comes to dressing for a party, a T-shirt is usually something you change out of rather than put on.But this party season, the casual tee is experiencing a metamorphosis. Enter: the cocktail T-shirt. Continue reading...

North Sea oil and gas rig staff need to be under 124.7kg so they can be safely winched on to helicopter in emergencyThousands of North Sea oil and gas workers risk losing their jobs on offshore rigs unless they lose weight within the next year.Workers who weigh more than 124.7kg (19.5 st) fully clothed will need to shed some pounds by next November or risk being barred from working offshore, according to the industry's trade body. Continue reading...

Director general under pressure after release of memo criticising reporting on Trump, trans rights and Gaza

Exclusive: Darren Jones says Labour has to convince young people it is modern party of the future'The Green party is offering simple solutions to complex problems" and making undeliverable" promises to voters ahead of the next election that could leave them disappointed, the prime minister's chief secretary has said.Darren Jones, one of Keir Starmer's most powerful ministers, said the resurgent Greens were a bit like the populist left version of the populist right" of Reform UK, and that both were in danger of letting down voters. Continue reading...

Rapper receives nominations in all top categories while Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas are also major nominees Grammys 2026: the nominations in all the major categoriesThe Grammys' love continues for Kendrick Lamar. The rapper, who took home the most trophies at the 2025 music awards with five, leads the nominees for the 2026 awards.Lamar is up for nine awards, including album of the year (for his most recent, GNX), best rap album, record of the year and song of the year. He faces competition for the night's top award - album of the year - from Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Leon Thomas, Tyler, the Creator and Clipse, Pusha T & Malice. Continue reading...

Karolis Peckauskas of Drogheda and Garrett Pollock of Annalong in Northern Ireland charged with possession of explosivesIrish authorities have charged two men with possession of explosives in relation to an alleged planned terrorist attack by a far-right extremist group.Karolis Peckauskas, 38, of Drogheda, County Louth, and Garrett Pollock, 35, of Annalong, County Down, Northern Ireland, appeared at Portlaoise district court on Friday after being arrested in a cross-border police operation. Continue reading...

Former footballer guilty over posts directed at football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, and broadcaster Jeremy VineThe former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.A jury at Liverpool crown court found that Barton, 43, of Widnes, Cheshire, had crossed the line between free speech and a crime" with a series of posts made to his more than 2 million followers on X between January and March 2024. He was cleared of a further six counts. Continue reading...

Israel says Mexico thwarted attempt in aftermath of deadly 2024 Israeli bombing of Iranian embassy in SyriaThe United States and Israel have accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel's ambassador to Mexico, in what would be the latest attempt to take the two countries' conflict to another region.Israel said that Mexican authorities intervened to stop the attempt to kill the ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger. Continue reading...

New Zealand film-maker became a Hollywood fixture in the 90s and 00s, including making Pierce Brosnan's last 007 movie, before returning to his home countryLee Tamahori, the New Zealand director of Once Were Warriors and Die Another Day, has died aged 75.In a statement to Radio New Zealand, Tamahori's family said he had Parkinson's and died peacefully at home". Continue reading...

Self-styled ultra-Maga' Republican representative has ramped up attacks on Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul

The 5.5bn model was classified as fit for army deployment in September but soldiers continue to raise health fearsSoldiers had to be given medical treatment for hearing problems this summer during final testing of the British army's new Ajax armoured vehicle, whose introduction has been delayed for several years amid concerns about deafness.The model, which costs 5.5bn for 589 vehicles, was nevertheless classified as fit for deployment in September. An investigation concluded there were no systemic issues" - but there remain health concerns among the troops involved. Continue reading...

Accusations of violent interceptions and human rights violations levelled at EU-funded Libyan services by NGOs

Southern European country has more than double the number of people aged over 100 than it did in 2009The number of people in Italy living to 100 continues to grow sharply, with more than 2,000 reaching the milestone age in 2025, the vast majority of them women.There are now 23,548 residents in Italy who are 100-years-old or over, compared with 21,211 in 2024, according to the latest figures from Istat, the national statistics agency. Italy has more than double the number of centenarians than it did in 2009, Istat said. Continue reading...

Robert Purkiss faces extradition to Kenya to face charges after Agnes Wanjiru killed near army base in 2012A man has appeared in court as extradition proceedings began in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was killed near a British army base in 2012.Robert Purkiss, 38, who is originally from Greater Manchester, appeared before Westminster magistrates court on Friday , and told the court he intended to contest the extradition. It is understood that he was arrested on Thursday night. Continue reading...

Howard Phillips was looking for money when he offered his services to officers who were posing as agents, judge saysA man found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service after handing over personal details of the then defence secretary, Grant Shapps, to two undercover officers he believed to be Russian agents has been jailed for seven years.Howard Phillips, 66, was convicted in July after jurors heard that he had been seeking easy money" when he offered his services to the undercover officers, known as Dima and Sasha. Continue reading...

Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, found dead at scene of incident on A48 in St Mellons in 2023Six police officers will face disciplinary proceedings for misconduct in relation to a crash that claimed the lives of three people.Eve Smith and Darcy Ross, both 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, were found dead at the scene of the incident on the A48 in the St Mellons area of Cardiff in March 2023 - almost 48 hours after they were all last seen.A police sergeant has a case to answer for gross misconduct for their supervision of the missing persons inquiry.A police constable has a case to answer for gross misconduct for allegedly failing to carrying out basic inquiries, including not recording and sharing information with their supervisor.Two police constables have a case to answer for gross misconduct after allegedly failing to conduct house searches and then giving dishonest accounts to their supervisor and IOPC investigators.A police constable has a case to answer for misconduct for allegedly not carrying out adequate house searches.A police sergeant has a case to answer for misconduct relating to allegations of failing to review all available information at the time of conducting a risk assessment for the missing women. Continue reading...

Boris Pistorius warns that Russia continues to seek to sow doubt, divide us and influence elections' in EuropeThe 35-year-old French man suspected of ramming his car into pedestrians and cyclists on Ile d'Oleron earlier this week have been charged with attempted murder, French media reported.The local prosecutor's office has also asked for him to be detained ahead of the trial. Continue reading...

Accidental release of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had added to pressure on justice secretary after similar incident involving Epping sex offenderRachel Reeves has unnecessarily blocked her options of what to include in her budget, writes Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, the chief executive of the New Economics Foundation and author of Power to the People in this Guardian Opinion piece:Ed Davey has called for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, to give evidence before the US Congress and UK parliament over his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his victims.It's right Andrew Mountbatten Windsor appears before US Congress over his links to Epstein and his victims. He should also give evidence to our parliament. The public deserve answers and full transparency about this scandal. Continue reading...

Treasury-backed provider raises returns by up to 0.31 percentage points but experts say better deals are available