World news | The Guardian

Problem-solving', child-focused courts to replace adversarial hearings, with earlier intervention to cut delaysFamily courts are not good enough" and have treated women and children unfairly for decades, a government minister has said.Announcing a major overhaul of the family justice system in England and Wales that will play a central role in rebalancing" the family courts, Alison Levitt said often brutal legal showdowns will be replaced with a problem-solving", child-focused model. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's little excursion' is likely to have long-term effects, from oil prices to inflation to growth, say expertsIn the days after the US and Israel first bombed Iran, financial markets bet the economic fallout from Donald Trump's little excursion" in the Middle East would be short-lived.There are risks from higher oil prices longer term. But this is a tail risk," one US-based fund manger said after the airstrike killing Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. History has shown time and time again that geopolitical flare-ups like this tend to be short-lived. This one should prove to be no exception.'' Continue reading...

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National referendum is being seen as a de facto confidence vote on the government - and the polls are neck and neckIn the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes - there will not be another opportunity," it read.The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni's Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedCircling back now to Diego Garcia, Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean - but neither of them hit, according to news reports citing US officials.The Wall Street Journal said one of the missiles failed in flight, and that a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, citing two US officials. It could not be determined if an interception was made, one said. Continue reading...

Energy minister says war on Iran creating uncertain environment' but insists government doing all the preparatory work'

People in hard-hit areas of Oahu and Maui told to evacuate with still more rain expected over the weekendAs Hawaii endures its worst flooding in more than 20 years, officials urged people in hard-hit areas to LEAVE NOW". That warning early on Saturday came after heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago, and still more was expected over the weekend.Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu's North Shore, a community renowned for its big-wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authorities cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail. Continue reading...

President attacks Radical Left Democrats' after homeland security funding bill again sinks in Senate

Victims of army drone attack on East Darfur health facility included children and medical personnelA strike on a healthcare facility in Sudan has killed 64 people and wounded 89 more, the World Health Organization reported on Saturday.The UN's humanitarian office in Sudan had earlier said it was appalled by the attack on a hospital in East Darfur yesterday, reportedly killing dozens, including children, and injuring more". Continue reading...

First responders report 33 injured at multiple sites in Dimona, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition

Outrage mounts after president posted on Truth Social he was glad' former FBI director and special counsel had diedDonald Trump has been condemned as a vile, disgusting man" and a sick human being" after gloating over the death of Robert Mueller, a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).Mueller, a decorated Vietnam war veteran who led a politically explosive investigation into Trump, died on Friday aged 81, triggering a callous reaction from the US president. Continue reading...

Labor should urge Australians to rethink purpose of super, Tracey Burton says, so country's $4tn in superannuation could help plug funding shortfalls

Amid a surge in fuel prices and fear of shortages, SA police chief signals officers might stop investigating drive-offs' unless service stations install prepaid pumps

Yvette Cooper says government wants swift resolution to war after two missiles directed at military base at Diego Garcia

Family says Mueller, who also examined Russian interference in 2016 election that Trump won, passed away last night'Robert Mueller, the former special counsel who investigated Russian interference in 2016 and links between Donald Trump and Moscow, has died. He was 81.In a statement from Mueller's family, relayed by the New York Times on X, said With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected." Continue reading...

Mark Robinson, who ran for North Carolina governor in 2024, tells podcast he had obsession' with porn and sex

Videos of Labour's Al Carns include him talking about his time as a marine and challenging a firefighter to pull-up contestLabour minister Al Carns has claimed thousands of pounds on parliamentary expenses for promotional videos including one showing him doing pull-ups at a fire station in competition with a firefighter.The veterans minister and former Royal Marine, who is tipped by some MPs as a leadership hopeful, claimed about 3,000, approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), for the production of 17 videos that show him interacting with local businesses. Continue reading...

Michael Smith, 52, charged after flooding platforms with thousands of AI songs and boosting them with bots

Footage shows US musician struggling with field sobriety tests he calls really hard' before his 2024 arrest in New YorkJustin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after the pop star was pulled over in New York's Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released on Friday.Timberlake tells officers at one point: These are, like, really hard tests." Continue reading...

Venezuelan-born dancer posts emotional video saying she plans to take on new projects in other areasStrictly Come Dancing's longest-serving female professional dancer, Karen Hauer, has quit the show after 14 years.In a video posted on Instagram, Hauer said it was the right time to close this chapter and take on new projects in other areas I'm passionate about". Continue reading...

Joe Kent, who left Trump administration over Iran war, tells Megyn Kelly facts are on my side' amid FBI investigation

Autopsy reveals James Jimmy' Gracey's injuries consistent with repeatedly hitting breakwater's rocks, Spanish media reportA University of Alabama student who was found dead in Barcelona after going missing while vacationing evidently fell into the sea on accident in view of surveillance cameras - and an autopsy revealed injuries on his body that were consistent with having repeatedly struck a breakwater's rocks.Such details about James Jimmy" Gracey surfaced in the Spanish media as a spokesperson for police in Barcelona told the Associated Press that all signs point" to the 20-year-old's death as having been inadvertent. Continue reading...

Some in cabinet in despair over possible impact of war begun by Donald Trump, who branded Nato allies cowards'

Labor secures landslide win, but One Nation vote tops 20%, leaving Liberals devastated and eating into ALP territory in outer suburbs

The Woman's Hour host, who has died aged 75, could talk about hydrangeas, campaign against domestic abuse, then tear a strip off a politician - all within a few minutesBefore she took over Woman's Hour in 1987, Jenni Murray was a presenter on the Today programme. She had joined the BBC in Bristol in 1973, and became a TV reporter and presenter for South Today, so arrived with solid news credentials. But Today in the 1980s was inveterately sexist - the guys took the politics, the women mopped up the rest - that the format was just too small for her.Woman's Hour, on the other hand, was absolutely reshaped in her image: there was no preconception of tone, and nothing was too serious or too light for it. Murray, who has died at the age of 75, could tear a strip off a politician, talk about hydrangeas, then campaign against domestic abuse, all within a few minutes. She was instinctively open and generous about her personal experience, but never solipsistic - an incredibly fine balance. Continue reading...

FoI request reveals no evidence of testing despite ministers hailing agreement as key to delivering AI-led public service reformWhen the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI, the tech firm behind ChatGPT, the partnership was hailed as one that could harness artificial intelligence to address society's greatest challenges".But eight months on from the fanfare of that announcement, the government has yet to hold any trials involving the firm's tech. Continue reading...

Exclusive: War has led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in two weeks and is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combinedThe US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined.As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first 14 days. Continue reading...

The SA election result is devastating for the Liberals, but there are warning signs for Labor too in One Nation's startling rise, which has rocked Australian politicsLabor secures overwhelming victory in SA electionRarely - perhaps never - has the winner of an election felt more like a subplot to a bigger and more consequential narrative than in South Australia on Saturday night.The ABC called the result for Peter Malinauskas and his Labor government less than 90 minutes after the polls closed, validating the opinion polls that had long forecast a landslide victory. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Tariq Ahmad says he has raised concerns with party leadership after shadow justice secretary's remarksThe shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, has been accused by a Conservative peer and former counter-extremism minister of instilling fear" among Muslims with his comments about public prayer.British Muslims were openly talking about leaving the Conservative party, added Tariq Ahmad, who said he had raised his concerns with the party leadership and expected action to be taken. Continue reading...

Nearly 300 of the actor's items, from designer gowns to everyday basics, to be sold in Los Angeles, with some lots under $100A customised sunhat. A slogan sweatshirt. A mom" necklace. An old copy of Cosmopolitan. If these sound like items found in many homes today, they're actually the castoffs of a household name: Gwyneth Paltrow.Next week, nearly 300 pieces owned by Paltrow will be on sale as part of an auction at Julien's, the Los Angeles auction house that has sold big-ticket items such as Marilyn Monroe's so-called naked" dress and the leather jacket worn by Olivia Newton-John in Grease. But, while those items went for six-figure prices, Paltrow's sale is a little more affordable, with estimates starting at about $50 (37) to $75 (56) for some of Paltrow's personalised stationery. Continue reading...

Almost 60 injured in blaze in Daejeon with footage seemingly showing people jumping from burning building to escapeA fire at a car parts factory in South Korea has killed 14 people and injured almost 60 others.Firefighters said all of the missing are now accounted for after a search operation of the wreckage of the three-storey building. Continue reading...

Police say two people tried to enter Faslane base in Scotland, home to core of UK's submarine fleet and Trident nuclear weaponsTwo people have been charged, one of them Iranian, after they allegedly tried to enter HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland, which houses the UK's nuclear Trident submarines.A 34-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman were charged after the incident at the base, which is known as Faslane. Police Scotland said inquiries were continuing and that the pair were due to appear at Dumbarton sheriff court on Monday. Continue reading...

Families, advocates and lawmakers say poor care, opaque investigations and bureaucracy leave deaths unexplained

At least 400 killed in Pakistan's strike on drug rehab centre, Taliban say, with families searching unmarked mass gravesSohrab Faqiri spent Eid, the Muslim festival to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, looking for the grave of his brother, killed in a massive Pakistan airstrike on Kabul this week.Pakistan's bombardment campaign, on what it says is terrorist and military infrastructure in neighbouring Afghanistan, appeared to have gone catastrophically wrong. A rehabilitation centre for drug addicts was hit on Monday night, according to the United Nations and the Afghan authorities. The UN's preliminary death toll is 143 people, while the Taliban administration puts the figure at more than 400 dead. Continue reading...

Bypassing animal health certificate system by using cheaper pet passport issued abroad could backfire, experts sayBritish pet owners who want to take their furry friends elsewhere in Europe have been warned not to try to dodge expensive health certificates by using a pet passport issued abroad.Before Brexit, taking a cat, dog or ferret to the EU was relatively simple: the Pet Travel Scheme meant an animal needed a microchip, vaccination against rabies, a pet passport and, for dogs, there were also requirements concerning tapeworm treatment. Continue reading...

Washington considers Kharg Island takeover as Donald Trump calls Nato allies cowards' for refusal to help open' strait of Hormuz

DHSC corrects statements after regulator intervenes as experts say smoking causes far more cancer casesThe Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has had to retract a misleading claim that sunbeds are as dangerous a cancer risk as smoking.In January, health officials announced stricter rules for sunbeds, incorrectly claiming they were as dangerous as smoking". The comparison was repeated in social media posts shared by the health secretary and NHS England and was reported by a number of media outlets. Continue reading...

Cases emerge after other people tell of change in Home Office policy on passports that has left people scramblingTwo more British teenagers have found themselves unable to return to the UK because of new Home Office border rules on British dual nationals.Their cases emerged just hours after reports a 16-year-old British schoolgirl was blocked from boarding a flight in Denmark home to the UK because she was a dual national and did not have a British passport. She has missed two weeks of school so far. Continue reading...

Roberts, who was the first Aboriginal person to host a prime-time current affairs program, was diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer seven months agoRhoda Roberts - obituaryRhoda Roberts, the Bundjalung Widjabul Wiyebal cultural leader and arts devotee, has died at the age of 66.In a statement made via Instagram, Roberts's family announced she had died peacefully in hospital on Saturday afternoon, having been diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer seven months ago. Continue reading...

How infections linked to a nightclub escalated into a public health incident requiring a national response is a puzzle experts are still grappling withTyra Skinner had already been violently sick three times when doctors at Kent's William Harvey hospital realised something was badly wrong. The 20-year-old was rushed into critical care, racked with a pounding headache, a stiff neck and excruciating pain - the hallmark symptoms of meningitis, the disease that had already claimed two young lives in Kent.She could hardly move, she was in a foetal position. She was so cramped up and sore," her father, Dale Skinner, 42, told the Guardian. It was horrendous, to be honest, to see her so helpless and in so much pain." Continue reading...

Medics and officials say there is systematic use of double-tap strikes in campaign to make the south uninhabitable

Heavy rains have pummeled the Hawaiian island of Oahu and triggered the worst flooding the island has in 20 years

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says move will bring 140m barrels to market but insists Tehran will not benefit

Mors Imperator caused a scandal in 1887 amid fears it mocked the German kaiser - more than 100 years later it is being displayed in a state museumWrapped in a cloak with ermine fur and wearing a jagged iron crown, a hulking skeleton rests one foot on a globe and knocks over a royal throne with a dramatic flick of its ivory wrist.Entitled Mors Imperator (Death is the Ruler"), the German artist Hermione von Preuschen's 1887 symbolical painting was meant to express the transience of fame and power. But authorities feared the picture could be seen as mocking the ageing German Emperor Wilhelm I, who then had recently turned 90, and refused to accept its submission to the Berlin Academy of the Arts' annual exhibition that year. Continue reading...

Regime will do whatever it takes to cling on to power - including sacrificing economies of other Gulf states

US president claims he always says yes' to Australia, Japan and South Korea, after saying he didn't need help from trio of countries earlier this week

This blog is now closed - our live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran continues in a new blog hereKuwait's state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said.Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workers' safety. Continue reading...

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Family says actor, who played Xander in hit TV series, died on Friday in his sleep of natural causes'Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for playing Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54.Brendon's family issued a statement saying that he died on Friday in his sleep of natural causes". Continue reading...

California jurors hand win to investors who sued billionaire saying he publicly disparaged social media platform in 2022A California jury has ruled that Elon Musk is responsible for Twitter investors' stock plummeting when he sought to buy the social media platform for $44bn in 2022. Jurors handed the win to a group of investors who sued the billionaire saying he publicly disparaged the company with the aim of bringing down Twitter's stock price to get a better bargain.The trial, which began earlier this month in federal court in San Francisco, focused on whether Musk intended to move the market with his comments. During a six-month period in 2022, after his offer to buy Twitter, he posted constantly to his millions of followers that the social network was rife with bots that produced spam and created fake accounts. Continue reading...