World news | The Guardian

During Sunday mass in St Peter's Square, the pope asked that God open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred'Pope Leo has criticised the emergence of nationalist political movements and their exclusionary mindset", without naming a specific country or leader.Leo, the first pope from the US, asked during a mass on Sunday with tens of thousands in St Peter's Square that God open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred". Continue reading...

Many cities said to have imposed prohibition in recent days that echoes 2019 police directive in TehranIranian authorities have expanded a ban on walking dogs in public to many cities nationwide, citing public health, social order and safety concerns, domestic media has reported.The ban - which echoes a 2019 police directive that barred walking dogs in Tehran - was expanded to Ilam city in the west on Sunday, according to reports. Continue reading...

Parties denounce lack of public debate on move to make it easier for Italian-born children of foreigners to be citizensItalians are voting in a referendum on whether to make it easier for children born to foreigners in Italy to obtain citizenship, with activists saying apparently low public awareness of the vote risks rendering the result invalid if turnout is not high enough.Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help Italians born in the country to non-EU parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs. Continue reading...

Family reported man fell into silo of urea on Sunday afternoon

Collapse of once-feared security apparatus, coupled with widespread poverty, has triggered a gold rushThey come by night. Armed with pickaxes, shovels and jackhammers, looters disturb the dead. Under the cover of darkness, men exhume graves buried more than 2,000 years ago in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, searching for treasure.By day, the destruction caused by grave robbers is apparent. Three-metre-deep holes mar the landscape of Palmyra, where ancient burial crypts lure people with the promise of funerary gold and ancient artefacts that fetch thousands of dollars. Continue reading...

Reducing budget would involve closing parts of institution promoting UK soft power abroad, leaving gap for Russia to push propagandaHours before Rachel Reeves stood up to deliver her budget last year, government officials were still in tense negotiations with bosses at the BBC over how much the World Service would be given.The amount they were haggling over was relatively small - just 5.5m out of a total budget of 400m. But BBC chiefs warned the government that if the cuts were imposed on them, they would have to close several language stations in parts of the world where the Russians already hold influence. Doing so would be a gift to Moscow, they added. Continue reading...

With Nigel Farage targeting net zero, could government policy change to protect jobs, revenue and votes?It was inevitable that Nigel Farage would take Reform UK's campaign tour to Aberdeen. On a visit to the capital of the UK's oil and gas industry on Monday he welcomed a defecting Aberdeen Conservative councillor, the 13th defection to his party's ranks in Scotland to date.Reform is hoping to make political hay from the discontent surrounding the government's North Sea policies, the demise of the oil and gas basin and the vast workforce that depends on it. The populist party has vowed to reverse the government's ban on fresh North Sea oil and gas drilling as a day one" priority if elected to power in 2029. Continue reading...

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Norway will set up state payment scheme for families of 123 men killed in Kielland disaster, but some feel it comes too lateI think we all feel like we've had a bit of a weight lifted off our shoulders," said Laura Fleming after an important milestone in one of Europe's longest-running industrial disaster sagas. It is just 45 years too late."Fleming's father, Michael, was one of 123 men who were killed when the Alexander L Kielland accommodation rig capsized during a fierce storm in the Norwegian North Sea oilfields on 27 March 1980. Continue reading...

The UK government is desperate to show it is preventing small boat crossings, but its PR-heavy approach may cause more problems with voters than it solves Continue reading...

After 17 years wrongfully jailed for rape, freed man wants to change Criminal Cases Review Commission and compensation scheme for others like himAndrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, says his fight to reform the legal system's handling of miscarriages of justice is far from over.The 59-year-old had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years spent protesting his innocence. Continue reading...

Bridget Archer lost Bass to Labor at the federal election and is a moderate ally of the premier who suffered a no confidence vote last week

Ex-minister wants to clear up misunderstanding' over accusation she benefitted from regime of her aunt, ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh HasinaThe former City minister Tulip Siddiq has asked to meet Bangladesh's leader during his London visit to clear up a misunderstanding" after corruption allegations made by his administration led her to resign from the UK government.Siddiq, whose aunt Sheikh Hasina was put on trial in absentia last week over crimes against humanity during her 15 years as prime minister, has been accused of benefitting from the former regime by the authorities in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. Continue reading...

Mayors welcome 500m set aside for regional authorities to target investment locallyNew drug treatments, longer-lasting batteries and developing artificial intelligence are among research projects that will receive funding as part of an 86bn government investment into science and technology.Ministers have announced a 22.5bn a year commitment in research and development (R&D) over the next four years, including up to 500m for regional authorities to target the investment locally. Continue reading...

Language used in video from Strictly Come Dancing set in Blackpool unacceptable', says broadcasterThe EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick has been suspended by the BBC after using an ableist slur on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.A video emerged of the actor, who plays Jay Brown on the long-running soap, using the term to describe the people of Blackpool, the town where the programme was being filmed, according to the Sun on Sunday. Continue reading...

Women recount alleged behavior, including flirting with teenagers, as predatory, terrifying and unacceptable'Multiple women have accused Jared Leto of impropriety, with some calling the 53-year-old actor and musician's behavior predatory, terrifying and unacceptable".In a new report by Air Mail on Saturday, nine women have come forward to accuse Leto of engaging in inappropriate behavior over the years, including flirting with teenagers. Continue reading...

Advocate claims Abbott government was concerned asylum seekers and refugees were using medical transfers as a back door to get into Australia

Lambeth country show in Brockwell Park also includes sheep-shearing, livestock competitions, food and musicVegetable likenesses of Donald Trump and Dolly Parton and a papal Cornclave" went on display on Saturday at the Lambeth country show, an urban take on a country fair held annually in London's Brockwell Park.The two-day show features sheep-shearing, livestock competitions, food, music and a vegetable sculpture contest that has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity. Continue reading...

Former party chair says he will lead a Doge team' inspired by Elon Musk and Donald TrumpZia Yusuf has said he will return to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, just two days after quitting the party.Yusuf was the rightwing party's chair but resigned on Thursday after suggesting it was dumb" of the party's newest MP to ask the prime minister if he would ban the burqa. Continue reading...

Othniel Adoma, 11, from Bracknell, died on Thursday, while five other children who were injured have been discharged from hospitalAn 11-year-old boy has become the second child to die after a minibus overturned on a motorway slip road in Berkshire last month, police have said.Othniel Adoma, from Bracknell, died on Thursday, more than three weeks after the single-vehicle crash. Continue reading...

The demonstration, organised by the People's Assembly, called on Keir Starmer's government to tax the rich to pay for servicesThousands of people marched through central London on Saturday calling for an end to public service and welfare cuts, in the first big anti-austerity march under Keir Starmer's Labour government.The campaign group People's Assembly, which organised the demonstration, called on the government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth to fund public services". Continue reading...

The animal, thought to have escaped from an abattoir, was corralled by council staff before being offered his new homeA bull that ran loose through the streets of Birmingham - after apparently escaping from an abattoir - has been given a new home by an animal sanctuary in Norfolk.The stray bovine, thought to be about two years old, was safely contained by Birmingham city council staff on Friday after being spotted by passersby in New Bond Street, Digbeth, shortly before 9.30am. Continue reading...

Policing and local councils among areas facing real-terms cuts in the spending review on WednesdayThe NHS is set to receive a 30bn funding boost in the spending review next week, at the expense of other public services.The Department of Health is expected to emerge as the biggest winner on Wednesday with a 2.8% increase to its day-to-day spending budget over a three-year period, amounting to a 30bn rise by 2028. Continue reading...

People living in housing association development in Bermondsey say they hope legal action will encourage othersResidents of a multistorey development in London have received 550,000 in compensation from a housing association for cladding defects in a case they hope will set a precedent for other claims.Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) and the contractor United Living have also completed large-scale works at their own cost to remedy the buildings in the Exchange development in Bermondsey, south London. Continue reading...

So far, 79 people have fallen ill from sickness linked to eggs from the August Egg CompanyFederal food and health agencies are investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections linked to eggs from a California producer that have sickened 79 people and hospitalized 21.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised on Friday that organic and cage-free brown eggs from the August Egg Company sold to retailers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming should be discarded or returned to the store where they were purchased. Continue reading...

Government says ethical certification is adding financial strain on smallholders rather than being paid by customersThe Kenyan government has told its tea factories to stop working with the Rainforest Alliance because it says the costs involved in securing the ethical label don't add up for farmers.The non-profit organisation is one of the world's most recognisable certification schemes with its green frog seal on food packaging a sign consumers can feel confident that these products support a better world". Continue reading...

Noem has played a starring role in the second Trump administration with her goal to Make America Safe Again' - derided by critics as cosplay' with cruel consequencesLittle more than a year ago, Kristi Noem's political prospects appeared to be in freefall. The then South Dakota governor was criss-crossing the country on an ill-fated book tour, widely seen, at least initially, as an audition to be Donald Trump's running mate. Instead, Noem found herself on the defensive - a position Trump never likes to be in - after revealing in her memoir that she had shot the family's untrainable" hunting dog, a 14-month old wirehair pointer named Cricket.Even in Trumpworld, where controversy can be a form of currency, the disclosure shocked. In the weeks that followed, she faded from contention and the breathless veepstakes rumor mill moved on. By the time Trump selected JD Vance as his vice-presidential nominee, Noem's path forward on the national stage was unclear. Continue reading...

The Base is emerging from shadows and ramping up its ranks as White House turns blind eye to the far rightAn international neo-Nazi terrorist organization is boldly continuing to build in the US and planning a new paramilitary training event without fear of local authorities or the FBI, which once dismantled it in a nationwide effort.The Base, founded in 2018 by a former Pentagon contractor living in Russia and now suspected of Kremlin-sponsored espionage, once boasted close to 50 stateside members before the bureau made more than a dozen arrests in a years-long counter-terrorism operation. Continue reading...

Singer tells fans he is recovering from flu after various health setbacks this year including strep throat and CovidSir Rod Stewart has cancelled a run of concerts in the US after having the flu, just weeks before his appearance at the Glastonbury festival later this month.The 80-year-old singer said he was devastated" to cancel or reschedule six shows in the US, due to take place over the next eight days. Continue reading...

Singer's western-inspired Cowboy Carter tour is reminder of pop culture's sway over shopping behaviourRhinestones, cowboy hats and a whole lot of denim; not a hen party entourage, a Glastonbury fit or a Nashville rodeo, but the queues outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week, as Beyonce kicked off her UK tour. And, seemingly, a new national dress code.Since the release of the Cowboy Carter album, Beyonce fans have been quick to adopt the rancher style, sparking a surge in interest for western-inspired fashion. On Vinted, searches for western" are up by 16% year on year this month, with rodeo" up 13%. Meanwhile, denim searches have risen 8%. Continue reading...

Nattapong Pinta had been seized in the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack and killed, according to Israeli militaryThe Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, who had been held in Gaza since Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023, according to defence minister, Israel Katz. .Pinta's body was held by a Palestinian militant group called the Mujahideen Brigades, and was retrieved from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified. Continue reading...

Ministers see urgency of west's declining influence, but funding for institutions such as BBC World Service is tight

More than 53,000 mortgages have been completed using scheme, which encourages lenders to offer up to 95% loans

Campaigners say super-strength subsidy' puts pressure on the NHS, as some ciders cost same as apple juiceSupermarkets such as Tesco, Aldi and Lidl are exploiting a tax loophole to produce and sell cheap cider that harms health and causes social problems, alcohol campaigners have claimed.Over recent years, ciders - sometimes containing as much as 7.5% alcohol - have become cheaper or barely risen in price, despite the cost of beer, wine and spirits soaring, according to research by Alcohol Change UK. Continue reading...

Police say remains found during search of area near Good Night Scrub national park on Friday afternoon

Such areas received about half the extra funding per capita than urban areas, according to county council analysisAlmost a fifth of bus routes in rural areas of England have disappeared over the past five years despite government pledges to improve services, with county councils arguing they have lost out on bus funding to cities and towns.Rural areas have received about half the extra state funding per capita than that awarded to urban areas with more comprehensive services, according to analysis by the County Councils Network. Continue reading...

More than 30 outdoor music events including Tribfest and Big Fake Festival are taking the UK by stormMatt Blumberg launched the tribute festival, GlastonBarry, in 2013 as a way of doing something positive and joyful for his hometown of Barry, Wales.But what started as a local festival of 500 people is today a three-day event attended by an audience of 18,000. It started off as a community incentive, and a bit of fun, and it quickly grew into a monster. It's bonkers," the former primary school teacher said. Continue reading...

Consumers may feel undersold' from August when they will have to spend 10 instead of 4 to earn a pointJohn Lewis promises its shoppers are never knowingly undersold" but those with its Partnership credit card may feel short-changed after it slashes perks for general spending.Points earned on purchases convert into gift vouchers to spend in John Lewis and its sister chain Waitrose, with each point equating to 1p. Continue reading...

Already affected by US aid cuts, many Africans now face limits on travel to US and looming remittance taxWhen Essi Farida Geraldo, a Lome-based architect, heard about partial restrictions on travel to the US from Togo as part of the travel bans announced by Donald Trump on Thursday, she lamented losing access to what many young Togolese consider to be a land of better opportunities.The United States was the Togolese's El Dorado," Geraldo said. Many people go to work in the US to save money and support their families or projects in Africa ... This will force the country to really develop stronger partnerships that exclude the US." Continue reading...

UK, France and other western states will not recognise Palestine at Saudi Arabia meeting, instead focusing on agreeing steps towards itA planned conference in Saudi Arabia this month that supporters of Palestine had hoped would push western governments to recognise a Palestinian state has weakened its ambition and will instead hope to agree on steps towards recognition, diplomats have said.The change to the aims of the conference, due to be held between 17 and 20 June, marks a retreat from an earlier vision that it would mark a joint declaration of recognition of Palestine as a state by a large group of countries, including permanent UN security council members France and the UK. Continue reading...

Wong accused of conspiracy in move rights groups condemn as outrageous' attempt to keep influential dissident imprisonedJailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been hit with further national security charges, a move rights groups said showed the Hong Kong government was trying to keep dissidents behind bars for as long as possible.Wong, a well-known activist who has been in jail for more than four years either awaiting trial or serving sentences, is accused of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country. He appeared in court on Friday to hear the charge and did not apply for bail. Continue reading...

Geelong woman lured by bogus ads for a boutique that didn't exist says PayPal must do more to help scam victimsOnline ghost stores" falsely claiming to be Australian businesses are providing fake tracking numbers to convince payment platforms they have delivered goods that have never been sent, a disappointed shopper says.Ghost stores are online businesses that only exist in a digital sense and do not have a physical storefront. Guardian Australia has tracked 140 such stores masquerading as local businesses, which include those selling poor quality clothing and counterfeit labels, while others take customers' money and fail to deliver anything at all.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Jessica Ramos, a state senator, had said ex-governor's mental acuity is in decline' and called him a bullyAndrew Cuomo's bid to become New York City's mayor received a surprising boost on Friday when one of his rivals, the Queens state senator Jessica Ramos, endorsed the former governor after having previously questioned his mental acuity and describing him as a bully with a record of sexual misconduct allegations.Ramos punctuated her stunning U-turn with a surprise appearance at a campaign rally in Manhattan, where she hugged Cuomo and said she believed he was the one best positioned right now to protect this city". Continue reading...

Alleged victim identified as Jane' testifies she felt obliged to participate in drug-fueled hotel nights'The federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean Diddy" Combs resumed on Friday with testimony from a former girlfriend and alleged victim, identified as Jane".On the stand, the woman, described by prosecutors as a single mother who met Combs in 2020, described the drug-fueled sexual encounters involving male escorts -referred to as hotel nights" -she says she endured during her relationship with Combs, where she said Combs would watch and direct her and the escort to perform sex acts while he masturbated.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Case count remains at 742 with no new cases but officials warn outbreak that has killed two children could flare againThe measles outbreak that began sweeping across west Texas earlier this year is showing signs of slowing, according to the state's health services department.For the first time since the outbreak was first reported in January, no new cases were added in the department's latest update. The total case count remains at 742, a figure that has been updated biweekly by state officials. Continue reading...

President, who had Thursday call with China's Xi Jinping amid tariff dispute, says meeting should go very well'Senior US administration officials will meet with a Chinese delegation on Monday in London for the next round of trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, Donald Trump said on Friday.The meeting comes after a phone call between Trump and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, which the US president described as a very positive" conversation as the two countries attempt to break an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. Continue reading...

Formal identification of body found in wooded area in Banknock, near Falkirk, yet to take place, Police Scotland saysA body has been found in the search for Cole Cooper, a 19-year-old who went missing four weeks ago in Falkirk.Police officers said the body of a man was discovered in a wooded area near Kilsyth Road in Banknock, near Falkirk, at about 4.15pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Peer accuses ministers of lying as government dismisses Lords' request to make firms reveal what materials they useCampaigners have accused ministers of lying to parliament and the creative industries after the government signalled it would not force AI companies to disclose how they train their models.Ministers are holding firm in a standoff with the House of Lords, which has called for artists to be offered immediate copyright protection against artificial intelligence companies. Continue reading...

Government defence expert Fiona Hill warns UK to respond to threats by becoming more cohesive and resilientRussia is at war with Britain, the US is no longer a reliable ally and the UK has to respond by becoming more cohesive and more resilient, according to one of the three authors of the strategic defence review.Fiona Hill, from County Durham, became the White House's chief Russia adviser during Donald Trump's first term and contributed to the British government's strategy. She made the remarks in an interview with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Oghenochuko Ojiri given two-and-a-half-year sentence over failure to report art sales to suspected Hezbollah funderA BBC Bargain Hunt art expert who failed to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing the militant group Hezbollah has been jailed for two and a half years.Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artworks worth a total of about 140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation, a court hearing was told last month. Continue reading...