World news | The Guardian

Real estate executive got an unexpected earful when she spoke of living in a time of profound change'Though college graduations usually consist of a speaker giving advice to students, one recent ceremony featured students giving the speaker their opinions - loudly.The University of Central Florida's 2026 graduating class booed as a real estate development executive spoke about how the rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution" and about living in a time of profound change". Continue reading...

A number of Streeting's allies resigned from their ministerial posts on Tuesday and called for Keir Starmer to quit

Congresswoman says she did not condone radio host's language about Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat

Downing Street insiders suggest health secretary does not yet have the support for a leadership pushKeir Starmer was increasingly confident that he had seen off the immediate threat to his job on Tuesday after a challenge from Wes Streeting failed to materialise despite several of the health secretary's allies quitting the government.Downing Street insiders suggested that the health secretary did not yet have the required support from the 81 MPs he needed to formally launch a leadership bid after Starmer issued a put up or shut up" ultimatum to his cabinet. Continue reading...

Health officials in Paris say French woman who contracted disease on MV Hondius is on ventilator in intensive careThe head of the World Health Organization has told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases as authorities in Paris said a French woman who contracted the virus onboard the MV Hondius had the most severe form of the disease and had been put on a ventilator.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Spain for the compassion and solidarity" it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and urged authorities to follow the WHO's advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts. Continue reading...

Albrecht Weinberg spent years teaching students about Nazi atrocities after being imprisoned at Auschwitz and Belsen

If current precarious ceasefire between US and Iran ends, Emirates are more likely to be targeted by Tehran

Bond yields soar and pound falls against dollar as investors brace for potential Labour leadership change

Jess Phillips, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Alex Davies-Jones and Zubir Ahmed join more than 80 MPs calling for PM to go

Green party leader admits he may have failed to pay correct amount while living on a houseboatLabour has urged London assembly officials to investigate the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, after he admitted that he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a London houseboat.Polanski had faced mounting questions over whether the houseboat, moored in east London, was his primary residence. A spokesperson for his party described the situation as an unintentional mistake" and said Polanski had immediately taken steps" to pay any tax owed. Continue reading...

Appointment confirmed by plenary vote in Senedd after party ended 100 years of Labour rule in last week's electionRhun ap Iorwerth has been voted first minister of Wales after Plaid Cymru's Senedd electoral victory ended 100 years of Labour hegemony and held off Reform UK.Ap Iorwerth was confirmed after a plenary vote on Tuesday with the support of the 43 members of his party in the Senedd and the two Greens, while Welsh Labour and the sole Liberal Democrat in the Siambr, the debating chamber, abstained. Continue reading...

At least one person killed as Moscow launches drone strikes on energy facilities and apartmentsEuropean culture editorIt was meant to be the crowning moment of a seemingly never-ending success story: the 70th anniversary of the world's biggest and ever-expanding live music event, held in a city steeped in history both dramatic and musical. Continue reading...

Judge's ruling was not disclosed to jurors in two trials and can only now be revealed after reporting restrictions liftedFour Palestine Action activists convicted after a retrial over a violent protest at an Israeli arms manufacturer's UK site face being sentenced as terrorists despite the jury not being told this.In an unprecedented move in a criminal damage case, the judge, Mr Justice Johnson, ruled before the first trial that there appeared to be a terrorist connection" to the offences - even though the protest took place before Palestine Action was proscribed - but this could not be told to the jury. The finding and the restriction on telling the jury continued for the retrial. Continue reading...

Treasurer announces changes to the capital gains tax discount in the 2026 federal budget in parliament. Follow the latest updates

As human rights advocate is treated in Tehran hospital after transfer from Zanjan prison, prize winners demand her freedomMore than 110 Nobel laureates have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and Nobel peace prize laureate, after she was transferred to hospital amid concerns over her rapidly deteriorating health.In a statement released on Tuesday, 112 Nobel laureates urged the Iranian authorities and the international community to act without delay" to secure Mohammadi's release and ensure her continued access to medical treatment. Continue reading...

Horses seized and several people questioned after animal rights activist shares video of race along country roadsA video showing an illegal horse race in Sicily, with spectators firing pistols into the air and brandishing Kalashnikov rifles, has prompted a police investigation that has led to the seizure of the animals.The clip, reportedly filmed last Friday, shows two jockeys driving horse-drawn carts at breakneck speed along country roads in the town of Palagonia, near Catania, in eastern Sicily. Behind them, dozens of people follow on scooters, firing shots into the air. The footage was posted on social media by an animal rights activist named Enrico Rizzi. Continue reading...

Prime minister says process for challenging a leader has not been triggered and Labour should get on with governing UK politics live - latest updates

Taxpayers and first home buyers are the winners in Labor's 2026 budget, while rich families could be among the losers. Find out who is better off and who is worse off in Chalmers' budget

Exclusive: Marie Rimmer backs Keir Starmer and deals blow to Greater Manchester mayor's byelection hopes

With Starmer under growing pressure to resign, Growth and Tribune groups put forward ideas for policy revamps

Decades-long campaign powered by patient perspectives results in switch from PCOS - a name that caused confusion and undue suffering - to PMOS What is PCOS, what are the symptoms and treatment, and why is it being renamed PMOS?

Rising cost of living such as high gas prices also a concern in election that will have record number of votersVoters in the Bahamas head to the polls on Tuesday in a hotly contested general election featuring high-profile candidates such as the former basketball champion Rick Fox.Voters in the Caribbean archipelago are divided over concerns about immigration, especially from neighbouring Haiti, and the rising cost of living, with significant spikes in gas prices caused by war in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Country with a population of just 2.5m credits investment in young athletes for its rise but this progress is under threatIt was a fairytale ending to the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone. In the final strait, Collen Kebinatshipi surged past South Africa's Zakithi Nene to win the men's 4x400m relay for Botswana. The home crowd, a sea of light blue, went wild.It means so many things to us," Letsile Tebogo, 22, the reigning 200m Olympic champion, who ran the second leg, told reporters afterwards. Not just the team ... but for the people that always cheer for us behind the TV. Now they had that experience to see first-hand how much effort, how much pressure, how much we give for them." Continue reading...

Premium editions of Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! cost up to $250 but some say signatures are unnaturally identicalLiza Minnelli fans who bought signed copies of her memoir are seeking refunds because they believe her signature is fake.Copies of Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by the American 80-year-old singer were marketed around the world as hand-signed collectibles", with premium editions costing up to $250 (185). Continue reading...

Health secretary's soft-right credentials put him at a disadvantage even with reduced membership under Starmer

Since the start of the current conflict, more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been taken by RussiaIt looks like a typical teenager's bedroom: football shirts on the wall, crumpled clothes on the floor, exercise books open on the desk. But it is a work of political art, intended to evoke the empty rooms of more than 20,500 Ukrainian children unlawfully taken to Russia.The work was on display on Monday at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, as delegates from 63 countries and international organisations gathered to discuss how to bring Ukraine's children home. It's essentially a way for someone to step into Ukraine without having to actually travel there," Isaac Yeung, a co-creator of the installation, said. Continue reading...

Seventeen-year-old, previously charged over alleged extremist material, now faces additional charges relating to allegedly preparing for an attack

Anti-graft agencies say Andriy Yermak suspected of participating in criminal group that laundered $10.5m in housing project, which he denies ownership inUkrainian authorities have named Volodymyr Zelenskyy's powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption investigation, a move likely to pile pressure on the president's office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia.Kyiv's political class was rocked by a wide-ranging probe last year that had fuelled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelenskyy's right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign. Continue reading...

Absence of big US films heralds renewed focus on international cinema that underpins festival's reputationFor decades, Cannes has occupied a unique place in the cultural imagination - not just as the world's most prestigious film festival, but as Hollywood's most glamorous overseas outpost.From Grace Kelly on the Croisette, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman at the Pulp Fiction premiere, Julia Roberts walking barefoot up the red carpet, to Tom Cruise shutting down the Riviera with fighter jets overhead, Hollywood has made its mark on Cannes. Continue reading...

Hundreds of four-year-olds among extremely overweight' patients at 39 specialist centres since 2021More than 6,000 children living with obesity, including hundreds as young as four, have required treatment at specialist NHS weight-loss clinics, new figures reveal.NHS England data, published for the first time, underlines the scale of the growing childhood obesity crisis. Continue reading...

Marat Ganiev will instead be charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice over death of 19-year-old whose body was found in tip

Farrer byelection win casts shadow over 2026 federal budget as government signals it's alive to populist rightwing threat

Aditya Chakrabortty on the Labour leader's predicament - and if he may be the last prime minister of the two-party systemIn these highly polarised times, dunking on the prime minister - and this PM in particular - is the one thing that seems to unite people in fury, disappointment and loathing. So as he rolled his sleeves up to address the nation on Monday morning, after one of the worst election results in Labour's history, Keir Starmer had quite the job on his hands.The Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty was watching - and wincing. There are times when I watch Keir Starmer promising he's going to change," he said. He looks to me like a guy on the verge of divorce, holding flowers from the nearest petrol station and saying: 'Trust me. Honestly, it's going to be different this time. Honestly, love, stick with me.'" But why does there seem to be such antagonism towards the Labour leader - and can anyone guide the party out of the mess they have found themselves in? Continue reading...

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Eileen Wang, 58, mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty over the felony count brought by the justice departmentEileen Wang, the mayor of a southern California city, resigned suddenly on Monday after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced she had been charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China.Wang, 58, agreed to plead guilty to the felony count and could face a sentence of 10 years in prison. Continue reading...

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Move comes as administration seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned landThe interior department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as Donald Trump's administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land.The 2024 rule adopted under former president Joe Biden was meant to refocus the interior department's Bureau of Land Management, which oversees about 10% of land in the US. It allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling. Continue reading...

Health minister Mark Butler says six people from MC Hondius plus flight crew from charter plane to be isolated for weeks

Taiwan, tariffs and the strait of Hormuz are on the meeting's agenda for Beijing - but will the US president be forced to ask for help in ending his war with Iran?On 20 February, a White House official confirmed that US president Donald Trump would be travelling to Beijing the following month to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Top of the agenda: the US-China trade war.One week later, Trump approved joint strikes with Israel against Iran, starting a new war in the Middle East. Its ramifications have spread far beyond the region and caused alarm in Beijing. The presidential summit was postponed. Continue reading...

More than 100 figures sign open letter criticising closure, just months after MA was launchedMore than 100 academics, writers and activists from around the world have signed an open letter condemning plans to close an MA in Black studies and global justice at Birmingham City University (BCU), just months after it was first launched.The move follows the controversial closure of BCU's undergraduate course in Black studies in 2024, and has prompted warnings that Black studies are being erased from UK higher education. Continue reading...

Dip in credit card spending in April, particularly on travel, suggests Britons preparing for harder times amid Iran war falloutHouseholds cut back on their spending in April at the fastest pace in 18 months, as the conflict in the Middle East provoked fears of another cost of living crisis, a report from one of the UK's biggest banks has suggested.Barclays, which processes nearly 40% of the UK's credit and debit card transactions, said its data showed there had been a 0.1% fall in card spending last month compared with a year earlier. This was the first year-on-year fall since November 2024. Continue reading...

Research from UCL suggests visiting art galleries or museums, singing and painting can help improve health outcomesSinging, painting or visiting a gallery or museum helps people age more slowly, according to the latest study to link taking an active interest in art and culture with improved health.The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying biologically younger. Continue reading...

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood reported to be among those who have told the PM to consider his position.Botterill says voters she spoke to during the campaign felt the country does not work for them. She is a working-class Yorkshire woman, she says. She knows that the opportunities she has enjoyed would not be there if if had not been for the achievements of Labour government.She says Labour is one of the best vehicles for changing the lives of working people that this county has ever known. Continue reading...

In a rare public appearance, Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams warned of networks of powerful elites' using wealth and influence to silence dissenting voicesMeta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams and the late Virginia Giuffre have jointly won the Freedom to Publish prize at this year's British book awards, marking the first time the award has been shared.Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, was recognised for Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, her bestselling memoir about her years inside Meta, formerly Facebook. The book makes allegations about the company's internal culture and practices, including its approach to political influence, China and the wellbeing of teenagers. Meta has disputed the claims. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood believed to be among those telling PM to oversee orderly departure hours after he said he would fight any challenge

The Cultural Landscape Foundation seeks to block the replacement of pool's gray stone' appearanceA historic preservation group on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking to halt Donald Trump's ongoing renovation to the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool, the latest in a string of court challenges to efforts to remake Washington DC landmarks from the US president and former real estate developer.The lawsuit, filed by the Cultural Landscape Foundation, alleged the renovation violates the National Historic Preservation Act, a law passed by Congress in 1996 that outlines procedures for changes to historic properties.Guardian staff contributed Continue reading...

A growing number of Labour MPs are in no mood to heed calls from the PM's allies to keep faith with their leader

Exclusive: In a letter 40 lawmakers demand the FAA address allegations of mistreatment of immigrants and the urgent need for transparency'A group of 40 House Democrats have described grave concerns" over the Trump administration's secretive program of deportation flights and demanded the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) address allegations of mistreatment and inhumane conditions on ICE charter jets.In a letter shared with the Guardian and addressed to FAA administrator Bryan Bedford, the lawmakers describe the urgent need for transparency" over ICE's expanded use of commercial airliners to transfer detained immigrants and its inappropriate and dangerous" efforts to shield these flights from public scrutiny. Continue reading...

National average for gas prices has risen by well over a dollar per gallon since late February

Violence in Guerrero state has driven as many as 1,000 households from their homes, rights group saysHundreds of Indigenous families have been forced to flee their homes in the mountains of central Mexico by intense attacks from a local criminal group, including drone bombings, an Indigenous rights organisation said on Monday.A gang known as Los Ardillos has been carrying out attacks in Guerrero state for years, but they started to intensify last week. Villages were subjected to eight hours of bombings on Saturday, the National Indigenous Congress said, forcing between 800 to 1,000 families to flee to other towns. Continue reading...