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About 50 people on vessel carrying mostly British and Irish passengers have symptoms, say officialsFrench authorities have confined more than 1,700 passengers and crew members to a cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after an outbreak of suspected norovirus, officials have said.The vessel, Ambition, which is carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them British or Irish nationals, arrived in Bordeaux on Tuesday. About 50 people had shown symptoms of the virus, French health officials said. Continue reading...

With US inflation at a three-year high, US president insisted he's not focused on economic hardship sparked by the conflict

Lineup to include pastor who called Democratic platform demonic', Christian author who said he would die in fight to overturn 2020 election and rabbi who has defended tortureThe defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will this weekend headline a faith rally on the National Mall in Washington DC hosted by a private foundation operating in partnership with the White House, which includes some speakers that experts have characterized as Christian nationalist or extremist.Rededicate 250, billed as the faith-based component of America's semiquincentennial, features speakers including a Detroit pastor who has called the Democratic platform demonic" and launched his own memecoin after praying at Trump's second inauguration; a rabbi who has defended the use of torture and authored an essay titled The Virtue of Hate"; and a Christian author and radio host who said in 2020 he would die in the fight to keep Joe Biden out of the White House and was later named in a defamation suit over 2020 election fraud claims. Continue reading...

US authorities arrested French citizen Marie-Therese Ross-Mahe after she missed an immigration appointmentThe wailing at the Louisiana immigration detention facility began at night, Marie-Therese Ross-Mahe remembered, back at home in France. Children crying, and even babies."The 85-year-old's detention last month as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown made international headlines. Now, nearly a month after her release, she was ready to talk about it - and the late-in-life love story that had brought her to the US. Continue reading...

The ex-lawyer who Trump described as very talented' was previously deputy commissioner for food at the FDAThe new acting commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who Donald Trump described as a very talented person", is a former corporate lawyer who previously defended a popular formula maker against claims of its product harming premature babies.Kyle Diamantas, who most recently served as the FDA deputy commissioner for food, will be taking over as acting FDA commissioner. Continue reading...

Opposition leader to unveil plan to dramatically cut number of migrants in budget reply speech on Thursday

Ronald dela Rosa, accused of crimes against humanity by international criminal court, in standoff with authoritiesGunshots have been fired in the Philippine senate, as a senator who is wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) remained holed up in the building to evade arrest.Ronald dela Rosa, a Philippine senator accused of crimes against humanity for his role in overseeing the former president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs", has spent two nights in the country's senate in a standoff with the authorities. Continue reading...

Sussex police say officers are working to identify the women and understand what happened to themThe bodies of three women have been recovered from the sea off Brighton, police said.Emergency services were called after concerns were raised for the women's welfare at about 5.45am on Wednesday, and their bodies were pulled from the water near Madeira Drive. Continue reading...

Demarcation of 410,000 hectares of territory is intended to protect the Amazonian community from farming, illegal mining and loggingMore than 25 years after the existence of one of the Amazon's most vulnerable nomadic hunter-gatherer communities was confirmed, the Brazilian government has begun demarcating the Pardo River Kawahiva Indigenous territory, giving greater protection to the uncontacted people.The demarcation of the 410,000-hectare (1m-acre) territorylocated between the states of Mato Grosso and Amazonas in north-west Brazil, was confirmed by the National Indigenous Peoples' Foundation (Funai) last week. But the process remains fraught, with legal challenges from groups linked to the country's agribusiness sector, and the forthcoming presidential election in October. Continue reading...

Sources say health secretary intends to trigger leadership election as early as Thursday

Industry body says energy consumption driven by AI up 15% globally in two years as it warns of societal backlashDatacentres are consuming 6% of electricity in the UK and US, with the growing strain of AI on energy supplies prompting community resistance, according to research.The proportion of electricity used by vast warehouses stacked with microchips to power AI and the internet has risen 15% worldwide in the past two years as annual global investment in datacentres approaches $1tn (740bn) - nearly 1% of the global economy, according to the International Data Center Association (IDCA). Continue reading...

Ally of health secretary calls for prime minister to set out timetable for departure ahead of king's speech UK politics live - latest updatesWes Streeting has held talks with Keir Starmer in Downing Street as an ally of the health secretary renewed calls for the prime minister to resign, saying his authority had irretrievably ebbed away".Streeting arrived in No 10 on Wednesday morning amid intense speculation over Labour's leadership crisis and his own future within the party. He left approximately 16 minutes later without commenting to the media. Continue reading...

Rapper known as Ye must pay six-figure sum to four plaintiffs who successfully argued he infringed copyrightKanye West has lost a lawsuit which alleged he infringed on other artists' copyright by playing an uncleared sample of their work during a live event.In July 2021 the artist, now legally known as Ye, played his then-unreleased album Donda to 40,000 fans at a listening party held at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The version of the song Hurricane featured a sample of MSD PT2, an instrumental composed by four musicians: Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Josh Mease and Dan Seeff. They had made the instrumental in 2018, and it made its way to Ye via another producer. Continue reading...

Defence minister says E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft deployed to Gulf in March will join UK and France-led defensive effort to calm Iran conflict

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Exclusive: Where parties fielded multiple candidates in last week's vote, those at top of list were more likely to be pickedFancy your chances in politics? Then perhaps you should change your name to Aaron Aaronson or Aaliyah Aardvark, figures from last week's local elections in England suggest.A Guardian analysis of election results compiled by the website Democracy Club points to a striking alphabet effect. In wards where a party fielded three candidates, those listed nearer the top of the ballot paper - with a surname nearer the start of the alphabet - finished ahead of their party colleagues in 2,200 cases, or 65% of the time. Continue reading...

Coroner is examining 95-year-old's death and looking at dementia training for aged care staff, police and ambulance officers

Move comes as police review charges against protesters from Sydney rally made under now-defunct public assembly law

Umer Khalid, accused of role in Palestine Action break-in, alleges he has not received proper treatment or wheelchairA prisoner with a muscle-wasting condition accused of taking part in a Palestine Action protest claims he has been forced to crawl around the jail - including to get medicine - because of lack of treatment and a wheelchair.Umer Khalid, who is being held at Wormwood Scrubs in west London, awaiting trial for alleged involvement in last year's break-in at RAF Brize Norton, also alleges he was left in his cell when the prison was evacuated because of a fire alarm and went 26 days without a shower while waiting for a shower chair to be provided. Continue reading...

US overdose deaths have plunged, but experts warn the supply shock' from Chinese precursors may only be a temporary fixAs Donald Trump travels to Beijing this week, fentanyl - and China's role in its supply chain - remains an enduring point of acrimony in bilateral relations.At a UN meeting in March, the US again accused China of failing to stop its chemical industry selling the precursors required to make the potent synthetic opioid, while China suggested the US was shifting the blame for its domestic drug problem. Continue reading...

Inquest hears Kyle Hudson, who died aged 22, withdrew from betting accounts multiple times but received more than 300 inducements

Filmmaker who was long on the outer in Hollywood over #MeToo allegations will scout locations for Rush Hour 4, according to spokeswomanBrett Ratner, the director behind the Rush Hour movies and a documentary on Melania Trump, is accompanying Donald Trump to China for his summit with Xi Jinping.Trump is due to hold talks with the Chinese leader on Thursday and Friday over pressing economic and geopolitical issues, including Iran and Taiwan. The US president was accompanied on Air Force One by CEOs and top executives from major US tech and finance firms, including Apple's Tim Cook, Tesla's Elon Musk and BlackRock's Larry Fink. Ratner was among the groups as well. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A leadership crisis once again grips Westminster, with the Labour party currently split, the prime minister may not last the weekGood morning. First as tragedy, then as farce. Once again, the UK is shrouded in political uncertainty as a deeply unpopular prime minister clings to power. It has become a familiar cycle in recent years: the wait to find out which perishable good will survive longer than our next doomed premier.Keir Starmer insists he is not leaving - a serious leader for a serious time - and will have been boosted by last night's lifeline, when Wes Streeting's challenge failed to materialise. However, his authority with Labour MPs remains weak. Each new resignation attempts to undermine his position. For now, Starmer remains in charge by default.UK politics | Keir Starmer will attempt to regain the political initiative today as his government announces a package of 35 bills for the next parliamentary session, covering everything from housing to immigration.World news| Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.UK news | Nine in 10 UK millionaires are proud to live in Britain and three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax to ensure public assets get the funding they need, according to research.Middle East | The risk of some Gulf states becoming embroiled in a direct war with Iran has risen after it was reported the United Arab Emirates had secretly launched a major attack on Iran during the conflict.Health | After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - a condition that affects one in eight women - has been renamed. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leaked draft statement says party cannot continue on its current path' under PMKeir Starmer will not lead his party into the next general election, Labour-supporting unions have predicted, in an intervention that threatens to further destabilise the prime minister after a damaging few days.The 11 Labour-affiliated unions - which include Unite, Unison and the GMB - are expected to issue a joint statement on Wednesday saying at some stage" the party will have to put a plan in place to elect a new leader. Continue reading...

Activists claim use of laws to curtail internet freedoms part of well-documented history of cracking down on dissentWhen Gabon's media regulator indefinitely suspended major social media platforms in February, citing security concerns during anti-government protests, it became the talk of town - literally.Within weeks of the announcement, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass the restrictions surged in the central African country. When gendarmerie began stopping young men at road checkpoints in the capital Libreville and other urban centres to confiscate mobile phones with VPNs installed or detain the owners, warnings spread by word of mouth. Activists and opposition members said their accounts were also suspended due to efforts of state officials. Continue reading...

The Murdoch papers sharpened their sickles and hammered Jim Chalmers' budget for the most radical redistribution of wealth since the Whitlam era'

Legal and child advocates have criticised the changes, which include eroding the Aboriginal child placement principle, as dangerous, ignorant and wrong'

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is about 60 times more carcinogenic than believed in 2006, research findsA new Trump administration plan to rescind 2024 regulations for toxic ethylene oxide (EtO) pollution more broadly aims to limit the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to strengthen public health protections around hazardous emissions and could result in more of the toxin being released into the air.Recent research has found EtO is about 60 times more carcinogenic than thought when the last regulations were developed in 2006. In 2024, the Biden EPA passed a rule that strengthened the regulations to reflect the updated science, and required the nation's EtO emitters to collectively cut their emissions by about 90%. Continue reading...

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More than half of the benefit of the CGT concession went to the top 1% of income earners, the most recent data shows

Despite concerns super-rich are leaving due to tax burdens, 88% of those surveyed were proud to live in UK and would pay more to fund public servicesNine in 10 UK millionaires are proud to live in Britain and three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax to ensure public assets get the funding they need, according to research.Despite widely reported concerns that the wealthy are choosing to leave the country owing to higher taxes, the survey found millionaires were much more concerned about medical workers moving away than wealthy people emigrating. Continue reading...

Researchers find 50+ hours a week can be detrimental to health but lighter responsibilities have positive effectThe stresses and strains of caring for someone for 50 hours or more a week leads to accelerated cognitive decline" in middle-aged and older people, research shows.However, providing care for only five to nine hours a week has the opposite effect, boosting brain health so much that the benefits last until older age. Continue reading...

The behavioural cue of flexible self-protection' is a way to establish whether an animal feels pain, scientists say

Kyle Diamantas, a top official at the agency, will replace Makary and serve as acting FDA commissioner

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...