World news | The Guardian

Described as the must-have' home accessory of 2026, sales of posh' matchboxes are up 121% at SelfridgesGoodbye Swan Vesta, hello Cartier. Matchboxes are the latest home accessory to get a luxury makeover - and some of the price tags are striking.At the upmarket department store chain Selfridges, sales of posh matchboxes are up 121% year-on-year and it said they were the must-have home accessory for 2026". The store has more than doubled its range to meet demand, selling over 100 styles at prices ranging from 5 to more than 230. Continue reading...

US vice-president says Iran chose not to accept American terms for a deal, including to not build nuclear weapons

Catherine King says while peace talks were best chance' at lowering fuel prices, further help may be included in budget

Study identified eight areas that can sustain a population and government has given 1m for recovery programmeThe world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch." So wrote Shakespeare in Richard III, in a line of social commentary that feels ever more relevant with age.A note of good news then, in a world of so much bad, that the eagles the Bard was probably referring to could finally be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years. Continue reading...

Suspect in 40s arrested after man apparently climbed on to USAF C130 Hercules transport plane on remote taxiway in County ClareA man has been arrested after entering an unauthorised area of an airport in the Republic of Ireland and allegedly causing damage to a US military aircraft, police have said.The suspect, aged in his 40s, was arrested for alleged criminal damage and remains in custody over the incident on Saturday at Shannon airport in County Clare. Continue reading...

Animals were used legally as fishing bait, sheriff's office confirms after incident shook locals in Guemes IslandA Washington state sheriff's office says it has solved the mystery of nearly two dozen dead canines who washed ashore recently.The animals were foxes being used legally as bait for fishing operations, the Skagit county sheriff's office said on Friday. Continue reading...

Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protections

Ukraine reports 469 violations of Putin's 32-hour ceasefire, hours after deadly drone attacks on Odesa and KhersonRussia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer said.The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side," said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade. Continue reading...

JD Vance leads American delegation while Iran's negotiators headed up by Iran's parliamentary speakerPeace talks between Iran and the US began in Islamabad this afternoon, with senior negotiators from both countries meeting face to face at the highest level for the first time since 1979, in the presence of mediators from Pakistan.Pakistani state TV said US and Iranian officials were sitting directly at the same table" - which was later confirmed by the White House - and discussions were beginning in a positive atmosphere, despite fighting continuing in Lebanon. Continue reading...

Police rescued boy after neighbour reported sounds of a child coming from vehicle in Hagenbach in eastern FranceA malnourished nine-year-old boy was rescued after being locked in his father's van since 2024 in eastern France, a prosecutor said.A neighbour alerted police to sounds of a child" coming from a vehicle in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany. Continue reading...

Three arrested by federal agents had family ties to Iranian military general, regime spokesperson or security chiefUnited States federal agents arrested three Iranian nationals - including the son of a revolutionary at the center of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis - after the US state department terminated their green cards, the department announced on Saturday.State department officials revoked the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, whose mother was an Iranian revolutionary who served as the spokesperson for Iran's regime during the hostage crisis that defined the late Jimmy Carter's presidency. The state department also revoked the green card - or legal permanent resident - statuses of Hashemi's wife and son. Continue reading...

Arrests and detentions took place at first mass demo since group's ban was ruled unlawful by high courtMore than 200 people have been arrested at the first mass demonstration opposing the proscription of Palestine Action since the group's ban was ruled unlawful by the high court.Hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in London and presented signs reading: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Hundreds of demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards on Saturday afternoon. The Metropolitan police said 212 people had been arrested by 4.50pm, with their ages ranging from 27 to 82. Continue reading...

Officials accept that time has run out to pass law to allow transfer of islands to MauritiusThe UK government has been forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the US dropped its support for the agreement.On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Trump has upped the stridency and threatening nature of his complaints, but the US and Europe need each otherCollateral damage is a universally acknowledged hazard of war - more commonly known for its impact on truth and non-combatant civilians.Its consequences are much less frequently visited on military alliances. Continue reading...

Police arrest man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in deathA 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a dog at a property in Essex.Police have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death, after the incident on Friday. He is now in police custody. Continue reading...

Lynette and Brian Hooker, from Michigan, were years into a sailing adventure when Brian said his wife fell overboardLynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed, We're finally leaving Kemah," referring to a Texas port town.It's only been four months," she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country's history".Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain's lack of readiness" for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

Concerns raised over use of travel data in determining whether people are continuously' in Britain after HMRC fiascoUK ministers are to start removing post-Brexit residency rights from EU citizens who are no longer continuously" living in the country.The initiative is legal under the 2020 Brexit withdrawal agreement, but the decision to use travel data to partly determine absences has raised concerns after the HMRC fiasco that saw almost 20,000 parents stripped of child benefits because of inaccurate Home Office border data. Continue reading...

Finbar Sullivan was stabbed in north-west London in early evening on Tuesday and pronounced dead at sceneA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of 21-year-old Finbar Sullivan, who was stabbed to death in London's Primrose Hill.The Metropolitan police arrested a 27-year-old man on Friday. A second man, who is 25, has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody. Continue reading...

Unite Here co-president demands improvement in working conditions and urges Fifa to keep ICE away from matchesA hospitality union that represents about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has threatened to strike during the World Cup if Fifa leaders do not heed their concerns about working conditions and the presence of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).This summer, SoFi Stadium will be thrust into the national spotlight as it hosts eight World Cup matches. Between June and July, Los Angeles is estimated to see 150,000 more out-of-town visitors than typical for the time period. Continue reading...

War spurs debate on US power and role in the world - and progressives eye chance to reorient American foreign policyWell over a year into Donald Trump's disruptive second term, few believed the US president could still genuinely shock. But at 8.06am on Tuesday he did just that, with an apocalyptic threat on Truth Social, to destroy a whole civilization" in Iran - a country of more than 90 million people. Democrats abandoned their forced restraint and immediately began to call for Trump's removal from office.Yet beneath Democrats' near-universal opposition to what they call the president's war of choice" are simmering tensions about the way America should engage with the world, especially when it comes to the Middle East. Since losing to Trump and his America First agenda in 2024, which promised not to start new wars, leading progressives have urged Democrats to reclaim the anti-war" mantle. Continue reading...

Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali, accused of piloting small boat, is charged with endangering lifeA man accused of piloting a small boat carrying four people who drowned trying to cross the Channel has been charged over their deaths.Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said. Continue reading...

Iran dropped explosives in the waterway erratically and may not have marked where it put all of them, US suggests

Iran war drives demand for solar panels, heat pumps and EVs, with energy bills expected to rise 18% from JulyBritish households are turning to green home energy upgrades in record numbers to try to keep bills down as the Iran crisis sends global oil and gas prices soaring, data from leading energy suppliers suggests.Figures show demand for solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps in Great Britain has leapt since the war began on 28 February, as households brace for a sharp increase in monthly payments when the next energy price cap takes effect in the summer. Continue reading...

Archaeological record suggests hunter gatherers were playing games of chance at the end of the last ice ageNative American hunter gatherers were using dice for gaming and gambling more than 6,000 years before the practice appeared anywhere else, a new study argues.It says dice were being made and used on the western great plains of North America at the end of the last ice age, more than 12,000 years ago. Continue reading...

Former Ukrainian major general says 4kg of material was most likely an attempt to influence Hungary's election

Chris Kempczinski's taste test was mocked online, to which he said his mother had taught him: Don't talk with your mouth full'The chief executive officer of McDonald's recently blamed etiquette guidance from his mother for a February on-camera taste test that made him a target for ridicule - and summarily recorded another video of him eating one of the fast-food giant's offerings in a manner potential consumers found awkward.Chris Kempczinski suggested to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) earlier in April that he was simply heeding maternal advice to never talk with his mouth full when he took the humorously small bite at the center of a viral video which depicted him discussing and sampling the new Big Arch burger from McDonald's. Continue reading...

Having received assurances from Singapore over refined fuels, diesel supply will surely be next on the prime minister's agenda

Britain's standing in the world was never the same after its assault on Egypt in 1956. Now the US risks repeating history in the Middle East

Ex-footballer to decorate gnome for annual event after organisers lift ban on the ornaments dating back to 1927Rare roses and stunning irises are usually among the most coveted items at the Chelsea flower show. But this year, the star attraction might be pink, sequined - and decorated by David Beckham.The former England football captain is co-designing a garden at the May event with King Charles and as part of that effort he has been given a garden gnome to paint. It will be auctioned off for charity. Continue reading...

Corruption scandals and a surging opposition have turned the vote into the biggest test yet for the long-serving populist leaderThe drone footage showed a sprawling residence in northern Hungary, complete with manicured gardens, a swimming pool and an underground garage. But it was what came next that captured much of the country's imagination: zebras darting across the countryside. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Guardian analysis suggests young people who pose catastrophic' threat still slipping through systemMinisters are failing to learn the lessons" from the Southport attack and allowing violence-obsessed teenagers to remain a catastrophic" threat to society, lawyers for victims of the atrocity have said ahead of the findings of an official inquiry.A report on the July 2024 attack by the judge Sir Adrian Fulford, to be released on Monday, is expected to strongly criticise failings by a series of agencies, including the counter-terrorism programme Prevent. Continue reading...

Engineers link reduced lifespan of roads to shift to heavier cars, some bought to navigate damaged surfacesDrivers who choose SUVs are compounding the pothole problem, experts have warned, as research showed hundreds of thousands of people bought bigger cars to navigate damaged roads.Scientists said the cumulative effect of increasing numbers of heavier vehicles was a contributory factor in Britain's potholes getting worse. Continue reading...

The four astronauts touched down on Earth off the coast of California, concluding historic 10-day missionThe Artemis II, and the four astronauts aboard the Orion space capsule, splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday night, with all four astronauts in good health.53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what was left undone. Let us not go to plant flags and leave, but to stay with firmness in our purpose, with gratitude for the hands who built the machines and with love for the ones that we carry with us," Nasa's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said at the late-night press conference after the astronauts landed. Continue reading...

Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 kmh (80 mph), is expected to hit on SundayThousands of New Zealanders were ordered to evacuate their homes on Saturday as the country's North Island braced for Cyclone Vaianu, which authorities warned could cause coastal flooding and landslides.Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mp/h), was expected to hit on Sunday, then pass west of the remote Chatham Islands on Monday, the country's weather forecaster said. Continue reading...

US president says that warships are being reloaded with weaponry to strike Iran if Saturday's Islamabad talks fail to produce a deal

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Former allies of Democratic contender withdraw support after accusations in San Francisco Chronicle and on CNNCongressman Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate to be California's next governor, forcefully denied allegations of sexual assault on Friday night, as he faced escalating calls to withdraw from the race from prominent supporters, rivals and his won colleagues in Congress.In a video statement shared on his Instagram and posted by his official congressional account on X, the California Democrat vowed to fight the allegations with everything I have". Continue reading...

Massive fire followed explosion at 5,000-sq-ft warehouse near Esparto, an hour from Sacramento, on 1 JulyMultiple people have been charged with murder in connection to a fatal fireworks-warehouse explosion in California that killed seven people and injured two others in July.The explosion at the 5,000-sq-ft warehouse sparked a massive fire near the small town of Esparto, about an hour outside Sacramento. The explosion took place on 1 July; local celebrations to commemorate the Fourth of July holiday were cancelled that year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move comes after Guardian Australia revealed Gemma Seymour was facing potential suspension over video criticising RMIT's ties to weapons companiesRMIT University has dropped a misconduct case against a student who accused the institution of being complicit in genocide" in Gaza, because of its defence and aerospace research centre's ties to weapons companies.Guardian Australia this week revealed the student, Gemma Seymour, faced potential suspension over a social media video calling for the university's Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre to be shut down. Continue reading...

Vice-president's war doubts and his boss's desperation to reopen Red Sea look like a weak deck against bolstered opponentsAs JD Vance arrives in Islamabad to negotiate a peace deal with Iran, his first high-profile assignment of the war looks to be a poisoned chalice.Vance, a vocal opponent of US wars in the Middle East gone quiet since the beginning of the current military campaign, will now face off with Iranian negotiators who feel emboldened by their new control of the Hormuz strait and their resilience in the face of the largest US-Israeli onslaught in history. Vance's presence at the talks as vice-president will make it the highest-level meeting since the Iranian revolution of 1979. Continue reading...

Outrage from survivors follows first lady's statement calling on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein's abuse

Erik Duran in 2023 threw cooler at fleeing suspect Eric Duprey, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died

Adams was granted citizenship and a passport from Balkan country by a special decree from the republic's presidentEric Adams has obtained citizenship and a passport from Albania, according to reports on Friday from the Balkan country which received effusive compliments from him during a visit there months earlier.The Albania Daily News first reported that the former New York City mayor had requested both and was granted them by a special decree from the republic's president, Bajram Begaj. A spokesperson for Adams confirmed that development in a statement distributed to the news media, and it was evidently chronicled in Albania's official government journal. Continue reading...

Former vice-president teases White House bid while Pete Buttigieg also suggests he may launch campaign

Irish drivers told to buy only fuel they need as filling stations run out and hauliers and farmers block motorways in fourth day of action

Cody Roberts received widespread opprobrium for his disturbing' treatment of gray wolf but avoided jail time

WilmerHale, the law firm examining Leon Botstein's communications with Jeffrey Epstein, said review is ongoing'Bard College's president, Leon Botstein, told his staff at a meeting this week that there was no way he could have known that Jeffrey Epstein - who was a convicted sex offender during their interactions over the years - was actually reprehensible" and predicted he would soon be cleared of any hint of impropriety about their relationship, according to sources who witnessed the remarks.The liberal arts college's board of trustees hired in February the white-shoe law firm WilmerHale to independently investigate communications between Epstein and Botstein. Continue reading...

Chamel Abdulkarim was charged with felony and state arson counts after allegedly destroying property worth nearly $600m

Triumphal arch would be 250ft tall, featuring a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, at the foot of Arlington Memorial BridgeThe Trump administration on Friday released new renderings of the triumphal arch the president wants to install in Memorial Circle at the foot of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.As part of Donald Trump's legacy-building quest during his second term in office, the so-called Arc de Trump" would stand 250ft tall, feature a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, and include a viewing deck. The phrase One Nation Under God" would stretch across the top of the structure, according to the latest plans from Harrison Design. Continue reading...