World news | The Guardian

No one was injured and officers did not find additional devices in a sweep of building, police sayThere was an explosion early Saturday at Harvard University's medical school that appears to have been intentional, but no one was injured, authorities said.Police at the Massachusetts Ivy League university said in a statement that an officer who responded to a fire alarm encountered two unidentified people and tried to stop them. But they ran from the campus's Goldenson building before the officer got to where the alert was triggered by an explosion, police said. Continue reading...

The tax office's increased reliance on Recoveriescorp has coincided with a spike in complaints to the watchdog

Regional and disadvantaged schools are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with almost two-thirds of teachers reporting high levels of stress

Opposition faultlines have opened up over net zero and immigration, but the data shows there's more to gain targeting moderate electorates

The Minns government has two major pieces of legislation it desperately wants to pass - but to do so it needs to woo some crossbenchers

Firefighters report rise in callouts as RSPCA says some who got pets during Covid have realised it costs a lot more money than they want it to'Firefighter callouts for animal rescue have risen by more than a quarter in five years, figures show, as charities warn of a new wave of abandonment linked to the soaring costs of food and vet bills.The RSPCA received a record 22,503 abandonment reports last year, as the cost of vets and pet food surged dramatically. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show vet costs last month were almost 50% higher than they were in 2020, and the average can of dog food went up in price from 60p to 1.03 over the same time period. Continue reading...

Israel's defence minister accuses Beirut of delaying efforts to disarm militant group a day after deadly Israeli airstrikeIsrael has threatened to step up its attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese health ministry reported that four people had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.Despite the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has kept up regular strikes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Royal Society of Public Health says fundamental shift' needed in how firms help those with health conditionsAn extra 600,000 people will leave the British workforce in the next decade due to long-term health conditions unless ministers usher in a fundamental shift" in how employers help maintain staff wellbeing, a report has warned.More than 3.3 million adults are expected to become economically inactive by 2035, according to analysis by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), costing the UK 36bn a year. Continue reading...

For months, Mohamed Khamis Douda shared accounts of what life was like under siege. He was killed when RSF fighters finally took the Darfur city, raising fears activists and civil society figures are being hunted downFor months, militiamen on the perimeters of El Fasher have asked those few who managed to escape the besieged Sudanese city whether Mohamed Khamis Douda was still inside. They shared videos threatening to kill him, which, as they hoped, made their way to the activist.Even as the hunger and fear of living under siege and bombardment made him desperate to leave, Douda remained inside El Fasher, constantly working to let the outside world know what was happening to the people there. Then, on Sunday 26 October, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces overran the city and it was too late. His friends and family have confirmed to the Guardian that Douda has been killed.Monday 4 AugustI awake each morning tired from the efforts of the previous day. Our first struggle is the merciless hunger and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Continue reading...

Escalating battle for city comes as overnight Russian drone and missile strikes kill six people, including two children, age 11 and 14Ukraine has deployed special forces to the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk in an attempt to push back an intense Russian assault involving thousands of troops, Kyiv's top commander has said.The escalating battle in the strategically important city comes as an overnight wave of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine killed six people, including two children, and cut power to tens of thousands, officials said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Two people left with life-threatening injuries after attack police say they are not treating as terrorist incident

Former Duke of York to lose honorary rank of vice-admiral a week after having royal title of prince removedThe former Duke of York will lose his naval title, the defence secretary has said, as King Charles looks to draw a line under the scandal over his brother's relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will be stripped of his honorary rank of vice-admiral, which he was given in 2015 and has retained even after giving up other military positions in 2022, John Healey confirmed on Sunday. Continue reading...

Mother of murdered teenager to challenge ruling that David Hagan is too ill to give live evidence at spycops inquiryThe mother of Stephen Lawrence is pressing for the cowardly" undercover police officer who spied on her family's campaign for justice to be questioned at a public inquiry.The spycops inquiry has previously ruled that the undercover officer, David Hagan, was too ill to give live evidence, after submissions by his lawyers. Continue reading...

Police have arrested two people and counter-terrorism police also involved in investigation into mass stabbing on a train from Doncaster to London's Kings Cross on Saturday

Rebecca Dowdeswell has been locked in three-year legal battle with 170bn cosmetics firm over her nkd brandA small business owner is preparing to face down the cosmetics giant L'Oreal at a tribunal next week over a trademark dispute she says has had a devastating impact on her.Rebecca Dowdeswell, 49, from Nottinghamshire, has been locked in a three-year legal battle with the French company since it claimed her use of the name nkd for her business would cause consumer confusion" with its own range of Naked beauty products. Continue reading...

Forty Labour and independent MPs call on Steve Reed to take important step' of defining anti-Muslim hatredMore than three dozen Labour and independent MPs have written to the housing secretary calling on the government to adopt a definition of Islamophobia, after recent figures revealed hate crimes against Muslims were up by nearly a fifth.Forty MPs, including Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Dawn Butler, Kim Johnson and independent Andrew Gwynne, were among the signatories on the letter from Afzal Khan who wrote to Steve Reed on Friday asking him to adopt a definition of anti-Muslim hatred as an important step" in addressing discrimination, prejudice and hatred the community faces. Continue reading...

Financial Conduct Authority defends interest rate of 2.09% as critics describe proposals as hypocritical'Victims of the car loans scandal could miss out on more than 4bn in compensation if the City regulator ploughs ahead with plans for an insulting" interest rate in its redress scheme, consumer groups and claims firms say.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of offering a reduced rate of interest which will be added to compensation from banks for borrowers caught up in the car loan commissions scandal. Continue reading...

With the party adrift and Reform surging, Jenrick's allies are sharpening their pitch for a post-election resetAt an opulent speakeasy-style event at the Raffles hotel on Whitehall this week, the great and the good of what is left of the Conservative party marked the Spectator's parliamentarian of the year awards.With the magazine's editorial line still just about backing the Tories, despite the party facing an existential crisis from Reform UK, it was unsurprising that much of the gossip at the champagne-fuelled event was about whether Kemi Badenoch's job was at risk. Continue reading...

School board apologises after regulator imposes six interim conditions while it conducts a review

The Coral Adventurer will return to Cairns, as investigations into Suzanne Rees' death continue

French-Turkish actor appeared in a string of high-profile films, as well as hit BBC series The MissingTcheky Karyo, who appeared in some of director Luc Besson's biggest hits and a string of international films, died on Friday at the age of 72, his family have announced.A statement from his wife and children sent to AFP said he had succumbed to cancer". Continue reading...

It's been the biggest secret in theatre: what will the marmalade-loving, hyper-polite Peruvian look like in Paddington the Musical? As the curtain rises, we speak to the new bear's creator, a veteran of Star Wars and PG Tips adsPaddington stands within touching distance. His fur flutters as he turns, his neat button nose sniffs the air, and his eyes soften with a smile. For years, design details of the bear for Paddington the Musical, directed by Luke Sheppard, have been kept top secret. Now here he is, in his blue duffel coat and red hat. A quiet theatrical marvel. What we're doing," says producer Sonia Friedman, has never been done before."Standing around 1.2 metres (just under 4ft) tall, the bear is beautifully round, all belly and sloping shoulders. He is not an exact replica of the Paddingtons we've seen in illustrations or movies, but something new. His shaggy, caramel fur has a gentle wave, and his white snout is dotted with a brown nose, ideal for sniffing out trouble. Around his neck sits a label, threaded through an old piece of string, asking for someone to look after him. Continue reading...

Woman, 38, and man, 37, had been arrested on Wednesday in relation to theft of 76m worth of jewellery in ParisTwo more suspects, a man and a woman arrested this week over the jewel heist at the Louvre, have been charged and remanded in custody, prosecutors have said.The charges on Saturday brought to four the number of people now charged over the spectacular robbery. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As jobseekers continue to have payments suspended, advocates call for the regime to be stopped until it's proven to be lawful

Seventy-year-old, who died in incident near Bentley, said by family to be a beloved husband, father and grandfather'A man who was killed in a helicopter crash in Doncaster, South Yorkshire on Thursday has been named by his family as Peter Smith.The family described Smith, 70, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather" and said they were all devastated by this sudden loss", in a statement released by South Yorkshire police. Continue reading...

Police say Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, met girl through Snapchat, and charged him with human trafficking and sexual assaultA 13-year-old Louisiana girl who went missing after meeting a man online was found alive in a box at his home several states away in Pennsylvania - along with evidence that she had been sexually assaulted, according to authorities.Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, faces charges of human trafficking, sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a child after police in Pittsburgh said they arrested him on Thursday. He is one of at least two men who had been arrested as of Saturday amid an investigation involving law enforcement agencies in multiple states. Continue reading...

In Chicago suburb, protesters confront ICE agents, whom Evanston mayor says assaulted' residentsDonald Trump's immigration crackdown continued on Halloween night as federal agents were seen in Chicago and Los Angeles on the holiday, according to multiple reports.In Chicago, where the president has unleashed military troops to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as agents carry out arrests and push back against protesters, several people were arrested on Friday. ICE agents descended on the city and its suburbs as part of their operations, and protesters were also detained during clashes with law enforcement. Continue reading...

Footballer pleads guilty to one count of driving dangerously after his offence was caught on cameraA Chelsea footballer who was caught on camera speeding down the hard shoulder of a busy A road in his Lamborghini has been handed a lengthy driving ban.Wesley Fofana, 24, pleaded guilty at North East Surrey magistrates court to one count of driving dangerously on 20 April along the A3 Esher bypass in Hook, Hampshire. The incident came to light after another motorist captured the footage on a dashcam and reported it to the police. Continue reading...

Officers confiscated more than half a tonne of class B drug in 22 suitcases from air passengers travelling from ThailandPolice have charged 11 people in connection with an attempt to smuggle 22 suitcases packed with cannabis from Thailand to Birmingham worth nearly 14m.More than half a tonne of the class B drug, described by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as an enormous amount", was seized at Birmingham airport in August 2024. The 11 people charged, aged from 21 to 35, all travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Continue reading...

Plans for settling-up charge' predicted to raise 2bn and would follow policy in place among most G7 countriesRich people quitting the UK could be required to pay a 20% tax on their business assets as part of plans reportedly being considered by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.The Treasury has drawn up plans for a settling-up charge" on assets; a move that would bring the UK into line with most other G7 nations and raise a predicted 2bn for the public coffers, according to the Times. Continue reading...

People brought to US as children have built lives and are raising families - but could lose their ability to work legallyA federal judge could soon decide whether tens of thousands of so-called Dreamers" in Texas could lose their ability to work in the US legally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) immigration program - prompting fears of upheaval and heartbreak.As part of the years-long legal battle over Daca, US district court judge Andrew Hanen is set to rule on competing proposals for the future of the Obama-era program. One of those proposals, submitted by the Trump administration, would make Daca recipients in Texas, in particular, ineligible for the work permits typically offered by the policy. Continue reading...

Political instability and fuel shortages caused by rebel group is driving Mali to brink of becoming Islamist republicArmed groups of JNIM fighters have blocked key routes used by fuel tankers, disrupting supply lines to the capital Bamako and other regions across Mali.The al-Qaida-linked jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) is gradually converging on Mali's capital, Bamako, with increasing attacks in recent weeks, including on army-backed convoys. Continue reading...

Student-led movement continues to demand political change as embattled president issues rare apologyTens of thousands of Serbians have gathered to commemorate victims of a fatal railway station collapse a year ago, a tragedy that galvanised anti-government sentiment that still threatens the embattled president, Aleksandar Vui.A student-led movement organised the rallies in the country's second largest city, Novi Sad, where on 1 November 2024, the canopy at the newly renovated railway station collapsed. Continue reading...

Chaotic release procedures at HMP Chelmsford were flagged to the prisons minister last yearMinisters were warned by a watchdog that prisoners were falling through the cracks" of chaotic release procedures at the jail that mistakenly freed a convicted child sex offender.An annual report on HMP Chelmsford uncovered a litany of issues and errors" including a mix-up of release dates" when letting out a vulnerable prisoner. Continue reading...

After initial enthusiasm, people fear ceasefire does not mean end to war but just less frequent, more unpredictable violenceAmeen al-Zein, like many in Gaza, was overjoyed by the news of the ceasefire. It was a rare moment of relief after years of fear and loss. On Tuesday night he gave an interview to a local NGO urging people to return to their homes in northern Gaza now that fighting had stopped. Just half an hour later, Zein was dead, killed in an Israeli bombing on the school where he had been sheltering in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.He died without being able to fulfil his vow to his wife that they would return to Beit Lahia and pitch a tent over the rubble, eager to be home even if their house was no longer there. Continue reading...

Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickersMore than 50 lone child asylum seekers who disappeared soon after arriving in the UK and while in the care of the authorities are still missing, according to data obtained by the Guardian.Many of the missing children arrived in small boats or hidden in the backs of lorries and are thought to have been taken by traffickers. Kent is often the place where they arrive. Continue reading...

Acknowledgment shows shift in tone after six years of diplomatic spats over colonial-era abusesSpain has acknowledged and expressed regret over the pain and injustice" suffered by the Indigenous people of Mexico during its conquest of the Americas, heralding a shift in tone after six years of diplomatic spats over the abuses of the colonial period.In March 2019, Mexico's then president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote to King Felipe VI and Pope Francis, who was then the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, urging them to apologise for the massacres and oppression" of colonialism and the conquest. Continue reading...

Watchdog contacts tax authority after families' payments stopped based on flawed travel dataMinisters may have breached privacy laws when they suspended the child benefit of thousands of families on the basis of flawed Home Office information, legal experts have said.At the same time, the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, has contacted the national tax authority, HMRC, over the issues raised. Continue reading...

Dartford representative James Buchan says devastating' immigration plans had created a lot of fear and anxietyA Reform UK councillor has defected to the Conservatives, saying he became uncomfortable in Nigel Farage's party.James Buchan, who sits in the south-east London borough of Dartford, said he had struggled with the idea of facing his relatives while a member of a party whose anti-immigration policies spread fear. Continue reading...

Education secretary says mandatory test needed to tackle shocking outcomes' for many working-class childrenBridget Phillipson has said she is ready to take on the unions in a battle over compulsory reading tests for 13-year-olds and more extracurricular activities for all children to prevent them becoming stuck in a doom loop of detachment" from school.The education secretary said that teaching unions, who have argued the tests were unnecessary and distracting", should really think carefully" about whether they could justify standing in the way of tackling the shocking outcomes" that exist for many working-class children. Continue reading...

Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi has been imprisoned in the UAE for almost a year for criticising Emirati, Egyptian and Saudi governmentsThe UN special rapporteur on torture is being urged to investigate Lebanon's role in the treatment of the Egyptian-Turkish poet and activist Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi, a dissident who has been imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates for more than 10 months over a post he made on social media.Legal counsel representing Qaradawi filed a complaint to the UN rapporteur on Thursday, asking it to examine the situation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Behaviour of Robert Albon, or Joe Donor', described as compulsive by judge who said he targeted vulnerable womenA prolific unregulated donor is still attempting to sell his sperm despite warnings from two family court judges, a Guardian investigation has found.Robert Albon, who calls himself Joe Donor", has appealed to the courts to gain access to at least four of his biological children against their mothers' wishes. In a rare move, a judge named him in 2023 to warn women of the risks of using his services, which he promotes on social media. Continue reading...

Rising prices and uncertainty over Rachel Reeves's tax plans means this year many superyacht buyers are just browsingWhat would happen if red wine got on that?" It is a common enough question when perusing a carpet store. But, as it happens, the same query crops up when shopping for a yacht. Oh, you'd never get it off that decking," the other half of a young couple replies as they size up one of the 2m triple-decker yachts moored at the recent Southampton international boat show.Top boat manufacturers descended on the port city from across Europe to show off bigger, better and bolder yachts than ever before, as well as lines of smaller sailing and motor boats. But the show, once a must-attend of the season alongside exhibitions in Cannes and Monaco, has shrunk by about 30% this year, according to some vendors' estimates. Continue reading...

The result hands Hassan, who took power in 2021, a five-year term following opposition repressionTanzania's president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been declared the winner of the country's disputed election with more than 97% of the vote following violent protests across the country earlier in the week.The landslide result announced by Tanzania's electoral commission hands Hassan, who took power in 2021 after the death in office of her predecessor, a five-year term to govern the east African country of 68 million people. Continue reading...

Fitzwilliam Museum has uncovered student's work from 1977 that revealed Cambridgeshire location of child's burial placeAn A-level pupil found the lost grave of the Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano's daughter, revealing a story of love and solidarity in 18th-century rural England.Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), also known as Gustavus Vassa, escaped enslavement to become a celebrated author and campaigner in Georgian England. His memoir, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, was a bestseller. Continue reading...

How did a former Mormon bishop end up pleading guilty to taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia in the European parliament?The first thing most people recall about Nathan Gill is his imposing height.At 193cm (6ft 4in), the one-time Reform UK leader in Wales towered over colleagues and opponents - and he was taller still in his favourite cowboy boots. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology says band of severe thunderstorms bearing down on Australia's east coast

Policy position diverging from senior Coalition partner expected to be formalised at Nationals partyroom meeting on Sunday morning

Ofir Birenbaum is suing for defamation after deleted and retracted social media posts by Cairo Takeaway inferred he visited the restaurant with reporters to stir up controversy'

Five hours after the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island without the 80-year-old, it turned back. Her body was found the next day, and her family want answersThe appeal of Lizard Island is its remoteness. The Great Barrier Reef island, 250km from Cairns in Queensland's tropical north, is known for its impressive snorkelling, with giant clams nestled among the coral. It also has a scientific research station.Tourists are mostly kept at bay by its inaccessibility and eye-wateringly high accommodation prices. Continue reading...