World news | The Guardian

This year's Tony awards have already seen wins for musicals Schmigadoon! and Cats: The Jellicle BallChristopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!

Without it the true scale' of former Harrods owner's alleged network will stay hidden, says survivors' groupSurvivors of abuse perpetrated by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for a full trafficking investigation to be launched, arguing that without it the true scale" of the billionaire's alleged network would remain hidden.Survivors at No One Above (NOA), a collective founded by victims of abuse at the hands of Fayed, are calling for the Metropolitan police to broaden their investigation into the billionaire and make trafficking the main focus. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian, French and German leaders in Downing Street after Russia fires hypersonic weapons at UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of the UK, France and Germany discussed the urgent need to scale up" Ukraine's air defences and deep-strike capabilities in London on Sunday night, after Russia fired hypersonic weapons at Ukraine, Downing Street said.The meeting of Ukraine's staunchest allies in London came hours after a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Continue reading...

About 48 people rescued alive after vessel reportedly left Libya carrying about 60 passengersItalian rescuers have recovered 10 bodies after a migrant boat capsized in waters off Malta, a coastguard statement said on Sunday.The vessel, which had departed from Libya carrying about 60 people, overturned about 45 nautical miles east-south-east of Malta, the Italian coastguard said. Continue reading...

Call for clear and truthful account' comes amid questions about the Reform leader's property spendingThe Labour party has written to Nigel Farage urging him to stop evading reasonable scrutiny" over the 5m personal gift he received from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.The letter coincides with approval of a planning application that reveals the Reform leader's plans to transform a dilapidated Kent property into a luxury beachfront residence. Continue reading...

Attack was extremely vile' and deliberate, says Ukraine's president Volodymyr ZelenskyyA Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store spent nuclear fuel close to the disused Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what Ukraine's president described as a deliberate and extremely vile" attack.While the structure - the reception building of the spent fuel storage facility - was empty of containers at the time, the targeting of the sensitive site appeared to be direct messaging from Moscow amid an intensifying battle of long-range aerial strikes in which high-profile locations on both sides have been hit. Continue reading...

Paul Edwards from Chester ordered the publication before the birth of his son in 2007, but experienced pregnant pause before receiving it this weekWhen Paul Edwards ordered a parenting magazine in 2007, he was hoping that it would provide helpful advice and offers to help him navigate the stresses and challenges of bringing up children.However the magazine never arrived - until now. The copy of Mother & Baby was delivered on Friday - 19 years after he ordered it - with his children now studying at university. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dr David Wilson says former British police officer approached him as part of efforts to influence his workThe author of a Home Office-sponsored report on the Chinese state and organised crime in the UK was the target of failed honey traps and a suspected attempt to compromise him by a former British police officer, it is claimed.Dr David Wilson, whose groundbreaking analysis was declassified in February, has told of multiple attempts to influence him or discredit his work as he sought to examine the policing challenges posed by the Chinese Communist party (CCP) and criminal gangs. Continue reading...

Danish follicle rebels go head to head in competition for best short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back cutBusiness in the front, party in the back. A packed Danish crowd has celebrated the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle, defined by very short hair at the front and longer hair at the back.Denmark's raucous 2026 Mullet Championship, presented on an outdoor stage in central Copenhagen, attracted 12 well-coiffed competitors and more than 1,000 spectators. Continue reading...

Move comes as 137 Labour MPs sign letter demanding urgent, concrete action' to stop settler violenceThe UK Foreign Office and a group of western countries are due to announce a package of sanctions against Israel this week designed to deter companies from becoming involved in a proposed West Bank settlement that would split the territory in two and render the concept of a two-state solution near impossible.Nine countries including France, the UK and Australia have warned that settlement violence must stop and no company should be involved in what is known as the E1 development. Continue reading...

Local man had been accused of rape in months before murder but series of delays meant police had failed to summon him for questioningThousands of mourners have turned out for a silent march for a 11-year-old schoolgirl whose murder prompted widespread outrage when it emerged police had failed to question the suspected killer about previous child sexual abuse allegations.The parents of the girl, who has been named only as Lyhanna, led the cortege on Sunday in the south-western village of Fleurance behind a banner reading Never again". Most of those who marched, including children, wore white shirts or T-shirts, many bearing a smiling portrait of the young victim. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says he spoke to US vice-president about post that blamed mass invasion of migrants' for teenager's deathDavid Lammy has said he told the US vice-president, JD Vance, he was wrong to blame the murder of the British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration.The deputy prime minister said he spoke to Vance by phone on Saturday to tell him our democratic process is working well" and that he was wrong in his commentary about the murder. Continue reading...

Five hospitals in England and Wales have switched to urine test, rather than invasive hospital procedureNHS hospitals are using a new way of diagnosing bladder cancer that is faster, more accurate and more convenient for patients than the existing test.Doctors said the Galeas bladder test was a major breakthrough because it involved a urine test taken at home rather than an invasive procedure done at hospital which was uncomfortable for patients. Continue reading...

Comedian is doing first tour in more than 15 years and says many issues he talked about in 1980s are still alive todayLenny Henry has said racism is still at large" as he does his first standup tour in more than 15 years.Henry, best known for The Lenny Henry Show, which ran from 1984 to 2005, said the things he used to talk about in the 1980s were still relevant now. Continue reading...

Committee calls for apology from government amid reports navy's hunter-killer submarines are all dockedA parliamentary committee that scrutinises public spending has made scathing comments about the impact of delays in the publication of the government's defence investment plan (Dip).The plan, originally expected last autumn, has been repeatedly postponed amid warnings that the military faces a huge funding gap over the next four years. It is due to be published before a Nato summit early next month. Continue reading...

Proposed memorials have become flashpoints in a wider struggle over history and political powerDisputes provoked by public monuments, flags and symbols are intensifying as the US's 250th birthday approaches next month, and none are so contentious as those proposed by Donald Trump.Among the recent projects planned by the US president are a Garden of Heroes, a monumental Freedom" arch, a massive ballroom and turning the reflecting pool at the Washington monument the color of a Bahamian luxury hotel pool. Continue reading...

The justice secretary said he spoke to the US vice president after he blamed mass immigration for Nowak's murderReform UK's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said that UK police are institutionally racist", claiming that there is structural anti-white prejudice".When asked by Laura Kuenssberg if he thinks the police are institutionally racist, he said: I think the correct answer to that has to be yes given literally on their website it tells people not to treat people the same - to not be colour-blind." Continue reading...

Historians and campaigners accuse US defence secretary of desecrating memory of soldiers who fell in NormandyThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been accused by historians and rights campaigners of grotesque stupidity" and desecrating the memory of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy after he sought to link immigration to the D-day anniversary, saying Europe was facing a different invasion" of its shores.Speaking in north-west France on Saturday to mark the 82nd anniversary of the D-day landings, Hegseth seized on the moment marking the wartime liberation of Europe to reiterate the US administration's longstanding attack on European immigration policies. Continue reading...

Video of figures clambering in and out of manholes sparks intrigue - and comparisons with crime-fighting turtlesIt started in early May. Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer.The incident might have gone unnoticed, but the subterranean quest, which was caught on film, captured New Yorkers' interest when it happened again, and again, in the same month, with two other groups filmed making their way in and out of the sewer system in Brooklyn. The string of events have seen those involved dubbed mole people" by the local press. Continue reading...

Holy Family Catholic primary school says enthusiastic response from parents has been biggest surpriseSchools banning pupils from having smartphones are commonplace. But what about a school where pupils ban teachers from using their smartphones, and then get their parents to join in?And not just phones: at Holy Family Catholic primary school in west London teachers are also barred from using laptops, monitors or tablets during the school's screen-free Mondays, after an idea that came from the pupils themselves. Continue reading...

Aaron Spencer never denied fatally shooting Michael Fosler, 67, the sexual abuser of his daughter, aged 13An Arkansas sheriff's candidate who was alleged to have killed his teenaged daughter's sexual abuser says he is focused on family and getting back to a normal life" after the dismissal of a murder charge filed against him.I'm grateful this chapter is closed," Aaron Spencer also said in a statement after the dismissal on Thursday. Continue reading...

Kreuzberg campaigners win court ruling against 2m fence aimed at shutting out drug dealersThe hollow" in Gorlitzer Park was heaving with revellers who had gathered in reaction to a court ruling against Berlin's mayor who wanted to lock it up at night. Gorli is our garden," said Monika, a retired psychiatric nurse who lives nearby and had joined the crowds on Monday night for a beer and a bop on the popular deep bowl-shaped meadow in the Kreuzberg district.Gorli is where we socialise and where my daughter grew up," she said, using the affectionate nickname for the centrally located green space covering 14 hectares (35 acres). Continue reading...

As Trump officials take aim at vaccine schedule, scientists encouraged by companies' desire to continue coverageA group of insurers will continue covering routine vaccines through 2027 as the Trump administration once again takes aim at the shots and outbreaks of preventable illnesses such as measles and whooping cough lead to hospitalizations and deaths.Experts told the Guardian that the move has raised questions ahead of the November midterms, but certainly indicates that insurance companies believe vaccines are safe and effective". Continue reading...

UK lagging behind rivals on tourism growth because of travel costs and lack of joined-up planning, says CEO Sean DoyleThe cost of travel to and around the UK is keeping millions of tourists away and slowing economic growth, the boss of British Airways said, as he urged a rethink of aviation taxes.The airline's chief executive, Sean Doyle, said the UK had some of the highest aviation taxes in the world and was falling behind countries such as Japan, France and Germany in boosting its inbound tourism. Continue reading...

Voters to choose between pro-Russian opposition and incumbent Nikol Pashinyan, who is more closely aligned with the westArmenians are going to the polls in an election that could cement the country's shift towards Europe and away from its traditional alliance with Russia.Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party enters the vote as the favourite, ahead of three opposition candidates who advocate for closer ties with Moscow. Pashinyan's main challenger, Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who built much of his fortune in Russia, has been forced to campaign from house arrest at his mansion outside Yerevan. Continue reading...

Experts say results from trial of new triple hormone drug for type 2 diabetes are striking but further tests neededA new triple-action weekly jab for type 2 diabetes could significantly reduce blood sugar and body weight, according to phase 3 trial results.

Fans from across UK descend on Shacklewell Arms for intimate gig that leaves them wanting one thing moreIn the Shacklewell Arms in east London, the usual crowd of hipsters and indie music fans had been replaced by a throng dressed in leopard print, double denim and cowboy hats to pay tribute to the night's headliner: Shania Twain.We thought we might have been scammed when we saw the ticket announcement," said Jack, 28, who came with his sister Amy. Why would she do a pub this small?" Continue reading...

Mama G wants to dedicate her book, The Proudest Bird in the World, to pair after chance Blackpool Pride encounterA search is under way for two lesbian grandmothers who inspired a new children's book after a chance encounter with a pantomime dame at Blackpool Pride.The women, whose names are not known, attended a reading by the popular performer Mama G in 2021, complaining to her about the lack of diversity in young literature. Continue reading...

Marnie Lovejoy hopes to inspire other women to fish, protect England's rivers and lift up the beautiful' graylingWith its iridescent pink scales and elegant dorsal fin, the grayling is known to anglers as the lady of the stream", yet the society fighting for its protection has never been led by a woman, until now.Angling, and fly-fishing in particular, has always been a very male-dominated sport. The fly-fisher's club in Mayfair, London, where anglers meet to lunch on dover sole and drink fine wine, did not allow women to cross the threshold even as guests until 2024. Continue reading...

Hanson compares former soldier's prosecution for war crimes to her 2003 jailing for electoral fraud, which was later overturned

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian borrowing personal loans in record amountsAustralians are borrowing record amounts in personal loans as a long-term buildup in living costs wipes out savings buffers. Continue reading...

Research shows generations of children in England will grow up homeless unless government addresses council housing debt, charity saysIt would take more than a century to clear the social housing waiting lists in England at the government's current speed of delivering new social homes, research by Shelter has shown.The housing charity found that more than 1.3m households are on a waiting list for a social home, but only 12,198 were built by councils, housing associations or private developers across England last year. This equates to an average of 110 households waiting for every new social home delivered, and it would take 119 years to clear the waiting lists if building continued at the same rate. Continue reading...

Exclusive: deal in 2020 had sought to stimulate local battery making but industry says it still cannot meet targetsThe EU and UK car industries are urging the European Commission to adjust the Brexit trade deal and suspend, for a second time, tariffs on imports of electric vehicles.They have expressed concerns that they will not be able to meet the conditions set for 1 January 2027 for tariff-free sales. This is because of strict rules of origin over what products can qualify for tariff-free trade under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement which has applied since 2021. Continue reading...

Commuters were forced to run for cover after a group of youths allegedly fought with knives at Flinders Street station on Saturday night

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of 1990s leader Alberto, is vying with a congressman to become country's ninth president in a decadePeruvians go to the polls on Sunday in an election runoff that pits a perennial rightwing candidate, Keiko Fujimori, against a leftist congressman, Roberto Sanchez. Amid rising crime, chronic political instability, corruption scandals and voter apathy, they are vying to become Peru's ninth president in a decade.Fujimori, who is the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori, won 17% of the vote in the first round in April. Sanchez, a former trade and tourism minister, took 12 % of the vote, edging out Rafael Lopez Aliaga, an ultra-conservative former Lima mayor. The stage is set for a polarised left-right replay of the country's last election in 2021. Continue reading...

Legal papers, expert investigations and social media posts tell story of how a 32-year-old Iraqi appeared to run proxy' campaignOn Monday, a slightly dishevelled Iraqi man, shackled and dressed in beige prison overalls, was ushered into a Manhattan courtroom.Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, 32, pleaded not guilty to a series of terrorism-related offences, then gestured toward the judge and prosecutors. I'm a prisoner of war. I'm not a threat," he told them. Children and women are being killed by your rockets." Continue reading...

David Shoebridge says Australia could become embroiled in a US war with China if purchase of Virginia-class attack submarines proceedsAnthony Albanese has reiterated that Aukus is full-steam ahead" after the Greens renewed calls to cancel the nuclear-powered submarines deal, which the minor party warned could draw Australia into a potential US war with China.Debate over the security pact has resurfaced after the announcement that Australia would buy secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the US, rather than a mix of old and new vessels. Continue reading...

Widow of French ex-president Jacques Chirac was a steely behind-the-scenes operator known for her charity workBernadette Chirac, the formidable widow of the former French president Jacques Chirac and a driving force behind his political rise, has died at the age of 93.As France's first lady for 12 years, Chirac was a steely behind-the-scenes operator in support of her husband, who served twice as prime minister, 18 years as mayor of Paris and two terms as president. Continue reading...

The seven-month-old, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was in his mother's arms when soldiers fired on family in HebronIsraeli troops killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby in the occupied West Bank and injured his parents after opening fire on the family's car, despite it having complied with an order to stop.Soldiers opened fire on Friday on a car carrying the infant and his parents in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron. The seven-month-old, Sam Fahd Abu Haikal, was critically injured, evacuated in critical condition to a hospital, where he later died. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old man arrested after car collides with cyclist Anthony Canty, who died in hospital four days laterA lottery winner has died after a suspected hit-and-run in Essex, police said.Officers were called to the collision between a cyclist and a black Ford Ka in Tiptree at 6.30am on 21 May. The cyclist, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital where he died four days later, Essex police said. Continue reading...

Democrat denies reports of physical intimidation towards women, saying his past has been weaponized'The Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner on Friday predicted that Maine's voters would support him four days later in his party primary despite a string of controversies - including recent negative headlines about his treatment of women that he said had been weaponized".In a 25-minute speech before supporters in Bar Harbor, the oyster farmer and US marine combat veteran addressed the controversies about his personal conduct, which escalated on Thursday with a New York Times report in which three former romantic partners described disturbing behavior, including being physically intimidated by him. Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader will attend UK meeting along with French president and German chancellorKeir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for talks in Downing Street on Sunday to discuss support for Ukraine.The Ukrainian leader will visit the UK with the French president and German chancellor after a week of heightened hostilities and Vladimir Putin's rejection of his proposal of face-to-face talks on Moscow's war. Continue reading...

Musician donated to USC to help create endowed chair to recognize Dr Joseph Sugerman, who treated her for yearsLegendary singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks has given $3m to the University of Southern California's medical school to recognize the physician who has helped care for her voice throughout much of her career.The major donation supports the creation of an endowed chair in otolaryngology at USC's Keck School of Medicine in honor of Dr Joseph Sugerman, an ear, nose and throat specialist from Beverly Hills who has treated the singer - along with other performers and patients - for many years. Continue reading...

Technology secretary Liz Kendall says she is very concerned' about role of social media but will not be bullied off' XThe government is considering fresh action to halt the spread of misinformation during public crises, Liz Kendall has said, insisting she will not be bullied off" Elon Musk's X.The technology secretary was speaking after rioting broke out in Southampton over the police response to the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a case about which Musk has repeatedly posted. Continue reading...

As detainees go on hunger strike over conditions at Delaney Hall, relatives describe concern for loved ones' wellbeingIn mid-May, Elder Guerra was showering inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility when he slipped and fell.Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant, has been locked up in the New Jersey jail for nearly five months. He was arrested by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Newark in January while helping a friend move his snowed-in car. Officers had approached and asked a few questions, according to a relative who spoke with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Sullivan hoped football would legitimise him but claims about historical conduct have led to his resignation from West Ham Sullivan steps down at West Ham to fight claims about private lifeWhen David Sullivan was growing up in a council house in Cardiff, he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. Short and squat, he would never be a player, but later in life the fortune he built through the pornography industry and the property world gave him a route into the sport. The only problem, Sullivan discovered, was finding a club willing to roll out the welcome carpet for him and his business partners, David and Ralph Gold.They were fans of West Ham United and bought a stake in the east London club in 1991, only to find entry to the boardroom closed. We had no contact with the board," the late David Gold wrote in his autobiography. They simply did not want David Sullivan and the Golds at their football club." Continue reading...

State's tortoise-like pace is byproduct of system of verifications and opportunities for voters to fix errorsCalifornia's slow vote counting has frustrated political observers eagerly awaiting results, and handed Donald Trump and others an opportunity to claim election rigging". But experts say the system is working as designed: to protect against fraud and assure every vote is counted.Within a day of the polls closing in California's primary election this week, Trump started accusing Democrats of trying to steal" the elections for the state's governor and the mayor of Los Angeles. The justice department sent a federal prosecutor to observe the ballot-counting process in Los Angeles this week. Continue reading...

Former figures at regulator voice disquiet after series of provocative interviews by recently departed chairRegulators are not generally known for courting controversy. When the day job involves making delicate, legally fraught decisions, they tend to be a circumspect bunch.However, since stepping down as chair of Ofcom, one of Britain's most scrutinised watchdogs, the Conservative peer Michael Grade has been doing his best to buck that stereotype. I'm free of the shackles," he recently said. Continue reading...

Cold storage and logistics body warns food supplies at risk from fuel shortages, cyber attacks and extreme weatherMinisters have been accused of being complacent about the risks to vital supplies of food into the UK amid concerns over fuel shortages, cyber attacks and extreme weather.The trade body for cold storage and logistics has urged the government to make potential disruption to the UK's food system an immediate national priority". Continue reading...