World news | The Guardian

Annual survey of numberplates from more than 25,000 journeys reveals 63% fall in squashed bugs since 2021The long-term decline in the number of flying insects being splattered on cars after a journey is well recognised by older drivers. But the latest survey has revealed that the number of insects found on vehicle number plates has plummeted by 63% since 2021.An analysis of records from more than 25,000 journeys across Britain since 2021 reveals an alarming apparent drop in flying insect abundance, although the rate of decrease slowed in 2024. Continue reading...

Editors, two reporters and lawyers among the individuals pro-Israel group says should be referred for potential contempt of court

Growing numbers of older people are creating enterprises in everything from baking to biodiversity - but does the freedom make up for the graft?Kari Johnston felt ready to retire after 45 years in nursing when, at 63 years old, she decided to launch her own business - a professional decluttering and organising service.She had read about decluttering and, fascinated, quickly created a website and advertised. Her first clients were friends. Three-and-a-half years later, Johnston, from St Monans in Fife, is now fully retired from nursing, and feels delighted with the success of her new venture. Continue reading...

Thousands of South Africans are hoping to move to the US to escape crime - and what they say is discrimination against white peopleKyle believed God was looking out for him when he survived a violent farm robbery in South Africa eight years ago with only a black eye and broken ribs. The robbers failed to get the kettle and iron working, so were unable to burn anyone. Then the gun trigger jammed when they tried to shoot Kyle in the spine.They specifically said they were coming back for this farm ... [that] it was their land," said the 43-year-old, who did not want to use his full name. Only afterwards, we found out that the guy that stays on the plot was actually killed ... the farmhand ... I don't know what his name was." Continue reading...

Thousands gather to see parade featuring marching troops and an air show of Russian-made fighter jets and helicoptersThousands of Vietnamese people have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, in what the country's communist leader said was a victory of justice over tyranny".Celebrations culminated in a grand parade in Ho Chi Minh City with thousands of marching troops and an airshow featuring Russian-made fighter jets and helicopters, as Vietnamese waved red flags and sang patriotic songs. Continue reading...

Headline inflation - which includes the impact of government cost-of-living policies such as rebates - held steady at 2.4% in the year to March

Guardian US columnist Mehdi Hasan on the start of Donald Trump's second term as president and the threat to democracy in the USSo many things have shocked me about the past 100 days," says the Guardian US columnist and author of Win Every Argument, Mehdi Hasan.Even for me, even the person who was saying it's going to be so bad, it's much worse than even I thought." Continue reading...

After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecutingIn Hamburg's spring sunshine, 200,000-tonne cargo ships almost half a mile long, piled high with the same weight in shipping containers, are docked quayside along the Elbe River. Cranes slowly offload the metal boxes packed with everything from raw materials to food and electronics, and, in some, cocaine.Between 2018 and 2023 cocaine seizures rose by 750%, marking out Germany as another major European hub in the ever-expanding global trade. But the influx is not just ramping up addiction, it is also fuelling corruption in a country perceived as being one of the least corrupt in the world. Continue reading...

The Coalition hopes to increase its share of preferences from One Nation but some insiders argue the move damages its reputation

New outlet due to welcome shoppers on Thursday regarded as key to helping revive famous London thoroughfareThe UK boss of Ikea has backed calls to pedestrianise Oxford Street as the world's largest furniture retailer finally opens its delayed store in London's prime shopping destination.The Swedish company's three-floor shop in the building that used to be Topshop's former flagship store, with a mix of meatballs, lampshades and kitchen design assistance, opens on Thursday, 18 months later than planned. Continue reading...

Secondary school pupil numbers also likely to outpace government's recruitment goals, watchdog warnsA key government pledge to appoint 6,500 extra teachers in England by the end of this parliament will be difficult to achieve and is likely to fall short of demand, the UK's public spending watchdog has warned.The education secretary Bridget Phillipson's promise to recruit thousands of extra teachers in state schools, which has been funded by adding VAT to private school fees, forms one of the cornerstones of the government's education policy. Continue reading...

New accreditation for PAs and anaesthesia associates is important milestone' for patient assurance, regulator saysMore than 1,000 physician associates (PAs) could begin their careers in the NHS every year after regulators approved dozens of courses to teach them.

Forecasters say temperature could soar to 30C later this week, the earliest date the high would have been reachedThe UK experienced its hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday and temperatures could reach 30C at the earliest point on record later this week, forecasters said.

Hit comedy drama series to return with new set of characters and Kerry Washington as executive producerThe drama on Wisteria Lane looks set to continue with a new iteration of the hit ABC show Desperate Housewives in development.The show is scheduled at Onyx Collective, with Kerry Washington to executive-produce along with Pilar Savone and Natalie Chaidez. The latter, who recently worked on The Flight Attendant, will also write the spin-off series, currently titled Wisteria Lane. Continue reading...

Chief executive of Criminal Cases Review Commission questioned by MPs over Andrew Malkinson failings, expensive courses and being absent' bossSenior management at the miscarriage of justice watchdog were told there was a hole at the heart" of the organisation as MPs criticised its working from home policy and asked executives if they felt they were the right people to continue leading it.In an evidence session on Tuesday, the chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), Karen Kneller, was questioned by the cross-party Commons' justice committee over its failings in the Andrew Malkinson case, her expensive French business courses, and the organisation's remote working policy, under which, she told them, she worked just one to two days in its Birmingham head office each month. Continue reading...

Husband of murdered Labour MP says Belfast rappers' talk of being unfairly targeted undermines their statementBrendan Cox, the husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox, has said the Irish rap trio Kneecap have offered only half an apology", after criticism of comments in which they appear to call for politicians to be killed.Kneecap apologised to Jo Cox's family and that of the MP David Amess, who was also murdered, in the face of mounting criticism, including from Downing Street and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader. Continue reading...

Criminal charges against media outlets have raised concerns about press freedomIranian journalists have warned of a media crackdown after a series of incidents, the most recent an explosion at a munitions company in which one person was killed and two injured.The explosion on Tuesday, for which there has been no official explanation, occurred in Isfahan, only two days after a thwarted cyber-attack on the communications infrastructure on Sunday, and a huge explosion on Saturday at the strategic southern port of Shahid Rajaee, near Bandar Abbas. Continue reading...

Show dips into lucrative holiday market with butter-yellow, lilac and gold lame outfits reflecting beauty of the backdropChanel has a fresh-faced, avant garde new designer but it still stands for classic glamour. This was the loud and clear messaging at the first Chanel show since Matthieu Blazy took up his role. The show was held at Villa d'Este, the Lake Como palace hotel where Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich holidayed and which Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed The Pleasure Garden there, pronounced the most beautiful place on earth.The location, booked a year in advance, provided the theme: life in a grand hotel. Think White Lotus on Lake Como, art directed by Slim Aarons. First on to the pebbled catwalk weaving through the hotel's terrace was a white bathrobe-style coat. Then there were capri pants in the butter yellow of the hotel parasols, and a lilac tweed suit to match the wisteria trailing overhead. Models swung tote bags big enough for pool towels, while gold lame cover-ups glinted as dazzling as sun on the lake. Continue reading...

Exclusive: US officials have split negotiations with countries into three phases, sources say, with South Korea taking priorityDonald Trump has made a trade deal with the UK a second-order priority, sources have told the Guardian, hampering British attempts to meet their mid-May deadline.US officials have decided to split their negotiations with more than a dozen other countries into three phases, with the UK being placed in either phase two or three, according to people who have been briefed on the talks. Continue reading...

Accusation from UN agency comes as Red Crescent medic held since deadly Israeli attack on ambulances is freedThe embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, has accused Israel of abusing dozens of its staff in military detention and using some as human shields.The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, said that more than 50 staff members, including teachers, doctors and social workers, had been detained and abused since the start of the 18 month-long war in Gaza. Continue reading...

Following election loss to Mark Carney's Liberals, Poilievre is likely to face questions over his future as party leader

Xuan Phuong, a war correspondent who is now 96, recalls her entry into the city after South Vietnam's surrenderThe day that Saigon fell, Xuan Phuong, a war correspondent, could only hear shouting and commotion. It was 30 April 1975, and helicopters were frantically lifting personnel and civilians from the US embassy.Phuong, who had travelled down from the north, was initially held back by troops who said fighting was still continuing. When she was finally able to reach the centre of the city the following day, 1 May, she found chaos. Clothes and luggage were scattered and discarded along the streets. Buildings were being looted. Continue reading...

Reports on group thought to have previously hit MGM Resorts come as Marks & Spencer online orders still pausedA major cyber-attack on Marks & Spencer has been linked to a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider, which is previously thought to have hit MGM Resorts and the US casino operator Caesars.The group, which has previously been found to include people in their 20s from the UK and the US - some of whom faced charges over attempts to steal cryptocurrency via phishing attacks in the US - are reported to have encrypted key M&S systems using ransomware, according to the technology specialist site BleepingComputer. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereSeverin Carrell is the Guardian's Scotland editor.Keir Starmer is not expected to campaign in the Hamilton byelection, a critical contest for Scottish Labour which takes place in early June, Anas Sarwar has confirmed.I wouldn't expect Keir to be campaigning in the byelection. That's not to say he won't, but I'm not expecting Kier to campaign in the byelection.I'll be on the stump campaigning for a Labour win. I'm the candidate for first minister next year. I'm the one that wants to remove the SNP from government.Next year, we've got to demonstrate to people that for all Nigel Farage might want to come here with his easy answers and create a bit of a circus, the reality is a vote for Reform only helps the SNP. If you want to get rid of the SNP, only Scottish Labour can beat them. Continue reading...

Party written off months ago completes remarkable comeback after US president's threats boosted campaign

Coalition's outline of changes to national curriculum based on critical thinking' and common sense' is yet to be revealed

The previously safe Liberal electorate Tangney fell to Labor's Sam Lim - a former dolphin trainer - in the red wave of 2022. Now Howard Ong is fighting to win it back

At about 250 to 260 eggs a person each year, our egg consumption is very high by international standards

Exclusive: As they wait on latest weather forecasts, concert goers delay buying tickets. But this has caused some major events to cancel

Spain and Portugal electricity services returning to normal after being hit by biggest power cut in recent European historyPortuguese power network operator REN denied on Tuesday it was behind a message circulated on social media attributing the massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula to a rare atmospheric event, AFP reported.REN confirms we did not put out this statement," spokesperson Bruno Silva told AFP, without giving further details. Continue reading...

Jury shown phone footage with sound of chainsaw and toppling tree taken by pair, who deny criminal damageTwo men filmed themselves using a chainsaw to fell the famous Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall in an act of mindless criminal damage", a court has heard.Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, embarked on a moronic mission" to cut down in minutes a tree that had stood for more than 100 years, the prosecutor Richard Wright KC told Newcastle crown court. Continue reading...

Brooke Bellamy denies taking recipes from fellow cookbook author Nagi Maehashi who said it felt like blatant exploitation'

UK and rest of Europe risk losing out to US and China unless they ramp up spending on new medicines, says CEO Pascal Soriot

The American actor told Bill Maher's podcast that he had asked Quincy Jones about the singer's sexuality and felt he couldn't play that character 100%'The actor Terrence Howard has said that he declined the role of Marvin Gaye in a film, because he didn't want to kiss another man.Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast, the actor said the biggest mistake" of his career was turning down the leading role in a separate biopic of the singer Smokey Robinson - which Robinson had personally asked him to play. Continue reading...

Owen Lawrence, 38, is believed to have shot two women with crossbow on Saturday afternoon before turning weapon on himselfA man suspected of attacking two women in the Headingley area of Leeds on Saturday afternoon during an attempted misogynistic massacre" has died overnight, counter-terrorism police have confirmed.Owen Lawrence, 38, is believed to shot the women, aged 19 and 31, with a crossbow before turning the weapon on himself at the scene on Otley Road, a popular pub crawl route. Continue reading...

Rock star co-founded cancer charity that helped sign up 250,000 people as stem cell donorsMike Peters, frontman of the Welsh band The Alarm, has died from blood cancer aged 66.The rock star, who was forced to cancel a US tour last year after being diagnosed with fast-growing lymphoma, had been undergoing treatment at the Christie NHS foundation trust in Manchester. Continue reading...

Long-awaited ruling means cash-for-citizenship programme that allowed people to live and work in bloc must be scrapped

Prime minister tells Canadians that America wants our land, our resources, our water' and promises to protect country

Leonardo, who went on the run from his home in Ulverston, covered distance at pace of about 6 metres a dayWhen Leonardo the tortoise went missing from his home in Cumbria nine months ago, his owners feared the worst.But the intrepid testudine has been found about a mile from his home in Ulverston - covering the distance at an average pace of 6 metres a day. Continue reading...

Victoria McCloud brings action against UK for infringement of her human rights after ruling on biological sexBritain's first transgender judge is taking the UK to the European court of human rights over the supreme court's ruling on biological sex.The UK supreme court ruled earlier this month that the terms woman" and sex" in the Equality Act referred only to a biological woman and to biological sex, with subsequent guidance from the equality watchdog amounting to a blanket ban on trans people using toilets and other services of the gender they identify as. Continue reading...

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First Indigenous Australian to serve as federal minister says to politicise it just adds to the division'

Museums in Belfast, Cardiff, Perth, Warwickshire and County Durham compete for 120,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year awardFive UK museums, all alive with ideas and energy", in Belfast, Cardiff, Perth, Warwickshire and County Durham are to compete for the world's largest prize given to a museum.The Art Fund Museum of the Year prize offers the winner a gamechanging prize of 120,000, with 15,000 going to each of the other finalists. Continue reading...

IET report says running cables below ground about four and a half times more expensive than overhead linesLabour has vowed to press ahead with its plans to build more pylons across England and Wales, a subject of local political division, as a report says underground electricity cables are more than four times more expensive than overhead lines.Pylons have become one of the key electoral issues in a number of counties including Lincolnshire, which is a local election battleground this week. Reform and the Conservatives have called for electricity cables to be buried underground rather than carried overhead by pylons. Continue reading...

Insp Amy Scott, who shot Joel Cauchi in April 2024, tells Sydney inquest she was trained to stop the killing, stop the dying'

Williams says he did not attempt to impose actions or outcomes on any editorial managers' with emails about comedian

Officials draft declaration to help tackle fluctuations' in world economyThe UK and the EU have outlined a new strategic partnership" aimed at bolstering trade and presenting a united European front in Ukraine in defiance of Donald Trump's threat to upend decades of transatlantic alignment.A draft declaration being drawn up by London and Brussels ahead of a UK-EU summit on 19 May points to a common understanding" on a number of shared interests. Continue reading...

While the government's savings are a worthy target', achieving them may not be a straightforward process', some say

All Zionists are terrorists' allegedly chanted outside court where Tayeh was appearing on charges relating to the alleged use of the same phrase