World news | The Guardian

Sharp rise in 2022-23 from previous year despite 30-year downward trend

With the Scottish National party leader poised to quit, we look at likely successors

Mel Stride says therapy or respite could be offered instead of Pip payments to those with milder' mental health issues

Deal would end six years of turmoil for owner of back catalogues of star artists ranging from Blondie to Neil Young and Justin BieberThe struggling owner of music back catalogues ranging from Shakira to the Red Hot Chili Peppers has agreed a $1.6bn (1.3bn) improved takeover offer from US private equity investor Blackstone.Hipgnosis Songs Fund said it was recommending the offer, which trumps a rival $1.4bn bid by US-based royalties fund Concord Music. Continue reading...

There is no one single solution but what it clear is the status quo isn't working', says NSW minister for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault

Chief of Singtel-owned company says a similar deal it opposed between TPG and Telstra very different in that Optus is not the dominant player'

Former federal politician said the former Fox News commentator, who continues to argue the 2020 US presidential election was rigged, will not be paid for a series of interviews. Follow the day's news live

First warning of 2024 issued more than a month before start of official season, as parts of Europe engulfed in African dustLast week, the US National Hurricane Center issued its first advisory of the year, more than a month before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from 1 June to 30 November. An area of low pressure was identified on Wednesday 24 April in the east-central Atlantic Ocean, about 900 miles to the north-west of Cape Verde.The low quickly dispersed as it moved into an area of stronger upper level winds. But although this disturbance did not cause any impacts, it is perhaps a sign of what forecasters are predicting will be one of the most active hurricane seasons on record. Earlier in April, the Colorado State University issued its Atlantic hurricane forecast, with a prediction of 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. For comparison, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average hurricane season between 1991 and 2020 comprised roughly 14 tropical storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Continue reading...

Video footage shows two hooded figures entering the front yard of a house in Fairfield West before a fire erupts

PP leader accuses prime minister of navel-gazing, while Sanchez's supporters rally in MadridSpanish opposition parties have stepped up their attacks on the socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, as he prepares to announce whether he will resign because of what he describes as a harassment and bullying operation" being waged against him and his wife by his political and media enemies.Sanchez shocked Spain on Wednesday night when he published a letter announcing that he would abandon his public duties for five days while he weighed up whether to step down, adding that he would reveal his decision on Monday. Continue reading...

Decision to step down could come within next day as SNP leader faces no-confidence vote at HolyroodHumza Yousaf is considering quitting as Scotland's first minister as the prospect of winning a vote of confidence becomes increasingly uncertain.The Guardian understands that a final decision has not yet been made, but that it could come within the next day. Continue reading...

Rescuers on Italian island say European governments must open more safe routes to claim refugeAid workers on the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is one of Europe's busiest landing points for asylum seekers, have condemned Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan as they prepare for another busy summer of bedraggled arrivals and deaths at sea.They have called on European governments to open more safe routes to claim refuge if they wish to stop the boats". Continue reading...

Polling for party shows 47% of UK adults rarely or never see same doctor for each appointmentPeople aged over 70 and those with long-term health conditions would have access to the same named GP for every appointment under plans unveiled by the Liberal Democrats, as polling reveals almost half of Britons rarely or never see their family doctor.The Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, said the policy would require 8,000 more GPs and take at least four years to implement at the cost of an extra 1bn a year, with the money coming from taxing big banks. Continue reading...

Investors urged to vote against online grocer's remuneration for CEO Tim Steiner at upcoming AGMOcado is facing criticism as it seeks shareholder approval on Monday for a potential bonus worth up to 14.8m for its chief executive, Tim Steiner.Glass Lewis, an influential shareholder advisory group, has urged investors to vote against the online grocery group's remuneration policy and performance share plan at its annual shareholder meeting, flagging egregious remuneration practices". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Proceedings lodged after Shane Drumgold alleged officers engaged in a very clear campaign to pressure him' in a letter to the ACT police chief

Report concludes state sheltered soldiers from prosecution for Troubles-era crimes, as amnesty legislation comes into forceBritain's reputation will be severely damaged by the Northern Ireland legacy" act, an international panel of human rights experts has warned while calling for the government to scrap moves to grant conditional amnesties for Troubles-era crimes.The warning is being made as the legislation comes into force on Wednesday, offering soldiers and paramilitaries a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who cooperate with a new body aimed at truth recovery. Continue reading...

Move comes only week after new CEO starts and network named wrong man as Bondi Junction killer

US president and Israeli PM talk as Israel vows to invade southern Gaza city despite global concern for 1 million Palestinians sheltering there

Anthony Albanese told Channel Nine he was happy whether or not he spoke and blamed the situation on an emotional' day and issue

ABI reports annual jump of 157 in first quarter of 2024 but says 1% increase on previous quarter indicates rises are easingThe average price paid for comprehensive motor insurance in the UK was about a third (33%) or 157 higher in the first quarter of this year than a year earlier, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).Based on analysis of policies sold, the typical price paid in the first quarter of 2024 was 635, marking a 1% increase on the previous quarter, the ABI said. Continue reading...

Peter Smith is in intensive care after suffering damage to an arm, leg and hand and puncture wounds to abdomenA British tourist who was seriously injured in a shark attack off a Caribbean island is aware of what is happening and can communicate" in intensive care, his wife has said.Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 10 metres (33ft) off the shore near the Starfish hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary's use of Embraer Lineage 1000 follows 348,000 bill for James Cleverly's eight-day trip in similar plane in 2023David Cameron has been criticised for hiring a luxury jet worth an estimated 42m for a recent tour of central Asia.The foreign secretary travelled on the Embraer Lineage 1000 for a five-day visit to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia last week, the Mirror reported. Continue reading...

Calls for divestment continue despite hundreds of arrests, with more demonstrations planned for Democratic national conventionStudent protests on US university campuses over Israel's war on Gaza showed little sign of letting up over the weekend, with protesters vowing to continue until their demands for US educational bodies to disentangle from companies profiting from the conflict are met.In what is perhaps the most significant student movement since the anti-Vietnam campus protests of the late 1960s, the conflict between pro-Palestinian students and university administrators has revealed an entire subset of conflicts. Continue reading...

Worried MPs have concocted five-point plan of quick measures aimed at showing that the party cares about public's prioritiesRishi Sunak is braced for a bruising week as Tory rebels flaunted plans for a 100-day policy blitz" to secure quick wins if the local election results prove disastrous for the party.The prime minister said on Sunday that he was not distracted" by his personal ratings lingering at record lows. He refused to rule out calling a July general election amid mounting rumours that unruly MPs will attempt to oust him if the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, and the Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, are defeated on Thursday.An attempt to end the junior doctors pay dispute with a 10-12% offer.Further cuts to legal migration numbers, with a curb on the number of foreign students staying in the UK.Vow to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2027.Introduce measures to jail prolific offenders and build rapid detention cells to increase prison capacity.Cut the benefits bill, with a target to reduce payments for depression and anxiety. Continue reading...

Union body says austerity is to blame for longest squeeze on wages since Napoleonic era with most wage black spots' in LondonPay packets are smaller than they were in 2008 in most local authority areas in the UK, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress, which described the findings as a damning indictment" of the Conservatives' economic record.The TUC, which includes 48 unions with more than five million members, said stagnating wages meant British workers were in the midst of the longest squeeze on wages since the Napoleonic era. Continue reading...

Tim Loughton had sanctions imposed on him in 2021 by Beijing, which has close ties to east African countryA former government minister who has had sanctions imposed on him by China has said he was detained and deported by Djibouti as a direct consequence" of the east African country's close ties with Beijing.Tim Loughton, the Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997, said he was held for more than seven hours at the airport earlier this month, barred entry to Djibouti, and told he was being removed on the next available flight. Continue reading...

CDC says incidents at unlicensed medical spa are first documented cases of virus transmitted by a cosmetic procedure using needlesThree women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting vampire facial" procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its Morbidity and Mortality Report last week that an investigation into the clinic from 2018 through 2023 showed it apparently reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use. Continue reading...

Police very confident' body parts in Salford belong to a man in his 60s whose torso was found on 4 AprilMore human remains have been found in two locations as part of a murder investigation that started when a man's torso was discovered in a nature reserve in Greater Manchester, police said.Detectives believe the torso, found in Salford, belongs to a man in his 60s and they have informed his family. Formal identification of the remains has not yet taken place but should be completed by next week, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Distressing' scarcity sowing uncertainty among 400,000 with type 1 diabetes, experts warnPeople with type 1 diabetes are being forced to endure the stress and anxiety" of insulin shortages, patients, pharmacists and health campaigners have warned.The distressing" drug scarcity, the latest to affect the UK, is sowing uncertainty for the 400,000 people with the condition, with some products not available again until next year amid global manufacturing shortages. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Working-class people less likely to get jobs in charities than public and private sectors, EY Foundation report findsCharities are hiring staff with privilege rather than potential", according to the author of a report highlighting the stark class divide in the sector.Working-class people are less likely to be hired by charities than by employers in the public and private sectors, said the EY Foundation, which supports young people from low-income backgrounds to progress in professional roles. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Operation comes weeks earlier than expected and is thought to have been timed to coincide with local electionsThe Home Office will launch a major operation to detain asylum seekers across the UK on Monday, weeks earlier than expected, in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda, the Guardian can reveal.Officials plan to hold refugees who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices or bail appointments and will also pick people up nationwide in a surprise two-week exercise. Continue reading...

CWU seems to concede six-day service is financially unviable as company battles takeover bidLetterboxes could fall silent on Saturday mornings, after the postal workers' union appeared to accept a proposal from Royal Mail that would abandon its duty to deliver all letters six days a week.Royal Mail is required to deliver post from Monday to Saturday under the terms of the universal service obligation (USO) set down by an act of parliament in 2011. Amid a long-running industrial dispute with the financially struggling company, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has so far opposed a 300m cost-cutting blueprint that would include scrapping most Saturday services. Continue reading...

Ukrainian officials say situation very difficult' but not catastrophic' amid loss of two villages and fighting in OcheretyneRussia has consolidated recent battlefield gains in the east of Ukraine, and is attempting to break through Ukrainian defensive lines before a long-awaited package of US military assistance arrives at the frontline.On Sunday Russian troops advanced near the city of Avdiivka. They seized two villages and expanded a narrow corridor around the rural settlement of Ocheretyne, which the Russians entered a week ago. Ukrainian security officials described the situation in the Donbas region where Russia is attacking on multiple fronts as very difficult". It was not critical or catastrophic", they added. Continue reading...

US secretary of state to discuss avoiding regional conflict amid fears about Israeli ground invasion of Rafah

The De Beers owner is a longstanding jewel in the African' state's economic crown - it would be a big blow' to see it sold offThe world's largest mining company has a problem. Australia's BHP has set out its intention to snap up the rival miner Anglo American in a multibillion-pound deal that would reshape the global industry. Its proposed 31bn takeover plan has already been rebuffed as a lowball offer that undervalues the company. But Anglo's deep roots in South Africa could be a far more sensitive issue to address.Africa's most advanced economy was built on mining. For more than 150 years since the first discovery of diamonds, gold and coal, the industry has remained South Africa's economic lifeblood. Today it is the world's fifth largest producer of coal and diamonds and the 10th largest producer of gold. Continue reading...

Grey skies and persistent rain could be replaced by temperatures as high as 20C in south-east EnglandChilly April is on its way out with the coming days set to usher in warmer temperatures more akin to spring, according to the Met Office.The lack of sunshine, grey skies and persistent rain have contributed to it feeling unusually cold as April comes to a close. Continue reading...

Airport staff surprised by arrival of centenarian instead of infant after American Airlines booking system errorsA 101-year-old woman has been regularly mistaken for an infant because an airline's booking system was unable to compute her date of birth.The woman, named only as Patricia, was born in 1922, but the American Airlines system apparently does not recognise that year, defaulting instead to 2022, the BBC reported. Continue reading...

Pope Francis, 87, met inmates, staff and volunteers at Giudecca jail during first trip outside Rome for monthsThe Pope has met female prisoners in Venice who are stars of the Vatican's pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show, and urged the women to rebuild their lives in the first ever papal visit to one of the world's biggest art gatherings.Pope Francis, 87, arrived by helicopter in the courtyard of the women's prison on the island of Giudecca, amid concerns over his health. He has not travelled outside Rome since visiting the French city of Marseille in September. Continue reading...

Israel has started to meet commitments it made to Joe Biden on allowing aid into the north of Gaza, says White House national security spokespersonThe Gaza health ministry on Sunday reported at least 66 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours.In central Gaza, Mohammed al-Hattab said he found his one-year-old baby in the rubble after an Israeli airstrike hit the Nuseirat refugee camp over the weekend. Continue reading...

Australia says it is committed to inclusive education. But the reality for the one in four schoolchildren who now have a disability is far from that

Doctors' groups say improved bulk billing rate is encouraging' but more investment in health system is needed

US state department says law could drive away foreign investment while David Cameron described it as dangerous and worrying'Human rights groups and diplomats have criticised a law passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.The US state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said in a statement that the law on passed Saturday threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society" and can be used to hamper free-speech and expression". He warned that the legislation could drive away foreign investment. Continue reading...

Ads to be removed from London transport network amid criticism of Mayor Sadiq Khan's baffling' decision to allow themOnline casino company 888.com will withdraw adverts from locations including London's transport network after a backlash against their tone, prompting criticism of the capital's mayor, Sadiq Khan, for allowing them to appear in the first place.With less than a week to go before Londoners vote for their next Mayor, Khan's Conservative rival, Susan Hall, joined a leading clinician and a group of peers in questioning Transport for London's baffling" decision to accept the campaign. Continue reading...

Paralympian Mohammad Barrangi hopes his work will help people think of human stories behind headlines about migrationA decade ago the artist Mohammad Barrangi was representing Iran as an elite Paralympic sprinter and was ridiculously speedy.My best time for the 100 metres was 10.72 seconds, in Tunisia," he says with understandable pride. I have friends who don't believe I'm an artist." Continue reading...

Girl of between 12 and 16 was making her first appearance at Evo Japan as contests previously finished past her bedtimeA girl scored a win at one of Japan's top fighting video game contests, in a competitive puzzle game released before she was born.The girl, known as Money Idol-chan" after the game she competed in, has grown up playing competitive video games. Since 2022, her parents have run Anegasaki Shooting Star, a tiny arcade on the east side of Tokyo Bay. Her name has not been released and her age has been given only as between 12 and 16. Continue reading...

British Skydiving Board to investigate after man in his 40s found at industrial estate in ShottonThe British Skydiving Board will investigate the death of a man in his 40s in a parachute incident in Durham on Saturday.The man was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called to South West Industrial Estate in Shotton shortly after midday. The death is being treated as unexpected and a cordon remains in place at the scene. Continue reading...

Two people still in hospital after major incident across Westward Ho!, Bideford and BarnstapleA second man has died after being supplied with an unusually strong batch" of heroin circulating in north Devon.One man died after taking the substance on Friday and police confirmed a second man, who had earlier been admitted to hospital, died late on Saturday. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he is not distracted by poor personal ratings as rebel MPs are said to be plotting to oust him after local electionsRishi Sunak has refused to quash speculation of a July general election as he insisted he was not distracted" by his personal ratings lingering at record lows.The prime minister said he would not say anything more than I've already said" and that his working assumption" was there would be an election in the second half of the year. Continue reading...

Taoiseach wants to reduce arrivals through Northern Ireland amid concern that Sunak's Rwanda plan is driving people to IrelandIreland plans to return asylum seekers to the UK under new emergency laws, in an effort to stem arrivals through Northern Ireland.The taoiseach, Simon Harris, wants the proposals brought to cabinet next week amid concern that Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan was rerouting asylum seekers from the UK. Continue reading...