World news | The Guardian

Cuts to central funding leaves lower tier of local government left to look after libraries, street cleaning and other facilitiesParish and town councils will spend almost 800m in the next financial year after increasing their average council tax surcharge by 8.5%, according to official figures that illustrate how a new tier of local government in England has emerged to carry out basic duties abandoned by cash-strapped local authorities.From street cleaning to managing public toilets, the 8,866 parish and town councils are the unsung heroes" filling in the gaps opened up by central government funding cuts, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) said. Continue reading...

Total solar eclipse on 8 April will be first to touch province since 1979, and Niagara Falls is declared one of the best places to viewThe region of Canada surrounding the city that contains a side of - and shares a name with - Niagara Falls has declared a state of emergency as it prepares to welcome up to a million visitors for the solar eclipse in early April.The total solar eclipse on 8 April will be the first to touch the province since 1979, and Niagara Falls was declared by National Geographic to be one of the best places to see it. Continue reading...

Ex-immigration minister proposes bill amendment to collate visa and asylum status of people convicted in England and WalesThe nationality, visa and asylum status of people convicted of a criminal offence should be recorded to ensure the UK is not importing crime", the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said.In an amendment to the government's criminal justice bill, Jenrick proposed that recording this data could help strengthen immigration and visa policies. Continue reading...

Tourist and creative industries react angrily to curb on freedom of expression'Greek music in hotel lobbies, Greek tunes in lifts, Greek melodies in casinos, shopping malls, airport lounges and ports.If the Athens culture ministry has its way, tourists from around the world should brace themselves for what it says is only a matter of time: a holiday soundtrack that is decidedly Hellenic in tone. Continue reading...

Government accused of undermining the fight against labour abuses after 2m real-terms cut to oversight budgetBritain's labour abuse watchdog has had its funding cut by the Home Office despite a dramatic surge in exploitation in the care sector.The budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been set at 6.25m for 2024-25 compared with 7.7m last year, official figures show. Continue reading...

Armed gangs take food and water from desperate locals, as critics say airdrops are dangerous and merely designed to divert public angerAirdrops of humanitarian aid are leading to fatal fights in Gaza as the desperate and hungry battle to reach parachuted food and essentials, amid fears that little of the much-needed assistance is reaching those most threatened by a looming famine.Eyewitness accounts, images and interviews with aid workers in Gaza suggest the high-profile airdrop operations are of limited help, and have contributed to growing anarchy there. Continue reading...

Spokesperson tells Today programme that UK-based broadcaster has been under heavy threat for last 18 months'Tehran's Revolutionary Guards have been targeting the broadcaster Iran International, a spokesperson for the channel said after a leading journalist was stabbed in London.The Persian-language news television channel that employed Pouria Zeraati, who was attacked outside his London home, had received an increased level of threats beforehand, Adam Baillie told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday. Continue reading...

Campaigners launch legal challenge as children and mixed-gender football team kept out by fence built by local sports academyIn Mount Florida, a south Glasgow neighbourhood, Scotland's national football stadium, Hampden Park, looms large. But just half a mile north are the relics of another, with terraces and crush barriers surrounding a pitch that was once the heart of a 50,000-seat stadium known as the second Hampden".At one time home to local teams Queen's Park and Third Lanark - as well as hosting Scottish Cup finals in the late 19th century - the pitch is now part of Cathkin Park, a council-maintained public space enjoyed by local families, community football teams and urban wildlife alike. Leased since 2022 by the Jimmy Johnstone Academy, a charity set up in memory of the late Celtic player, it is also the home ground of two youth teams. Continue reading...

Theme park generates $343.4m in profit for Hollywood giant as it shores up wider business amid weaker box office returnsDisney's Parisian theme park complex has delivered a welcome boost to the embattled Hollywood giant, generating $343.4m (317m) in profits and royalties despite a wave of strikes last summer.Sales at Disneyland Paris - Europe's most-visited tourist destination - were driven to record levels by higher room rates and the opening of a site built around Marvel's hit Avengers movies. Continue reading...

Key policies to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050 are being weakened by looming elections and persistent protests from farmersThe European Green Deal is limping to the legislative finish line as elections loom and farmers continue to stage fierce protests across the continent.The policy package, launched with fanfare by the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen five years ago, was supposed to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. But with elections in June, in which polls suggest that some countries may take a swing to the right, the EU is gutting some of its key policies to cut pollution and protect the environment. Continue reading...

Christopher Dorsey, 43 accused of performing alongside other rappers without obtaining permission from authoritiesAbout two months into his supervised release from federal prison on gun charges, the rapper who scored a hit song with Bling Bling has been charged with violating the terms of his supervision after performing alongside other prominent entertainers without authorities' permission.A federal judge ordered Christopher Dorsey - or BG, who once belonged to Cash Money Records' rap supergroup the Hot Boys - released on his own recognizance on Wednesday after his arrest on the charges, records show. Continue reading...

City's mayor outlines internationalist' vision in manifesto as he bids for third term in MayLondon's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is to offer young people studying in the capital a new version of the EU's Erasmus scheme of student exchanges as part of his bid for a third term.He will unveil plans under which students would receive grants and other help to study and undertake work experience, not just in the EU but other major world cities, with reciprocal arrangements for students from overseas to do the same in London. Continue reading...

Despite a 12.3% cut in April's energy price cap, there is an important fixed element in your bill that is rising again

Tired of overtourism pushing up rental prices, Malaga locals have found a novel way to vent their angerIncensed after finding out his rental home of 10 years was about to become a tourist apartment, Dani Romero took to social media. What followed swiftly snowballed into a movement, as residents in Malaga began plastering stickers - reading A family used to live here" or Go home" - outside tourist lets across the southern Spanish city.I didn't mean to arm a revolution," said Romero. I'm just looking for a house to live in." Continue reading...

Tailor-made suits, live music and - of course - a scooter run are expected at this weekend's celebrationHundreds of vintage fanatics, dressed in tailor-made suits and berets, are expected to descend on London this weekend for a three-day event celebrating mod subculture.Modstock, launched 30 years ago by a British vintage fanatic, Rob Bailey, and his organisation New Untouchables, returns for its fourth edition. Continue reading...

Moves to deport those receiving care in East Jerusalem have been called a deliberate risk to innocent lives'Cancer patients from Gaza, including children, are living in a state of limbo in a hospital in East Jerusalem after Israeli authorities threatened to send them back.The Guardian was given access to the Augusta Victoria hospital, where at least 22 patients from Gaza in urgent need of advanced cancer treatment are living in fear of deportation. As with numerous others, they received authorisation prior to Hamas's 7 October attack to receive medical care outside the strip, due to the inadequate facilities in Gaza. Continue reading...

Woman, 43, died after paramedics were called to a Surfers Paradise hotel on Friday night

News service says it closed bureau after passing of new national security law known as Article 23US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) has closed its Hong Kong bureau over safety concerns for its staff in the wake of a new national security law known as Article 23.Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a foreign force', raise serious questions about our ability to operate in safety with the enactment of Article 23," its president, Bay Fang, said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Twentyman spent more than four decades campaigning on youth homelessness and social welfare

Education secretary says conference proposals describing Israeli government as racist reflect NEU's divisive ideology'Gillian Keegan has strongly criticised the National Education Union over a motion to be debated at its annual conference describing Israel's government as racist" and guilty of apartheid policies".The education secretary said the motion and amendments were wholly inappropriate and completely ignore the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October ... These motions reflect the NEU's divisive ideology, which I don't believe is representative of our teachers. Continue reading...

Government adviser says teachers feel ill-equipped to talk about controversial topics but avoiding debate risks fuelling angerSchools in England are closing down legitimate debate about the Israel-Gaza conflict because teachers feel ill-equipped and are concerned about political impartiality, the government's independent adviser on social cohesion has said.Dame Sara Khan said that if schools continued to shut down debate they risked fuelling further anger, hate and polarisation". Continue reading...

Man, 48, to spend at least 10 months behind bars after AFP's first seizure of such AI content in state's history

Critics say system will infringe on privacy and fuel police abuse of marginalized communitiesHundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras are being installed in the city of Oakland and surrounding freeways to help battle crime, the California governor announced on Friday.Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in a news release that the California highway patrol (CHP) has contracted with Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company, to install 480 cameras that can identify and track vehicles by license plate, type, color and even decals and bumper stickers. The cameras will provide authorities with real-time alerts of suspect vehicles. Continue reading...

Police had launched appeal for information on whereabouts of Daniel Alaby earlier on FridayA boy has died in hospital after being found in the River Thames.A police appeal was launched to find Daniel Alaby, aged five, on Friday. He had gone missing from his home in Thamesmead, south-east London. Continue reading...

Counter-terror police lead investigation after presenter was reportedly attacked by group of menAn Iranian journalist working for a Persian-language news channel has been stabbed outside his London home, sparking an investigation led by counter-terrorism police.Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International, was reportedly attacked by a group of men as he left home on Friday. He was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition, the channel said. Continue reading...

Campaign ad shows clips of Trump disparaging Republican rival as president courts broad and diverse coalition of voters'Joe Biden's presidential campaign released an ad targeting Republicans who supported Nikki Haley in her losing primary against Donald Trump.If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn't want your vote," the president's campaign ad says. Save America. Join us." Continue reading...

US president to arrive next week, as crane moves in to begin weeks-long clearing of wreckage of Francis Scott Key BridgeJoe Biden said on Friday he will go to Baltimore next week following the catastrophic collapse of the road bridge across the entrance to the Maryland city's port after it was struck by a ship.Four people were still missing, presumed dead and in the water on Friday afternoon, as the US president pledged to follow his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, on a visit to the site after the tragedy in the early hours of Tuesday. Continue reading...

The town of Newbern saw white officials deny its first Black mayor, Patrick Braxton, from exercising his duties for three yearsThe town of Newbern, Alabama, has not had a political election in the last several decades. But that could all change this November if a new motion is successful.The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), an organization that focuses on racial and civil rights, along with an Alabama-based private law firm, filed a preliminary injunction to force Newbern, a town of about 133 people, to hold elections and allow its citizens to vote for the first time in years. Continue reading...

While there is no immediate threat to Northern Ireland assembly, DUP hardliners may try to make wavesSir Jeffrey Donaldson's downfall puts a question mark over power sharing in Northern Ireland because it bears his stamp - he was the man who engineered its collapse and resurrection.The Democratic Unionist party followed him each time on the basis of trust but on Friday Donaldson was charged with historical sexual offences, a bombshell that led to his resignation and suspension from the party. Continue reading...

Celebrities from Anita Baker to Hailey Bieber - and even a politician - posted on social media, and Uber and Lyft offered dealsCelebrities, companies and a US politician have celebrated the release of Beyonce's highly anticipated new album, Cowboy Carter, on 29 March.Beyonce's eighth studio album, the second in her rumored Renaissance trilogy, is a genre blend of country, pop, funk and more across 27 tracks. Continue reading...

Polish prime minister urges countries to step up defence spending after Russian missile bound for Ukraine breaches airspaceThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, says Europe is entering a prewar" era, cautioning that the continent is not ready and urging European countries to step up defence investment.In an interview with a group of European newspapers reported by the BBC, Tusk said: I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past. It's real and it started over two years ago." Continue reading...

Biden raises $26m at New York event with Obama and Clinton while Trump's campaign claims it will raise $33m at a Florida event

State department assessment comes after world's top court ordered Israel to admit food aid into territoryFamine is already probably present in at least some areas of northern Gaza, while other areas are in danger of falling into conditions of starvation, the US state department said on Friday a day after the world's top court ordered Israel to admit food aid into the territory.While we can say with confidence that famine is a significant risk in the south and centre but not present, in the north, it is both a risk and quite possibly is present in at least some areas," a state department official told Reuters. Continue reading...

Police continue investigation after Gilbey reportedly died in a workplace accident in Southend-on-SeaA man arrested in connection with the death of the Gogglebox star George Gilbey has been released under investigation by police.The man, who is in his 40s and from Witham in Essex, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after Gilbey reportedly died after an accident at work on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Some Tory MPs had reportedly called for Farage to made ambassador to US in exchange for him not standing for Reform UKThe Conservatives have ruled out making any sort of pre-election pact with Nigel Farage in exchange for him not standing for Reform UK at the general election, saying: We don't do deals."The statement, coming after Labour called on Downing Street to dismiss the mooted idea that Farage could be made the UK's ambassador to Washington, risks angering Tory backbenchers, who are increasingly anxious at the likely impact of Reform on their re-election chances. Continue reading...

Strain on coalition grows after Israeli supreme court orders end to subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who avoid conscriptionThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition government after the country's supreme court ordered an end to government subsidies from Monday for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army.The ruling follows a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal to the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, who have historically been exempt from conscription. Continue reading...

IDF says Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, was killed in airstrike in LebanonThe Guardian's Kaamil Ahmed, Damien Gayle and Aseel Mousa have been investigating the scale of environmental destruction in Gaza.Satellite analysis revealed exclusively to the Guardian shows farms devastated and nearly half of the territory's trees razed. Alongside mounting air and water pollution, experts says Israel's onslaught on Gaza's ecosystems has made the area unlivable. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Kaniv and Dnister plants attacked by Russia overnight, following other attacks on energy facilitiesRussian prosecutors have asked the justice ministry to label Alla Pugacheva, the queen of Soviet pop music, as a foreign agent", Reuters reported citing the state RIA news agency.Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion tranche of funding under a World Bank programme, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday, helping it pay for its budget and social spending as it defends itself against the Russian invasion. Continue reading...

Sixty-six MPs who already plan to stand down at election have 987 years between them, analysis showsThe Conservative party will lose almost 1,000 years of Commons experience just from MPs who have already announced they are standing down, a Guardian analysis has shown, amid an exodus likely to be even greater than in 1997.So far, 66 MPs elected as Conservatives in 2019 have announced they will not stand again - this includes four who have since lost the whip and sit as independents - which is close to one in five of the total. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Millions more GP appointments potentially created as a result of closuresAlmost 1,000 pharmacies in England have closed since 2017, potentially leading to millions of extra GP appointments, the Guardian can exclusively reveal.There are more than 11,000 pharmacies in England. Guardian analysis of the official register of these chemists has found that parts of the country have lost more than one in five pharmacies in the last six years, with poorer areas experiencing proportionally more closures. Continue reading...

Appeals court rules Mason, now 49, did not know she was ineligible when she voted in 2016 and throws out convictionA Texas appeals court has thrown out a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced for trying to cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election that was rejected.Mason, now 49, attempted to vote in Fort Worth in 2016 even though she was ineligible because she was still on supervised release - which is like probation - for a tax felony. She has always maintained she had no idea she was ineligible and only tried to cast a ballot because her mother urged her to. Continue reading...

The 37-year-old man from Totton, near Southampton, was arrested on suspicion of seven offencesA man has been arrested by police investigating the discovery of 50 dead hares that were scattered in front of a community shop in a Hampshire village.The dead mammals, along with the bodies of a barn owl and a kestrel, were found dumped outside Broughton community shop on 15 March. Continue reading...

Mohammed Almassri says after months of seeking urgent help, Dfat has told him the family will be evacuated from Rafah on Saturday or Sunday

Policy change stipulates no patchy or uneven growth' and allows length of up to 25.5mmAfter more than a century of having their clean-shaven chins inspected, soldiers and officers in the British army will be allowed to grow beards.The change in policy is not a chance for a hirsute free-for-all, however, as facial hair will be strictly monitored for length and grooming. Continue reading...

Strike near Aleppo weapons depot reportedly killed Hezbollah and Syrian troops, while civilians also said to be among dead

Spain is hit by strong winds and rain from Storm Nelson and four drown on storm-battered coastsEaster processions in southern Spain have been cancelled after heavy rain from Storm Nelson, as the country was hit by strong winds and four people drowned on its storm-battered coasts.All of the big processions in Seville on Holy Thursday were cancelled because of the rainstorms that were otherwise welcome in a region that has been experiencing a severe drought. Continue reading...

Outcome hangs in the balance partly because new system requires voter ID, he warns shadow cabinetSadiq Khan told the Labour shadow cabinet this week that his re-election as London mayor hangs in the balance" despite polls showing he is about 25 points ahead of his Conservative rival, Susan Hall.The London mayor told Keir Starmer's team that he was under no illusions" he could lose against Hall in spite of his commanding lead, partly because the voting system has changed and new rules to require voter ID. Continue reading...

Rakeem Thomas remanded in custody after incident near Beckenham that left victim in critical conditionA teenager has been charged with attempted murder after a stabbing on a train in south London.British Transport Police said they received reports of two men fighting between Beckenham and Shortlands railway stations shortly before 4pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Brazil's president has nixed commemorations of the 1964 coup, possibly to avoid irking the military as senior officers facing jail for allegedly conspiring to stop Lula taking power after 2022 electionRelatives of the victims of Brazil's brutal two-decade dictatorship have voiced anger and dismay over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's reported decision to block official remembrance events marking the 60th anniversary of the 1964 military coup d'etat.Activists had hoped the leftist's government would mark the 31 March 2024 anniversary of that power-grab with a series of memorials honouring the thousands who were killed, disappeared or tortured by the 1964-85 regime. Continue reading...

Actor speaks for first time about how 10-year-old's death in 2000 spurred him and others to aim further'The actor John Boyega has spoken for the first time of the life-changing" impact of his friendship with Damilola Taylor and the way his sudden death spurred him and others to aim further".Boyega, 32, best known for his work in the Star Wars franchise, was school friends with Damilola growing up in south-east London. Damilola was 10 when he was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle walking home from a computer class in Peckham in November 2000. Continue reading...