World news | The Guardian

Closure means Fulham and Ravenhall prisons will be the state's only privately run jails

Robbie Geeves tells court how birth of baby ruptured his relationship with his parents Robert and Anne Geeves, who have pleaded not guilty to Haigh's murder

Officers had sought $1.42m in damages, claiming former ACT chief prosecutor defamed them in complaint about Bruce Lehrmann prosecution

Several balloons were spotted in and around the airport boundaries, as one balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal twoTakeoffs and landings at South Korea's Incheon international airport have been disrupted for about three hours because of balloons launched by North Korea filled with refuse, an airport spokesperson said.One balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal two and the three runways at Incheon were temporarily shut down on Wednesday, the spokesperson said. Continue reading...

National Rally win may hamper bloc's ability to get things done and pose existential question over French roleOn the night her party swept to a crushing victory in European elections and France's president triggered a political earthquake by dissolving parliament, Marine Le Pen, the longtime leader of the National Rally (RN), could not have been much clearer.Tonight's message - including the dissolution - is also addressed to the leaders in Brussels," she said. This great victory for patriotic movements is in alignment with the direction of history ... We are ready to take power if the people so wish." Continue reading...

RNIB calls on all parties to commit to remove barriers that prevent people with sight loss voting on their own

Attempt to find British teenager now in its second week as groundless theories circulate about his disappearanceAs the search for Jay Slater, the British teenager who went missing while on holiday in Tenerife, enters its second week Spanish rescuers continue to comb the rugged mountain terrain where he was last seen for clues.Staff and volunteers from the local police, fire brigade and civil defence force have been using dogs, drones and helicopters to hunt for the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire. Continue reading...

Insults hurled at Lindsay Selby, who has not yet entered a plea, while leaving Brisbane court after being charged over a fatal CBD bus crash

The consumer price index increased to its highest level in 2024, indicating the Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates soon

Prof Andrew McNaughton also warns plan to build Sydney-Newcastle route is doomed' to fail unless a shorter stretch to Gosford comes first

Harbourside amusement park has chequered past with numerous closures over past 90 years including after fatal fire on ghost train in late 1970s

Deputy PM says now is not the time to be going around expelling people' as he calls for social cohesion across Australia

Music teacher Nathaniel Dye, 38, who had spoken about delays for treatment, gave update on TuesdayA man who had a terminal cancer diagnosis, and who described Labour as the party of hope for a brighter future I won't live to see" at the party's manifesto launch, is now cancer-free.Nathaniel Dye, a 38-year-old music teacher, was diagnosed with stage four incurable bowel cancer in October 2022, and tumours were understood to have spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. Continue reading...

Men aged between 20 and 52 escorted from grounds of PM's constituency home after lunchtime entry to estateFour men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister's constituency home in Yorkshire, police have said.The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the grounds of Rishi Sunak's home in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton at about 12.40pm before being escorted off the property, North Yorkshire police said. Continue reading...

Revelations engulfing the Tory party and now Labour have echoes of Partygate and the expenses scandal

Kevin Craig, standing in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, suspended as Tories drop support for two hopefuls in election betting U-turnLabour has suspended one of its general election candidates after the party was drawn into the controversy surrounding betting and the general election.Kevin Craig, Labour's Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate, was administratively" suspended after Labour was told by the Gambling Commission that an investigation had been launched into one of the party's candidates. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Welsh politician Russell George told by Gambling Commission he is part of inquiry as Tories drop Craig Williams and Laura SaundersA Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak's campaign.The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak's closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry. Continue reading...

First contingent of multinational team lands in operation to end chaos in gang-controlled countryHundreds of Kenyan police officers have arrived in Haiti as part of a US-backed security intervention aiming to rescue the Caribbean country from a criminal insurrection that toppled the prime minister and brought death and chaos to the streets.About 400 members of the Kenya-led multinational police operation stepped off a Kenyan Airways plane at Port-au-Prince's international airport on Tuesday. The US president, Joe Biden, hailed their arrival as the start of an effort that will bring much-needed relief to Haitians". Continue reading...

Gareth Jenkins, co-architect of flawed Horizon IT system, was expert witness in wrongful prosecutions of operatorsA former IT engineer has admitted he changed crucial expert court testimony at the request of the Post Office during wrongful prosecutions of branch operators.Gareth Jenkins, a former senior engineer at the contractor Fujitsu, on Tuesday told the public inquiry into one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history that lawyers had asked him to change witness statements. Continue reading...

Charity says it has breathing space' after donation, as Liverpool food bank network also receives incredible gift'Taylor Swift has a convoy of at least 50 trucks for her Eras tour, and now her donations to food banks in every UK city in which she performs have enabled one charity to use a lorry of its own.Thanks to a discreet donation by Swift - the largest donation by an individual that Cardiff Foodbank has ever received - the charity says it has the breathing space" to try something different. Continue reading...

At least five demonstrators reportedly shot dead at rally against legislation to raise taxes during a cost of living crisisPolice have opened fire on protesters outside the Kenyan parliament as they attempted to storm the building while MPs inside passed legislation to raise taxes.At least five people were shot dead, according to Reuters, amid chaotic scenes in which police started shooting after teargas and water cannon failed to disperse a crowd of thousands who had overwhelmed officers. Flames could be seen coming from inside the building. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read more about Julian Assange's release from prison here:

Leftist film-maker Michael Moore applauds deal while Mike Pence says it dishonors' US military membersReaction to the news that Julian Assange had agreed to plead guilty to a single charge under the Espionage Act in order to go free came from various parts of the US political spectrum on Tuesday.James Clapper, director of US national intelligence in 2010 when Assange and his WikiLeaks organization published secret US intelligence documents with a consortium of newspapers including the Guardian, told CNN: I actually think this came out pretty well ... Critical to this was his plea of one count of espionage.

Sir Tim Laurence brings Princess Royal a few little treats from home' and says she is making slow but sure' progressThe Princess Royal, who is recovering from head injuries believed to have been inflicted by a horse, is making slow but sure" progress, her husband has said.V Adm Sir Tim Laurence visited Anne after she spent a second night at Southmead hospital in Bristol, where she remains under observation having had a concussion. Continue reading...

UK government deal struck at height of pandemic described as colossal misuse of public funds'An estimated 1.4bn-worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) bought by the government in single a deal has been destroyed or written off, according to new figures described as the worst example of waste in the Covid pandemic.The figures obtained by the BBC under freedom of information laws showed that 1.57bn items from the NHS supplier Full Support Healthcare will never been used. Continue reading...

Army chief and ex-minister of defence accused over missile attacks on civilian targets

Tenterden-based producer seeks investment to plant more vineyards and build new winery

Force says Gambling Commission has passed it information alleging more police placed bets relating to date of poll

Exclusive: Organisation that collects and distributes royalties in UK says it will vigorously defend' lawsuit which alleges preferential treatment for major songwritersA group of songwriters, including Jim and William Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain and King Crimson's Robert Fripp, are suing UK body PRS for Music over how it handles royalties from live performances, accusing it of levying high administration costs for smaller songwriters while giving preferential treatment to already successful stars.PRS has a near monopoly in the UK, acting as an intermediary between companies that play music (such as radio stations and shops as well as live events) and those who write it: companies sign licences, and PRS distributes the proceeds to songwriters. Continue reading...

Fedja Stukan says he was not allowed to enter country after writing dangerous book' on his experience in 1990s warA Bosnian actor who was deported from Serbia this week has said he believes he was expelled for writing openly about his experience in the war in the 1990s and that there is no such thing" as freedom of expression under the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vui.Serbian authorities detained Fedja Stukan after he arrived at a Belgrade airport to attend a literary festival and put him on a flight to Sarajevo on Monday. Continue reading...

Follow today's news headlines live

Pharma group plans plant in North Carolina to produce diabetes drug and weight-loss product Wegovy

Drug charity The Loop says young festivalgoers are particularly at risk as potency of pills returns to pre-pandemic levelsSuper-strength ecstasy pills containing potentially life-threatening levels of MDMA are in circulation in the UK for possibly the first time in five years, a non-profit has warned ahead of Glastonbury festival this weekend.The Loop, which has recently conducted drug checking at Manchester's Parklife festival and in Bristol, has urged revellers to be cautious after testing ecstasy pills containing more than 300mg of MDMA, with average strength levels returning to pre-pandemic levels. Continue reading...

First-term senator risks membership after voting against her party by supporting motion on Palestinian statehood

Mayor Clover Moore says procurement and investment should be examined to potentially put additional pressure towards a ceasefire' in Gaza

PM is still expected to win Richmond and Northallerton for the Tories - but it could be close, say his constituentsWhile few would suggest that the party that puts up the most campaign materials will always win an election, posters are nonetheless a reasonable indication of who enjoys the most support locally - and in Rishi Sunak's North Yorkshire constituency they are conspicuously absent.In previous elections, Conservative placards have lined the network of A-roads that span Richmond and Northallerton like rows of dominoes. But this week there are none to be seen - and in Richmond itself there is a smattering of Labour and Liberal Democrat posters. Continue reading...

It is anticipated the WikiLeaks founder will plead guilty to violating US espionage law at a hearing in Saipan and will be allowed to return to Australia

Investigation finds funds touting ethical credentials include fast fashion labels and fossil fuel companiesFast fashion labels, fossil fuel companies and SUV-makers are present in EU-regulated sustainable" funds that tout their ethical credentials in their names, the Guardian and media partners can reveal, with $18bn (14bn) of their investments going to the 200 biggest polluters.Investors hold more than $87bn (68bn) in funds that disclose under environmental and social sections of EU sustainable finance rules while including some of the biggest emitters of planet-heating gas, an analysis of data from the last quarter of 2023 shows. About one-fifth of the $87bn investments come from funds that also market themselves using environmentally-friendly terms. Continue reading...

The former Jetstar pilot has been found guilty of murdering Carol Clay and not guilty of murdering Russell Hill in the Wonnangatta Valley in 2020. Here's everything you need to know:

Gang leader says 50,000 can be made in half an hour by watching a user enter a pin and then stealing their deviceCriminal gang members who shoulder-surf" smartphone users for their pin number are stealing as many as 20 handsets each a day and then raiding their victims' bank accounts, it has been claimed.In an interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, a criminal gang leader" suggested that in the case of one victim it took just half an hour to gain access to their banking apps and steal tens of thousands of pounds. Continue reading...

Using the tax system to prevent the tech giant from pulling news from its platforms one option being looked at, Treasury official tells parliament

Great dane, named after protagonist of Home Alone film series, died after falling ill and undergoing surgeryThe world's tallest male dog - a great dane from Iowa named Kevin who was comically skittish despite his imposing frame - has died unexpectedly, leaving his owners to mourn that humans never [have] enough time" with such majestic pets.Kevin, age three, died after falling ill and undergoing an unplanned surgery, according to a statement on Monday from Guinness World Records, who in March officially recognized the great dane as the globe's tallest dog. Continue reading...

More than 50 years on from its release, the concept album has been reimagined in a collaboration with Sadler's Wells and will tour in 2025Quadrophenia has had many lives since its release in 1973: first as a groundbreaking concept album, then a 1979 cult film starring Phil Daniels and Sting, before several live revivals, including one for the Teenage Cancer Trust in 2010 that featured Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and the former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan.When the Who's Pete Townshend wrote it in the early 1970s, he wanted to release a record that would reconnect the band with its mod fanbase, who had drifted away from the group and were obsessed with soul music, sharp fashion and scooters.Quadrophenia: the Mod Ballet opens at Plymouth Theatre Royal on 28 May 2025 before touring the UK Continue reading...

Labor's Julian Hill says prime minister Anthony Albanese deserves enormous credit' for pursuing the resolution of Assange's caseThe WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be judged poorly for accepting a deal to get the hell out of there and come home" in light of his poor health, an Australian MP has said.Australian politicians have reacted cautiously to reports of a plea deal to end the US pursuit of Assange in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables. Continue reading...

We're doing this because all the evidence says it works,' premier Jacinta Allan says

Christine Assange says release from prison shows power of quiet diplomacy' as she thanks those who put Julian's welfare first'Julian Assange's mother says she is grateful her son's ordeal is finally coming to an end" after the Australian citizen was released from jail in the UK to seal a US plea deal. Assange's father described the breakthrough as wonderful" and energising".The WikiLeaks X account tweeted on Tuesday that Julian Assange is free", stating that he left Belmarsh prison in London on Monday and posting footage of him boarding a plane departing the UK. Continue reading...

The Espionage Act will still hang over the heads of journalists reporting on national security issues, not just in the USThe release from a UK prison of Julian Assange is a victory for him and his many supporters around the world, but not necessarily a clear win for the principle underlying his defence, the freedom of the press.The charges Assange is anticipated to plead guilty to as part of a US deal, and for which he will be sentenced to time served, are drawn from the 1917 Espionage Act, for conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information related to the national defense of the United States". Continue reading...

Self-titled album, to be released in September, was almost finished before the Grammy nominee died in 2021, aged 34A final, posthumous album by Sophie, the pop producer who died suddenly in 2021 at the age of 34, will be released on 27 September.The self-titled album is the first new music from Sophie since the musician died after an accidental fall at home in Greece three years ago, and the first LP since Sophie's 2018 debut, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides. Continue reading...

Greens leader Adam Bandt accuses Labor of wanting to make cuts to services' for disabled people

TUC says party has overseen huge rise' in poverty, as Resolution Foundation says average wages just 16 a week higher in real terms than in 2010The crisis of poverty that has taken root in the UK over the past 14 years has been laid bare in two reports that reveal the devastating effects low wages and price increases on the lives of 900,000 children.With both main parties proposing tough welfare spending plans, reports have highlighted the link between rising child poverty and slow wage growth under five Conservative governments since 2010 - the slowest growth since the second world war. Continue reading...