World news | The Guardian

Poor performance across network as delays and cancellations continue, says public accounts committeeThe government has achieved very little" in reforms to Great Britain's railways six years after identifying the need for big changes to improve the situation for passengers and taxpayers, according to an influential parliamentary committee.MPs on the cross-party public accounts committee said the Department for Transport has not paid enough attention to the needs of passengers or taxpayers, six years after a botched introduction of new timetables led to chaos on the rail network and a widespread consensus that deep changes were needed. Continue reading...

French far right leader suggests alliance of ID and ECR groups, including Italian PM's Brothers of ItalyThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has suggested the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, join forces with her in a new alliance, as the EU's resurgent but divided nationalist parties gear up for European parliamentary elections next month.The move came as European centre-left parties reiterated a warning to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, that they would not support her bid for a second term if it entailed the backing of hard-right parties - including Meloni's. Continue reading...

Initiative will enable urgent second opinion and review of care of patients whose condition is deterioratingMartha's rule, the patient safety initiative enabling those whose health is failing to obtain an urgent second opinion about their care, is to be rolled out in 143 hospitals in England, the NHS has said.The move, described by NHS officials as one of the most important changes to patient care in years, will allow patients, relatives and staff to get a review of their condition and treatment directly from doctors and nurses not involved in the medical team treating them. Continue reading...

Friends, family and colleagues will celebrate the author with tributes and readings at St Martin-in-the-Fields church with limited tickets available for members of the publicA celebration of the author Martin Amis, who died last May aged 73, is due to be held in London next month.Friends, family and colleagues of Amis will gather at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square on 10 June for the event, which will include tributes and readings from the writer's body of work. Continue reading...

Mark Bombara would not have had access to murder weapon but could have owned five guns under reforms being debated in WA parliament

Steve Baker says advisers came up with policy to bring back mandatory national service without agreeing it with ministers

IDF says strike on tents housing displaced people hit Hamas installation after militants launch first salvo at Israel in monthsAt least 35 people have been killed after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah hit tents housing displaced people, Palestinian medics have said, hours after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv for the first time in months.Footage from the scene showed widespread destruction at the camp with a large fire overtaking the area. The Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound and that the strike was carried out with precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence". Continue reading...

Singer and organist wrote 17-minute classic In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, taking the album of the same name to four million US salesDoug Ingle, the frontman and organist of US rock band Iron Butterfly who wrote their major hit In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, has died aged 78.His son Doug Ingle Jr announced the news on social media, writing: Thank you Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life." Continue reading...

Chief executive Mike Sneesby acknowledges very tough time' for staff and distress and frustration' reports on allegations had caused

Kallista Mutten tells court Justin Stein beat her when they came home to find her daughter missing

Labor senator the first government member to publicly voice outrage over strike in southern Gaza that killed 35 people

This blog is now closed.

LNP MP Ros Bates sends concerns notice to Labor's Shannon Fentiman demanding an apology and money to cover legal costs

Former Jetstar pilot has pleaded not guilty to murdering Russell Hill and Carol Clay in 2020The cause of death for Russell Hill and Carol Clay was unable to be determined as their remains were found obliterated" in Victoria's alpine region, a forensic pathologist has told a double murder trial.Gregory Stuart Lynn, 57, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hill and Clay at a remote camping site in the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020. The supreme court trial entered its third week on Monday. Continue reading...

Appeal allowed Sudharsan Ithayachandran to return to UK to be with his family, but he died in Sri Lanka while awaiting visaThe family of a man who died abroad after being wrongly deported by the UK Home Office have blamed the department for causing delays that stopped him being reunited with his children.Sudharsan Ithayachandran, 41, was deported from the UK to Sri Lanka on 24 December 2019 - his wedding anniversary - after admitting to working illegally at Tesco and using false documents. Continue reading...

Neville Lawrence writes of continuing fight for justice 31 years after murder of his son in south-east LondonThe father of Stephen Lawrence has said he has forgiven the racist killers of his son, but has yet to forgive the Metropolitan police for the failings that left them free.In a comment piece for the Guardian, Neville Lawrence said his grief has no ending" and told of his enduring pain to identify the human cost" of the police's failings. Continue reading...

Indian leader tells interviewer God just keeps making me do things' but that he cannot dial him directly'Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has said he believes he has been chosen by God, as the multi-stage Indian election nears its completion.I am convinced that Parmatma' (God) sent me for a purpose. Once the purpose is achieved, my work will be one done. This is why I have completely dedicated myself to God," he told NDTV news channel on Sunday. Continue reading...

Unstable terrain, remote locations and damaged roads have been hampering relief efforts in the aftermath of the landslide, the UN saidThe Papua New Guinea national disaster centre has said that Friday's landslide in a remote village in the northern part of the country buried more than 2,000 people, and has formally asked for international help.Unstable terrain, remote locations and damaged roads have been hampering relief efforts in the aftermath of the landslide, the United Nations said on Monday. Continue reading...

Carers asked to repay sums as high as 20k say officials did not share eligibility information between departmentsCarers put through the wringer of carer's allowance overpayments raise the same question time and again: they weren't aware they had infringed benefit rules but welfare officials were. Why were they not told, rather than overpayments being allowed to run on for months, landing them with debts of thousands of pounds?For thousands of carers who unwittingly breached carer's allowance earnings rules and are repaying sums as high as 20,000, this may have happened because officials failed to check earnings alerts. Had they done so, the problem may have been nipped in the bud, and the debt and misery of overpayments largely avoided. Continue reading...

Cypriot-born Sia Kasparis, who speaks limited English, was not told about disability premium overpayment for several yearsEighty-five-year-old Sia Kasparis was in her hospital bed in the living room of her small north London flat when there was a knock at the door.The grandmother-of-five has been bedbound for the last two years, the result of a collapsed vertebra and a range of other health problems, including vascular dementia, heart failure and kidney disease. Continue reading...

Head of Palestinian delegation says support of statehood should not be lip service' as other countries prepare to formally recognise state

Under new defence minister Andrei Belousov, FSB is tackling corruption aggressively with serious implications for UkraineIn the weeks since Vladimir Putin sacked his longtime defence minister Sergei Shoigu, Russia's FSB security service has pursued a series of high-level corruption cases against a deputy minister and department heads in what many insiders are now calling a purge in the defence ministry.Andrei Belousov, the technocrat economist appointed to replace Shoigu, has a mandate to reduce corruption in the defence ministry and streamline military production for a long war against Ukraine that could largely be decided by industrial output. Continue reading...

Dr Julian Fidge defends social media post after toddler killed, stating question clearly inquires about what could be driving this rage, not responsibility for act'

37-year-old actor killed in Los Angeles early on Saturday after confronting three men allegedly attempting to steal from a vehicleJohnny Wactor, the actor best known for his role on long-running soap opera General Hospital, has died after being shot and killed during a suspected robbery in Los Angeles. He was 37.His mother, Scarlett, first confirmed his death to TMZ. The Los Angeles police department later confirmed that Wactor was shot around 3am on Saturday after confronting three men who were allegedly attempting to steal the catalytic converter from a vehicle. Continue reading...

Incumbent, who beat challenge from prime minister Ingrida imonyt, says Lithuania's independence a fragile vessel that we must cherish'Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausda has won re-election, official results showed, in a vote marked by defence concerns over neighbouring Russia.The count published by the electoral commission showed that Nausda won 74.6% of votes with 90% of ballots counted after polls closed on Sunday in the second-round vote. Continue reading...

First global study of its kind exposes staggering scale' of crime, with one in nine men in the US admitting to the offenceMore than 300 million children across the globe are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse each year, research suggests.In what is believed to be the first global estimate of the scale of the crisis, researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that 12.6% of the world's children have been victims of nonconsensual talking, sharing and exposure to sexual images and video in the past year, equivalent to about 302 million young people. Continue reading...

Countryside semis are strongest-performing property type, with average price up 22% over five yearsRural areas have trumped towns and cities in house price growth over the past five years, with a semi in the countryside the top-performing property type, according to data for Great Britain.The figures, issued by the mortgage lender Nationwide, showed that average house prices in predominantly rural areas rose by 22% over the period, compared with 17% in predominantly urban areas. Continue reading...

Batemans Bay, Bunbury and the Sunshine Coast post biggest quarterly rental increases

Six people who ate a meal in South Dakota in 2022 with black bear meat diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic diseaseSix people who shared a meal involving black bear meat kebabs have been diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic disease.In a new report released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that in July 2022, a 29-year old hospitalized patient with suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota health department. His symptoms included fever, severe muscle aches, periorbital edema or eye swelling, and eosinophilia or the condition of elevated levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. Continue reading...

Leader targets swing voters in Kent and Essex while shadow chancellor makes vow on taxes and spendingKeir Starmer will declare on Monday that Labour has changed permanently" under his stewardship, after the party ruled out raising income tax or national insurance if it wins the election.In his first keynote speech of the general election campaign, the Labour leader will seek to reassure nervous voters that transforming his party has been his driving mission since day one". Continue reading...

Dorset force appeals for information after 17-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murderImages of a suspect have been released by police as part of a murder investigation after a woman was stabbed to death on a Bournemouth beach and another was badly injured.A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder following the stabbing on the Blue Flag award-winning beach and remains in custody. Continue reading...

Criticism of proposed scheme comes as another blow to the party's struggling election campaignBritain's armed forces need more money not untrained teenage volunteers, former military leaders and Tory figures have said in a new blow to the Conservatives' faltering election campaign.Within hours of being announced, Rishi Sunak's election pledge to bring back military service for 18-year-olds was rubbished by army chiefs and a former Conservative defence secretary. Continue reading...

Professional rider suffered fatal accident while competing on Global Quest at Bicton international horse trialsA professional horse rider has died while competing at an equestrian event in Devon.Georgie Campbell, 36, was competing at the Bicton international horse trials when she suffered a fatal accident, according to British Eventing. Continue reading...

Leader says party is receiving best response from voters for a generation' as he unveils Yellow Hammer One battlebusEd Davey has said the Liberal Democrats are not putting a ceiling on our ambitions" as he launched the party's general election campaign.The party leader said the Lib Dems had been getting their best response from voters for a generation" while out campaigning. Continue reading...

Prince and Princess of Wales lead tributes to squadron leader, who died near RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on SaturdayA passionate, professional" RAF pilot who was killed in a Spitfire crash while taking part in a Battle of Britain event has been named.Sqn Ldr Mark Long died following the crash at RAF Coningsby on Saturday. An investigation into the incident that led to his death has been launched. Continue reading...

Croxall has sued corporation for discrimination along with three other female senior journalistsA BBC presenter who has brought a tribunal claim against the broadcaster has returned to the screen. Martine Croxall sued the corporation after being off air for more than a year following the merger of the BBC's News and World News channels.Croxall, 55, and three other senior female BBC journalists, Kasia Madera, Annita McVeigh and Karin Giannone, said they were taken off air after being snubbed for chief presenter roles. Continue reading...

Comments from former Ukip leader, who also said he will stand for parliament in the future, described as outright Islamophobia'Nigel Farage has come under fire for using his first election interview to spout Islamophobia, hatred and divisive comments" after he said a growing number of Muslims do not share British values.The honorary president of the Reform UK party drew heavy criticism on Sunday after claiming Rishi Sunak had allowed more people into the country who are going to fight British values" than any UK leader before him. Continue reading...

First-quarter earnings show 580m pool, reflecting increase in share price as bonus cap scrapped in UKLondon bankers at Goldman Sachs have seen their pay pot jump by more than 20% so far this year, as the bank's surging share price added to the prospect of bumper payouts after bonus caps were lifted in the UK.Filings covering Goldman Sachs International's (GSI) first-quarter earnings show that it built up a $735m (580m) pay pool in the three months to March, averaging out at about $218,000 (170,000) each for its 3,359 staff, the bulk of whom are based in London. Continue reading...

As official mourning for Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi ends, here are some of the names proposed as successorsThe end of official mourning for Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi has unleashed a battle for succession, with as many as 20 credible names being proposed.All candidates have to be cleared by the 12-strong elite body known as the Guardian Council, and the regime is torn between ensuring continuity on the one hand and allowing an open competition that stimulates turnout and gives the victor legitimacy. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 3.6bn has been paid out in 1,307 cases, according to information obtained under freedom of information lawsThe NHS has spent 4.1bn over the last 11 years settling lawsuits involving babies who suffered brain damage when being born, amid claims that maternity units are not learning from mistakes.It paid out just under 3.6bn in damages in 1,307 cases in which parents were left to care for a baby with cerebral palsy or other forms of brain injury, NHS figures reveal. Continue reading...

Emergency workers give up hope of finding survivors of Friday's landslide as tribal warfare threatens rescue effortMore than 670 people are believed to have been killed in a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, the UN migration agency has said, as emergency workers and relatives gave up hope that any survivors would be found.The death toll from the landslide on Friday had been estimated at more than 300, but 48 hours later the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it may be more than double that, with the full extent of destruction still unclear. Continue reading...

UK government allows British private schools in countries like UAE to use BSO kitemark while not teaching about same-sex relationshipsMinisters are allowing private schools abroad to brand themselves as British schools" despite not teaching about same-sex relationships, equality or drug abuse as required in England, the Guardian has learned.Overseas schools are able to be officially accredited as British Schools Overseas" (BSO) by the Department for Education (DfE). This came after the government did a U-turn and exempted them from using the same curriculum it requires in England if it would conflict with local laws. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data reveals that 77 people died before being offered public housing between April 2019 and March this year

Not ICC practice to consult all states before making application for arrest warrants, Dfat says

Rachel Reeves says Labour plans for an immediate injection of cash into frontline public services if party gets into governmentHere's the Guardian's write-up of home secretary James Cleverly's promise no teenagers would face jail over the national service plans.BBC Scotland's Sunday Show spoke to a roundabout of parties on the first weekend since the election was called, but one topic dominated proceedings. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor rules out income tax and national insurance rises and says manifesto will have no unfunded proposals

Home secretary says teenagers will not face criminal sanction if they refuse to join military or do volunteer work

Group of about 500 people to reinstate 2017 lawsuit against government due to holes and gaps' in compensation frameworkHundreds of people in the UK infected with contaminated blood and relatives of those infected are going ahead with plans to sue the health secretary for damages, having been left dissatisfied with the government's announcement on compensation.A group claim by about 500 people against the government alleging it breached a duty to take reasonable care to prevent personal injury or loss, amounting to misfeasance in public office, began in 2017 but was paused pending the inquiry into the scandal, which published its final report on Monday. Continue reading...

Lilian Seenoi-Barr, who arrived from Kenya in 2010, will make history when she receives chain of office in DerryLilian Seenoi-Barr will make history on 3 June when she receives the chain of office at Derry's guildhall and becomes Northern Ireland's first black mayor.It will be the culmination of a personal and political journey that began in 2010 when she arrived as a refugee from Kenya and became part of the region's growing multi-ethnic identity. Continue reading...

Any feelgood factor from the Euros or Wimbledon looks unlikely to boost the beleaguered PM's chances in the general electionThere were obvious immediate beneficiaries of the timing of Rishi Sunak's surprise election call: Post Office villain Paula Vennells, for example, bumped off the front pages, and civil service chief of staff Simon Case, whose long awaited evidence to the Covid inquiry went largely unnoticed.Others with cause to celebrate Sunak's seasonal gamble included the tobacco lobby, which has seen his smoking bill conveniently shelved and Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, whose government has now trousered a cool 250m of British taxpayers' cash for services never likely to be rendered. Continue reading...