World news | The Guardian

Jim Chalmers' budget didn't answer all the questions about what projects will be funded but there is a lot more clarity now

Georgia PM GeorIrakli Kobakhidze pushes back against sanctions threat; Heroes Square blocked by demonstrators after controversial foreign agents' bill passes. This blog is now closed.

Package in congressional review process after Biden delayed shipment of bombs over fears they would be used to attack RafahThe US state department has moved a $1bn package of weapons aid for Israel into the congressional review process, two US officials said on Tuesday.The latest weapons package includes tank rounds, mortars and armored tactical vehicles, one of the officials told Reuters. Continue reading...

Australia's financials have generally improved compared with forecasts made a year ago but there are threats to the country's outlook lurking

Review of serious safeguarding failures finds young people from abusive environments less visible' to agenciesChildren who grow up in neglectful or abusive environments are safer attending school than being educated at home, according to a review of serious safeguarding failures in England in which six children died and 35 were harmed in one year.The report, by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, emphasised that while home education was not a safeguarding risk, it found that vulnerable children were less visible" to safeguarding agencies than those regularly in school. Continue reading...

Commander says authorities scrambling to keep up with supply trends as knife crimes riseYoung people are using sites such as Telegram and TikTok to buy large knives for use in attacks and intimidation, with some linked to Britain's drug wars, police said.Stephen Clayman, national lead for knife crime for the National Police Chiefs' Council, made it clear on Tuesday that police want tougher action after a 7% year-on-year rise in knife offences, with a 20% rise in knife-point robberies. Continue reading...

Chris Philp says police should not tiptoe around using these powers in an aim to appease' despite concerns over racial biasPolice officers must carry out more stop and searches to address knife crime as the tactic is not used nearly often enough", according to the policing minister.Chris Philp said that police forces cannot afford to tiptoe around using these powers in an aim to appease". Continue reading...

Residents of suburbs in Fort McMurray ordered to leave as officials monitor a fire nearby that has grown to cover 9,600 hectaresResidents of four suburbs in the Canadian city of Fort McMurray have been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire approaches the city, stirring grim reminders of the country's costliest natural disaster.Officials in the western province of Alberta issued evacuation orders for the neighbourhoods of Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace on Tuesday, telling all residents to leave by 4pm MT. Continue reading...

450m Manchester venue opens doors with Elbow concert two weeks after debris falling from ceiling forced shutdownIt has been billed by its American owners as the greatest music venue ever built: a state-of-the art arena to put Manchester back on the musical map.But after a series of humiliating setbacks, the 450m Co-op Live - now referred to be some as Co-flop Live - opened its doors with a stagger rather than a swagger with a long-delayed concert by the local band Elbow on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Cargo ship experienced electrical outage 10 hours before departing then lost power again before collision, preliminary report saysInvestigators examining the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said in a preliminary report on Tuesday the cargo ship Dali experienced an electrical blackout about 10 hours before leaving the port of Baltimore while undergoing maintenance.The power outage was caused by a crew member mistakenly closing an exhaust damper, causing the ship's engine to stall, the report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board said. The ship lost power again and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns shortly after leaving the port on 26 March, which brought the bridge down in seconds. Continue reading...

Livestream artwork with 2.4m-wide screen allowed people in both cities to see but not hear each other, leading to offensive conductAuthorities in Dublin are to temporarily shut down the live video portal with New York because of unruly behaviour.The city council said in a statement on Tuesday it would switch off the interactive webcam at 10pm Irish time while technicians try to tweak - or censor - a project that has brought delight and notoriety. Continue reading...

Official suggests US funding could be pulled as new Kremlin-inspired' law provokes mass protests

President's son, 54, charged with three offenses related to questions about drug use when buying firearm in 2018Hunter Biden's federal gun case is set to go to trial next month, a judge said on Tuesday, formally denying a bid by Biden's lawyers to delay prosecution on three gun firearms charges.The US district judge Maryellen Noreika, who threw out a plea-deal agreement between Biden and the US government in August, rejected Biden's request to push the trial until September. Continue reading...

Deputy foreign secretary urges Cayman and British Virgin Islands to implement UK law requiring public registers of fundsNearly 40% of the dirty money in the world is going through the City of London and other crown dependencies, the UK's deputy foreign secretary has said.Andrew Mitchell added the crown dependencies and overseas territories will face fresh demands from the Foreign Office to comply with UK laws setting up public registers of beneficial share ownership. Continue reading...

The party has agreed a joint statement expressing full commitment' to the new deal for working people as agreed in July' after a meeting with unions this afternoon. This live blog is closed

Sections of the 2022 legislation found to be incompatible' with the European convention on human rightsA high court judge has found parts of the government's policing legislation to be in breach of human rights law, with its powers capable of causing a significant intrusion" on the lives of Gypsies and Travellers.In a judgment published on Tuesday, sections of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act were found to be incompatible" with the European convention on human rights, specifically article 14 when read with article 8 - the right to respect for private and family life. Continue reading...

Health minister makes announcement following revelations that a man who killed his children legally changed his nameCanada's westernmost province has says it will stop people who committed serious crimes from changing their names, following revelations that a child-killer tried to keep his new identity secret.British Columbia's health minister said on Monday his government would introduce legislation to amend the province's name act. Continue reading...

While this year's Cannes film festival jury president declared her role a dream come true', storms over sexual abuse and workers' rights are expectedThe reviews were gushing on the first day of the 77th Cannes film festival, as Barbie director Greta Gerwig took up her duties as this year's jury president. Festival bosses variously hailed the American film-maker as a cultural phenomenon", a heroine for modern times" and a woman who embodies the future of cinema". The fanfare was such that it almost drowned out the discord as the world's premier movie showcase opened against a backdrop of threatened labour disputes and a rumoured report of alleged sexual abuse within the industry.This is beyond a dream come true," said Gerwig, who presides over a nine-member jury that includes Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and actors Lily Gladstone and Eva Green. One of the favourite things that I do is to watch cinema and discuss it - and now I'm getting to do it with the most wonderful minds for 10 whole days. I'm still in shock that I'm here." Continue reading...

At least two French prison guards shot dead and three seriously injured after heavily armed men ambush prison van in IncarvilleFootage of the incident circulating on social media appears to show heavily armed men on a road, with a car crashed into a police van.They will pay," the French prime minister, Gabriel Attal, said in response to the attack. Continue reading...

Louise Wateridge, in a post on X, said it was hard to believe there were over a million people sheltering here just a week ago'. This live blog is closedOne of ActionAid's partners in Rafah has paused humanitarian operations there, with the charity warning that aid operations could grind to a complete halt" as aid workers face an unprecedented" level of danger making their jobs become impossible".The charity says that aid workers in Rafah are experiencing the same inhumane living conditions as the rest of the population" and that virtually no aid" has entered Gaza in recent days despite the deepening humanitarian crisis across the enclave.Due to fuel shortages and severe security constraints, our aid delivery services in Rafah are temporarily paused. Our partners have received multiple evacuation orders in the past few days, and the ongoing bombardment on Rafah is making it impossible for them to distribute aid safely within Rafah.The obligation of conflicting parties is not only to ensure that aid gets through the borders but also to reach people inside Gaza. Continue reading...

Exclusive: government hopes proposed law will encourage people to come forward to police without fear of legal action

Pinchas Goldschmidt warns situation in the streets' since 7 October Hamas attack is destabilising societiesA leading rabbi has warned that threats and harassment are leading some Europeans to hide their Jewish identities, cautioning that the rise in antisemitism could destabilise European societies.Jewish communities across Europe have been grappling with an increase in hate speech, vandalism, harassment and threats since Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Continue reading...

PM confirms three others wounded in attack on vehicle transporting prisoner from courthouse in Rouen

Thanks to laws that protect medical providers, thousands of people got pills through telehealth in the last five months of 2023Over the last five months of 2023, medical providers shipped abortion pills to about 48,000 people living in states that forbid abortions, via new shield laws" that protect providers who mail pills to people living under abortion restrictions.Researchers from #WeCount, a project by the Society of Family Planning that studies the impact of abortion restrictions following the toppling of Roe v Wade, first started tracking abortions performed through shield laws in July 2023. In its Tuesday report, the researchers measured the impact of shield laws passed in five blue states - Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Washington state - that protect medical providers from legal repercussions if they ship abortion pills to people in defiance of state bans. Continue reading...

Migration Advisory Committee says the risks are low, despite Tory claims the route is being exploited

Mission to Kyiv by US secretary of state comes after Congress approved long-delayed $60bn aid package; Russia claims to have captured Buhruvatka. This live blog is closed

$300 energy rebate to every Australian household as $3.5bn centrepiece of pre-election cost-of-living budget. Follow live updates

Kazakhstan to toughen penalties for domestic violence as killing of Saltanat Nukenova prompts national outcry and shines spotlight on high femicide ratesA former Kazakh government minister has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the torture and murder of his wife in one of the most high-profile cases of domestic violence in Kazakhstan's history.Kuandyk Bishimbayev, 44, was shown in surveillance footage repeatedly beating Saltanat Nukenova, 31, after they quarrelled in a restaurant he owned in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, in November 2023. A forensic examination later found evidence of strangulation. Continue reading...

Tribunal heard Ramya Nagesh, who was appearing remotely on behalf of nurse witness, fell asleep after eating baked potatoA barrister who wrote a book on sleepwalking is facing a disciplinary tribunal after allegedly falling asleep during a coroner's inquest.Ramya Nagesh, a member of commercial chambers in Gray's Inn Square in London, has been accused by the Bar standards board (BSB) of professional misconduct after falling asleep during a virtual hearing, missing her client giving evidence, the Daily Telegraph first reported. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation identifies Jonathan Keeperman, a former lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, as Lomez'A Guardian investigation has identified former University of California, Irvine (UCI) lecturer Jonathan Keeperman as the man behind the prominent new right" publishing house Passage Press and the influential Twitter persona Lomez.The identification is based on company and property records, source interviews and open-source online materials. Continue reading...

New mental health service and Medicare urgent care clinics funded alongside ways to keep pensioners and older Australians out of hospital

Government says reforms to the national disability insurance scheme that supports more than 600,000 Australians will ensure it is on a more financially sustainable footing

Not every measure makes the headlines, here we look at some of them - from a French re-connection to milk mix-ups in this year's budget

Treasurer will be able to boast back-to-back surpluses when he speaks at 7.30pm tonight. Follow live updates today

Local campaigners call for testing of nearby waterways but mine owner says potentially affected groundwater unlikely to represent a risk'

Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC says judge was correct to convict Dawson who had a possessive' relationship with a teenager

Schoolgirl once asked her grandfather if her alleged killer Justin Stein would make a good dad, NSW supreme court hears

Musician who played sax solo on Young Americans and released a series of Grammy-winning albums dies from prostate cancerDavid Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist whose expressive versatility across jazz and pop also made him a sought-after session player for tracks such as David Bowie's Young Americans, has died aged 78.A message on social media stated he died from an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. Mr Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025." Continue reading...

Party reportedly copied in more than 300 email addresses in appeal to supporters to sign up for conferenceThe Conservative party has referred itself to the data protection watchdog over an alleged data breach after it revealed hundreds of email addresses in a pitch to sign up for its annual conference.The party's registration team, urging supporters to complete their applications for conference, reportedly copied in more than 300 addresses in a way that they could be seen by all recipients. Continue reading...

Aldi, IGA and FoodWorks have appeared at the pricing inquiry a day after Coles and Woolworths were grilled

In today's newsletter: A major new attack on territory known for Kyiv's biggest victory has led to a sense of Ukraine's prospects viciously unravelling, town by town Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. In September 2022, Kharkiv province was the site of the greatest Ukrainian victory of the war so far: the lightning counteroffensive that liberated at least 12,000 square kilometres from Russian control, pushed Moscow's artillery out of range of Kharkiv city and provided real hope that Vladimir Putin could not just be slowed down, but defeated.Over the past few days, Kharkiv has been the location of a very different shift. This time, it is the Russians who have made larger daily advances than at almost any other point in the war, and are now moving further forwards. Civilians who had come home are fleeing once more in their thousands, and even Kyiv admits that the situation is difficult". Further attacks could draw sparse Ukrainian resources from along the frontline, deal a heavy blow to Ukrainian morale and redraw the map before the resources belatedly provided by the US last month are in place to do anything about it.Medical research | A weight loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study. Trial participants who took semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease.Housing | Rent rises should be capped for millions of people struggling to afford soaring rates, according to a landmark report commissioned by Labour. Leaked proposals from the independent report will put pressure on Keir Starmer to adopt measures that could ease pressure on tenants who saw an average 9% increase in rates last year.Donald Trump | Donald Trump told his one-time fixer Michael Cohen only weeks before the 2016 election to bury Stormy Daniels's account of an alleged sexual liaison, demanding that he just take care of it", Cohen told the former president's trial on Monday. In hours of testimony, Cohen linked Trump to a $130,000 hush money payment and said: Everything required Mr Trump's sign-off."Gaza | Israeli settlers attacked an aid convoy headed into Gaza on Monday, throwing packages of food into the road and setting fire to vehicles. The incident, condemned by the US as a total outrage", came as Israeli troops continued their offence across Gaza in the most intensive round of fighting for weeks.Women's health | Women in labour have been mocked, ignored, fobbed off with paracetamol and left with permanent damage by midwives and doctors, a damning report by MPs has found. The UK's first inquiry into birth trauma called for the appointment of a maternity commissioner and the creation of new specialist postnatal services to address the problems. Continue reading...

Premier Chris Minns says the statistics on Indigenous Australians in the state's jails represent a major issue'

Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have led to a total of 68m IDPs across the worldConflict has forced more than 68 million people to leave their homes as of the end of 2023 - the highest figure since data became available 15 years ago.Natural disasters made a further 7.7 million people homeless, pushing the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) to a record 75.9 million, according to figures published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Lawyers open their case after Lynn, 57, pleaded not guilty to murdering the pair in Victoria's Wonnangatta Valley

The reptile, measuring more than four metres long, was caught at Cardwell Marina north of Townsville after multiple incidents

Hong Kong trade official, Border Force officer and immigration official charged under National Security ActA Hong Kong trade official working in London has appeared in court alongside a Border Force officer and an immigration enforcement official accused of monitoring, surveillance and harassment of pro-democracy activists in the UK.The three men, Chung Biu Yuen, 63, Chi Leung Peter" Wai, 38, and Matthew Trickett, 37, have been charged with unlawfully assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service and engaging in foreign interference by forcing entry into a British address. Continue reading...

NSW police charge solicitor who allegedly published details of a sexual assault complainant while representing the man charged in the case

Human Rights Watch says warnings were not issued before attacks, which have killed or injured dozens

Myanmar military has conscripted 1,000 Rohingya men and boys since February, with fears some are being used as human shields, according to NGOsFor more than four hours Abdullah* waited in the darkness as soldiers marched 30 of his neighbours from their homes in the Myanmar border state of Rakhine and forced them by gunpoint to join him on the truck that would take them all to a military base.By the morning they were standing in front of a military commander ordering them to fight with the army against a local rebel group - some of the 1,000 Rohingya people the Myanmar military has conscripted since February, according to Human Rights Watch. Continue reading...

McBride, who had pleaded guilty to stealing commonwealth information and passing it to the ABC, receives non-parole term of 27 months