World news | The Guardian

Education department allows Sheikh Wesam Charkawi to return to Granville Boys high school, lawyer says, adding case highlights ambiguity in what is required of public servants'

After the announcement of a follow-up festival in Mexico, tourism and local officials have denied any knowledge of its existenceWhen tickets to the second Fyre festival went on sale this week, there was just one concrete detail: it would take place on Isla Mujeres, a tropical island off Cancun, Mexico.But the festival seems to be repeating its own history as an improvised disaster after the local government in Isla Mujeres denied knowing anything about it. Continue reading...

Pamela Marking, suffering severe stomach issues, diagnosed in hospital with nosebleed and sent home by PAA coroner has issued a warning about the role of physician associates in NHS hospitals after a woman with severe abdominal problems was wrongly diagnosed as having a nosebleed and died four days later.The family of Pamela Marking, 77, were under the mistaken impression she had been seen by a doctor when she was examined in an emergency department, rather than a physician associate (PA) with far less training. Continue reading...

I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country,' president says of plan to hand sovereignty to Mauritius

Isaiah Adekunle Olugosi's wife drove for two hours to try to alert prison after phone calls to raise alarm were unansweredA woman who drove 60 miles to Wormwood Scrubs to prevent her husband from taking his own life in prison was unable to alert staff in time because the telephone line and the intercom were both broken, a coroner has ruled.Isaiah Adekunle Olugosi took his life in his cell at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in March 2022. His death was ruled by a jury as suicide.

Two people arrested and dog put down after incident at property in Hartcliffe area on WednesdayA 19-year-old woman has died after she was attacked by a dog, thought to be an XL bully, inside a flat in Bristol.Two people were arrested after the attack in the Hartcliffe area of south Bristol on Wednesday on suspicion of offences including having a prohibited breed of dog. The dog was later destroyed, police said. Continue reading...

Company's plans to introduce declared age range' technology for apps later this year could play a role in Australian social media ban

About 112 migrants held in immigration center deep in the jungle are unable to communicate with their attorneysLawyers for immigrants from around the world who were deported from the United States and moved to a remote jungle camp in Panama say they have been unable to communicate with their clients since they arrived there.About 112 deported migrants are being held in the San Vicente" immigration center deep in the dense jungle that separates Panama from Colombia, according to Panamanian authorities. Their future is uncertain as they wait to see if they will be granted asylum in Panama or elsewhere. Continue reading...

Institution blames increasing costs and changing visitor behaviours' as numbers have failed to recover since CovidThe Royal Academy of Arts (RA) could axe 60 roles as part of a cost-cutting exercise, with leaders admitting it is facing a serious financial challenge" after visitor numbers failed to recover to pre-pandemic levels.The institution blamed increasing costs and changing visitor behaviours" for the move, which could lead to about 18% of the RA workforce losing their jobs. Continue reading...

A memo from the Trump administration gives federal officials until 13 March to submit plans for additional firings

Abdullah Ocalan's message, which follows four decades of guerrilla warfare, will have far-reaching implicationsThe ageing leader of a Kurdish militant group imprisoned on a remote Turkish island has called on the group to disarm and dissolve itself, signalling the start of a fragile peace with Turkey after four decades of guerrilla warfare, attacks and reprisals.Abdullah Ocalan, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK), a group long regarded as a terrorist organisation in Turkey as well as in Britain and the US, issued the message in a letter read out by allies in Istanbul. Continue reading...

Dream of going from LA to San Francisco in three hours is past deadline, over budget, and after 16 years, incompleteCalifornians know their state is a punching bag for Donald Trump's administration, a paradise lost" that the president intends to wrest back from the radical left lunatics". But when Trump took aim at the state's much-delayed high-speed rail project earlier this month, saying it was the worst managed project" he'd ever seen, some of those leftwingers - and more moderate voters - found themselves in the unusual position of conceding he might have a point.California's beautiful dream of a bullet train whisking passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than three hours has been more than 16 years in the making, approved by voters but dogged by so many delays, broken deadlines and cost overruns that it has only just reached the initial stages of laying down track. Continue reading...

Russian president claims to FSB security service that some western elites will try to undermine our dialogue'Speaking at a press conference in Vienna, the Austrian People's Party's leader Christian Stocker hailed the success of probably the most difficult government negotiations in history," as the country seems to be on course to get its new government after five months since the general election in September.He praised the value of consensus and compromise," taking a swipe at other parties to have refused to cooperate and evaded responsibility" for governing the country.There should be nothing about Europe without Europe.Together with our EU partners, Ireland, will continue to build global support for comprehensive, just and lasting peace on Ukraine's terms, which upholds Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and which is based on respect for the principles of the UN charter and international law. Continue reading...

A crowd of thousands were present for the rally in one of two key cities captured by rebel groupSeveral people have been killed and dozens more injured after blasts at a mass rally held by the M23 group in Bukavu, the city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo captured by the rebels earlier this month.Footage posted on social media showed people fleeing the scene. In another, bloodied bodies lay on the ground, and injured people were being carried away. Continue reading...

Adult infected with highly contagious virus that claimed life of unvaccinated child earlier this weekThe first confirmed case of measles has been reported in Kentucky, health authorities have announced, opening a new front in the US spread of the disease.The Kentucky department for public health (KDPH) said that an adult who had recently traveled to another country had contracted the disease. The person had been at a Planet Fitness gym while infectious, potentially exposing others. Continue reading...

One initiative, Better Australia, claims in a draft flyer to have helped reduce Greens support in NSW local and Queensland state campaigns that focused on the party's stance on Israel

Ex-Labour MP was originally jailed for 10 weeks for assaulting a man in the streetThe former Labour MP Mike Amesbury has had his 10-week prison sentence for assault suspended for two years, after an appeal at Chester crown court.Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, was jailed on Monday for drunkenly punching a constituent in the street after an argument. Continue reading...

Rights experts say group who have been detained for more than 10 years face high risk of torture and imprisonmentDozens of Uyghurs have been deported from Thailand to China in the face of warnings from human rights experts that they will face a high risk of torture, enforced disappearance and imprisonment.Local media reported that several trucks with their windows covered were seen in the early hours of Thursday leaving the Bangkok immigration centre where 48 Uyghurs had been held during their more than 10 years in Thai detention. Continue reading...

An arrest warrant had been issued for Paul Flowers after he failed to turn up to a hearing earlier this monthA disgraced former church minister and banking group boss who acquired the nickname Crystal Methodist has been jailed for three years by a judge in Manchester.Paul Flowers, 74, had pleaded guilty to 18 fraud charges amounting to 100,000 after abusing his position as the executor of the will and holder of power of attorney for a woman named Margaret Jarvis. Continue reading...

Doge's work allows Musk to keep control of companies with billions in federal contracts as he guts government agenciesAs Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk work zealously to slash tens of billions in federal spending by axing thousands of jobs and gutting some government agencies, Musk faces mounting claims he has conflicts of interest and no oversight, legal and ethics experts say.Trump's largest campaign donor and the world's wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts. Continue reading...

Self-styled misogynist influencer' and brother Tristan had been banned from leaving Romania since December 2023

Premier Doug Ford called for the early vote, arguing he needs strong mandate' in case of US-Canada trade warVoters in Canada's most populous province head to the polls on Thursday to elect a new premier who may have to face the task of preserving Ontario's economy in the face of punishing US trade tariffs.Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative party leader who has been the province's premier since 2018, called the snap election last month, arguing that he needs a strong mandate" to steer the province through any trade war with the US. Continue reading...

Independent review also calls for ban on other legal, but harmful' material that is degrading, violent or misogynistic

Gaza ceasefire appears to hold after four-day breach, as Israel says three of four bodies identified as of Thursday morning

The Oscar-winning star of The French Connection, The Conversation, Superman and The Poseidon Adventure has died, along with his classical musician wife, according to a Santa Fe sheriffOscar-winning actor Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95. In a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican, County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead on Wednesday afternoon in their home in the Santa Fe Summit community northeast of the city.It quoted the police department saying: We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday." The Press Association confirmed there is an active investigation'' into the deaths. Sheriff Mendoza said there was no immediate indication of foul play. He did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have died. Continue reading...

Report also criticises compensation system for people wrongly convicted of crimes in England and WalesMore potential wrongful convictions could be sent back to the appeal court under proposals to change the way the miscarriages of justice watchdog decides cases.Suggestions by the Law Commission, which reviews legislation in England and Wales, for reform of the criminal appeals system include making it easier for those cleared of crimes to receive compensation and enabling investigation into allegations of jury misconduct. Continue reading...

British jet engine maker's underlying operating profits rose 55% to 2.5bn in 2024 as it bounces back from Covid crisis

City of Moreton Bay CEO says change that will see homeless face threat of fines is needed for health and safety

Focusing foreign aid on infectious diseases has allowed a rise in cancer and diabetes that African governments don't have resources to fight, says Dr Githinji GitahiHealth services in Africa are at risk of collapse in the next few years" due to soaring chronic diseases, a senior public health leader has warned.Foreign aid to Africa has been focused on infectious diseases, leaving conditions such as cancer and diabetes to escalate, said Dr Githinji Gitahi, group CEO of Amref Health Africa. Continue reading...

Jury hears 24-year-old wanted to leave her boyfriend before she was found fatally stabbed and buried on a beach north of Cairns

This blog is now closed

This blog is now closed

Court hears how journalist's social media post on Gaza was seized upon as a pretext' to get rid of her in an utterly abnormal' fashion

Being transgender is not compatible with service, court filing says, foreshadowing removal of people from service within 60 daysTransgender service members will be separated from the US military unless they receive an exemption, according to a Pentagon memo filed in court on Wednesday - essentially banning them from joining or serving in the armed forces.Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that took aim at transgender troops in a personal way - at one point saying that a man identifying as a woman was not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member". Continue reading...

South Yarra and Windsor among 25 new activity centres' identified by Labor for higher-density housing

James Paterson questions whether PM was across detail of live-fire drill, prompting Wong to say opposition senator not actually interested in detail'

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, released after flagging he will fight more than 50 offences and being accused of painting on Melbourne landmarks

Main Beach reopened after exclusion zone set up on tourist strip while device was investigated

Winston Peters says he told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi not enough warning was given about recent navy exercises that forced planes to divertNew Zealand's foreign minister said he had raised concerns over China's recent live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea during meetings with Chinese leaders on Wednesday.The issue was a lack of notice given to New Zealand over the military exercises off its coast, Winston Peters told reporters in Beijing after meetings with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and vice premier Han Zheng. Continue reading...

Sutton Trust says underrepresentation of poorer students is outrageous' but number has doubled in 10 years to 2022Students from working class backgrounds still only make up 5% of entrants to medical schools across the UK, a proportion that has doubled over the past decade, analysis has found.The research, conducted by the Sutton Trust and University College London (UCL), looked at almost 94,000 applicants to UK medical schools between 2012 and 2022, which represent almost half of all UK medical applicants. Continue reading...

Opinion editor leaves as Amazon executive and newspaper owner says viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others'

Relatives of Joel Le Scouarnec, who allegedly sexually assaulted young patients, tell court of split personalityMembers of a French surgeon's family have described discovering the Jekyll and Hyde" character of the man accused of raping or sexually assaulting 299 young patients while they were sedated or recovering from operations.At his trial in the city of Vannes in Brittany, relatives of Joel Le Scouarnec spoke of his split personality.In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International Continue reading...

Ed Miliband thought to have expressed unease at cabinet meeting while MPs across party have condemned ideaCabinet ministers including Ed Miliband have raised concerns over Keir Starmer's decision to slash overseas aid to pay for increased defence spending, as dozens of Labour MPs from all wings of the party expressed alarm at the plan.After aid agencies warned that the decision to cut the UK's aid commitment from 0.5% of GDP annually to 0.3% would have a devastating impact in many areas, several MPs condemned the idea as shortsighted and unjustified. Continue reading...

UK prime minister faces major diplomatic effort to get president on board after he said no plans for US backstop'Keir Starmer has warned that Vladimir Putin could invade Ukraine again unless the US provides security guarantees as he arrived for critical talks with Donald Trump at the most precarious moment for European stability in decades.With the future of Ukrainian security hanging in the balance, he urged the president to commit a US backstop to a British and French-led peacekeeping force, saying it was the only way to avoid Russia plunging Europe back into war. Continue reading...

Milorad Dodik says he will not accept any conviction after his repeated calls for Serb-run part of Bosnia to join SerbiaA court in Bosnia has sentenced the pro-Russia Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik, to one year in prison and banned him from politics for six years over his separatist actions as tensions mount in the fragile Balkan state.Wednesday's landmark ruling in Sarajevo came after a year-long trial on charges that Dodik disobeyed the top international envoy overseeing peace in the country. The judgment becomes final after the expected appeal process. Continue reading...

First US death reported in a decade as outbreak spreads in region where 14% of children are exempt from vaccinationThe unfolding crisis over the spread of measles in the US among communities where skepticism towards vaccines is running high has taken a turn for the worse after a person who was hospitalized with the disease died in west Texas, the first fatality in the outbreak that began late last month.A Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson, Melissa Whitfield, confirmed the death on Wednesday. It is the first death from measles in the US since 2015. Continue reading...

Electricity restored to almost all affected regions as investigation under way into how outage occurredPower has been restored to most of Chile's 19 million people after the country's most disruptive blackout in 15 years, the government said, as authorities lifted a strict curfew imposed when the outage left 98% of the population without electricity.Chilean interior minister Carolina Toha said on Wednesday that electricity had largely returned to Chile's 14 afflicted regions, although 220,000 residents remained without power. Continue reading...

The actor was reportedly found at a New York apartment with the cause of death as yet unknownThe actor Michelle Trachtenberg, known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, has died at the age of 39.Police sources confirmed her death to both ABC News and the New York Post. There is no cause of death yet known and it has been reported that it is not being investigated as suspicious. She had recently undergone a liver transplant, according to sources. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says guarantees of peace and security' were vital ahead of expected talks in Washington on FridayThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that expert level talks between the US and Russia were being prepared. In his daily media briefing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were no current plans for Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump to speak directly on the phone.The Kremlin said it declined to comment on any aspect of a proposed US-Ukraine deal allowing the US to extract rare minerals from Ukraine in lieu of payment for military support until there were official statements. Russia's president on Monday evening offered to sell Russian rare earth minerals to US companies, including minerals from the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine Continue reading...