World news | The Guardian

Extracts from pop singer's new memoir reveal effect of controversial conservatorship arrangement she eventually escaped, and termination of pregnancyThe first extracts from Britney Spears' highly anticipated memoir The Woman in Me have been published, documenting the cruelty she allegedly experienced during the unusual conservatorship arrangement she was placed under between 2008 and 2021, and an abortion she reportedly had while dating Justin Timberlake.In the extracts published by People magazine in the US ahead of the book's publication on 24 October, Spears writes of the abortion: For me, [the pregnancy] wasn't a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I'd anticipated. But Justin definitely wasn't happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young ... I don't know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn't want to be a father." The couple dated between 1999 and 2002, when they were in their late teens and early 20s. Timberlake has not commented on Spears' account. Continue reading...

Labour-led government needs to find 600m to balance books, blaming inflation, austerity, pay and mismanagement' by UK government

Congressional investigation into failed rightwing insurrection on 8 January calls for former president to be charged with four crimesBrazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro was the mentor of a wilful and premeditated coup attempt" that sought to plunge Latin America's largest democracy into political mayhem and perhaps even civil war, a congressional inquiry investigating the 8 January insurrection has alleged.The dramatic assertion was made on Tuesday as the senator Eliziane Gama read the inquiry's final report into January's failed rightwing uprising in which thousands of radical Bolsonaro supporters rampaged through the capital, Brasilia, after their leader failed to win re-election. Continue reading...

Hamas launches an unprecedented sea, air and ground offensive against Israel. The group fires a barrage of rockets towards Israeli cities and thousands of militants breach the frontier fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel. Continue reading...

British jet engine maker to cut workforce as Swedish electric truck firm Volta files for bankruptcy

Hundreds of visitors led out of palace as France remains on high alert for possible terror attackThe Palace of Versailles was evacuated for the second time in days after a bomb threat on Tuesday as France remains on high alert for a possible terror attack.Hundreds of visitors were led out of the palace as a specialist police explosives unit was dispatched to the site. Continue reading...

Belgian interior minister says weapon found on neutralised person' was same as that used in the attackThe man suspected of killing two Swedish football fans and wounding another in a terrorist attack in Brussels on Monday night has died after being shot by police.Belgium's interior minister, Annelies Verlinden, told the broadcaster VRT that an automatic weapon found on the neutralised person" was the same as that used during the attack that killed two Swedish men, one in his 60s and one in his 70s.

Pedestrian Almena Amica died in hospital following collision in city centreTributes have been paid to a well-loved" woman who died after a bus crashed into a cafe in Manchester city centre on Monday.Almena Amica, known as Mena, a pedestrian at the time of the collision, was taken to hospital with serious injuries and later died. Continue reading...

Prof Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who has a practice in UK capital, claims it is a brutal attempt at silencing us'

Judges say decision should be made by parliament but stress that such unions should not face discriminationIndia's top court has declined to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages, saying it is beyond its scope and should be decided by parliament, but emphasising that queer relationships should not face discrimination by the state.The marriage ruling will be a disappointment for LGBTQ+ people in India, who had hoped the supreme court judges would recognise their constitutional right to marriage equality. Continue reading...

Biden administration urged to declare a public health emergency with key medication for preventable condition in short supplyHealth advocates are calling on the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency over a steep rise in congenital syphilis cases. The easily treated infection has quintupled in 10 years and can have harrowing impacts on children.Congenital syphilis happens when a baby contracts syphilis from its mother. Up to 40% of babies born to untreated mothers will be stillborn or die. Others can be left with severe birth defects such as bone damage, anemia, blindness or deafness, and neurological devastation". Continue reading...

Footage shows Mia Schem, 21, asking to be returned to her family as quickly as possible

This blog is now closed.

Alexander De Croo tells residents to remain extra vigilant' after attack that prosecutors said was inspired by Islamic StateA gunman who shot dead two Swedish football supporters in central Brussels was still on the run on Tuesday morning, prime minister Alexander De Croo has said, calling the attack terrorist madness".The Swedish national football team were playing against Belgium at King Baudouin Stadium, about 5km away, on Monday evening but the match was abandoned at half-time after news of the attack and the crowd was instructed to stay inside the stadium. Continue reading...

Graham Perrett and Michelle Ananda-Rajah note specifics of referendum rejection as Marion Scrymgour pushes for recognition in other ways

Media companies, including Guardian Australia, oppose the application for secrecy, following a recent change to Queensland law to allow the naming of accused sex offenders after they are charged

Freedom of information figures also show 25 girls were strip-searched in the past financial year compared to just seven in 2021-22

Officers believe Iain Hogg was killed in northern NSW in 2002 before his stolen car was linked to another death in Queensland three days later

US president will visit Israel for talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, says Antony Blinken; Iranian foreign minister suggests potential escalation in the conflict in remarks on Iranian state television

Buses had been scheduled to take Palestinian Australians from Ramallah in West Bank to Jordan but they did not go ahead

RFS commissioner says death due to Willi Willi fire a tragic reminder of how deadly some of these fires are'

If Labor's proposed workplace overhaul leads to higher delivery prices it reflects below-acceptable levels of pay'

Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting show the board weighed up the option of lifting rates earlier this month but determined there had not been sufficient new information'

Opposition leader says symbolic recognition in constitution is still Coalition policy but it will be some time' before a new referendum

Russia testing defences around Kupiansk-Lyman as its Avdiivka offensive wanes, says Ukraine; Moscow admits reliance on China for dronesRussia hopes to break through Ukrainian defences in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector of the frontline in north-eastern Ukraine, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Monday according to Reuters. Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi was shown in video footage telling soldiers the situation on the north-eastern frontline had significantly escalated" and the Russian military wanted revenge" by retaking territory it once occupied.A days-long attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appeared to be waning, Kyiv officials said. Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian general staff said on Monday.Russia's drones are mostly sourced from China and Moscow will spend more than $618m on a new national project to make them itself, Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, has said. The task is that 41% of all drones by 2025 should have the label Made in Russia'. Today, drones are mainly from the People's Republic of China."Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing for talks on Wednesday, the Kremlin has confirmed. It will be the Russian president's first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the international criminal court issued a warrant for him in March over the deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Beijing on Monday.Ukraine has called for Russia to be excluded from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), warning the body faces a slow death" if Moscow remained a member. The OSCE was founded to ease tensions between east and west during the cold war, and helps its members coordinate on issues like human rights and arms control.Moscow can expect more diplomatic pressure from the 57-nation OSCE, according to the chief diplomat of North Macedonia, which holds that body's rotating presidency. Its foreign minister, Bujar Osmani, on Monday urged Russia to cease its attacks on Ukraine and withdraw its forces.The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said support for Ukraine remained a top priority" for the US and Europe, reaffirming the Biden administration's commitment to support Kyiv for as long as it takes". Yellen told reporters that Joe Biden would submit a supplemental funding request for Ukraine and Israel as soon as we have a functional House of Representatives". Continue reading...

Jet engine manufacturer expected to reveal job losses on Tuesday as chief executive prepares to reveal long-term strategyRolls-Royce is to cut up to 2,500 jobs across its business, as its chief executive prepares to reveal his long-term strategy for the company.The jet engine manufacturer is expected to reveal between 2,000 and 2,500 job losses as early as Tuesday, with the UK expected to be affected, two sources said. Continue reading...

Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, named as Rishi Sunak says six Britons are dead and 10 missing after attack on Israel

PM provides update while speaking in Commons for first time since outbreak of the war a week ago

Government sources say proposals will apply to those serving a sentence of less than four years

Amna Abdullatif, the first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester city council, among those to resignThe first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester city council is one of a number of Labour councillors to resign from the party in protest at Keir Starmer's pro-Israeli stance.Amna Abdullatif, a councillor in Ardwick since 2019, said she had been left no choice other than to resign the Labour whip and resign from the Labour party due to Keir Starmer and a number of his senior frontbench making horrifying comments about Israel having the right to withhold fuel, water, food and electricity from the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, effectively endorsing a war crime". Continue reading...

Residents pack up and go as state gears up for possible hostilities with Hezbollah at the same time as war in Gaza

Justice secretary says move will not apply to anyone serving a life sentence and those released will be taggedNicola Sturgeon, the former first minister, is attending the SNP conference this afternoon. As the BBC's David Wallace Lockhart reports, that has led to questions about whether she will upstage her successor, Humza Yousaf.Ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's expected arrival at SNP conference, Humza Yousaf says members will be really excited to see her", and says he doesn't think he'll be upstaged by his successor making an appearance in AberdeenThe SNP and Plaid Cymru share a long history, bound by a common cause: to forge fairer and more prosperous nations through independence. Today, we are proud to be renewing that shared political project.From the days of Gwynfor Evans and Winnie Ewing, our parties have stood side by side, and have crafted a unique alliance in these islands, one that we will endeavour to strengthen further. Continue reading...

Development drive's forum will focus on poorer countries as Xi's relations with the west become increasingly frostyWorld leaders are gathering in Beijing for China's belt and road initiative (BRI) forum, the third such event since the trademark global development drive was launched by President Xi Jinping 10 years ago.The BRI was originally envisioned as a vast physical and digital infrastructure project to connect China with central Asia, south-east Asia, Europe and the rest of the world. It later broadened into a mammoth infrastructure financing vehicle for Chinese lenders to support projects in nearly every corner of the world, particularly in the global south. With that support came China's mounting influence on the world stage, even as western countries became increasingly sceptical of the BRI. Continue reading...

Saskatchewan invokes clause to push through controversial bill requiring parental consent for children to change pronounsThe Canadian province of Saskatchewan has invoked a rare constitutional mechanism to shield controversial gender pronoun legislation from legal challenges - a decision critics say violates the rights of minors.On Monday, Saskatchewan's legislative assembly started debate on Bill 137, which outlines the rights parents have as the primary decision-maker" in their child's education. Among the most controversial is the provision requiring parental consent before school staff use a desired gender identity or gender-related preferred name if the student is under the age of 16. The bill also says that if obtaining parental permission could cause harm to the child, the principal will connect the student with support to develop a plan to come out to their parents. Continue reading...

North East ambulance service says it has contacted the individual's family and opened an investigationAn ambulance trust has said it is deeply sorry" after a patient declared dead later woke up in hospital.North East ambulance service (NEAS) apologised and said it had contacted the unnamed person's family. An investigation has been launched into the error, which took place on Friday. Continue reading...

Warmer EU and Kyiv relations along with a focus on the rule of law, women's rights and LGBTQ+ rights could ensue if polls are accurateIf the exit polls turn out to be accurate, Poland is heading for a new government run by Donald Tusk. The change, after eight years of populist rule by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, would be a remarkable political reverse. A potential Tusk government may be restricted in its legislative manoeuvres by the veto of PiS-aligned president, Andrzej Duda, in office until 2025, but would nonetheless radically change Poland's domestic and foreign policy landscape.From warmer relations with Brussels and Kyiv, to a relaxation of some of Europe's strictest abortion laws and the advent of same-sex civil partnerships, we take a closer look at what this new era might conceivably look like both at home and abroad. Continue reading...

We are not a Mickey Mouse parliament,' jokes one MEP after diversion causes 45-minute delayWith a heavy workload pushing through EU laws, members of the European parliament know a thing or two about amendments. But an unscheduled Mickey Mouse experience on their way to Strasbourg on Monday morning was something of a first.A French train carrying hundreds of MEPs and their teams from Brussels ended up by accident at Marne-la-Vallee, the stop for Disneyland Paris. Continue reading...

Analysts say traders have started to price in disruption that conflict could cause to global oil supply

Quinn Mitchell, who had credential for New Hampshire political summit, says he was accused of being tracker' and disturbance'A 15-year-old aspiring journalist who had a viral encounter with Florida governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year was escorted out of a Republican political event by armed police after he was accused of being a Democratic operative.Quinn Mitchell - a politics enthusiast who has attended more than 80 presidential campaign events - said he was given a credential to the First in the Nation Leadership Summit, an event organized by the New Hampshire Republican party. Continue reading...

Retailer with more than 2,000 stores in 17 states was hit by lawsuits alleging pharmacies contributed to oversupply of opioidsDebt-laden Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday and said it would close underperforming stores, as the drugstore chain comes under pressure from lawsuits alleging that it helped fuel the US opioid crisis.The filing will allow it to resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner", the company said, adding it has received a commitment for $3.45bn from some lenders, which will provide liquidity during the bankruptcy process. Continue reading...

Love Actually and Notting Hill director says jokes calling people chubby aren't any longer funny'Richard Curtis has expressed regret over his depiction of women and jokes about body size in films such as Love Actually and Bridget Jones's Diary, after being interrogated by his daughter.The British screenwriter and director admitted that jibes about women's weight aren't any longer funny", and he said setting the 1999 hit film Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, in the diverse London neighbourhood without any black characters was wrong. Continue reading...

Schools pay tribute to teacher killed last week as country placed on highest security alertFrench secondary schools will hold a minute's silence on Monday after a teacher was killed by a former pupil in what the government called an Islamist terror attack, prompting Emmanuel Macron to call for a ruthless" approach towards extremists.France has been placed on its highest level of security alert after a 20-year-old terrorist suspect who had been under surveillance walked into his old high school in Arras, northern France, on Friday and stabbed to death a French teacher, Dominique Bernard, and injured three others. The 57-year-old teacher died from several wounds to the neck. Continue reading...

Liu Liange charged with accepting bribes and illegally granting loans amid country's anti-corruption driveChina has arrested the former head of one of the country's largest commercial banks on charges of accepting bribes and illegally granting loans, amid a two-year anti-corruption drive targeting the financial sector.China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which is investigating corruption within the ruling Communist party, said on Monday that Liu Liange had been arrested, after announcing the start of the investigation in March. Continue reading...

Aine Leslie Davis, who was once accused of being member of cell known as the Beatles', admits offences at Old BaileyAine Leslie Davis, 39, who was once suspected of being part of an Islamic State death squad known as "the Beatles", has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to having a firearm for terrorism purposes and two offences of funding terrorism.More details soon ... Continue reading...

Joseph Czuba, 71, charged with murder after stabbing tenants over a dozen times, was reportedly fueled by Israel-Hamas warA 71-year-old man in Plainfield, Illinois, has been charged with murder and a hate crime after stabbing a child and his mother because they were Muslims.Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis," the Will county sheriff's office said. Continue reading...

Protective order poses dilemma for Tanya Chutkan as Trump could use it to falsely attack the criminal case as politicalA federal judge is expected to consider on Monday whether to impose a limited gag order on Donald Trump in the criminal case over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, potentially restricting what he can say about potential trial witnesses and prosecutors.The decision for US district judge Tanya Chutkan at the hearing, scheduled for 10am in Washington, comes with unique challenges given the potential for Trump to test the limits of a protective order or even flout it outright - opening the explosive sanctions question of whether to jail him in response. Continue reading...

Police wish to speak to man shown throwing flare as they consider application for upcoming march in support of Palestine

Prime minister says issues that we sought to address have not gone away' and that no one is arguing for the status quo'

PM says Hamas should be condemned for committing mass murder on a horrific scale' while Greens warn of looming humanitarian crisis'

Dan Harry, who won the BBC reality show I Kissed a Boy, teams up with LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall to battle hate crimesIt was only when strangers started hugging him in the street that Dan Harry fully appreciated what his appearance on the UK's first all-gay dating show had meant.People would get really emotional, saying: Thank you for what you've done for this community,' and I don't necessarily see it like that. I just went on holiday and kissed some boys," says the 27-year-old who grew up in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, and now lives in London. Continue reading...