World news | The Guardian

Steve Endacott claims his artificial intelligence-produced avatar would answer constituents' questions and concernsPolitics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians, so the saying goes.This may be why a businessman in the south of England is proposing a novel solution: putting himself forward as a candidate in the UK general election as the first AI MP". Continue reading...

Destroyed artefacts in St Anne's Anglican church include unique paintings by Group of Seven art collectiveAn early morning fire at a Toronto church has destroyed both a historic site and rare paintings by an acclaimed group of Canadian artists, leaving the city reeling from a heartbreaking" loss.Fire crews responded on Sunday to a blaze engulfing St Anne's Anglican church, a national historic site in the city's Little Portugal neighbourhood. Continue reading...

Macron's bombshell adds uncertainty to the race to be European Commission president, and the incumbent will need to look left or right for supportUrsula von der Leyen has begun trying to craft a majority for a second term as European Commission president, after major gains for the far right that are likely to mean a less stable European parliament.Von der Leyen, a German Christian Democrat, was jubilant after her European People's party (EPP) secured 186 of the 720 seats in the European elections, maintaining its 25-year hold as the largest group and leaving her a narrow path to a second term. Continue reading...

Bezalel Smotrich calls deal with Hamas collective suicide' as PM grapples with fallout from Benny Gantz resignationThe prospect of a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be rapidly receding after the far-right Israeli cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich - on whom Benjamin Netanyahu is now reliant after the resignations of more moderate ministers at the weekend - said he would oppose a deal.Smotrich's comments, during a Knesset committee meeting, came amid the fallout from the resignation of the former army chief of staff Benny Gantz from the war cabinet. Gantz quit on the same weekend that Israel rescued four Israeli hostages held in Gaza in an operation that Gaza's health ministry said killed more than 270 Palestinians and injured hundreds more. Continue reading...

Family angered by Anne Sacoolas's refusal to give evidence in person over motorcyclist's death in 2019Harry Dunn's mother has said she is unspeakably hurt" that her son's killer, Anne Sacoolas, has refused to attend the inquest into his death, saying it was bitterly disappointing and, as a mother, utterly incomprehensible".An inquest into Dunn's death resumed on Monday, almost five years after the 19-year-old was killed when his motorcycle collided head-on with Sacoolas, who was driving on the wrong side of the road outside RAF Croughton, a US military base in Northamptonshire. Continue reading...

Some polls give Labour huge majority but confounding issues such as Gaza war mean things may not be so clearcut

Exclusive: It comes after women's safety taskforce recommended establishment of permanent forensic positions in all hospitals

Supermarket's purchase limit applies everywhere except WA as more than 500,000 chickens euthanised due to avian influenza

Antony Blinken also visiting Middle East this week in push to nail down support for deal to end hostilities

US secretary of state, who is visiting the region, says Egyptian mediators have spoken to Hamas

Pair become two of youngest convicted murderers in UK after machete attack in parkTwo 12-year-old boys have been found guilty of the murder of Shawn Seesahai, 19, who was killed in an apparently unprovoked machete attack in a Wolverhampton park.The pair, who cannot be named because of their age, have become two of the youngest convicted murderers in the UK. Continue reading...

PM says he does not accept that election result is foregone conclusion as he returns to campaign trail

Ukraine military says surface-to-air systems in Dzhankoi and anti-aircraft missile units in Chornomorske and Yevpatoria hitBelarus said on Monday its army was taking part in the second stage of Russian exercises to practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, Reuters reports.The first phase of the drills, ordered by president Vladimir Putin, took place last month.

Exclusive: German police hope to intercept group before they can clash with England fans in GelsenkirchenGerman police believe a squad of up to 500 Serbian hooligans will try to cause violence at England men's first game at Euro 2024 on Sunday.Peter Both, the chief of police in Gelsenkirchen, said the challenge would be to intercept the group before they were able to clash with England fans in the west German city. Continue reading...

Mainstream groups hold on to majority in European parliament but far right gains weaken governments in France and Germany

After populist gains in France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands in EU elections, Macron announces he will dissolve French parliament. Plus: a new series exploring the angst at heart of US election

Met Office reports tentative signs of building high pressure but forecasts sunny spells and showers for this weekThere are tentative signs of high pressure building from the west but cool, wet weather is likely to continue across the UK, forecasters say.After a cool and windy weekend, Monday and Tuesday will remain cool for the time of year, the Met Office said, although will feel warmer in sheltered sunshine. Continue reading...

Surprise announcement comes amid internal party pressure and fresh allegations over expenses claims

Crowds attending drone show at Sydney's winter light festival feared crowd crush and were left feeling trapped and panicked

Chris Philp says PM has apologised for not attending commemoration and will be back bouncing around the campaign trail'Chris Philp, the policing minister, said he was left feeling surprised and disappointed" on learning Rishi Sunak had left D-day commemorations early, but insisted the prime minister would recover politically from the mistake.As the row over Sunak's decision to miss events in Normandy involving other world leaders rumbled into a second week, he is scheduled to resume speaking to journalists in a planned policing-based visit to West Sussex. Continue reading...

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London hospitals struggling to match patients' blood at usual speed - and O-type safe to use for all patientsAn appeal has been launched for O blood-type donors to book appointments across England after the ransomware attack affecting major London hospitals.NHS Blood and Transplant is appealing for O blood-type donations as this is safe to use for all patients. The cyber-attack means the affected hospitals cannot match patients' blood at the same frequency as usual. Continue reading...

Chris Minns says review of Molly Ticehurst's interactions with government agencies will be provided to her family and the public

Far right celebrates in France, Germany and Austria, but mainstream centre parties on course to hold majority

Police called to Kings Domain Monday morning to find head removed and paint thrown at monument

Money raised in manifesto commitment would be used to recruit 8,000 more GPs and speed up cancer treatmentThe Liberal Democrats are to announce plans to overhaul capital gains tax to raise 5bn for the NHS, making them the first party to announce a big tax change as part of their spending plans.The party's leader, Ed Davey, said the change was making tax fairer" and the party said it would hit only the wealthiest. The party will unveil its manifesto on Monday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaign group says 319 households accepted tenancy offers outside capital in 2023, with many under threat of being made destitute'Hundreds of homeless families were permanently forced out of London by councils last year after many were given 24-hour ultimatums to either accept a private tenancy far away from the capital or be kicked out of temporary accommodation and left on the streets.The campaign group Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL) found that 319 households in 2023 accepted offers of a private tenancy outside London. They were often given 24 hours by council officials to accept homes out of the capital or risk making themselves intentionally homeless" by refusing an offer. Continue reading...

Repairs complete but security concerns after Israeli operation to free hostages mean food has not yet been distributedHumanitarian assistance has begun to come ashore in Gaza from a US-made pier once more, two weeks after the short-lived sea corridor was suspended due to storm damage, but security concerns after one of the bloodiest days of the war meant the aid was not distributed.The head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, said the food distribution from the pier had been paused" because she was concerned about the safety of our people". An Israeli military operation on Saturday freed four hostages but killed 274 Palestinians and left one Israeli commando dead. McCain said two of WFP's warehouses in Gaza had also been rocketed and a staffer injured. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New study also shows forces in England and Wales 10 times more likely to search black peopleBlack children are more than six times more likely than white children to be subjected to a strip-search by police, a new study shows.Of the forces in England and Wales that provided data for the study, 10 showed a disparity where black people were 10 times more likely to be strip-searched. Sussex police were 18 times more likely to subject a black person to a strip search. Continue reading...

GambleAware signals collision course with industry as charity brands current warnings inadequate'Adverts for bookmakers and online casinos should carry smoking-style warnings, the UK's leading gambling charity has said, as it warned that a marketing surge during the Euro 2024 football tournament could make it harder for people to cut down or quit.GambleAware called for an end to the industry-approved Take Time To Think" slogan, which appears on gambling adverts, labelling the message inadequate". Continue reading...

Cambridge engineers re-create mathematician Dr John Venn's machine, which launched balls at 33mphA wooden contraption that bowled out an Australian international cricketer four times in 1909 has been re-created by engineers at the University of Cambridge.The bowling machine was designed by Dr John Venn, the mathematician who gave his name to Venn diagrams, in the early 1900s. Continue reading...

Muhammad Yunus tells the Guardian charges against him are politically motivated, and expresses concern about personal attacks from politiciansThe Nobel peace laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus has said that years of fighting what he calls dirty" politically motivated attacks on his work to alleviate poverty in Bangladesh have made life totally miserable".Yunus told the Guardian he had come under 20 years of pressure from the Bangladeshi government for his work, which is credited with improving the lives of millions of poor people, particularly women. Continue reading...

European commission president says there remains a majority in the centre for a strong Europe' as far right makes huge gains across continent; Emmanuel Macron makes shock election move

The governing coalition of Alexander De Croo lost its ability to form a majority - while an expected surge for far right Vlaams Belang failed to materialiseBelgium is heading for a new government after a general election in which an expected surge for the far right party Vlaams Belang failed to materialise and the outgoing governing coalition headed by liberal prime minister Alexander De Croo lost its ability to form a majority.Vlaams Belang's arch rival the nationalist party N-VA (New Flemish Alliance) was on course to remain the largest party in Belgium's parliament on Sunday while De Croo's liberal party, Open VLD, slumped in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of the country. Continue reading...

Survey commissioned by Just.Equal Australia comes as Brisbane's Citipointe Christian College says it regrets distress caused by 2022 enrolment contract

Acclaimed soul singer claims multiple drivers refused to take her home on Friday night, with one allegedly saying he didn't serve her kind of people'

Supermarket cites supply issues after hundreds of thousands of chickens culled amid avian influenza outbreak

Exit polls suggest support for Greens fell in Germany and France, leading to fears of weakening of climate ambitionsGreen parties have shed seats in the European elections, provisional results suggest, raising fears that the continent may be on the verge of weakening its climate ambitions. Projections for the new European parliament showed the Green faction pushed from fourth into sixth place, with only 53 seats, amid a broader shift to the right.

People were shopping in Nuseirat market when the first airstrikes hit. Then hundreds began running

Campaigners say lower speeds reduce casualties but scheme has since been amended to give people more choice to rescind limitsVehicle damage claims in Wales have fallen by 20% at one leading car insurer since the nationwide 20mph speed limit was introduced there last September.Wales was one of the first countries in the world, and the first nation in the UK, to introduce legislation for a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas last year. Continue reading...

Leader talks of fully costed, fully funded' plans for NHS, nursery places, social care and university fundingIn the sunny garden of a local community centre in Thurrock, a relaxed-looking Keir Starmer, shirt sleeves rolled up, was surrounded by a buzz of television cameras, reporters and Labour party activists taking selfies.Hundreds of miles away in North Yorkshire, Rishi Sunak, who had cancelled a press event on Saturday amid the fallout from his D-day blunder, spent a quiet day in his constituency, nursing his wounds. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Party plans to set up more than 3,300 nurseries in existing primary schools in England for children from nine months oldLabour has pledged to create more than 100,000 new nursery places for children from nine months old, helping to both drive up standards and meet demand, as a key manifesto offer for working parents.The party plans to set up more than 3,300 new nurseries in existing primary schools in England to support a major expansion of childcare. Continue reading...

George Cottrell, who was jailed in US for wire fraud, has been seen at Reform UK leader's side over the last weekNigel Farage is facing questions over why he is being accompanied on the campaign trail by an aristocratic friend who spent eight months in jail in the US for wire fraud.Known as Posh George", George Cottrell was a volunteer for Farage in 2016 before his arrest in the US on money-laundering charges and ultimate guilty plea to one count of wire fraud in a case unrelated to his work at Ukip, Farage's party at the time. The crime was committed in 2014, before Cottrell worked for either the anti-EU party or Farage. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New platform to provide same-day appointments with digital physiotherapist in effort to cut waiting timesThe first NHS AI-run physiotherapy clinic is to be rolled out this year in an effort to cut waiting times amid growing demand and staff shortages.The new platform will provide same-day automated video appointments with a digital physiotherapist via an app that responds to information provided by a patient in real time. Continue reading...

Late TV chef's Hairy Biker partner, Si King, very proud' of 300-mile procession from London to BarrowAbout 20,000 motorcyclists have taken part in a 300-mile procession from London to Barrow-in-Furness to pay tribute to the late TV chef Dave Myers.Myers, who was one half of the Hairy Bikers motorcycle-riding cooking duo along with Si King, was born and brought up in the Cumbrian town. He died of cancer on 28 February, aged 66. Continue reading...

Referencing socialist thinker is latest example of city repurposing its radical history for profit, say local peopleA multimillion-pound luxury penthouse flat named after the revolutionary socialist thinker Friedrich Engels is the latest example of Manchester repurposing its radical history for profit, local people have said.The apartment is in the east tower in Deansgate Square, where the developer Renaker says its vision for the New Jackson" skyscraper district is to create a sustainable and attractive neighbourhood where people feel proud to call home". Continue reading...

Dr Clare Bailey says her husband almost made it' after his body was found close to a coastal resort in Symi

Anastasiia Drevynytska, whose parents are in UK, has been told she does not meet Homes for Ukraine scheme's criteriaA young woman from Ukraine who sought sanctuary in the UK has been asked by the Home Office to separate from her parents who are living here and return to her war-torn home country.Anastasiia Drevynytska, 20, came to the UK on 17 Dec 2023 from her home in western Ukraine to join her mother, Svitlana, and father, Volodymyr, who had already arrived after finding sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Continue reading...

Groups issue call to next government amid criticism of online fashion retailer's labour practices and accusations of copyingWorkers rights campaigners have called for the UK's next government to oppose the online fashion business Shein joining the FTSE, arguing a London listing would be yet another betrayal to working people everywhere and the planet."Alena Ivanova, campaigns lead at Labour Behind the Label, said it had heard the news of senior British politicians courting Shein's 50bn listing with dismay" given what she claimed was a lack of transparency about its supply chain and ethical concerns. Continue reading...

Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades said three hostages were killed in an Israeli military operation on Saturday in which some hostages were freed. This live blog is closedAt least 236 Palestinians were killed in Israel's raid to free hostages Saturday, Gaza health officials have told the Washington Post.At al-Awda Hospital, where victims were transported, there were 142 bodies, hospital director Marwan Abu Nasser told the US newspaper. Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital spokesman Khalil al-Degran said over the weekend that the hospital had at least 94 bodies. Hundreds more are believed to be wounded. Continue reading...