World news | The Guardian

Rights groups protesting at Modi government's view that criminalising sexual assault violates sanctity' of marriageCampaigners angry that marital rape is not to be criminalised under India's long-awaited new penal code have been promised a ruling on the issue by the supreme court next month.Human rights organisations, including the All India Democratic Women's Association, have been petitioning India's supreme court to make it a criminal offence. The court has in turn asked the government for a response. Continue reading...

Donald Trump and Joe Biden will take part on Thursday in the first presidential debate in a race currently in a dead heat. Plus: Life in the DMZ

From midnight-blue strapless dress with diamante stars to basket-hilt broadsword from 1938, bidding has begunAn auction of items owned by the United Kingdom's royal family will include such gems as an evening gown worn by Diana, Princess of Wales; a custom fur coat owned by Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor; a Scottish Highland officer's sword belonging to the Duke of Windsor and already fetching a bid of $15,000; and actual gems: a diamond-encrusted watch pendant that once belonged to King George V.Hosted by Julien's Auctions and held at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel in California, Thursday's auction features the largest collection of Princess Diana's clothing since her own historic 1997 charity auction at Christie's. More than 50 items - dresses, suits, shoes, handbags and accessories - in the auction of royal mementos and baubles are from the Princess Diana collection alone. Continue reading...

Five-day strike by junior doctors is the 11th action in their long-running pay disputeI'm itching to get back to work, to get back to the grindstone," says Matthew Alexander, a junior radiology doctor. Nobody wants to be here, nobody wants to be on strike." Alexander, 30, is one of about 50 junior doctors on a Thursday morning picket line at the Friarage hospital in Northallerton, a bustling market town in Rishi Sunak's sprawling North Yorkshire constituency.It's a sunny day; there's cheerful, enthusiastic chanting and lots of support from drivers who honk their horns, but it is abundantly clear that only Betty, a laid-back 11-year-old jackapoo, is anywhere approaching happy to be here. Continue reading...

Boys were carrying knives including a sickle when they broke into former Wallabies star's home in Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest polls - and how many seats each party is likely to win in the 2024 general election

Opposition leader also tells economic forum his electorate goes crazy if there is the suggestion of a 5G tower'

Exclusive: Rohan Bandil says this was not the intention' after hallucinations and unexpected toxicity leads to health warnings and nation-wide recall

Court hears young mother wanted to leave to Queensland to protect her baby'

Julian Assange's wife says it is now up to others to dig out information after ban imposed on WikiLeaks founder

Ten's lawyer says its costs from the failed defamation trial have been calculated at $3.7m but it is seeking a lesser lump sum

This live blog is now closed, you can read our full report on this debate hereYouGov will have a snap poll on who won the debate, with the results available minutes after it finishes.This is what Labour is putting out ahead of the debate, in a stateement from Pat McFadden, the national campaign coordinator.Tonight, the British people will witness the choice at this election: five more years of chaos with Rishi Sunak's Conservatives or change with Keir Starmer and Labour.On 4 July, the British people will have the chance to vote for change. To stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild our country with Keir Starmer and a changed Labour party.Tonight, Keir Starmer has the opportunity to announce loud and clear to the British public what his intentions are.Throughout this campaign we have challenged the Labour party, time and time again, to come clean on their plans for taxes. Time and time again they have declined to do so. Continue reading...

Robotaxi service recovering from gruesome collision with pedestrian that triggered suspension of California licenseGeneral Motors on Tuesday named a veteran technology executive with roots in the video game industry to steer its troubled robotaxi service Cruise as it tries to recover from a gruesome collision that triggered the suspension of its California license and the removal of all its robotaxis from the state's roads.Marc Whitten, one of the key engineers behind the Xbox video game console, will take over as Cruise's chief executive nearly nine months after one of the service's robotaxis dragged a jaywalking pedestrian - who had just been struck by a vehicle driven by a human - across a darkened street in San Francisco before coming to a stop. Continue reading...

Incident at Cannock has been referred to Independent Office for Police Conduct due to recent contact with forcePolice have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of a man and a woman were found in a house in Staffordshire.Officers were called at about 12.30pm on Tuesday after paramedics had attended the address in Cannock. Continue reading...

A number of political figures have been accused of placing suspicious bets in the lead-up to the electionThe Metropolitan police are to take an expanded role in investigating the criminal allegations triggered by the Westminster betting scandal, which is continuing to overshadow the election campaign.Sources confirmed that talks between the Gambling Commission, which has been investigating multiple suspicious bets on the election date, and Scotland Yard have been continuing for days. Continue reading...

Special rapporteurs working for UN warn famine is imminent and over 25 million people need urgent helpHuman rights experts working for the United Nations have accused Sudan's warring parties of using starvation as a war weapon, amid mounting warnings of imminent famine in the African country.Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country's military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country. Continue reading...

Labour officials said to be upset that Jovan Owusu-Nepaul was gaining traction for viral social media posts

Organiser Emily Eavis says it is best moment of the year', as visitors sprayed with water as they set up campGlastonbury attenders were setting up camp in sweltering temperatures as the 54th edition of the UK's best-known festival got under way on the hottest day of the year so far.Temperatures in the UK soared to 30C on Wednesday, and at Glastonbury music fans were sprayed with water as they made their way around the 364-hectare site, which opened at 8am to fans who had queued overnight. Continue reading...

Actor criticised Tory minister's views on sex and gender and said she should shut up'

Trial over stabbing of Kennie Carter was latest of several high-profile joint enterprise prosecutions involving groups of Black youths in the city

Festival severs Army and defense contractor sponsorships after more than 80 artists withdrew from 2024 editionSouth by Southwest has discontinued its partnership with the US Army and the defense contractor RTX Corporation for its 2025 festival in response to concerns from numerous artists who withdrew from the 2024 event, the festival announced on Wednesday.After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model," the festival said in a statement on its website's FAQ page. As a result, the US army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025." Continue reading...

Paul Anderson, who has been in post for 10 months, is under investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviourA chief constable has announced his retirement after being told he was under investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour after complaints by junior staff, the Guardian has learned.On Tuesday Paul Anderson's retirement as leader of Humberside police was announced, just 10 months after taking the role. Continue reading...

Jury finds multiple agencies' contributed to death of Aleena, 35, who was attacked in east London in June 2022Failures across multiple agencies" contributed to the death of Zara Aleena, who was murdered as she walked home from a night out in east London, an inquest jury has found.Jordan McSweeney killed the 35-year-old law graduate as she walked home from a night out in Ilford in the early hours of 26 June 2022, nine days after he was released from prison. Continue reading...

Nearly 1,000 people charged in five years in England and Wales under doctrine that supreme court said had taken wrong turn'The number of people facing murder and manslaughter charges despite not being the principal offender has risen significantly, amid official warnings about the use of joint enterprise laws.Nearly 1,000 people have been charged and more than 600 convicted in the past five years in England and Wales even though they may not have been physically responsible or present at the crime scene. Continue reading...

William Ruto said he had listened to the people of Kenya, who gathered across the country to oppose the lawThe Kenyan president, William Ruto, has withdrawn a bill to raise taxes a day after violent protests erupted around the country following its approval by parliament.Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill after violent clashes between police and protesters at the Kenyan assembly and across the country left at least 23 people dead and scores wounded, according to medics. Continue reading...

Motion filed claims Georgia's deputy attorney general violated attorney-client privileges of multiple defendantsGeorgia's deputy attorney general violated the attorney-client privileges of multiple defendants in its case against 61 people accused of organizing a criminal conspiracy in their opposition to the Cop City" police training center, according to a motion filed this week and the Guardian's reporting.The motion filed Monday petitions Fulton county superior court to dismiss the charges against three of the defendants who run a bail fund known as the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. It also aims to disqualify both the attorney general's office and the Atlanta police from continuing to prosecute the case. Additionally, a hearing is sought on the matter. Continue reading...

Outgoing Dutch PM will take over from Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general in OctoberJosep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, has issued a statement on Russia's decision to block a number of European media. He did so on his own after Hungary blocked a joint EU27 statement.The EU condemns the totally unfounded decision by the Russian authorities to block access to over eighty European media in Russia," Borrell said.The banned European media work according to journalistic principles and standards. They give factual information, also to Russian audiences, including on Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.In contrast, the Russian disinformation and propaganda outlets, against which the EU has introduced restrictive measures, do not represent a free and independent media. Their broadcasting activities in the EU have been suspended because these outlets are under the control of the Russian authorities and they are instrumental in supporting the war of aggression against Ukraine. Continue reading...

Pair will face retrial over baby's death after jury in previous trial was discharged at Old Bailey last weekConstance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have been found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice after the body of their baby daughter was found following a high-profile search, it can now be reported.Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, had also faced charges of manslaughter by gross negligence and causing or allowing the death of a child, all of which they denied. Continue reading...

Court strikes down a lower court ruling, permitting government to call on platforms to remove falsehoodsThe US supreme court has struck down a lower court ruling in the case of Murthy v Missouri, finding that the government's communications with social media platforms about Covid-19 misinformation did not violate the first amendment. The court's decision permits the government to call on tech companies to remove falsehoods and establishes boundaries around free speech online.Conservative blocAlito - MinorityBarrett - MajorityGorsuch - MinorityKavanaugh - MajorityRoberts - MajorityThomas - MinorityJackson - MajorityKagan - MajoritySotomayor - Majority Continue reading...

World's first emissions tax on agriculture will require farmers to pay for greenhouse gas pollution from livestockFarmers in Denmark will have to pay for planet-heating pollutants that their cattle expel as gas, after the government agreed to set the world's first emissions tax on agriculture.The agreement - reached on Monday night after months of fraught negotiations between farmers, industry, politicians and environmental groups - will introduce an effective tax of 120 kroner (14) per ton of greenhouse gas pollution from livestock in 2030, which will rise to 300 kroner per ton in 2035. Continue reading...

The work and pensions secretary's colleagues must be trapped under something heavy because no one but Stride is pulling their weight

Move fuels fears that Viktor Orban's government is increasing efforts to crack down on independent voicesA Hungarian transparency watchdog and independent media outlet say they have been targeted in an investigation designed to intimidate voices critical of the government of Hungary's far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban.On Tuesday, Transparency International Hungary, an NGO, and Atlatszo, one of the country's best-known investigative outlets, said they had received formal notification that they were being investigated as organisationsthat, using support from abroad, conduct activities aimed at influencing the will of the voters". Continue reading...

Alice Diop, whose documentaries have explored the lives of people in housing estates, wants to mobilise voters against the far rightThe award-winning French film-maker Alice Diop has warned of rampant racism" in France and launched a collective to mobilise residents of housing estates to vote in the snap election in an attempt to hold back the far right.For people like me it's life or death," said the acclaimed director, as Marine Le Pen's far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN) is forecast by pollsters to take the largest number of seats in the French parliament on 7 July and is seeking an absolute majority to form a government. Continue reading...

President's surprise visit to Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, comes days after Russian strikes kill five people in cityVolodymyr Zelenskiy has made an unannounced visit to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine to bolster morale among troops, amid continuing advances by Russian forces.The Ukrainian president recorded a video address against the backdrop of Pokrovsk, a city with a prewar population of about 61,000 that has experienced some of the most intense fighting during the 28-month-long full-scale invasion. Continue reading...

Daniel Ketinsky asks more than 100,000 shareholders, including current and former staff, to sell shares

Judge says boy has denounced Islamic State' and now knows the dangers of such activity'

This blog is now closed.

US plea deal allows WikiLeaks founder to return to Australia after an extraordinary legal fight spanning more than a decade

Closure means Fulham and Ravenhall prisons will be the state's only privately run jails

Robbie Geeves tells court how birth of baby ruptured his relationship with his parents Robert and Anne Geeves, who have pleaded not guilty to Haigh's murder

Officers had sought $1.42m in damages, claiming former ACT chief prosecutor defamed them in complaint about Bruce Lehrmann prosecution

Several balloons were spotted in and around the airport boundaries, as one balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal twoTakeoffs and landings at South Korea's Incheon international airport have been disrupted for about three hours because of balloons launched by North Korea filled with refuse, an airport spokesperson said.One balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal two and the three runways at Incheon were temporarily shut down on Wednesday, the spokesperson said. Continue reading...

National Rally win may hamper bloc's ability to get things done and pose existential question over French roleOn the night her party swept to a crushing victory in European elections and France's president triggered a political earthquake by dissolving parliament, Marine Le Pen, the longtime leader of the National Rally (RN), could not have been much clearer.Tonight's message - including the dissolution - is also addressed to the leaders in Brussels," she said. This great victory for patriotic movements is in alignment with the direction of history ... We are ready to take power if the people so wish." Continue reading...

RNIB calls on all parties to commit to remove barriers that prevent people with sight loss voting on their own

Attempt to find British teenager now in its second week as groundless theories circulate about his disappearanceAs the search for Jay Slater, the British teenager who went missing while on holiday in Tenerife, enters its second week Spanish rescuers continue to comb the rugged mountain terrain where he was last seen for clues.Staff and volunteers from the local police, fire brigade and civil defence force have been using dogs, drones and helicopters to hunt for the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire. Continue reading...

Insults hurled at Lindsay Selby, who has not yet entered a plea, while leaving Brisbane court after being charged over a fatal CBD bus crash

The consumer price index increased to its highest level in 2024, indicating the Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates soon

Prof Andrew McNaughton also warns plan to build Sydney-Newcastle route is doomed' to fail unless a shorter stretch to Gosford comes first

Harbourside amusement park has chequered past with numerous closures over past 90 years including after fatal fire on ghost train in late 1970s

Deputy PM says now is not the time to be going around expelling people' as he calls for social cohesion across Australia