World news | The Guardian

Congressionally created and funded thinktank taken over by Doge' seeks to prevent and resolve global conflictsMost employees at the US Institute of Peace, a congressionally created and funded thinktank now taken over by Elon Musk's unofficial department of government efficiency", received email notices of their mass firing late Friday, the latest step in the Trump administration's government downsizing.The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization's system, began going out about 9pm, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal. Continue reading...

Sophie Chandauka says duke unleashed Sussex machine' but source close to ex-trustees claims accusation baselessThe chair of a charity set up by Prince Harry has accused him of harassment and bullying at scale" after he and several others quit the organisation earlier this week.The Duke of Sussex was said to have initiated the campaign by the unleashing of the Sussex machine". Continue reading...

Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine say six officers came to their house after primary objected to WhatsApp commentsThe parents of a nine-year-old girl have said they were held at a police station for 11 hours because they complained about their daughter's primary school.Maxie Allen and his partner, Rosalind Levine, said they were arrested and detained on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications and causing a nuisance on school property. Continue reading...

Myanmar's military rulers have called for any country, any organisation' to help as concerns grow over how rescuers will reach affected areas. This blog is now closed.

Departures of Cemal Kafadar and Rosie Bsheer are seen by critics as shameful attempt' by school to appease TrumpThe leaders of Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies are leaving their positions after the center faced accusations of anti-Israel bias.The departures come as the Trump administration scrutinizes institutions that have had pro-Palestinian protests over the last year. Earlier this week, Columbia's president announced she would step down after Trump targeted the university for protests on campus last year. Continue reading...

Militants release video of Israeli captive Elkana Bohbot pleading for freedom as they seek a 50-day halt to conflictHamas has allegedly agreed to free five living Israeli hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, as the militant group released a video of a hostage making an appeal for his freedom.Hamas's chief, Khalil al-Hayya, reportedly said on Saturday that the militant group expressed willingness to release the five hostages over the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, which begins on Sunday, after a proposal it received two days ago from Egypt and Qatar, Reuters has reported. Continue reading...

As Reform UK launched its English local elections campaign in Birmingham there were murmurs among activists about the fate of a popular figure'There was one name on the lips of many Reform supporters before their party's local election campaign launch in Birmingham last Friday night, but it wasn't Nigel Farage.Instead, conversation turned to Rupert Lowe, one of five Reform MPs elected last year, who was suspended this month when allegations of bullying emerged, the day after he had described Farage as a messianic" leader of a protest party. Continue reading...

Emergency services called on Friday night to blaze at 19th-century former railway station in RushtonThree people have died after a fire at a Grade II-listed former railway station in a village in Northamptonshire.Police, fire and ambulance services were called at about 10.30pm on Friday to reports of a large blaze at a property in Beswick Close in Rushton, near Kettering. Continue reading...

Across the country men and women have cared for the resting places of their enemy's fallen, finding peace and hopeFor some, tending the graves was an act of reconciliation. For others, it was about acknowledging shared losses and shared grief.Thousands of Germans who died in Britain during the first and second world wars were laid to rest in local graveyards. British people tended these graves for decades, even laying flowers and wreaths for their former foes. Continue reading...

The nomination by Conservatives of the former chief inspector of schools has been met with outrage by the headteacher's family, and called obscene' by school leadersAmanda Spielman, Ofsted's chief inspector when headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life after a bruising inspection, is poised to join the House of Lords after being nominated by the Conservatives, the Observer can reveal.Spielman, who earlier this month launched what was widely seen as an overtly political attack on Labour's schools bill, is one of several names on former prime minister Rishi Sunak's list, due to be put forward for King Charles's approval as part of the annual birthday honours. Her nomination was met with outrage by Perry's family, while school leaders described it as obscene" and an insult to every teacher in the country". Continue reading...

This is not how you talk to your close allies,' says Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke RasmussenDenmark has hit back against JD Vance's comments that Copenhagen has not done enough for Greenland.The US vice-president made his remark on Friday during a trip to the Pituffik space base in north-western Greenland, viewed by both Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. Continue reading...

In first interview since resigning, former archbishop of Canterbury says more cases were arriving every day and he got it wrong'Justin Welby, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has said his failure to take effective action over a serial sadistic abuser was because he was overwhelmed" by the scale of the abuse crisis in the Church of England.In his first interview since resigning last November, Welby said: Every day more cases were coming across the desk that had been in the past, hadn't been dealt with adequately, and this was just, it was another case. It was an absolutely overwhelming few weeks." Continue reading...

Data-crunching rivals in league of 11.4m players shocked to be left trailing by pen-and-paper approachIt is a game for the football geeks, the data-lovers, the algorithm-obsessed. But the current leader of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), which allows participants to play at being Premier League managers during the football season, is not a data analyst, a football insider or a computer scientist, but a 67-year-old woman who uses a pen and paper to choose her team each week.Susan Clarke, otherwise known as the Ruby Reds, achieved near-mythical status among committed FPL players this week as she beat millions of competitors to be top of the online Premier League game, despite admitting to a lo-fi approach. Continue reading...

Arts funding body responds to criticism as Wigmore Hall in London says it will operate independently from 2026Classical music and opera is absolutely essential to the lifeblood of the arts" and has the enthusiastic support of Arts Council England (ACE), its chief executive has said after coming under fire from a leading arts figure.Darren Henley, the chief executive of the body that distributes public and lottery funds to arts organisations in England, said investment in classical music was central to the council's programme. Continue reading...

On day one, when the eyes of the political world and voting public were on the PM, there were no stumbles

Experts warn of serious health risks of using exosome products that are harvested from human donorsBanned biological products harvested from human cells are being used in UK beauty clinics, according to experts who warn that the luxury treatments could carry serious health risks.Exosomes have been touted as the latest miracle" skincare treatment, with A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardashian seeking their rejuvenating effects and cosmetic clinics offering exosome facials and microneedling for hundreds of pounds a session. Continue reading...

Independent MP for Calare caught doing an Angus Taylor' by replying to a Facebook post from his own account

The opposition leader's election pitch maintains Labor has presided over a litany of price rises - but experts say some problems began on Coalition's watch

About 200,00 barrels of jet fuel to be transferred before Stena Immaculate is taken to north-east coast for inspectionA US oil tanker that was hit by a container ship in the North Sea is to be towed to the north-east of England after more than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are removed over the weekend, a maritime company has said.The Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on 10 March, leaving one man missing, presumed dead. Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said salvage and recovery operations are moving into the next phase. Continue reading...

Vice-president criticises Denmark's treatment of Arctic island and says it should come under US security umbrella'JD Vance told troops in Greenland that the US has to gain control of the Arctic island to stop the threat of China and Russia as he doubled down on criticising Denmark, which he said has not done a good job".Under increasingly strained relations between the White House and Greenland and Denmark, the US vice-president said during a visit to Pituffik space base on Friday: Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass." Continue reading...

World's most famous amphibian' set to deliver address at Muppets creator Jim Henson's alma mater in College ParkKermit the Frog once sang it's not easy being green" - and now he gets to see how easy it is to impart wise words to graduating college students in these times.The university announced this week that it had chosen the fictional Muppets star and so-called world's most famous amphibian" to deliver its commencement speech on 21 May at University of Maryland's SECU Stadium in College Park. Continue reading...

Temperatures expected to rise throughout next week, ending with highs of 20-23C on Thursday and FridaySunshine and warmer weather will return to the UK in time for Mother's Day and is forecast to last into next week.Temperatures are expected to steadily rise throughout the week, starting with highs of 17-19C on Monday and ending with highs of 20-23C on Thursday and Friday. Continue reading...

Terminally ill journalist and assisted dying supporter no longer healthy enough to travel to DignitasThe life-preserving cancer drugs that Dame Esther Rantzen was placed on last year are no longer working, her daughter has said.The health of the terminally ill Childline founder and journalist has deteriorated to the extent that she is no longer well enough to travel to a Swiss clinic, meaning that Dignitas is out of the window" for the 84-year-old, she said. Continue reading...

Michael Stewart had led counter-terrorism programme since 2020, and reviews exposed its basic failuresThe head of the government's controversial counter-terrorism programme Prevent is leaving his position after a damning inquiry revealed the strategy's failures in relation to the Southport attack.Michael Stewart had spearheaded the programme - which aims to to stop people from becoming involved in or supporting terrorism - since September 2020. Continue reading...

Former city politicians and 10 others accused of offences also including misconduct in a public officeThe former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and ex-Labour councillor Derek Hatton have appeared in court facing charges of bribery and misconduct in a public office.Anderson was one of 12 people charged as part of Operation Aloft, launched by police to look into the awarding of commercial and business contracts from Liverpool city council between 2010 and 2020. Continue reading...

Nasen Saadi, 20, stabbed Amie Gray, 34, to death after months of research on how to get away with murderA criminology student with a fascination for knives and a rage" against women who stabbed a mother to death on a Dorset beach has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 39 years.Nasen Saadi, 21, spent months plotting the attack and questioning university lecturers about how a killer would get away with murder. He kitted himself up with latex gloves, a balaclava, wet wipes and nail clippers to try to avoid being traced. Continue reading...

Millions of devices have been left to go into dumb' mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readingsThe energy regulator for Great Britain plans to crack down on suppliers that bungle smart meter installations after millions of the devices have been left to go into dumb" mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readings.Ofgem said households that request a smart meter should have one fitted within six weeks, and if the installation failed they should automatically receive 40 compensation if it was not fixed within 90 days. Continue reading...

Firestorm from science deniers of anti-vaccine set shows splits in Trump world and forced RFK Jr to defend hireDonald Trump's appointment of a career health researcher to head the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provoked a serious rightwing backlash for the new administration.Dozens of Maga influencers, along with many rank-and-file Trump supporters, have taken to social media to denounce Susan Monarez to spin false conspiracy theories about her connections to the CIA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). Continue reading...

The ball now appears to be in the Republicans' court, where there have been some signs of diverging from TrumpFor beleaguered and divided congressional Democrats desperate to find an effective line of attack against Donald Trump, news that the US president's national security team discussed plans to bomb Yemen on a widely available messaging app in the presence of a journalist came at just the right time.The leak has put the White House and the Republicans on the defensive, generated multiple days of aggressive media coverage and forced top officials to publicly twist themselves in knots as they seek to explain - or downplay - the blunder. Continue reading...

Airlines could face higher charges to fund new system at airport, which was affected last week by substation fireThe embattled chief executive of Heathrow has said that it could cost about 1bn to install a more resilient power supply system to prevent a repeat of the outage that shut Europe's busiest airport last week, and warned that airlines could end up paying higher charges to help fund it.Thomas Woldbye, who has been criticised for going to bed on the night of the crisis so he could be better rested" to handle the fallout the following day, has said he was frustrated the incident occurred and would like to have handled it better. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Media workers in Gaza and the West Bank have faced relentless danger, and attacks on press freedom on the rise across the worldGood morning.More than 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023, with some estimates putting the toll as high as 206. It is the deadliest conflict for media workers in recent history. In a sobering report, Thaslima Begum gathered some of their stories. And attacks on journalists worldwide are on the rise, with deaths occurring everywhere from the Middle East to Europe.UK economy | Lower-income households are on track to become 500 a year poorer by the end of the decade as a result of the UK chancellor's spring statement, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation.Monarchy | King Charles required hospital observation on Thursday after experiencing temporary side-effects" as part of his medical treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace said.Canada | Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has said the era of deep ties with the US is over" as governments from Tokyo to Berlin and Paris sharply criticised Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on car imports, with some threatening retaliatory action.Asia-Pacific | Japan has for the first time released plans to evacuate more than 100,000 civilians from some of its remote islands near Taiwan in the event of conflict amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei.Environment | Supporters of the climate group Just Stop Oil have announced that after three years of disruptive protests they are ending their campaign of civil resistance. Hannah Hunt, whose speech on Valentine's Day 2022 marked the beginning of the campaign, made the announcement outside Downing Street in London on Thursday. Continue reading...

Defence secretary's Philippines visit, aimed at bolstering ties in Asia-Pacific, comes amid rising tensions with Beijing and calls for his resignationThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has met with the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, in Manila saying the two countries must stand shoulder to shoulder" in the face of the threat represented by China.Hegseth's meeting at the presidential palace comes as he opens a tour of Pacific allies that risks being overshadowed by a mounting scandal over leaked plans for military strikes. Continue reading...

As Donald Trump and his top officials scrabble to respond to the Signal leak scandal, Jonathan Freedland and the New Yorker's Susan Glasser discuss the fallout of this security breach, and why the US president is attacking the media instead of the people who let a journalist read potentially classified materialArchive: PBS Newshour, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, CSPAN, CBS News Continue reading...

The government has put improving the NHS at the heart of its plans, but will it be able to deliver on its promises? And how long could it take to turn the health service around? Pippa Crerar asked health secretary Wes Streeting at a special Guardian Live event. In a wide-ranging discussion, he also took questions on others issues including assisted dying, transgender rights and the war in Gaza.

China wants to protect against the volatility of Trump's tariffs, and now has more than a dozen free trade agreements with global south countriesChinese vice-premier Ding Xuexiang has pledged to give stronger policy support to the Chinese economy as he delivered the keynote speech at a forum focused on bolstering the country's role in Asia and ties with the global south.With the tariffs on Chinese goods mounting, China is trying to find a foundation for growth that does not rely on an increasingly capricious United States. At the Boao Forum for Asia, a conference in south China's Hainan province, Chinese officials and academics stressed the need for partnerships with global south countries. Despite its rapid economic growth in the past three decades, China still identifies as being part of this group. Continue reading...

Visit by US vice-president and wife met with hostility by leaders after Trump's threats to acquire territoryThe US vice-president, JD Vance, and his wife Usha are due to touch down in Greenland on Friday in a drastically scaled down trip after the original plans for the unsolicited visit prompted an international diplomatic row.The visit to Pituffik, a remote ice-locked US military base in northwestern Greenland, will be closely watched by leaders in Nuuk and Copenhagen, who have aired their opposition to the trip amid ongoing threats by Donald Trump to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Continue reading...

HMP Millsike, described by critics as a megaprison', will add 1,500 places to prison estate in England and WalesThe government has opened a first-of-its-kind green" prison that will add 1,500 places to the bursting prison estate in England and Wales.HMP Millsike in East Yorkshire, described by critics as a megaprison", will be one of Britain's biggest jails and is the first of four to be built as part of a programme to create 14,000 extra prison places by 2031. Continue reading...

Broadcaster ARN Media claims material is suitable for broad-minded adult demographic'

Both major parties are under pressure with polls predicting minority government is the most likely outcome of Australia's federal election

President publicly supporting national security adviser to avoid admitting fault in security blunder, say sourcesDonald Trump has been unwilling to fire the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, or his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over the now infamous Signal group chat because doing so would be a tacit admission of fault and seen as handing a victory to the Atlantic magazine, officials close to the president said.The president has been less interested in the possibility of the plans having been classified or the fact that they were shared in an unclassified commercial app, than the fact that Waltz had the number of the editor-in-chief of a magazine that Trump despises, the officials said. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese's ruling Labor party faces a challenge by the centre-right Coalition led by Peter Dutton at the 3 May vote

Karen Spragg, 60, and Julia Wandel, 23, to appear at courts in Leicester on FridayA 60-year-old woman has been charged as part of an investigation into the alleged stalking of Madeleine McCann's family.Karen Spragg, of Caerau, Cardiff, has been charged with one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress between 3 May 2024 and 21 February this year, Leicestershire police said. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer's former chief of staff uses maiden Lords speech to emphasise importance of public servantsKeir Starmer's former chief of staff, Sue Gray, has told No 10 to be careful" about civil service cuts and derogatory language about the work of Whitehall.Making her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Gray made the case that civil servants are integral to realising the government's objectives and will be listening to language that refers to them as blobs" and pen-pushers", and talks about cuts with axes" and chainsaws". Continue reading...

Tom Hayes tells supreme court hearing that the jury in 2015 was guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me'The City trader jailed for Libor rigging in 2015 has said he believes he was convicted during a morality trial" of bankers' conduct, as he concluded his fight to clear his name at the UK's highest court.Speaking after a three-day hearing at the supreme court in London on Thursday, Tom Hayes said his original conviction a decade ago was a reaction to the 2008 financial crisis and a jury guided by a judge who had made his mind up about me". Continue reading...

Kerri Pegg, 42, also accused of accepting gift of Mercedes from man styling himself Jesse PinkmanA prison governor has denied two counts of misconduct in a public office after she allegedly entered into a relationship with an inmate and drug trafficker who called himself Jesse Pinkman, the name of a meth dealer from the TV show Breaking Bad, a court has heard.It is alleged Kerri Pegg, 42, became emotionally and personally involved with a serving prisoner", Anthony Saunderson, the boss of a drug dealing gang who used the Pinkman name as a handle during secret communications with other criminals. He has since been convicted of drug trafficking. Continue reading...

Mark Lowen considered threat to public order' after reports on nationwide anti-government demonstrations

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for authorities to free the novelist who was convicted in Algeria for allegedly undermining the country's territorial integrityFrench president Emmanuel Macron has called on Algeria to free Boualem Sansal, after the French-Algerian novelist was on Thursday sentenced to five years in prison and fined for allegedly undermining Algeria's territorial integrity.Sansal was arrested on 16 November at Algiers airport on arrival from Paris, after saying in an interview with a far-right French media outlet Frontieres that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial era. Continue reading...

Support for Ukraine continues with divided opinion on Franco-British plan for reassurance force' to help ceasefireEuropean leaders have affirmed their support for Ukraine at a Paris summit and agreed now was not the time" to lift sanctions against Russia, but with splits remaining on Franco-British plans for a reassurance force" to help guarantee an eventual ceasefire.France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Thursday the meeting of more than two dozen heads of state and government had agreed unanimously that sanctions on Moscow should not be eased until peace has clearly been established" in Ukraine. Continue reading...

UK prime minister Keir Starmer calls out Russia for playing games' as French president Emmanuel Macron says Europe must prepare for any scenarioThe search continues for four US soldiers that went missing in Lithuania on Tuesday night, as their vehicle has been discovered submerged in water.The operation continues on Thursday with attempts to reach the area. Lithuanian defence minister Dovil akalien said that the vehicle was located at more than 5 meters down," and digging is under way to get to it. Continue reading...

The festival, started by Robert Redford in 1978, will move from its previous home in Park City, Utah, for 2027Boulder, Colorado, has been named as the new home for the Sundance film festival starting in 2027.The festival, which was started in 1978 by Robert Redford, will move from its home in Park City, Utah. Sundance brings more than 20,000 people a year to the ski town, which many had seen as too small to house something of this size. Continue reading...