World news | The Guardian

More than 20 reportedly injured after blast in shopping area in city of Azaz, which is held by pro-Turkish forcesA bomb has exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces, killing eight people and wounding more than 20 others, a war monitor said.At least eight people were killed and 23 others wounded" when a car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market" in Azaz, Aleppo province, early on Sunday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Continue reading...

Campaigner Marsha Thompson says there is a lot of stigma within black community' that prevents issues being discussedCultural barriers are preventing black children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from accessing the help they need, the founder of a UK campaign for better support has said.Hundreds of children with special educational needs (Send) routinely wait for more than a year to get help, as local authorities across England struggle to meet unprecedented need in a dire financial climate. A Guardian investigation last month found more than 20,000 children were waiting longer than the 20-week limit to be issued with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that details the support they require. Continue reading...

Whoever wins the next election, a reckoning is overdue on the costs of Britain's nuclear deterrentWhen Rishi Sunak visited Barrow-in-Furness on Monday he said the Cumbrian town was mission critical for our country" because of its role building four new nuclear submarines to carry the UK's nuclear weapons. If you believe Sunak's erstwhile ally, Dominic Cummings, then that mission faces serious problems.Cummings, once Boris Johnson's most powerful adviser, said this month - in characteristically aggressive terms - that spiralling costs were making a mockery of the government's budget plans. He wrote on X: the nuclear enterprise is so fkd [sic] it's further cannibalising the broken budgets and will for decades because it's been highly classified to avoid MPs thinking about it." Continue reading...

Analysis shows content is aimed at working-class over-50s, and plays on fears of crime, stirs anger and pushes conspiracy theoriesAre you a cleaner or builder who likes Primark, the pub or reality TV - but doesn't care about the environment? If yes, the Conservative party wants your vote.These are some of the interest categories used by the campaign team for the Tories' candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall, to target audiences on social media. Continue reading...

DfE allocates 450m to 826 building projects at 733 schools, a fall of almost 60% - in terms of total projects - compared with 2020-21A record number of schools have had bids for building repairs turned down by the government, with experts warning that buckets on desks, freezing classrooms and power cuts are all becoming commonplace.The Department for Education (DfE) announced on Tuesday that it had allocated 450m to 826 building repair projects at 733 schools through its annual condition improvement fund (CIF), which is designed to help academies and small academy trusts keep buildings safe and in good working order". But this is a fall of nearly 60% - in terms of total projects - compared with 2020-21, when the government awarded 563m to 2,104 repair projects. Continue reading...

Health authorities also warn RSV, flu and whooping cough cases on the rise around Australia

Met police say investigation into stabbing of Iranian journalist near home in Wimbledon is being led by counter-terrorism officersIran's most senior diplomat in Britain has denied claims that the Iranian government was behind a knife attack on a TV presenter in London amid growing fears over threats to dissidents.The country's charge d'affaires, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, said Iran denies any link" to the stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, 36, a presenter at Iran International, outside his home in Wimbledon on Friday. He is in a stable condition and was looking forward to being discharged from hospital soon. Continue reading...

David Crisafulli criticises pill testing trial in sign opposition may roll back harm minimisation polices if elected in October

CCTV captured two thieves stealing a Range Rover Sport. No suspects have been arrestedShortly before midnight on one night in May last year, CCTV captured two thieves approaching a Range Rover Sport parked in Chichester.The theft in which the two suspects drove off within 30 seconds highlights how quickly modern car security systems can be defeated, often with software tools bought online. Range Rovers have been commonly targeted by gangs, sending insurance premiums rising to record highs. Continue reading...

Copenhagen fashion week is hailed for raising the bar on animal rights. But will the organisers of other fashion weeks follow?Copenhagen fashion week has just announced that it will ban exotic skins and feathers from its catwalks next year, becoming the biggest industry event yet to do so.Skal to Copenhagen fashion week for raising the bar for other events," says the vice-president of corporate projects at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), Yvonne Taylor. Now all eyes are on other fashion week organisers, who must follow suit." Continue reading...

An investigation has revealed soaring numbers of unsolved vehicle crimes, with some inquiries into car thefts closed within 24 hoursPolice failed to catch any criminals who stole a car in more than 100 neighbourhoods across England and Wales last year, analysis by the Observer has revealed.A further 558 neighbourhoods with an average of at least one vehicle crime a week saw less than 2% solved, with a suspect caught and charged, according to figures published on data.police.uk, a site for open data on crime and policing. Continue reading...

Antonio Guterres expresses grave concern' over ongoing clashes at border after a shell exploded near the observersThe UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has condemned an explosion that left three UN military observers and a Lebanese interpreter wounded when a shell exploded near them while they were patrolling the southern Lebanese border.The blast came as clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants escalated in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Protesters listened to speeches by Jeremy Corbyn, The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla and Diane AbbottMore than 200,000 people took part in a demonstration in central London on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, according to estimates by organisers.The demonstration, organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, heard speeches from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla, among others. Continue reading...

But Greens' David Shoebridge says Labor has jumped the shark' with the legislation and it requires more scrutiny

Television star was killed in a motorcycle accident that involved no other parties, representatives sayChance Perdomo, the British American actor who starred on the television shows Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Gen V, has died in a motorcycle accident. He was 27.Nobody else was involved in the accident, his representatives said in a statement. No details on the location or date of the accident were shared. Continue reading...

Killings underscore how outnumbered police are in Haiti after months of attacks and kidnappings by gangsTwo men in Haiti were hacked to death by a mob who thought they were buying weapons for gangs, police said Saturday.Police confirmed the crowd snatched the men from police custody after they were found with about $20,000 (16,000) and the equivalent of about $43,000 in Haitian cash in their car, along with two pistols and a box of ammunition. Continue reading...

Survey of 15,000 people suggests even party leader Rishi Sunak's North Yorkshire seat is at riskThe Conservatives are on course for their worst election result, winning fewer than 100 seats, according to a new poll.

Appearance comes a day after last-minute decision to miss previous service to conserve his health'Pope Francis presided over the Vatican's somber Easter Vigil service on Saturday night, a day after making the last-minute decision to skip his participation in the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum as a health precaution.Francis entered the darkened, silent St Peter's Basilica in his wheelchair, took his place in a chair and offered an opening prayer, sounding somewhat congested and out of breath. Continue reading...

Accusations that Israel is committing war crimes mostly centre on failure to protect civilians or meet their basic needs UK government lawyers say Israel is breaking international law - leaked recordingIsrael has faced questions about whether its war on Hamas inside Gaza broke international law ever since the first few days of the campaign, when it cut off all food, water and fuel shipments tothe enclave.As the scale of death, destruction and human suffering escalated, concerns hardened into warnings that Israel risked committing war crimes, including from key allies. In January, the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, said he was worried" Israel may have breached international law. Continue reading...

Chair of foreign affairs select committee Alicia Kearns said at a Tory fundraiser that legal advice would mean the UK has to cease all arms sales to Israel without delay Analysis: starvation in Gaza likely key to UK legal advice on war crimesThe British government has received advice from its own lawyers stating that Israel has breached international humanitarian law in Gaza but has failed to make it public, according to a leaked recording obtained by the Observer.The comments, made by the Conservative chair of the House of Commons select committee on foreign affairs, Alicia Kearns, at a Tory fundraising event on 13 March are at odds with repeated ministerial denials and evasion on the issue. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Members say flag may alienate ethnic minority voters as some associate it with far rightKeir Starmer is facing discontent from Labour MPs over the dominant use of the union flag in election campaign material amid concern it may alienate ethnic minority voters and others.Concerns were raised at recent meetings of the party's black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) group at Westminster and also by London members of the parliamentary Labour party. There is also unhappiness among some activists who are reluctant to handle the material. Continue reading...

In NSW, you can blame a computer which generates names at random, while in the Northern Territory generic categories' deliver operations named after rivers and battleshipsNew South Wales police last week arrested 15 people as part of Strikeforce Wessex - an investigation into alleged organised criminal networks operating dial-a-dealer" schemes.But what does Wessex, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Great Britain, have to do with drug dealing and mobile phones across Sydney?Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Correspondence shows tax officials defended program, which aimed to claw back on-hold' debts, as being in line with watchdog advice

Welfare advocates say there is simply no reason' for $3.6m in payments over past five years to agencies when jobs were found prior to engaging their service

Tens of thousands of young Slovaks who see little future in an increasingly intolerant society are leaving for PragueAlthough Marek Miki spent a few years studying and working abroad, he never expected to leave his native Slovakia permanently. He had a group of close friends and a music festival to run in the eastern town of Koice.But he changed his mind last September after the re-election of Robert Fico, a populist who promised he would stop military aid to Ukraine, promote conservative family values, and muzzle the courts that have been investigating high-level corruption cases tied to his allies. Continue reading...

Party seeks to project stability after political earthquake of leader's resignation over alleged sexual offencesThe resignation of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson over alleged sexual offences will not derail power-sharing in Northern Ireland or fracture the Democratic Unionist party (DUP), according to party leaders.The statements on Saturday sought to project stability and calm a day after Donaldson stepped down in a political earthquake that stunned the region. Continue reading...

The government criticised the move, with the country's prime minister calling it disproportionate and unconstitutional'Peru's government on Saturday criticised the raid on the home of its president, Dina Boluarte, as part of inquiries into possible illicit enrichment and failure to declare ownership of luxury watches as disproportionate and unconstitutional".Police broke down the door of Boluarte's residence early on Saturday morning, television images showed, apparently after calls by officials to allow them access to search for evidence went unanswered. Continue reading...

Pressure on Michael Gove to act as householders see bills rise 40%, with many saying that they cannot afford to paySome of the UK's largest housing providers have dramatically increased annual service charges by thousands of pounds, plunging residents into financial crisis, an Observer investigation has found.Many residents who bought shared-ownership properties built as affordable homes have been sent bills in recent weeks with increases of more than 40%. Some say they are unable to sell the properties having now been lumbered with extortionate" charges and no cap on future increases. More than 1,000 people across the country are now threatening to refuse to pay. Continue reading...

Cargo ship, salvage vessel and a platform carry 400 tonnes of food for region

Suspect known to authorities and no indication of terrorist motive, police say after nine-hour incident in EdeA nine-hour hostage incident at a nightclub in the eastern Netherlands has ended after police arrested a man wearing a balaclava when he left the premises.The last hostage has just been released. One person has been arrested," a police statement said. We cannot share more information at this time." Continue reading...

Party claims financial position still strong as it continues to hold a commanding lead in opinion pollsLabour has suffered a sharp fall in membership over the past two months following controversies over its policy on Gaza and its U-turn on green investment, according to figures released to its National Executive Committee (NEC). The drop of more than 23,000 members comes despite the party holding a commanding lead in the opinion polls, which suggests it is now seen by the wider electorate as ready and able to form the next government, after 14 years of Tory rule.Labour sources said the party's overall financial position remained strong despite membership subscriptions falling off, because donations large and small were healthy, and the expectation was that the unions would still give very substantial backing to the election effort. Continue reading...

Cuts to central funding leaves lower tier of local government left to look after libraries, street cleaning and other facilitiesParish and town councils will spend almost 800m in the next financial year after increasing their average council tax surcharge by 8.5%, according to official figures that illustrate how a new tier of local government in England has emerged to carry out basic duties abandoned by cash-strapped local authorities.From street cleaning to managing public toilets, the 8,866 parish and town councils are the unsung heroes" filling in the gaps opened up by central government funding cuts, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) said. Continue reading...

Total solar eclipse on 8 April will be first to touch province since 1979, and Niagara Falls is declared one of the best places to viewThe region of Canada surrounding the city that contains a side of - and shares a name with - Niagara Falls has declared a state of emergency as it prepares to welcome up to a million visitors for the solar eclipse in early April.The total solar eclipse on 8 April will be the first to touch the province since 1979, and Niagara Falls was declared by National Geographic to be one of the best places to see it. Continue reading...

Ex-immigration minister proposes bill amendment to collate visa and asylum status of people convicted in England and WalesThe nationality, visa and asylum status of people convicted of a criminal offence should be recorded to ensure the UK is not importing crime", the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said.In an amendment to the government's criminal justice bill, Jenrick proposed that recording this data could help strengthen immigration and visa policies. Continue reading...

Tourist and creative industries react angrily to curb on freedom of expression'Greek music in hotel lobbies, Greek tunes in lifts, Greek melodies in casinos, shopping malls, airport lounges and ports.If the Athens culture ministry has its way, tourists from around the world should brace themselves for what it says is only a matter of time: a holiday soundtrack that is decidedly Hellenic in tone. Continue reading...

Government accused of undermining the fight against labour abuses after 2m real-terms cut to oversight budgetBritain's labour abuse watchdog has had its funding cut by the Home Office despite a dramatic surge in exploitation in the care sector.The budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been set at 6.25m for 2024-25 compared with 7.7m last year, official figures show. Continue reading...

Armed gangs take food and water from desperate locals, as critics say airdrops are dangerous and merely designed to divert public angerAirdrops of humanitarian aid are leading to fatal fights in Gaza as the desperate and hungry battle to reach parachuted food and essentials, amid fears that little of the much-needed assistance is reaching those most threatened by a looming famine.Eyewitness accounts, images and interviews with aid workers in Gaza suggest the high-profile airdrop operations are of limited help, and have contributed to growing anarchy there. Continue reading...

Spokesperson tells Today programme that UK-based broadcaster has been under heavy threat for last 18 months'Tehran's Revolutionary Guards have been targeting the broadcaster Iran International, a spokesperson for the channel said after a leading journalist was stabbed in London.The Persian-language news television channel that employed Pouria Zeraati, who was attacked outside his London home, had received an increased level of threats beforehand, Adam Baillie told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday. Continue reading...

Campaigners launch legal challenge as children and mixed-gender football team kept out by fence built by local sports academyIn Mount Florida, a south Glasgow neighbourhood, Scotland's national football stadium, Hampden Park, looms large. But just half a mile north are the relics of another, with terraces and crush barriers surrounding a pitch that was once the heart of a 50,000-seat stadium known as the second Hampden".At one time home to local teams Queen's Park and Third Lanark - as well as hosting Scottish Cup finals in the late 19th century - the pitch is now part of Cathkin Park, a council-maintained public space enjoyed by local families, community football teams and urban wildlife alike. Leased since 2022 by the Jimmy Johnstone Academy, a charity set up in memory of the late Celtic player, it is also the home ground of two youth teams. Continue reading...

Theme park generates $343.4m in profit for Hollywood giant as it shores up wider business amid weaker box office returnsDisney's Parisian theme park complex has delivered a welcome boost to the embattled Hollywood giant, generating $343.4m (317m) in profits and royalties despite a wave of strikes last summer.Sales at Disneyland Paris - Europe's most-visited tourist destination - were driven to record levels by higher room rates and the opening of a site built around Marvel's hit Avengers movies. Continue reading...

Key policies to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050 are being weakened by looming elections and persistent protests from farmersThe European Green Deal is limping to the legislative finish line as elections loom and farmers continue to stage fierce protests across the continent.The policy package, launched with fanfare by the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen five years ago, was supposed to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. But with elections in June, in which polls suggest that some countries may take a swing to the right, the EU is gutting some of its key policies to cut pollution and protect the environment. Continue reading...

Christopher Dorsey, 43 accused of performing alongside other rappers without obtaining permission from authoritiesAbout two months into his supervised release from federal prison on gun charges, the rapper who scored a hit song with Bling Bling has been charged with violating the terms of his supervision after performing alongside other prominent entertainers without authorities' permission.A federal judge ordered Christopher Dorsey - or BG, who once belonged to Cash Money Records' rap supergroup the Hot Boys - released on his own recognizance on Wednesday after his arrest on the charges, records show. Continue reading...

City's mayor outlines internationalist' vision in manifesto as he bids for third term in MayLondon's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is to offer young people studying in the capital a new version of the EU's Erasmus scheme of student exchanges as part of his bid for a third term.He will unveil plans under which students would receive grants and other help to study and undertake work experience, not just in the EU but other major world cities, with reciprocal arrangements for students from overseas to do the same in London. Continue reading...

Despite a 12.3% cut in April's energy price cap, there is an important fixed element in your bill that is rising again

Tired of overtourism pushing up rental prices, Malaga locals have found a novel way to vent their angerIncensed after finding out his rental home of 10 years was about to become a tourist apartment, Dani Romero took to social media. What followed swiftly snowballed into a movement, as residents in Malaga began plastering stickers - reading A family used to live here" or Go home" - outside tourist lets across the southern Spanish city.I didn't mean to arm a revolution," said Romero. I'm just looking for a house to live in." Continue reading...

Tailor-made suits, live music and - of course - a scooter run are expected at this weekend's celebrationHundreds of vintage fanatics, dressed in tailor-made suits and berets, are expected to descend on London this weekend for a three-day event celebrating mod subculture.Modstock, launched 30 years ago by a British vintage fanatic, Rob Bailey, and his organisation New Untouchables, returns for its fourth edition. Continue reading...

Moves to deport those receiving care in East Jerusalem have been called a deliberate risk to innocent lives'Cancer patients from Gaza, including children, are living in a state of limbo in a hospital in East Jerusalem after Israeli authorities threatened to send them back.The Guardian was given access to the Augusta Victoria hospital, where at least 22 patients from Gaza in urgent need of advanced cancer treatment are living in fear of deportation. As with numerous others, they received authorisation prior to Hamas's 7 October attack to receive medical care outside the strip, due to the inadequate facilities in Gaza. Continue reading...

Woman, 43, died after paramedics were called to a Surfers Paradise hotel on Friday night

News service says it closed bureau after passing of new national security law known as Article 23US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) has closed its Hong Kong bureau over safety concerns for its staff in the wake of a new national security law known as Article 23.Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a foreign force', raise serious questions about our ability to operate in safety with the enactment of Article 23," its president, Bay Fang, said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Twentyman spent more than four decades campaigning on youth homelessness and social welfare