World news | The Guardian

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

Education secretary says conference proposals describing Israeli government as racist reflect NEU's divisive ideology'Gillian Keegan has strongly criticised the National Education Union over a motion to be debated at its annual conference describing Israel's government as racist" and guilty of apartheid policies".The education secretary said the motion and amendments were wholly inappropriate and completely ignore the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October ... These motions reflect the NEU's divisive ideology, which I don't believe is representative of our teachers. Continue reading...

Government adviser says teachers feel ill-equipped to talk about controversial topics but avoiding debate risks fuelling angerSchools in England are closing down legitimate debate about the Israel-Gaza conflict because teachers feel ill-equipped and are concerned about political impartiality, the government's independent adviser on social cohesion has said.Dame Sara Khan said that if schools continued to shut down debate they risked fuelling further anger, hate and polarisation". Continue reading...

Man, 48, to spend at least 10 months behind bars after AFP's first seizure of such AI content in state's history

Critics say system will infringe on privacy and fuel police abuse of marginalized communitiesHundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras are being installed in the city of Oakland and surrounding freeways to help battle crime, the California governor announced on Friday.Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in a news release that the California highway patrol (CHP) has contracted with Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company, to install 480 cameras that can identify and track vehicles by license plate, type, color and even decals and bumper stickers. The cameras will provide authorities with real-time alerts of suspect vehicles. Continue reading...

Police had launched appeal for information on whereabouts of Daniel Alaby earlier on FridayA boy has died in hospital after being found in the River Thames.A police appeal was launched to find Daniel Alaby, aged five, on Friday. He had gone missing from his home in Thamesmead, south-east London. Continue reading...

Counter-terror police lead investigation after presenter was reportedly attacked by group of menAn Iranian journalist working for a Persian-language news channel has been stabbed outside his London home, sparking an investigation led by counter-terrorism police.Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International, was reportedly attacked by a group of men as he left home on Friday. He was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition, the channel said. Continue reading...

Campaign ad shows clips of Trump disparaging Republican rival as president courts broad and diverse coalition of voters'Joe Biden's presidential campaign released an ad targeting Republicans who supported Nikki Haley in her losing primary against Donald Trump.If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn't want your vote," the president's campaign ad says. Save America. Join us." Continue reading...

US president to arrive next week, as crane moves in to begin weeks-long clearing of wreckage of Francis Scott Key BridgeJoe Biden said on Friday he will go to Baltimore next week following the catastrophic collapse of the road bridge across the entrance to the Maryland city's port after it was struck by a ship.Four people were still missing, presumed dead and in the water on Friday afternoon, as the US president pledged to follow his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, on a visit to the site after the tragedy in the early hours of Tuesday. Continue reading...

The town of Newbern saw white officials deny its first Black mayor, Patrick Braxton, from exercising his duties for three yearsThe town of Newbern, Alabama, has not had a political election in the last several decades. But that could all change this November if a new motion is successful.The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), an organization that focuses on racial and civil rights, along with an Alabama-based private law firm, filed a preliminary injunction to force Newbern, a town of about 133 people, to hold elections and allow its citizens to vote for the first time in years. Continue reading...

While there is no immediate threat to Northern Ireland assembly, DUP hardliners may try to make wavesSir Jeffrey Donaldson's downfall puts a question mark over power sharing in Northern Ireland because it bears his stamp - he was the man who engineered its collapse and resurrection.The Democratic Unionist party followed him each time on the basis of trust but on Friday Donaldson was charged with historical sexual offences, a bombshell that led to his resignation and suspension from the party. Continue reading...

Celebrities from Anita Baker to Hailey Bieber - and even a politician - posted on social media, and Uber and Lyft offered dealsCelebrities, companies and a US politician have celebrated the release of Beyonce's highly anticipated new album, Cowboy Carter, on 29 March.Beyonce's eighth studio album, the second in her rumored Renaissance trilogy, is a genre blend of country, pop, funk and more across 27 tracks. Continue reading...

Polish prime minister urges countries to step up defence spending after Russian missile bound for Ukraine breaches airspaceThe Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, says Europe is entering a prewar" era, cautioning that the continent is not ready and urging European countries to step up defence investment.In an interview with a group of European newspapers reported by the BBC, Tusk said: I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past. It's real and it started over two years ago." Continue reading...

Biden raises $26m at New York event with Obama and Clinton while Trump's campaign claims it will raise $33m at a Florida event

State department assessment comes after world's top court ordered Israel to admit food aid into territoryFamine is already probably present in at least some areas of northern Gaza, while other areas are in danger of falling into conditions of starvation, the US state department said on Friday a day after the world's top court ordered Israel to admit food aid into the territory.While we can say with confidence that famine is a significant risk in the south and centre but not present, in the north, it is both a risk and quite possibly is present in at least some areas," a state department official told Reuters. Continue reading...

Police continue investigation after Gilbey reportedly died in a workplace accident in Southend-on-SeaA man arrested in connection with the death of the Gogglebox star George Gilbey has been released under investigation by police.The man, who is in his 40s and from Witham in Essex, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after Gilbey reportedly died after an accident at work on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Some Tory MPs had reportedly called for Farage to made ambassador to US in exchange for him not standing for Reform UKThe Conservatives have ruled out making any sort of pre-election pact with Nigel Farage in exchange for him not standing for Reform UK at the general election, saying: We don't do deals."The statement, coming after Labour called on Downing Street to dismiss the mooted idea that Farage could be made the UK's ambassador to Washington, risks angering Tory backbenchers, who are increasingly anxious at the likely impact of Reform on their re-election chances. Continue reading...

Strain on coalition grows after Israeli supreme court orders end to subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men who avoid conscriptionThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing one of the most serious threats yet to his coalition government after the country's supreme court ordered an end to government subsidies from Monday for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army.The ruling follows a series of delays by the government in presenting a proposal to the court aimed at enhancing the military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, who have historically been exempt from conscription. Continue reading...

IDF says Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, was killed in airstrike in LebanonThe Guardian's Kaamil Ahmed, Damien Gayle and Aseel Mousa have been investigating the scale of environmental destruction in Gaza.Satellite analysis revealed exclusively to the Guardian shows farms devastated and nearly half of the territory's trees razed. Alongside mounting air and water pollution, experts says Israel's onslaught on Gaza's ecosystems has made the area unlivable. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Kaniv and Dnister plants attacked by Russia overnight, following other attacks on energy facilitiesRussian prosecutors have asked the justice ministry to label Alla Pugacheva, the queen of Soviet pop music, as a foreign agent", Reuters reported citing the state RIA news agency.Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion tranche of funding under a World Bank programme, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday, helping it pay for its budget and social spending as it defends itself against the Russian invasion. Continue reading...

Sixty-six MPs who already plan to stand down at election have 987 years between them, analysis showsThe Conservative party will lose almost 1,000 years of Commons experience just from MPs who have already announced they are standing down, a Guardian analysis has shown, amid an exodus likely to be even greater than in 1997.So far, 66 MPs elected as Conservatives in 2019 have announced they will not stand again - this includes four who have since lost the whip and sit as independents - which is close to one in five of the total. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Millions more GP appointments potentially created as a result of closuresAlmost 1,000 pharmacies in England have closed since 2017, potentially leading to millions of extra GP appointments, the Guardian can exclusively reveal.There are more than 11,000 pharmacies in England. Guardian analysis of the official register of these chemists has found that parts of the country have lost more than one in five pharmacies in the last six years, with poorer areas experiencing proportionally more closures. Continue reading...

Appeals court rules Mason, now 49, did not know she was ineligible when she voted in 2016 and throws out convictionA Texas appeals court has thrown out a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced for trying to cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election that was rejected.Mason, now 49, attempted to vote in Fort Worth in 2016 even though she was ineligible because she was still on supervised release - which is like probation - for a tax felony. She has always maintained she had no idea she was ineligible and only tried to cast a ballot because her mother urged her to. Continue reading...

The 37-year-old man from Totton, near Southampton, was arrested on suspicion of seven offencesA man has been arrested by police investigating the discovery of 50 dead hares that were scattered in front of a community shop in a Hampshire village.The dead mammals, along with the bodies of a barn owl and a kestrel, were found dumped outside Broughton community shop on 15 March. Continue reading...

Mohammed Almassri says after months of seeking urgent help, Dfat has told him the family will be evacuated from Rafah on Saturday or Sunday

Policy change stipulates no patchy or uneven growth' and allows length of up to 25.5mmAfter more than a century of having their clean-shaven chins inspected, soldiers and officers in the British army will be allowed to grow beards.The change in policy is not a chance for a hirsute free-for-all, however, as facial hair will be strictly monitored for length and grooming. Continue reading...

Strike near Aleppo weapons depot reportedly killed Hezbollah and Syrian troops, while civilians also said to be among dead

Spain is hit by strong winds and rain from Storm Nelson and four drown on storm-battered coastsEaster processions in southern Spain have been cancelled after heavy rain from Storm Nelson, as the country was hit by strong winds and four people drowned on its storm-battered coasts.All of the big processions in Seville on Holy Thursday were cancelled because of the rainstorms that were otherwise welcome in a region that has been experiencing a severe drought. Continue reading...

Outcome hangs in the balance partly because new system requires voter ID, he warns shadow cabinetSadiq Khan told the Labour shadow cabinet this week that his re-election as London mayor hangs in the balance" despite polls showing he is about 25 points ahead of his Conservative rival, Susan Hall.The London mayor told Keir Starmer's team that he was under no illusions" he could lose against Hall in spite of his commanding lead, partly because the voting system has changed and new rules to require voter ID. Continue reading...

Rakeem Thomas remanded in custody after incident near Beckenham that left victim in critical conditionA teenager has been charged with attempted murder after a stabbing on a train in south London.British Transport Police said they received reports of two men fighting between Beckenham and Shortlands railway stations shortly before 4pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Brazil's president has nixed commemorations of the 1964 coup, possibly to avoid irking the military as senior officers facing jail for allegedly conspiring to stop Lula taking power after 2022 electionRelatives of the victims of Brazil's brutal two-decade dictatorship have voiced anger and dismay over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's reported decision to block official remembrance events marking the 60th anniversary of the 1964 military coup d'etat.Activists had hoped the leftist's government would mark the 31 March 2024 anniversary of that power-grab with a series of memorials honouring the thousands who were killed, disappeared or tortured by the 1964-85 regime. Continue reading...

Actor speaks for first time about how 10-year-old's death in 2000 spurred him and others to aim further'The actor John Boyega has spoken for the first time of the life-changing" impact of his friendship with Damilola Taylor and the way his sudden death spurred him and others to aim further".Boyega, 32, best known for his work in the Star Wars franchise, was school friends with Damilola growing up in south-east London. Damilola was 10 when he was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle walking home from a computer class in Peckham in November 2000. Continue reading...

Lee Jong-sup is being investigated over allegations he tried to improperly influence an inquiry into death of marine while he was defence ministerSouth Korea's ambassador to Australia resigned on Friday as questions about his appointment while he is under a corruption investigation battered President Yoon Suk Yeol's ruling party less than two weeks from a closely fought parliamentary election.Lee Jong-sup, who was appointed ambassador to Australia just four weeks ago, is being investigated over allegations he tried to improperly influence a probe into the death of a marine last year while he was defence minister. Continue reading...

Traditional affinity between Conservatives and the newspaper has given way to a complex, splintered drama, and the attempted acquisition by Gulf-backed RedBird IMI lies in limboWith the Conservative party trailing Labour by nearly 20 points in the polls, it needs all the help it can get if it is going to have a fighting chance at the next election.So Downing Street strategists privately wonder why the Daily Telegraph - arguably the UK's most staunchly rightwing paper - is not being more supportive of Rishi Sunak in its coverage. Continue reading...

Women say being fitted with IUDs without their consent left them with pain, shame and lasting reproductive difficulties

Exclusive: Territory's government calls for visit to listen to those thought to be living with consequences of forced fitting of IUDs

Co-owner of investment management firm called for urgent' post-Brexit changes to City rules at committee meetingsA senior Tory MP is facing questions over whether he used his Commons Treasury committee role to lobby for post-Brexit changes to City rules, which stand to benefit the industry where he has a second job.John Baron, who in addition to his role as an MP is co-owner and chief investment officer of Baron and Grant Investment Management, used at least three meetings of the influential committee to request urgent" changes to rules covering investment trusts, which his firm specialises in managing. Continue reading...

Photos of French president's three-day trip to Brazil to reaffirm countries' partnership delight internet observersIf the official photos are anything to go by, Emmanuel Macron's three-day trip to Brazil has been more romantic getaway than international diplomacy.The French president, who ended his tour of the South American country on Thursday with a state visit to the capital, Brasilia, prompted online hilarity after the publication of photos showing him being particularly chummy with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

Tyrrell worked as Lambie's office manager for years before being elected to the upper house in 2022Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie has wished Tammy Tyrrell well after she announced her decision to quit the Tasmanian's network and go it alone on the crossbench.In a statement released on Thursday evening, the senator revealed she had resigned from the Jacqui Lambie Network and would remain in the upper.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Rights groups say Antonina Favorskaya is accused of links to Alexei Navalny's extremist organisation' and is one of six journalists held this monthA journalist who filmed the last video of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny before he died, Antonina Favorskaya, has been detained by authorities.Favorskaya covered the trials of Navalny for several years and media freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders said on Thursday she was one of six journalists across the country held this month. Continue reading...

Victoria police launch investigation after Indigenous star posts CCTV footage on Instagram and states Aboriginal kids deserve to be able to play safely'

Victoria police say victim of Glenroy shooting was known to them and had a criminal record

Calm outlook for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney follows extreme bouts of dry and warm weather across south and west of country

Only survivor after vehicle falls 50 metres and catches fire is eight-year-old who was taken to hospital with serious injuriesAn eight-year-old child was the sole survivor after a bus carrying 46 people fell 50 metres from a bridge in South Africa into a ravine and caught fire.The child, who has not been named, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the transport ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. Continue reading...

Activists say plan to remove 200 felines near Old San Juan fortress within six months is not enough time and worry cats will be killedA non-profit organization said Thursday that it sued the US National Park Service over a plan to remove Puerto Rico's famous stray cats from a historic district in the US territory.The lawsuit filed by Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies comes four months after the federal agency announced it would contract an animal welfare organization to remove an estimated 200 cats that live in an area surrounding a historic seaside fortress in Old San Juan. Continue reading...

Former PM, who took on five extra ministries in secret, tells Olympian Sam Fricker that listeners might say Oh, I didn't think you were that humble'

Judges issue unanimous decision and say Palestinians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistanceThe international court of justice has ordered Israel to allow unimpeded access of food aid into Gaza, where sections of the population are facing imminent starvation, in a significant legal rebuke to Israel's claim it is not blocking aid deliveries.A panel of judges at the UN's top court, which is already considering a complaint from South Africa that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, issued the ruling after an emergency measure in January obliging Israel to admit emergency aid. Continue reading...

Company says TGA regulations prevented it from responding to incorrect claims about its vaccine in 2021