World news | The Guardian

More than 11% of patients had to wait more than 104 days last year, up from 4.4% in 2016, analysis showsThe proportion of cancer patients in England experiencing long waits for treatment has almost trebled, figures show.Analysis by Cancer Research UK exclusively for the Guardian shows there has been a nearly fourfold increase in the number of patients in England waiting more than 104 days for urgent cancer treatment, from just over 6,000 patients in 2016 to 22,000 last year. Continue reading...

Prosecutor says investigators do not believe incident in Olympic Village area of Grenoble was terrorist attackTwelve people were injured, at least two critically, when a grenade was thrown into a packed bar in the city of Grenoble in south-eastern France.An attacker carrying an automatic rifle reportedly entered the bar on Wednesday evening and threw the grenade before fleeing without saying a word. Continue reading...

US Coast Guard releases clip that records the suspected acoustic signature' of 2023 wreck that left five deadThe US government has released a new audio recording that appears to capture the moment the Titan submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean in 2023, resulting in the deaths of all five people on board as it was heading to view the wreck of the Titanic.A device called a passive acoustic recorder from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, located about 900 miles (1,448km) from the site of the implosion, picked up the sound, according to US Coast Guard officials. Continue reading...

Children among at least 28 hurt as incident expected to inflame tensions ahead of this month's electionA 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker has driven a car into a trade union demonstration in Munich, injuring at least 28 people, German police have said, in a suspected attack that is expected to inflame tensions before this month's election.The car, a Mini Cooper, accelerated and ploughed into people at the back of a rally by the Verdi union at about 10.30am during a strike by public sector workers. Employees of daycare centres, hospitals, sanitation facilities and public swimming pools had joined the work stoppage calling for higher pay and longer holidays. More than 1,000 people were reportedly at the scene. Continue reading...

Amid political pressure, Creative Australia says deselecting the Lebanese-born artist will avoid divisive debate'

Constitutional law expert Helen Irving says such a change appears to be a distraction from serious nature of anti-Israeli comments from NSW nurses

Banana prices expected to rise in the short term, while cost of sugar should remain stable despite damage to cane crops

Exclusive: Sub-branches also debate benefit of poker machines and services to veterans amid financial concerns

Revealed: defense department sends memo that it's reviewing for books related to gender ... or discriminatory equity ideology topics'Tens of thousands of American children studying in Pentagon schools serving US military families have had all access to library books suspended for a week while officials conduct a compliance review" under Donald Trump's crackdown on DEI and gender equality.The Department of Defense circulated a memo to parents on Monday that said that it was examining library books potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics". The memo, which has been obtained by the Guardian, said that a small number of items" had been identified and were being kept for further review". Continue reading...

Defence ministers criticise Trump's approach to ending war resting on Kyiv forfeiting territory and Nato membershipThe US should not have made concessions to Russia in advance of peace negotiations by ruling out Nato membership for Ukraine and accepting the country would have to forfeit some of its territory, Germany's defence minister has said.Boris Pistorius, arriving at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, echoed European frustrations in the aftermath of Donald Trump's declaration on Wednesday that he was ready to negotiate with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. Continue reading...

Family fleeing Gaza were allowed to join brother in UK after applying through scheme meant for Ukrainian refugeesA judge who granted a Palestinian family the right to live in the UK after they applied through a scheme originally meant for Ukrainian refugees made the wrong decision, Keir Starmer has said.A family of six seeking to flee Gaza were allowed to join their brother in the UK after an immigration judge ruled that the Home Office's rejection of their application breached their human rights, it emerged on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Photo appears to show UK ambassador to Iran meeting pair, whose detention comes after tit-for-tat releases with Germany and ItalyTwo British nationals have been arrested in Iran and given access to the UK ambassador, Hugo Shorter, according to reports.State media published photographs purportedly showing Shorter meeting two British national security" suspects at the general and revolutionary prosecutor's office in Kerman province, about 500 miles south-east of Tehran. Continue reading...

Jewish creatives and activists also sign New York Times ad after US president's proposal to take over Gaza'More than 350 rabbis, alongside additional signatories including Jewish creatives and activists, have signed an ad in the New York Times in which they condemn Donald Trump's proposal for the effective ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.The ad, which was signed by rabbis including Sharon Brous, Roly Matalon and Alissa Wise, as well as Jewish creatives and activists including Tony Kushner, Ilana Glazer, Naomi Klein and Joaquin Phoenix, says: Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!" Continue reading...

A 90-day stop-work order means many clinics around the world will shut and vital care will be withheldInternational health organizations have warned that Donald Trump's push to dismantle US foreign aid and orders barring diversity, equity and inclusion are destroying programs that once provided healthcare to millions of women and girls worldwide.Providers said a 90-day stop work order imposed by the Department of State to review" contracts for compliance with the new administration's orders means many clinics, which operate on shoestring budgets, will never reopen - pausing services for everything from cervical cancer screenings to HIV treatment to the removal of intrauterine contraceptive devices. Continue reading...

Other top performers at group share 1.9bn bonus pool while 90,000 employees awarded 500 each in shares

Gambling regulator fines Merkur Slots almost 100,000 for failings at one of its adult gaming centres'A high street slot machine operator has been fined almost 100,000 by the gambling regulator after the Guardian revealed how staff allegedly exploited a vulnerable cancer patient.Wendy Hughes, then 64, lost nearly 2,000 in the Stockport branch of Merkur Slots UK over the course of two spells lasting 16 hours in November 2023, months after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Continue reading...

Both Japanese carmakers say they will continue to cooperate on electric vehicle technologyJapan's Nissan and Honda have said that their boards have voted to end talks over a merger that would have created a $60bn (48bn) auto group, but added that both companies would continue to cooperate in electric vehicles.A merger would have spawned the world's fourth-biggest carmaker by vehicle sales after Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai. Continue reading...

ONS data showing British national output rose in final quarter of 2024 confounds forecasts of 0.1% decline Business live - latest updatesBritain's economy unexpectedly picked up in the final three months of 2024, official figures have shown, easing pressure on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, after flatlining during the summer.Figures from the Office for National Statistics show gross domestic product rose by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2024 - after zero growth in the previous three months - to beat the forecasts of City economists and the Bank of England for a decline of 0.1%. Continue reading...

Justin Audibert's production with the Hamilton star is part of season including Top Hat, Natalie Dormer's Anna Karenina and new play Safe SpaceSince opening in 1962 under its first artistic director, Laurence Olivier, Chichester Festival theatre has hosted some of the world's greatest Shakespearean actors. But surprisingly it has never produced its own version of Hamlet. It's unbelievable, isn't it?" says Justin Audibert, who in 2023 succeeded Daniel Evans as the theatre's artistic director. We've done three Antony and Cleopatras!"Audibert is now preparing to direct Hamlet himself, with the tragic prince played by Giles Terera, who won an Olivier award when he starred as Aaron Burr in the London premiere of Hamilton. The play will open in September in Chichester's smaller Minerva theatre. We are imagining that Old Hamlet [the prince's father] has let the kingdom decline," says Audibert, whose production will explore the leadership vacuum" that comes from an older generation clinging on to power for a really long time". Hamlet's father has definitely got some Biden vibes" says Audibert, and the director has also been reflecting on the succession of Syria's Bashar al-Assad from his father, Hafez. Terera, who starred as Othello at the National Theatre in 2022, will play a Hamlet who is similar in age to his stepfather, Claudius. Continue reading...

Witness tells trial the group accused of murdering WA boy was a little bit drunk' and armed themselves with weapons before the incident

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Mark Butler says pair have had their nurses' registrations suspended following their sickening comments'

Speaking after Netflix released Apple Cider Vinegar, Jacinta Allan says consumer watchdog is constantly' working to recover fine imposed in 2017

The writer of Shopping and Fucking will direct cycle of bawdy comedies inspired by scenarios from a 17th-century Italian collectionA premiere by Mark Ravenhill has been an event ever since the British playwright's explosive debut 30 years ago with Shopping and Fucking. But Ravenhill is now set to unveil a staggering 10 new full-length plays over two days, performed by a cast of 80 actors and directed by Ravenhill.An epic cycle of bawdy modern comedies, the plays borrow from scenarios collected in a 1611 publication by the Italian commedia dell'arte actor and manager Flaminio Scala. Ravenhill said he had been attracted to the generosity of spirit and comic energy" of the scenarios. They are sexually frank, with the women given as much agency as the men. They are socially acute, depicting the newly rich mixing with the urban poor and new migrants from the countryside. They are grounded in money, sex and the body." Collectively, the storylines depict a world in which we are all fools and we all need to find a way to get along". His aim, Ravenhill said, was not to make a historical reconstruction but to write plays that allow contemporary audiences to laugh and to celebrate our shared humanity". Continue reading...

Others to be remembered for their impact on capital's cultural heritage include Una Marson and Graham SutherlandAudrey Hepburn, Marc Bolan and Una Marson are among those receiving a blue plaque for their impact on London's cultural landscapes, English Heritage has announced.The charity paid tribute to Hepburn, whose global fame brought international attention and prestige to the capital; Bolan, whose glam rock" innovation redefined the city's music scene in the 1970s; and Marson, the trailblazing Jamaican poet, playwright, broadcaster and campaigner for racial and gender equality. Continue reading...

There are fears that a widely unnoticed displacement of Bedouin has the aim of fragmenting the territory intended for a future Palestinian stateIsraeli settlers are pushing ahead with a largely unnoticed de facto annexation of large areas of rural land in the occupied West Bank that has already seen the almost total displacement of Bedouin in large areas.While settler activity, including violence, has long been well-documented in the section of the West Bank designated by the 1993 Oslo accords as under Israeli security and administrative control - the so-called Area C of the occupied territory, including the south Hebron Hills - settlers have switched their focus to mostly rural Area B, which was designated to be under Palestinian civil control initially. Continue reading...

Journalist with US-funded broadcaster among those in release hailed by ambassador as big day for team America'Belarus has released three detainees including a veteran journalist for a US government-funded broadcaster and a US citizen, the White House said on Wednesday.The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the release on Wednesday of three people including one American and two individuals from Belarus, one of whom worked for Radio Liberty". The released American has not been identified. Continue reading...

Statement from countries including France, Germany and UK comes after US president says he and Putin are ready to begin talksEuropean powers, including Britain, France and Germany, have said they have to be part of any future negotiations on the fate of Ukraine, underscoring that only a fair accord with security guarantees would ensure lasting peace.Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations," seven European countries and the European Commission said in a joint statement after a foreign ministers meeting in Paris. Continue reading...

What will the world look like without US foreign assistance? Nesrine Malik reportsMy community, living here in the refugee camp, is already vulnerable," Sahat Zia tells Lucy Hough. I'm very concerned, especially for the children and the women."Sahat is a Rohingya activist and photographer based in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. Hearing Donald Trump's decision to cut USAid came as a shock to Sahat. US foreign assistance is a lifeline for the many thousands of people in the camp, providing access to food, education and healthcare. Continue reading...

Experts say latest results show clean energy investment is getting back on track, with $9bn committed in 2024

NSW police alleged that young offenders, inmates and public school students were encouraged to file fraudulent claims of historic sexual abuse

Electricity giant will build a whole range of assets', but not nuclear reactors, to support closure of 50-year-old coal power plants

Exclusive: Strategies for life sciences to be published earlier but broader report expected in JuneLabour's long-awaited industrial strategy will not now be published until June, while ministers will bring forward plans for individual sectors in a bid to show they are working to kickstart growth, it has emerged.Strategies for life sciences - highlighted by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, in her high-profile growth speech in Oxfordshire - and advanced manufacturing have been earmarked for early publication. Continue reading...

Independent MPs suggest legal challenge likely amid concerns at Parliament House that major parties are blocking competitors

Editor Julie Pace writes to Trump's chief of staff about ban on its journalists after AP declines to use Gulf of America'The executive editor of the Associated Press sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday criticizing its decision to block two of its journalists from attending press events on Tuesday after the outlet refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America".I write on behalf of The Associated Press, an independent global news organization that reaches billions of people every day, to object in the strongest possible terms to the actions taken by the Trump administration against AP yesterday," Julie Pace, the AP's executive editor, wrote in the letter addressed to Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff. Continue reading...

Lawyer who cleared James Tooley did not have access to WhatsApps and diaries that triggered the investigationA leading barrister who cleared the University of Buckingham's vice-chancellor of wrongdoing over his relationship with a young Indian woman did not have access to evidence relevant to the investigation.The university commissioned Joseph O'Brien KC to investigate James Tooley over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with the woman. Continue reading...

Informant on far right was alleged to have attacked his partner but claimed his status put him above the lawA high court judge has found that MI5 gave false evidence to three courts as it faced scrutiny over its handling of a neo-Nazi agent alleged to have attacked his partner.The government has ordered an inquiry to determine whether the false information was deliberate and therefore a lie, or an innocent mistake, as the Security Service has told ministers it was. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Israel-Gaza war, read our full report:

US president says he had lengthy and productive phone call' with Russian president and will begin by calling Volodymyr ZelenskyyBack to Budapest, where the Alternative fur Deutschland's co-leader Alice Weidel has just been speaking at a press conference with Viktor Orban.She said that Europe is leaderless" when it comes to responding to Donald Trump and his threats of tariffs. Continue reading...

Both sides accuse other of violating terms of truce, but Hamas says there are positive signals' hostage exchange will go ahead Middle East crisis - live updatesArab mediators are scrambling to save the Gaza ceasefire as the Israeli military bolsters troop and tank deployments to the strip's periphery in advance of the possibility the truce breaks down this weekend.A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss ways to end the current crisis", the Palestinian militant group said. Meanwhile, Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working intensively" to compel Israel to address Hamas's new demands before Saturday's scheduled release of three Israeli hostages, Egypt's state-run al-Qahera television reported. Continue reading...

An officer of Sangamon county, Illinois, is charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting MasseyThe family of Sonya Massey and officials from Sangamon county, Illinois, reached a settlement in which the Illinois county agreed to pay Massey's family $10m.The settlement comes nearly a year after Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two, was shot and killed in her home by a sheriff's deputy who was responding to her call for help. Continue reading...

Eight officials from variety of government agencies file suit seeking redress for unlawful and unjustified' dismissalsSeveral federal watchdogs fired by Donald Trump have filed a lawsuit against his administration to get their jobs back.In the suit filed on Wednesday, eight former inspectors general from eight government departments - including defense, veterans affairs, health and human services, state, agriculture, education and labor - and the Small Business Administration said they were seeking redress for their unlawful and unjustified purported termination" by Trump and their respective agency heads. Continue reading...

Judge-led statutory inquiry announced into killings of three people by Valdo Calocane in June 2023A judge-led public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks will take place in a matter of weeks", Keir Starmer has told the families of the three people killed and the injured survivors.At a meeting at No 10 on Wednesday, the prime minister said the inquiry would scrutinise a number of different agencies" and a retired judge will soon be appointed to lead the process. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says PM was wrong when he said that the decision was taken under the last governmentAfter PMQs there will be an urgent question in the Commons, tabled by the Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine, on the potential security implications of the involvement of Chinese companies including Mingyang in energy infrastructure projects". After that Dan Jarvis, the security minister, will make a statement to mark the publication of the report into Prevent's dealings with Ali Harbi Ali, the man who killed the Conservative MP David Amess.Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has blamed Home Office foot-dragging for a failure to change the rules to allow forces to sack officers who fail vetting procedures, Matthew Weaver reports. Continue reading...

Kristie Higgs was dismissed after sharing posts on plans to teach equalities programme at her son's C of E schoolA Christian school worker who was sacked after she shared Facebook posts raising concerns about lessons in LGBTQ+ relationships for primary school children has won her battle in the court of appeal.Kristie Higgs was dismissed from her role as a pastoral administrator and work experience manager at Farmor's, a secondary school in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 after an anonymous complaint from a parent at the school. Continue reading...

Delay will probably mean return to fighting, but releasing more hostages could force talks on next stage of ceasefire

Exclusive: Geoffrey Robertson KC calls for investigation into prosecutors' handling of case against footballerA leading human rights lawyer has called for an investigation into the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to charge the footballer Sam Kerr, calling it an attack on free speech".Geoffrey Robertson KC, the founding head of Doughty Street Chambers and one-time boss of Keir Starmer, said there was no public interest in charging Kerr, especially at this time when the criminal justice system is in chaos". Continue reading...

Disagreements over key posts and issues like migration mean snap election is likely, with far-right Freedom party ahead in polls

Top-ranking immigration enforcement officials removed from their positions reportedly due to deportation numbersTwo senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials have been reassigned amid frustration that deportation and arrest numbers were not increasing fast enough to meet Donald Trump's targets.Russell Hott and Peter Berg, the two highest-ranking members of Ice's enforcement agency, were removed from their positions, the Washington Post first reported, citing three people with knowledge on the moves. Hott was reassigned to Ice's local office in Washington DC, and Berg to St Paul, Minnesota. Continue reading...

Fashion grandee takes his love of a suit step further with oversized embroidered jackets in British-made tweedsThom Browne has said that if one of his catwalk shows receives only positive reviews, he worries he has played it too safe. He much prefers to ruffle a few feathers.Literally so, this season. Birds, which along with shrunken grey suits are a Thom Browne signature, were everywhere. The models' eyelashes, made from bright feathers, had a wingspan that dusted the collar. Above the catwalk, 2,000 origami birds were suspended in flight. Continue reading...