World news | The Guardian

Previously confidential report describes ‘warrior mentality’ among force that contained ‘vast over-representation of former military members’

Fighting reported in far south and communal clashes in Darfur, amid power struggle between generalsThe deaths of dozens of civilians in fighting in the far south of Sudan and an outbreak of communal violence in the restive Darfur region have fuelled fears that communities across the frontier regions of Africa’s third biggest country are being drawn into the bloody contest between two rival generals.Fighting in the southern state of North Kordofan between militias aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and local brigades of the Sudanese army has centred on the strategically important state capital, El Obeid. Continue reading...

Airborne ‘lidar’ survey would generate 3D map of the country and provide high-quality information on its ecosystemsScotland may conduct an annual airborne laser scan of the country’s landscapes to monitor the health of its forest, peatlands and natural ecosystems, the Guardian can reveal.The Scottish government is weighing up the benefits of annual 3D imaging flights to provide regular data on nature restoration across the temperate rainforests of the west coast to the peaks of the Cairngorms, akin to an annual CT scan for biodiversity. Continue reading...

Hayne was found guilty of assaulting a woman in her suburban Newcastle home on NRL grand final night 2018Disgraced former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has been jailed for at least three years after sexually assaulting a woman in her home.The 35-year-old was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent on 4 April and taken into custody 10 days later when his bail was revoked. Continue reading...

Negotiations in Jeddah will continue, but US says two parties remain ‘quite far apart’Sudan’s warring parties have signed a commitment to protect civilians but have not yet agreed to a ceasefire in talks described by US diplomats as difficult.Representatives of the army and paramilitary forces, whose nearly one month of fighting has killed more than 750 people and displaced thousands, signed the agreement as they kept negotiating in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Continue reading...

Hannah Moore reports from Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena where Britain is preparing to host the Eurovision song contest on behalf of last year’s winners UkraineOn the eve of the Eurovision song contest finals, Hannah Moore travels to Liverpool to watch the rehearsals and hear from Ukrainians running stalls in ‘Eurovision Village’.Chris West, the author of Eurovision! A History of Modern Europe Through the World’s Greatest Song Contest explains politics always plays a big part in the event but this year is particularly poignant. Continue reading...

Most victims do not report it for fear of not being believed or damaging career prospects, says union bodyAlmost two in three young women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work, according to a TUC poll.However, most victims do not report it for fear of not being believed or of damaging their relationships at work or their career prospects, the TUC said. Continue reading...

Grammy-nominated musician, 37, accused of a ‘torrential cycle’ of abuse and harassment, which Allen deniesThe country star Jimmie Allen is being sued by his former manager for sexual assault.The woman, known as “Jane Doe”, has alleged that the singer repeatedly raped and harassed her over an 18-month period, referring to it as a “torrential cycle” of abuse. According to Variety, a lawsuit was filed this week in federal court in Tennessee, accusing Allen, 37, of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress. Continue reading...

Case comes amid Kremlin’s growing crackdown on dissent over Russia’s invasion of UkraineA Russian court has given a two-year suspended sentence to a St Petersburg woman who left a note on the grave of President Vladimir Putin’s parents saying they had “raised a freak and a killer”.The court found Irina Tsybaneva, 60, guilty of desecrating burial places motivated by political hatred. Her lawyer said she didn’t plead guilty because she hadn’t desecrated the grave physically or sought publicity for her action. Continue reading...

Ambassador says weapons were brought to Russia on cargo ship from Simon’s Town naval base, local media reportsThe US ambassador to South Africa has accused the country of covertly providing arms to Russia – a charge that drew an angry rebuke from Pretoria.Reuben Brigety told a media briefing on Thursday that the US believed weapons and ammunition had been loaded on to a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December. Continue reading...

Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched investigation into incident in PorthmadogThe police watchdog has launched an independent investigation after a police officer in Wales was filmed appearing to punch a man repeatedly in the head before arresting him.Footage of the incident is circulating on social media and has caused considerable “public concern”, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. Continue reading...

Britain donating arms capable of striking targets in occupied Crimea as Kyiv prepares counteroffensive against Russia

Ben Wallace confirms reports that UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to UkraineRussia’s state-owned news agency Tass is reporting that Yan Gagin, an assistant to the Russian-imposed head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, has claimed that Ukraine is increasingly using fléchettes shells when attacking targets within the occupied Donetsk region. It quotes him saying:We are increasingly recording the use by the enemy of artillery shells filled with fléchettes. They have been used especially actively lately. Continue reading...

Church of England commissioned review into how it handled disclosures that a vicar raped a 16-year-old boyJohn Sentamu, the former archbishop of York, failed to act on disclosures that a Church of England vicar raped a 16-year-old boy, a report commissioned by the church has found.Lord Sentamu immediately rejected the conclusions of the report, saying the author, an experienced safeguarding investigator, had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the responsibilities of bishops and archbishops. Continue reading...

Llyr Gruffydd taking charge after Adam Price resigned following damning report on Welsh partyThe interim leader of Plaid Cymru has promised the party is ready to tackle its misogyny scandal amid warnings it faces “existential questions” after the resignation of its “once in a generation” head Adam Price.Llyr Gruffydd, who will take charge of the Welsh pro-independence party while the search for a new leader is held, said this was a turning point for Plaid and it was determined to “amplify” the voices of women. Continue reading...

Paris Mayo, now 19 and on trial for murder, allegedly tried to prevent people discovering her pregnancyA 15-year-old girl killed her newborn baby by assaulting him and stuffing his throat with cotton wool to prevent people discovering her pregnancy, a court has heard.Paris Mayo, now 19, is on trial for the murder of her son Stanley Mayo, who died in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, on the evening of 23 March 2019, and was discovered in a bin bag outside her home the following day. Continue reading...

Court orders immediate release of former prime minister who was arrested in Islamabad this weekPakistan’s supreme court has ruled the arrest of the former prime minister Imran Khan was illegal and ordered that he be released into the protection of the court.The chief justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, declared that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had acted in violation of the law by arresting Khan on the premises of the Islamabad high court without permission and that such actions would have a “chilling effect”. Continue reading...

Critics have attacked proposals by members of Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party as ‘a cult of the leader’A proposal by two lawmakers from Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party to make it obligatory for town halls to display a portrait of the French president has sparked a political row.The portrait issue has been seized upon by Macron’s critics as he travels around France in an attempt to counter accusations of arrogance and haughtiness, amid saucepan banging and street protests against the rise in the pension age. Continue reading...

Business and trade secretary answers urgent question in Commons on retained EU lawSir William Cash, chair of the European scrutiny committee, used his follow-up to his urgent question to say that Kemi Badenoch has declined three times to appear before this committee to discuss this issue.He said the new amendments to the bill announced yesterday have not been scrutinised by the Commons.The amendments published today, apart from her very short written ministerial statement yesterday and her article in the press today, are not accompanied by any explanation to this house despite the utter reversal in vital respects to the bill as passed by this elected house, why not?The amendments have not been subjected to any analysis or questioning by this house, which is now essential given the fundamental change in government policy. This house is being treated in a manner which is clearly inconsistent with clear promises already made. Continue reading...

Serial killer gives police location in west London where he says he hid body of 19-year-old studentThe serial killer Levi Bellfield has confessed to the murder of the missing student Elizabeth Chau in a recorded face-to-face interview with police.Scotland Yard homicide detectives interviewed Bellfield in prison on Tuesday under criminal caution, during which he named a location in west London where he claims to have hidden the body of Chau, who was 19 when she vanished 24 years ago. Continue reading...

Larrakia people say they have not been properly consulted on planned industrial precinct, which is near ‘priceless’ sacred site

Most alpaca farmers run hobby farms or side businesses despite Australia having the second-largest alpaca herd after Peru

Mirus Australia tells providers to consider which residents generate ‘higher profit margins’

Man, 34, arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after four Vietnamese men died in fire at mill last MayA suspected gang member has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after four Vietnamese men died in a fire at a mill that was being used as a cannabis factory.Police said a 34-year-old man had been arrested after a series of raids on properties in connection with the deadly fire in Oldham, Greater Manchester, last May. Continue reading...

Ditching of EU law guillotine shows PM realises it is voters, not Tory ‘Spartans’, who will decide his fate

Former business secretary says ‘politicians need to stick to what they said they will do’ in attack on Rishi Sunak

Managing director, David Anderson, told staff ‘this in no ways diminishes the importance of what we do’

Bill Shorten says savings possible through tackling rorts, spiralling costs and rip-offs, but disability advocates remain sceptical

Lord president of privy council says coronation was ‘humbling day’ and democracy ‘is about dissent’Penny Mordaunt has revealed how she took painkillers before her role of carrying the ceremonial sword during King Charles’s coronation.Mordaunt, wearing a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, was the first woman to perform the role as lord president of the council. She was responsible for bearing the sword of the state and presenting the jewelled sword of offering to the king. They were two of four swords used during the ceremony, and it is a practice that dates back to the coronation of Richard the Lionheart in 1189. Continue reading...

Low-income families in England face highest costs compared with Scotland and Wales due to fewer benefitsSending a child to a state secondary school costs families at least £39 each week, and £19 a week for children at primary school, according to research based on a child’s minimum needs.The study by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found that the associated costs of transport, lunch, uniform, school trips and learning materials combined amounts to hundreds of pounds a year for each child at a UK state school. Continue reading...

Poor pay, risky work, anxiety and job insecurity reported by delivery, transport and data workers tied to digital platformsMore than half of gig economy workers in the UK are earning less than the minimum wage, new research has found, with a quarter reporting that the nature of their work put their safety at risk. Continue reading...

Alicia Kearns, foreign affairs select committee chair, launches blistering attack on former prime ministerThe Conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee has launched a blistering attack on Liz Truss over the former prime minister’s planned trip to Taiwan, calling it “the worst kind of Instagram diplomacy”.Alicia Kearns said she thought Truss’s trip planned for next week was little more than a vanity project aimed at keeping her profile high after her brief spell as prime minister last year. Continue reading...

Israeli forces admit ‘high possibility’ Al Jazeera reporter was shot by sniper at West Bank refugee campFamily members, friends and colleagues of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was almost certainly fatally shot by an Israeli sniper, have renewed calls for justice on the first anniversary of her killing, during a week of memorials and events celebrating her life.Abu Akleh, a household name in the Arab world who worked for Qatar-based Al Jazeera, was shot in the head in the slumlike refugee camp on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on 11 May last year while covering an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) raid. International outrage at the reporter’s death was fuelled by scenes of violence at her funeral in Jerusalem, when Israeli police attacked pallbearers, almost causing them to drop the coffin. Continue reading...

Neither CNN nor its host was able to take control as the ex-president played steamroller, to the audience’s delightIt began and ended in a way that absolutely everyone could have predicted.Appearing at a CNN town hall, Donald Trump immediately launched into a series of debunked, nonsense claims about election fraud, speaking nearly non-stop for more than five minutes. Continue reading...

The Greens are in an excruciating position as they court angry renters while the government plays to middle-of-the-road voters

Senator Lidia Thorpe accuses Labor of splashing money on ‘toothless’ voice to parliament at expense of other services

Peak conservation groups covering every basin state say more funding is needed to reach water targets and restore rivers to health after a decade of delay

Decision to keep the Tully, Cloncurry and Ingham branches open welcomed by local politicians, but further reforms urged to ensure delivery of services in rural areas

At least five people have died and 84 have been injured as protests spread across country and army deployedPakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been presented before a judge at a police station in Islamabad, 24 hours after his arrest by scores of paramilitary officers that led to countrywide uproar.Khan was also indicted on Wednesday by the Islamabad high court in a separate corruption case in which he is accused of selling millions of dollars worth of state gifts presented by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Continue reading...

Review said party had failed to ‘detoxify’ its culture and found evidence of misogyny and bullyingAdam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has announced he is resigning after a damning review said his party had failed to “detoxify” its culture and found evidence of misogyny, harassment and bullying.Plaid Cymru’s national executive committee has approved a motion to allow the party’s Senedd group to invite nominations for the position of interim leader at its meeting on Thursday morning, subject to ratification by the party’s national council on Saturday. Continue reading...

Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, 18, died from a single stab wound to the chest on Friday nightA 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder after a stabbing in east London.It comes after police were called on Friday, just before midnight, to reports of men armed with machetes near to Dagenham Heathway underground station. Continue reading...

Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy, also criticises Vatican over failure to hold China to account over human rights abusesThe British son of the jailed Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has criticised Britain and the Vatican for failing to speak out strongly against the crackdown on dissent in the Chinese territory.At a Washington event about the human rights situation in Hong Kong, Sebastien Lai said self-censorship in the former British colony was the anticipated result of the national security crackdown there, but the “hypocrisy” of some governments trying to trade with China was unexpected. Continue reading...

Tit-for-tat rocket fire follows claims that Egyptian officials brokered pause in conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militantsIsrael and Palestinian militant groups in the blockaded Gaza Strip have continued fighting despite reports of ceasefire negotiations, in a bloody episode of violence that has left 21 people in Gaza dead and brought daily life in Tel Aviv to a standstill.An Egyptian state-run station with close ties to the security agencies said on Wednesday evening that Egyptian officials – who frequently mediate in the conflict – had successfully brokered a pause in the fighting. But the tit-for-tat fire continued late into the night, suggesting the truce had not held. Continue reading...

Russian city will now be known as Królewiec in official documents, its name in the 15th and 16th centuriesThe Kremlin has described Poland’s decision to rename the Russian city of Kaliningrad in its official documents as a “hostile act”, as ties continue to fray over the Ukraine war.Kaliningrad, which sits in an exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast, was known by the German name of Königsberg until after the second world war, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union and renamed to honour politician Mikhail Kalinin. Continue reading...

Trade secretary Kemi Badenoch says retained EU law bill will help businesses cut costsTrades unions have warned that workers’ rights are in peril after the government unveiled new plans to scrap EU rules on working hours as part of its drive to cut “unnecessary red tape”.The announcement comes as the proposed scrapping of up to 4,000 EU-era regulations by the end of the year was ditched after a private meeting with Brexiter MPs. Continue reading...

Archbishop of Canterbury attacks plan in Lords, saying it will harm UK’s standing and fails to address causes of movement of refugees

Joshua Hunt, 31, arrested after motorist reported someone in black latex suit jumped out in front of herA man has appeared in court over a series of incidents in which he allegedly frightened people while wearing a black “gimp” suit.Joshua Hunt, 31, has been accused of two counts of affray and one count each of possession of a bladed article and committing an act of outraging public decency, all of which are said to have taken place in Somerset. Continue reading...

A large majority of those returning to the roost – or who never left it – are men, census data revealsIt is enough to make parents wonder: whatever happened to the bachelor pad?At least 620,000 more grown-up children are now living with their parents than a decade ago – and most of those doing so are young men, census figures reveal. Continue reading...

Justin Welby says bill is ‘morally unacceptable’ and rules on protection of refugees are not ‘inconvenient obstructions’. This live blog is closedIn the House of Lords peers are just starting to debate the second reading of the illegal migration bill.Simon Murray, aka Lord Murray of Blidworth, is opening the debate. He is a lawyer who was made a Home Office minister, and a peer, when Liz Truss was PM.We now face a perfect storm of factors driving more people into homelessness while giving us fewer good options to help them when they do. These factors include soaring private rents (above the benefit cap), private landlords leaving the sector, a national shortage of affordable housing, and a backlog of court cases after Covid-relating housing support was removed. At the same time, we have a cost-of-living crisis which is reducing real-term incomes and putting further strain on relationships. Continue reading...

Ukrainian official says Russians in Bakhmut have been pushed back by up to 2km; Russia’s Transneft reports attack on oil pipelineA Ukrainian military commander said Russian forces in Bakhmut had been pushed back by up to 2km in some areas after counteroffensives. Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, who heads Ukraine’s ground forces, posted on Telegram: “In some areas of the front, the enemy could not resist the onslaught of the Ukrainian defenders and retreated.”Russia’s oil pipeline operator Transneft said a filling point on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline had been targeted in a “terrorist attack” near the border with Ukraine, according to the Tass news agency. Transneft said nobody was injured in the incident.Ukraine’s military said its forces had seriously damaged Russia’s 72nd independent motorised rifle brigade near Bakhmut, made up of thousands of troops. Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukrainian troops in the east, said the situation remained “difficult” in Bakhmut, but Moscow was increasingly having to use regular army units because of heavy losses among Wagner group fighters.The Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, complained that his fighters were still not getting enough shells from the defence ministry. In an audio statement, he said the defence ministry – which has promised to ensure that all combat units have the resources they need – had been holding long meetings on the shell issue, but there had been no breakthrough. “We’re not receiving enough shells, we’re only getting 10%,” Prigozhin said, according to Reuters.The French parliament called on the EU to formally label the Wagner group as terrorists, as the UK reportedly prepares to do the same. France’s parliament unanimously passed a non-binding resolution aimed at encouraging the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organisations.Russian forces plan to evacuate more than 3,000 workers from the town that serves the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where there is a “catastrophic lack” of qualified personnel, Ukraine’s state-owned Energoatom company said. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of forcibly deporting its citizens from occupied Ukrainian regions to Russian Federation territory.Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been criticised again for his links to Russia after attending a Victory Day party at the Russian embassy in Berlin. Schröder was seen at a reception on Tuesday marking the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the second world war, along with senior figures from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party and the far-left Linke party.Russia may formally denounce the treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe, which it pulled out of in 2015, according to a decree signed by Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The decree formally appoints the deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov to represent Putin during parliamentary proceedings on denouncing the treaty, which aimed to regulate the number of forces deployed by Warsaw Pact and Nato countries. Continue reading...