World news | The Guardian

Move follows reports overseas students face lower entry requirements, a claim universities rejectThe Department for Education is to investigate allegations of bad practice by agents who recruit international students to study at British universities.It follows reports over the weekend claiming that overseas students are being admitted to prestigious institutions while subject to lower entry requirements than domestic students. Continue reading...

George Freeman says his salary as science minister was not enough to cover his rising mortgage repaymentsRishi Sunak has urged Iran to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, PA Media reports. Speaking to broadcasters this morning, Sunak said:We are concerned and would urge Iran to continue to de-escalate tensions in the region.We absolutely condemn what has happened over the past couple of days.Home Office figures show more than 300 people made the journey at the weekend, with 112 recorded in two boats on Saturday and 276 on Sunday in five boats.This takes the provisional total for 2024 to date to 1,057. Continue reading...

Feds United for Peace, group of workers from more than two dozen agencies, to stage one-day hunger strike on ThursdayUS government employees are planning a day of fasting for Gaza" this week to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in the territory and to denounce Joe Biden's policy toward Israel.Representatives for Feds United for Peace, a group of several dozen government employees frustrated with the Gaza crisis who organized an office walkout earlier in the month, told the Guardian that on Thursday its members will stage a one-day hunger strike. Participating federal employees are expected to show up to their offices dressed in black or wearing keffiyeh scarves or other symbols of Palestinian solidarity. Continue reading...

Work to restore layer of granite that once covered ancient structure described as absurdity'A video showing renovation work to reface in Egypt's Menkaure pyramid in granite has triggered criticism of the project, with one expert decrying its absurdity".In a video posted on Facebook on Friday, Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, showed workers setting blocks of granite on the base of the pyramid, which sits besides the sphinx and the larger Khafre and Cheops pyramids at Giza. He called it the project of the century". Continue reading...

Tory MPs will get free vote on plan to ban vapes and phase out smoking but only Liz Truss has publicly denounced measures

Judge ruled that Mirror Group Newspapers' titles all used extensive' unlawful information gatheringThe Daily Mirror is facing a claim for almost 2m in legal costs after Prince Harry won substantial damages in his phone-hacking case against the publisher.Mr Justice Fancourt ruled at the high court last month that extensive" phone hacking took place at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) from 2006 to 2011, even to some extent" during the Leveson inquiry into media standards. Continue reading...

Renowned figure in Italian film died in her sleep at her residence in Rome, according to a family statementThe Italian actor Sandra Milo, a renowned figure in Italy's film industry known for her performance in Federico Fellini's 8, has died aged 90.Milo died in her sleep at her residence in Rome surrounded by her family and her dogs, Jim and Lady, according to a statement from the family carried by state-run RAI television. Continue reading...

Analysis of 13 years of data shows why there are more potholes and fewer libraries and swimming pools

Viktor Orban's political director claims Brussels is using blackmail against Hungary like there's no tomorrow' over aid for Ukraine Continue reading...

London's high court rules that companies representing bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell can seek a copyright change, after signing away rights in 1970sThe estates of two British musicians who laid down the rhythms on Jimi Hendrix's greatest hits are able to sue Sony Music Entertainment, in the hope that they can secure a share of the songs' royalties.Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 and played on the group's three studio albums: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland, landmarks in psychedelic rock which contain classics such as Purple Haze, Little Wing, Hey Joe and Foxey Lady. Continue reading...

Reclaim party founder defamed two men on site now known as X after they called him a racist, judge rulesThe actor and rightwing activist Laurence Fox has lost a high court libel battle with two men he called paedophiles after they called him a racist.The former actor defamed the men when he used the slur on social media, Mrs Justice Collins Rice has ruled. Continue reading...

Report says greater police presence on French beaches and more attempts to stop dinghies increases risks to refugeesThe most recent illegal migration pact between the UK and France is directly linked" to a doubling of the number of Channel drownings in the last year, a report has found.The increased police presence on French beaches - along with more dinghies being stopped from reaching the coast - is leading to more dangerous overcrowding and chaotic attempts to board the boats, the paper said.12 August 2023: six Afghan men drowned in an overloaded dinghy which got intro trouble close to the French shore26 September 2023: Eritrean woman, 24, died in Bleriot-Plage after being asphyxiated in a crush of 80 people trying to board one dinghy22 November 2023: three people drowned close to Equihen-Plage as the dinghy collapsed close to the shore. Fifty-seven survivors returned to the beach. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Donaldson under pressure from UK and Irish governments to recommend revival of StormontThe Democratic Unionist party is to consider ending its two-year boycott of power-sharing in Northern Ireland at a meeting that could make or break Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's leadership.Donaldson will on Monday night brief the party's 130-strong executive members about UK government proposals to address unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements. Continue reading...

Funk and disco star promises June event series at London's Southbank Centre will be where magic of music meets the warmth of community'Chaka Khan has been named as the latest music star to curate the Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Centre, following in the footsteps of David Bowie, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono and more.The festival will take place from 14 to 23 June, with the artist programme still to be announced. Khan said the festival would be where magic of music meets the warmth of community ... We're going to funk it up, rock every crowd, and touch every soul." Continue reading...

Reports suggest a No 13 doubledecker crashed into a shelter at busy transport hubA pedestrian has died after being hit by a bus at London Victoria bus station.Transport for London's chief operating officer, Glynn Barton, confirmed the deeply distressing incident", which happened at about 9am on Monday. Continue reading...

Nathy Odinson, 33, had parachute problem after climbing up building in Pattaya and jumping offA British Base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open during a stunt in Thailand.Nathy Odinson, 33, from Cambridgeshire, who had performed skydives and Base jumps around the world, is said to have illegally climbed up a 29-storey building in the coastal resort of Pattaya and jumped off on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Draft legislation will aim to stop firms employing ruses to get around legislation, says health secretaryUK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming law that will outlaw disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points on them, the health secretary has said.The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already-announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, would be put together with the help of experts who would try to anticipate possible loopholes, Victoria Atkins added. Continue reading...

Luay Sako has pleaded guilty to murdering ex-colleague after a year-long campaign of harassment

First two episodes inaccessible to viewers in city, with some attributing censorship to scenes set against umbrella protestsAmazon's big-ticket series Expats, set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available for viewing inside the city despite being billed as a worldwide release.The first two episodes of the drama, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Farewell's Lulu Wang, were released on Friday but listed as currently unavailable" for viewers in Hong Kong. The series, based on a 2014 novel, The Expatriates, focuses on the lives of three American women in Hong Kong. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Steelworks owner to float possibility of new, smaller plant as it prepares to defend redundancies in Wales to MPsThe owner of the Port Talbot steelworks is preparing to mount a defence of its decision to cut thousands of jobs at the south Wales plant, and float the possibility of creating more UK jobs in future, during testimony to MPs this week.The Indian conglomerate Tata confirmed this month that it planned to close two blast furnaces at Port Talbot - shedding up to 2,800 jobs, with a further 300 potential redundancies at another site, in Llanwern. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New claims come on 25th anniversary of death of Jay Abatan, who was assaulted in Brighton in 1999Officers in a police force that bungled the investigation into a suspected racist killing, allegedly went on holiday, dined and partied with suspects arrested over the attack, the Guardian has learned.The new claims come on the 25th anniversary of the death of Jay Abatan, 42, who was attacked outside a Brighton nightclub in January 1999.reduced the number of officers on the investigation after Jay died;potentially missed many" witnesses;wrongly said one witness saw nothing when in fact they did and had been so close that they had called an ambulance for Jay;failed to investigate the suspects and their potential links and history;failed to interview one witness for over a year. When the interview finally took place, the witness was able to name 11 other people present at the scene.Police said anyone with information can contact them quoting Operation Dorchester, or Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, on 0800 555 111. Continue reading...

Prince's Trust survey reveals cost of living crisis is having stark consequences' for aspirations of entire generationUnemployed young people are having to turn down jobs because they cannot afford associated costs such as clothes and transport, a Prince's Trust study has found.The research found that the rising cost of living for young people was threatening the aspirations of an entire generation". Continue reading...

Pirates, kings and kidnappers feature in songs on website showcasing origins of modern music industryThe music industry was hungry for hits and churned out songs in their thousands - love songs, sad songs, jokey songs, patriotic songs.There were songs about servants and kings, beggars and pirates, kidnappers and ghosts. There were songs about bloody battles and agonising deaths. There was a song about a Scot incinerated by a divine thunderbolt because he tried to seduce his sister. Continue reading...

Musicians are finding that selling their records at gigs is no longer an afterthought, but is providing a crucial revenue streamAs soon as Roxanne de Bastion comes off stage, there is one thing on her mind - getting down to run her merchandise stall.The quicker the better - sometimes it feels a bit like those scenes in Spinal Tap, rushing down corridors to find how to get there," said the singer-songwriter, whose latest album was produced by the former Suede guitarist, Bernard Butler. On a recent tour, selling copies of You & Me, We Are the Same afterwards was the difference between making a loss and being able to pay my rent for three months". Continue reading...

The East End battle of 1936, when the community united to force back Oswald Mosley's fascist forces, has inspired two theatre productionsOn a Sunday afternoon in October 1936, Ubby Cowan, a 19-year-old Jewish tailor, put on his prized new Max Baer-style jacket that he had saved hard for and went to fight Oswald Mosley's fascist forces in London's East End.The battle of Cable Street ended in victory for the coalition of Jews, Irish dockers, trade unions, communists and other anti-racists who insisted that the British Union of Fascists, protected by thousands of police, shall not pass". Cowan ended the day covered in blood, with his precious jacket in shreds after he was kicked through a shop window by a police horse. Continue reading...

Antonio Guterres says loss of funding from US and others means aid into Gaza for whole of this month cannot be guaranteed

Kemi Badenoch says issues at Post Office go beyond Horizon scandal, after Harry Staunton removedKemi Badenoch has suggested there could be a wider shake-up at the Post Office over the Horizon scandal and other problems, after she asked its chair to leave at the weekend.The business secretary said she had needed to intervene as there were difficulties with the board" at the Post Office when asked about Henry Staunton's departure. Continue reading...

Business secretary says it would be wrong to replace Sunak as party leader on the basis of poor pollingKemi Badenoch has hit out at Conservative plotters for stirring" by suggesting she could replace Rishi Sunak, saying prime ministers cannot be treated as disposable".The business secretary, who consistently comes out as the favourite cabinet minister in polls of Tory members, said it would be wrong to get rid of Sunak on the basis of unpopularity or poor polling. Continue reading...

Legislation will further erode differences between legal systems of Hong Kong and mainlandA new law giving Chinese courts the authority to enforce rulings in commercial disputes in Hong Kong comes into effect on Monday, further reducing the barriers between the Hong Kong and Chinese legal systems.The law puts into effect an agreement signed between China's supreme people's court and the government of Hong Kong in 2019 and is designed to reduce the need for re-litigation in civil and commercial disputes, in cases where there is a connection to mainland China. Continue reading...

Family pays tribute to visionary' who changed the lives of so many people' through his building projects and donationsBillionaire Sydney property developer Lang Walker AO has died, aged 78.In a statement released on Sunday, his family hailed Walker as a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather" and visionary" who shaped postwar Australia with his expansive builds. Continue reading...

Jeremy Hunt targets further reduction in jobs tax' in March budgetThe government is considering handing workers another tax cut with a further reduction in national insurance, amid desperate attempts to move on from a campaign to destabilise Rishi Sunak by the Tory right.With frustration within the cabinet that the Conservative party has been unable to free itself from internal warring over Sunak's immigration plans and leadership, the prime minister and his chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, are focusing on the tax cuts that will frame their election pitch. Continue reading...

Gathering of at least 20 black-clad, masked men at Artarmon Reserve follows confrontation with police resulting in six arrests on Friday

Pekka Haavisto, who is second in the opinion polls, is bolstering his campaign with club nights and music from the 60s and 70sAt a packed, dimly lit music venue in Helsinki, an attentive crowd dressed up for a night out sings sweetly along to musicians on stage in front of a kitsch image of a smiling 65-year-old man.While the atmosphere would suggest fun club night rather than political campaign event, it is one of the last appearances of Pekka Haavisto, the man to whom the night is dedicated, before he runs in one of Finland's most high-stakes presidential elections in livingmemory. Continue reading...

Singer told to rest for two weeks, forcing him to cancel gigs in California and Los AngelesThe singer Morrissey is being treated for physical exhaustion" after cancelling a number of dates on his current tour.His tour manager said on Saturday he had been told to rest for two weeks. Continue reading...

Opposition would do better on issues including the economy, health, education, the environment, immigration and crime, public saysMore than twice as many voters believe a Labour government would be better for housing than the Tories, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.The survey shows Labour is well ahead of the Conservatives on most issues including the economy, health, education, the environment, immigration and crime, and level pegging on ones it has traditionally lagged way behind on, including defence. Continue reading...

Vapour created by a stall-holder cooking a large amount of chillies' entered ventilation systemA market in Chester was evacuated on Saturday because of fumes caused by a stall-holder cooking a large amount of chillies".Chester fire and rescue service said vapour from the cooking of a large quantity of chilli oil had entered the market's ventilation system. Continue reading...

Images taken secretly some 80 years ago are being published for the first time to mark International Holocaust Remembrance DayA remarkable series of photographs of Jewish families being forced to leave their homes in Germany in the middle of the second world war has been published for the first time, following a chance discovery.The images are a striking new testament to the sudden upheaval and terror of the Holocaust and were taken secretly by an amateur photographer. He is believed to have wanted to pass down the scenes he was witnessing, despite the risk to himself. They show groups of people gathering outside a restaurant near the railway station in the Silesian city of Breslau, now Wrocaw in Poland. Jewish men, women and children of all ages were held here for a few days before deportation by train. Almost all are certain to have been killed just a few days later in a documented shooting in Lithuania. Others were killed at a later date in Poland. Continue reading...

An official report a year before three people were stabbed to death in the city raised concerns about the force's management practicesNottinghamshire police was ordered to review its management of offenders a year before a wanted man with paranoid schizophrenia stabbed three people to death.A report by the official policing inspectorate in April 2022 said the force should immediately review" their approach to managing low-risk offenders to ensure risk was effectively monitored and managed". Continue reading...

Customers dismayed after cruise ship's time in Hobart cut in half due to port conflicts', but experts say consumer remedies are difficult to obtain

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch tells Henry Staunton he is to be replaced, feeling a need for new leadership'The chair of the Post Office has been dismissed by the government as the state-owned company reels from the Horizon IT scandal.Henry Staunton was this weekend told by the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, that he will be replaced. Continue reading...

A truck and trailer en route to Fort Wayne for a Shriner's event caught fire, prompting a rescue by local law enforcementA truck hauling zebras and camels for a series of weekend circus performances caught fire early on Saturday on a north-eastern Indiana highway, prompting a police rescue of the animals, which roamed along the freeway, some munching on grass.The tractor-trailer caught fire at about 2am along Interstate 69 in Grant county, and a state trooper, a Grant county sheriff's deputy and a third person rescued the five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse by leading them off the smoked-filled trailer, said Sgt Steven Glass with the Indiana state police. Continue reading...

Persistent fears over staffing and funding could lead to promises being broken to parents weeks before likely poll dateRishi Sunak has been warned that he faces a pre-election disaster" over his government's high-profile childcare pledge, amid concerns that many parents will be unable to access the scheme just weeks before they go to the polls.The prime minister has already admitted that practical issues" have hampered the delivery of the free childcare offer, which the government has described as the largest ever expansion of provision. Parents and nurseries have expressed concern about a chaotic situation approaching in April, when all two-year-olds will be eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare. Continue reading...

Unable to match Putin's military might, Ukraine is engaging in smart warfare' to attack the enemy's oil and gas supply linesLast week, a motorist driving in Russia's Leningrad region came across something unusual. Men had blocked off the road. In front, a large olive-green military vehicle with cigar-shaped missiles on the back was reversing and then parked up on a snowy verge. Fuck! It's an S-300," the driver exclaimed, before adding: So guys, let's prepare for the worst."This surreal roadside encounter took place outside St Petersburg, more than 620 miles (about 1,000km) from the border with Ukraine and Russia's near two-year all-out war. The Kremlin's security services were apparently taking no chances. They were deploying the S-300 air defence missile system in order to protect Peter the Great's imperial capital from small but devastating drones. Continue reading...

Senior members of august institution fear being sidelined under progressive' president Bernardine EvaristoFellows of the Royal Society of Literature, an august body founded in London in 1820, seemed poised to stride into the new year on a bold footing, with an inclusive programme of events and a revitalised membership. Its Booker prize-winning president, Bernardine Evaristo, alongside poet Daljit Nagra, chair of the society's leadership council, were promising further modernisation soon.But a major revolt among longer-term fellows is now threatening to destabilise the society. An overdue council meeting of members next month will be forced to address a spate of resignations and a growing number of complaints. Continue reading...

Hundreds of discoveries made on Sir John Franklin's ships, but storm damage makes wrecks increasingly dangerousArchaeologists have made hundreds of new finds on the wreck of HMS Erebus, the ship commanded by Sir John Franklin on his doomed Arctic trip 180 years ago.The team's discoveries include pistols, sealed bottles of medicines, seamen's chests and navigation equipment. These are now being studied for clues to explain the loss of the Erebus and its sister ship Terror, and the deaths of the 129 men who sailed on them. Continue reading...

Authentification technology created by German company Bosch could give paintings unique digital fingerprint'Revolutionary technology invented to identify counterfeit spare parts in the car and aerospace industries has now been adapted to detect counterfeit works of art.The developers of the optical recognition system" claim they have created tamper-proof digital fingerprints" of paintings and sculptures that could, for example, enable museums to spot - within seconds - whether an original work has been swapped with a fake. Continue reading...

Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of the all-domain anomaly resolution office, blames core group' of government workersConspiracy theorists working for and within the US government are perpetuating myths about UFOs that millions of taxpayer dollars are then spent looking into, a self-licking ice cream cone", according to the Pentagon's former chief investigator of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).Sean Kirkpatrick made the claim in a podcast this week after stepping down last month as the first director of the defense department's all-domain anomaly resolution office (Aaro). It was set up in 2022 to collate military reports of UAP sightings and to be more transparent about what the government knows. Continue reading...

Southern Co-op chain more likely to install tech in deprived districts', says privacy rights groupFacial recognition cameras installed by a supermarket chain to tackle shoplifting disproportionately target people in poorer areas, according to a privacy rights group.Southern Co-op, which uses Facewatch live recognition cameras in 34 branches, typically has shops in richer-than-average neighbourhoods. But just five of the stores in which it uses Facewatch are in the richest third of neighbourhoods in England, while 14 are in the poorest. Continue reading...

Border regulations require seven-page certificate on meat and dairy productsA lack of vets in Europe could force meat suppliers in the EU to hold back deliveries earmarked for the UK under new post-Brexit rules set to come in this week, experts have warned.The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has concerns that imports may be held back due to a shortage of vet availability in the European Union to carry out checks needed under the new rules. Continue reading...

Department has admitted that it hid the policy due to concerns about former PM's reactionTheresa May is to confront the Home Office after it was found to have kept an appalling" asylum policy secret, amid internal fears that its approach would be attacked by the former prime minister and other senior politicians.In an extraordinary finding, the high court concluded last week that the Home Office had operated a secret policy that affected the asylum rights of at least 1,500 people found to be genuine victims of trafficking and modern slavery. Continue reading...