World news | The Guardian

Final batch of one-time UK school lunchbox staple to be made this month as Swiss food firm continues clearout of older brandsWith its bright yellow wrapper a Breakaway was a UK school lunchbox favourite in the 1980s, but now life is finally imitating art with Nestle confirming that it is taking away" the chocolate-coated biscuits for ever.The final batch will roll off the Swiss food firm's production lines this month, with the decision blamed on dwindling sales of the 54-year-old brand. We know fans will be disappointed to see it go," said a Nestle spokesperson. We have seen a decline in the sales of Breakaway over the past few years and, unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it." Continue reading...

Fear of crime in UK capital is one of biggest concerns of rich Indians, says entrepreneurIndian business people are avoiding being out and about in Mayfair over fears they could be mugged for their expensive watches after a 27% rise in theft from a person" in London, an entrepreneur has said.Devin Narang, an entrepreneur, told a meeting attended by David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, that fear of crime in London was one of the biggest concerns of India's rich elite.

Refugees crammed into the border city face a terrifying choice: stay for the expected attack, or flee back north through a war zone

Volunteers hope lure of breeding will entice mammal, named Meeko, to return homeThey're seen by some as cuddly and intelligent, by others as always-hungry pests. Either way, raccoons are not meant to be loose in Sunderland.A search for a rogue raccoon in the city has entered its seventh week with volunteers hopeful that the lure of breeding will entice the animal to return home. Continue reading...

European Commission says Viktor Orban's government is violating EU law and the principle of democracyThe European Commission has announced it is taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over a new law it said violates the principle of democracy, upping tensions with Budapest as the continent enters a fraught election season.The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, has for years clashed with Brussels over democratic norms. Continue reading...

Central criminal court cleared after fire at electrical substation near court buildings, say fire servicesThe Old Bailey in central London has been evacuated after a fire broke out near the court.The London fire brigade said it was responding to an incident at an electrical substation at the rear of the central criminal court on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Kremlin said interview was granted because Carlson was neither pro-Russian or pro-Ukrainian, unlike, it said, other western mediaThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, granted an interview to US television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, claiming it was arranged because Carlson's approach differs from the one-sided reporting of many traditional western news media.The interview was likely to be aired on Thursday, according to Russia's Tass news agency, citing reports by the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading...

Minister met union officials and representatives from co-operative movement to discuss mutualisation

Panel said it was not satisfied releasing former singer, jailed for sexually abusing girls, was safe for publicPaul Gadd, known as the former pop star Gary Glitter, who is in prison for sexually abusing three girls, has lost a Parole Board bid to be freed.A parole hearing took place behind closed doors last month to consider the 79-year-old's case. Continue reading...

Lower mortgage rates lead to increased buyer and seller confidence, says Halifax

Ombudsman's scathing report finds agencies have little acknowledgement' of impact of detention on detainees' health

Rappers entered breakfast market with Snoop Cereal in 2023, and allege conspiracy between manufacturer Post Consumer Brands and supermarket chain Walmart to choke' startup brandRappers Snoop Dogg and Master P are suing US supermarket chain Walmart and food manufacturer Post Consumer Brands, claiming that the two companies conspired to sabotage the success of the pair's new breakfast cereal enterprise.Snoop Cereal launched last summer, with Master P hailing parent company Broadus Foods as the first Black-owned cereal company in the US: This has been going on for over 100 years, that we've been consumers and never owners, so we're changing that game." The rappers partnered with Post to produce the cereal itself. Continue reading...

Companies reach agreement over all-share offer and combined group will have turnover of more than 7bn

Greens say Israel's actions a slaughter' and Labor says other parties trying to divide our community'

Queensland government approves Winchester South mine despite report warning of potential climate change consequences'

Exclusive: As NHS targets are being missed nearly 300,000 people paid for chemotherapy in last five yearsHundreds of thousands of cancer patients in the UK are being forced to pay for private treatment amid record NHS waiting times, according to data obtained by the Guardian.The figures emerged as King Charles began treatment for the disease within days of being diagnosed. Buckingham Palace has not specified whether the king is receiving private healthcare or being treated on the National Health Service. Continue reading...

Separatist fighters who seized Phillip Mehrtens say he will be released to protect humanity and safeguard human rights, but did not say whenRebels in Indonesia's West Papua region have said they will release a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage a year ago as a bargaining chip for their independence movement.The chief of general staff of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB), Terianus Satto, said in a statement the pilot would be released in order to protect humanity and safeguard human rights. Continue reading...

Decision comes as grocery retailer reports 1,000 incidents a day in 2023, with shopworkers suffering physical assaultsThe Co-op is installing in its supermarkets more than 200 secure till kiosks, locked cabinets for bottles of spirits and AI technology to monitor self-checkouts after a 44% surge in retail crime last year to about 1,000 incidents a day.The grocery retailer, which has more than 2,400 stores across the UK, said its undercover security guards detained 3,361 individuals across its stores last year for a range of offences including burglary, abuse and harassment, amid a surge in physical assaults on its staff. Continue reading...

In the wake of a scathing Closing the Gap report, Indigenous groups say they are yet to see any real commitment' to action on housing emergency. This blog is now closed

People in remote homes who rely on liquid petroleum gas report being left without fuel in freezing conditionsScores of rural households have spent days without heating or hot water in subzero temperatures because of delays to their deliveries of liquid petroleum gas (LPG).About 200,000 UK homes, mostly in remote areas, rely on LPG because they are not connected to the gas network. However, some are reporting being left without fuel over Christmas, despite their accounts with their supplier being hundreds of pounds in credit. Continue reading...

The ACTU inquiry into price gouging chaired by Allan Fels strongly criticised the lack of competition in Australia's domestic aviation industry

Charges come after 14-month investigation into toddler who was declared dead upon presentation at Mackay Base hospital

Parliament's spending watchdog says cancellation of high-speed line's northern leg raises urgent questions'The cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 has raised urgent unanswered questions" and the government does not yet understand how the 67bn high-speed railway will now function, according to a scathing report from parliament's spending watchdog.The remaining London-Birmingham line will be very poor value for money", the public accounts committee of MPs said, with costs now forecast to significantly outweigh the benefits. Continue reading...

Exclusive: $9bn port, airport and military base on Great Nicobar Island will cause genocide' of isolated Shompen, academics warnAcademics from around the world have urged India to cancel a huge construction project on Great Nicobar Island, warning it would be a death sentence" for the Shompen hunter-gatherer people who live there.The $9bn (7bn) port project, planned to transform the Indian Ocean island of 8,000 inhabitants into what has been called the Hong Kong of India", includes the construction of an international shipping terminal, airport, power plant, military base and industrial park. It will also develop tourism. Continue reading...

Investigations continue into firefighting surveillance plane crash near Cloncurry, with possibility of hypoxia being examined

Ex-SAS corporal has appealed a defamation trial decision in favour of Nine and the Canberra Times over 2018 reports on alleged war crimes

Maree Mavis Crabtree, 57, granted bail after more than six years behind bars as judge points to significant shortcomings in prosecution's cases

Adam Bandt says changes to industrial relations bill mean when you clock off, you'll be able to switch off'

Studies on the attitudes of young people between the age of 16 and 29 show a serious split towards both feminism and influencers such as Andrew Tate. What's behind it?The first generation to have fully grown up online can seem confusing to older people. They dress like it is still the 00s, want to quiet quit and are super woke" - or at least that's how the cliches go. But according to new studies, that's not quite the case.Instead, generation Z is unique in being so divided, especially on the issue of gender. Studies suggest girls and young women are more likely to be hyper-progressive" while young men and boys are more likely to feel negative towards feminism compared with baby boomers. Continue reading...

Officials knew as early as December 2020 there would be pent-up demand surge' but additional staff were not engaged and trained in time, review says

The biggest price increases occur where businesses have the greatest market power, says inquiry commissioned by the ACTU

Jenny Leong says she didn't intend to reference cartoon depicting Jews as an octopus during a pro-Palestine forum in December

Kristian White, 33, will plead not guilty to manslaughter while all other charges have been withdrawn

Backbenchers tell constituents that it would not affect funding for the current year - but did not mention freeze on $6m in emergency top-up funding

British Dental Association says government's plan does not offer hope to millions struggling to access careRishi Sunak has been accused of making a U-turn on his pledge to restore NHS dentistry as experts say his new recovery plan" does not offer enough money to incentivise dentists to take on extra NHS patients.The prime minister's long-awaited proposals have been criticised for failing to ringfence funding for the dental sector and reform the NHS dentistry contract, which means millions across the country will continue to struggle to access care. Continue reading...

Premier condemns alleged racist responses as authorities and advocates say communities should not be blamed over the alleged actions of individuals

Service combining traditional sports networks and ESPN+ expected to launch this autumnFox Corp, Walt Disney's ESPN and Warner Bros Discovery will build a sports streaming platform, the companies have said.In a statement on Tuesday, the companies said the product would bring traditional sports networks and direct-to-consumer ESPN+ together. Pricing would be announced at a later date. Continue reading...

If exporters fail to obtain permission to ship the animals to Israel, the livestock on board the MV Bahijah will have to be slaughtered

Victorian fans have already lost more than $260,000 to ticket scammers in relation to the 2024 Eras tour of Australia before the Melbourne concert

Minister says Pinera's body recovered from scene of crash in lake near southern town of Lago RancoChile's two-time former president Sebastian Pinera has died in a helicopter crash at the age of 74.According to preliminary reports, Pinera was piloting a helicopter with three passengers onboard over Lago Ranco, a lake in southern Chile where he had a home, but no further information regarding the incident was immediately given. Continue reading...

Body-worn video shows officers repeatedly asking Where's your baby?' as Mark Gordon asks for foodThe jury in the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been shown footage of the pair's arrest with police asking repeatedly: Where is your child?"The defendants, of no fixed address, deny the manslaughter of their baby daughter, Victoria, by gross negligence between 4 January and 27 February last year. Continue reading...

The actor, who was fired from the Star Wars show after abhorrent' social media posts, is filing a lawsuit funded by the X ownerGina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm over her firing from TV show The Mandalorian, with help from Elon Musk.The MMA fighter turned actor, who played Cara Dune in the Star Wars series, was accused of denigrating people based on their cultural & religious identities" on social media in posts that were called abhorrent and unacceptable". Continue reading...

Boeing says we simply must do better' after US transportation safety board releases report on Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 incidentA cabin panel that blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max 9 jet mid-flight appeared to be missing four key bolts, according to an initial report by the US safety regulator.The bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were absent, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. It released photographic evidence alongside the preliminary findings of its investigation on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Verdict marks the first time a school shooter's parent has been convicted of homicide in connection with the underlying violenceJennifer Crumbley, the Michigan mother accused of involuntary manslaughter when she failed to inform her 15-year-old son's high school that the family possessed guns shortly before he went to campus and fatally shot four students and injured six, including a teacher, was found guilty of all charges Tuesday afternoon.The verdict marked the first time a school shooter's parent has been convicted of homicide in connection with the underlying violence. It came after jurors on Monday began deliberations in a case that could shape the future criminal liability of parents of underage mass shooters. Continue reading...

Australian attacks qualifications of his own expert witness during testimony at high court in LondonCraig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who says he invented bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, has denied forging documents to support his claim.In his first day of giving evidence at the high court in London on Tuesday, Wright flatly denied any forgery or falsification and attacked the qualifications of his own expert witness who found otherwise. The hearing was part of a lawsuit brought by Copa, a coalition of cryptocurrency-linked tech firms that seek to invalidate his claims. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sources say PM has blocked talks due to concerns about knock-on effect of more generous pay offerRishi Sunak has been accused of personally holding up a deal to end doctors' strikes in England despite warnings from the health department and NHS England that waiting lists will continue to soar unless the industrial dispute is resolved.Sources told the Guardian it had been made abundantly and repeatedly" clear to the prime minister that there would be no progress on his pledge to drive down NHS waiting lists until a deal was struck. Continue reading...

Union has been implementing recommendations of 2020 independent report that found it institutionally sexistA row has broken out at the GMB, one of the UK's biggest unions, after members of its largest region supported a move towards industrial action over serious allegations of bullying and harassment".Staff in the north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside (NEYH) region overwhelmingly supported a consultative ballot on strike action - used as a shot across the bow when members want to raise a serious issue. Continue reading...

Rupert Soames says Guardian revelations over sexual misconduct claims were appalling shock' but is bullish about the future

Michael Gove approves exceptional rise for UK's biggest local authority, affecting 1m people, and three other bankrupt councilsCouncil tax in Birmingham is likely to increase by up to 10% after the government allowed the local authority to bypass the national cap without the need for a local referendum.The increase will affect more than 1 million people in the UK's largest local authority, which declared itself effectively bankrupt last year due to a 300m budget gap. Continue reading...

Procedures and protocol will ensure the business of ruling goes on as king has treatment for diseaseWith King Charles's cancer diagnosis and uncertainty over when he will return to full public duty, the palace machinery, which is primed to deal with foreseeable eventualities, will swing into action.Precedent and protocol, enshrined in statutes and dictated in regal letters patent over successive reigns, have been designed to ensure as little disruption as possible to the performance of the core constitutional duties of the sovereign. Continue reading...