World news | The Guardian

Rate of people moving to Australia's regions increases by more than 10% in March quarter

Senator makes complaint about colleague's behaviour at function, which she alleges was sexual and racial in nature

In her first interview since joining the frontbench, Jess Walsh pledges to withdraw subsidies from businesses that put profit before safety

Banks say every day 7,000 incidents take place where scammers get people to disclose unique set of numbersBanks are reporting a surge in a type of fraud where customers are tricked into disclosing online login passcodes they are sent, which has helped to fuel a 22% jump in crimes where scammers go shopping using people's stolen details.The banking body UK Finance revealed that remote purchase" fraud hit its highest-ever level in 2024, with almost 2.6m cases logged, which works out at more than 7,000 incidents a day, or almost five a minute. Continue reading...

Capricorn Clark takes stand at sex-trafficking trial of music mogul who has pleaded not guilty to all chargesThe federal sex-trafficking trial of Sean Diddy" Combs resumed on Tuesday, with his former employee testifying that the music mogul repeatedly threatened her and once forced her to accompany him to the home of rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, who Combs allegedly said he was going to kill".Combs, 55, is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs was arrested in September 2024 and has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Continue reading...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, chosen by Israel, unprepared for thousands of hungry Palestinians, leading staff to abandon postsIsraeli troops have opened fire near thousands of hungry Palestinians as a logistics group chosen by Israel to ship food into Gaza lost control of its distribution centre on its second day of operations.An 11-week total siege and a continuing tight Israel blockade mean most people in Gaza are desperately hungry. Hundreds of thousands walked through Israeli military lines to reach the new distribution centre in Rafah on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Sheriff advises people to stay vigilant, lock your house' after Grant Hardin, convicted of murder and rape, escapedAs law officers search Arkansas' rugged Ozark mountains for a former police chief and convicted killer who escaped prison this weekend, the sister of one of his victims is on edge.Grant Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape and became known as the Devil in the Ozarks". Continue reading...

IMF suggests chancellor could refine fiscal rules, but some fear policing and social housing face spending cutsThe Treasury is in a standoff with some ministers over proposed cuts to public services including policing and social housing, as the International Monetary Fund suggested the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, could give herself more flexibility to hit her fiscal rules.Senior police figures have raised concerns about the upcoming spending review with ministers, the Guardian understands. Chief officers from some of England and Wales' biggest forces argue they cannot take further budget cuts. Continue reading...

While delay has sparked anxiety among MPs, former PM says ministers need time to secure funding for flagship strategy

Merseyside police say man also arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs; incident resulted in 65 casualties

Prime minister over 2006-09 and former Likud member says Palestinian victims are at monstrous proportions'The former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, has said that Israel is committing war crimes" in Gaza, saying thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers".Olmert, who served as the 12th prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, wrote in an opinion piece for the Israeli newspaper and website Haaretz that the government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning and with no chances of success". Continue reading...

Registrations for new vehicles in April drop to half 2024 figure despite a broader rise in battery electric carsSales of new Tesla electric cars are sliding across Europe, data suggests, amid a political backlash against its billionaire chief executive, Elon Musk.The figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) showed registrations for new Teslas halved in April compared to the same month a year earlier, despite a broader rise in battery electric vehicles overall. Continue reading...

Decision was initially announced in February by Milei following Trump's footstepsArgentina has ratified its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) during a visit to Buenos Aires by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.The decision to pull out of the WHO was initially announced in February by Argentina's president, Javier Milei, following in the footsteps of his US counterpart Donald Trump who had said in January the United States would withdraw. Continue reading...

Industry figures say conditions are worse now than before the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020Black British TV makers are fighting over scraps" because of the lack of opportunities, industry figures have said, arguing that conditions are worse now than before the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020.The Guardian spoke to Black British executives, producers, directors and writers who said their industry had not fundamentally changed after the racial reckoning that was triggered after George Floyd's murder five years ago. Continue reading...

Former senior Treasury official Paul Tilley says it is well understood' equity issues with superannuation need to be addressed

Arnold Bloch Leibler will argue Income Tax Assessment Act anachronistic' and has not kept pace with structure of modern families

Rising costs, the Covid pandemic and an ageing population all played a part in the hospital giant's collapse, which has prompted debate about the sector's future

Attacks in state of Benue latest wave of violence amid conflict between Fulani herders and Indigenous farmersForty-two people have been killed in four communities in central Nigeria in attacks blamed on itinerant herders, in the latest wave of violence that continues to upend life in the rural region.Reuters reports quote a local official, Victor Omnin, chair of the Gwer West local government area in Benue state, as saying 10 people were killed in a Saturday attack on the villages of Tyolaha and Tse-Ubiam. Thirty-two others were killed the following day in a separate attack in the nearby Ahume and Aondona villages. Continue reading...

Research institute says costs of plan to exclude those earning less than 20k from the tax will dwarf those of party's winter fuel and two-child benefit changesThe co-leader of the Green party of England and Wales, Adrian Ramsay, has renewed his call for Russia to face greater sanctions. Posting to social media, the MP for Waveney Valley said Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian civilians because he thinks he'll face no consequences. Much tougher sanctions are urgently needed to bring him into serious peace talks to end this horrific war."As well as appearing on the media round today, shadow chancellor Mel Stride has written for the Daily Mail, saying that the Conservatives continue to back the two-child benefit cap. Continue reading...

Blaze scorches 3 sq km, hitting a civil war-era site as crews battle flames near fire-hit RuidosoA wildfire swept through portions of a civil war-era fort and historical site in southern New Mexico on Monday, forcing the evacuations of campgrounds and a horse ranch.The fire damaged structures at Fort Stanton historical site built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and a gym erected by Germans interned at the site during World War II after their ship sank. Continue reading...

A pro-choice movement, symbolized by a green handkerchief, has swept through Latin America, where abortion is punishable by lawBelen ended up in jail after suffering a spontaneous miscarriage. Unaware that she was pregnant, the 25-year-old went to seek medical care at a hospital in Argentina's northern province of Tucuman when she suffered abdominal pain.

President paid tribute to fallen soldiers at Arlington cemetery, and also veered off into rally-style remarksDonald Trump honored the sacrifices of US military veterans in the traditional presidential Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery, but also peppered his address on Monday with partisan political asides while talking up his own plans and achievements.The US president laid a wreath and paid tribute to fallen soldiers and gave accounts of battlefield courage as tradition dictates, from prepared remarks, after saluting alongside his vice-president, JD Vance and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who both served in Iraq. Continue reading...

Fast-food chain's plan on back of booming fried chicken market includes opening 500 new restaurantsKFC is to invest almost 1.5bn and create thousands of jobs in the UK and Ireland over the next five years, as the fast-food chain seeks to capitalise on the booming popularity of fried chicken.The chain, which is celebrating its 60th year of operations in the UK, said it plans to invest 1.49bn to grow and upgrade its existing 1,000-outlet estate. Continue reading...

Independent MP for Kiama has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 24-year-old in 2015 and an 18-year-old in 2013

Premier says he is disappointed' after Rosehill decision and it feels like a golden opportunity has slipped through our fingers'

Health official calls iGAS an absolutely devastating illness' that can result in catastrophic' outcomes

This blog is now closed

A man has been arrested after a car ploughed into the crowd at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade

Man restrained by police after placing items in clothing and stopped breathing while still in supermarket

Exclusive: Victorian premier confronted at Labor caucus meeting after budget forecasts $5.9bn in taxes from poker machines over next four yearsThe Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has faced a backlash from really upset" Labor MPs after her government delayed key reforms designed to reduce gambling harm from poker machines, with one MP confronting her at a caucus meeting.Last year, the government introduced a bill to parliament to set up cashless gaming, with a trial to begin at 40 venues in mid-2025, but it has stalled for months. Continue reading...

Australian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder after a mushroom lunch at her house in regional Victoria in 2023. Follow live updates

Gersham Williams, 74, was deported to Jamaica in 2016 but should have been exempt from order, Home Office decidesA Windrush generation man who was wrongly excluded from the UK by the Home Office has had his deportation order revoked in the second case of its kind to come to light in the space of a week.Gersham Williams, 74, who first arrived in the UK in 1961 at the age of 10, was deported in August 2016 after being convicted of and serving a sentence in relation to a firearms conspiracy conviction. Continue reading...

Lawsuit by 11,000 claimants calling for 6,000 a truck compensation follows 2016 EU ruling manufacturers were guilty of long-term price-fixingThe UK's largest truck maker has been accused of stringing out" legal proceedings to deny justice" to about 11,000 truck hauliers seeking compensation for the manufacturers' historical price fixing.The comments from the head of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) came almost nine years after the world's largest truck companies, including UK leader DAF, Volvo, MAN and Iveco, were fined about 3bn by the European Union for colluding for 14 years on pricing and passing on the costs of compliance with stricter emission rules. Continue reading...

Police confirmed the 19-year-old died in hospital on Monday night after he suffered a critical head injuryA New Zealand teenager has died after playing a tackling game, believed to have been inspired by a controversial new high impact collision sport trending on social media.Police confirmed the 19-year-old died in hospital on Monday night after he suffered a critical head injury while playing a tackle game with friends in the North Island city Palmerston North on Sunday. Continue reading...

The change is designed to halt the use of kirakira (shiny or glittery) names that have proliferated among parents hoping to add a creative flourishParents in Japan will no longer have free rein over the names they give their children, after the introduction this week of new rules on the pronunciation of kanji characters.The change is designed to halt the use of kirakira (shiny or glittery) names that have proliferated among parents hoping to add a creative flourish to their children's names - creating administrative headaches for local authorities and, in some cases, inviting derision from classmates. Continue reading...

Mitchells & Butlers pubco boss says home delivery boom and social media have changed attitudes to going out lateA social media and a home delivery boom has shifted younger people's attitude to going out and risks shrinking the late night entertainment market, the boss of one of the UK's biggest pub companies has warned.Phil Urban, the chief executive of the pub operator Mitchells & Butlers, said that the toughest part of the market right now is late night" as younger people abandon the traditions of previous generations, who would be more inclined to go out late night and stay out". Continue reading...

Relatives of those killed in March attacks on Alawite towns worry perpetrators are still at large as investigation draws outHaider* hid in the attic as gunmen rifled through his cousins' belongings. Is anyone upstairs? Don't come down or I will kill you!" yelled a masked man wearing military fatigues. Haider waited in silence for an hour before fleeing his cousins' house in the village of al-Sanobar on Syria's coast.He emerged to find his home ablaze and 11 members of his family shot dead, including his 22-year-old brother and 16-year-old cousin. His family were some of the more than 200 al-Sanobar residents killed in sectarian massacres in north-west Syria on 7 March which mostly targeted members of the minority Alawite religion, a sect of Islam. Continue reading...

Former senator Rex Patrick praises ATO whistleblower who exposed heavy-handed debt collection tactics

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said truckloads of food had been delivered amid uncertainty about how effective the group would beA US-backed foundation tasked with supplying aid to Gaza said it had begun operations on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to designated distribution sites a day after its executive director resigned because the operation could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to humanitarian principles".The aid plan, which has been endorsed by Israel but rejected by the UN, unfolded amid uncertainty about whether any assistance had actually reached civilians. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. See our full report here: Dozens injured as car ploughs into crowd at Liverpool FC victory paradeSteve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, has thanked first responders for their swift action" on a difficult day".He said: Our hearts go out to all of those affected, especially those who have been injured. Thank you, as ever, to the first responders for their professionalism and swift action. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Letter to PM signed by retired supreme court justices among others says lack of action will imperil international legal systemThe UK must impose sanctions on the Israeli government and its ministers and also consider suspending it from the UN to meet its fundamental international legal obligations", more than 800 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges, including former supreme court justices, have said.In a letter to the prime minister, they welcome Keir Starmer's joint statement last week with the leaders of France and Canada warning that they were prepared to take concrete actions" against Israel. But they urge him to act without delay as urgent and decisive action is required to avert the destruction of the Palestinian people of Gaza". Continue reading...

Yaqeen Hammad offered tips for surviving in war zone and is one of dozens of minors who have died in recent attacksEleven-year-old Yaqeen Hammad, Gaza's youngest influencer, is among the dozens of children killed by Israel in recent strikes, as its forces intensify their military offensive across the Palestinian territory.Known for her bright smile and volunteering efforts, Yaqeen was killed on Friday night after Israeli forces shelled the al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah in northern Gaza, amid intense fighting in the region. Continue reading...

Approximately 30 people treated for injury or shock after collision following Premier League title celebrations

State-backed flag day march shut down Palestinian life in Old City to celebrate Israel's 1967 annexation of East JerusalemThousands of Israelis have joined a state-funded march through the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem, where large groups chanted racist slogans including Gaza is ours", death to the Arabs" and may their villages burn".The annual march, paid for and promoted by the Jerusalem city government, celebrates Israel's capture and occupation of East Jerusalem and its holy sites in the war of 1967. The Israeli takeover is not recognised internationally. Continue reading...

Removal of restrictions, which is backed by UK, France and US, improves Ukraine's ability to defend itself against RussiaThe German chancellor has said that Germany, along with Ukraine's other main western supporters, will remove range restrictions on weapons delivered to Kyiv for the first time, to enable it to defend itself against Russia.Friedrich Merz said Germany, Britain, France and the US had lifted the restrictions to enable Ukraine to be better able to hit military targets on Russian territory. Continue reading...

Exclusive: EHRC insiders believe process could drag on until after its chair is replaced in November

The Kremlin says giving Ukraine long range missiles is a dangerous move' as German chancellor says Kyiv can now hit Russian targetsKremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has held his regular media briefing with journalists. When asked for reaction to Donald Trump's criticism of Vladimir Putin (see post at 08.41) by the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, Peskov thanked the US for its role in trying to bring an end to the war through its mediation efforts, which have so far faltered, but suggested Russian strikes against Ukraine are being launched for security and self-defence. He said in the conference call with reporters:It's a very important achievement. Of course, at the same time this is a very important moment which is connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved and emotional reactions.We carefully monitor all the reactions. However, President Putin takes those decisions which are necessary for the security of our country.Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale. There is no real military logic to this, but there is significant political meaning.In doing this, Putin shows just how much he despises the world - the world that spends more effort on dialogue" with him than on real pressure. Like any criminal, Russia can only be constrained by force. Continue reading...

Scotland's first minister criticises byelection campaign video that claims his rival will prioritise Pakistani community'The SNP leader John Swinney has demanded that the owner of Facebook act on Reform UK's racist" byelection advert that attacks the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar.The Facebook video, which incorrectly claims Sarwar has promised to prioritise Pakistani communities, is now subject to formal complaints from Scotland's two main political parties. Scottish Labour contacted Meta, Facebook's parent company, about the video two weeks ago and has yet to receive a reply. Continue reading...

French president denies quarrelling with Brigitte Macron after footage is seized on by Russia and far-right accountsEmmanuel Macron has denied he and his wife, Brigitte, had an altercation after a viral video promoted by Russian state media and French far-right accounts appeared to show her pushing him in the face as they prepared to get off a plane in Vietnam.The video, shot by an Associated Press camera operator, shows the French president appearing in the doorway of the plane at the start of a visit to Hanoi. His wife's hand appears to shove him, causing him to step back before recovering and waving. Continue reading...