World news | The Guardian

Report from inquiry's second module also says Johnson as PM at times actively encouraged' chaotic culture

Findings of inquiry into handling of pandemic by Boris Johnson's government paint picture of delay and inactionIn an interview with ITV, Keir Starmer also defended the decision to delay the publication of the government's review of educational provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilties (Send) in England until next year. He said the government needed to take time to get this right. He said:We do need to attend to Send provision. I think uniformly there's a sense that the system at the moment isn't working and needs reform.My strong view is we need to get that reform right and therefore we need to take the time to consult with parents and others.These breakfast clubs are a real gamechanger.They're free and you saw this morning how much the children enjoy them. They're getting a decent meal, and they're getting activity, and that sets them up for the day. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president's office issues statement after other officials condemn absurd' plan to end conflictThe Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said he will negotiate with Donald Trump on a US-backed peace plan that called on Kyiv to make painful concessions in order to end the Kremlin's invasion of his country.Zelenskyy's office on Thursday confirmed that he had received the draft peace plan, which was prepared by US and Russian officials, and that he would speak with Trump in the coming days about existing diplomatic opportunities and the main points that are necessary for peace". Continue reading...

Official report condemns handling of pandemic by leaders of the UK's devolved nationsNicola Sturgeon excluded senior advisers from decision-making during the pandemic by holding gold command meetings" with a small circle, reducing transparency and accountability, the Covid inquiry has found.In a damning report on how UK politicians handled Covid, former prime minister Boris Johnson was criticised for presiding over a toxic and chaotic" culture and making late decisions that cost lives. Continue reading...

The changes could see funding boosts for Reform-led councils in the north with high levels of deprivationDeprived towns and cities in the midlands and the north of England are the big winners in a major shake-up of local authority funding that will redirect cash from affluent rural areas to urban councils hit hardest by austerity.Ministers said the changes put in place a fairer system that recognised the extra needs and weaker council tax raising powers of councils in so-called left behind' areas. It guarantees them real-terms funding increases for the next three years. Continue reading...

Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of toxic and chaotic' culture inside Boris Johnson's No 10

Statement from Ukrainian president's office says country supports all meaningful proposals capable of bringing true peace closer'In the last hour, Ukraine said it had received from Russia the remains of 1,000 people that Moscow said were killed Ukrainian soldiers, in the latest repatriation - a rare area of cooperation between the warring sides, AFP reported.Today, repatriation measures took place. 1000 bodies, claimed by the Russian side to belong to Ukrainian servicemen, were returned to Ukraine," Kyiv's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on social media. Continue reading...

Second pandemic report focuses on decision-making, organisation and messaging by senior politicians including Boris Johnson

Senior Security Service officers told Commons speaker in private meeting they can tackle espionage risksMI5 officers told the House of Commons speaker at a private meeting that they can tackle the risks of a proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, opening the door to its approval.The Guardian understands that in a meeting held with Lindsay Hoyle in the summer, senior figures from the Security Service indicated they were very relaxed" about the prospect of a 20,000 sq metre embassy being constructed at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. Continue reading...

Judges spare Ivan Balhatchet a prison sentence, after an earlier ruling that the force had ignored repeated orders to turn over video footage of an arrestThe chief constable of Northamptonshire police has been fined 50,000 for contempt of court, with his force condemned by three senior judges.The court of appeal ruled last week that Northamptonshire police were in contempt and had been wilfully disobedient" for repeatedly failing to obey rulings to hand over video to a woman who complained she had been wrongly arrested by three officers. Continue reading...

Ismail Ali, who went missing in Bradford in 2020, is safe and well' after police said this week they thought he was deadA shop worker who went missing five years ago has walked into a police station days after officers said they believed he was dead and arrested five people on suspicion of his murder.West Yorkshire police said Ismail Ali turned up on Wednesday reporting to be safe and well". Continue reading...

Stephen Lawrence's mother tells spycops inquiry Met police's priorities after her son's murder were completely misplaced'The mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has told a public inquiry that she found it deeply painful" to discover that police had deployed undercover officers to spy on her family and their campaign to get his killers prosecuted.Doreen Lawrence said the police's priorities were completely misplaced" and they should have been concentrating on bringing the racist murderers of her son to justice. Continue reading...

Refugee Council says plans would create expensive bureaucracy' and keep people in limbo

Judge says Nnamdi Kanu used his Indigenous People of Biafra group to incite attacks on security officials and civiliansA Nigerian court has convicted the Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu on terrorism-related charges.Judge James Omotosho said prosecutors had shown that Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, had used his Indigenous People of Biafra group (Ipob) to incite attacks on security officials and civilians in south-east Nigeria. Continue reading...

The 2024 period piece' stars the Grammy-winning musician with Kylie Jenner, Rachel Sennott and Alexander SkarsgardCharli xcx's 2026 big screen onslaught is set to kick off with The Moment, a mockumentary starring the musician as a self-described hell version" of herself.The film, based on an idea by the Grammy winner, is fiction but xcx has called it the realest depiction of the music industry that I've ever seen". Continue reading...

Labour accused of delaying new rules to avoid backlash, after leak of EHRC guidance saying trans people could be questioned based on looksThe UK government has insisted it will take as much time as necessary to get right" new rules on access to single-sex spaces after a leak of guidance submitted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) raised concerns that its publication was being deliberately delayed.The equalities watchdog submitted its formal guidance on how public bodies, businesses and other service providers should respond to April's landmark supreme court ruling on biological sex to the UK government in September. Since then, its outgoing chair, Kishwer Falkner, has urged the equalities minister, Bridget Phillipson, to approve it as soon as possible". Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez says his country must defend the democratic freedom wrenched from us for so many years'Spain has marked the 50th anniversary of Francisco Franco's death with an absence of official events but with a call from the prime minister to heed the lessons of the dictatorship and defend the democratic freedom wrenched from us for so many years".Franco, whose military coup against the elected republican government in 1936 triggered a civil war and brought about four decades of dictatorship, died in Madrid on 20 November 1975. Continue reading...

Musician says seeing national flags on recent visits to Luton and Dublin doesn't make me feel safe'The UK and Ireland are entering dark times", according to the singer Joy Crookes, who said the influence of far-right ideology on mainstream politics was comparable to the 1970s when the National Front was at its peak.Crookes, who has just played two sold-out shows at the O2 Academy in Brixton, said the recent wave of nationalism and the far-right march through central London in September made her feel unsafe in the UK. Continue reading...

Medical officials say 17 people killed in Khan Younis area and 16 in strikes on Gaza CityIsraeli attacks in Gaza have killed 33 people and injured many more, according to medical officials, in one of the most serious escalations of violence since the US-backed ceasefire came into effect last month.Officials at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said they received the bodies of 17 people, including five women and five children, after four Israeli airstrikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people. In Gaza City, medical officials said two airstrikes killed 16 people, including seven children and three women. Continue reading...

Right to trial by jury seen as bedrock of justice system but Sir Brian Leveson says court backlogs could lead to total system collapse'The courts minister, Sarah Sackman, has said the government plans to press ahead with radical proposals by Sir Brian Leveson to take thousands of trials in England and Wales away from the jury system to be heard instead by judges and magistrates. What is the reason for these changes, how would they work and why are they controversial? Continue reading...

Exclusive: Courts minister says change needed to stop criminals opting for juries to delay cases, sometimes by years, and clear huge backlog

Organisers look at other UK venues amid concerns over costs and industry's lack of working-class voicesFor almost 50 years, the great and the good of British broadcasting have descended on Edinburgh each summer to discuss the trials and tribulations of the TV world. David Attenborough, Tina Fey, Emily Maitlis and Rupert Murdoch are among those to have previously given speeches at the city's TV festival.Yet amid concerns about the industry's lack of working-class voices and the high cost of a hotel room in the city, the event's organisers are thinking the unthinkable: the Edinburgh TV festival could be leaving Edinburgh. Continue reading...

Penny Wong says translation notes were taken hastily' by official who was not accredited translator and were for internal purposes only'

Snow hits UK coasts with Met Office warning worst-affected regions could face travel disruption and power cutsBlizzard conditions are possible in parts of north-east England where an amber warning for snow has come into force, the Met Office has said.Sleet and snow showers continued to hit UK coasts overnight into Thursday, with the worst-affected areas facing disruption to travel and potential power cuts, the forecaster said. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says brand damage' from the federal Liberals had colleagues looking for generational change and endorses Sloane as replacement

This blog is now closed

Crossbenchers and gambling harm advocates criticise suggestion the long-delayed recommendation may not happen due to under-16s social media ban

In today's newsletter: With the Reform leader now a serious contender for PM, we look at the impact the allegations about his behaviour as a schoolboy could have on Britain Don't get First Edition delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. For more than 30 years, Nigel Farage has been one of the most disruptive figures in British politics, known for building a brand on outrage and polarisation. He presents himself as the everyman, cigarette hanging out of his mouth or a pint in hand.Now that several polls suggest he is a serious contender to be the next prime minister, it feels high time to ask: what's the background of this supposed man of the people? The latest Guardian exclusive digs deep into just that question, where allegations from more than a dozen school contemporaries of Farage recount incidents of deeply offensive behaviour throughout his teenage years. This is not the whole picture. Others who knew Farage then remember he was bumptious, rude, provocative and enjoyed being the centre of attention, and do not recall the alleged behaviour.US news | Donald Trump has signed a bill directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president's conservative base.UK news | Up to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK over the government's immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis, research suggests.Middle East | Israel used widely banned cluster munitions in its recent 13-month war in Lebanon, photos of munition remnants in south Lebanon seen by the Guardian suggest.Ukraine | US and Russian officials have quietly drafted a new plan to end the war in Ukraine that would require Kyiv to surrender territory and severely limit the size of its military, according to reports.Health | The world's largest study into key substances in the bloodstream has paved the way for a swathe of pinprick tests that can detect early signs of disease more than a decade before symptoms appear, researchers say. Continue reading...

Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodusUp to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK over the government's immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis, research suggests.Keir Starmer has vowed to curb net migration, with plans to force migrants to wait as long as 10 years to apply to settle in the UK instead of automatically gaining settled status after five years. Continue reading...

Study finds new party divide as backing for Labour and Conservatives plunges from 84% in 2020 to 58% in 2025A new party divide is emerging among British Jews, research has found, with support rising fast for the Greens - buoyed up by younger and anti-Zionist" Jews - while older Orthodox men turn to Reform UK as trust in the two main parties collapses".Support for Labour and the Conservatives among British Jews had fallen to 58% by July 2025 from nearly 84% in 2020, according to a report from the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR), which said it was the lowest level we've ever recorded by some distance". Continue reading...

Murray Hunter charged with offence which carries a potential penalty of two years in jail, or a 200,000 baht (AUD$9,500) fineAn Australian academic and journalist faces up to two years in prison after being charged - in Thailand - with defaming the Malaysian government.Murray Hunter, a longtime resident of southern Thailand, will stand trial in Bangkok next month, charged with criminal defamation over articles critical of the Malaysian government's internet regulator. Continue reading...

Guo, who pretended to be Filipina to become mayor, found guilty of human trafficking after raid on compound where more than 700 people were forced to run scamsAlice Guo, a Chinese national who became a mayor in the Philippines while masquerading as a Filipina, has been sentenced to life in prison along with seven others on human trafficking charges, state prosecutors have said.Guo, who served as mayor of a town north of Manila, was found guilty of overseeing a Chinese-operated online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture. Continue reading...

Police allege man had reportedly threatened to harm other residents and himself while armed with a metal object'

Family of 17-year-old travelling on bus that was stopped by police say officers searched boy even after admitting mistake

French government withdraws funding after claims of toxic management and dismissal of staff member who lodged rape complaintOne of the world's most prestigious comic book festivals is under threat of cancellation after leading graphic novelists and publishers announced they would boycott the event and the French government withdrew a tranche of its funding.In the biggest crisis in its illustrious history, the Angouleme festival of la bande dessinee (comic strip) may not take place in 2026 after claims of toxic management and the dismissal of a member of staff who had lodged a rape complaint. Continue reading...

MPs will tell dad jokes' in parliament to highlight real joke' of UK paternity leave, which is a class issueToe-curlingly bad jokes (I'm reading a book about anti-gravity, it's impossible to put down") are not the preserve of fathers, but as a demographic, dads are widely recognised for their unique comic talents.Which is why on Thursday, dozens of MPs, many of them dad-joke specialists, will tell groan-worthy gags in the House of Commons to highlight the real joke" of paternity leave in the UK.Winner: I gave my handyman a to-do list, but he only finished items one, three and five. Turns out he only does odd jobs.Runner-up one: I went shopping and someone threw a block of cheese at me. I said: That's not very mature."Runner-up two: When I was a young boy I wanted to be a Gregorian monk. But I never got the chants. Continue reading...

Prime minister has accused the Samoa Observer of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New ZealandSamoa's only daily newspaper has been banned from attending press conferences with the Samoan prime minister, in a move that critics say threatens the democratic integrity of the Pacific nation.Relations between La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt and the Samoa Observer have deteriorated in recent weeks, with the prime minister accusing the newspaper of inaccurate reporting during his eight-week medical stay in New Zealand. Continue reading...

True to his irreverent style, author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) thanks his psychiatrist, his gastrointestinal doctors and his drug dealersRabih Alameddine has won the National book award for fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), a darkly comic saga spanning six decades in the life of a Lebanese family.The novel, which traverses a sprawling history of Lebanon including its civil war and economic collapse, is told through the eyes of its titular protagonist: a gay 63-year-old philosophy teacher confronting his past and his relationship with his mother and his homeland. Continue reading...

Minns government bill says presumption known as doli incapax can be overturned if child knew conduct was seriously wrong'

RSPCA says pet abandonments in England and Wales rose by almost 25% in 2025 compared with 2024There is an epidemic" of dogs, cats and other pets being abandoned as owners struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis, the UK's largest animal welfare charity has said.The RSPCA said abandonments in England and Wales had risen by almost 25% in 2025 compared with last year, reaching their highest rate for at least five years. Continue reading...

Brown University researchers run joint-and-drink study to find alcohol consumption falls after smoking cannabisIt turns out that going California sober" may actually help you stay away from alcohol, according to new research published in the the American Journal of Psychiatry.A team of Brown University researchers conducted a study in which participants were given marijuana joints to smoke and then sent out to a controlled bar lab", in which they then were given the choice to have up to eight mini alcoholic beverages. The experiment was conducted three separate times: once with 7.2% THC cannabis, once with 3.1% THC cannabis and once with 0.03% THC cannabis, which was considered a placebo. Continue reading...

Critics warn move could have devastating impact on lives and wellbeing of those affectedNew Zealand has announced it is banning new prescriptions of puberty-blocking drugs for young transgender people, in a move that critics warned could worsen the mental health of those affected.The step comes amid growing global debate about the number of adolescents seeking to change gender, dividing those concerned about hastiness in prescribing such medications and those worried about access to remedies they deem lifesaving. Continue reading...

CCRC says new evidence undermines narrative Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Trey Wilson were in a gangThe convictions of three young black men for murder after a controversial 2017 prosecution under the joint enterprise" legal doctrine have been referred back to the court of appeal.The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said on Wednesday that new evidence submitted on behalf of Durrell Goodall, Reano Walters and Trey Wilson, who were 20, 19 and 19 respectively when they were convicted, undermines a core of the prosecution's case that they were members of a gang. Continue reading...

Sixteen submerged canoes discovered along Lake Mendota's shore at a kind of prehistoric parking lotArchaeologists have identified more than a dozen ancient canoes that Indigenous people apparently left behind in a sort of prehistoric parking lot along a Wisconsin lakeshore.The Wisconsin Historical Society announced Wednesday that archaeologists have mapped the location of 16 canoes submerged in the lake bed of Lake Mendota in Madison. Tamara Thomsen, the state's maritime archaeologist, said the site lies near a network of what were once Indigenous trails, suggesting ancient people left the canoes there for anyone to use as they traveled, much like a modern-day e-bike rack. Continue reading...

Parliament suspends Laura Anne Jones, Reform's only Senedd member, for two weeks in further blow after party lost Caerphilly byelectionReform UK's only member of the Welsh parliament has been suspended for two weeks over a racial slur she posted in an office WhatsApp group.Laura Anne Jones used an offensive Chinese slur in a discussion about the threat of the Chinese government utilising TikTok for espionage. Continue reading...

Samantha Niblett highlighted government's multi-billion-pound deals with Microsoft and getting locked in'Microsoft has ripped off the NHS", it was alleged in parliament on Wednesday, as MPs called on ministers to divert more of the government's multibillion-pound computing budget away from US technology companies and towards British alternatives.The Seattle-based firm's UK government contracts include a five-year deal with the NHS to provide productivity tools reportedly worth over 700m, while the wider government spent 1.9bn on Microsoft software licences in the 2024-25 financial year alone. Continue reading...

Officials are reportedly taking their time on US president's long-promised chips plan to avoid a rupture with ChinaUS officials are privately saying that they might not levy long-promised semiconductor tariffs soon, potentially delaying a centerpiece of Donald Trump's economic agenda.Officials relayed these messages over the last several days to stakeholders in the government and private industry, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter and a third person briefed on the conversations. A fourth person following the matter also said the administration was taking a more cautious approach to avoid provoking China. The discussions have not been previously reported. Continue reading...

David Maltinsky, a 16-year veteran, says in lawsuit agency retaliated against him for engaging in protected speechA longtime FBI employee has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired for displaying a Pride flag at his desk, naming FBI director Kash Patel, the justice department and attorney general Pam Bondi as defendants.According to David Maltinsky, an intelligence specialist who had served with the bureau for 16 years, his wrongful termination earlier this year was unconstitutional and politically motivated". Continue reading...

More than 300 people most at risk are move to shelters as tallest peak on Java island unleashes clouds of hot ashIndonesia's Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Java island, has erupted, blanketing several villages with falling ash, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.The volcano in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that travelled up to 7km (4 miles) down its slopes several times from midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 2km into the air, Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement. Continue reading...

Health secretary says he is not comfortable with some elements, but that it is the right thing to do for the countryWes Streeting has admitted he is not comfortable with forcibly deporting families under the home secretary's migration plans, while maintaining it is still the right thing to do.The health secretary said he thought the number of forced removals would be low under the proposed model, which is similar to Denmark's, because there would be an increased financial incentive for people entering the UK illegally to return to their country of origin. Continue reading...