World news | The Guardian

In-cab digital signalling was tested last week as part of a project to secure the future of main-line locomotivesAbout 500 steam trains run across the UK each year, from Penzance in the south to Inverness in the north, transporting tens of thousands of passengers to a bygone age, bringing joy to the faces of enthusiasts and bemusing commuters.But the future of main line steam operations could be under threat unless the traditional fire-breathing machines can be fitted with pioneering modern technology. Continue reading...

Schools are pushing out established groups as funding for more places comes on streamA government pledge to create more nurseries has backfired, according to early years providers. More than a dozen schools are evicting existing preschool providers that operate in classrooms amid concerns they are doing so to access state funding to set up their own provision.It means that the pledge to create thousands of nursery places may be fulfilled by cannibalising some of the existing preschools, according to the Early Years Alliance (EYA). Continue reading...

Graeme Winn, 65, and Elaine Winn, 58, were among four people who died in incident on ThursdayThe UK Foreign Office has said it is supporting the family of a couple who were killed in a cable car crash in Naples.Graeme Winn, 65, and Elaine Winn, 58, were among four people who died on Thursday at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples in southern Italy. Continue reading...

Fans are subscribers to YouTube channel focused on English football whose founder wants to strengthen links with clubFootball tourism is usually seen at Premier League stadiums such as Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates, so fans of Harborough Town, who compete in the seventh tier of the football pyramid, were stunned when 100 Spaniards arrived at Bowden Park to watch them take on St Ives Town.The Spanish fans, who turned up last Saturday, were subscribers to a Spanish YouTube channel, La Media Inglesa (LMI), focused on English football, which has now started arranging overseas trips for its followers. Continue reading...

Seven officers taken to hospital after Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, crashed BMW while being pursued by police on A1A man has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after seven police officers were injured when he crashed into them while being chased by police.Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, was taking a woman home from a date in the early hours of 9 April when he crashed his BMW while it was being pursued by police along the northbound carriageway of the A1, near junction 75 and the Denton Burn roundabout, near Newcastle. Continue reading...

Member states are considering removing the country's voting rights after its attempts to stymie support for KyivThe posters are going up all over Hungary. Let's not allow them to decide for us," runs the slogan alongside three classic villains of Hungarian government propaganda.They are: Ukraine's wartime leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen; and Manfred Weber, the German politician who leads the centre-right European People's party in the European parliament, which counts Hungary's most potent opposition politician among its ranks. Continue reading...

Billionaire tells crowd of 400 that uni-party' of Labor and Coalition are dumb and dumber' as hats with Make Australia Great Again' slogan given out

Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in BeijingTwenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-kilometre (13-mile) course.The robots from Chinese manufacturers such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120cm (3ft 9in), others as tall as 1.8m (5ft 9in). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile. Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more akin to a race car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams. Continue reading...

Chancellor supports economic ties with Beijing as she prepares to fly to US next week for trade deal talksRachel Reeves has dismissed the idea of economically disengaging from China, amid concerns the US may put pressure on the UK to limit its deals with Beijing.The chancellor, who will discuss a trade deal with the US on a trip to Washington next week, said it would be very foolish" for Britain to have less involvement with Xi Jinping's administration. Continue reading...

News outlets pull articles featuring psychologist and sex adviser' Barbara Santini amid doubts over her credentialsOver the past couple of years, the Oxford-educated psychologist Barbara Santini has been widely quoted as an expert. She has contributed thoughts on everything from the psychological impact of the Covid pandemic to the importance of vitamin D and how playing darts can improve your health.However, her pronouncements have begun to disappear from articles after concerns that Santini may not be all that she appears. Major news outlets have removed entire articles featuring Santini, or comments made by her, after a series of questions were raised over her qualifications - and even whether her entire identity could be an elaborate hoax. Continue reading...

Some in his party argue the prime minister's cautious approach is out of step with modern politicsSenior Labour figures are urging Keir Starmer to take a leaf out of Donald Trump's book and make more frequent media appearances in an attempt to dominate the political agenda as the US president does.MPs told the Guardian they want the prime minister to act more like Trump, who has upended political convention by televising large parts of his cabinet, holding long bilateral meetings on camera and calling in to live television shows. Continue reading...

Residents feel city is in decline and polls suggest Reform could take control of council from Labour next monthYou can't fix the system with the same hands that broke it," Richie Vallance shouted through a megaphone from his mobility scooter. Let's make Doncaster Doncaster again," he yelled at passersby in the city centre, who mostly politely ignored him.Vallance is standing as an independent candidate for mayor in the local elections on 1 May, when all 55 seats on the city's council will also be up for grabs. The small South Yorkshire city is a key battleground that will be a test of Labour's resilience in the face of rising public support for Reform UK. Continue reading...

Oscar Jenkins reportedly faces 15-year jail term on charges of fighting as mercenary'

An officer fired at the car but there were no injuries, police say

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will resume talks in Rome on SaturdayIran's top negotiator believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the US is possible as long as Washington is realistic, as the two sides prepare to resume talks in Rome on Saturday.Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, and the US Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will begin indirect negotiations through mediators from Oman, after their first round in Muscat, which both sides described as constructive. Continue reading...

Prime minister said his government had lobbied Canada to reconsider ruling that cafe could not import Vegemite

Lifesavers advised people to heed warnings and stay away from the coastline

Opposition leader also says his migration plan would prioritise tradies and not yoga teachers

Rumeysa Ozturk was taken by immigration officials over what her lawyers say was apparent retaliation for op-edA federal judge on Friday ordered that a Turkish Tufts University student detained by immigration authorities in Louisiana to be brought to Vermont by 1 May for a hearing over what her lawyers say was apparent retaliation for an op-ed piece she co-wrote in the student newspaper.US district judge William Sessions said he would hear Rumeysa Ozturk's request to be released from detention. Her lawyers had requested that she be released immediately, or at least brought back to Vermont. Continue reading...

Fire broke out during onboard cooking before wooden vessel capsized with 500 passengers aboardThe death toll from a boat fire and capsizing in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this week has risen to 148 with more than 100 people still missing, officials said on Friday.About 500 passengers were on board the wooden boat when it capsized on Tuesday after catching fire on the Congo River in the country's north-west. Continue reading...

Jennifer Vasquez Sura relieved husband is alive but Trump officials say in mocking X post he is never coming back'

Venues to remain open until 1am as PM urges UK to come together to mark 80th anniversary on 8 MayPubs will be allowed to stay open until 1am to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the UK prime minister has announced.The government will allow pubs in England and Wales to close at 1am on 9 May to allow drinkers to continue celebrating into the early hours. Continue reading...

Death toll reportedly hits 80 with 150 wounded in deadliest attack since Washington launched its campaignUS military strikes on Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port have killed at least 80 people including civilians and rescue workers, according to the Houthi-run health ministry, in the deadliest attack since Washington launched its campaign against the Iran-backed militants.The rebels' Al-Masirah TV, citing local officials, said the toll from the strike had risen to 80 dead and 150 wounded". Continue reading...

Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was detained for two days despite an attorney submitting certificate proving US birth

Site that once provided health information now includes criticism of Anthony Fauci, who led response to pandemic

Trump said he could stop war in 24 hours, but team appears daunted by negotiation with a lot of detail attached to it'One key to a successful negotiation is always being willing to walk away from the table. But it isn't clear whether the Trump administration has threatened to give up on a Russia-Ukraine peace deal as a negotiating tactic or simply because it lacks the concentration for a complicated negotiation - a shortcoming that has dogged the administration's foreign policy through its first three months in office.Standing on a tarmac in Paris, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, issued a threat that the US could simply move on" from mediating the biggest military conflict in Europe since the second world war. That would be the latest about-face for an administration that has already taken a back seat on negotiating a peace in Gaza and retreated on implementing worldwide tariffs that shook financial markets around the globe earlier this month. Continue reading...

Chancellor will push for deal that protects British car, steel and pharmaceutical industries amid tariff uncertaintyRachel Reeves will fly to Washington next week to meet her American counterpart for the first time, as the British government looks to intensify negotiations over a UK-US trade deal.The chancellor will be in the US from Tuesday to Friday for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund. At the heart of her visit, though, will be talks with the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, whom British officials regard as one of their most likely allies in negotiating a deal. Continue reading...

Margaret Elaine Winn, 58, and Graeme Derek Winn, 65, died with Israeli woman and Italian driver of cable carTwo British tourists were among four people who died when a cable car crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy.Prosecutors in Torre Annunziata have opened an investigation into possible manslaughter charges after the crash on Thursday at Monte Faito, a peak about 28 miles (45km) south-east of Naples. Continue reading...

Stop Trump coalition to dust off blimp, hoping demonstrations will surpass those during US president's 2019 visitDonald Trump's second visit to the UK later this year will be disrupted by even bigger" protests than those that coincided with his state visit in his first term, campaigners have vowed.On Thursday Trump let slip that he expects to visit the UK in September, after Keir Starmer handed him a personal invitation from King Charles III during his visit to the White House in February. Continue reading...

Labour says move is hypocrisy since Greens support ban on no-fault evictions such as one served on Labour candidate and her familyA Green party council candidate is attempting to evict his Labour opponent from a house he owns using a no-fault notice, despite his party supporting a ban on exactly such kinds of eviction.William Pedley, who is standing for the Greens in the Victoria ward of North Northamptonshire council, has served a section 21 notice on his tenant and political rival Kelly Duddridge, who has lived in the property for 10 years. Continue reading...

Makers of triangular-shaped almond-and-honey-laced chocolate bar, said it had made difficult decision' to withdraw productMars Delight, Cadbury Dream and Rowntree's Texan are just some of the once beloved chocolate bars that have been discontinued over the years, and now after almost six decades the dark chocolate Toblerone is joining them in the confectionery graveyard.The triangular-shaped almond-and-honey-laced chocolate bar is a staple of supermarkets and airport duty-free shopping, but will be discontinued in the UK. Continue reading...

Enthusiasts gathering on Good Friday - renamed Carfreitag - face curbs on unauthorised tuning, illegal races and pollutionPolice in Germany have announced a crackdown on illegal racing and the unauthorised modification of cars as members of the so-called tuning scene meet across the country for the start of their annual season.The Good Friday holiday marking Christ's death on the cross, called Karfreitag in German - from the Old High German word kara, meaning sorrow - is otherwise known by the extreme car enthusiasts as Carfreitag (car Friday) for its unofficial gathering of the tuners" and car posers". Continue reading...

1.5bn of funding has been granted to transform a hospital into a neighbourhood designed for people to thrive as they ageFuturistic planning for spaces where people can age well and live in an area designed for them to grow old in is accelerating in the UK with a radical project backed by 1.5bn of funding.The plan to transform a hospital into the first neighbourhood in the country designed for people to thrive as they age will be a national testbed for holistic health and social care approaches. It will include hi-tech homes that adapt to occupants' life stage and care needs, transport, a village green and a social calendar to combat isolation. Continue reading...

We're not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,' US secretary of state saysThe Kremlin said on Friday that some progress had already been made in talks about a possible peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine but that contacts were rather complicated with the United States.Contacts are quite complicated, because, naturally, the topic is not an easy one," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Russia is committed to resolving this conflict, ensuring its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We continue to do this." Continue reading...

Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her familyAs a young photojournalist living in Gaza, Fatima Hassouna knew that death was always at her doorstep. As she spent the past 18 months of war documenting airstrikes, the demolition of her home, the endless displacement and the killing of 11 family members, all she demanded was that she not be allowed to go quietly.If I die, I want a loud death," Hassouna wrote on social media. I don't want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group, I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place." Continue reading...

Beijing rejects Ukrainian president's accusation as groundless' and says it is committed to ending the conflict

Man, 27, killed in French ski resort of Val Thorens as severe weather causes chaos across three Alpine countriesA 27-year-old British man has died after being swept away by an avalanche at the French ski resort of Val Thorens after unusually heavy storms across the Alps.The victim, who has not been named, was reportedly at the side of a road at the lower side of the town when he was struck by a wall of snow that carried him 15 metres (50 ft) down the mountain on Thursday morning. He was taken to hospital in Grenoble with cardiorespiratory failure but died in the evening. Continue reading...

Recalcitrance appears to be product of Trump White House's maximalist interpretation of executive powersFaced with a flurry of adverse court orders it would rather not follow, the Trump White House is increasingly deploying a strategy of claiming or even manufacturing its own uncertainty to dodge their effects without appearing to outright defy them.The Trump administration has faced several major legal setbacks in recent weeks, most notably in its efforts to deport illegal immigrants without due process under the Alien Enemies Act or in spite of protective orders. Continue reading...

There were suspicions, legal wheezes and a plan to divert a ship to Gibraltar to seize cargo, as ministers' anxieties roseBy next weekend, a cargo ship carrying more than 50,000 tonnes of coking coal from Australia will dock at Immingham. In other circumstances, its arrival would be unremarkable. But the moment Navios Alegria reaches the Lincolnshire port will be the culmination of the government's high-wire act to keep the UK's last steel furnaces running.MPs were recalled from their Easter recess last Saturday to pass emergency legislation handing the government control over British Steel, which operates Britain's last two blast furnaces capable of producing steel from scratch using coke and iron ore. Continue reading...

Retailers and food producers offer to help efforts to reduce unnecessary red tape' costing industry billions of poundsMore than a dozen of Britain's biggest retailers and food producers, including Marks & Spencer, J Sainsbury and Asda, have called on the EU to reduce checks on food and drink crossing the Channel and Irish Sea, which they say are costing billions of pounds.Ahead of a summit on 19 May that is hoped to reset" trade ties five years on from Brexit, they are urging politicians to hammer out a deal on sanitary and phytosanitary checks. They hope this would include a veterinary agreement and would harmonise food safety rules or recognise them as equivalent. Continue reading...

Militant group says it will not accept deal without guarantee of end to Gaza war or full withdrawal of Israeli troops

Exclusive: Head of Fire Brigades Union calls for statutory body to set national standards amid fears for public safety

Man behind puzzle and pigeon bags, who transformed Loewe, brings buzz to French house as creative directorJonathan Anderson, the designer who brought success, cool and viral fame to the Spanish label Loewe during his 11-year reign, has been announced as the new creative director of Christian Dior's menswear collection. Taking over from Kim Jones, Anderson's first show for the brand will take place in Paris in June.While this is confirmation of news that fashion insiders were long aware of, it will definitely bring new buzz to Christian Dior. Anderson, now 40, has become something of a unicorn in the industry, a designer with boundless energy and ideas who is able to create distinctive and original designs but also sell clothes. Continue reading...

One woman managed to get back to shore after three washed into water near George Bass coastal walk south of Melbourne

People in poorer areas feel frustrated rubbish piles up during strikes, while wealthy households pay for removalIt's very frustrating that the posh areas get cleared and we're just left, very frustrating but we expect it," said Peter Thomas, outside his home in Ladywood, against a backdrop of overflowing bins.Across neighbouring postcodes in Birmingham, the gap between wealthy and deprived parts of the city has been noticeable for residents ever since the bin strikes began last month. Continue reading...

This week, Harvard University, the oldest and wealthiest in the US, defied Donald Trump a list of demands. The Trump administration responded by freezing $2.2bn in federal funding for the Ivy League school.This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Harvard professor Ryan Enos to consider why the university is pushing back, how far this fight may go and why other universities are watching closelyArchive: ABC News, Bloomberg News, CBS News, CNN, National Conservatism, NBC News, Scripp News Continue reading...

Study shows women today are happier being women - but getting up to go to work remains as punishing as everThe mundane tasks of everyday life, such as homework after school and household chores at the weekend, may not have changed in the past 80 years, but societal attitudes towards them could not be more different.A study by the Policy Institute at King's College London (KCL), comparing public attitudes now and in the 1930s and 40s, reveals how significantly views on everyday life in Britain have shifted over the decades. Continue reading...

Palestinians trying to access Christianity's holiest sites in the Old City of Jerusalem face restrictions and hostilityAs the bells rang out across the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the priests began to sing a deep, low prayer. Heads bowed over candles, and escorted by people bearing aloft large gold crosses, they made their way to a platform at the heart of the ancient square.The ceremony on Holy Thursday, in which the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem washes the feet of 12 monastic priests to commemorate the Last Supper, is one of many Easter rituals that have taken place in the Old City of Jerusalem for hundreds of years. For Christians, there is no holier place to commemorate Easter than here, the site where they believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Continue reading...

PM focuses on threat from across the border as most polls show his Liberals leading Pierre Poilievre's Conservative party in tight raceCanada's prime minister, Mark Carney, faced sustained attacks from his Conservative rival at an election debate on Thursday but the Liberal leader sought to focus attention on what he calls Canada's top threat: Donald Trump, the US president.Most opinion polls show Pierre Poilievre's Conservative party trailing Carney's Liberals ahead of the 28 April vote for Canada's federal government. Continue reading...