World news | The Guardian

Lee Knight says accolade for A Friend of Dorothy, based on friendship with neighbour, sends message to never give upA writer-director from Stanmore in Middlesex whose short film has been nominated for an Oscar has said he feels utterly overwhelmed" by the accolade.Lee Knight's film A Friend of Dorothy, starring Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry, is in the running for best live action short. Continue reading...

Some residents say they are facing financial ruin as government's long-awaited law changes stallI don't say this lightly, but I feel traumatised by this," said Sarah*, a leaseholder who owns a one-bedroom flat in Moseley, south Birmingham. Every time I open the front door to my house I'm expecting some frightening letter with lots of zeros on it. It has ruined my life, to be honest."Sarah works full-time as a school teacher, but has been forced to take up a second job to pay the spiralling bills from the management company of her building. Continue reading...

Home secretary says climbdown was as good as it gets' from US president despite failure to apologise for remarksDonald Trump's climbdown over his claim that UK troops avoided the frontline in Afghanistan has been greeted with cross-party relief in Westminster despite his failure to apologise for remarks widely condemned as offensive and false.In a rare clarification, the US president praised British troops as being among the greatest of all warriors" and acknowledged that 457 had died in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Survey finds schools referring homeless children to food banks as record numbers live in temporary housingSchools are regularly referring homeless children to food banks, driving them to classes and washing their clothes, according to research.A survey conducted by the housing charity Shelter and NASUWT, also known as the Teachers' Union, asked 11,000 teachers about their experiences of working with children living in temporary accommodation. Continue reading...

US readers said they were feeling anxious and helpless as authorities' brutal crackdown has left thousands deadRecent protests in Iran have created the most serious and deadliest unrest in the country since the 1979 revolution, prompting eyes from all around the globe to shift to the Middle East.The Guardian asked Iranians living outside the country to share their views on the current situation in the country and about the possibility of US intervention. Continue reading...

In the search for stability, some western nations are turning to a country that many in Washington see as an existential threatIf geopolitics relies at least in part on bonhomie between global leaders, China made an unexpected play for Ireland's good graces when the taoiseach visited Beijing this month. Meeting Ireland's leader, Micheal Martin, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China's president, Xi Jinping, said a favourite book of his as a teenager was The Gadfly, by the Irish author Ethel Voynich, a novel set in the revolutionary fervour of Italy in the 1840s.It was unusual that we ended up discussing The Gadfly and its impact on both of us but there you are," Martin told reporters in Beijing. Continue reading...

High-profile Australians celebrated alongside more than 600 civilians who have changed lives and the country

Critics say banks will be able to avoid tax on compensation payouts to victims of 11bn loans scandalThe City minister, Lucy Rigby, has been accused of snubbing taxpayers after she appeared to brush off concerns about a 2bn tax loophole benefiting big banks caught up in the car loans scandal.Rigby was urged to intervene by a member of the parliamentary Treasury committee after it emerged that lenders including Barclays, Lloyds and Santander could sidestep rules designed to ensure banks pay tax on compensation linked to corporate misconduct. Continue reading...

Voting ends in month-long poll derided internationally as sham designed to cement army's grip on powerVoting in Myanmar has ended with the military-backed party expected to win a landslide victory after a month-long election that has been widely derided as a sham designed to cement the army's grip on power.The junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, has rejected criticism of the vote, saying it has the support of the public and presenting it as a return to democracy and stability. Continue reading...

Home secretary is chair of party's NEC, which will decide if Greater Manchester mayor can seek return to parliamentLabour must do all it can to avoid a psychodrama" over Andy Burnham's possible return to parliament, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has said.Mahmood is chair of Labour's national executive committee (NEC), which was due to meet later on Sunday to decide whether Burnham should be allowed to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton byelection, which would involve him giving up his Greater Manchester mayoralty. Continue reading...

Wasdale mountain rescue team says we struggle to understand when the rescued take advantage of hospitality'A mountain rescue team has appealed for two rescued walkers to pay a hotel bill they owe, return head torches they took and collect a hospital crutch one of them used to climb Scafell Pike in treacherous conditions.We avoid judging those we rescue," said Wasdale mountain rescue team in a statement. But we struggle to understand when the rescued take advantage of hospitality provided by our supporters in the valley." Continue reading...

January is a prime time for people looking to get fit, so fraudsters create fake websites and appsA new year means a new start - it's time to get fit and there are quite a few deals out there. On Facebook you see a local gym advertising a discount on membership if you sign up within the next few hours. There are limited spaces so you act quickly.It's only after you pay that you realise the ad was a fraud: you've received no membership details and when you contact the gym it has no record of your payment. Continue reading...

Queensland government says pack linked to 19-year-old's death pose unacceptable public safety risk' as Indigenous traditional owners say they were not consultedThe dingo pack linked to the death of Canadian tourist Piper James on Australian island K'gari will be destroyed, the Queensland government has announced.Environment minister Andrew Powell said on Sunday that an entire pack of 10 animals would be euthanised. Continue reading...

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Police deploy air support to search properties at Mount Hope, about 70km north of Lake Cargelligo, where shootings took place on Thursday

Career public servant and former chief of staff to Malcolm Turnbull to represent Australia's interests with Trump administration from April, including progression of Aukus agreement

Police said group breached HMP Wormwood Scrubs grounds where Umer Khalid is being heldA group of protesters supporting a Palestine Action prisoner on hunger strike have been arrested after they breached prison grounds, the Metropolitan police has said.The force said on Saturday evening that it had detained a group of protesters outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs, in west London, and was in the process of making a number of arrests. Continue reading...

Winter storm system brings emergency declarations as snow and ice create unsafe driving conditions and power shortages. This blog is now closed.

Greater Manchester mayor has applied to stand for Labour in Gorton and Denton, setting up potential fight for PM's political futureKeir Starmer's allies are urging him to block Andy Burnham from running in the Gorton and Denton byelection, after the Greater Manchester mayor declared his intention to stand, setting up a potential fight for the prime minister's political future.Burnham said on Saturday he wanted to contest the seat after the sitting MP, Andrew Gwynne, said he intended to stand down. Continue reading...

Yellow warnings for heavy rain remain in place across parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and south-west England and WalesDownpours and high winds are likely to continue after Storm Ingrid wreaked havoc in the south-west and washed away part of a historic pier in Devon, the Met Office said on Saturday.It has been a wet weekend for many, with yellow weather warnings for heavy rain in place across parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and south-west England and Wales. Continue reading...

Starmerites argue Burnham's return to Westminster would undermine the government, but he has the support of powerful party figuresWhen Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader and a close ally of Andy Burnham, took to the stage at the Fabian conference in London on Saturday, she had a blunt message for her party.I want to make sure that we're putting out the best team on the pitch, week after week, so we can win those important matches," she told the audience. Continue reading...

Teachers who attended compulsory' creationist conference run by US-based fundamentalist group told radiometric dating techniques were flawed

Exclusive: Experts say AI is likely to create more news deserts, fewer independent voices and threaten the viability of Australian journalism

Full text of the Manchester mayor's letter seeking selection for Gorton and Denton byelection

Jacob Frey's full response after federal agents shoot and kill 37-year-old US citizen on 24 January

After criticism over allegation Nato troops stayed off front lines' in conflict, US president says UK forces were great and very brave'Donald Trump has said UK soldiers who fought in Afghanistan were among the greatest of all warriors" after previously drawing criticism for his claims Nato troops stayed away from the frontlines during the conflict.In a post on social media on Saturday, the US president said: The great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America. Continue reading...

Police say two men and a woman shouted abuse and struck vehicle outside Crowborough military site in East SussexThree people have been arrested after two occurrences of disorder outside Crowborough training camp, which is being used to house asylum seekers.A 36-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman from Crowborough, and a 54-year-old man from Newhaven were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of an offence under the Public Order Act and are now in police custody. Continue reading...

President also claimed US refineries will process seized Venezuelan oil, saying we take the oil'Donald Trump on Saturday said he would impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian imports if the North American country makes a trade deal with China.Beside that tariff threat, another Trump foreign policy maneuver to make news on Saturday involved the president announcing the US had taken the oil that was on recently seized Venezuelan tankers. Continue reading...

Kyiv says Moscow used 396 drones and missiles in another night of Russian terror' on second day of talks in UAERussia launched a major drone and missile attack targeting Ukraine's two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, early on Saturday, as US, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in the United Arab Emirates for a second day of tripartite peace talks.Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror," the country's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said after the latest Russian assault on critical infrastructure. Continue reading...

Change being considered amid global glut driven by supplies from China along with a rise in protectionismThe UK is expected to reduce the amount of foreign steel it allows in tariff-free, as the government looks to protect its domestic industry amid a global glut and a rise in protectionism.Ministers are considering changing the quota system that allows a quantity of the metal to be imported before imposing a 25% levy on anything above that level. Continue reading...

Fire department was responding to report of gas odor in Bronx building when explosion occurred during frigid nightA gas explosion sent fire racing through the top floors of a high-rise apartment building in New York City early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring 14 others as temperatures plunged into the single digits overnight, authorities said.Firefighters responded shortly before 12.30am to the 17-story New York City housing authority (Nycha) building in the Bronx, where people were seen leaning out of windows calling for help as flames engulfed parts of the top floors, officials said. Continue reading...

Driver was taken into custody after car crashed through airport entrance and struck Delta ticket counterA car crashed through the entrance of Detroit's metropolitan Wayne county airport on Friday evening, striking a ticket counter and injuring six people, airport officials said.The driver was taken into custody, the Wayne county airport authority (WCAA) said in a statement. The cause of the crash was not yet known, and airport police were investigating. Continue reading...

Groups say EPA did not adequately consider adverse health effects to children when it approved the pesticidePublic health groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its approval of a Pfas forever chemical" insecticide that industry research found likely reduces testicle size, lowers sperm count and harms the liver in rats.The pesticide, isocycloseram, is used on food crops and could especially threaten children and developing fetuses, but the EPA did not factor those risks into its safety assessment, said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director with the Center for Biological Diversity, a plaintiff in the suit. Continue reading...

Many of those moved into an asylum return centre have held jobs for years and can speak the languageSweden did this for us," said Sofiye*, making a supportive scooping up gesture with her hands. And then, bam." She dropped them to the ground.Sofiye, who has three children, arrived in Sweden from Uzbekistan as an asylum seeker in 2008, and for much of that time she was able to build a life in the Scandinavian country. The family lived in a flat in a Stockholm suburb and Sofiye worked for the municipality in the home help department. She learned Swedish and her children went through the Swedish school system. Her youngest son was born in Sweden and her 18-year-old son, Hamza, who is studying in college to be a technician, doesn't know life anywhere else. Continue reading...

Crime minister says reforms will improve standards, but Federation says unsafe workloads must be tackled firstThe government must stop burdening police officers with unsafe workloads and improve police pay and training if they want professional" policing, the Police Federation has said, in response to sweeping Home Office changes to improve standards in the police.Under the new plans, to be unveiled in a white paper on Monday, police officers in England and Wales will be required to hold and renew a licence to practise" throughout their career in the future. Continue reading...

this blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereIndia and Europe hope to strike the mother of all deals" when EU chiefs meet prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week, as the two economic behemoths seek to forge closer ties, AFP reports.Facing challenges from China and the United States, India and the European Union have been negotiating a massive free trade pact - and talks, first launched about two decades ago, are nearing the finishing line. Continue reading...

Ceasefire to be extended for one month to allow transfer of suspected Islamic State members from Syria to IraqThe Syrian government and Kurdish forces agreed to extend a ceasefire on Saturday, according to Syrian diplomatic sources, temporarily staving off a looming war between the two sides in Syria's northeast.Diplomatic sources told Agence France-Presse the ceasefire would be extended for a period of up to one month at most," citing the need to facilitate the transfer of suspected members of Islamic State from Syria to Iraq. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Eluned Morgan says it is not time for protest votes when the economy and public services are at stakeThe Labour first minister of Wales has urged voters not to treat the May elections as a referendum on Keir Starmer, calling on them to focus on the country's future instead, with the party on course for a fight for third place.Eluned Morgan said it was not the time to send a protest vote to the prime minister when two pro-independence parties - Plaid Cymru and the Greens - could end up in power and so much was at stake for the economy and public services. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say cuts to funding and training limits their ability to bring child predators to justiceThe US Department of Justice has slashed funding and training resources for law enforcement working on investigations and prosecutions of sex crimes against children under the Trump administration, which limits their ability to carry out this work.Major cuts include the cancelation of 2025 National Law Enforcement Training on Child Exploitation, due to be held in Washington DC in June. The conference is an annual event that provides technical training to prosecutors, state and federal law enforcement officers on investigating online crimes against children. Continue reading...

Umer Khalid, 22, has stopped drinking water as well as food in protest against charges against himThe last Palestine Action prisoner still on hunger strike has now stopped drinking water, which a doctor has warned could kill him.Umer Khalid, 22, has been on a hunger strike since November. His action was briefly paused at Christmas when he became unwell. Continue reading...

Korey LaVergne was jailed on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and was released after posting bailThe arrest of a Roman Catholic priest in south-west Louisiana occurred after local authorities were told that the clergyman had inappropriately touched a child" over the course of a year, according to investigators' initial report on the case.The Guardian obtained the report Friday through a public records request, a week after the sheriff's office of Acadia parish, Louisiana, booked Korey LaVergne with three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Continue reading...

Attempt to reclaim alleged unpaid debts comes months after 25-year relationship with cinema chain came to an endCoca-Cola is taking legal action against Vue after the cinema chain switched to its arch-rival PepsiCo to supply soft drinks in Europe.Vue, which operates more than 90 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, put the contract up for tender last year. Continue reading...

Dancing2 by Keli Holiday comes in second, with almost twice as many Australian songs making the count this year compared to last

Health secretary will describe plan to offer tax relief on private healthcare as tax cut for the wealthiest'Reform UK's policy of tax relief on private health insurance could cost the country 1.7bn, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, is expected to say on Saturday.Streeting will make the claim at a conference organised by the Fabian Society, a socialist thinktank aligned to the Labour party, and will describe the Reform proposal as a tax cut for the wealthiest". Continue reading...

Hobbycraft removes product from sale after parent sent samples to a lab for testing but declines to issue a recallBottles of children's play sand have been withdrawn from shelves by the craft retailer Hobbycraft after a parent discovered they were contaminated with asbestos.The parent, who did not wish to be named, raised the alarm after her children played with the sand at a party. Continue reading...

NHS England pays for private assessments under right to choose', but can reject diagnoses and is struggling to cope with demandSameer Modha knows the ADHD system all too well. He has been diagnosed himself, as have his two children, giving him a clear view of how the system works - and where it breaks down.While his own diagnosis was relatively straightforward, the experience with his daughter was very different. The diagnosis he obtained for his eldest child, after an assessment carried out privately by a very senior ex-Camhs [child and adolescent mental health service] director, someone who knows the system and has seen a huge amount of this", was later rejected by the NHS. He was told it was not compliant with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which sets healthcare standards nationally. Continue reading...

US policy document suggests South Korea take primary responsibility, as Pentagon prioritises defending US homelandThe Pentagon foresees a more limited" role in deterring North Korea, with South Korea taking primary responsibility for the task, a Pentagon policy document released on Friday said, in a move likely to raise concern in Seoul.South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defence against North Korea's military threat and Seoul has raised its defence budget by 7.5% for this year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Natalie Fleet says power balance is with criminals not victims as delays make hell of being raped' worseA Labour MP who became pregnant after being groomed and raped as a teenager has called on colleagues to back plans for judge-only trials or allow the power balance to remain in favour of criminals as opposed to the victims".Natalie Fleet, the MP for Bolsover, said she would not encourage survivors to seek justice through the courts because the hell of being raped is made worse by the hell of going through delays in the system". Continue reading...

Family confirms boy has died almost a week after the attack, describing him as possessing the most kind and generous spirit'