Category: World

Authorities urge people to avoid the outdoors during the hottest part of the day, to check in on elderly friends and neighbours and to keep pets coolGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastSpeaking at a press conference in Sydney, prime minister Anthony Albanese said the current heatwave is “a reminder that there just might be something in this climate change stuff.”We have experienced 2023 as the hottest year on record. We continue to break these records, and that’s why my government’s determined to act on climate change.Today, with the high heat levels, I do say that it’s a time to ensure that we look after each other and stay safe. Continue reading…

NGO makes statement after security council resolution for immediate humanitarian truce fails on US vetoSee all of our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war Continue reading…

Former immigration minister says Rwanda bill will fail to end legal challenges to policy of removing people who cross Channel in small boatsRobert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, has accused the prime minister of failing to keep his word “to do whatever it takes” to “stop the boats”.Jenrick quit his ministerial role on Wednesday just hours after Rishi Sunak tabled a bill to save his Rwanda deportation policy. Continue reading…

Agreement between European Parliament and member states will govern artificial intelligence, social media and search enginesThe world’s first comprehensive laws to regulate artificial intelligence have been agreed in a landmark deal after a marathon 37-hour negotiation between the European Parliament and EU member states.The agreement was described as “historic” by Thierry Breton, the European commissioner responsible for a suite of laws in Europe that will also govern social media and search engines, covering giants such as X, TikTok and Google. Continue reading…

Woman, who is eight weeks pregnant, wants to have abortion in Kentucky but cannot legally do so because of near-total banA pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit on Friday demanding the right to an abortion, the second legal challenge in days to sweeping abortion bans that have taken hold in more than a dozen US states since Roe v Wade was overturned last year.The suit, filed in state court in Louisville, says Kentucky’s near-total prohibition against abortion violates the plaintiff’s rights to privacy and self-determination under the state constitution. Continue reading…

Scotland Yard looking at possible hate crime after footage of incident in north London widely circulated onlineThe Metropolitan police are investigating a possible hate crime after a young Jewish woman was “violently assaulted and robbed” in London.Footage of the incident circulated online after it was tweeted by the neighbourhood watch group Shomrim. Continue reading…

UN officials including secretary general describe humanitarian breakdown in territory as they plead for immediate ceasefireIsrael-Gaza war – live updatesThe UN is at “breaking point” in Gaza, its most senior official has warned, as his colleagues described the “untenable” humanitarian catastrophe in the territory, with 700 people sharing a single toilet and people burning plastic to keep warm.One official said UN agencies were “barely operational” and staff were bringing their children to work “so they know they are safe or can die together”. Continue reading…

Death of star of Paper Moon, What’s Up, Doc? and Barry Lyndon announced by his son Patrick O’NealRyan O’Neal, a leading star in the Hollywood in the 1970s known for iconic films such as Love Story and Paper Moon, has died, according to a series of emotional posts from his son. He was 82.On Friday, Patrick O’Neal shared on Instagram that his father had died “with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us”. He went on to “share some feelings to give you an idea of how great a man he is”. Patrick described his father as “my hero. Continue reading…

US vetoes resolution despite pleas from secretary general and Arab allies, saying ceasefire ‘would only plant the seeds of the next war’Israel-Gaza war latest updatesThe US has defied appeals from its Arab allies and the UN secretary general to back an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, telling the security council that to do so would merely plant the seeds of the next war.The US vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire late on Friday, despite a dramatic warning from António Guterres that civil order was breaking down and the risk of a mass exodus into Egypt growing, with as yet unclear consequences for the rest of the region. The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1 with the UK abstaining. Continue reading…

Prominent journalist – who lives in the US – was placed on the list after discussing atrocities committed in Ukraine by Russian forcesRussian police have put prominent Russian American journalist and author Masha Gessen on a wanted list after opening a criminal case against them on charges of spreading false information about the Russian army.It is the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown against dissent in Russia that has intensified since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine more than 21 months ago, on 24 February 2022. Continue reading…

Blood disorder that can lead to premature death affects estimated 100,000 people in the United States, most of whom are BlackThe US Food and Drug Administration has approved a pair of gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment based on the breakthrough Crispr gene-editing technology, opening up two “transformative therapy” avenues for some patients.The FDA approved Lyfgenia from Bluebird Bio, and a separate treatment called Casgevy by partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Crispr Therapeutics. Both therapies are made from the patients’ own blood stem cells and were approved for people aged 12 and older. Continue reading…

Federal court rules Trump free to speak about special counsel Jack Smith but maintains other restrictionsDonald Trump may now assail the special counsel who brought the federal criminal case against him over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, in addition to being free to criticize the judge, the justice department, the Biden administration and the case as politically motivated.The former president remains barred, however, from attacking potential trial witnesses, court staff or the special counsel’s staff, as well as the family members of any court staff or the special counsel’s staff. Continue reading…

Leaders of three universities continue navigating calls to resign following ‘evasive’ answers in House hearingLeaders of three prestigious US universities remained under pressure on Friday as a controversy about antisemitism on campus, inflamed by their appearance at a congressional hearing earlier in the week, showed little sign of abating, with free speech advocates and billionaire college donors wading into the fray.Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), survived an emergency meeting of its board of trustees on Thursday amid backlash to her “disastrous” comments to the hearing investigating rising campus antisemitism since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war. Continue reading…

The crowd of mourners had thinned over the course of the lengthy service, but who could blame them?

Court hears Eli Bartov, professor at NYU, has worked about 650 hours on New York fraud case at rate of $1,350 per hourAn accounting expert who came to Donald Trump’s defense in his $250m fraud has racked up nearly $900,000 in fees for his testimony, a court heard on Friday.New York University Stern School of Business research professor Eli Bartov testified on Thursday that he had found “no evidence here of concealment” in his review of the financial statements at the heart of the case. Continue reading…

Girl, 16, tells court she found murder victim attractive but co-defendant ‘didn’t agree’ with trans or gay peopleA 16-year-old girl accused of killing transgender teenager Brianna Ghey in a park in Warrington denied having anti-transgender views, and said she found Brianna attractive, a court has heard.But the girl, known as X to protect her identity, told a jury that her “very good friend” and co-defendant, a 16-year-old boy known as Y, “didn’t exactly agree with people who were trans or people that were gay”. Continue reading…

Jamie Arnold, 33, made racist remarks and gestures at former England defender, who was working as a TV pundit, court heardA football fan who racially abused the former England international Rio Ferdinand has been jailed for six months and banned from watching live matches for seven years.Jamie Arnold, 33, uttered racist remarks and made monkey gestures at the former Manchester United defender, who was working as a pundit for BT Sport, a court heard. Continue reading…

French far-right party denies irregularities in employment of parliamentary assistantsFrench far-right politician Marine Le Pen will stand trial alongside 27 others over alleged misuse of EU funds, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Friday, charges that Le Pen’s party said it contested.Twenty-eight defendants will be brought to court, including Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie, the office said, confirming French media reports. Continue reading…

A United Nations Security Council resolution to demand a ceasefire in Gaza has failed after it was vetoed by the US.

The brother of a Gazan man who was filmed being detained in only his underwear says the footage “hurts” to see.

Tributes pour in for one of the leaders of a young generation of writers in Gaza who chose to tell their stories in EnglishIsrael-Gaza war latest updatesTributes poured in for the Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer on Friday after friends said he was killed in a strike on Gaza.Alareer was one of the leaders of a young generation of writers in Gaza who chose to write in English to tell their stories, with friends describing his defiance in the face of the Israeli army’s assault on the Gaza Strip. Continue reading…

People say they are disheartened by the court’s ruling but hopes remain that the case can continueThe court of session ruling upholding the UK government’s veto on Scotland’s gender recognition reforms contributed to a “sense of exhaustion” in the trans community, said Jennie Kermode, a writer, film-maker and adviser for Trans Media Watch, based near Glasgow.“People are still hopeful that this case can proceed further but there is a sense of exhaustion that there is always this waiting, which is the case for all trans people whether it’s gender recognition or waiting lists which are so long even to get psychological help.” Continue reading…

New power to allow importers to sever ties would help to end Europe’s reliance on Russian suppliesEU countries may soon be able to halt their last remaining Russian gas imports under plans to ban Russian energy companies from their pipelines and terminals.The European Council and parliament have agreed new rules that could empower the EU’s member states to crack down on companies from Russia and Belarus that have continued to import Russian gas into Europe since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by buying import capacity at key EU import terminals and pipelines. Continue reading…

Sultan Al Jaber holds press conference at start of second week as summit focuses on children, education and foodCanada has been asked by the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, to help develop language on the potential phase down or phase out of fossil fuels, its environment minister told reporters on Friday morning.Steven Guilbeault, a former activist who is environment minister for the fourth largest oil and gas producer in the world, announced that Canada would require its fossil fuel industry to cut its emissions between 35% to 38% below 2019 levels starting in 2030 on Thursday. Continue reading…

Exclusive: Pre-election agreement would provide a major boost to Narendra Modi and Rishi SunakSenior Downing Street officials have flown to Delhi to kickstart talks over a multibillion pound free trade agreement, with the government of Narendra Modi having indicated it is keen to finalise a deal in the next three months.UK trade negotiators are in the Indian capital talking to their Indian counterparts as they look to revive a deal that looked a distant prospect just a few months ago. Continue reading…

Israeli media claimed images show Hamas fighters but several civilians have been identified including a journalistIsrael-Gaza war – live updatesThe International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is concerned by images of semi-naked Palestinian men being paraded by the Israeli military in Gaza, adding that all of those detained must be treated in keeping with international humanitarian law.“We strongly emphasise the importance of treating all those detained with humanity and dignity, in accordance with international humanitarian law,” Jessica Moussan, a spokesperson for the ICRC, said in a statement. Continue reading…

An allegation of rape, fiercely denied, in a ministerial office is being interrogated by weeks of testimony and cross-examination in a defamation trial brought by the accusedIt has become one of Australia’s most convoluted and damaging political sagas, polarising the public.An allegation of rape, fiercely denied, in a ministerial office in Parliament House has been discussed in news reports, interviews, speeches, and reams of commentary. It was examined in an aborted criminal trial, covered in four separate inquiries and now the first of several related civil cases is again calling witnesses and poring over evidence. Continue reading…

Individual Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for next year’s Olympics will be allowed to compete, but only as neutrals, games bosses have said.

Top civil servant summoned to give ‘full and frank’ answers after costs of scheme rose from £140m to £290mThe Home Office has been ordered to disclose the full costs of Rishi Sunak’s secretive deal to deport migrants to Rwanda, as insiders told of turmoil within the department over the controversial policy.Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary of the Home Office, will be hauled before the public accounts committee on Monday, after the initial costs of the scheme rose from £140m to £290m. Continue reading…

Australia’s climate minister flags difficulties around any final wording but hails ‘important symbol’ as talks intensify in DubaiGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastChris Bowen has indicated Australia may be willing to back a global commitment at the Cop28 climate summit to phase out fossil fuels.The Australian climate change minister has also flagged that position may be unlikely to be adopted at the meeting in the United Arab Emirates unless it was attached to the word “unabated” – a controversial and undefined term usually taken to mean fossil fuels can continue if they are cutting their pollution through the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Continue reading…

Services Australia paid Infosys almost $200m over four years before technology was written off as a failureGet our morning and afternoon news emails,free app or daily news podcastThe federal government spent $52m on a failing welfare calculator even after being told there was a more accurate, simple and reliable option available.In all, Services Australia paid $191m over four years to the multinational company Infosys for a calculator that processed only 784 aged care claims before being written off as a failure in late July. Continue reading…

Exclusive: Private tolling giant defends itself against Inner West mayor’s accusation it is ‘staying stubbornly silent’ as road users vent frustrationGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPrivate tolling behemoth Transurban has spoken out amid community anger over the bungled opening of Sydney’s $3.9bn Rozelle interchange as it finds itself in a stoush with the Inner West council mayor over who should fix the mess.Transurban used its first public comments since the “spaghetti junction” opened on 19 November to defend its conduct in the wake of widespread commuter frustration, particularly among people who live on the Balmain peninsula.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading…

Senate panel’s Labor members disagree with report, saying opposition-led probe failed to acknowledge Coalition’s ‘longstanding attempts to weaken’ FoI lawsGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s freedom of information regime has become “dysfunctional and broken” after years of funding and resourcing neglect and chronic backlogs caused in part by a pro-secrecy culture within the bureaucracy, a Senate committee has found.The recent resignation of the freedom of information commissioner, who was less than 12 months into a five-year term, has also been described as a “symptom” of the troubles faced by the system designed to make federal government processes transparent.The watchdog has been facing increasing scrutiny in recent years as a result of an ever-growing backlog of requests to review FoI decisions, hampered by bureaucratic and legislative roadblocks.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading…

Thousands of dead fish have washed up on a beach in northern Japan.

French President Emmanuel Macron has visited Notre-Dame Cathedral to mark one year until its scheduled reopening.

A rousing rendition of Shane MacGowan’s best-loved hit Fairytale Of New York rang out during his funeral in Co Tipperary, Ireland – as stars including Johnny Depp, Bono and Nick Cave led the tributes to the singer.

Ministers criticised after civil servant tells MPs payment was made in April after £140m had already been sentUK ministers have been accused of using “cloak and dagger” tactics after a leading civil servant revealed in a letter that they had paid Rwanda a further £100m to send asylum seekers there.Sir Matthew Rycroft, the Home Office’s top civil servant, told MPs the payment was made in April after £140m had already been sent. He added that a further payment of £50m was expected next year. Continue reading…

Economic loss from disruption on important travel route for grain exports estimated to be $20bnExtreme drought and a warm autumn have left water levels on the Mississippi exceptionally low for the time of year. This is causing problems for farmers who rely on the river as a travel route for the crops: 60% of US grain exports use the waterway to reach the Gulf coasts.The total economic loss is estimated to be about $20bn and, despite attempts to dredge the river, it remains worryingly low as the country enters an important month for grain transport. Continue reading…

The portable unit, comprising mini cubes of medical equipment, enables surgeons to be operating within an hour, designers claimIndia has designed and built a “flatpack” field hospital that can be flown to a disaster area by helicopter and assembled faster than an Ikea bookcase.The hospital is contained in 72 small waterproof cubes, each weighing under 15kg and measuring 38cm x 38cm x 38cm (15 x 15 x 15in). They are packed with tents and specially designed medical equipment. Continue reading…

Chinese military aircraft including 12 fighter jets also detected in Taiwan’s air defence zone in past 24 hoursTaiwan’s defence ministry has said that a Chinese balloon crossed the Taiwan Strait median line on Thursday, about a month before Taiwan’s presidential election.The ministry of national defence (MND) earlier described it as a “surveillance balloon” but the defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng later told reporters at parliament: “our initial understanding is that it was a sounding balloon”. Continue reading…

Jon Rahm has joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league in a deal understood to be worth up to £450m – which one former Ryder Cup captain described as a “seismic shift” in the sport.

Prime minister holds emergency press conference to try to regain control over immigration debate as Tory rebellion growsRishi Sunak was forced into a desperate defence of his new Rwanda asylum law as he battled to hold together the fractured Conservative party amid speculation that he could face a challenge to his position.The prime minister told an emergency Downing Street press conference that he would “finish the job” of getting his controversial deportation plan off the ground despite criticism from the Tory right and anxiety among centrist MPs. Continue reading…

Jonathan Lehrer, 57, and alleged accomplice appear in court after bodies of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand were foundAn American chocolatier and his alleged accomplice have been charged in the Caribbean island of Dominica with the murder of a Canadian animation innovator and eco-resort owner and his partner days after their bodies were found in a burned-out car.Jonathan Lehrer, 57, and Robert Snider appeared in magistrates court in Roseau, the capital, on Wednesday to face charges relating to the murders of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand. They did not enter a plea. Continue reading…

US and Britain express support for Guyana over Maduro threat to seize a third of its territory while Brazil calls for peaceful solutionThe United States has said it would conduct flight operations within Guyana that build on its routine engagement, as Britain and Brazil expressed concerns about growing border tensions between Guyana and Venezuela.The long-running spat over the oil-rich Essequibo region, which is being heard by the international court of justice (ICJ), escalated over the weekend when voters in Venezuela rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction and backed the creation of a new Venezuelan state. Continue reading…

Re-examination finds what were taken to be veins of leaves are actually bone growth patternsTwo small, oval fossils thought to be prehistoric plants are actually the remains of baby marine turtles, researchers have revealed.The fossils, found in rocks dating to between 132 and 113 million years ago, were discovered in Colombia in the middle of the 20th century by Padre Gustavo Huerta, a priest with a penchant for fossil plants. Continue reading…

African-led trial ended a year early as researchers conclude there is ‘little or no chance’ new combination vaccines cut HIV riskThe first trial in Africa of two combination vaccines to prevent HIV has been halted after researchers concluded it was not working.The vaccines (part of the PrEPVacc study) were being tested on 1,500 people aged between 18 and 40 in Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa. Continue reading…

Rami Shmuel went from producing a multi-day rave to searching through the bodies of partygoers who died at Nova festival.

Shinji Aoba has admitted starting fire but has pleaded not guilty, saying a psychological disorder makes him incapable of distinguishing between right and wrongProsecutors in Japan are seeking the death penalty for the suspect in an arson attack in 2019 that killed 36 people in one of the country’s deadliest crimes for decades.Shinji Aoba, who was not arrested until he had recovered from the burns he sustained in the attack on an animation studio in Kyoto, admitted in court in September 2023 to starting the fire. Continue reading…

Internet references conflating the two films drew anger in Japan, which was twice attacked by nuclear weapons during the second world warAudiences in Japan will finally get to see Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan’s hit biopic about the creator of the nuclear bomb – following criticism that it was marketed in a way that trivialised the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The movie’s distributor in Japan, Bitters End, said on Thursday that the film, which examines J Robert Oppenheimer’s moral quandary over his key role in the world’s first nuclear attack on 6 August 1945, would be released in 2024. Continue reading…

The staunch anti-communist, at first supportive of her brothers’ efforts, became disillusioned with the Cuban governmentJuanita Castro, the sister of the Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro who worked with the CIA against their communist government, has died in Miami at 90. Florida had been her home since shortly after fleeing the island nearly 60 years ago.The journalist María Antonieta Collins, who co-wrote Juanita Castro’s 2009 book, Fidel and Raúl, My Brothers. The Secret History, wrote on Instagram that she died on Monday. Continue reading…

The 85-year-old was pictured leaving prison in Lima where he was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abusesAlberto Fujimori, Peru’s former strongman leader, was freed from jail after a ruling from the country’s highest court granted him a humanitarian pardon, despite a request from the regional Inter-American Court of Human Rights to delay his release.Looking frail and wearing a face mask, the 85-year-old was received by his lawyer, two of his children Kenji and Keiko Fujimori – his political heiress and three-time presidential candidate – and helped into a waiting vehicle amid cheers from his supporters, who waved banners, honked horns and chanted “Fujimori Libertad”, or “Fujimori freedom”. Continue reading…

Mia Mottley tells London audience that King Charles’s comments about slavery’s impact were welcomeKing Charles’s comment that the “time has come” to acknowledge the enduring impact of slavery has been welcomed by the prime minister of Barbados as she spoke in London about the need for reparations.Mia Mottley said Barbados was owed $4.9tn (£3.9tn) by slave-owning nations, noting that conversations over how this debt should be repaid would “be difficult and will take time”, she said on Wednesday evening. Continue reading…

Draft resolution to European parliament committee is first formal attempt to place reparations for slavery on EU agendaThe European Union should urgently address and reverse the lasting impacts of European colonialism and support a reparations programme to rectify continuing injustices, according to a draft resolution to be presented to the European parliament’s development committee.Noting that the EU has made “no concerted efforts to recognise, address and rectify the lasting effects of European colonialism on social and international inequities”, the draft resolution calls for the creation of a permanent EU forum on restorative justice. Continue reading…

PMQs clash comes as Suella Braverman expected to heavily criticise government’s immigration plansUK politics live – latest updatesRishi Sunak’s government has been accused by Keir Starmer of giving Rwanda “hundreds of millions of pounds for nothing in return” following the signing of a deportation treaty.In a clash at prime minister’s questions, the Labour leader mocked the treaty, signed on Tuesday, saying the Rwandan government of President Paul Kagame had seen the prime minister coming “a mile off”. Continue reading…

Human Rights Watch warns bar on women means unqualified men now teach boys, fewer subjects are taught and beatings are routineThe Taliban is causing “irreversible damage” to Afghanistan’s education system through the reintroduction of corporal punishment, curriculum changes and the use of unqualified teachers to replace women, most of whom have been barred from schools, Human Rights Watch has warned.After taking power in 2021, the Taliban banned girls from secondary schools. A new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), published on Wednesday, warns that boys’ education has also suffered under the Taliban, although this has gone largely unreported. Continue reading…

Atsushi Ozawa accused of using car to kill common pigeon, which vets said died of traumatic shockTo some, they are another species of feathered friend; to others, they are rats with wings whose droppings deface historic buildings.But in Japan, pigeons may have become the victims of crime, after police arrested a Tokyo taxi driver on suspicion of deliberately driving into a flock of the birds, killing one of them. Continue reading…

Air New Zealand says using the ALIA electric cargo plane to deliver parcels will help plot route towards zero-emissions passenger flights in a ‘new age of propulsion’Parcels and letters will soon be distributed by electric aircraft between regions of New Zealand as the sparsely populated country embarks on a “new age of propulsion” in its attempts to decarbonise its reliance on aviation.On Wednesday, Air New Zealand announced it had purchased a battery-powered, all-electric five seater cargo aircraft, which will be put to use running mail between airports with New Zealand’s postal service from 2026. Continue reading…

Fahad Shah, whose case was a symbol of harassment of region’s media, says he has different outlook after months behind barsDuring his more than 600 days behind bars, Fahad Shah, a Kashmiri journalist, had begun to lose hope that he would ever see freedom again. It was in February last year that Shah, 34, the editor of the Kashmir Walla, one of the last remaining independent news websites in the region, was arrested on charges of “glorifying terrorism” and publishing “anti-national content”.What followed was a crushing 21 months for Shah as his high-profile case became a symbol of the growing harassment faced by Kashmiri journalists. He was granted bail in one case, only to be swiftly re-arrested and hit with new, more draconian charges. Continue reading…

Foxconn and Pegatron temporarily shut factories near Chennai because of torrential rains that have claimed at least four livesTaiwan’s Foxconn and Pegatron have halted production of Apple iPhones at their factories near Chennai in southern India because of heavy rains, sources close to the matter said on Monday.In Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai, the state’s largest city and a major electronics and manufacturing hub, at least two people died and the runway of one of the country’s busiest airports was submerged after torrential rain as the city braced for a severe cyclone expected to hit in the next 24 hours. Two others had died elsewhere. Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh around noon on Tuesday, the country’s weather office said, with sustained winds of 90kph to 100kph (56mph to 62mph), gusting to 110kph. Continue reading…

Six teenagers have been found guilty in connection with the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty.