<span class="text-transparent bg-clip-text bg-gradient-to-r from-cyan-400 to-blue-400">News

Trump's world order hangs over Europe on eve of key defence conference

Leaders gather this week for the Munich Security Conference, with European security at a crossroads.

Parents of Melbourne methanol-poisoning victims ‘shocked’ by $185 fines handed to Laos hostel staff

Fathers of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, who died after a night out at the Nana backpackers hostel in 2024, say court decision is ‘absolute injustice’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The families of two Melbourne teenagers who died after drinking methanol-laced alcohol in Laos say they have been blindsided by news the workers responsible for serving the drinks received fines of just $185. Bian...

Federal judge blocks California from enforcing ICE mask ban

Judge rules that law discriminates against federal government because it does not apply to state authorities A federal judge on Monday blocked a California law from going into effect that would ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces, but they will still be required to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number. California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings under a bill that was signed in September fo...

US judges dismiss lawsuits accusing Neil Gaiman of sexual assault

Former nanny Scarlett Pavlovich filed suit in three US states alleging author assaulted her in New Zealand in 2022 Federal judges have dismissed three lawsuits accusing the bestselling fantasy author Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting his children’s nanny in New Zealand four years ago. Scarlett Pavlovich filed a lawsuit against Gaiman and his wife, Amanda Palmer, in Wisconsin in February 2025, accusing Gaiman of multiple sexual assaults while she worked as the family’s nanny in 2022. She file...

Serco accused of ‘petty and vindictive’ removal of artwork from court cells

Government contractor stripped custody suites in England and Wales of motivational murals, report says A government contractor has been accused of being “petty and vindictive” after tearing down brightly coloured artworks carrying motivational messages that were intended to improve the conditions for people held in court cells. The decision by Serco to remove the artworks, commissioned to cheer up court custody areas that are often underground and “bleak”, is revealed in the annual report of ...

Lower-income families face 137-year wait for living standards to double, says UK thinktank

Two decades of weak pay growth have left poorer households stuck, Resolution Foundation says, fuelling political unease It would take 137 years for lower-income families in the UK to see their living standards double at the current rate of growth, according to a thinktank. A two-decade stagnation in disposable incomes has created a “mood of unease” across the country, the Resolution Foundation says, warning of the risk of “further political disruption” unless pay growth accelerates. Continue ...

Thailand election: The result the polls never saw coming

Why did a youthful, progressive party do so poorly compared to a transactional, old-style party?

People with obesity 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from infection, study finds

Being unhealthy weight raises risk of severe illness or death from most infectious diseases significantly, researchers find People living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from an infection, with one in 10 infection-related deaths globally linked to the condition, research suggests. Being an unhealthy weight significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death from most infectious diseases, including flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections...

Jamie Raskin accuses DoJ of cover-up after viewing unredacted Epstein files

Ranking member of House judiciary panel said ‘mysterious redactions’ in files obscured names of abusers A top House Democrat on Monday accused the justice department of making “mysterious redactions” to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that obscured the names of abusers, while also allowing the identities of the disgraced financier’s victims to become public. Jamie Raskin, House judiciary ranking member, criticized the department after reviewing the unredacted Epstein files at a governmen...

Actor Catherine O’Hara died of a blood clot in her lungs, death certificate says

Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone star died aged 71 in January after being rushed to hospital due to breathing difficulties Emmy-winning actor Catherine O’Hara, who starred in Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, died from a blood clot in her lungs, her death certificate revealed Monday. The Canadian-born performer was rushed to the hospital on 30 January after having difficulty breathing at her home in the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Extreme cold in New York City leaves 18 dead

Homeless shelter capacity has been increased following a period of freezing temperatures in the city.

Miliband pledges up to £1bn for community green energy schemes

UK projects will allow local areas to control and profit from renewable power generation, says energy secretary The UK government is pledging to spend up to £1bn on community-owned green energy schemes in an effort to combat growing scepticism and resistance to renewables and grid upgrade projects. Ed Miliband, the UK energy secretary, said the new funding was intended to help democratise the energy system, increase the wealth and financial independence of local communities, and potentially c...

Sydney protest: NSW premier defends police in ‘impossible situation’ after accusations of violence against protesters

Politicians who attended protest against visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog say police actions against demonstrators were ‘wildly inappropriate’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Labor backbench and Greens MPs say the police response to a protest against the Israeli president’s visit on Monday evening was “wildly inappropriate” – but the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has defended police actions, say...

Savannah Guthrie pleads for help as missing mother's ransom deadline looms

The video appeal comes as a deadline looms to pay the people believed to be holding the TV hosts's mum.

Trump justice department moves to dismiss Steve Bannon criminal case

Former Trump adviser convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before House January 6 committee Donald Trump’s Department of Justice moved to dismiss a criminal case against his former aide Steve Bannon, connected to his refusal to testify before Congress relating to the investigation into the January 6 insurrection . The controversial hard-right strategist, an ally of Trump, was convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to appear for a deposition ...

Air Canada Cancels Flights to Cuba as Cuba Runs Out of Jet Fuel

The Trump administration’s crackdown on oil shipments to Cuba is beginning to wreak havoc on the Caribbean island’s travel industry.

Starmer survives Sarwar’s putsch, for now – podcast

Keir Starmer’s future as prime minister suffered another major blow when the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called for him to go. With the cabinet rallying around him, the PM seems to be safe for now, but for how much longer? Pippa and Kiran look at what might happen next Please send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar, Kiran Stacey and John Harris to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Starmer’s Epstein Crisis

Among the powerful men facing fallout from the files, the one in deepest trouble appears to have never met Epstein: the British prime minister.

Canadian mining firm says its abducted workers found dead in Mexico

Vizsla Silver Corp says that family members of some of the kidnapped workers have informed the company that their relatives were found dead.

Norway police investigate diplomat over Epstein links

Mona Juul and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen - who played a vital role in the Oslo Accords - are being investigated for "aggravated corruption".