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Mpox vaccination begins in DRC after 859 die this year
World Health Organization declared outbreak in central and east Africa a global emergency two months agoAuthorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have begun vaccination against mpox, nearly two months after the disease outbreak that spread to several countries was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.Some of the 265,000 doses donated to the DRC by the EU and the US were administered in the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province, where hospitals and health workers have been overstretched, struggling to contain the new and possibly more infectious strain of mpox. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 15:36:47
Arab spring dreams in ruins as Tunisia goes to polls against backdrop of repression
Critics of incumbent Kais Saied say he has increasingly bent the country’s institutions to his willTunisia will hold a presidential election on Sunday against the backdrop of a crackdown on dissent and human rights violations committed against undocumented migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.The incumbent, Kais Saied, whose most prominent critics are behind bars, is expected to sail to an easy win after a campaign with few rallies and public debates, marking a significant step back for a country that long prided itself as the birthplace of the Arab spring uprisings of 2011. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 11:00:22
Starmer defends UK ceding control of Chagos Islands amid Tory criticism
PM says deal has secured future of US-UK military base as Conservative leadership hopefuls play blame gameKeir Starmer has defended giving up UK control of the Chagos Islands, as the decision has descended into a political blame game among Conservative leadership candidates.The prime minister said the agreement with Mauritius over the islands would secure the long-term future of a joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, which he deemed as the “single most important thing”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 17:59:53
More than 100 people missing after being forced off boats in Djibouti
Nearly 50 people dead and 108 unaccounted for after smugglers apparently force passengers into the waterMore than 100 people are still missing after smugglers apparently forced migrants to leave their boats and swim in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration has said.Forty-eight people have so far been confirmed dead after the incident on Monday, which involved two boats that had left Yemen for Djibouti with a total of 310 people onboard, said Frantz Celestin, a regional director at the UN agency. “Unfortunately, we have yet to account for about 108 of the migrants,” he said. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 15:40:24
At least 78 dead and dozens missing after ferry disaster in DR Congo
Overcrowded boat on Lake Kivu capsizes as it was about to dock near Goma, with death toll likely to rise significantlyAt least 78 people have drowned and many more are missing after a boat belived to be carrying 278 passengers capsized on Thursday morning just a few hundred metres from the shore of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The accident happened just as the vessel, MV Merdy, was about to dock at the port of Kituku, just outside the city of Goma, after crossing the lake from the town of Minova. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 10:11:30
Britain to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius ending years of dispute
Agreement to hand back UK’s last African colony follows 13 rounds of negotiations and international pressureThe UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony.The agreement will allow a right of return for Chagossians, who the UK expelled from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s, in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of postwar colonialism. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 16:56:58
UK ‘resolutely committed’ to its overseas territories, says foreign minister
Stephen Doughty’s remarks come as Argentina vows to gain ‘full sovereignty’ of Falkland IslandsThe UK is “resolutely committed” to all of its overseas territories, the responsible foreign minister said, after Argentina vowed to gain “full sovereignty” of the Falkland Islands.Stephen Doughty said on Saturday that the sovereignty of the territories is “not up for negotiation”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 18:22:21
Canada’s carbon tax is popular, innovative and helps save the planet – but now it faces the axe
As prime minister Justin Trudeau trails in polls, opposition seek to persuade voters environmental policy is a burdenMass hunger and malnutrition. A looming nuclear winter. An existential threat to the Canadian way of life. For months, the country’s Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has issued dire and increasingly apocalyptic warnings about the future. The culprit? A federal carbon levy meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions.In the House of Commons this month, the Tory leader said there was only one way to avoid the devastating crisis: embattled prime minister Justin Trudeau must “call a ‘carbon tax’ election”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 17:00:31
US supreme court will rule on $10bn suit Mexico filed against US gun makers
Mexico argues negligence from makers such as Colt and Glock has led to gun trafficking to drug cartels and criminals The US supreme court said on Friday it will decide whether to block a $10bn lawsuit Mexico filed against US gun manufacturers and distributors that argues that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed bloodshed in the country.The lawsuit, filed in Boston in August, names Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms, Beretta, Colt and Glock, as well as Boston-area wholesaler Interstate Arms. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 18:16:01
Argentina’s Javier Milei accused of plagiarising UN speech from West Wing
Populist leader alleged to have ‘copied word for word’ a monologue by TV show’s fictional president Jed BartletArgentina’s rightwing populist president, Javier Milei, has been accused of plagiarising a chunk of his recent speech to the United Nations general assembly from the political drama The West Wing.“It seems like fiction, but it isn’t,” the left-leaning Buenos Aires newspaper Página 12 reported on Friday, claiming Milei had “copied, word for word, a monologue” by the television show’s fictional president, Josiah “Jed” Bartlet. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 14:04:56
Jamaica welcomes US move to clamp down on gun trafficking to Caribbean
Horace Chang, deputy PM of country with highest homicide rate, praises US attorneys generals’ support for legislationJamaica’s deputy prime minister has welcomed a campaign by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, to push through new measures and legislation to tackle gun trafficking from the US to the Caribbean.Horace Chang, who is also Jamaica’s minister of security, praised a coalition of 14 US attorneys general, led by James, that is backing the passing of the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm Act. Introduced in both houses of the US Congress earlier this year, the act aims to help curb illicit arms trafficking from the United States to the Caribbean. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 15:22:19
Quebec separatist leader holds Trudeau to ransom: ‘We saw an opportunity’
Yves-François Blanchet says Liberals must pass legislation or lose support of party propping up governmentThe leader of the Quebec independence party propping up the government of Justin Trudeau has insisted that the political lifeline depends on the quick passage of two pieces of legislation, and warned Canada’s embattled prime minister that he remains “very vulnerable”.The Bloc Québécois leader, Yves-François Blanchet, told the Guardian the Liberals must act swiftly to enshrine protections for dairy farmers and boost payments to seniors to stave off a fatal vote of non-confidence. He warned that unless both pieces of legislation are passed into law by 29 October, his party would begin discussions with other parties to trigger a federal election. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 12:00:08
Mainland China not the motherland, says Taiwan’s president, because our republic is older
Lai Ching-te argues the reverse may be true because the Republic of China – the mantle that nationalists carried with them to Taiwan – predates the communist People’s RepublicIt is “impossible” for the People’s Republic of China to become Taiwan’s motherland because Taiwan has older political roots, the island’s president has said.Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, is condemned by Beijing as a separatist. He rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying the island is a country called the Republic of China that traces its origins back to the 1911 revolution overthrowing the last imperial dynasty. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 03:40:08
Typhoon Krathon hits Taiwan, killing two people and wreaking destruction
Several missing and more than 120 injured after storm makes landfall in Kaohsiung, with authorities pleading for people to stay insideTyphoon Krathon has made landfall in Taiwan, bringing destructive wind and rain to the island’s second biggest city.The storm has killed at least two people, with several more reported missing and more than 120 injured. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 11:41:18
Bird flu outbreak kills dozens of tigers in Vietnam zoos
The H5N1 virus killed 47 tigers, three lions and a panther at the My Quynh safari park and the Vuon Xoai zoo, according to state mediaForty-seven tigers, three lions and a panther have died in zoos in south Vietnam due to the H5N1 bird flu virus, state media reported.The deaths occurred in August and September at the private My Quynh safari park in Long An province and the Vuon Xoai zoo in Dong Nai, near the capital Ho Chi Minh City, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 01:50:41
North Korean defector crashes stolen bus in failed bid to return home
Defectors seeking to cross back into North Korea from the South are rare, though many struggle to adapt to life in their democratic, capitalist neighbourA North Korean defector living in South Korea has been detained after ramming a stolen bus into a barricade on a bridge near the heavily militarised border, in a failed attempt to return to his isolated homeland.The man – who fled to the South in 2011 – ignored warnings from soldiers to stop while attempting on Tuesday to drive through the Tongil Bridge in Paju, just south of the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, according to media reports citing South Korean provincial police. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-03 00:08:53
Typhoon Krathon: two people killed and two missing in Taiwan
More than 100 injured as schools, offices and financial markets shut for a second dayTwo people have been killed, two are missing and more than 100 injured in bad weather from a typhoon approaching Taiwan, which grounded flights and closed all schools, offices and financial markets for Wednesday and Thursday.Typhoon Krathon reached super typhoon status in recent days but movement stalled overnight and its intensity has weakened as it moves slowly towards Taiwan’s south-west. It is expected to make landfall near Kaohsiung on Thursday afternoon. Authorities warned the threat of strong winds and storm surges remained for coastal and low-lying communities on the densely populated west coast, and the mountainous areas remained at high risk of landslides and torrential rain. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-02 13:21:52
Buried US second world war bomb explodes at Japanese airport
Unexpected blast at Miyazaki airport makes crater in taxiway and leads to grounding of 80 flights but no injuriesA US bomb from the second world war that had been buried at a Japanese airport has exploded, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights but no injuries, Japanese officials said.Land and transport ministry officials said there were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki airport in south-western Japan on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-02 11:50:10
Australia news live: protesters say ‘we have a right to demonstrate’ as pro-Palestine rallies held in Sydney and Melbourne
Follow the day’s news liveAustralians arrive in Cyprus after being evacuated from LebanonSome images are coming through of Australian citizens, residents and their families arriving at Larnaca airport in Cyprus after being evacuated from Beirut yesterday.This is a tragedy that has been playing out in the Middle East. It is obviously difficult. It is obviously complex.That is a patent lie, and it’s an intentional lie, and it’s a lie intended to create division within Australian politics and from there, within Australian society. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 04:08:31
Controversial pro-Palestine protests under way across Australia ahead of 7 October anniversary
Deputy prime minister labels rallies ‘deeply regrettable’ as protesters warned not to display symbols linked to designated terrorist groupsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSupporters of Palestine have taken to the streets in Sydney and Melbourne, a day before the first anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel.Rallies were scheduled to take place in cities across Australia, with demonstrators warned not to display symbols linked to designated terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 03:30:32
Eight-year-old girl dead and woman missing after Queensland townhouse fire
Police believe woman may have not survived Sunday morning blaze at home in Thorneside, south of BrisbaneFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn eight-year-old girl has died and a woman is missing after a townhouse caught fire at Thorneside, south of Brisbane on Sunday.Queensland police told ABC reporters at the scene that they had “a strong belief” that the missing woman had been at the home when the fire took hold, and would not have survived.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 02:29:10
Dutton ‘intentionally lying’ about Australia’s stance on Middle East crisis, Marles says
Opposition leader’s claim Labor is ‘at odds with our allies’ an attempt to sow division, deputy prime minister saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has hit back at Peter Dutton’s claims that Australia is at odds with its allies over the conflict in the Middle East, characterising this as “an intentional lie” that aims to fuel division.With more Australians expected to fly out of Lebanon on Sunday as Israel steps up strikes in southern Beirut, the government said it was “deeply anxious” about the “extraordinary loss of innocent life in Gaza” and the prospect of the conflict spreading. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 00:44:58
Aussie classics Vegemite and Tim Tams cheaper in UK supermarkets than Australia
Vegemite sells for 30 cents more per 100g in Australia, a salty byproduct of lower supermarket competition sure to leave a bad tasteFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastShoppers in the UK are paying less for Australian brands including Vegemite and Tim Tams than customers in Australia, despite the classic products being made in Australia.A comparison of seven Australian products stocked in UK supermarkets shows they are often cheaper to buy in Britain than at Australia’s two major supermarket chains.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 19:00:31
Liz Truss urges conservatives to ‘defund state media’ as she rails against left at Australian CPAC event
Former British prime minister also criticises the Bank of England and bureaucrats in speech at rightwing conference in BrisbaneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiz Truss, the former British prime minister, has claimed the left is winning “the argument” and called for the defunding of public broadcasters to help win it back during a speech at the Australian Conservative Political Action Conference.About 1,000 people at the CPAC conference in Brisbane also heard the former Conservative party leader blame the “unelected Bank of England” for a financial crisis which contributed to her departure as prime minister after just 49 days, following her disastrous mini-budget.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 06:17:54
Child ‘trampled’ to death among fatalities on Channel boat, says French minister
Young child reportedly found on overcrowded boat trying to cross Channel, hours after G7 countries agree plan to combat smuggling gangsA two-year-old child was crushed to death and three other people died in two attempts to cross the Channel from France on Saturday.French authorities said the infant died after being trampled following a “wave of panic” among migrants trying to board a dinghy. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 16:00:13
Hundreds join silent march in France in support of Gisèle Pelicot
Women and men march in village where Pelicot’s husband is accused of drugging her and inviting men to assault herA silent march took place in support of Gisèle Pelicot and other female victims of sexual violence on Saturday in Mazan, the village where Pelicot’s husband is accused of drugging her and inviting more than 80 men to assault her at their home.Hundreds of women and men turned out in solidarity with the woman at the centre of a case that has shocked the world. Members of the Pelicot family did not attend but said they appreciated the public support. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 14:57:45
Flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least 16
Rescuers search for missing after huge volumes of rain fall in area around Jablanica and Konjic, causing sudden floodingRescue teams are searching for survivors after flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least 16 people and injuring dozens more.Construction machines worked to remove piles of rocks and debris covering the central town of Jablanica after the rainstorm early on Friday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 10:57:32
Squeezed out: last accordion maker in France to close shop after 105 years
Maugein owner blames competition from China and Covid pandemic for firm’s demise, but former French president says there is hopeIts distinctive sound has provided the soundtrack for some of France’s most recognisable cultural classics, from Parisian dance halls to the film Amélie and the songs of Édith Piaf. It has even been played by a former president.But it seems the traditional French-made accordéon à bretelles (strap accordion) has been squeezed out of existence after Maugein, the country’s last manufacturer, was forced into liquidation after 105 years of making the instrument, known as the “poor person’s piano”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 04:00:13
Dutch feminists campaign for national monument to ‘witches’
Thousands have been raised for site to commemorate victims of Satanic panic in 15th to 17th centuriesThree feminist campaigners in the Netherlands want to reclaim the insult “witch” and recognise the innocent victims of Dutch witch-hunts from the 15th to the 17th centuries with a national monument.Susan Smit, Bregje Hofstede and Manja Bedner, the chair and board members of the National Witches Monument foundation, have raised €35,000 (£29,000) for an official site of memory for about 70,000 people who died during a Satanic panic that swept Europe and the Americas. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 15:22:28
EU court rules gender and nationality enough to grant Afghan women asylum
ECJ ruling follows Afghan women’s challenge to Austrian court refusal to give them refugee statusThe European court of justice (ECJ) has ruled that gender and nationality alone are sufficient grounds for a country to grant asylum to women from Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban have sharply curtailed women’s rights.Authorities in Austria refused refugee status to two Afghan women after they applied for asylum in 2015 and 2020. The women challenged the refusal before the Austrian supreme administrative court, which in turn requested a ruling from the ECJ, the top European Union court. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-04 14:42:26
Middle East crisis live: heavy Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut as up to 18 reported killed in attack on Gaza mosque
Strikes described as the most severe of conflict so far, with some landing near airport amid foreign evacuation flights; Israeli military says mosque used as Hamas command centreSee all our Middle East crisis coverageAustralian supporters of Palestine have taken to the streets in Sydney and Melbourne, a day before the first anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel.Rallies were scheduled to take place in cities across Australia, with demonstrators warned not to display symbols linked to designated terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.“On this day we remember all those who were brutally killed and suffered unspeakable violence, including sexual violence as they were simply living their lives. This is a day for the global community to repeat in the loudest voice our utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of Hamas including the taking of hostages.”“Since October 7th a wave of shocking violence and bloodshed has erupted. The war that has followed the terrible attacks of a year ago continues to shatter lives and inflict profound human suffering for Palestinians in Gaza and now the people of Lebanon.I have spoken out about this often and clearly. It is time for the release of the hostages, time to silence the guns, time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region. Time for peace, international law and justice.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 04:05:57
Night of bombing in south Beirut – as it happened
This blog is now closed. Our latest live reporting of the Middle East crisis is here. And all our Middle East crisis coverage is hereAt least 41,825 Palestinians have been killed and 96,910 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the territory’s health authorities said on Saturday.A South Korean military transport aircraft returned 97 citizens and family members from Lebanon on Saturday as Middle East tensions rise, the foreign ministry said. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 02:30:05
Faith leaders unite to reject prejudice on eve of 7 October anniversary
Muslim and Jewish figures join archbishop in first act of high-level solidarityMuslim and Jewish leaders today unite around an unprecedented joint statement calling the assaults on Israel on 7 October last year “brutal Hamas terrorist attacks” that led to a “devastating war in Gaza and beyond” which together have caused “horrific” human suffering.Joined by the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in the first high-level act of inter-faith solidarity in the year-long conflict, they say in a letter to the Observer: “Our faiths and our humanity teach us that we should mourn for all the innocent people who have lost their lives. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 17:51:08
Escalation with Iran could be risky: Israel is more vulnerable than it seems
Intelligence analysis of Tehran’s attack suggests that much-touted Israeli missile defences are not, in fact, impregnableIn the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Israel on Tuesday night, Israeli officials claimed their defences had stood firm. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Iran had launched more than 180 missiles, but few details about the damage were released and the US’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the attack “appears to have been defeated and ineffective”.But as Israel prepares its retaliation, analysts believe those initial reports could have been misleading – and could change the calculus of Israel’s response if it fears getting into a bout of protracted “missile ping-pong” with Iran, especially should Tehran choose softer targets in the future. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 16:38:48
Three hospitals in Lebanon forced to close amid Israeli bombing
Healthcare workers have been displaced and paramedics killed in the south of the countryMiddle East crisis – live updatesThree hospitals in south Lebanon were forced to close on Friday after Israeli bombings struck two and the other ran out of supplies, displacing a number of doctors from the area and creating concerns around the state of the Lebanese health sector.Marjayoun governmental hospital and the Salah Ghandour hospital in Bint Jbeil, large healthcare centres along the eastern and western sections of the Lebanese borders, announced their closure after their premises were struck, killing seven and wounding 14 healthcare workers. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 14:54:15
Israel ‘preparing response’ to Iran attack as 7 October anniversary looms
Military also ordering civilians in two Gaza camps to evacuate, while operations in Lebanon continue to ramp upMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli military is expanding its operations on multiple fronts around the anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Monday, including planning for a “significant and serious” retaliation against Iran for last week’s large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israel.Signs of imminent Israeli retaliation against Iran came as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, called for an international embargo on arms delivered to Israel for use against Gaza, where authorities say more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s year long assault. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 13:57:42
‘Life is pretty brutal’: concerns in India over high-pressure corporate jobs
The death of a young chartered accountant has highlighted a work culture of overworked employees and bullying bossesFor the average Indian, the working week is now longer than ever – totalling almost 47 hours.According to recent labour data, India now has one of the most overworked labour forces in the world, enduring longer hours than in China, Singapore and even Japan, a country renowned for its relentless work culture. On average, Indians work 13 hours longer every week than an employee in Germany. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-02 04:00:32
Indian police investigate ticket resales for Coldplay Mumbai gigs
After tickets quickly sold out, some began to reappear on unauthorised third-party websites for more than £750Indian police have opened an investigation after touts bought up tickets for Coldplay’s upcoming Mumbai shows and put them back on sale for more than £750 each.India is often missed off global tours by popular western artists and news that Coldplay would be coming to India for the first time in January to perform two nights of their world tour in Mumbai had been greeted with wild excitement by music fans. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-01 12:32:43
Mount Everest is having a growth spurt, say researchers
River erosion has pushed the mountain upwards and added an extra 15 to 50 metres over the past 89,000 yearsClimbing Mount Everest has always been a feat, but it seems the task might be getting harder: researchers say Everest is having something of a growth spurt.The Himalayas formed about 50m years ago, when the Indian subcontinent smashed into the Eurasian tectonic plate – although recent research has suggested the edges of these plates were already very high before the collision. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-30 15:00:04
More than 200 dead in Nepal floods, as parts of Kathmandu left under water
At least 30 stranded or missing and hundreds injured after heaviest monsoon rains in two decadesMore than 200 people were killed in Nepal over the weekend in what experts described as some of the worst flash flooding to have hit the capital, Kathmandu, and the surrounding valleys.Swathes of Kathmandu were left underwater after the heaviest monsoon rains in two decades fell on Friday and Saturday, washing away entire neighbourhoods, bridges and roads. The heavy rains caused the Bagmati River, which runs through the city, to swell more than 2 metres higher than deemed safe. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-30 13:28:57
More than 100 killed and 64 missing as flooding and landslides hit Nepal
Officials expect death toll to rise as flood waters inundate Kathmandu after highest rainfall since 1970Flooding and landslides caused by continuous rainfall have killed at least 101 people in Nepal while 64 people are missing, officials have said. Rain began pouring down on Friday night and continued into Saturday, with low-lying neighbourhoods in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, inundated by surging floodwaters.“The death toll has reached 101, and 64 people are missing,” police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP early on Sunday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-29 04:01:46
Dozens of children drown in India during Hindu festival
At least 46 people, most of them children, drowned in the eastern state of Bihar while bathing in rivers swollen by recent floods in observance of Jivitputrika Vrat.At least 46 people have drowned, most of them children, while bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent floods, during the observance of a Hindu religious festival celebrated by millions in India.The dead include 37 children and seven women who drowned in the eastern state of Bihar in scattered incidents across 15 districts, authorities said on Thursday. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-09-27 02:30:11
Study of new personalised cancer therapies could ‘transform’ how the disease is treated
Large-scale clinical project could give real-time view of how well treatments are working and lead to earlier diagnosesScientists are embarking on a large-scale clinical study of new personalised cancer therapies which could give clinicians are real-time view of how well treatments are working.The £9m partnership between the Francis Crick Institute, five NHS trusts, charities and bioscience companies will spend four years examining the effectiveness of new immunotherapy treatments and exploring new ways to detect cancer. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 23:01:35
Parkrun at 20: how a gentle jog turned into a 5km Saturday morning obsession
The event, which is celebrating its anniversary, has grown into a global phenomenon – and made us feel a whole lot betterTwenty years ago, on a windy, autumnal Saturday morning, 13 runners showed up to a park in south-west London for an event called the Bushy Park Time Trial. A 5km course was plotted and the organiser, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a computer programmer who grew up in South Africa, bought washers from a hardware store to hand out as finish tokens. The times were tapped up on a laptop afterwards in a local Caffè Nero.This Saturday, the weather hadn’t much improved – overcast, with the sun straining to peek through – and the venue was the same: picturesque Bushy Park with its resident red deer squaring up, ready to rut. But pretty much everything else about the impromptu get-together has evolved. Since 2008, it has been known as Parkrun and there are now 2,500 weekly events – all 5km, all free – in 22 countries, everywhere from the slopes of Mount Etna to 25 UK prisons to the Falkland Islands. In a typical week, around 350,000 people will take part. Runner’s World hails it a “global phenomenon”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 20:15:32
Doubts grow over Labour’s VAT plan for private schools
The Treasury refuses to confirm 1 January start date as unions, tax experts and school leaders say it is unworkableGovernment plans to impose VAT on private schools from 1 January next year may have to be delayed because of warnings from unions, tax experts and school leaders that meeting the deadline will cause administrative chaos and teacher job losses, and put pressure on the state sector.The Treasury on Saturday night refused to confirm that the plan to impose 20% VAT on private school fees would go ahead from 1 January, as confirmed by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in July, instead saying it would be introduced “as soon as possible”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 19:00:33
Waiter! Soho’s cafe society confused after law changes on tipping
Staff should now receive every penny paid in tips – including service chargesWhoever said it’s better to give than to receive wasn’t talking about tipping. Waiters around the UK should be starting to receive a £200m-a-year bonanza thanks to a new law that means every penny paid in tips, including service charges, on a restaurant bill will have to go to staff.Yet exactly how much of the money will end up in servers’ pockets is unclear. The law was changed because some restaurants took service charges as part of their profits or to pay for overheads such as lighting. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 18:22:37
Assisted dying supporters court Tories to bolster cross-party appeal
After all four would-be leaders spoke against law change, both sides seek to sway waverers Supporters of an assisted dying law in England and Wales are battling to stop the issue from splitting along party political lines after all four Tory leadership candidates suggested they would vote against the historic change.An all-important House of Commons vote on the issue could now be just weeks away after it was revealed that Labour MP Kim Leadbeater would be introducing a private member’s bill that would give some terminally ill adults the option of being helped to end their lives. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 18:03:09
Wealthy, white and rightwing: the Tory members holding the party’s future in their hands
The electorate for the Conservative leadership contest likes a winner, but lately has had trouble picking oneThe Conservative party is more than just 121 MPs. It’s also tens of thousands of ordinary members. The £39 a year they pay to belong might not entitle them to any real say on the party’s policies, but it does give them the right to help select its candidates and, even better, its leader.Quite how many individual blades make up the Tory grassroots these days, we won’t know until we learn the result of the membership ballot, which starts on 31 October. In 2019, when Johnson was elected leader, it came in at 159,000. And in 2022, when Liz Truss got the nod, it had actually risen to 172,000. But that was considerably down on the 254,000 who got to choose between Davids Cameron and Davis back in 2005 and way off the 2.8 million members that the party claimed to have at its postwar peak in the mid-1950s. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 17:31:46
Donald Trump makes a theatrical return to Butler, scene of assassination attempt
Thousands attend Pennsylvania rally to see Republican candidate, while Elon Musk warns of ‘last election’ if supporters don’t turn out to voteDonald Trump has returned to the site where he narrowly escaped assassination in July, pushing the emotional buttons of his supporters and suggesting that his political opponents “maybe even tried to kill me” to stop him regaining the White House.The Republican presidential nominee – and perennial showman – mounted an unabashedly sentimental spectacle in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. He was joined by billionaire Elon Musk, who made the baseless claim that if Trump’s supporters fail to turn out, “this will be the last election”. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 01:52:18
Harris says federal aid for Hurricane Helene relief ‘here for the long term’
Vice-president pledges ongoing support during second trip in four days to North Carolina disaster zoneKamala Harris pledged ongoing federal support and praised the “heroes among us” during a swing through hurricane-hit North Carolina on Saturday, her second trip in four days to the disaster zone.The vice-president began her visit by attending a briefing with state and local officials in Charlotte, where she thanked “those who are in the room and those who are out there right now working around the clock” in the post-Helene rescue effort. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-06 00:19:08
Trump repeats false anti-immigrant claims at Pennsylvania rally as Musk urges everyone to vote – live
Ex-president addresses crowd in Butler less than three months after assassination attempt there on 13 JulyAs the Trump and Harris campaigns host events across the country today – now one month before the 5 November election – the Guardian US is averaging national and state polls to see how the two candidates are faring. We will update our averages once a week, or more if there is major news.As the Guardian’s Sam Levine writes today:With her highest national polling average since July, Harris is now leading in five of seven key swing states. Nationally, the Guardian’s tracker shows Harris with 49.3% of the vote, compared with 46% for Trump. The election is a month away, and already an estimated 1.4 million Americans have voted as of midday on Friday.The race is still extremely close. The simplest path to collecting the 270 electoral votes needed to win is still the blue wall of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. While Harris leads Trump in all three according to the Guardian’s analysis (Pennsylvania by 1.2 points, Michigan by 0.1 points and Wisconsin by 2.2 points), those advantages are quite slim. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 23:38:53
White House blasts false claims about Hurricane Helene and relief aid
Statement comes as president urges Congress to pass disaster-relief package as costs soar amid devastationThe White House moved Saturday to quash claims that government officials control the weather, including a far-fetched rumor circulating on social media that Hurricane Helene was an engineered storm to allow corporations to mine regional lithium deposits.“We have seen a large increase in false information circulating online related to the federal response to Hurricane Helene,” a statement said, pointing to a “number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos because they think it helps their political interests are promoting disinformation about the recovery effort.” Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 22:48:57
Tropical Storm Milton expected to wallop Florida days after Helene
Latest system forms in Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, with forecasters expecting upgrade to hurricane in a few daysFlorida is expected to get walloped by another hurricane next week, just 10 days after it was hit by Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread storm surge and wind damage before it moved inland to cause devastating flooding.The latest system, Tropical Storm Milton, formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. Forecasters expect the storm to quickly strengthen into a hurricane and rush toward Florida in the next few days. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 21:24:21
Trump to attend rally at site of July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania
Former president will appear with ‘quadruple’ the security, and also honor firefighter killed during shootingDonald Trump plans to return on Saturday to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, as the former president sets aside what are now near-constant worries for his physical safety in order to fulfill a promise – “really an obligation”, he said recently – to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania.“I’ll probably start off by saying, ‘As I was saying ... ’,” the Republican presidential nominee has joked, in a bit of black humor about a speech cut short when a bullet struck Trump’s ear and he was whisked off stage – fist aloft – with blood dripping across his face. Continue reading...
Published: 2024-10-05 16:56:15