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Latest World news news, comment and analysis from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice



Tue, 21 May 2024 18:04:22 GMT
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An advance group of Kenyan officers, part of a larger UN-backed ‘support mission’ to stabilize Haiti, landed in Port-au-Prince

Kenyan special forces police who have spent time battling al-Shabaab fighters in east Africa are expected to arrive in Haiti in the coming days, as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, warned the Caribbean country was “on the precipice of becoming an all-out failed state”.

A small advance group of Kenyan officers – part of a larger UN-backed “multinational security support mission” designed to stabilize Haiti after months of mayhem – landed in the capital, Port-au-Prince, late on Monday as the city’s airport reopened nearly three months after a gang uprising forced it to close.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 12:26:56 GMT
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Greek court says it has no jurisdiction to hear case as disaster happened in international waters

A Greek court has thrown out charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwrecks, ruling it has no jurisdiction over the case because the disaster was in international waters.

The three-member tribunal, sitting in the southern city of Kalamata, announced the decision as migrant solidarity supporters rallied outside in support of the defendants. Inside the courtroom there was applause and whoops of delight.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 08:36:37 GMT
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Survivors of shipwreck that killed 600 people not ‘real smugglers’, say defenders, with inquiry into coastguard’s role also incomplete

Nine men accused of causing one of the deadliest shipwrecks to have taken place in the Mediterranean are “scapegoats” who should never have been prosecuted, defence lawyers have said, as their long-awaited trial opens in Greece.

The Egyptian suspects, who have been held in pre-trial detention since the 14 June disaster last year, are appearing in court in the southern city of Kalamata on Tuesday.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 11:07:03 GMT
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Ex-president’s jail sentence precludes him from standing for new MK party in decision that could affect general election results

South Africa’s highest court has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma cannot run for parliament in national elections on 29 May, the latest twist in the most competitive polls since the country’s first post-apartheid vote 30 years ago.

The constitutional court found that Zuma was ineligible to stand for election due to a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court in 2021, after he failed to appear before a corruption inquiry.

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Sun, 19 May 2024 21:08:57 GMT
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Coup leader killed and 50 people, including Americans, arrested after men reportedly attacked presidency in capital Kinshasa

The leader of an attempted coup on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been killed and about 50 people including three American citizens arrested, a spokesperson for the central African country’s army told Reuters.

Gunfire rang out around 4am in the capital Kinshasa, a Reuters reporter said. Armed men attacked the presidency in the city centre, according to spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge.

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Sun, 19 May 2024 16:11:29 GMT
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Human Rights Watch says Clementine De Montjoye’s case raises fresh questions about UK’s asylum seeker scheme

The Rwandan government has barred a senior human rights researcher from entering the country, prompting accusations that officials are seeking to dodge independent scrutiny just weeks before the UK government is due to send asylum seekers there for the first time.

Rwandan immigration authorities denied entry to Clementine de Montjoye, a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Africa division, when she arrived at Kigali International Airport on 13 May.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 18:18:38 GMT
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High temperatures in Mexico have been linked to dozens and perhaps hundreds of deaths of howler monkeys

It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees.

At least 83 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 14:17:56 GMT
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Argentina’s far-right president Javier Milei sparks diplomatic row with remarks about Spanish prime minister’s wife

Spain has said it is permanently withdrawing its ambassador from Argentina as a result of a growing diplomatic feud with the South American country’s radical rightwing president, Javier Milei.

Milei – a notoriously pugnacious ally of the fellow populists Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro – sparked the row last weekend by insinuating that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was “corrupt”.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 19:00:17 GMT
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‘Critical slowing down’ of recovery raises concern over forest’s resilience to ecosystem collapse

More than a third of the Amazon rainforest is struggling to recover from drought, according to a new study that warns of a “critical slowing down” of this globally important ecosystem.

The signs of weakening resilience raise concerns that the world’s greatest tropical forest – and biggest terrestrial carbon sink – is degrading towards a point of no return.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 16:32:42 GMT
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Spain recalls its Buenos Aires ambassador and demands apology from Argentina’s populist president

The Spanish government has recalled its ambassador from Buenos Aires and repeated its calls for Argentina’s populist president, Javier Milei, to apologise after he reopened a festering diplomatic row by suggesting that the wife of Spain’s prime minister was “corrupt”.

Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” and sworn enemy of socialism, infuriated Spain’s centre-left government when he used a speech at a summit of international far-right leaders in Madrid on Sunday to revive allegations that Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, had engaged in corruption and influence-peddling.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 09:06:45 GMT
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Low pressure also expected to raise temperatures in eastern Canada and north-east US, while temperatures plummet in west

After a lull in recent weeks, storm season in the US has begun to ramp up again, with 100mph winds and tennis ball-sized hail hitting Kansas on Sunday. It has been a busy season so far in terms of severe storms, with late spring into early summer typically bringing the greatest risk for tornadoes across the plains and midwest. An area of low pressure moving in across the central US, combined with rich moisture streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico, will probably continue the threat of tornadoes and large hail across numerous states. On Tuesday in particular, this severe weather risk may extend from Oklahoma all the way up to the Great Lakes.

This setup of low pressure could lead not just to a large outbreak of severe weather across the US later this week, but also to a sharp temperature gradient across the US and Canada as the warm air is fed into higher latitudes. In eastern Canada and the north-eastern US, temperatures are likely to reach 10C above the average for the time of year. Cities such as Ottawa and Detroit could have daytime maximum temperatures of 30C by Wednesday.

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Sun, 19 May 2024 11:30:34 GMT
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Book prompts conflict over claims of Métis identity in eastern Canada where group doesn’t have a homeland or deep historic ties

A graphic novel investigating Indigenous identity in Canada has prompted outrage from Métis groups, who say the book undermines their history and represents an attack on their sovereignty.

The work is the result of a third-year history seminar at Dalhousie University, where students collaborated on a book examining thorny questions over ancestry and identity.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:41:24 GMT
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French leader to leave for archipelago on Tuesday night with intention of restoring ‘calm and order’

The French president will travel to the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Tuesday, just over a week after riots erupted in the French overseas territory leaving six dead and hundreds injured.

The unrest over plans for an electoral overhaul has resulted in dozens of shops and businesses being looted and burned, with cars torched and road barricades set up. A state of emergency and curfew remain in place, with army reinforcements.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:02:35 GMT
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One man dies and 18 hospitalised, with a further 12 requiring treatment in hospital, after plane encounters severe turbulence. This live blog is closed

In the US, there has been a recent spate of headlines about turbulent flights. Guardian columnist Emma Brockes wrote this piece on the topic.

In March, a Lufthansa flight en route from Texas to Germany diverted to Dulles airport in Washington DC after turbulence injured seven people. Last December, a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu encountered turbulence so bad that 20 people required hospitalisation. In July, another Hawaiian Airlines flight, from Honolulu to Sydney, hit turbulence that injured seven people. In August, 11 people were hospitalised when a Delta flight encountered turbulence on its descent into Atlanta. The injuries included lacerations, head trauma, broken bones and loss of consciousness, mainly among passengers not wearing their seatbelts.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 13:59:33 GMT
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Thousands protest against bill which would give parliamentarians special powers to question anyone

Lai Ching-te’s first day as president of Taiwan has been marked by large protests against the opposition over a controversial bill in parliament, foreshadowing a difficult first term for the leader, who lacks a legislative majority.

Thousands of Taiwanese citizens gathered outside the legislative yuan to protest against attempts by the opposition parties to push through a bill without review, which would give parliamentarians extraordinary powers to question anyone, including the president, under threat of fines and jail time. On Friday one MP was hospitalised after the parties came to blows over the debate.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 10:10:07 GMT
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Rishi Sunak says 16 international firms have committed, but standards have been criticised for lacking teeth

The first 16 companies have signed up to voluntary artificial intelligence safety standards introduced at the Bletchley Park summit, Rishi Sunak has said on the eve of the follow-up event in Seoul.

The standards, however, have been criticised for lacking teeth, with signatories committing only to work toward information sharing, invest in cybersecurity and prioritise research into societal risks.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 04:50:15 GMT
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Song about North Korean leader titled Friendly Father includes lines like ‘let’s brag about Kim Jong-un’

South Korea’s media regulator has banned access to a North Korean propaganda music video that it said idolised and glorified leader Kim Jong-un as a “great leader”.

The catchy tune titled Friendly Father has become an unlikely social media hit around the world, going viral on short-form video app TikTok and other platforms.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 15:06:59 GMT
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Bim Afolami’s comments distance British government from protectionist moves by US

The UK cannot afford to give the “cold shoulder” to China, the City minister said on Monday, in comments that will distance the British government from the Biden administration’s protectionist crackdown.

Addressing financial services bosses at the City Week conference in London’s Guildhall, Bim Afolami said it was “crucial” to engage with strategic competitors such as Beijing, and that the UK risked losing control of its economic future if it failed to find common ground.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 22:46:37 GMT
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Follow today’s news headlines live

Chris Bowen says nuclear energy is ‘slow, expensive and risky’

Chris Bowen is also asked about the latest CSIRO report released today, showing electricity from nuclear power in Australia would be at least 50% more expensive than solar and wind.

CSIRO and Aemo have looked at large-scale nuclear for the first time. It finds that that would be far more expensive than renewables, despite claims from the opposition – quite inappropriate attacks on CSIRO and Aemo from the opposition, that they hadn’t counted the cost of transmission. The cost of transmission and storage is counted, and still renewables comes out as the cheapest.

And of course, CSIRO points out that nuclear will be … very slow to build. So nuclear is slow and expensive and is risky when it comes to the reliability of Australia’s energy system.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 22:26:56 GMT
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One Briton, en route to an Australian holiday, dies after ‘dramatic drop’ onboard Singapore Airlines flight

Eight Australians are in hospital after a London-to-Singapore flight hit severe turbulence, leading to the death of one British tourist who was travelling to Australia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that eight Australians had been injured on Singapore Airlines flight SQ 321. Fifty-six Australians were on the flight.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 18:06:02 GMT
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More than 100 Australians and other tourists airlifted to Brisbane to escape deadly riots and unrest

More than 100 Australians and other tourists have landed in Brisbane from New Caledonia after the government arranged two repatriation flights due to the worsening security situation there.

In a statement on X, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said 108 Australians and others had arrived back in Australia on Tuesday night on the government assisted-departure flights after riots in New Caledonia left six dead and a trail of looted shops, torched cars and road barricades.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:00:40 GMT
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Mark Butler says pharmacies selling medication similar to brand-name weight loss drugs increases risk of safety problems

The government will crack down on replicas of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs, closing a loophole that allowed pharmacies to make and sell them to about 20,000 Australians.

Widespread and ongoing shortages of the brand-name drugs from pharmacies – especially for weight loss, as pharmacists prioritise stock for people with diabetes – have left patients turning to compounding pharmacies, which are making their own version of the drugs en masse.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:00:40 GMT
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Eight of 21 cars tested underperformed against their marketed efficiency rates, Australian Automobile Association says

Cars driven by Australians are consistently consuming more fuel than their marketed efficiencies, investigations have found, with the latest tranche of “real-world” testing finding one car used 31% more petrol than its advertised rate.

The Australian Automobile Association testing – funded by the federal government – found that eight of the 21 cars examined in its latest round of testing consumed more petrol in real road driving conditions compared with the efficiency rates calculated by their manufacturers in laboratories.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:00:39 GMT
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Exclusive: SafeWork NSW promises to crack down on big businesses who fail to protect the wellbeing of staff

Claims for psychological injury at work are increasing at a rate far outstripping physical injury claims in New South Wales, prompting a warning from the state’s safety watchdog for businesses to expect compliance checks and prosecution if practices don’t improve.

Physical injury claims rose 11% over the four years to mid-2023, while claims of psychological damage jumped 30% over the same period, according to the State Insurance Regulatory Authority.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 17:17:43 GMT
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Vladimir Putin announced the exercises earlier this month ‘as a warning to the west not to escalate tensions further’

Russian forces have started military drills near Ukraine simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons in response to what Moscow deems threats from western officials about increased involvement in the conflict.

Vladimir Putin ordered the drills earlier this month in a move Russian officials said was a warning to the west not to escalate tensions further.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 16:32:57 GMT
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European leaders participate in debate hosted by Bruegel and the Financial Times

Karl Nehammer, the Austrian chancellor, hosted the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

“The leaders committed to implementing stronger frameworks to deal with migration, and that new innovative solutions are crucial to this end,” Nehammer said.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 16:24:17 GMT
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Self-styled aristocrat, a former judge and retired military officers among suspected Reichsbürger members appear in court

A group including a self-styled aristocrat, a former far-right politician and retired military officers sought the approval of the Russian state as it plotted a violent “seizure of power” in covert meetings at motorway service stations and a hunting lodge, a court in Germany has heard.

On the first day of their trial, nine defendants appeared in court in Frankfurt charged with high treason, facing allegations they plotted over a period of about 18 months to overthrow the state.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 14:15:31 GMT
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Draft bill tabled in Congress would open talks on trade deal with Georgia in return for commitments on civil rights

A “foreign agents” law in Georgia that has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters on to the streets of Tbilisi could be dropped in return for a package of economic and security support from Washington, the ruling party has hinted.

In response to a draft bill tabled in the US Congress that would open up talks on a trade deal in return for fresh commitments on civil rights, the governing Georgian Dream party said it would need to see progress on such promises within a year.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 11:43:28 GMT
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Cracks form in buildings after 150 quakes follow 4.4-magnitude tremor around Campi Flegrei near Naples

Homes were evacuated and many people slept in their cars or on the street after the strongest earthquake in 40 years shook the area around the sprawling Campi Flegrei supervolcano close to Naples.

The 4.4-magnitude tremor in Pozzuoli, a densely populated port city, was followed by 150 quakes that were also strongly felt in Naples.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 11:40:10 GMT
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Third parties could be required to do more to block tankers from operating in Baltic and the Channel

Britain and Finland are discussing plans to require third parties to do more to block the Russian shadow oil tanker fleet operating in the Baltic and the Channel, the Finnish foreign minister has said.

The waters around Finland act as a key choke point for the estimated 100 Russian-bought oil tankers that navigate the Baltic monthly using opaque ownership structures to carry 90m tonnes of oil.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 20:02:04 GMT
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Backtrack on Gaza live feed camera follows widespread condemnation from media groups and Israel’s closest ally, the US

Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to the Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, before reversing course in the face of widespread condemnation from media groups and criticism from its closest ally, the United States.

Officials had accused the US-based wire service, which has subscribers around the globe, of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 17:55:17 GMT
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Andrew Mitchell preparing to share details of assessment that there is no clear risk in breaching international human law

The British government is preparing to publish a summary of its legal advice stating there are no clear risks that selling arms to Israel will lead to a serious breach of international humanitarian law (IHL).

In a pre-prepared concession to the business select committee, the deputy foreign secretary, Andrew Mitchell, said: “In view of the strength of feeling in the IHL assessment process, I will look to see what more detail we could offer in writing on the IHL assessments in relation to Israel and Gaza both in process and substance.”

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Tue, 21 May 2024 16:15:51 GMT
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Bodies of helicopter crash victims taken to capital via Qom, while power struggle is under way before election

The bodies of the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and the other victims of Sunday’s helicopter crash were taken by plane to the holy city of Qom and then to Tehran before a state ceremony on Wednesday.

Iranian state TV reported on large crowds gathering to pay their respects, while behind the scenes a power struggle was under way as the regime attempts to unify around a single candidate in a snap election provisionally scheduled for 28 June.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 15:33:17 GMT
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Government urges ‘free world’ to oppose warrants against Netanyahu and defence minister for war crimes in Gaza

Israel has urged what it called “nations of the civilised world” to refuse to implement any international criminal court arrest warrants issued against its leaders.

Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the world’s top court, announced on Monday that his office had applied to a pre-trial panel for arrest warrants for three senior Hamas officials, as well as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Hamas attack of 7 October and the ensuing seven-month-old war in Gaza.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 14:02:48 GMT
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Yoav Gallant, named alongside Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, criticises decision

Crowds have gathered in Tabriz in Iran to pay respects to those killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, including the late president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Associated Press reports that a procession led by a vehicle carrying the caskets of the dead slowly moved through the narrow streets of the city, which is the closest major one near to the crash site. Thousands in black slowly walked beside the coffins, some throwing flowers up to them as an announcer wept through a loudspeaker for men he described as martyrs.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 10:20:34 GMT
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Exclusive: Members of security forces giving settlers who intercept vital supplies information on location of convoys, group says

Individual members of Israel’s security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers to the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza, enabling the groups to block and vandalise the convoys, according to multiple sources.

Settlers intercepting the vital humanitarian supplies to the strip are receiving information about the location of the aid trucks from members of the Israeli police and military, a spokesperson from the main Israeli activist group behind the blockades told the Guardian.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 07:56:38 GMT
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Authorities cut short school term as weather bureau warns of severe heatwave conditions this week

Authorities in the Indian capital, have ordered schools to shut early for the summer holiday, after temperatures in Delhi hit 47.4C (117F).

City officials told schools to shut with “immediate effect” due to the blistering heat, according to a government order quoted by the Hindustan Times on Tuesday, cutting the term by a few days.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 10:00:02 GMT
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Exclusive: Ads containing AI-manipulated images were submitted to Facebook by civil and corporate accountability groups

The Facebook and Instagram owner Meta approved a series of AI-manipulated political adverts during India’s election that spread disinformation and incited religious violence, according to a report shared exclusively with the Guardian.

Facebook approved adverts containing known slurs towards Muslims in India, such as “let’s burn this vermin” and “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned”, as well as Hindu supremacist language and disinformation about political leaders.

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Mon, 20 May 2024 02:00:52 GMT
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While the number of Indian billionaires soars, growing unemployment has become a big problem for the BJP as it campaigns for a third term

It wasn’t even the real wedding, just the pre-wedding party. But that didn’t stop India’s richest billionaire, Mukesh Ambani, whose son is set to marry the daughter of a millionaire, from throwing an affair so ostentatious that no one could question just how wealthy they are.

The pop star Rihanna was paid about $8m to perform. The catering alone cost $25m and the final bill for the glittering soiree, held in March, reportedly came in at about $150m.

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Sun, 19 May 2024 20:06:36 GMT
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Taliban says four arrested over attack at Bamiyan heritage site that killed three Spanish visitors and an Afghan

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack by gunmen in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan province that killed three Spanish tourists on Friday.

The Taliban’s interior ministry spokesperson, Abdul Mateen Qani, said on Sunday that four people had been arrested over the attack. One Afghan citizen was also killed and four foreigners and three Afghans were injured in the attack, he added.

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Sat, 18 May 2024 17:00:13 GMT
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Thousands of homes and farming land damaged in Ghor province, a week after over 300 people killed in flash floods

At least 60 people have been killed in a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, according to an official.

Dozens others remained missing, said Abdul Wahid Hamas, spokesperson for Ghor’s provincial governor, on Saturday. He said the province had suffered significant financial losses, with thousands of homes and properties damaged and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land destroyed in the floods on Friday, including in the province’s capital city, Feroz Koh.

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Fri, 17 May 2024 20:53:20 GMT
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Four suspects arrested at the scene of attack in Bamiyan, as local hospital says other tourists wounded were in a stable condition

Three Spanish tourists and an Afghan civilian have been killed in a shooting attack in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan.

The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, wrote on social messaging platform X that he was “shocked by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan”.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 22:55:08 GMT
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Chiefs say public safety at risk as a result of crisis measures such as freeing convicted criminals to ease overcrowding

Police chiefs have told ministers they fear that the crisis gripping the Prison Service in England and Wales is “unsustainable” and risks public safety, the Guardian has learned.

Government and prison chiefs have taken a series of crisis measures because of overcrowding, including plans to free convicted criminals early and using police cells to house those who otherwise would be in jail.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 22:30:46 GMT
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But supplements could reduce likelihood of heart attack for people who already have cardiovascular disease

Fish oil supplements may increase the risk of someone developing a heart condition or stroke, but could reduce the risk for those who already have cardiovascular disease, according to research.

Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. The NHS recommends at least one portion of oily fish a week to help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 22:30:46 GMT
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Electric and hybrid vehicles are quieter than cars with combustion engines, making them harder to hear, especially in urban areas

Hybrid and electric cars are more likely to strike pedestrians than petrol or diesel vehicles, particularly in towns and cities, according to an analysis of British road traffic accidents.

Data from 32bn miles of battery-powered car travel and 3tn miles of petrol and diesel car trips showed that mile-for-mile electric and hybrid cars were twice as likely to hit pedestrians than fossil fuel-powered cars, and three times more likely to do so in urban areas.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 21:25:52 GMT
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Mackinlay will return to public life on Wednesday for the first time since being diagnosed last September

The Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has revealed that he had both his hands and feet amputated last year due to sepsis.

Mackinlay, who will return to public life on Wednesday for the first time since the ordeal, was taken to hospital last September and diagnosed with sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that occurs when the immune system overreacts and starts to damage the body’s own tissues and organs.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 21:20:06 GMT
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Rebecca Gregory accused of child neglect at Stockport nursery where manslaughter of baby by Kate Roughley took place

A nursery worker at the Stockport nursery where baby Genevieve Meehan was killed has been charged with four counts of child neglect.

Rebecca Gregory has been charged with incidents alleged to have happened in April 2022, and not connected to the death of nine-month-old Genevieve. She will appear at Stockport magistrates court on 5 August to enter a plea.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 19:27:22 GMT
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Matthew Trickett, 37, who was charged with surveillance of activists, was found on Sunday evening in Maidenhead park

A former Royal Marine commando who was charged with spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service has died, police have said.

Matthew Trickett, 37, who was on bail, was found by a member of the public in a park near where he lived in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 20:16:12 GMT
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Former New York mayor one of 12 defendants charged with illegally trying to keep Trump in power after 2020 election defeat

Rudy Giuliani denied charges of illegally trying to keep Donald Trump in power after his 2020 election defeat as he was arraigned to appear before a court in Arizona along with 10 other defendants on Tuesday.

Giuliani’s not guilty plea to nine felony charges came days after he was served an indictment as he left a party to celebrate his 80th birthday last Friday.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 20:02:26 GMT
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This live blog is now closed. For the latest on 2024 US elections coverage, you can read more here.

A group of Democratic and Republican US senators has condemned the international criminal court (ICC) after its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, yesterday requested arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, defense minister Yoav Gallant and the leaders of Hamas.

In a statement, the Democrats Ben Cardin, Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen and John Fetterman and the Republicans Lindsey Graham, Jim Risch, Katie Britt and John Thune argued the ICC should have consulted further with Israel before Khan’s decision to seek warrants.

Representatives of the ICC were supposed to be in Israel today to set up meetings between Israeli officials and ICC Prosecutor Khan’s team next week to discuss allegations and concerns. This was a process we encouraged, as it is consistent with the principle of complementarity.

The ICC’s precipitous action in applying for arrest warrants in this instance runs contrary to the promotion of rule of law globally; Israel has a long history as a functioning democracy, with an independent judiciary and military justice system. We have great confidence in the Israeli judicial system’s ability to administer justice. The principle of complementarity should be honored, allowing a nation’s legal system to act first.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 19:31:32 GMT
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LAPD and DEA begin joint criminal inquiry into how Friends star, who died of acute effects of ketamine, got the prescription drug

Half a year after the death of Matthew Perry from acute effects of anesthetic ketamine, the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have launched a joint criminal investigation looking into how the Friends star got the prescription medication, law enforcement sources confirmed to the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

Perry died at the age of 54 on 28 October 2023 in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. Trace amounts of ketamine, which is sometimes used to treat depression, were found in his stomach, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner.

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Tue, 21 May 2024 19:14:50 GMT
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This live blog is now closed. For the latest on this trial, read our full report:

Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial entered its 19th day on Monday in Manhattan with what has become a routine procession, with a phalanx of supporters that included his son, Eric, Kash Patel and the law professor Alan Dershowitz, a former leader of the New York Hells Angels chapter, and a disgraced former NYPD commissioner.

Here are some key takeaways from the day’s proceedings:

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Tue, 21 May 2024 19:02:50 GMT
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Steve MacLaughlin of WTVJ in Miami urges viewers to vote – because ‘there are candidates that believe in climate change’

A TV meteorologist condemned the Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s so-called “don’t say climate change” law on air and urged viewers to vote.

Steve MacLaughlin of WTVJ in Miami addressed viewers on Saturday amid rising heat records across the state, saying: “On Thursday, we reported … that the government of Florida was beginning to roll back really important climate-change legislation and really important climate-change language.”

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Tue, 21 May 2024 18:00:40 GMT
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Environmental Protection Agency says brownfield revitalization spending has quadrupled under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $300m in new funding to clean up and redevelop 200 industrial sites across the country.

Speaking on Monday from what was once an oil station in south-west Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighborhood, the EPA’s administrator, Michael Regan, said his agency would allocate $2m to transform the site – which officials say is contaminated with lead and semi-volatile organic compounds – into a waterfront bike trail and office buildings. “With this funding, Philadelphia will be able to work with this site and reconnect Kingsessing to the riverfront,” Regan said.

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