Category Archives: World News

Keir Starmer: Labour in power would not ‘want to diverge’ from EU

Posted on by

Party leader says he would not bring in lower environmental and food standards than in Europe or reduce workers’ rights

Keir Starmer has gone further than before in outlining his vision of a future UK relationship with the EU, saying Labour didn’t “want to diverge” – in comments that were immediately seized on by the Conservatives.

The Labour leader was speaking at an event in Canada bringing together liberal and centre-left politicians, where he said that “most of the conflict” since Brexit had arisen because the UK “wants to diverge and do different things to the rest of our EU partners”.

Continue reading...

Russia temporarily bans export of petrol and diesel to stabilise domestic market

Posted on by

Four ex-Soviet states excepted from ban, which has been prompted by railway bottlenecks and weak rouble

Russia has temporarily banned exports of petrol and diesel to all countries outside a circle of four ex-Soviet states with immediate effect, in order to stabilise the domestic market.

“Temporary restrictions will help saturate the fuel market, which in turn will reduce prices for consumers,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Poland will no longer send weapons to Ukraine, says PM, as grain dispute escalates

Posted on by

Comments by Polish PM follow Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s accusation that some in Europe are in effect aiding Russia

Poland, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, has announced an end to its arms transfers to the country, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Warsaw of playing into Russia’s hands by banning Ukrainian grain imports.

Poland is one of Kyiv’s main weapons suppliers and has been one of the loudest cheerleaders for the Ukrainian cause since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but relations have soured over recent days amid the growing row over grain.

Continue reading...

Crown prince confirms Saudi Arabia will seek nuclear arsenal if Iran develops one

Posted on by

White House hopes to secure nuclear cooperation deal with Riyadh as Chinese influence grows in Middle East

The Saudi crown prince has confirmed his country would seek to acquire a nuclear arsenal if Iran developed one, throwing fresh doubt on a possible US-Saudi nuclear cooperation deal currently under negotiation.

Joe Biden’s Democratic allies in the US Senate have warned his administration will face a tough battle for approval of a deal normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia if it includes substantial nuclear cooperation with Riyadh, because of distrust of Saudi intentions.

Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia ‘getting closer’ to normalising relations with Israel, crown prince says

Posted on by

In a rare interview with Fox News, Mohammed bin Salman said major progress must be made in creation of a Palestinian state

A potential normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and what those negotiations could mean for the Palestinians, are top of the news agenda in the Middle East after the two countries and the US signalled progress on the matter on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York.

In a rare interview with western media, Riyadh’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, told Fox News on Wednesday that ongoing talks with Israel meant the prospect of normalised relations was “getting closer every day”.

Continue reading...

Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy ‘looking forward to discussing air defense’ with Biden before US announces ‘significant’ military aid – as it happened

Posted on by

This live blog is now closed. For our latest reporting on the war in Ukraine, you can read our latest report:

Energy and civilian infrastructure was hit in an early morning Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s western Rivne region, Reuters reports local governor Vitaliy Koval said on Thursday.

The Russian defence ministry claims to have downed 19 drones over the Black Sea and Crimea regions, and three further drones launched at the Belgorod, Kursk and Oryol regions by Ukraine.

Continue reading...

Owners of New Zealand volcano that fatally erupted deny responsibility for visitor safety

Posted on by

White Island/Whakaari volcano exploded in 2019, prompting debate over natural hazard tourism

The landowners of a New Zealand volcano that fatally erupted in 2019 have rejected arguments from the country’s workplace safety regulator that they ultimately managed and controlled activities on the island and bore legal responsibility for whether visitors to it were safe.

When White Island/Whakaari exploded on 9 December 2019, 22 people were killed – 17 of them Australians – with 25 others injured. It prompted renewed debate about controls for natural hazard tourism in New Zealand.

Continue reading...

Paramedic completes New Zealand rescue mission despite his helicopter crashing

Posted on by

Helicopter came down in Pirongia forest park, south of Auckland, on way to rescue of injured hiker, but paramedic onboard wasn’t deterred

A paramedic in New Zealand has continued with his rescue mission, and completed it, despite the helicopter he was in crashing en route to help an injured hiker.

The paramedic was travelling to Pirongia Forest Park, about two hours south of Auckland, when the Waikato Westpac rescue helicopter he was in came down. Authorities say the helicopter experienced a “heavy landing” at about 5pm with photos of the scene showing the red and yellow aircraft nose down, wedged between trees in thick bush.

Continue reading...

Estranged son of Thai King Vajiralongkorn says discussion of the monarchy should be allowed

Posted on by

New York-based Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse signals he rejects Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws, which ban criticism of the royal family

An estranged son of Thailand’s king who has spent almost all his adult life away from his homeland has unexpectedly gone public with his belief that open discussions about the country’s monarchy should be allowed, in a rejection of a harsh royal anti-defamation law.

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, one of the king’s five sons, posted his opinion on Facebook after attending a photo exhibition in New York about people who have been charged under the law, Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code.

Continue reading...

Flood rescue teams in Derna set back by communications outage

Posted on by

Severed fibre-optic cables hamper search for survivors in eastern Libya where thousands died after dams collapsed

A daylong communication outage in the flood-stricken city of Derna in eastern Libya has further complicated the work of teams searching for bodies under the rubble and at sea.

The country’s chief prosecutor, meanwhile, vowed to take “serious measures” to deliver justice for the victims of the floods, which killed thousands of people and devastated the coastal city more than a week ago.

Continue reading...

Yemen’s southern leaders say ‘bad’ peace deal cannot be imposed

Posted on by

Leaders seeking south Yemen’s independence say they have been sidelined from talks between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels

Leaders of the Southern Yemen independence movement have said they have been sidelined from the critical talks held in Riyadh between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels on the future of Yemen. They warned any peace deal cannot be imposed upon the south, saying possible Iranian control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb waterways was at stake.

After an unprecedented five days of meetings with the Saudi defence minister, Khalid bin Salman, Houthi leaders returned on Tuesday to their capital, Sana’a, saying the talks were positive. It was the first official meeting between the Saudis and Houthi rebels since the Saudi military intervention in 2015 and reflects Saudi Arabia’s determination to end the conflict.

Continue reading...

Zelenskiy calls for Russia to lose UN veto power; UN chief says ‘humanity has opened gates of hell’ on climate – live

Posted on by

Ukrainian president says war impossible to stop while Russia vetoes all efforts at peace; Guterres condemns world leaders’ inaction on climate crisis

The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, addressed UN ambassadors at the annual general assembly on Tuesday where he accused America of fanning the flames of violence in Ukraine, prompting protests from Israel’s representative to the UN.

Raisi claimed any Iranian-made drones hitting Ukrainian cities had been sold before the war started and said he was in favour of peace in Ukraine, on the same day that Tehran hosted a Russian defence delegation led by its defence minister, Sergei Shoigu.

Continue reading...

Canada: legal challenges threaten to derail truck blockade leaders’ trial

Posted on by

Trial initially scheduled to last 16 days facing mounting delays amid challenges over the admission of certain evidence

The trial of two protest leaders who encouraged a truck blockade of Canada’s capital is facing mounting delays as legal arguments threaten to derail the closely watched case.

Early last year, the month-long “Freedom Convoy’” protest paralyzed Ottawa after hundreds of large vehicles blocked key thoroughfares. Initially meant as a challenge to coronavirus public health measures, the protests soon morphed into a broader collection of political grievances against the governing Liberal party.

Continue reading...

Stars join King Charles at Versailles banquet during French state visit

Posted on by

Trip designed in part as show of friendship to reset UK-French relationship after Brexit years

King Charles was welcomed at a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday night, at the start of a state visit to reinforce the renewed London-Paris relationship after the near total collapse in trust during the Boris Johnson years after Brexit.

In Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, the famed 17th century gallery built by the “Sun King” Louis XIV to project the power and majesty of the French monarchy, King Charles and Emmanuel Macron were to make toasts celebrating French-British relations after a pre-dinner music recital.

Continue reading...

Ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson claims Rudy Giuliani groped her on January 6

Posted on by

Exclusive: in a new book, Hutchinson describes incident in which the former New York mayor put his hand ‘under my blazer, then my skirt’

Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump aide turned crucial January 6 witness, says in a new book she was groped by Rudy Giuliani, who was “like a wolf closing in on its prey”, on the day of the attack on the Capitol.

Describing meeting with Giuliani backstage at Donald Trump’s speech near the White House before his supporters marched on Congress in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, Hutchinson says the former New York mayor turned Trump lawyer put his hand “under my blazer, then my skirt”.

Continue reading...

How should UK, US and Australia respond to Canada-India row?

Posted on by

Justin Trudeau’s accusation that India may be behind Sikh separatist killing puts western leaders in awkward position

Canada’s accusation on Monday that India may have been behind the car park murder of the Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Najjar in June – which New Delhi rejects outright – comes at an uncomfortable and unwelcome time for Britain, the US and Australia.

London, Washington and Canberra have all been prioritising closer ties with New Delhi, seeing it not just as a strategic bulwark against the fast-rising China, but also as a partner in the economic isolation of Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

Continue reading...

Zelenskiy says only way to ensure peace is fundamental UN reform

Posted on by

Ukrainian president says UN general assembly should have power to override veto and calls for Russia’s to be removed

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has told the UN security council that the way to bring peace in Ukraine and to prevent further wars of aggression is through fundamental UN reform.

The Ukrainian president argued that the war had demonstrated the need to limit veto power, give the UN general assembly the power to override vetoes, and expand the council’s permanent members beyond the current five powers, who acquired their privileged position in the wake of the second world war.

Continue reading...

Extreme weather shows need for early warning systems, says Spanish minister

Posted on by

Teresa Ribera calls for alert systems in every country by 2027 after spate of natural disasters across the world

The latest spate of natural disasters – from the floods in Libya, Greece and Spain to the wildfires in Hawaii and Canada – has further underscored the need for early warning systems to help the world cope with the realities of the climate emergency, Spain’s environment minister has said.

Speaking to the Guardian as she prepared to travel to New York to take part in the UN’s climate ambition summit and sign a landmark treaty to protect the high seas, Teresa Ribera said the calamities laid bare the challenges the planet faced.

Continue reading...

US and Brazil warn of attempt to stop Guatemala president-elect taking power

Posted on by

Fears Guatemalan democracy is in peril amid warning of potential coup to block inauguration of anti-corruption crusader

International concern over the future of Guatemala’s democracy is growing, as Brazil’s president warned of a possible coup to stop the president-elect taking power and the US denounced unprecedented attempts to undermine the Central American country’s election result.

The centre-left anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo was elected Guatemala’s new president last month. This week thousands of supporters took to the streets to protest against alleged attempts to block his inauguration in January.

Continue reading...

‘His spirit is still among us’: Sikhs defiant in Canada city where activist was murdered

Posted on by

Colleagues say they knew Hardeep Singh Nijjar could be targeted by India for his role in Canada as a community leader

Justin Trudeau may have shocked the world this week when he linked “agents of India” to the murder of a Canadian citizen in British Columbia, but colleagues who worked alongside Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar before he was shot dead this summer said the link was already clear.

“We’re not surprised,” said Gurkeerat Singh, a volunteer at the Surrey temple that Nijjar led from 2019 until his death on 18 June. “The whole community knew who was behind it. We knew that Hardeep Singh Nijjar could be targeted by the Indian state for his role as a community leader advocating for human rights and for a separate Sikh state.”

Continue reading...