World News Hub

‘What happened to the testicles?’: mockery in Milan over bull mosaic’s restoration

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Rampant Bull needed a makeover after wear and tear from tourists, but refurbishment ‘castrated’ it, critics sayThe restoration of a floor mosaic in Milan called the Rampant Bull has been mocked after the works appear to have erased a crucial anatomical detail – its testicles.The 19th-century mosaic in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade needed a makeover because a small crater had fo...

Royal Mail investigated again as almost a quarter of first-class mail arrives late

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Latest figures show the company’s delivery performance has worsened compared with the previous yearBusiness live – latest updatesThe postal regulator has launched an investigation into Royal Mail for once again missing its annual delivery targets, with almost a quarter of first-class mail arriving late.The company, which has been fined £37m since 2023 for routinely failing to meet delivery targets...

French navy seizes Russia-linked oil tanker in Atlantic

The Guardian • 3 months ago

President Macron says ship subject to sanctions and posts video of operation that took place with UK supportA suspected Russian oil tanker has been detained in the Atlantic, France has announced, in the latest seizure aimed at combatting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of vessels contravening international sanctions.The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical mi...

Nvidia launches ‘superchip’ putting AI power into laptops and PCs

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Firm says its RTX Spark PC chip for Microsoft Windows will let AI agents replace the mouse and keyboardBusiness live – latest updatesA new front has opened up in the battle for dominance in AI chips, as Nvidia said its latest development could replace the mouse and keyboard in how people use computers.The $5tn (£3.7tn) US semiconductor company has launched a “superchip” that puts AI capabilities i...

First Thing: Trump tells critics to ‘sit back and relax’ as Iran claims to target US base

The Guardian • 3 months ago

US says it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend, as Iran targets an airbase used by the US to attack southern IranGood morning, Martin Belam here. I will be popping into your inbox writing First Thing regularly for the next little while. Here are today’s main stories …Is this the end of the ceasefire, then? The US and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes since their ceasefire took effe...

UK will not have to pay Rwanda £100m over failed asylum scheme, court rules

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Rwanda had sued UK government over alleged breach of agreement, after scheme scrapped by Labour on first day in officeThe UK will not have to pay the Rwandan government millions of pounds over a failed migrant deportation scheme set up by Boris Johnson’s administration, an international court has ruled.The east African nation had sued the current UK government for more than £100m, claiming it was ...

Middle East crisis live: Israel targets southern Beirut as Kuwait condemns Iranian missile and drone attack

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Strikes undermine efforts towards de-escalating conflict, says Kuwait, as US president hits out at ‘chirping’ critics and says they should ‘sit back and relax’Netanyahu orders Israeli bombing of southern LebanonIran targets American bases in regionThe exchange of strikes between the US and Iran reflects the fragility of the current ceasefire, which has seen repeated violations even as American and...

Colombia’s far-right presidential candidate De la Espriella wins first round of vote ahead of runoff

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Lawyer and Trump admirer has risen rapidly in the polls and will face Iván Cepeda in election runoff in three weeksThe far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday and will face senator Iván Cepeda, the candidate backed by leftwing president Gustavo Petro, in the runoff.With 100% of ballots counted, the outsider and Donald Trump admire...

Water-related deaths in UK heatwave hit 15 after girl dies in North Yorkshire

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Girl, 13, pulled from River Wharfe on Sunday and boy, 11, remains missing from River Don as hot spell comes to an endA 13-year-old girl has died after going into a river and a boy is missing as the water-related death toll reached at least 15 at the end of the UK heatwave.The girl was pulled from the River Wharfe in Burnsall, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, on Sunday evening. She was airlifted to h...

Water-related deaths in UK heatwave hit 15 after girl, 13, dies and boy goes missing

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Girl pulled from River Wharfe in Burnsall, Yorkshire, on Sunday, with temperatures dropping down to average on MondayA 13-year-old girl has died after going into a river and a boy is missing as the water-related death toll reached at least 15 amid a heatwave.The girl was pulled from the River Wharfe in Burnsall, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, on Sunday evening. She was airlifted to hospital where ...

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait condemns Iranian missile and drone attack as Trump claims war will ‘all work out well’

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Strikes undermine efforts towards de-escalating conflict, says Kuwait, as US president hits out at ‘chirping’ critics and says they should ‘sit back and relax’Netanyahu orders Israeli bombing of southern LebanonIran targets American bases in regionThe exchange of strikes between the US and Iran reflects the fragility of the current ceasefire, which has seen repeated violations even as American and...

Home Office sends letters to children as young as five saying they must leave UK

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Children of those on care worker visas, who came legally before rule change, told to leave even if parents can stayChildren as young as five who are living legally in the UK are being told by the Home Office they must leave the country even if their parents have been given permission to remain.The Guardian has seen five letters sent to children by the Home Office telling them they must leave the U...

‘We want fans to know the risks’: US immigrant rights groups mobilize across World Cup host cities amid ICE fears

The Guardian • 3 months ago

More than 120 groups issued warning to 10 million visitors about ‘serious rights violations’ under TrumpWith the Fifa World Cup just two weeks away, immigrant rights advocates in the 11 US host cities are mobilizing to protect fans and residents from immigration enforcement activities this summer.In Los Angeles, a labor union representing more than 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium is thre...

‘Our democracy is run by two private clubs’: can a pro-hunting Democrat lead a blue wave in Iowa?

The Guardian • 3 months ago

As Trump’s approval ratings dip and gas prices rise, Democrats see an opening with Rob SandRob Sand, the best-known Democrat in Iowa, appears on podcasts to discuss his love of hunting, begins rallies by having the audience sing America the Beautiful and has a tendency to criticize the country’s two-party political system.Now, Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate ...

Kane Parsons becomes youngest film-maker to open at No 1 in the US with Backrooms

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Backrooms stunned industry observers by taking $81m in its first weekend, a record for studio A24Kane Parsons has become the youngest film-maker to open a film at number one at the North American box office for his directing debut Backrooms.Parsons, 20, is seven years younger than the previous record holder, Josh Trank, who was 27 when his debut Chronicle recorded a $22m opening in 2011. Backrooms...

Young Britons feel disconnected and locked out of creative arts, charity says

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Research for Roundhouse in London shows 87% of 18- to 30-year-olds believe they have fewer artistic opportunities Rising costs, the disappearance of third spaces and reduced access to artistic opportunities are causing young people to feel “disconnected, isolated and locked out of creativity”, according to research commissioned by a youth arts charity.The Roundhouse, a multi-arts venue in north Lo...

US man named Loony Toon sentenced to 20 years for shooting at police officers

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Oregon man with extensive criminal record fired at three officers while speeding away from a traffic stop in 2025A man with the unusual name Loony Toon and a lengthy rap sheet has been given 20 years in prison after admitting that he shot at police officers in Oregon, according to authorities.The 43-year-old whose name calls to mind the classic television cartoon franchise Looney Tunes – as well a...

Netanyahu orders Israeli bombing of southern Beirut

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Thousands leave homes after Israeli military instructed to strike ‘terrorist targets’ in largest escalation of war since ceasefire Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli military to bomb the southern suburbs of Beirut, the most serious escalation of Israel’s war in Lebanon since a supposed ceasefire was announced on 17 April.The Israeli prime minister and his defence minister, Israel Katz, ...

No 10 braced for ‘excruciating’ revelations as messages between Mandelson and ministers to be released – UK politics live

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Sources predict ‘toe-curling’ revelations as more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador to be publishedMandelson files show no mitigation of security concernsTwo prominent US political commentators who were due to speak at events in the UK this week have said they have been banned from entering the country, Kevin Rawlinson reports.Here is the text of the humble...

Labor to highlight ‘risk’ of One Nation to cost of living in bid to dent Pauline Hanson’s popularity

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Labor MP Mike Freelander says party must continue to help under-pressure workers, including considering further income tax cutsLabor will seek to highlight Pauline Hanson’s record of opposing cost-of-living relief for working people as it tries to prevent One Nation further eroding its voter base.As the government grapples with how to deal with Hanson’s surge, one Labor MP predicted One Nation’s s...

EasyJet says US takeover bid would be ‘highly opportunistic’

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Airline’s shares hit highest level in three months as investment group Castlelake says it is considering offerBusiness live – latest updatesEasyJet has called a potential £3bn bid by a US investment group “highly opportunistic”, as shares in the budget airline shot up to their highest level in three months on the takeover interest.The US private credit firm Castlelake said on Friday it was conside...

‘Imminent threat’: charges laid against 13-year-old who allegedly planned attack on Queensland school

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Alleged threat on regional school north of Brisbane was ‘quite well advanced’, Queensland counter-terrorism police sayQueensland counter-terrorism police have charged a 13-year-old with planning an attack on a regional school north of Brisbane.The teenager was arrested last Thursday after allegedly making threats at a business in Maryborough, armed with a knife. Continue reading...

Queensland police shoot pet dog after running it over as distressed residents watch on

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Graphic videos on social media appear to show upset onlookers after police accidentally ran over animal in Mount Isa streetFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastConfronting footage has emerged of police shooting dead a pet dog as it lay prone in the middle of a street in front of screaming onlookers, after they accidentally...

Hastie says falling house prices might not be ‘all that encouraging’ for recent buyers – as it happened

The Guardian • 3 months ago

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTony Abbott, the new party president of the Liberals, said he wouldn’t get “too excited” by the poll showing One Nation’s surging support. But he told RN this morning he believes the country is in trouble and the Liberal/National Coalition is best positioned to lead the nation.Abbott spoke to RN Breakfast this mornin...

Mandelson private messages to be released today – UK politics live

The Guardian • 3 months ago

Sources predict ‘toe-curling’ revelations as more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador to be publishedMandelson files show no mitigation of security concernsGood morning. Many people despair at the quality of governance in Britain at the moment, but in one respect we are living through a golden age; if you are interested in contemporary history, and learning a...