The Guardian

PM flies out after courting world’s second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewards The last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018 . Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material. Keir Starmer, in B…

Revelation that subsidiary of Capgemini is to help trace and expel migrants in US provokes outrage in France French lawmakers have demanded an explanation after one of the country’s biggest tech companies signed a multimillion dollar contract to help the US enforcement agency ICE trace and expel migrants. The revelation that a subsidiary of Capgemini, a multinational digital services firm listed …

As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions When flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has dren…

Academics say £4bn investment fund is ‘designed to prevent any troublesome democratic interference’ Cambridge academics have accused the university of “maximal obfuscation” in a row over its £4bn investment fund and how it profits from investing in arms manufacturers. The university’s governing body is expected to meet on Monday to consider a report on its financial ties to the defence sector, bu…

Half a million migrants will be ‘regularised’ under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing parties Not everyone has been enthused by the Spanish government’s decision this week to buck European political trends by announcing plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to boost “economic growth and social cohesion”. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of t…

Democratic senators refuse to vote for bill authorizing continued DHS spending after killings of two US citizens Funding lapsed for several US government departments on Saturday, the result of a standoff in Congress over new restrictions on federal agents involved in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign following the killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis. The partial government shutdown …

Men – both aged 28 – found at a home in Glenorie on Saturday, New South Wales police say Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two 28-year-old men have been found dead at a property in Sydney’s north-west in an incident police are treating as not suspicious. In a statement, New South Wales police said emergency services were called at about 8.40am on Saturday to a home on H…

People demonstrate in cities across country to demand end to Trump’s violent immigration crackdown Thousands of protesters hit the streets in cities across the United States on Friday to protests to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The demonstrations were part of a nationwide day of action, advocating “no work…

The BoM forecasts parts of inland NSW will exceed 45C on Saturday, with Thargomindah in Queensland to reach 46C, Mildura 45C and Canberra 41C Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A cool change this weekend is expected to bring an end to eight consecutive days of blistering temperatures above 40C in Australia’s south-east. But before it does, the heat continued on Saturday.…

Exclusive: Formal validation for claret reflects hotter conditions, falling consumption and shift towards chillable reds Bordeaux’s wine industry has historically adapted to consumer habits. In the 1970s the region leaned towards white, but by the 2000s was famed for powerful oak-aged reds. Now it’s turning to a much older form of red with a name familiar to anglophones: claret. With origins in t…

University researchers say growth of the hidden fast food industry may pose risks to public health One in seven food businesses on major delivery platforms, including Deliveroo and Just Eat, is now a “dark kitchen”, a university study shows. The findings, which shine a light on the scale of the hidden takeaway industry, found that 15% of all online food retailers in England were dark kitchens. Co…

In nationwide day of action, people brave plunging cold temperatures to march in city and demonstrate against ICE Thousands chanted and marched in New York City on Friday to protest the Trump administration ’s escalating mass deportation campaign. Among the protesters were young and old people, all braving plunging cold temperatures while dressed in thick coats, hats and gloves. Continue reading.…

Partial shutdown of government still expected to begin after midnight Friday, lasting at least through weekend The US Senate approved a major government funding package on Friday, after the killings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis upended spending talks and gave out-of-power rare leverage over Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. In a 71-29 tally, the Senate overcame last…

Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phones More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday. Rubaya produces about 15% …

High-profile figures were invited to party with disgraced financier and Mountbatten-Windsor, documents indicate Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended an intimate party with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein months after he was released from prison, files suggest. Another cache of documents relating to the disgraced financier were released by the US justice department on Friday. In the UK a…