The Guardian

Novelist says demise of Britain’s ‘incredible’ welfare system and housing struggles have led to deeper divisions The novelist Zadie Smith has said that inequality has made culture clashes feel “existential”, adding that it has become “natural to look to your left and think ‘who the fuck are you?’” In an interview with Dua Lipa as part of the Southbank Centre’s London literature festival, Smith ar…

Sewage samples and crime statistics paint a picture of established users taking more cocaine, more often Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges Pubs, festivals and workplaces: how cocaine has become an everyday habit From pub toilets and private parties to football terraces and far-right marches, cocaine has become a familiar presence across modern Britain. Deaths link…

Exclusive: Wastewater analysis in England suggests people took roughly 2.5bn lines of drug in one year Ageing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habit Pubs, festivals and workplaces: how cocaine has become an everyday habit British police are recording a growing number of crimes linked to cocaine, including assaults, domestic abuse and dangerous driving, as …

The story of the emirates’ presence in Manchester winds from the Arab Spring to some of the most deprived places in England – with complicated results Emirati-linked firms’ ownership of Manchester land ‘up 39%’ in 10 years When Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s long-ruling dictator, was toppled from power in the Arab spring protests of 2011, his downfall sent shock waves across the Middle East. It also help…

Humanitarian catastrophe largely ignored as rivals Gadi Eisenkot and Benjamin Netanyahu vow to end Hamas rule As Israel prepares to go to the polls , Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an outcome that could shape their future, knowing their fate rests with the country that has reduced much of the territory to rubble and killed nearly 75,000 people. Gaza, where nearly a million displaced Palesti…

Police said an altercation at a homecoming party escalated into gunfire, resulting in six adults and six juveniles injured A shooting ⁠near a Florida university campus in Tallahassee has left 11 people ⁠with gunshot wounds ⁠and ​another person injured, authorities say. The shooting took place near the Florida Agricultural + Mechanical University’s campus ⁠on Perry Street on Saturday night, the un…

BoM predicts hail, damaging winds, flash flooding and power outages across southern Queensland, western NSW, the ACT and eastern Victoria on Sunday afternoon Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Large parts of eastern Australia were put on alert for severe thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon with more potential storms and flood risk in store for Monday. The Bureau of Meteoro…

Commissioner Krissy Barrett says women are more often singled out, often with threats of sexual violence Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s top federal law enforcement official has drawn a direct link between politicians’ rhetoric and threats and abuse being directed at leaders. The safety of elected representatives at all levels has been thrown into the spot…

Kim Aris tells the Guardian chance to speak with detained Nobel laureate was ‘public relations’ move from military leaders Myanmar’s former democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi appears to be in good physical and mental health but is living in near-complete isolation, her son has said after the first call with his 81-year-old mother in more than five years. “She still sounds certainly all there ment…

Election personnel concerned directive to ‘quickly’ verify 20,000 ballots could disenfranchise citizens California’s top leaders have rebuked the Trump administration’s efforts to quash alleged noncitizen voting. Less than two weeks before the midterms, federal prosecutors called upon California election officials to verify within 48 hours a list of about 20,000 ballots belonging to suspected non…

Former president speaks to rapturous crowd of thousands in support of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for US Senate Barack Obama told a Detroit crowd on Saturday that Abdul El-Sayed was “fighting for change, real change, that will get money out of politics and put money in your pocket”, as he threw his weight behind the Democratic Senate candidate and the rest of the ticket on the first day of early voti…

Offenders still at large after shots fired from vehicle outside licensed premises in Loganholme Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Four people have been injured after a drive-by shooting outside a venue hosting a boxing event. Police said they responded to reports of shots being fired from a vehicle outside a licensed premises in Loganholme, south of Brisbane, at 8.15pm.…

Prime minister is considering different options for new relationship with Brussels ahead of summit in November Andy Burnham says he wants an “honest discussion” with the British public about the possibility of a return to free movement between the UK and the EU as part of his plans for a new relationship with the bloc. The prime minister has been open about his desire to revisit the relationship …

Fresh deluge of wet weather comes after Storm Austen brought strong winds to many regions on Friday Amber weather warnings have come into force as the worst of Storm Boelo could be set to hit parts of the UK. Storm Boelo’s winds will peak from Saturday evening, leaving areas in the warning zone, including Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England, braced for gusts of 60-70m…

Chancellor will build on Burnham’s promise that local leaders in England will no longer have to ‘come cap in hand to Westminster’ Andy Burnham has promised that local leaders in England will no longer have to come “cap in hand to Westminster” ahead of a fresh drive to devolve spending power in next week’s budget. In his statement on Wednesday, the chancellor, John Healey, will include plans for a…