The Guardian

‘We know that Mark Carney wants to sort of embrace Europe,’ says competition director Martin Green Canada is welcome to join Eurovision if it wishes, its director has said, months after the country revealed it wanted to “explore” joining the song contest in its federal budget. Eurovision director Martin Green told the BBC on Wednesday that Canada hadn’t yet applied, but would be welcome to. Conti…

Rents will rise and homelessness quadruple in a decade unless serious steps to cut emissions are taken, University of Sydney researchers find Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Global heating could worsen housing affordability, push up rents and quadruple homelessness in a decade without fairer housing policies and a…

Secretary of state says US made clear America’s position on Taiwan, as Trump-Xi talks continue for second day Xi warns Trump of ‘clashes and even conflicts’ with US over Taiwan Analysis: For anxious Taiwan, Trump’s silence after Xi talks is best possible outcome Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet on Friday to wrap up a high-stakes two-day state visit that has featured pomp and business d…

Charity says calls to its Childline service about online sexual abuse and exploitation have risen 36% in a year Children reported a rise in online blackmail attempts involving sexual images in the UK last year, according to a leading charity. The NSPCC said contacts with its Childline service relating to online sexual abuse and exploitation rose by 36% last year, driven by an increase in cases re…

A 2023 supreme court decision banned the use of affirmative action in college admissions The justice department on Thursday accused Yale University of illegally considering race in admissions to its medical school – the second institution to face discrimination allegations by the federal agency this month. In a letter to a lawyer for Yale, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rig…

Nine-person jury to consider whether AI firm bilked world’s richest person and unjustly enriched themselves Closing arguments began on Thursday in Elon Musk ’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI , bringing the weeks-long courtroom battle between the two tech moguls nearer to a decision. A nine-person jury is set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe the AI firm and Altman …

Export’s performances scandalised Austria in the 1960s, but are now recognised for exposing the objectification of the female body Valie Export, the Austrian performance artist and film-maker who inverted the male gaze in ways that were provocative, shocking and often outrageously fun, has died aged 85. The artist’s own foundation announced on Thursday evening that Export died in Vienna earlier t…

Health officials say close contacts being offered antibiotics as a precaution after cases discovered in Reading A young person has died and two others are being treated after an outbreak of meningitis in Berkshire, health officials have said. It follows a major outbreak in Kent , linked to a Canterbury nightclub, that killed two people and left more than a dozen needing hospital treatment in Marc…

Visit comes after US-Cuba relations deteriorated significantly, with Washington imposing a fuel blockade on the island in January CIA director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday as a way to improve dialogue between the US and the communist-run island, the Cuban government said. The meeting took place “in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations, with the aim…

Revelation seen as serious blow to candidacy of Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazil’s leading rightwing presidential hopeful Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazil’s leading rightwing presidential hopeful, has been caught on tape asking a banker accused of corruption for $26.8m (£20m) to fund a film about his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro. The leaked voice memos and text messages were published on Wednesday…

Media law experts cast doubt on viability of a defamation lawsuit promised by Netanyahu over Nicholas Kristof essay Israel ’s prime minister, Benjamin Nethanyahu , and foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, have threatened to sue the New York Times for defamation over the publication of an essay by Nicholas Kristof detailing allegations that Palestinian women, men and children have been raped and sexual…

‘Backward’ photo panned for display of patriarchy, signaling that ‘women’s voices don’t matter in shaping global order’ By the time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday, the bilateral had featured all the expected pomp and pageantry: a meticulously choreographed display of Chinese soldiers, children waving American and Chinese flags, and rows of senior…

Island breathes sigh of relief as fears recede that US could jettison longstanding support Before this week’s summit between the Chinese and US presidents, Taiwan had been cast as the anxious bystander. Observers suggested that Taipei feared the unpredictable and transactional Donald Trump might overturn Washington’s longstanding support for the island democracy , which Beijing claims as a breaka…

There was wind, there was fire, there was Goodrem’s remarkable upper-range – resulting in a refreshingly self-assured offering from Australia ‘Sung by a silver robot from 1984!’ The 11 biggest bangers in Eurovision 2026 Standing before a glistening crescent moon and adorned in more than 7,000 Swarovski crystals, Australia’s 2026 Eurovision hopeful Delta Goodrem has delivered a powerful performanc…

Council of Europe members plan to change interpretation of rights laws to make it easier to deport people Keir Starmer’s government has been accused of trying to water down legal protections for torture victims as ministers from 46 countries including the UK prepare to make it easier to deport refused asylum seekers and foreign criminals. Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, is expected to agree…