The Guardian

Ralph Gonsalves campaigns on strong economy in bid to retain office he has held since 2001 Voters in St Vincent and the Grenadines will go to the polls on Thursday with Ralph Gonsalves seeking a record sixth consecutive term as prime minister. The elections are expected to be a tight contest between the ruling Unity Labour party, which has been in power since 2001, and the opposition New Democrat…

Regulator announces 20% cap on share of new lending banks can do on mortgages worth more than six times borrower’s income Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A crackdown on risky lending will limit banks’ capacity to extend highly geared mortgages, as the financial regulator launches a pre-emptive strike against the g…

Vatican says ‘demanding’ six-day mission will be packed with meetings with political and religious leaders Pope Leo will make his debut overseas trip as leader of the Catholic church on Thursday, travelling on a six-day mission of peace and unity to Turkey and Lebanon in what the Vatican said was expected to be a “demanding” schedule packed with meetings with political and religious leaders amid …

Centre left can win broad support by addressing soaring house prices and rents, according to data analysis Centre-left parties can build a broad new coalition of support if they tackle Europe’s deepening housing crisis, researchers have said. Conversely, ignoring it risks pushing increasingly fed-up voters into the arms of the far right. Research by the Progressive Politics Research Network (PPRN…

Swimmers aged in their 20s bitten by shark at Kylies beach in Crowdy Bay early on Thursday morning, with woman dying at the scene Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman has died after a “large bull shark” attacked her and a man on the New South Wales mid-north coast at Kylies beach. The pair, both aged in their 2…

The rankings were changed after the UN used new criteria to give a more accurate picture of the rapid urbanisation driving the growth of megacities Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city, according to a UN study that uses new criteria to give a more accurate picture of the rapid urbanisation driving the growth of megacities. The Indonesian capital is home to 42 million peop…

Queensland supreme court orders Pennings, a campaigner against the Carmichael coalmine, not to seek to acquire Adani’s confidential information Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Indian mining company Adani has agreed to end its marathon legal pursuit of environmental activist Ben Pennings. Pennings declared victory …

Former leader Michael McCormack says he spent an hour with Joyce on Wednesday and gave him his pitch to remain in the fold Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Barnaby Joyce should “reflect on what the National party gave him”, colleague Michael McCormack says, as speculation increases that the maverick New England MP …

Person suspected of shooting two national guard troops near White House identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal The suspected gunman in the shooting of two national guard members on Wednesday near the White House has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan man, according to law enforcement officials. Lakanwal is said to have entered the United States in September 2021, and been living in Wa…

Amid a frenetic scene, some residents said Trump’s militarization of the capital had much to answer for The scene around Washington’s Farragut Square on Wednesday afternoon seem to fit Donald Trump’s most lurid stereotypes of a crime-ridden capital in need of federal troops to bring a firm smack of law and order. An area normally the preserve of professional office workers, coffee shops and lunch…

The Footnote x Counterpoints prize is intended to uncover new literary voices whose work reflects the experiences of migration Footnote Press and Counterpoints Arts have announced a new fiction award celebrating writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds, offering a £15,000 prize and a publishing deal for the winner. The Footnote x Counterpoints prize for fiction, launching on Thursday, marks t…

The British Future thinktank’s data predicts net migration to the UK will fall to about 300,000, less than a third of 2023’s figures Net migration figures due on Thursday are predicted to drop to pre-Bexit levels of about 300,000, according to a thinktank. British Future, which calculated the drop in overall migration, also found that most Britons remain unaware of the falling numbers, and expect…

New map takes aim at state’s only swing sweat and gives Republicans chance to flip seat as part of Trump campaign A federal three-judge panel on Wednesday allowed North Carolina to use a redrawn congressional map aimed at flipping a seat to Republicans as part of Donald Trump’s multi-state redistricting campaign ahead of the 2026 elections. The new map takes aim at North Carolina’s only swing sea…

Tezepelumab treatment may mean asthmatics for whom inhalers are ineffective can reduce or stop taking steroids A monthly injection could allow people with severe asthma to stop taking daily steroid tablets, a clinical trial has found. More than 260 million people are thought to have asthma worldwide. While most can control their asthma with inhalers to treat immediate symptoms and preventive ones…

At least 36 killed and hundreds missing after huge blaze at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po district on Wednesday. Follow the latest updates live Full report: Death toll in Hong Kong tower block fire rises to 36 with 279 reported missing Bamboo scaffolding may be to blame for spread of Hong Kong tower block fire At least 36 people are dead after a huge fire engulfed several resid…