$15m fund launched to create ‘unstoppable momentum’ to end FGM worldwide

World news | The Guardian

Her Horizon Fund seeks $100m to stop practice harming 230m women and girls globally

Frontline activists and leaders in the fight against female genital mutilation, which has affected more than 230 million women and girls worldwide, have welcomed an unprecedented $15.5m (£11.4m) fund aimed at creating “unstoppable momentum” to finally end the practice.

The launch of the fund comes as women’s rights are increasingly under attack and donor funding is in sharp decline, particularly for work led by FGM survivors in local communities. It is thought to be the largest single philanthropic contribution to ending the practice of FGM.

September 11th 2026, 12:29 am

Canada offers air defense support for Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits

World news | The Guardian

Canadian PM Mark Carney hosts president in Calgary, where he grew up alongside large Ukrainian community

Canada offered support on Thursday to boost Ukraine’s air defenses and help replenish its drone stocks, as the countries pledged to deepen their alliance during a visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mark Carney hosted the president of Ukraine in Calgary in the western province of Alberta, where the Canadian prime minister grew up among a large community of people with Ukrainian heritage.

September 10th 2026, 5:12 pm

TV presenter v secret son: the succession dispute engulfing a Ugandan kingdom

World news | The Guardian

Family of late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV reveal son’s existence as they reject committee’s choice of cousin as new monarch

A traditional Ugandan kingdom has become engulfed in a bitter succession dispute after the family of a king who recently died rejected the selection of a television news anchor as his successor.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became the world’s youngest reigning monarch when he took the throne in the kingdom of Tooro in 1995 at the age of three, died on 27 August in the US, where he was receiving cancer treatment.

September 10th 2026, 12:11 pm

Rubio says US will work with allies to stop drug-trafficking as three killed in latest boat strike

World news | The Guardian

Rubio visits Ecuador and welcomes cooperation after campaign of unilateral strikes on alleged ‘narco-terrorists’

US secretary of state Marco Rubio gave new clarity on the approach toward combating drug trafficking in Latin American waters, saying the Trump administration was focused on working with allied countries and aligning with their laws but insisting the military will “still blow up ships if need be.”

The public acknowledgment of a shift in US strategy comes a year after Washington began a campaign of unilateral deadly strikes against those it calls “narco-terrorists” operating boats in international waters.

September 9th 2026, 9:54 pm

Notorious Ecuadorian crime gang designated a terrorist group by US

World news | The Guardian

Trump administration to seek extra funding from Congress to ‘dismantle’ Los Tiguerones over narcotics trafficking

The US has designated Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones gang, which stormed a television station during a live broadcast in 2024, as a terrorist organisation as the Trump administration expands its campaign against narcotics traffickers it says are destabilising Latin America.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made the announcement in Quito, where he met Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, one of several rightwing allies of Donald Trump whom Rubio is courting as a security partner during a three-nation tour through Latin America that began on Tuesday.

September 9th 2026, 7:02 pm

US bans Canadian dairy, alcohol and motorcycles as trade war escalates

World news | The Guardian

Trump responds after Canada imposes $20bn in retaliatory tariffs and Canadian PM vows to diversify trade abroad

The US is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada, the White House said on Tuesday, as the trade war between the two neighbors and longtime allies escalates.

The ban will take effect in three weeks and comes after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US imports earlier on Tuesday.

September 9th 2026, 2:41 pm

Uganda to withdraw from Invictus Games ‘out of respect for King Charles’, says military chief

World news | The Guardian

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba announces decision to pull out in post on X, citing tensions over ‘Harry-Meghan nonsense’

Uganda is withdrawing from the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games, the country’s military chief has said, out of respect for King Charles amid division over the “Harry-Meghan nonsense”.

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of the Ugandan president, made the surprise announcement in a post on X on Wednesday.

September 9th 2026, 2:41 pm

Family of British man found dead in Grenada ask local police to work with UK investigators

World news | The Guardian

Andrew Frederick’s body was found in property he was staying at in Grenada in January

The family of a British father who was found dead in the Caribbean in January is urging authorities in Grenada to work with UK police to uncover the truth about his death.

Andrew Frederick’s body was found in the property he was staying at in Grenada on 4 January. An autopsy, performed in the same week by a privately hired pathologist, concluded that the 47-year-old’s death was a homicide.

September 9th 2026, 4:06 am

Babies born to anaemic mothers have smaller brains, study finds

World news | The Guardian

Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems

Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, particularly in key regions linked to movement, learning and the regulation of emotion, according to a study.

Researchers said the differences, first detected at the age of one, could lead to cognitive problems when children started school.

September 9th 2026, 1:24 am

‘It’s hell’: father of slain Australian surfers tells Mexico homicide trial about identifying sons’

World news | The Guardian

Three men are on trial over the death of brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their friend, US citizen Jack Carter Rhoad, in Ensenada

The father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day.

Three men are charged in the killing of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024.

September 9th 2026, 1:24 am

Hijacking pirates exploit regional chaos to return to seas off Somalia

World news | The Guardian

US-Israel war on Iran and political instability in Somalia lead to pirates targeting cargo ships off Horn of Africa

The scourge of Somali piracy targeting cargo ships and smaller dhows off the Horn of Africa has returned to levels not seen in a decade, driven by a convergence of factors including disruptions to the shipping industry caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran and a resurgence of political instability in Somalia.

Since late April there have been eight hijackings by Somali pirates, including two within the space of a fortnight in August: one targeting an oil tanker with ties to Iran, the other a Cameroon-flagged vessel, the Lutuf, carrying military equipment for Turkey.

September 8th 2026, 12:23 am

Canada’s retaliatory US tariffs take effect as trade dispute grows

World news | The Guardian

Counter-measures covering several sectors come after Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of American imports have come into effect, escalating a trade fight that has been marked by intensifying tensions between US president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.

The tariffs took effect at 12.01am on Tuesday, and range from 15% to 50% and apply to products covering $20bn in imports from the US. The measures target sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics – industries that have been most affected by US tariffs.

September 8th 2026, 12:23 am

Alleged killers of Australian surfers and American friend go on trial in Mexico

World news | The Guardian

Three men on trial for killing Jake and Callum Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad in Baja California in 2024

The alleged killers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot in 2024 have gone on trial in the border resort where the three were murdered.

The Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were shot dead after being robbed in Mexico’s violence-hit Baja California.

September 7th 2026, 2:11 pm

Weather tracker: Typhoon Saudel causes mass evacuations in south-east China

World news | The Guardian

Torrential rain causes widespread damage; while north-west South Africa hit by thunderstorms and central-southern US faces oppressive heat

Typhoon Saudel brought days of torrential rain to Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces in south-east China last week. The city of Putian, in Fujian province, recorded 416.5mm of rain in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, with surrounding villages recording more than 500mm in the same period. In Fujian, authorities estimate that almost 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk, flood-prone areas. A further 128,000 people in 53 counties were also affected across Jiangxi, with emergency evacuations affecting 9,000 people.

Flooding, landslips and infrastructure damage were reported widely in the region. More than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped in a school compound in the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou on Wednesday after extreme rainfall caused flash floods in low-lying areas. At least 1,260 people reportedly had to be rescued in Putian after a river embankment collapsed on Thursday, flattening 100 homes. On Saturday, a landslip in a village of Suichuan county, in Jiangxi province, killed three people and nine others remaining missing.

September 7th 2026, 6:52 am

Jamaican delegates arrive in UK to hand slavery reparations petition to King Charles

World news | The Guardian

Slavery’s legacy continues ‘to deprive our country and our people’, says minister, as group prepares to appeal to Jamaica’s head of state

A landmark petition is to be handed to King Charles by Jamaica over slavery reparations, aiming to confront historical crimes that still disadvantage former British colonies, the Caribbean nation’s culture minister has said.

The petition will be lodged with Charles, Jamaica’s head of state, on Monday.

September 6th 2026, 10:53 am

Falklands row shows urgent need to commit to 3% target, says Labour defence committee chair

World news | The Guardian

Exclusive: Tan Dhesi says Argentinian threats make it more crucial than ever that PM increase defence spending

Javier Milei’s threats to the Falkland Islands make it even more important that Andy Burnham increase defence spending immediately, according to the Labour chair of the defence committee.

Tan Dhesi said the comments by the Argentinian president this week show why the government should raise military spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. But he said Burnham’s plans remain mired in confusion after the prime minister appeared to reassure him that the 2030 target would be hit, only for Downing Street to later retreat.

September 6th 2026, 4:23 am

Drone attack blamed on guerrillas kills at least three soldiers in Colombia

World news | The Guardian

Officials accuse National Liberation Army of launching strike followed by clash inside military compound

An attack involving explosives dropped from drones followed by a clash inside a military compound in north-eastern Colombia has killed at least three soldiers and wounded four, Colombia’s army said on Saturday.

Local authorities blamed the attack – which took place late on Friday – on the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN).

September 5th 2026, 8:07 pm

Egyptian TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death for drug crime

World news | The Guardian

Sarah Khalifa, 39, charged with forming organised criminal gang to manufacture and traffic drugs

An Egyptian court sentenced a well-known television presenter and 11 others to death for manufacturing and trafficking narcotics in a sprawling drug case, official media reported on Saturday.

The presenter, Sarah Khalifa, 39, is best known for her programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with issues concerning security and crime.

September 5th 2026, 8:07 pm

‘It cost me many friendships’: former Brazil military chief reveals inside struggle to stop Bolsonar

World news | The Guardian

Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior describes 2022 meeting in new book as ex-leader’s son vies with Lula for presidency

The far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro was in his final days as Brazil’s president when, six weeks after losing the election and still refusing to recognise the result, he summoned the heads of the armed forces to a meeting.

The defence minister, Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, took out a document from a plastic folder and handed copies to the commanders of the navy, army and air force.

September 5th 2026, 9:38 am

Trump’s ‘retribution’ could now include Falklands as favor to Milei – and revenge on the UK

World news | The Guardian

US president suggests he might support his Argentinian acolyte’s drive to reclaim sovereignty of disputed islands

Donald Trump has long embraced vengeance. “I am your retribution,” he declared to an admiring audience at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) as he commenced his march back to the White House.

It is unlikely Argentina, and far-flung holdovers of the former British empire, were on the US president’s mind at the time.

September 4th 2026, 7:24 pm

Colombian president posts video purporting to show 23 ‘neutralised’ guerrillas in body bags

World news | The Guardian

Footage provokes outrage, as bellicose and performative far-right politics continue to spread across Americas

Colombia’s hardline president, Abelardo De La Espriella, has provoked outrage after posting a social media video in which he strides through rows of white body bags that he said contained the corpses of 23 “neutralised” guerrillas.

De La Espriella took power last month vowing “all-out war” against illegal armed groups and he published the footage on Thursday in an apparent attempt to show he was fulfilling that pledge.

September 4th 2026, 10:09 am

UK hits back at Argentinian Falklands claim and insists islands remain British

World news | The Guardian

Ed Miliband says Britain’s position remains ‘unwavering’ in response to remarks by Argentina’s president

UK politics live – latest updates

British ministers have hit back after the Argentinian president said “winds of change” favourable to his country’s claim to the Falklands were “blowing around the world”.

The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, said the UK would “resolutely uphold” the self-determination of the islands after the Argentinian president, Javier Milei, said his country needed to take them back.

September 4th 2026, 6:23 am

President Javier Milei says ‘winds of change’ support Argentina’s claim to Falkland Islands

World news | The Guardian

President cites Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might reconsider US support for British sovereignty, and threatens swifter sanctions on British oil interests

President Javier Milei has said “winds of change favourable” to Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands were “blowing around the world” in a televised address, citing signs that Donald Trump might reconsider the US position on the islands’ sovereignty.

“Recently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,” he said, using the Argentinian name for the islands.

September 4th 2026, 1:37 am

UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

World news | The Guardian

Togo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland

The UN general assembly will vote on Friday on a resolution for the world to formally phase out the traditional Mercator map of the globe in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.

Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign affairs minister, said the resolution was sponsored by Togo and backed by countries including the African Union’s 54 other member states. He did not specify the total number.

September 3rd 2026, 10:21 pm

Venezuelan opposition leader questions US oil deal with ‘illegitimate regime’

World news | The Guardian

María Corina Machado says interim government does not have democratic mandate to negotiate natural resources

The Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has questioned Donald Trump’s oil deal with Venezuela’s interim government, declaring that the country’s natural resources do not belong to “an illegitimate regime”.

In her first public comments since Trump announced what he called “the biggest oil deal in world history” with Venezuela last Friday, Machado walked a diplomatic tightrope between challenging the controversial agreement and trying not to rile the White House.

September 3rd 2026, 12:36 pm

Spain’s PM says no evidence ‘whatsoever’ Morocco behind Ceuta border breach

World news | The Guardian

Pedro Sánchez continues to defend Rabat after police report claiming border forces helped 70,000 cross border

Europe live – latest updates

Spain has seen no evidence “whatsoever” that Morocco planned or facilitated a mass border breach into its north African territory of Ceuta, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has told parliament.

The address on Thursday followed the emergence of a police report, commissioned by a judge and widely quoted in the media, claiming Moroccan border forces had actively aided about 70,000 people to cross the border in late July.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

Apocalypse prep or pure pragmatism: what is behind Peter Thiel’s move to Argentina?

World news | The Guardian

Relocation coincides with proposed laws that opponents say would entrench power of US tech billionaires in country

Dozens of protesters converged on Peter Thiel’s mansion in Buenos Aires this week after a congressional session raised questions about the billionaire’s presence in the country.

In white masks, they held signs saying “Peter Thief” and “No to the Peter Thiel law” in front of the wrought-iron gates of the $12m (£8.9m) residence, which Thiel bought in April as he moved his family to Argentina.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

The US and Venezuela: a century-old relationship drenched in oil

World news | The Guardian

A visual look at how Washington’s relationship with Caracas has gone from cordial to ‘predatory’

Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism

Written in the middle of the last century, the US Department of State memo conveys its message in a curt and undiplomatically honest tone: the glue that binds Washington to Caracas is, and is always likely to be, oil.

“All US policies toward Venezuela are affected in greater or less degree by the objective of assuring an adequate supply of petroleum for the US,” the 1950 document reads.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

‘We continue to suffer’: victims of apartheid-era Sharpeville massacre demand compensation

World news | The Guardian

Claim relating to 1960 attack on hundreds of protesters part of wave of litigation over apartheid crimes in South Africa

The day dawned brightly on 21 March 1960, as residents of the South African township of Sharpeville gathered to protest against pass laws, which forced “Black, Indian and Coloured” South Africans to carry documents at all times specifying where they were allowed to be.

Abraham Mofokeng joined the march, one of dozens organised nationwide by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), a breakaway group from the African National Congress (ANC). “The weather was very nice, the sun was out. You could not have suspected that the day would go so horribly,” said Mofokeng, who was then a 20-year-old factory worker.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

Almost half of world’s farmers poisoned by pesticides every year, experts find

World news | The Guardian

Study reveals that pesticide poisoning kills 11,000 people each year, with India accounting for nearly 60% of fatalities

Almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found.

Using publicly available data from 2006-2023, the study, which was commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, found there to be an estimated 402-433m cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning of farmers and farm workers every year.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism

World news | The Guardian

Energy secretary Chris Wright denies US seeks to ‘take’ country’s oil, saying deal is transformation of relations

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has denied Washington is seeking to commandeer huge quantities of Venezuelan oil, amid growing criticism of Donald Trump’s energy deal with the country’s interim leaders.

“Absolutely not,” Wright replied when asked by a CNBC journalist if the US was engaged in a “heavy-handed” attempt to “take” Venezuelan oil in violation of the South American country’s constitution.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

Pete Hegseth criticized for body-shaming Canadian cadets: ‘Literally they’re kids’

World news | The Guardian

US defense secretary faces backlash for attempting to mock Canada’s armed forces amid trade war

A social media post by Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, body-shaming female members of a Canadian youth development program remained online on Wednesday despite a furious backlash on both sides of the border.

On Monday night, Hegseth posted on X a photograph of two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real”, an apparent attempt at mocking the country’s armed forces amid the Trump administration’s trade spat with its northern neighbor.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ for US users after Trump order

World news | The Guardian

Tech company submits to controversial Trump order to rename body of water amid US trade spat with Canada

Apple has renamed Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for US users of its Maps app, after an executive order from Donald Trump to change the name of the Great Lake amid his trade spat with Canada.

The Apple Maps app now displays the controversial new name for the lake, which sits between New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario, for users in the US. Apple users outside the country will still see the Lake Ontario name.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

New constitution in Guinea-Bissau will undermine democracy, opponents say

World news | The Guardian

Referendum result means fewer seats in parliament and new rules on candidates, ahead of December elections

Guinea-Bissau voters have approved a new constitution, which critics say will undermine democracy, that significantly expands presidential powers ahead of elections due in December.

According to provisional results, 70% of voters approved sweeping changes in the tiny west African state’s first constitutional amendment since revisions that ended the one-party socialist state more than three decades ago.

September 3rd 2026, 12:21 pm

South African airline defends dramatic low-level flyby before rugby union clash

World news | The Guardian

Cape Town stunt sparks major debate over safety risks
Airlink insist flyby conducted according to regulations

A pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of around 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over safety risks.

The flyby by two Embraer jets, operated by local airline Airlink, happened on Saturday before the second rugby union Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town.

August 31st 2026, 12:22 pm

Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM

World news | The Guardian

Pedro Sánchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclave

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said there is no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta.

As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions within the EU over immigration.

August 31st 2026, 9:53 am

Countries legally obliged to consider slavery reparations, says UN committee

World news | The Guardian

Guidance says states must implement ‘comprehensive measures’ to address legacy of racial discrimination

A UN committee has said countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and take other ⁠measures to address the enduring ⁠legacy of racial discrimination.

Guidance published on Monday by the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination (CERD) said the obligations arose from ⁠a legally binding 1965 convention on racial discrimination, not from the legal standards that existed when the slave trade took place.

August 31st 2026, 9:53 am

Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez says oil deal with Trump has ‘endless’ benefits

World news | The Guardian

Deal that will reportedly see US take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil has provoked outrage in her country

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has defended her government’s highly controversial energy deal with Donald Trump, insisting the South American country will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its massive oil reserves.

Rodríguez, who assumed power in January after Trump ordered the abduction of the president, Nicolás Maduro, took to the airwaves on Saturday to push back against criticism of what the US president has called “the biggest oil deal in world history”.

August 30th 2026, 11:35 am

Canada erects giant ‘Lake Ontario’ sign as spat with Trump over name escalates

World news | The Guardian

Meanwhile, Trump posts video of himself kicking over a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with Lake America sign

Donald Trump and Canada continued a verbal duel on Saturday over the US government’s administrative renaming of Lake Ontario, with the country erecting a giant sign saying “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” – and the American president posting a video of him tearing down an avatar of that sign, erecting a replacement saying Lake America, and dancing to YMCA.

Rhetoric over the naming of Lake Ontario is the public face of an escalating trade dispute between the US and its northern neighbor involving a 50% US tariff on Canadian steel and retaliatory tariffs from Ottawa.

August 30th 2026, 11:21 am

Humanitarian crisis worsening in refuge for civilians fleeing Sudan’s civil war

World news | The Guardian

Conditions are deteriorating in city of El Obeid and camps on its outskirts, with more people arriving every day

Humanitarian conditions in the Sudanese city of El Obeid and two camps on its outskirts are dire and deteriorating, according to people on the ground, as civilians displaced by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia continue to pour in from the surrounding countryside.

The UN says more than 15,000 families have arrived since mid-July, joining more than 200,000 people who arrived in the first half of the year, according to government figures cited by Save the Children.

August 30th 2026, 4:05 am

They laid down arms. Now ex-guerrillas in Colombia fear fate under new hardline president

World news | The Guardian

‘Total peace’ plan of previous government led only 99 of Colombia’s 30,000 armed combatants to disarm, but new president Abelardo De la Espriella opposes peace agreements

In mid-June, 99 guerrilla fighters were flown by helicopter to a small settlement in a rural area of southern Colombia where they lined up and, one by one, handed their weapons to government officials: rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers.

They also stripped off their heavy tactical vests, field packs and camouflage uniforms, which were each piled into a bonfire to mark the beginning of a new life away from an armed conflict that has claimed nearly half a million lives in the last six decades.

August 29th 2026, 8:07 am

Trump announces new US oil agreement with Venezuela

World news | The Guardian

US president says US will have ‘majority’ control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves

Donald Trump announced Friday a new US oil agreement with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, saying the US will have “majority” control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves.

The terms of the agreement remain to be seen, but the US president said on his social-media platform that it had been brokered “through a partnership with ⁠private business” by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

August 29th 2026, 1:03 am

Venezuelan opposition up in arms over reports US wants big stake in oil and gas

World news | The Guardian

Critics call move to gain long-term access to country’s massive energy reserves ‘predatory’ and ‘unconstitutional’

Reports that the US is preparing to claim a big stake in Venezuela’s massive energy reserves have sparked an outcry, with critics describing the move as “predatory” and “unconstitutional”.

Several media outlets this week reported that the Trump administration – which abducted Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, in January and has steered the South American country ever since – hopes to secure long-term access to its oil and gasfields.

August 28th 2026, 1:16 pm

Tropical Storm Dolly speeding across Atlantic toward the Caribbean

World news | The Guardian

Weather system is forecast to approach the Leeward Islands this weekend and may produce flash flooding

Tropical Storm Dolly is moving quickly across the Atlantic Ocean toward the Leeward Islands and is expected to bring significant rainfall to parts of the Caribbean this weekend, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Friday morning.

Dolly, which formed on Thursday, had maximum sustained winds of near 40mph (65km/h) with higher gusts as of Friday.

August 28th 2026, 1:16 pm

Egyptian queen’s 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab

World news | The Guardian

Police hunt two suspects after historic 200-carat piece is snatched from Austrian museum during opening hours

Austrian police are hunting two men alleged to have stolen a 200-carat platinum necklace encrusted with 673 diamonds that was on loan to a museum in Vienna and once belonged to Egyptian royalty.

Authorities in the capital released pictures of the suspects captured by security cameras during the heist at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), amid a rash of spectacular smash-and-grab thefts from European cultural institutions.

August 28th 2026, 11:00 am

Detroit despairs as ‘insanity’ of Trump’s Canada trade war punishes city

World news | The Guardian

Unpopular new policy comes as midterms loom and control of Congress could be decided by several Michigan races

Every day $1bn worth of goods crosses the river dividing Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, two largely blue-collar US and Canadian cities that have come to act as one in the creation of North America’s auto industry.

News this week of Donald Trump’s escalating trade spat with Canada has everyone worried. Political and economic leaders and observers labeled the move an act of “hubris” , blamed Trump’s “ego”, and called the escalation “insanity”.

August 28th 2026, 7:48 am

What could Meta’s US settlement mean around the world – and what now for other claims against firm?

World news | The Guardian

Other governments could seek similar concessions, while separate legal action is pending in places ranging from Kenya to the Netherlands

In October 2021, Abrham Meareg’s father, a professor of chemistry in Ethiopia’s northern town of Bahir Dar, was shot at close range and died outside his family home. This was in the middle of the country’s civil war.

For weeks, Facebook’s algorithm had actively promoted posts calling for the academic to be murdered, according to Meareg and Foxglove, a nonprofit organisation supporting Meareg’s lawsuit against the company in Kenya. These posts included photos of his father and his home address.

August 28th 2026, 1:18 am

Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America

World news | The Guardian

Symbolic move to rename lake shared by US and Canada comes amid escalating trade war with northern neighbor

US politics live – latest updates

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario, making it Lake America, amid his escalating trade war with Canada.

The order directs federal agencies to adopt the name-change on US maps, documents and databases. But Trump has no authority to rename Canada’s portion of the lake, nor to compel Canada, international legal bodies, international mapmakers, or the rest of the world to adopt a new name.

August 27th 2026, 6:47 pm

UK urged to help free British-Egyptian ‘arrested in Cairo over sister’s activism’

World news | The Guardian

Lawyers claim Eman el-Shazly, from Birmingham, was detained in effort to silence her sister, a critic of Sisi regime

The UK Foreign Office has been asked to intervene to secure the release of a British-Egyptian woman who it is claimed has been arrested in Cairo because of her sister’s political activism.

Eman el-Shazly, a 45-year-old based in Birmingham, was arrested on 16 August while visiting Egypt. Her lawyers say she has been detained in an attempt to silence her sister Mona, a relentless and harsh critic of the Egyptian government on her UK-based YouTube channel.

August 27th 2026, 6:16 am

How to lose Trump’s trade war: test Canada’s resolve with threats to hockey sticks

World news | The Guardian

The US president expected Ottawa to bow to tariff demands, but Canada is striking back – and it could cost Americans

This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday

Earlier this year, a survey found that Canada, along with Switzerland, was the best-liked country in the world. We all know this kind of polling is about as scientific as a high school popularity contest, but at least anecdotally, Canadians have a reputation for being friendly and welcoming, respectful and polite. Many people would find it difficult to dislike Canadians.

But not Donald Trump, who in a “hold my beer” moment this week demonstrated that he, at least, finds it easy to resent Canadians. The US president called the country “difficult and unreasonable”, and in a particularly hysterical moment, threatened to rename a lake, after trade talks collapsed.

August 26th 2026, 5:01 pm

South African police arrest two Thai men for allegedly smuggling parrot eggs

World news | The Guardian

Bird eggs intercepted in homemade incubators at Johannesburg airport as officials try to halt wildlife trafficking

South African police have arrested two Thai nationals in separate incidents for allegedly attempting to smuggle endangered parrot eggs out of the country as authorities try to stem the tide of wildlife trafficking.

A 50-year-old Thai national was arrested at OR Tambo international airport in Johannesburg on 20 August, carrying 50 bird eggs in a homemade incubator in a hand-luggage bag, South Africa’s environment ministry said in a statement.

August 26th 2026, 1:00 pm

Mpox is back – and in new countries. How can this outbreak be contained?

World news | The Guardian

The public health emergencies in 2022 and 2024 saw the virus reported in 145 countries, but in the new cases children appear particularly affected

A fresh outbreak of mpox in Guinea Bissau – the country’s first – means the virus formerly known as monkey pox is back in the headlines. So what has changed?

Since 2022, there have been almost 190,000 lab-confirmed cases of mpox reported worldwide in 145 countries. Before then, outbreaks of mpox tended to be relatively small and in a handful of African countries, where the viral infection was known to be endemic.

August 26th 2026, 10:46 am

Wiped out: US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada

World news | The Guardian

Paper products among hardest-hit sectors after trade negotiations broke down, with 25-50% tariffs estimated

Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you

Using the bathroom or having a cry is about to become more expensive for North Americans as the US and Canada enter a full-fledged trade war that threatens to flush away decades of peaceful trading between the two nations.

After trade negotiations broke down between the two countries last weekend, Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, vowed to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar” and unveiled a list of nearly 900 American goods that will face 25% to 50% tariffs starting on 8 September.

August 26th 2026, 10:46 am

Moringa lattes and tigernut kebabs: the young Ghanaians ‘taking back the power’ of their food

World news | The Guardian

In Ghana, a grassroots movement is championing nutritious, homegrown, climate-resilient produce, rather than western imports

After three years at catering school, Abiro Wisdom was certain of one thing – he did not want to go into catering. At least not the route that he might be expected to take. His course at Accra Technical University had prepared students for working in international hotels, focusing on French, Italian and Mexican cuisine. The nutritious, homegrown food that Wisdom had eaten while growing up in Bolgatanga, northern Ghana, did not feature at all.

“I didn’t see myself there,” he says of the big chain hotels. “I felt I wouldn’t be myself working there – I wouldn’t be able to talk about the food from where I come from.”

August 26th 2026, 6:02 am

Wife of US soldier deported after Trump rollback on military family protections

World news | The Guardian

Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo, deported to Honduras, is latest military spouse to face removal amid Trump 2.0

The wife of an active-duty US soldier was deported on Monday to her native Honduras, according to her family and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of an active-duty US soldier to be deported under the immigration crackdown during Donald Trump’s second presidency.

August 25th 2026, 8:29 pm

At least 47 killed and dozens kidnapped in gang attack near Haiti capital

World news | The Guardian

Gang leader threatens to kill hostages after attack in Kenscoff in which homes were also set alight

‘A massacre’: Haiti gangs carrying out mass killings

At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped when armed men attacked a once peaceful community near Haiti’s capital at the weekend, the UN has said.

A gang leader has threatened to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community of Kenscoff, nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

August 25th 2026, 6:45 pm

First Thing: Supreme court threatens midterms mail-in voting as it backs Trump plan

World news | The Guardian

US president has been obsessed with restricting the ability to vote by mail, despite using it himself. Plus why we are still so fascinated with Meg from the White Stripes

Good morning. The US supreme court has sided with Donald Trump in his effort to crack down on mail-in voting, though it is unclear whether or not his administration will be able to take action before the midterm elections in November. The court’s justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift an injunction that a judge in Massachusetts had placed in June on an executive order issued by the president. But a second injunction remains in place, and the ruling leaves room for legal challenges.

Trump has repeatedly likened voting by mail to cheating, despite his own use of it and overwhelming evidence that the system is secure. In March he ordered the government to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters, requiring that mail-in ballots only be delivered to people on that list. He also directed the justice department to prioritise investigations and prosecutions of state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote in federal elections.

What did the dissenting judges say? In a blistering dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the decision “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections”.

How have rights organisations reacted? The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Derrick Johnson, said: “Let this ruling be a reminder that democracy is never, ever guaranteed. We have to fight for it, we have to fight to keep it and we have to protect the rights we do have within it … they are trying to do everything they possibly can to make it difficult for you to vote.”

How has Canada reacted? The country’s prime minister, Mark Carney, told reporters that Trump’s announcement was largely expected. “It’s not a surprise for us that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariff,” he said. Carney has vowed to match the American tariffs “dollar for dollar”, and said Canada could not accept any proposed trade deal that would weaken French language protections.

August 25th 2026, 8:44 am

Mark Carney says Canada can’t accept US trade deal that would weaken French language

World news | The Guardian

Prime minister praised for rejecting US trade proposal as Trump shows little interest in retreating from dispute

Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you

Mark Carney said on Monday that while American negotiators saw the French language in Canada as an “irritant … in Quebec, these are rights,” days after receiving widespread praise from political leaders for rejecting a US trade proposal that many perceived as weakening the country’s Francophone culture.

The prime minister’s remarks came hours after the US president, Donald Trump, showed little interest in retreating from the spat, posting on social media that Canada had been “ripping off the United States of America for years” and threatening a swath of new, economically devastating tariffs on cars and trucks.

August 24th 2026, 11:30 pm

Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella announces immigration crackdown

World news | The Guardian

Far-right leader echoes ally Donald Trump and says operations to ‘track down illegal immigrants’ should begin this week, amid earthquake aftermath

Colombia’s far-right president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced a crackdown on immigrants, ordering authorities to detain and deport people who are in the country irregularly or have committed crimes.

In office for just over two weeks, the millionaire former lawyer made the announcement on Sunday as the country continued to grapple with the aftermath of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on 10 August that killed more than 300 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes.

August 24th 2026, 11:30 pm

US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

World news | The Guardian

US Southern Command has struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two accused of trafficking drugs

The US military has launched a deadly strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of drug trafficking.

On Monday, US Southern Command (SouthCom) announced it “executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific”.

August 24th 2026, 11:30 pm

Trump announces new 50% tariff on Canadian cars, trucks and steel

World news | The Guardian

Move is latest deterioration in trade relations between neighbors with historically strong economic ties

Donald Trump announced a new 50% tariff on automobiles and crucial raw materials from Canada, the latest deterioration in trade relations between the two neighbors with historically strong economic ties.

The US president said that the increased tariffs would start on 1 January 2027 on all cars, trucks, automobile parts and steel. He also derided the nation’s tariffs on American farmers, writing on social media that Canada has been “ripping off” the US “for years”.

August 24th 2026, 11:30 pm

Prince Harry quits board of wildlife charity after rangers’ human rights abuses

World news | The Guardian

Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ mission

The Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy.

Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks, which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo.

August 24th 2026, 1:44 pm

Video shows hundreds held captive after Nigeria mosque kidnapping

World news | The Guardian

Gunmen ‌attacked worshippers in Dekara village on Friday taking women, children and older people

An armed group has posted a video showing what ⁠residents said were about ⁠600 women, children and older people abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State last week.

The video, posted on Facebook and WhatsApp, ⁠showed large groups of people seated in a forested area surrounded by armed men. Several children could be heard crying in the background.

August 24th 2026, 11:44 am

Children make up half of mpox cases in Guinea-Bissau as epidemic spreads

World news | The Guardian

West African country reports 46 suspected cases in outbreak declared in July, amid fears virus may be spreading undetected

More than half of the mpox cases reported in Guinea-Bissau have been among children, local authorities have said, almost two months since the country announced an epidemic.

A national outbreak was declared on 4 July, just over a week after a 27-year-old woman became the first confirmed case of mpox in the west African country. Since then, there have been seven confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases. Half of those patients have been children, with 16 under the age of four.

August 24th 2026, 9:45 am

Landslide at waste mound in Guinea capital kills 30, government says

World news | The Guardian

Dump site in Conakry, which minister had just promised to move, collapsed after heavy rain in west African state

A ⁠landslide at a huge waste dump in Guinea’s capital has killed 30 people, the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted it to ⁠collapse, engulfing nearby tents and shacks.

The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the ⁠site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the rainy season, which causes landslides and fatal flash ⁠floods each year in crowded, underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa.

August 23rd 2026, 8:03 pm

The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US: negotiation may be futile

World news | The Guardian

Breakdown shows Washington now prioritises its own interests over any semblance of shared economic ground

‘No more!!!’: Trump lashes out after US-Canada talks devolve into trade war

The calamitous collapse of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States is a warning to nations worldwide that pursuing any kind of dialogue with the current US administration is doomed at the outset, according to observers who say this recent episode indicates seeking a fair deal is futile.

Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Ontario, said: “No matter the closeness of the historical relationship, the American administration has signalled that it now prioritises its interests above those of some sort of global economic coordination or harmony.

August 23rd 2026, 1:31 pm

‘No more!!!’: Trump lashes out after US-Canada talks devolve into trade war

World news | The Guardian

PM Mark Carney says ‘we got attacked’ as tariffs come into force on items from hockey sticks to tongue depressors

Donald Trump has hit back at Canada after a breakdown in negotiations plunged the two countries into a trade war.

In his first public comments since negotiations collapsed on Friday in Washington, the US president wrote on social media: “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!”

August 23rd 2026, 7:28 am

Canada vows to match Trump’s 50% tariffs after trade deal talks fail

World news | The Guardian

Mark Carney accuses Washington of ‘unfair’ last-minute changes to deal, as US and Canada fail to reach agreement after three-day extension of talks

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has promised to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar”, after the two sides failed to agree a trade deal by the midnight deadline.

“Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Carney said in a statement.

August 22nd 2026, 12:44 am

JD Vance reportedly mocks Carney for trying to ‘out-tough’ Trump on trade

World news | The Guardian

Audio recording of US vice-president apparently made at New York fundraiser and shared with Canadian Press

Leaked audio from a private event has reportedly captured the US vice-president, JD Vance, mocking Canada for apparently capitulating in a trade deal and taunting the prime minister, Mark Carney, for trying to “out-tough” Donald Trump.

The recording, which was apparently made at a fundraiser and shared with the Canadian Press, comes in the last stretch of a difficult negotiation in which the US president has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on Canada.

August 21st 2026, 11:44 am

Strangers in their own land: Mexicans deported from Trump’s America find refuge in ‘Little LA’

World news | The Guardian

With plentiful jobs and community support, one Mexico City neighbourhood has become a haven for those who have lived much of their lives in the US

With its wide avenues lined with tall palm trees, its quaint cafes and old-school cantinas, as well as the mix of English and Spanish spoken on the street, the Tabacalera neighborhood in downtown Mexico City has a certain US feel – so much so that it is has become known as Little LA.

The nickname is about more than appearances, however. In recent years, this corner of the metropolis has become a haven for many Mexicans deported from the US, particularly those who spent years or decades living across the border and for whom Mexico feels like a foreign country. In Little LA, they have found a more familiar place to belong.

August 21st 2026, 8:15 am

Trump pauses Canada tariffs threat, and hints at revival of Keystone XL pipeline

World news | The Guardian

US president delays 50% tariffs by three days, and says contentious oil project ‘may be awoken from the grave’

Canada has temporarily avoided a bruising 50% US tariff, reaching a Tuesday-evening agreement with Trump administration officials hours before a hike that would have affected $20bn worth of goods was set to take effect.

Donald Trump posted late on Tuesday on social media that he had paused the tariffs for three days “based on the fact that Canada and the USA, subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!”