Pope Francis has recorded and released an audio message thanking those who have been praying for his recovery, his voice breathless as he nears three weeks in hospital with pneumonia. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square, I accompany you from here,” Francis said … Read more
Thirteen Syrian security officers have been killed in clashes with remnants of the Assad regime in the deadliest attack against the country’s new authorities since the dictator was toppled. Armed men attacked checkpoints and security officers in the coastal town of Jableh and the countryside of Latakia province, as part of a “premeditated” attack on … Read more
Authorities in the United States have offered a $10m reward for information that leads to the arrest of a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder-turned-international drug kingpin. Police in Los Angeles said on Thursday that Ryan Wedding – also known as “El Jefe”, “Giant” and “Public Enemy” – is wanted for his role in a billion-dollar cross-border … Read more
The state department has ordered an immediate pause on most US foreign assistance to South Africa, according to a cable seen by the Guardian, officially implementing a contentious executive order by Donald Trump. The directive, issued Thursday, implements Executive Order 14204 targeting what the administration called “egregious actions” by South Africa. It orders all state … Read more
The landlords of a “grossly overcrowded” east London flat where a man died after an ebike battery started a fire have been fined almost £100,000 after pleading guilty to nine housing law breaches. The judge, the recorder Emma Smith, said the landlords showed “blatant disregard for the law and for the occupants” of the property, … Read more
Reform is facing a split at the top after Nigel Farage branded one of his most prominent MPs “utterly completely wrong” for calling him the “messianic” leader of a protest party. Farage hit out at Rupert Lowe after the Great Yarmouth MP and former Southampton FC chair criticised his leadership publicly in an interview. Lowe, … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Bom forecaster Jonathan Howe has told the ABC that the impact from wind and rain will still be significant. Regardless of whether it does cross as a category one, two, or three, we are still expecting that very heavy rainfall and … Read more
The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, and, later, Elon Musk showed support on Wednesday for the firing of a state employee who refused to remove his pronouns from his work email signature. Frank Zamora, 32, was let go from his job as a program manager at the Texas real estate commission (TREC) last month because he … Read more
Food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been slashed in half by the World Food Programme, days after refugees in Kenya protested against a reduction to their rations. The WFP, which is funded entirely by voluntary contributions and provides assistance to more than 150 million people, said it did not have enough funds to … Read more
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has insisted helping more people back into a job is the best way to cut the benefits bill, as the chancellor looks for savings ahead of the 26 March spring statement. With Rachel Reeves zeroing in on welfare as a source of potential cuts as she prepares to take … Read more