Refuses

Anthony Albanese facing criticism after appearing to joke on a podcast about a gift of melons from Sanae TakaichiAustralian prime minister Anthony Albanese has rejected calls to apologise to Japan’s prime minister over a joke he made about melons on a satirical podcast, amid a media frenzy and accusations of sexual innuendo.Government MPs have defended the prime minister as criticism mounted over last month’s remarks, branded by the Coalition opposition as “grubby”. Assistant minister Pat Gorman told media: “I don’t know why we’re still talking about this”. Continue reading...

Rukhsar Ahmed was recently elected an MP in Pakistan while on bail over alleged child rape in 1990s ManchesterA grooming gang suspect released on bail in the UK and then re-elected as an MP in Pakistan has reportedly declined to say when he would return to face rape charges.The Guardian disclosed that Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistan state minister, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the city’s Rusholme area during the 1990s. Continue reading...

Former senior adviser to Trump is seeking reelection despite domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wifeHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Donald Trump is declining to say whether representative Max Miller, of Ohio, should withdraw his reelection bid following domestic abuse allegations levelled against him by his ex-wife.One month after the United States supreme court struck down his first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution, Donald ⁠Trump signed ⁠executive orders ​on Thursday that aim to deny ⁠US citizenship to children born in the United States to so-called “birth tourists”.The two new orders came just five weeks ago after the US supreme court struck down Trump’s previous order denying citizenship to the children of non-citizens, a right that has been guaranteed since the 14th amendment was ratified in 1868.The orders were part of a quixotic campaign Trump has waged for more than a decade, since he promised to eliminate the right at a 2015 campaign event.Despite an endorsement from Trump, congressman Andy Ogles, a virulently anti-Muslim Tennessee Republican, was in danger of losing his re-election bid to a primary challenger backed by the state’s governor, Bill Lee.Trump refused to confirm a Washington Post report that he told donors at a recent meeting that they need to help JD Vance win the 2028 presidential election. Continue reading...

• Jay Clayton, Donald Trump's nominee for the top intelligence position, refused to state that Joe Biden won the 2020 election during his Senate confirmation hearings. • Clayton is slated to replace Bill Pulte, whose tenure was marked by bipartisan criticism over his lack of intelligence experience and perceived loyalty to Trump. • The nomination is contentious as senators express concerns regarding the potential for the intelligence community to be used to target political enemies.

Trump and US officials opted to keep USMCA alive on short leash of annual reviews rather than longer term renewalDonald Trump has refused to renew the North American trade pact he once championed as his signature deal, opting instead to keep it alive on a short leash of annual reviews rather than committing to another 16 years.Wednesday was the deadline built into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for the three countries to jointly decide its fate, which is set to expire in 2036. Continue reading...

Exclusive: health professionals, survivors and politicians voice concerns in open letter over comments by Fatima Maadi Bio, who denies supporting the practiceThe first lady of Sierra Leone has denied that she supports female genital mutilation amid rising anger around her perceived approval of the practice.But in an exclusive response to the Guardian, Fatima Maada Bio, the wife of President Julius Maada Bio, also said she would not openly condemn FGM until she saw “reliable data” that the practice was harmful. Continue reading...

US president says ‘I’d pay the kind of money they deserve’ amid questions over his administration establishing fundDonald Trump declined on Sunday to definitively rule out compensating individuals who were charged with assaulting police officers when his supporters attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 toward the end of his first presidency.Trump did that in an interview on NBC News’s Meet the Press, where he spoke in support of what his administration calls an “anti-weaponization” fund, arguing that people who entered the Capitol while Congress was preparing to certify Joe Biden’s victory over him in the 2020 presidential election had been treated unfairly by prosecutors and should receive compensation. Continue reading...

• Former England football manager Gareth Southgate appears in a new BBC documentary exploring the "manosphere" and the struggles young men faced following the pandemic. • Southgate explicitly refuses to mention Andrew Tate by name during the film to avoid providing the controversial figure with further publicity or a platform. • The documentary examines the rise of online influencers who target vulnerable young men, highlighting a perceived crisis of identity and direction in modern masculinity.

• The Delhi High Court has refused to grant an urgent hearing on a petition requesting the implementation of crowd-control measures for an upcoming protest. • The legal plea was filed in response to a planned demonstration by the "Cockroach Janta Party" scheduled to take place in New Delhi. • This decision means the court will not expedite the request for security or management protocols to handle the expected gathering.

Gavan Reynolds cites ‘commercial-in-confidence nature of the contract’ in declining to answer Greens senator’s question in parliamentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe US private prison company running Australian immigration detention centres was slapped with penalties by the Australian government after allowing a dozen escapes, but the head of the Australian Border Force has declined to reveal the cost of the punishment.Greens senator David Shoebridge was scathing of what he called “a disturbing set of reports” about private prison company MTC and its local subsidiary Secure Journeys, revealed in a Guardian Australia investigation this week. Continue reading...

Danny Kruger says matter is ‘private’, after party leader claimed hack was behind Guardian story about £5m giftA senior Reform UK figure has refused to call on the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, to hand evidence to the UK’s security services to support his claim he was hacked by Russian agents.Farage has come under mounting pressure to substantiate the claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure published by the Guardian last month of a £5m gift he had received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives have both stressed the threat to national security posed by the Russian state. Continue reading...

Registration form informs patients that if they do not wish AI to be used, they will need their referring doctor to refer them to a different service providerGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Melbourne psychiatrist has refused new patients unless they agree to allow her to use an AI scribe to transcribe the conversations in their sessions.AI-driven note taking tools are becoming popular within the medical industry – with two in five general practitioners now using such scribes, according to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Continue reading...

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP won the West Bengal assembly elections, capturing the state for the first time and defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). • The victory expands BJP control to 78% of India's population across states, following major wins in state-level polls this week. • Mamata Banerjee rejected the results as rigged during a Tuesday press briefing, refusing to resign despite her term ending on May 8, 2026, and accusing the Modi government of disenfranchising millions of voters.

The Ultimate Picture Palace opened in 1911 and is housed in a Grade II-listed building which is in need of renovationThe survival of one of the UK’s oldest independent cinemas is under threat while its landlord, Oxford University’s Oriel College, refuses to extend its lease to allow vital renovations.The Ultimate Picture Palace in east Oxford opened in 1911, and has entertained generations of students and residents, including the Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes. It sells tickets for its 106 seats through an old-fashioned box office window to patrons queueing on the street, and its screen is behind a manually-opened curtain. Continue reading...

Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee – India’s most powerful female politician – has dramatically refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister’s party this week.On Monday, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory in the state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...

French publication Le Monde says Laure Ferrari ‘dodged’ question when quizzed over property purchase in ClactonNigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”.In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in the Guardian that she had purchased a house in her name in Clacton after Farage had claimed to be the buyer. Continue reading...

Home secretary indicates Whitehall talks about returns programme, a move that would shock humanitarian groupsShabana Mahmood has refused to rule out sending rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the Taliban-controlled country.The home secretary said she is “monitoring very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a returns programme for refused claimants. She also indicated that “additional conversations” about Afghan returns were happening inside Whitehall. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Indonesia reports growing number of attempts by Chinese nationals to organise boat journeys, as Australian authorities refuse to reveal detailsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has refused to reveal how many Chinese nationals have arrived in Australia by boat since 2024, saying that disclosing the figure may harm relations with other countries.However, reports by Indonesian police show that there has been a consistent trend of Chinese nationals attempting to reach Australia through Indonesia as an alternative to “zouxian”, or “walking the line” – the illegal migration route from Mexico to the US through the Darian Gap. Continue reading...

The right to protest is ‘fundamentally American’, says Bajun Mavalwalla who awaits trial and faces six years in prisonThis story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer CenterA US military veteran arrested on federal conspiracy charges after participating in a June 2025 protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told the Guardian he refuses to plead guilty and is ready to face justice. Continue reading...

• President Trump is suggesting he may delay his planned visit to China at month's end unless Beijing helps reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address soaring oil prices from the Iran war. • U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Monday in Paris with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for trade talks intended to pave the way for Trump's Beijing trip, with a U.S.-China tariff truce currently in place. • Trump's administration is seeking international assistance with naval escort efforts in the strait after initial unilateral approaches proved insufficient as oil prices escalated.

Austrian officials took action after airline ignored court order to pay €890 to unnamed womenBailiffs have boarded a Ryanair aircraft after the airline refused to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight was delayed.Austrian officials took action after the budget carrier ignored a court order to pay the unnamed woman €890 (£742) in legal costs and compensation for a delayed flight two years ago. Continue reading...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last week Spain would refuse US access to naval and air bases in southern Spain for strikes on Iran. Iceland and the Netherlands joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. These developments occur amid US-led coalition actions in the Middle East. The moves signal growing international divisions over the escalating conflicts.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Spain will deny the US access to naval and air bases in southern Spain for strikes on Iran. Iceland and the Netherlands joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. These developments signal growing allied resistance amid the escalating US-Iran conflict. Diplomatic rifts widen as global forums see increased participation against Israeli actions in Lebanon.