World News Hub

‘Instant connection to the past’: how the Major oak affected those who saw it

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Readers remember the Sherwood Forest tree that has failed to produce leaves for the first time in 1,000 yearsAfter hundreds of years inspiring wonder in Sherwood Forest, the Major oak has died. We asked readers to share their memories of one of the UK’s most recognisable natural landmarks, said to have offered a sanctuary for Robin Hood, and the response was overwhelming, with many sharing heartfe...

Keir Starmer to stay on as MP but unlikely to want cabinet role

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Spokesperson says departing PM will serve out remainder of his term representing Holborn and St PancrasUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer will remain the MP for Holborn and St Pancras after standing down as prime minister, Downing Street has confirmed.Starmer’s spokesperson said he was not expecting to take a role in Andy Burnham’s cabinet if offered one, though some MPs have suggested ...

Trump cancels signing of bipartisan housing bill to pressure Congress to pass restrictive voting bill – US politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

President was due to sign bill aimed at making life more affordable for US voters ahead of midterms Sign up for the Breaking News US emailA man or a movement? That was the question being asked when Zohran Mamdani gambled his political capital on Tuesday’s elections in New York.The answer from voters was emphatic: they prefer Mamdani and his brand of democratic socialism to the Democratic party est...

A decade after the Brexit vote, Europe has moved on even if Britain hasn’t

The Guardian • 2 months ago

In this week’s newsletter: As the EU consolidates,​ t​he UK faces renewed debate ​over the long‑term shape of its relationship with the continent• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe morning of 24 June 2016, the day after Britain voted to leave the EU, dawned grey and overcast in Brussels, after a stormy night. As the Guardian’s correspondent in the city, after a few ...

Dior mashes up laid-back ‘indie sleaze’ with elegant luxury

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Jonathan Anderson’s golden touch is on display in Paris with mix of metallics, brooches and ripped jeansFashion brands were tuned to the weather forecast in Paris in the run-up to the menswear shows this week – and aware temperatures would reach 40C on Wednesday. This weekend a decision was made – the Christian Dior show, originally scheduled for the afternoon, would be moved to 9am, to avoid the ...

Europe heatwave live: Spain breaks June heat record as France reports temperatures above 40C

The Guardian • 2 months ago

UK issues rare red heat alert as extreme heat causes power outages in parts of FranceTell us: how is the heatwave in the UK and across Europe affecting you?Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said the agency is forecasting 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday in the UK, most likely for somewhere in London or the south-east.“It is possible we could see temperatures higher than th...

Ockenden report, as it happened: families call for public inquiry and say babies treated with ‘absence of dignity’

The Guardian • 2 months ago

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here:Hundreds died or harmed due to ‘toxic’ maternity careTruly horrific’: five stories from the scandalWhat are the key report findings?Presenting some of her findings, Ockenden said her team found “significant or major concerns in care where different or better care may have made a difference to the outcome” in the following cases:21% of c...

Top army general who was last US soldier to leave Afghanistan abruptly steps down

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Gen Christopher Donahue, commander of forces in Europe and Africa, is leaving after just 18 months in the jobThe army’s commander of its forces in Europe and Africa – who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 – is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late Tuesday.Gen Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US ...

Andy Burnham plans to move parts of No 10 operation to Manchester

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Makerfield MP considering northern base for PM’s office as part of measures to devolve power away from LondonUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is planning to move parts of the No 10 operation to Manchester as part of measures to devolve power away from London.The Makerfield MP will say next week he wants to transfer parts of the prime minister’s office to the north should he become pri...

Driven to succeed: meet London’s youngest black-cab driver

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Bahrain Mujagata is just 21 years old and balances taxi driving with university studies and acting classes“I’ve got T-shirts older than you!” The joke draws laughter from a table of black-cab drivers gathered in the Astral cafe on Regency Place in Westminster. Around the table, cabbies swap stories accumulated over decades behind the wheel: picking up the England World Cup hero Geoff Hurst, ferryi...

Gracie the giraffe who loves to wander found safe after search with community help

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Local sheriff’s office appealed for citizens to keep their eye out for Gracie’s ‘rounded ears’ – to distinguish from any other missing giraffesFor almost two weeks, residents of a rural Texas county have been looking, mostly up, for a missing giraffe called Gracie that wandered off from a private game ranch.On Wednesday, it appeared the free-roaming mammal’s odyssey was over, after it was reported...

Ockenden report live: families call for public inquiry and say babies treated with ‘absence of dignity’

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden’s review found more than 500 women and babies died or suffered serious harm due to poor careHundreds died or harmed due to ‘toxic’ maternity careTruly horrific’: five stories from the scandalWhat are the key report findings?Presenting some of her findings, Ockenden said her team found “significant or major concerns in care where different or better care may have made ...

Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy after 28 people died in 2025 Texas floods

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Camp owners said total debt exceeds $10m in chapter 11 filing after catastrophic flood last JulyCamp Mystic, the Christian summer camp in Texas where 28 people died in a catastrophic flood last July, has filed for bankruptcy, according to court records.In a Chapter 11 filing, submitted Wednesday in the southern district of Texas, the camp’s owners said that the camp’s total debt “exceeds $10m”. Co...

The Warriors come out to Broadway with Lin-Manuel Miranda musical

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Miranda and Eisa Davis’s concept album based on the 1979 film is to be realised for the stage, co-directed by Jenny Koons and Hamilton’s Andy BlankenbuehlerLin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s concept album based on The Warriors, the cult novel and film about warring New York gangs, is to become a Broadway musical next year.The album, Warriors, was released to critical acclaim in 2024 and followed ...

Ockenden report live: families call for public inquiry after damning report into ‘toxic’ NHS maternity care

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden’s review found more than 500 women and babies died or suffered serious harm due to poor careHundreds died or harmed due to ‘toxic’ maternity careTruly horrific’: five stories from the scandalWhat are the key report findings?Presenting some of her findings, Ockenden said her team found “significant or major concerns in care where different or better care may have made ...

Pair admit manslaughter after poisoning men in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Woman posed as sex worker and drugged men in order to steal from them with accompliceA woman posed as a sex worker and administered a deadly amount of sedative to two men so that she and an accomplice could steal from them.Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, admitted the manslaughter of an 80-year-old Gloucestershire man and a 37-year-old from Oxfordshire. Continue reading...

Pair convicted of manslaughter after poisoning men

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Woman posed as sex worker and drugged men in order to steal from them with accompliceA woman posed as a sex worker and administered a deadly amount of sedative to two men so that she and an accomplice could steal from them.Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, admitted the manslaughter of an 80-year-old Gloucestershire man and a 37-year-old from Oxfordshire. Continue reading...

Europe heatwave live: estimated 94 million people to experience temperatures above 35C today

The Guardian • 2 months ago

UK issues rare red heat alert as 68,000 households lose electricity in northern France and Italy puts warnings in place for 16 citiesFrance records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across countryTell us: how is the heatwave in the UK and across Europe affecting you?Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said the agency is forecasting 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday in the U...

Badenoch will ‘absolutely not’ apologise for PMQs comments about Starmer’s downfall, spokesperson says – UK politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Tory leader said Labour MPs were cheering, even though there are ‘400 knives’ in Starmer’s backBen Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.Nigel Farage has made an explicit pitch for support from an international gathering of thousands of social conservatives and hard-right activists, likening “family breakdown” to “community breakdown” as populations grew more diverse. The Reform UK leader w...

Starmer defends record in first PMQs since resignation – UK politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Prime minister claims he is handing over country in ‘better shape’ than he found itBen Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.Nigel Farage has made an explicit pitch for support from an international gathering of thousands of social conservatives and hard-right activists, likening “family breakdown” to “community breakdown” as populations grew more diverse. The Reform UK leader was speaking ...

New York primaries show Zohran Mamdani has lost none of his political magic

The Guardian • 2 months ago

The New York Knicks might have won in five, but the city’s mayor did it in three: a trio of candidates backed by Mamdani appear set to land seats in US CongressUS politics live – latest updatesA man or a movement? That was the question being asked when Zohran Mamdani gambled his political capital on Tuesday’s elections in New York.The answer from voters was emphatic: they prefer Mamdani and his br...

Zohran Mamdani has lost none of his political magic

The Guardian • 2 months ago

The New York Knicks might have won in five, but the city’s mayor did it in three: a trio of candidates backed by Mamdani appear set to land seats in US CongressUS politics live – latest updatesA man or a movement? That was the question being asked when Zohran Mamdani gambled his political capital on Tuesday’s elections in New York.The answer from voters was emphatic: they prefer Mamdani and his br...

Bahraini award to UK envoy shows ‘our diplomats are up for grabs’, says peer

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Rights activists call UK ambassador ‘morally compromised’ for accepting honour from Bahraini king in apparent breach of Foreign Office rulesThe British ambassador to Bahrain has been accused of breaching government rules over accepting an award by the Gulf state’s king, a move critics suggest signals diplomats and civil servants are “up for grabs”.This week, the ambassador, Alastair Long, received...

Bedford crash occurred after train passed red signal and was not stopped, investigators believe

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Interim report says other train it hit had halted on line because warning system wrongly caused it to brakeThe train whose driver died in the Bedford rail crash passed a danger signal and was not automatically stopped – while the train it hit had halted on the line because its warning system had wrongly caused it to brake, investigators believe.An initial report by the Rail Accident Investigation ...

Bedford train crash occurred after train passed red signal and was not stopped, investigators believe

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Interim report says other train it hit had halted on line because warning system wrongly caused it to brakeThe train whose driver died in the Bedford rail crash passed a danger signal and was not automatically stopped – while the train it hit had halted on the line because its warning system had wrongly caused it to brake, investigators believe.An initial report by the Rail Accident Investigation ...