World News Hub

US House staff visit Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison after claims of laptop and puppy

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Epstein associate’s lawyer rejected preferential treatment claims in January, saying ‘humane treatment isn’t special’Staff from the House oversight and judiciary committees visited the Texas prison where Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, is serving her sentence, according to Democratic lawmakers.In a statement, Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, Democratic representatives,...

Starmer warns against ‘looking backwards’ to Brexit after rivals back UK’s return to EU

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Speaking at the G7 summit, prime minister says he stands by Labour’s manifesto pledge not to rejoin blocEurope live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK and the European Union should not waste time “looking backwards” to Brexit, Keir Starmer said on Wednesday, as he comes under pressure to reconsider rejoining the EU.The prime minister reaffirmed his government’s manifesto commi...

How Trump’s immigration crackdown puts Americans’ healthcare at risk

The Guardian • 2 months ago

‘Ali’, from Afghanistan, is a ‘stellar’ doctor caring for patients in under-served West Virginia – but like many other foreign medics, his US future is now in perilIn a state plagued by high rates of cancer and low life expectancies, Ali’s colleagues say he’s exactly the kind of doctor West Virginia needs. Ali, who comes from Afghanistan, moved to the state in 2020 with a visa status that requires...

Kash Patel accused of directing $1m to ‘slush fund’ to pay bonuses to loyalist agents

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Congressman Jamie Raskin alleges FBI director authorized substantial recurring payments to agents in his inner circleFBI director Kash Patel has been accused of directing more than $1m in taxpayer-funded bonus payments to a small circle of loyalist agents as part of a “personal slush fund” that may have violated federal law.Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking member of the House o...

One-year-old killed and woman injured after Mississippi police shoot at car

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Child was fatally shot and his mother’s friend is wounded after Senatobia police responded to shoplifting callA one-year-old boy is dead and another person wounded after a northern Mississippi police officer shot at a vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call, according to authorities and the child’s grandfather.Kohen Wiley, the slain child, was in the car at the center of the shooting on Sun...

Recently single Australian men are seven times more likely to report a suicide attempt, study shows

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Fathers particularly affected, with almost 15% reporting suicidal plans after relationship breakdowns, according to survey of 20,000 menGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMen who have recently gone through a breakup are seven times more likely to report a suicide attempt than those who haven’t, a new study showsThe Ten to Men project has followed more than 20,000 Australian...

Apocalypse when? ‘Earth’s Black Box’ to be installed in remote Tasmanian airfield

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Rouser Lab says the steel structure will record ‘every step’ humanity takes towards climate catastropheGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt was designed to survive the apocalypse, as humanity’s last testament to its failure. But for a while it seemed the “Earth’s Black Box” hadn’t even survived its own planning process.Now, five years after it was announced to much fanfare...

Ancient DNA provides evidence of earliest known plague outbreak

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Discovery in Siberia suggests bacterium from raw marmots devastated hunter-gatherer tribes about 5,500 years agoThe earliest evidence for an outbreak of plague has been uncovered at late stone age cemeteries in south-eastern Siberia where dozens of hunter-gatherers and their children were buried.Ancient DNA collected from the remains suggests the disease tore through the sparse communities in deva...

UK critical infrastructure hit by 200 cyber incidents in a year, agency says

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Head of National Cyber Security Centre says UK in ‘ongoing contest with capable adversaries’ and AI could add to threatThe UK’s critical national infrastructure has been hit by more than 200 cyber incidents over the past year and state-linked assailants were behind three-quarters of the attacks, according to the state cybersecurity body.Richard Horne, the chief executive of the National Cyber Secu...

Pauline Hanson’s speech ‘shameful’ and echoed ‘rubbish’ from rightwing figures in UK and US, critics say

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Labor minister says Australians would lose their jobs and wages would go down if One Nation’s policies became lawGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson has been roundly condemned for her National Press Club speech, with advocacy groups accusing the One Nation leader of using “hatred for political gain” while the Greens say Hanson is echoing “rubbish” lines from r...

Legislation proposed to stop lawsuits used to silence journalists and whistleblowers

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Private members’ bills to crack down on use of Slapps are likely to attract cross-party supportA coordinated push to protect whistleblowers, journalists and victims of sexual assault from being sued by those who wish to silence them has been launched in both houses of parliament.Two private members’ bills designed to crack down on strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as Slapps, h...

Legislation proposed to stop ‘lawfare’ targeting journalists and whistleblowers

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Private members’ bills to crack down on use of Slapps are likely to attract cross-party supportA coordinated push to protect whistleblowers, journalists and victims of sexual assault from being sued by those who wish to silence them has been launched in both houses of parliament.Two private members’ bills designed to crack down on strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as Slapps, h...

Luigi Mangione to pursue psychiatric defense in New York state murder trial

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Judge discloses Mangione’s team plans to argue he suffered ‘extreme emotional disturbance at time of occurrence’Luigi Mangione’s legal team plans on pursuing a psychiatric defense during his upcoming Manhattan state court trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, court proceedings revealed Wednesday.Judge Gregory Carro revealed the move in discussion of unsealing records r...

Macron hails ‘real progress’ on Ukraine after G7 leaders agree ‘new steps to put pressure’ on Russia – Europe live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

‘Balance of power has profoundly shifted’ to favour Ukraine, says French president as he closes summit in Évian-les-BainsRutte says the adjustment in the US pledge to the Nato Force Model is “not primarily about where forces and assets are currently, but about who would do what if our defence plans were activated.”He says historically the model was “overly reliant” on the US.“You will likely have ...

Emmanuel Macron speaks at G7 summit after leaders agree ‘new steps to put pressure’ on Russia – Europe live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

French president closes meeting of world leaders in Évian-les-Bains, as Trump says ‘we are looking at’ further sanctions on MoscowRutte says the adjustment in the US pledge to the Nato Force Model is “not primarily about where forces and assets are currently, but about who would do what if our defence plans were activated.”He says historically the model was “overly reliant” on the US.“You will lik...

Senator says Jay Clayton nomination hearing to go ahead unless Trump tells him not to appear – US politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Tom Cotton, chair of committee tasked with confirming Trump’s national intelligence pick, defies president’s cancellation of hearing Trump abruptly halts confirmation for Jay Clayton as US intelligence chiefSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump also denied (again) that the memorandum of understanding includes a $300bn fund for Iran, and denied that he had asked the Gulf states to comm...

Harry and Meghan to bring children to UK for first time in four years

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet last visited Britain in 2022 during late queen’s platinum jubilee celebrationsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring their two children to the UK for the first time in more than four years, it has been reported.Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, last visited Britain in 2022 during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations. Cont...

BBC to axe Radio 4’s The World Tonight after more than 50 years

The Guardian • 2 months ago

News programme, broadcast every weekday evening, is one of first victims of corporation’s drive to cut £500m in costsBBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight is to be axed after more than 50 years, as part of a first round of sweeping cuts that will result in other shows being cut and the departure of hundreds of staff.The 45-minute news programme, broadcast every weekday evening on Radio 4, is one of the ...

NetJets aircraft crashes on Texas highway, killing one and injuring five

The Guardian • 2 months ago

The jet, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, lost contact with air traffic control and crashed in LaredoSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA private jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas on Tuesday night, killing one person, local police said.Videos shared online by the Laredo police department showed the wreckage of the aircraft and firefighters wor...

Luigi Mangione in New York state court after missing appearance this week

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Mangione, who faces nine counts including second-degree murder in state case, missed court due to paperwork errorLuigi Mangione has appeared in Manhattan state court on Wednesday after missing an appearance earlier this week due to a paperwork error. He was escorted into court at approximately 9.47am, wearing a deep blue suit and pale shirt, without a tie, and restrained with handcuffs.Mangione’s ...

Ex-health worker cautioned after Kate’s medical notes offered for financial gain

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Information commissioner issues formal caution after London private hospital treating royal reported breachA former healthcare worker at a private hospital in London has been formally cautioned by the UK privacy and data watchdog over the deliberate misuse of the Princess of Wales’s private medical records and offering to disclose them for financial gain.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)...

‘No friends to the oil and gas industry’: Aberdeen South, the byelection where one topic dominates

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Peter Murrell affair may feature, but contest seen as straight fight between SNP and Tories over energy policyThe contest for Aberdeen South, a constituency that spans urban social housing and detached homes with sculpted gardens, has been dominated by one topic: the future of North Sea oil and gas.The drama gripping the Labour party at Westminster and Andy Burham’s nascent leadership pitch in Mak...

‘We don’t want world war three’: yacht couple call for calm after Russian warning shots

The Guardian • 2 months ago

British retirees Jane and Alan Kelvey say they do not want incident in Channel to stop them enjoying their sailing tripUK politics live – latest updatesA British woman on a yacht in the Channel near which a Russian warship fired warning shots has told how she does not want the incident to be blown out of proportion, saying: “We don’t want world war three to start because of this.”Jane Kelvey, 69, ...

Jaguar Land Rover reverses plans for an EV-only factory

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Firm becomes latest carmaker to roll back on move away from fossil fuels with push for US sales growth Jaguar Land Rover has U-turned on plans to shift one of its factories to making only electric cars as part of an effort to focus on growth in the US, as Britain’s largest carmaker further rowed back on the transition away from fossil fuels.The manufacturer told investors on Wednesday it would off...

Labour MP pushes Burnham to launch leadership bid ‘really quickly’ after Makerfield byelection result – UK politics live

The Guardian • 2 months ago

Rachael Maskell said she hoped Andy Burnham could become prime minister before the Labour party conference in SeptemberAndy Burnham may have trouble getting through to Keir Starmer if he tries ringing him after the Makerfield byelection to urge him to set a timetable for his departure. Burnham reportedly wants to call Starmer this weekend. (See 9.47am.) But, in his interview with Sky News, Starmer...