World News Hub

Belt and braces PM: what wearing suit braces says about Burnham

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Mod fashion, nod to 80s excess or symbol of tradition? Andy Burnham’s wardrobe choice transcends class divisionsThe sartorial evolution of Andy Burnham reached another milestone this week when the prime minister appeared at a photocall in Derbyshire wearing a pair of braces under his suit.Navy, slimline and button-on rather than clipped, they were barely visible while he posed for a photo in Ilkes...

Trump administration asks supreme court to allow construction of $400m White House ballroom to proceed – US politics live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Administration asks justices to keep decision by court of appeals on hold after it ruled that project lacked necessary approval from CongressSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe Trump administration has asked ⁠the ⁠US supreme court to allow construction of his controversial $400m ⁠White House ballroom to proceed after ​an ‌appeals ‌court ordered work to halt.In a case testing Donald Trump’s p...

UK a ‘tinderbox’, says Burnham, as he calls in military and bans disposable barbecues – UK politics live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

PM also says fire and rescue services will be given more cash This election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party.They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of about 80,000 voters. Continue reading...

Italian police recover paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse after heist

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Artworks valued at total of more than $10m were stolen from Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma in MarchItalian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen earlier this year from a private museum near the northern city of Parma, authorities said on Friday.The raid took place overnight on 22-23 March at the Magna...

Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Possible cut from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid UK heatwavesAndy Burnham’s government has said it will look at cutting electric vehicle sales targets, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK’s future carbon dioxide emissions.The government launched a consultation on Friday on cutting the target for new EVs to as...

Andy Burnham looks to cut new EV sales targets

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Move to dilute ZEV mandate from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid record UK heatwaves Andy Burnham’s government has said it will look at cutting electric vehicle sales targets, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK’s future carbon dioxide emissions.The government launched a consultation on Friday on cutting the ta...

USS George Washington reportedly en route to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln amid concerns over conditions onboard – US politics live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Lincoln has been on record-breaking deployment for more than 200 days, with reports of service members attempting to jump overboard and chronic food shortagesSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe USS George Washington is en route to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to reports. This comes after accounts about mental health crises onboard the Lincoln, including attem...

Luigi Mangione to appear in court amid reports of plea deal over healthcare CEO’s killing – live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Earlier this week prosecutors and Luigi Mangione’s lawyers filed a joint letter requesting the hearing at 11am on Friday in Manhattan federal courtLuigi Mangione, is reportedly expected to plead guilty at a scheduled hearing on Friday in Manhattan federal court, where he faces charges of stalking resulting in the death of Brian Thompson, the chief of executive of UnitedHealthcare, in 2024.The pote...

‘Unprecedented’ rain kills five in Japan as thousands stranded at airport

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Evacuation orders issued for 400,000 after torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture while flooding risks remain high despite rainfall easingAt least five people have died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings.The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thu...

USS George Washington reportedly en route to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln after accounts of mental health crises onboard – US politics live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Lincoln has been on record-breaking deployment for more than 200 days, with reports of service members attempting to jump overboard and chronic food shortagesSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe USS George Washington is en route to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to reports. This comes after accounts about a mental health crisis onboard the Lincoln, including att...

Putin’s recruiters scramble to avoid second mass mobilisation as Ukraine losses mount

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Russia is losing 30,000 casualties a month, and the country’s regions are under pressure to feed the ‘meat-grinder’. Experts say it may not be enoughIn kitchens and Telegram chats across Russia, the same question is being asked with growing frequency: will Vladimir Putin order another mobilisation?Nearly five years into the war, Russia is scrambling to find enough soldiers to replenish its ranks, ...

Memorial for second world war vandalized with bubbles and graffiti in Washington

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Interior department calls incident ‘utter disgrace’ after area filled with bubbles and paint reading ‘Clean hands Dirty $’A memorial in Washington DC for the second world war was vandalized with bubbly ⁠soap and graffiti on Thursday, prompting vows from the US government to find the perpetrator.The fountain bubbled over with suds ⁠and someone painted “Clean hands Dirty $” ⁠on one ​surface, splatte...

Jeremy Bamber’s legal team challenge ban on his talking to the media

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Lawyer says restriction comes at ‘significant moment’ in appeal process for White House Farm murder convictionThe legal team of Jeremy Bamber, who has served 41 years in prison for murdering five members of his family, has challenged Wakefield prison’s decision to ban him from talking about his case to the media and long-term supporters.His lawyers have issued a claim for judicial review against t...

Two men charged with attempted murder of Sara Sharif’s father

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Steven Sansom and Adam Watson accused of trying to kill Urfan Sharif, who murdered his daughter, in Belmarsh prisonTwo men have been charged with attempted murder after the father of the murdered schoolgirl Sara Sharif was attacked in prison.Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, are accused of trying to kill Urfan Sharif at HMP Belmarsh on New Year’s Day last year. Continue reading...

Nineteen people taken to hospital after England fire, as thousands evacuated in Croatia – Europe live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

A total of 54 people were treated by paramedics after West Midlands fire as blazes continue across Europe amid extreme heatPeople taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands firesEngland has received just 4mm of rain so far in August, or 6% of the long-term average for the month, the Environment Agency said on Friday, as reported by PA.It follows the driest July on record for the country,...

Almost 500 arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France this summer

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

More than 180 minors among those detained, as firefighters tackle blazes across Europe amid record-breaking heatwaveAlmost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France since the start of the summer, authorities have said, as firefighters in half a dozen European countries tackle ferocious blazes amid a record-breaking heatwave.With three out of five Europeans facing t...

Operator boss insists UK trains are safe in heatwave after Lewes derailment

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Full investigation under way by authorities after incident on Thursday left two passengers with severe injuriesTwo people were seriously injured when a passenger train derailed between Haywards Heath and Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday.The South East Coast ambulance service said two people had been taken to major trauma centres with severe injuries. Continue reading...

Digested week: Humid New York or London’s oven-blast heat? Tough one to call

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Plus, heartbreakingly brilliant Cats: the Jellicle Ball, summer reads and Taylor Swift’s low-key weddingI’ve been in New York for two weeks, where the unthinkable has happened: even for a city accustomed to extremes, it is so hot, so humid, so reminiscent of Mobile, Alabama, or Mumbai, that all over the city, New Yorkers have been forced to break persona to talk about the weather. “Was it always l...

Benjamin Netanyahu describes UK as ‘first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon’

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Israeli PM criticised by political rival for attacking an international ally and overseeing ‘horrific diplomatic failure’The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the UK “the Islamic republic of Britain” in a podcast interview, where he also described the country as the “first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon”.His comments, made during an interview for Israel’s army radio, pla...

Nineteen people taken to hospital after West Midlands fire, as thousands evacuated in Croatia – Europe live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

A total of 54 people were treated by paramedics after Stourbridge fire as blazes continue across Europe amid extreme heatPeople taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands firesEngland has received just 4mm of rain so far in August, or 6% of the long-term average for the month, the Environment Agency said on Friday, as reported by PA.It follows the driest July on record for the country, w...

First Thing: Court files show how federal agents spied on anti-ICE protesters | Martin Belam

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Undercover agents infiltrated meetings, private chats and local events. Plus Wile E Coyote returns to the big screenGood morning. The extent to which federal law enforcement targeted political opponents and peaceful organizers has been laid bare in newly disclosed court documents.Internal investigative files reveal that the Department of Homeland Security launched a sweeping surveillance operation...

Nolan Wells’ parents recount ordeal of son’s death at Atlanta convention

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Ben Crump and Rev Al Sharpton, also present at National Association of Black Journalists, demanded ‘truth’ and ‘transparency’ in Wells’ caseOn Thursday morning, the parents of Nolan Wells, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, along with Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney, and Rev Al Sharpton, the famed civil rights activist, spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) co...

US firms that kept DEI policies despite ‘go woke, go broke’ threats thrived

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Exclusive: Companies that kept policies did just as well financially, even after Trump’s executive order, as those that didn’tConservative backlash was supposed to put an end to the diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) movement as companies were warned “go woke, go broke”.In January 2025, Donald Trump delivered a death knell, ending DEI within the federal government with executive orders and thre...

Donald Trump to give speech on crime and safety during New York visit – US politics live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

President visiting police academy in Long Island as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of November midterms Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.President Donald Trump plans to highlight his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York on Friday, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of the Nov...

19 people taken to hospital after West Midlands fire, as thousands evacuated in Croatia – Europe live

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

54 people were also treated by paramedics Stourbridge fires as blazes continue across Europe as extreme heat continues Four taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands firesEngland has received just 4mm of rain so far in August, or 6% of the long-term average for the month, the Environment Agency said on Friday, as reported by PA.It follows the driest July on record for the country, when ...