World News Hub

Nazi shipwrecks emerge from the depths as Europe’s Danube dries up

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Unexploded ordnance and a military motorcycle also recovered owing to record heat and drought conditionsRecord-low water levels in the Danube have exposed remnants of Europe’s Nazi past, with dozens of second world war warships emerging from the riverbed during an intense drought.In the middle of the river on the Serbian and Romanian border, a broken-up hull was visible on a sandbank that is norma...

Nazi shipwrecks emerge from the depths as Europe’s Danube dries ups

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Unexploded ordnance and a military motorcycle also recovered owing to record heat and drought conditionsRecord-low water levels in the Danube have exposed remnants of Europe’s Nazi past, with dozens of second world war warships emerging from the riverbed during an intense drought.In the middle of the river on the Serbian and Romanian border, a broken-up hull was visible on a sandbank that is norma...

Blanche AG confirmation allows Trump to continue ‘pervasive, breathtaking corruption’, says Schumer – US politics live

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Senate minority leader condemns Republicans after Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer was confirmed by 50 votes to 49 early on Saturday morningThe Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has said Senate Republicans have “handed Trump an excuse on a silver platter” to continue his “pervasive, breathtaking corruption” by confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general“If you want to wipe out corruption,...

Blanche ‘honored’ after Senate confirms him as US attorney general in narrow vote – US politics live

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer confirmed by 50 votes to 49 early on Saturday morning, with senators deferring action on president’s voting bill until after recessTodd Blanche faced heavy criticism for the department’s sloppy rollout of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, which redacted information that should not have been redacted and left unredacted the names of victims that should have been...

High divers take the plunge in Paris for a new test of reclaimed Seine’s water

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

European Aquatics Championships taking place in cityThreat to water quality tested two years after GamesParis is staging its first high-diving competition in the Seine, with athletes launching themselves from a 20-metre platform in front of the Eiffel Tower – a spectacular new test of the city’s effort to reclaim its river for sport. The event on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim has also exposed the fragili...

Scratch of the day: local football season postponed due to ‘rock hard’ pitches

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Drought and record heat have forced the Norfolk and Suffolk league to move kick-off to the end of August as the ground is deemed too dangerous to play onThis summer’s record drought has forced a football league to delay the start of its season because “rock hard” pitches are a danger to its players.The 2026/27 season in the Anglian Combination League of 85 amateur teams in Norfolk and Suffolk was ...

Bluster and backdown have turned Iran war into Trump’s own Groundhog Day

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

The US president’s profound ignorance of his enemy has led to an impotent cycle of empty threats, analysts sayBeing the subject of mockery may be the most intense of all Donald Trump’s known aversions.Yet more than five months after embarking on a war of choice against Iran, the US president risks attracting ridicule as he struggles to secure a military victory – while repeatedly threatening devas...

Widdecombe murder police reopen inquiry into alleged attempt to firebomb Farage’s home

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Watchdog examines handling of an incident last year that was treated as an attempted burglary Counter-terrorism police investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe have reopened an inquiry into an incident last year, in which Nigel Farage’s home was allegedly firebombed.During the incident in April 2025, a lit incendiary device was pushed through the Reform UK leader’s letterbox, according to reports...

Widdecombe murder police reopen inquiry into alleged attempt to firebomb Farage home

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Watchdog examines alleged failure to pursue a line of inquiry ‘which may have been relevant’Counter-terrorism police investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe have reopened an inquiry into an attempted incident last year, in which Nigel Farage’s home was allegedly firebombed.During the incident in April 2025, a lit incendiary device was pushed through the Reform UK leader’s letterbox, according to...

Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed by Senate as US attorney general

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Major win for president as former personal lawyer wins approval despite outcry over $1.8bn slush fundThe US senate voted to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general in a major win for Donald Trump, who will now have his one-time personal attorney sitting atop the nation’s law enforcement apparatus.Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote in Blanche’s favor after two other Republica...

Planting the seeds? Teenagers from across global divide talk peace in Devon

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

UK hosts decades-old event for first time where many participants are from opposite sides of global disputes from Israel and Palestine, to India and PakistanOn the surface it looks like a normal summer school in the Devon countryside, with teenagers playing volleyball in the sun, doing arts and crafts in the hall, and preparing for the night’s talent show.But behind the scenes, intensive discussio...

Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projectsSadiq Khan: This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadlySadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildf...

US accused of meddling in British politics with $500,000 grant for ‘public education’ courses

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UKThe US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of ...

US accused of meddling in British politics with $500,000 grant scheme promoting ‘shared values’

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UKThe US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of ...

Spanish mountain village braces for astrotourists lured by total solar eclipse

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Somosierra will be prime spot to view celestial alignment on 12 August, an event that poses logistical challengesLittle stirs in the mountains above Somosierra beyond the wind that lashes the flat peaks, the cows that graze on parched grass and the sun that beats down on the abandoned aerodrome where generations of glider pilots learned to ride air currents alongside squadrons of vultures and red ...

Rising number of UK children report seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Exclusive: anonymous flagging service says cases have surged, as watchdog says AI is making sexualised or ‘nudified’ content easier to produceChildren in the UK have reported a surge in explicit deepfake images featuring their likenesses, as a safety watchdog warned AI is making such content easier to produce.The Report Remove service, which blocks intimate images from appearing online, said there...

The night Belfast burned: how the Northern Ireland race riots unfolded

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

A horrific knife attack on a street in June sparked another summer’s night of racial violence, stoked by loyalist groups. How did the unrest erupt – and why do many fear it will happen again?Shortly after 10.30pm on Monday 8 June, as a summer twilight lingered over Belfast, a horrific scene unfolded on Kinnaird Avenue: a man straddled and repeatedly stabbed a figure lying on the ground in a bloody...

Union calls for robust review of OBR over fears it holds back economic growth

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

TUC will urge John Healey to order ‘root and branch’ assessment of watchdog amid claims its forecasts downplay investment benefitsThe TUC is urging the new chancellor, John Healey, to order a “root and branch” review of the Office for Budget Responsibility, claiming the forecaster’s approach holds back investment.With Andy Burnham promising “good growth in every postcode”, the union umbrella body ...

‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Scientists race to untangle complex links between exposure and mortality as fire weather grows more prevalentA thousand kilometres from the infernos gorging on northern Ontario’s boreal forests, Erin O’Connor watched the sky above Canada’s biggest city turn an “almost post-apocalyptic” orange as it filled with light-scattering particles of soot and ash. Stepping outside the halls of Toronto Genera...

US promises $1bn in security aid to Colombia as new rightwing president pledges drugs crackdown

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Trump ally Abelardo De La ‌Espriella vows to start ‘profound transformation’ of country’s destiny as he is sworn inThe ​Trump administration plans to provide $1bn in security assistance to the ⁠government of Colombia’s new ​rightwing ‌president, the US state department announced, soon after Abelardo De La ‌Espriella was sworn in and used his inaugural speech to pledge a vigorous fight against drug...

Germans hogging the sunloungers? Poll finds Italians and French are worse

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

British and Germans themselves share stereotype but other nationalities are likelier to put out towels – or umbrellasGermans are sunlounger hoggers, or so the longstanding stereotype goes. But not only is that cultural trope mostly confined to British – and, even more so, German – perceptions, surprising new data reveals that in fact Italian and French holidaymakers are the ones most likely to use...

Trump blasts appeals court for halting White House ballroom construction, claiming decision is a ‘national security threat’ – as it happened

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

This live blog is now closed.Appeals court halts construction of Trump’s $400m White House ballroomSign up for the Breaking News US emailFollowing Lisa Murkowski’s announcement that she plans to vote “no” on Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Department of Justice, the acting attorney general can’t afford another defection in order to secure the permanent position.So far the only other holdout ...

Remains of 56 people found decomposing at Chicago funeral home

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Officials describe ‘deplorable conditions’ at home run by pair linked to crematory closed due to mishandled remainsThe remains of 56 people were found improperly stored and decomposing on Thursday at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple who previously operated a crematory that was similarly shut down because of mishandled remains, authorities said.Illinois state officials, meanwhile, suspended t...

Helicopter fighting Utah wildfire crashes with two people onboard, officials say

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Rescuers not yet able to reach scene of crash near Richfield in central Utah, prompting fears for two missing peopleA firefighting Sikorsky S64 helicopter with two individuals onboard crashed on Friday morning in central Utah, according to federal aviation authorities.The US Forest Service initially declined to comment on the condition of the helicopter’s passengers, asking the public for “patienc...

Senior managers at St Basil’s aged care, where 50 died from Covid, can’t remember it all. Grieving loved ones can’t forget

The Guardian • 4 weeks ago

Konstantin Kontis and Vicky Kos were compelled to testify at a coronial inquest resuming on the sixth anniversary of the tragedyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQuiet sobs could be heard in Melbourne’s coroner’s court, as several families attended to finally hear from the pair who were the most senior managers when, throughout July and August 2020, almost a quarter of the...