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Investigation continues after college freshman was found dead on Mississippi island after 4 July boat trip with friendsTwo weeks after Nolan Xavier Wells was found dead, his family is still searching for answers.On 4 July, Wells, an 18-year-old Mississippi college freshman, and a group of friends took a boat out to Horn Island, a barrier island a few miles off the Mississippi Gulf coast. Continue reading...

As Andy Burnham enters No 10, Guardian data analysis reveals the fissures with Labour's traditional supporters, and the traps the new PM will want to avoidKeir Starmer entered 10 Downing St on a wave of optimism after a landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His Labour party had overturned a defeat in 2019 in which the party crashed to its worst result since 1935. Labour won 412 seats, just a few shy of the 418 won by Tony Blair in 1997, a result that gave Labour a leader in office for a decade.But a little more than two years after he came to power, Starmer's tenure is over. Over the past 24 months the popularity of the human-rights lawyer turned prime minister has plummeted, from a net approval rating of -3 when he took office, to -66 by September 2025 - the lowest net approval rating recorded by Ipsos for any prime minister since 1977. Continue reading...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards says two ships have also been involved in accident' after defying strait of Hormuz warnings

Reform leader says support from fraudster before last election is totally undeclarable in every single way'Nigel Farage has admitted his close friend the fraudster George Cottrell let him use one of his London homes and paid for social media filming before the last election but insisted it was totally undeclarable in every single way".The Reform UK leader spoke in depth for the first time about his support from Cottrell and the 5m gift from the Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne in an interview with the anti-woke Triggernometry podcast. Continue reading...

New national plan accompanied by Labor push for digital duty of care legislation

Changes inside the Florida international airport are hardly evident as state and county hold back funds for full remodelOne of Donald Trump's most grandiose vanity projects, a multimillion-dollar makeover of Florida's Palm Beach international airport into a self-aggrandizing, gold-plated transportation hub, is running into turbulence, barely a week after the first plane's wheels touched the runway.At first glance, the rebranding of the airport less than 5 miles from his opulent Mar-a-Lago resort appears to be complete. Its website bears the name and oversized logo of the President Donald J Trump international airport, and state transportation workers were quick to erect highway signs leaving drivers in no doubt where they were heading. Continue reading...

People in Tunbridge Wells area face lower pressure, intermittent supply or no water after instrument failure'Thousands of homes and businesses in Kent are facing water supply problems for a second day, including a complete lack of water" in some cases, South East Water said.About 7,000 properties in the Tunbridge Wells area could face low pressure, intermittent supply or no water, after an instrument failure" at a nearby water treatment works, SEW said. Continue reading...

Top Democrat says findings show public way ahead of the politicians' as Trump dismisses global heating as hoax'Amid a summer of dangerous heat, drought and floods, a majority of Americans are connecting increasingly severe weather to the climate crisis, new polling shows, despite efforts by Donald Trump to dismiss global heating as a con job" and a hoax".It's a sign that attempts to suppress polarize climate concerns may not be seeing full success, said Grace Adcox, senior climate strategist at Data for Progress. Continue reading...

From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy's biggest challengeIn the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest battery scheme in the world. Continue reading...

Fans evacuated from sold-out open-air show as organisers promise full refundsAn open-air show by the Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny was abandoned in Italy on Saturday night because of a violent hailstorm, but the organiser said ticketholders would be reimbursed.Videos posted on social media showed large hailstones hitting people at the sold-out show, along with strong winds and driving rain, after the star began his set at Milan's Snai La Maura Hippodrome. Continue reading...

Health Foundation paper argues health is an economic asset and improving it could generate 72bn for public financesRestoring the deteriorating health of the UK's population to the level of 2014 would boost GDP by 2% and generate a 72bn dividend for the public finances, research suggests.A paper by the Health Foundation thinktank, published on Sunday, argues the nation's health should be valued by policymakers as an economic asset. Continue reading...

Data shows 32,559 earnings-related overpayments in 2025-26 after DWP's measures to end carer's allowance scandalScores of unpaid carers were hit with demands to repay sums of more than 20,000 and hundreds more put at risk of prosecution last year as a result of official failures in what appear to be continuing problems with carer's allowance.New figures showed carers were asked to repay 33m in 2025-26 as a result of 32,559 earnings-related overpayments, despite the introduction of measures over a year ago designed specifically to prevent carers falling foul of the system. Continue reading...

At least one person killed after dozens of missiles arrive in less than an hour and three-storey building catches fireRussia has carried out one of its biggest-ever ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, launching a five-hour raid that left at least one person dead and seven injured, with fires and damage across the city.Ukrainian officials said the capital was hit with about 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles. Residents heard an air raid siren sound at 1.30am. There was the sound of air defences, followed minutes later by a series of booms and explosions. Continue reading...

New laws would give Vcat power to force social and AI platforms to identify anonymous users in move premier says will protect children

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The fatal shootings of two men, both killed in their vehicles by ICE agents, have rekindled anger over the US's militarized deportation pushLorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with his brother and two other passengers in Houston, Texas, when immigration agents began tailing his car. They pulled him over and fired a fatal shot through the open passenger-side window.Six days later in Biddeford, Maine, Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, 26, was driving around his neighborhood when agents stopped him at an intersection - right outside the laundromat where he'd often go with his three-year-old daughter - and shot him dead. Continue reading...

Campaigners hope move will force commercial banks to rethink holding assets linked to the fossil fuelClimate campaigners have declared a victory after the Bank of England said it would no longer accept bonds linked to one of the most polluting industries on the planet for key loan arrangements.The ban, which comes into force in October, marks a fresh crackdown on thermal coal, which is burned in power plants to create electricity, and has long been a target of green policy activists. Continue reading...

Sirens sound in Bahrain and Kuwait accuses Tehran of targeting civilian sites and infrastructure as Iran strikes US alliesThe US retaliated against Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) after two American troops were killed and one was missing in Jordan when Tehran launched a wave of attacks against US allies in the Middle East.Iran's attacks came as the renewal of US strikes on Iran entered a second week and fighting escalated over the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Incumbent Carlos Vila Nova hopes to defeat his former party and secure second term as independentVoters in Sao Tome and Principe go to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday as one of Africa's least populous countries seeks to burnish its democratic credentials.According to the National Election Commission, about 142,000 people are registered to vote in the tiny African state's elections, approximately 15% of whom live in the diaspora. Continue reading...

Car chase began in Queensland after report of armed man on Gold Coast late on Saturday, police say

Britain to seek extradition over alleged sexual exploitation, extreme pornography' and assault and indecent images of a childAndrew and Tristan Tate, brothers who are social media influencers, were arrested on UK charges by federal authorities Saturday in Miami, the US Marshals Service said.They were arrested on an extradition request from British authorities, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the case. Continue reading...

Nationals senator echoes comments by Pauline Hanson as Labor criticises One Nation leader's divisive stance

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage compares One Nation leader's polling rise to Donald Trump's victory in the US

Tamas Sulyok signed the constitutional amendment that cited serious loss of confidence' in him as leaderHungary's president, Tamas Sulyok, has agreed to step down after signing a constitutional amendment passed by the ruling Tisza party of the prime minister, Peter Magyar.The amendment will end Sulyok's term immediately, citing society's serious loss of confidence" in a leader elected in early 2024 by lawmakers from the former prime minister Viktor Orban's nationalist Fidesz party. Continue reading...

Incoming PM will reallocate unspecified resources from unpopular plan to helping with cost of livingAndy Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer's plans for digital ID cards in a reset of priorities" when he enters Downing Street on Monday.The new Labour leader plans to redirect the resources earmarked for the scheme towards tackling the cost of living, his team indicated on Saturday. Continue reading...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Summer Lee join rally to support Justin Pearson's bid for CongressMore than a thousand people rallied for Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress, in the wake of four fatal shootings by members of Donald Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force over the last two months.Crowds packed New Direction Christian church in the city's Hickory Hill neighborhood in support of Pearson, who is running in the now-fractured ninth congressional district's Democratic primary. Continue reading...

Jens Spahn had criticised rented wombs' and his party is strongly opposed to surrogacy, which is banned in GermanyA senior German politician and ally of the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has resigned as parliamentary group leader of the Christian Democrat (CDU) party after he and his husband used a surrogate mother to become parents, a practice he has criticised in the past and his party is vehemently opposed to.Surrogacy is banned in Germany, a policy Jens Spahn refused to relax when he was health minister in 2020, so he and his husband, Daniel Funke, used a surrogate mother in the US. Continue reading...

Pete Hegseth announced that soldiers aged 30 and older in the US military will be screened for low testosteroneThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, this week ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, which he says will help to maintain military readiness.But many medical professionals warn it might do nothing of the sort and instead could increase service members' risk of infertility or other consequences if testosterone is prescribed inappropriately. Continue reading...

Mykhailo Fedorov, celebrated by many for innovative, tech-driven approach, was sidelined for military old guardVolodomyr Zelenskyy's abrupt dismissal of Ukraine's youthful and innovative defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, at precisely the moment Kyiv appeared to be gaining advantages in several spheres of its war with Russia has exposed, not for the first time, a troubling flaw in the president's leadership.The move, which has startled senior European officials and caused consternation, and demonstrations, in Ukraine, is all the more shocking given Fedorov's role in pushing a clear strategy to prosecute the war, leveraging Ukraine's rapidly developing technological advances in drone and missile technology. Continue reading...

Rain could alleviate conditions in mid-Atlantic and north-east, with World Cup final expected to go ahead on SundayWarnings of dangerous conditions are expected to remain in place on Saturday across swathes of the US, amid uncertainty about where the heavy wildfire smoke swirling from the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Minnesota will head next.Some parts of the US mid-Atlantic and north-east regions will continue to endure poor air quality until Saturday afternoon, where there is a high chance of thunderstorms, which could bring some reprieve from the poor air but come with other risks like flash flooding and high winds. Meanwhile, parts of the midwest and Great Lakes regions will continue to see dangerous air quality. Continue reading...

MPs and industry experts say potential reorganisation will waste time at critical moment for AI and economic growthAndy Burnham's plan to scrap the government's technology department has triggered an angry backlash from MPs, Whitehall officials and tech experts.The incoming prime minister has asked officials to draw up plans to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of a wider Whitehall shake-up. Continue reading...

Outgoing PM has joked about cookery classes and cutting hedges, but does the international stage beckon?As his time in Downing Street comes to an end, Keir Starmer has been joking with friends about what he might do after he stands down as prime minister.He has teased that he might take a cookery course. He needs it, he only makes two meals," one friend said. Another not entirely serious suggestion was cutting his father-in-law's hedge in the expectation that if he did well, he could graduate to lawns. Continue reading...

White House Fifa taskforce chief defends Argentina footballers, saying US believes in free speechThe White House has backed Argentina's footballers who displayed a banner supporting their country's claim to the Falklands Islands after their World Cup semi-final victory against England.After Argentina's 2-1 win in a fractious match in Atlanta on Wednesday, some players held up a banner that said: Las Malvinas son Argentinas" - using the country's term for the South Atlantic islands. Continue reading...

Labour leader examining proposals to overhaul gas standing charges and make heat pumps cheaper to run than boilersAndy Burnham is considering radical plans that could cut household energy bills by 130 a year and make running a heat pump cheaper than a gas boiler.In his speech on Friday as he became the new Labour leader, Burnham promised to reduce the price of essentials", and a cost of living package is expected to be one of his first announcements in Downing Street. Continue reading...

Government's food security push is said to rely on animal feed imports with vulnerability to supply chain shocksThe government's planned poultry sector growth plan is a risk to national security, campaigners have warned.Earlier this month, the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, told the Groundswell agriculture festival that the key to improving food security was consuming more homegrown produce, and said this was why the government had set up the Farming and Food Partnership Board, whose members include industry leaders such as the president of the National Farmers' Union and the chief executive of the Food & Drink Federation. Continue reading...

Fire crew in Gilbert to honor Royal Cothrun, 14, for helping elderly woman who became disoriented amid heatwaveAn Arizona fire department is formally honoring a 14-year-old boy who recently helped save an elderly woman with dementia after she wandered miles off course amid potentially lethal temperatures, saying the teenager demonstrated heroism ... quick thinking and compassion".Royal Cothrun was riding his bicycle in June in the town of Gilbert when he encountered Theresa Morgan as she struggled to walk through 103F (39.4C) heat with a grocery bag dangling off one arm and a purse on the other, according to authorities as well as reporting by the local news outlet KNXV. Continue reading...

Demonstrations planned across the US this weekend will focus on three issues likely to define the midterm electionsThousands of Americans are expected to take to the streets this weekend in mass protests around issues likely to define the midterm elections: widespread violence from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, voter suppression and datacenter construction.The protests - some recently planned in response to last week's ICE shootings, others an annual event with new urgency - will take place not just in big cities and progressive towns, but also in rural and red areas. Continue reading...

Less than a month after hailing a ceasefire, Trump resumed strikes on Iran, a move experts warn could prolong the war and hurt Republicans ahead of midtermsFor half a century, Donald Trump has performed a public high-wire act based on high-stakes risks and shattering time-honored norms to get what he wants.The approach has paid off handsomely, helping him survive multiple bankruptcies to reach billionaire status and numerous legal and political scandals to be elected US president twice. Continue reading...

Incoming PM must seize chance to stop race discourse deflecting from class inequalities, says David WeaverAndy Burnham has a historic opportunity to shift the national mood on racism, the chair of Operation Black Vote has said.In an interview marking the 30th anniversary of the influential nonpartisan civil rights organisation, David Weaver, the chair of Operation Black Vote (OBV), said Burnham must seize the chance to change a UK political culture where race and migration discourse is used to deflect from class inequalities and ineffective leadership. Continue reading...

CEO's pay packet surges to 791,000 as union says public sick of obscene pay' and bosses feathering own nests'Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase even as the company was banned from paying bonuses because of sewage spills, it has emerged.Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase in October, from 590,000 to 670,000, before other benefits, according to accounts published this month. It was far above the 3.5% given to workers, and put her pay at 18 times that of the company's median employee. Continue reading...

Former tube network cleaner says tribunal vindicated his health concerns, including about asbestos, that could affect publicA London Underground worker who was unfairly sacked after whistleblowing about his concerns over exposure to asbestos and other toxic dust has said he wants all tube passengers to know about the potential hazards his case has revealed.Micky Steeds, a former professional boxer from Aveley in Essex, started working for London Underground in 2018 cleaning up decades of dust from vents, lift shafts and inverts - confined channels underneath station platforms for cabling. Continue reading...

Central Command says attacks were designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities'The US military said it had launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Friday night as fighting escalated over the strait of Hormuz.US Central Command, in a post on X, said the strikes, which began at 7pm GMT, were designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities". Continue reading...

Strong confrontation' comes at fragile moment for Reform's relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negativeNigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times.The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader's outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family. Continue reading...

Defence minister seeks three Naha' outposts in Gaza as top commander says Israel now controls 65% of the strip, violating Trump ceasefire dealIsrael's defence and finance ministers announced plans for three illegal settlements in Gaza and more than $400m (300m) in funding to expand construction in the occupied West Bank, as Israel's military commander for the region celebrated violent outposts as his security partners".With national elections scheduled for 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition is racing to expand control of land in occupied Palestine and drive out Palestinians before its mandate expires. Continue reading...

Hand-painted works are often wildly unfaithful to the movies they portray - reinterpretations that sometimes resulted in threats, insults and even physical attacks from viewers who felt dupedSitting on his porch in Teshie near Accra, Heavy J dipped a brush into red oil paint and dabbed it carefully on to his canvas - a flour sack - adding blood to a knife being wielded by a man. Higher on the canvas, he had started on an outline of a skull.Heavy J was creating a poster, but not as you might have expected for a horror film. Instead, it was for the animated fairytale The Little Mermaid. The man with the knife wasn't a killer but the film's kind-hearted prince, Eric. The skull was also unrelated to the story. We add more to make people interested," said Heavy J, whose real name is Jeaurs Affutu. Continue reading...

Fires are also blazing across the US and the Trump administration has repealed several climate protectionsUS Republicans are threatening to sanction Canada and Canadian government officials after smoke from devastating wildfires has drifted across huge swathes of the US, creating hazy conditions and dangerous air quality for tens of millions of Americans.Donald Trump on Friday blamed his country's northern neighbor for the smoke spreading from wildfires and said he planned to call Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, to ask about Ottawa's plans for dealing with the blazes. Continue reading...

Whereabouts of artist imprisoned after 2021 protests had been unknown following end of his prison term in JulyLuis Manuel Otero Alcantara, a prominent Cuban dissident artist whose whereabouts remained unknown after his prison sentence ended last week, has been given permission to travel to the US, according to his official Facebook page.Otero Alcantara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order. Continue reading...

Woman has non-life threatening injuries after Brandon Booth shot her with pistol outside ICE facility and drove offAn employee of a company that runs an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Colorado is under arrest after shooting and injuring a woman on Thursday evening. The incident happened after the woman participated in a protest in front of the facility earlier that day, according to the Aurora police department.When officers arrived on the scene, they said they found the woman with a gunshot wound in her lower body. She had a friend with her, who was unharmed. Continue reading...

Two men arrested after taking federal employees hostage in Shasta-Trinity national forestTwo US Forest Service employees were released early on Friday morning after being held hostage for more than 12 hours, authorities in far northern California said.Law enforcement officers arrested two men for the alleged kidnapping near Gumboot Lake in Shasta-Trinity national forest, Jeremiah LaRue, the Siskiyou county sheriff, told reporters on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

Distillery owner could face only three months in jail over alleged poisoning of Australian teenagers