President said Howard Lutnick had Venezuela operation on his mind when he was discussing Iran war on CNBCDonald Trump has claimed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, erroneously stated that no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because he was thinking about a previous US operation, in Venezuela.The claim, at odds with the Pentagon's count of 18 US service members dead in the US-Israel war on Iran, sparked a swift backlash as Trump struggles to end the conflict after six month. Continue reading...
by Victoria Bekiempis (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#784S5)
Republican oversight chair James Comer says he will speak to committee about next steps as Democrat calls for holding billionaire in contempt for defying two subpoenas
Conservative leader says: If Nigel Farage can't handle difficult questions about his dodgy 5m, then he shouldn't be a politician'The Electoral Commission has released political donation figures for the second quarter of 2026. They show that Reform UK continues to rake in far more than other parties. Nigel Farage''s party had declared donations worth 5.3m. Labour got 3.6m, and the Conservatives 2.8m.Most of Reform UK's money came from Ben Delo, who gave 4m. As Rowena Mason reported earlier this year, Delo is a British billionaire convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business. Continue reading...
McDonagh's new film, Wild Horse Nine, stars John Malkovich as an agent in 1970s Chile who feels guilt and regret' over his role in global interventionsThe US's history of intervening in democratic processes around the world deserves more attention in the light of current political developments, playwright and film-maker Martin McDonagh has said, as his Oscar-tipped film about a rueful CIA agent premieres at the Venice film festival.I've been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has been doing over the last 60 years, and the awful things they've done all around the world," McDonagh said about Wild Horse Nine, his first film since his 2022 tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. I think maybe something that's not talked about enough. We know what the KGB are like, but we probably don't question the CIA's activity as much as we ought to." Continue reading...
by Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent on (#78500)
Air bases used by US in the UAE and Kuwait hit as the Israeli defence chief says Iran's regime fears collapse due to economic pressuresIran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an economic D-day".As Iran's military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel's defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more extreme measures". Continue reading...
Billionaire financier, who previously walked out of a deposition, instead launches lawsuit against the committeeBillionaire financier Leon Black did not appear Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements.Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men's relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs that Epstein may have helped Black craft. Black, whose name has come up repeatedly in the Epstein files, has denied wrongdoing. Black also said that he regrets dealing with Epstein. Continue reading...
Climate crisis could increase incursions of Aedes aegypti, which can transmit Zika virus and dengue, experts sayAn invasive mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases has been found breeding in homes in east London, with warnings that the rapidly warming climate will lead to greater incursions of invasive mosquitoes".This is the first time the species has been identified breeding in the UK and the fourth time it has been detected. Continue reading...
by Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent on (#784X4)
Migration spokeperson says if Centre party wins power it will change law to end plight of British citizens hit by post-Brexit policyA leading Swedish opposition party has promised an urgent reprieve for British nationals facing deportation from the country over Brexit administrative issues.Niels Paarup-Petersen, the migration spokesperson for the Centre party, said it would introduce laws to end the suffering of people such as the 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas if, as polls project, it forms a new centre-left coalition after the general election in 10 days' time. Thomas has been told to leave by next Wednesday after 21 years in Sweden. Continue reading...
Ben Delo, who was convicted in 2022 for failure to apply anti-money laundering controls, is party's second biggest donorReform UK has been given a further 4m from the British crypto billionaire Ben Delo, with the party saying it is confident the formerly Hong Kong-based businessman will not be caught by the new overseas donor cap.Delo, who was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business before being pardoned by Donald Trump, has previously given 4m to Reform in January. Continue reading...
After judge allows partial access rights, Catherine Birmingham and Nathan Trevallion say the enforced separation broke each of our hearts'A couple have told of their heartache, trauma and stress after fighting for two years for their right to parent their children as they choose in the glare of the world's attention.The three children of a Melbourne woman, Catherine Birmingham, and her British partner, Nathan Trevallion, were removed from their dilapidated" off-grid home in Italy last year. Continue reading...
Famous for the 1963 expose in which she worked as a Playboy Bunny, her books and journalism took on many varieties of discriminationGloria Steinem, the American feminist and journalist whose activism helped push through greater rights for women around the world has died, aged 92.Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her", a statement shared to her Instagram page said. Continue reading...
Claim relating to infamous apartheid-era shooting of protesters part of wave of litigation for apartheid-era crimesThe day dawned brightly on 21 March 1960, as residents of the South African township of Sharpeville gathered to protest against pass laws, which forced Black, Indian and Coloured" South Africans to carry documents at all times specifying where they were allowed to be.Abraham Mofokeng joined the march, one of dozens organised nationwide by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), a breakaway group from the African National Congress (ANC). The weather was very nice, the sun was out. You could not have suspected that the day would go so horribly," said Mofokeng, who was then a 20-year-old factory worker. Continue reading...
Firm will complete fewer homes than expected in year to 31 October - between 1,350 and 1,400The British housebuilder Crest Nicholson has warned of a surprise loss this year as it bemoaned difficult trading in a subdued" property market.In an unscheduled trading update, the company said it would complete fewer homes than expected in the year to 31 October - between 1,350 and 1,400, down from its previous estimate of 1,400 to 1,500. Continue reading...
Gretsch Synchromatic 160 acoustic guitar expected to sell for as much as 120,000, as star lot in auction of items owned by late personal assistant Siobhan BaileyOne of the most iconic items in George Michael's career, the acoustic guitar he energetically strummed in the video for 1987's Faith, is going up for auction.The guitar, a Gretsch Synchromatic 160 with a sunburst finish to the body, has an estimated sale price of 60,000-120,000. It comes with a case featuring the words Rockabilly Rebel pasted on it - a reference to the twangy, 1950s-referencing sound of Faith, which topped the US charts for four weeks and became a foundation stone of Michael's post-Wham! solo career. Continue reading...
Misfits Together, by Bastille's Dan Smith and To Kill a King's Ralph Pelleymounter, is set amid the 1950s' red scare'It was lampooned as the union of the hourglass" and the egghead" - the marriage, in the summer of 1956, between Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe and Pulitzer-winning playwright Arthur Miller. Now, a new stage musical is to give a nuanced and intimate portrait of that famous relationship, treat each as trailblazers in their own way and reveal parallels between the volatile state of the US during the 50s red scare" and now.The production, which opens next autumn at Leicester's Curve, is called Misfits Together, a reference to the film Miller wrote for Monroe that was released shortly after their divorce in 1961. It is a foray into musical theatre by two indie musicians, Dan Smith of the band Bastille and Ralph Pelleymounter from To Kill a King, who have recorded the score as a studio album. The first track, Oh America, is out on Thursday. Continue reading...
Actor will play 15th-century hero in sweeping production about Welsh rebellion against English crownThere are myriad films, plays and books focusing on heroes of English, Scottish and Irish history but far fewer that tell the stories of the great figures of Wales.A major new play about the Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndr's early 15th-century rebellion against the English crown will help redress the balance this autumn. Continue reading...
by Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent on (#784PN)
Case is latest in string of post-Brexit deportations from country, which has been criticised for high refusal rate for British people to remainThe wife of a British man detained by police in Stockholm on Tuesday ahead of a threatened deportation has pleaded with Andy Burnham to get involved in the Brexit catastrophe unfolding for many British citizens in Sweden.Charles, who does not want to be fully identified, and his Swedish wife, Lily, were summoned to the police station at 10am on Tuesday, where he was told he would be held at a detention centre and deported within the next two weeks. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#784NG)
Thousands of heat-related deaths in record-breaking temperatures appeared to only intensify hosts' climate denialsAs the first heatwave of the record-breaking summer arrived on 23 May, GB News host Cristo Foufas was not happy: I am sick to death of the naysayers saying firstly that we're all going to die and that we have to put out heat alerts, because, you know, just drink some water and drink a bit less rose in the sunshine."We used to call it Darwinism," replied co-host Renee Hoenderkamp. She is a medical doctor. Continue reading...
Victim's father Tony Ticehurst confronts Daniel Billings during sentence hearing in regional NSW, saying I hope that every night Molly's screams keep you awake'
by Nino Bucci Justice and courts reporter on (#784NJ)
Yasmin Catley says we will not be surrendering our streets' after as many as six suspected mistaken identity shootings since the start of last yearThe New South Wales police minister denies that gang violence is out of control in the state, despite two people being shot dead in suspected cases of mistaken identity in as many days.The police minister, Yasmin Catley, told a media conference on Thursday that while the recent deaths were unacceptable, the force had the resources they needed to tackle organised crime gangs. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#784M5)
Exclusive: new data shows poorer pupils and those with Send are disproportionately affected by the measureThe proportion of secondary school students in England removed from class and placed in internal exclusion" as a disciplinary measure has almost trebled in three years, according to new data.The data shows the proportion of secondary pupils removed from normal lessons went up from 5% in the 2022/2023 academic year to 13% in 2025/26 - a 160% increase. Continue reading...
Bank says gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily and the move will allow it to respond more rapidly in a crisis situation'The Dutch central bank says it has moved 86 tonnes of its gold reserves out of the US and Canada to London, citing increasing geopolitical unrest".De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) said gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily than those held in New York and Ottawa. Continue reading...
Oil consumption plummets and EV sales soar as analysts say demand may not fully return even if crude price fallsChina's carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, thanks to a sharp reduction in oil consumption and a steady rise in the use of electric vehicles and public transport, analysis shows.The report reveals the role of clean energy in cushioning the price shocks caused by the strait of Hormuz crisis to the world's biggest oil importer. It also reinforces hopes that China, which is the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, may be nearing a turning point in decarbonising its economy. Continue reading...
Mississippi-born Wilson, who worked across folk, pop, R&B and country, was once dubbed America's best singerCassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer has died. She was 70.Dubbed America's best singer by Time magazine in 2001, Wilson was best known for her genre-bending voice, which expanded the boundaries of traditional blues-based jazz and worked effortlessly across folk, pop, R&B, country and beyond. At the heart of all her work was her idiosyncratic contralto, a soulful sound distinctly tied to her roots. Continue reading...
PM will aim to centre talks with French president on key foreign policy issues such as Iran, smuggling gangs and EU relationsAndy Burnham will begin the process of courting European leaders when he welcomes Emmanuel Macron as the first foreign head of state to visit him in Downing Street.The prime minister will meet the French president at No 10 on Thursday as he looks to make inroads on a number of foreign policy objectives, including curbing irregular migration and sealing a new deal with the EU. Continue reading...
Experts have expressed deep concerns that the practice runs afoul of the fourth amendment's right to privacyFederal prosecutors have declined to say whether they secretly obtained phone records for the journalist Don Lemon using an unusual administrative summons, his lawyers said in a Monday court filing, highlighting concern about a controversial legal authority the government has claimed to gather information as it charged Lemon and dozens of others with civil rights crimes in connection to a January protest at a church in Saint Paul, Minnesota.In January, officials served Verizon with an administrative summons for a log of Lemon's phone records between 19 December and 20 January. The subpoena did not come from a grand jury, as is typical in criminal investigation, and also was not a court-approved search warrant. Instead, it was a unilateral request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which said it was requesting the information under 19 USC 1509 - an obscure law that gives the department power to investigate records related to customs issues. Experts say the government is abusing that authority to gather records on journalists, activists, unions, non-profits and online critics, and have expressed deep concerns that the practice runs afoul of the fourth amendment's right to privacy. Continue reading...
by Victoria Bekiempis and Guardian staff on (#784E6)
President praises late queen and King Charles but says duke and duchess treated royal family with great disrespect'Donald Trump has weighed in on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move back to Britain, declaring: I'm happy about it."I was not a fan," the US president told reporters during a question-and-answer session after a press conference with travel executives on Wednesday. I had a very good relationship with the queen, really good. I got to know her very well. A really good relationship with King Charles - I knew him as Prince Charles and King Charles. I've known him for a long time." Continue reading...
Yorgen Fenech cleared on both charges he faced over 2017 killing of journalist that prompted global outrageOne of Malta's richest men has been found not guilty of involvement in the murder of the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.The verdict, which is expected to be appealed against by the prosecution, will come as a blow not only to the victim's family, but to the politicians and campaigners who regard the case as a landmark action in the fight to protect press freedom in Europe. Continue reading...
Fair to say the current sell-off is international, but the PM has said little yet to make investors rethink the UK's statusIt's too soon to say the bond markets have turned on Andy Burnham. Tuesday's spike in gilt yields, taking the UK's 30-year borrowing costs to their highest level since 1998, was part of an international sell-off of government debt.The main contributors are well known. The Iran war, by increasing the cost of energy, has overturned the comforting start-of-the-year thesis of falling global inflation and interest rates. A plunging Japanese yen has kicked away another assumed source of financial stability. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, hasn't calmed nerves with his solo, and so far futile, attempt to bring down US yields. Meanwhile, the early stage of the AI revolution is an exercise in issuing squillions of debt before long-term returns on capital can possibly be assessed meaningfully. Continue reading...
The government's tougher stance towards the Kremlin is drawing attacks from both the far right and far leftEven before the German government laid the blame this week on Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport, the topic of German ties to Moscow was high on the political agenda.But the timing of the unsurprising yet explosive Leipzig announcement - days before a key regional vote - has exposed the extent to which German politics is polarised on the issue. Continue reading...
Guardian City editor Anna Isaac among those who had credentials to cover event declinedReform UK has banned at least three journalists from its annual conference who have reported critically on the party and Nigel Farage.The Guardian's City editor, Anna Isaac, the investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and the broadcaster and biographer Michael Crick were told this week that their credentials to cover the event, which begins on Thursday, had been declined. Continue reading...
Various laws and 250 years of tradition prevent the likeness of living people from appearing on currency. Donald Trump and Scott Bessent don't want you to worry about that
by Jakub Krupa (now and earlier) and Martin Belam (ea on (#783WC)
EU's policy chief says drone incident at German airport had the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism'German police have opened a investigation into yesterday's attempt to disrupt the operation of a power substation near Brandenburg.In a statement, Brandenburg police said they were leading a probe on suspicion of attempting to disrupt public services, causing an explosion and damaging critical infrastructure as well as forming a terrorist organisation Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#783XZ)
Two men and two women have been charged with murder after body of newborn girl found with 33 stab woundsA newborn baby girl died from multiple stab wounds before she was found on top of a washing machine in an outhouse in Sheffield, a court has heard.Two men and two women appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the murder of the newborn, named only as Baby S. She was found with 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings when police were called to a property in the Wincobank area of the city on Sunday. Continue reading...
Burnham faced questions from Kemi Badenoch and other MPs amid speculation over budgetIn the news release to mark the first anniversary of his election as the Green party's leader, Zack Polanski highlighted what he described as 10 achievements during his first year in charge. For the record, this is how he sees his record.-Won the Greens' first ever parliamentary byelection in Gorton and Denton-More than tripled the party membership from 68,500 to over 230,000Zack Polanski in Holborn and St Pancras sounds like a done deal from the hints the party is dropping over the past 24 hours. Needs the formality of local party sign-off.Our budget for day-to-day spending next year will be lower in real terms than this year. Our capital budget will fall in real terms every year until the end of the decade. Continue reading...
Reform UK leader dismisses criticism of his failure to register 5m gift as a sign of a complainants' society'Nigel Farage has compared his situation to that of Donald Trump being pursued by investigators for years, saying both of them are outsiders" up against the system", as he admitted having become tetchy and aggrieved this summer.The Reform UK leader has been under huge scrutiny over his finances after failing to declare a 5m gift from the Thailand-based donor Christopher Harborne and further financial support from a friend, the fraudster George Cottrell, before the last election. Continue reading...
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