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Pentagon says strikes were in response to Iran's attack on cargo ship in strait of Hormuz

California governor calls for national tax on super-wealthy and suggests the US should own a stake in AI companies

Fireworks prohibition comes alongside state of emergency as wildfires prompt evacuations and red-flag warningsUtah governor Spencer Cox has announced a state of emergency and accompanying temporary prohibition on the use of personal fireworks until 5 July. The announcement comes as the state experiences an unprecedented wildfire season with blazes that have prompted evacuations in Eureka, a small town about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City.Under the governor's executive order, the state forester is allowed to ban the use of fireworks anywhere in the state. The order temporarily suspends a 2024 law that disallowed the forester from banning fireworks in cities across the state. Continue reading...

President seizes on wins by Mamdani-backed candidates to warn darkly of threat to traditional American way of life'Donald Trump has previewed a Republican strategy for the midterm elections, seizing on a progressive sweep in New York to portray Democrats as godless communists" who pose an existential threat to the nation.The US president, who was a child during the red scare", seized on wins by democratic socialists backed by the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, to stoke fears that the Democratic party has embraced extremism that could lead to the violent persecution of Christians. Continue reading...

Authorities say couple failed to take young boy to doctor and did not provide safe environment at homeA Michigan couple has been charged with murder after authorities say their son died weighing more than 250lbs (113kg) despite being just seven years old.The investigation into the case's circumstances began on 4 November 2025 after a 911 call reported a young boy in medical distress at a home in Flint township, Michigan. The child, identified as Casper O'Brien, died after being taken to a hospital. Continue reading...

Delcy Rodriguez says foreign rescue teams are arriving as anger grows at official response and limited resources

Strikes against military facilities were in response to drone attack a day earlier on a cargo vessel

Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about immigrationA rift between Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood has deepened after it emerged the home secretary wanted to deny the migration minister, Mike Tapp, access to sensitive documents without her approval as she called for him to be sacked.Downing Street said Tapp - who has been a loyal supporter of Keir Starmer - remained a minister but that the prime minister was taking advice on whether he broke the ministerial code on collective responsibility. Continue reading...

About 100 marchers demand transparency after Kohen Wiley was shot dead in a car outside a WalmartAbout 100 people gathered on Friday morning outside of the Walmart in rural Senatobia, Mississippi, to protest about the killing of a one-year-old boy by police earlier this month.Walmart itself was closed, its doors barricaded. During a protest at the Walmart earlier in the week, officers deployed teargas on those gathered to force the crowds to disperse. Continue reading...

Environmentalists and immigrant-rights advocates seek accounting of damage done by notorious detention centerWhile they welcome the recent closure of the controversial Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center, leading environmental groups and their allies say they want an independent investigation into the environmental damage the facility inflicted on the surrounding wilderness during its 12 months of operations.Those groups made that demand alongside immigrant-rights advocates and members of Florida's Miccosukee Tribe at a news conference on Friday outside the entrance to the shuttered detention center, where the Friends of the Everglades (FOE) executive director, Eve Samples, condemned the camp as a failure, an obscene waste of taxpayer dollars and an abuse of the Everglades". Continue reading...

Experts say move signals greater political interference into public health and will exacerbate opioid overdose crisisHealth programs receiving federal funding must agree within days to new priorities from the Trump administration, including a focus on parental authority" in education and a move away from proven overdose-prevention methods like harm reduction, suggesting greater political control over public health.The new priorities will likely affect progress against the opioid crisis, and they could signal an attack on vaccination requirements at schools, which are set at the state and local level. The priorities may also weaponize public health to quash public disorder." Continue reading...

Critics say mandating Bible reading for over 5m students breaches constitutional separation of church and stateThe Texas education board has approved a broad new statewide reading list that, for the first time, will make passages from the Bible required reading for more than 5 million public school students.Under the new initiative, Bible stories will become mandatory reading for millions of public school students in addition to a more standard collection of books, renewing debate over growing efforts in the US to increase the role of religion in classrooms. Continue reading...

US president calls it foolish violation' of ceasefire agreement after drone damaged ship's upper deck

Government asks justices to allow people who have lived in US for years to be held without chance to seek bondThe Trump administration on Friday asked the US supreme court to let it detain people arrested in its immigration crackdown without a chance to seek bond, even if they have lived in the country for years.The administration made that request in a filing made public on Friday, asking the court to overturn a May decision by a federal appeals court, which had rejected its reinterpretation of a decades-old immigration law that now underlies its mass detention policy. Continue reading...

Home secretary speeds up major part of bill governing asylum and refugees as new prime minister set to take overShabana Mahmood will seek to shore up support for her controversial immigration bill on the progressive left of Labour, as she sets out plans to speed up the opening of new safe and legal routes that will permit thousands of refugees to come to the UK.The home secretary, who is the leading contender to stay in her job if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister, will next week introduce the legislation, which will also set new limits on immigration claims on human rights grounds and under modern slavery law.Removing modern slavery protections for any foreign national who has committed a crime and received a sentence, scrapping the previous 12-month threshold.Rejecting last-minute modern slavery claims where an objection could have been raised earlier or where there is evidence of false documentation.Allowing immigration claims to be brought under the right to a family life only if the family member is a parent, spouse or child under 18 except in exceptional circumstances.A new test to make clear that deporting foreign national offenders is in the public interest and should only be blocked in the most exceptional circumstances.

High commissioner for human rights calls for those responsible for violations of the law' to be held to account

Michael Phillips, who says he has a 0.38in member, wrote that he needed procedure to improve his ability to urinateThe North Carolina man who has made the apparently undisputed claim of having the world's smallest penis is seeking the public's support for enlargement surgery.Michael Phillips said online on Thursday that he needed the procedure to improve his ability to urinate, which is difficult for him given that he is reportedly 0.38in (0.97cm) long when fully erect. Otherwise, he said he must continue to wear diapers for adults with incontinence every day. Continue reading...

The monarch's declaration does not tell us much, except that his bill is lower than for people with much smaller fortunesThe veil of secrecy that surrounds the royal finances was nudged aside a little on Thursday to allow the release of a new piece of information. We learned for the first time how much the king's annual tax bill comes to.This was not a full tax return. It was a two-sentence declaration, stating his tax payable amounted to 12.9m in 2024-25, and a slightly smaller sum the year before. His total tax payable since accession comes to 30m. Continue reading...

New member for Makerfield and expected next prime minister joins other MPs who donate some or all of their payAndy Burnham has said he will be donating 15% of his MP's salary to local causes in his constituency of Makerfield.An MP's salary currently stands at 98,599 and a number of MPs donate all or part of their salary to charities and causes in the areas they represent. Continue reading...

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Despite 369m upgrade, King Charles will never live in palace but aides stress it will remain buzzing hive' of activityNot all modern British monarchs have viewed the prospect of moving into Buckingham Palace with unalloyed joy. So in announcing he will never live there, after the completion of its 369m upgrade next year, King Charles has at least grasped that nettle.Queen Victoria was initially dismayed by the damp, dingy and disorganised building that greeted her and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1837. It was Albert who refashioned it into Monarchy HQ". After his death in 1861, Victoria retreated mainly to Windsor, Balmoral and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Continue reading...

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, found guilty of common assault and actual bodily harm last year after incident in 2024A man has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail after being convicted of assaulting two female police officers and a member of the public at a Starbucks in Manchester airport.Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, from Rochdale, was convicted of common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm, following a four-week trial at Liverpool crown court last year. Continue reading...

While Anthony Albanese calls ousted British PM Keir Starmer his mate, the pair share very different political fortunes

The LNP's unapologetic moves on crime, transgender healthcare and police-led suppression of protests are a throwback to days many thought had come and gone

As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisionsThe heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever, with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income families are often worse affected by cities' lack of adequate adaptation measures, with women at the sharp end.[It] throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have," says Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, pointing out that vulnerable or marginalised groups often bear the brunt of climate crisis-based hardship globally. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereChina's president Xi Jinping said Beijing was ready to provide Venezuela with disaster relief and reconstruction" assistance.Xi sent a message of condolence to Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez today, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Continue reading...

CPS says decision to withhold names is due to fears Tate and his brother could identify alleged victims onlineAndrew and Tristan Tate's legal claim to be told the names of their female accusers has been thrown out by a high court judge who ruled that prosecutors had acted reasonably in treating the brothers as notorious".Mr Justice Chamberlain on Friday rejected an attempt to compel the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to inform the Tates of the identities of the women whose allegations have formed the basis for charges against the men of rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. Continue reading...

Experts say decision presents problem for business owners - and indicates direction court's conservatives are headingExperts say a supreme court ruling that struck down a Hawaii law banning people from carrying guns on private property without permission could present problems for business owners - and is a bellwether of what steps the majority-conservative court may take toward undoing policies they see as placing an undue burden on legal gun owners.The US supreme court handed down the ruling in Wolford v Lopez on Thursday in a 6-3 decision. Second-amendment law centers and advocates praised the ruling as another win and important step toward challenging other restrictions that are out of line with gun laws that existed at the nation's founding. Gun control and gun violence groups, meanwhile, lambasted the decision as a dangerous one that prioritizes the rights of gun owners over public safety. Continue reading...

Bodycam footage captures moment motorist pulls over to help police officer and calls: Get in the back'A van driver in Kent has been praised after giving a lift to an armed police officer who was chasing a suspect.Bodycam footage from the officer captured the moment the motorist pulled over to help the police on 16 June and called out: Get in the back. Get in the back." Continue reading...

Cape Verdeans in Britain feeling incredibly proud' after team's hard-fought draws against Spain and Uruguay

Veteran Labour peer who fled Nazis as a child attacks performative cruelty' of Shabana Mahmood's policiesShabana Mahmood should be moved out of the Home Office and her asylum policies of performative cruelty" ripped up by Andy Burnham's administration, Alf Dubs has said.The veteran Labour peer who came to the UK aged six in 1939 fleeing the persecution of Jews in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia said the home secretary's talents would be better used elsewhere in the cabinet". Continue reading...

Kremlin may attempt to test Nato cohesion as Russia comes under growing pressure from Ukraine, according to sources from two countriesTwo countries on Nato's eastern flank have warned that Russia is preparing a possible provocation" in the Baltic states or Poland in an effort to test the cohesion of the western military alliance.Western sources also fear there could be danger on the horizon because the Kremlin is coming under pressure from Ukraine's campaign of long-range attacks on targets near Moscow and St Petersburg. Continue reading...

Hundreds of graduates and interns at finance firm will now have to work in office at least three days a week

Sentencing of 27-year-old Sadia Moalim Ali condemned by former president and prime ministers as well as rights groupsA rickshaw driver in Somalia has been sentenced to three years in prison for comments she made on social media, in a case that has caught the public's attention and provoked outrage in the country.Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old nursing graduate, was originally charged with insulting government institutions and incitement to commit a crime, but convicted only of the former. Her sentence, immediately condemned as fundamentally unjust", was handed down on 25 June. Continue reading...

Three pumped storage hydroelectric power station sites in Scotland on list of 16 long-duration electricity storage plans

Airport has also been engaging closely' with regulator to discuss cost of plan to build third runway

Austrian Grand Prix declares heat hazard as dramatic rise in temperatures forecast in central and northern EuropeTemperatures are forecast to rise dramatically in parts of central and northern Europe this weekend as the intense heatwave continues. In Germany and Poland, highs up to or exceeding 40C (104F) are expected on both Saturday and Sunday, days after swathes of France experienced similar extreme temperatures. The Austrian Grand Prix, taking place this weekend in Spielberg, has declared a heat hazard, the first race to do so this season. Temperatures are expected to rise into the low 30s celsius during the race, almost 10C warmer than usual for the venue.Across Europe, the intense heat has led to severe thunderstorms. In the Sverdlovsk region of central Russia, a strong tornado was reported on the evening of 22 June. Rated a 3 out of 5 on the international Fujita scale, the twister injured 16 people and destroyed or damaged about 100 homes and businesses in the town of Kushva. Emergency services have been working on restoring power to the town. Tornadoes are not unheard of in Russia but are rare. Forecasters say they may become more common in future as the climate breaks down. Storm warnings remained in effect in the southern part of the country on Friday. Continue reading...

Sarah Steele has told of degrading' experience under US military justice system after assault by airman in CambridgeA UK justice minister has described the case of a British woman strangled by an American fighter pilot as really serious" and said the Ministry of Justice would examine it.Sarah Steele, an academic, has come forward to speak about the distressing and degrading" experience she had with the US military justice system after she was assaulted by the airman in Cambridge. Continue reading...

Minns government waited on federal approval of carbon credit scheme before proceeding with long-awaited great koala national park

Alejandro Gertz Manero's cars and properties contrast starkly with Morena party's long association with austerityWith his million-dollar jewellery collection and his two Rolls-Royces, Mexico's new ambassador to the UK will fit right in with the Mayfair crowd.Former attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero was appointed to the post by President Claudia Sheinbaum last year, but only recently disclosed his financial assets. Continue reading...

About 40 members of staff looked at information of boy, three, who ended up in zoo enclosureAbout 40 members of hospital staff accessed the medical records of a three-year-old boy hurt in a crocodile pit, prompting an investigation, it has been reported.Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and is investigating whether all the workers had a legitimate reason for looking at his information. Continue reading...

Fears hard-won gains in reducing child mortality over 20 years are at risk after end of USAID funding for nutrition programmesChild malnutrition in Nepal has reached alarming" levels, according to the largest ever survey of under-fives in the country.The new figures came just over a year after USAID, the former US flagship agency closed by the Trump administration in 2025, stopped funding work on child nutrition in Nepal. Continue reading...

Emerging research suggests datacentres create a heat island effect, pushing up temperatures in the immediate vicinity by as much as 9CThe community living next to the largest datacentre park in Europe say the scorching summer heat has grown unbearable.On days like Wednesday, said Nabeel Nawaz, the store manager of a Chaiiwala franchise in the centre of Slough, the heat is like something pinching your body and burning your skin". Continue reading...

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New structure to be built above 194-year-old Mitchells Causeway as residents face months of delays to reopening of Victoria Pass section of highway

All branches of the military will be taught how to use technology that has become a game changer on the battlefield', says defence ministerAll of South Korea's military forces will be trained as drone operators in a sweeping overhaul of its warfare strategy, the defence minister has said.All soldiers should be able to use drones like a second personal firearm," Ahn Gyu-back, who heads the defence ministry in Seoul, said on Friday. Continue reading...

Apple Macbook 13-inch prices jumps from $1,799 to $2,099 while the cost of iPads surges by 25%

Conservationists emphasise importance of protecting nesting sites used by strongly faithful' red-listed speciesMigratory swifts loyally return every year to their nests in buildings, according to a study, underlining the importance of providing the endangered birds with hollow nesting bricks if traditional nest sites are lost to renovations.The swift, which is on the red list of conservation concern, is one of Britain's most threatened species, having declined in number by 70% since 1995 because of the loss of nesting sites, often when old buildings are re-roofed or given better insulation. While Scotland this year made the installation of swift bricks - a simple hollow brick - a legal requirement in new buildings, the government in England has repeatedly refused to oblige builders to include a 35 swift brick in every new home. Continue reading...

There was no ambiguity. I did not do what was alleged,' Guy says of fellow state Liberal MP's accusation

Australian Labor party president says authoritarian trends must not be normalised' in Australia