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Congressman to run for seat despite Donald Trump backing Graham's sister, Darline, should she choose to runThe Republican representative Ralph Norman, of South Carolina, has announced he will join the race to succeed the late senator Lindsey Graham, despite Donald Trump backing Graham's sister, Darline, should she choose to run.Announcing the launch of his bid on Saturday, Norman wrote on X: I'm running to represent the people of South Carolina in the US Senate because we need a fighter who will stand with President Trump and carry on Lindsey Graham's legacy!" Continue reading...

Poor air quality from wildfires continues to plague New York City as several neighborhoods hit by thunderstormsSaturday is delivering a double dose of dangerous weather across the north-eastern US, with smoky skies from Canadian wildfires giving way to severe thunderstorms that have already triggered a flash flood warning as torrential rain pounds parts of the region.After a brief break on Friday, smoke from the wildfires moved back into New York City and surrounding communities on Saturday, sending air quality back into unhealthy levels. Continue reading...

Kuwait also says civilian sites and infrastructure targeted and sirens sound in Bahrain as Iran strikes US alliesTwo US troops were killed and one remains missing in Jordan after Iran 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...

Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison uncovered the truth after Bylin received an at-home DNA test as a Christmas giftA DNA discovery has led two families to accuse a North Dakota hospital of changing the course of their lives after learning two newborns were allegedly switched at birth nearly four decades ago.Kyle Bylin uncovered the truth after receiving an at-home DNA test during a Christmas gift exchange. The test connected him with his biological aunt through a genealogy platform, prompting her nephew, Jeremy Morrison, to take his own DNA test. The results confirmed the two men had been raised by each other's biological families. Continue reading...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Summer Lee join rally to support Justin Pearson's bid for Congress seatMore 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 the 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...

As the climate crisis fuels more intense blazes, pushing them to new parts of the world, those tackling them are forced to ration resources and decide which to fightCesar Alcaraz had only just become a firefighter in the late 1990s when he found himself ambushed by a fast-moving blaze. Barely able to breathe and with no more water left in his truck, he and his colleagues fled an inferno ravaging Spain's Montgo mountain region, wishing their bosses had sent more support.But nearly three decades on, as an officer with Alicante's provincial firefighters, Alcaraz has more sympathy for the agonising choices that commanders have to make. When wildfires overwhelm an area, his job resembles that of a doctor in an emergency room with too few ventilators. 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...

DWP brought in measures to tackle carer's allowance scandal yet in 2025-26 there were 32,559 overpaymentsScores 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 overpayments, despite the introduction of measures over a year ago designed specifically to prevent carers falling foul of the system. 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

Sister of the South Carolina senator who died last Saturday has not previously held any elected officeDonald Trump on Friday said he had encouraged Darline Graham to run for a full six-year term representing South Carolina in the US Senate, after she was sworn in to office earlier this week following the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he spoken to Darline Graham at the White House. I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary," he wrote. Continue reading...

109 million people face another day of poor air quality as smoke from blazes in Ontario drifts over the US

FDA investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce, but federal warnings did not name the companyFederal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five US states as a source of the widespread outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the source late on Thursday and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Continue reading...

US president offered litany of misleading and false claims during Thursday speech on alleged threats to US electionsDonald Trump offered a litany of misleading and false claims during his Thursday speech on threats to US elections, and released previously classified documents to try to support his specious claims. In some cases, his claims were not supported by those documents. Here is a look at some of the key claims that could mislead the American public. Continue reading...

Government has last chance' to get it right, says incoming PM, while anxiety surrounds his choice of chancellorAndy Burnham pledged to lead a united Labour government free of infighting and factional politics as he took over as leader, despite anxiety on the left of party about the prospect of Shabana Mahmood as chancellor.Burnham, who will become prime minister on Monday, set out a distinctly leftwing vision for Britain. He promised to undo the Thatcherism of the 1980s, bring in more public ownership of utilities, find the money to fix social care and build a new generation of council homes. Continue reading...

Former Democratic Unionist party leader's legal team has lodged documents with the court of appeal in BelfastJeffrey Donaldson is to appeal against his conviction for rape and other sexual offences against two children.The former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader's legal team lodged documents with the court of appeal in Belfast on Friday, his solicitor, John McBurney, said. Continue reading...

Reform leader says he's been demonised' since revelation he received 5m from billionaire before electionNigel Farage has accused people raising questions about his financial backing of demonising" him as part of a coordinated pile-on" to stop Reform UK.In one of his first speeches since the opening of two parliamentary standards inquiries into his financial support, the Reform leader said he had been dehumanised in the most extraordinary way" in recent months, after the Guardian revealed in April that he had received a 5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the last election. Continue reading...

From Lily Collins at Wimbledon to the cast of Love Island, heels-averse cohort is stepping it up a notchGen Z, the flats-only generation, has finally succumbed to the heel - albeit a tiny one. Long vocally anti-heel, the cohort who were born between 1997 and 2012 have famously shunned millennials' obsession with Jimmy Choos in favour of pancake-flat shoes, from the Adidas Samba It-trainer" to the split-toe Margiela Tabi and so-called French girl ballet flats".But they now appear to be embracing a potential gateway heel, typically measuring in the region of 1.5in (3.8cm) or the height of a triple-A battery. Continue reading...

200,000 investment comes after harvests in Britain hit by wet winter, spring frost and hail, then heatwavesThe owner of Ribena is to invest 200,000 in helping blackcurrant bushes withstand stress after extreme weather put a squeeze on this year's UK harvest.That harvest is now under way in the berry's main growing regions including East Anglia, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Kent and Scotland. It is expected to be about 10% below the average of 10,000 tonnes, as the climate crisis drives extreme weather across Britain and elsewhere. Continue reading...

Radio and TV presenter, who recovered from cancer in 2024, announces she has smouldering myelomaLauren Laverne has announced she has been diagnosed with a blood and bone marrow disorder, less than two years after recovering from cancer.The radio and TV presenter revealed she has smouldering myeloma, a condition characterised by an abnormal level of blood plasma cells in bone marrow, and said she made her diagnosis public out of a desire to help others. In August 2024, she announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, and received the all-clear three months later. Continue reading...

Ronald Fischer, 70, was sentenced to life in his absence after telling lawyer he planned to enjoy life in another country'A master yachtsman" who went on the run for more than two decades after fleeing a sexual assault trial in Rhode Island which resulted in his conviction despite his absence was captured on Thursday on a sailboat off New Jersey's coast, according to authorities.Ronald L Fischer, 70, had been considered one of Rhode Island's most wanted fugitives before his arrest, state police officials said in a statement on social media. And his case had been mentioned repeatedly over the years on the true-crime television program America's Most Wanted. Continue reading...

Supplier to 2.4m customers says it doesn't have enough money to last beyond July 2027South East Water has warned there is material uncertainty" over its survival, after a disastrous year in which the lossmaking company paid millions of pounds in fines and its chief executive was forced out.The water supplier to 2.4 million customers said it had sufficient funds to make it through to July 2027. However, shortly after" the utility will need new loan facilities in order to continue as a going concern", it said in its annual report published on Friday. Continue reading...

Republican Josh Hawley accuses Mark Zuckerberg's firm of relentlessly pursuing and attempting to bankrupt herA US senator has accused Meta of using lawfare in efforts to destroy" a whistleblower who made allegations about the social media company's dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers.In a letter to its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, the Republican senator Josh Hawley demanded to know what measures Meta had taken to monitor Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook's former global head of public policy, and her family. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereWhen Andy Burnham first tried to return to the Commons, by applying to be Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, Labour's national executive committee blocked him - in part because, they argued, Labour might find it hard to hold the Greater Manchester mayoralty in the byelection caused by his resignation.When he next applied to be a candidate, for Makerfield, the NEC no longer felt able to say no because the results for Labour in the May elections were so bad that the case for having Burnham in parliament became overwhelming. Continue reading...

Another 22 reportedly injured while mourning Palestinian killed in Israeli attack earlier in the dayAn Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip has killed at least seven people and injured another 22, according to a local hospital.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Continue reading...

Tehran bombs US allies in Middle East after US attacks on bridges, energy facilities and key portThe US hit bridges, energy facilities and a key Iranian port on Friday, expanding its aerial campaign against Iran, and prompting swift Iranian strikes against US allies in the Middle East.US airstrikes hit bridges in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, Iranian state TV reported. The bridges were a key transit point for Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port. Further US airstrikes brought down a tower in Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman that the US military claimed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used to facilitate attacks on vessels in the strait of Hormuz. The US also targeted key electrical infrastructure and Iranshahr airport. Continue reading...

UK police adviser in the early 2000s and global consultant in no-body' homicide cases says he has narrowed down the outback search area Peter Falconio murder 25 years on: new footage shows dying Australian outback killer's refusal to reveal body's locationThe former British government expert who consulted on the search for the remains of the murdered backpacker Peter Falconio says he has now identified a most likely" potential burial location - an abandoned racetrack only 8km from the scene of the infamous outback attack at Barrow Creek.In July 2001, Falconio and his partner, Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire, were ambushed and attacked by Bradley John Murdoch as they drove along a remote stretch of road in Australia's Northern Territory, about 300km north of Alice Springs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jeannie-Marie Blake is suing the Australian government over alleged threats, which her department denies making

Firm pleaded guilty to 13 offences over discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stationsSouthern Water has been fined more than 7m after dumping sewage illegally off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021.The company, described by the judge as having a record of criminality" which is an exceptionally serious aggravating factor", pleaded guilty to 13 offences at Medway magistrates court last April over sewage discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations between 2019 and 2021. Continue reading...