Thanks to the drought, these black-and-white beauties are struggling to catch worms in the rock-hard earth. But there's still good foraging on well-watered fairways and greensName: Badgers.Age: European badgers live for five to eight years in the wild. They have been in the UK, where this story is set, for half to three-quarters of a million years. Continue reading...
by Shrai Popat (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#77MEN)
Polls had shown Hong as a clear frontrunner during the campaign, but with large chunks of voters still undecided and an ever-changing field of candidates, polling was difficult
Eclipse to be witnessed by tens of millions across western Europe as enthusiasts gather along path of totalityThe last significant partial eclipse was reported in the UK in 1999.Here is how we covered it at the time at the Guardian:Britain was brought to a standstill for almost an hour yesterday as millions of people left their homes, offices and factories to watch the last eclipse of the millennium.The rush to watch the skies in the West Country and across the country resulted in the biggest power surge ever recorded on the National Grid and is estimated to have cost the country 500m in lost business. Continue reading...
Incident marks second familicide in midwest in two weeks, with the children who died ranging in age from three to nineA father killed his four young children and their mother before turning the gun on himself, said authorities in Wichita, Kansas - marking the second incident of familicide in the midwest in two weeks.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Winfield police department said a man identified as 53-year-old Ronald Williams Sr called police at 8.50am on Tuesday to say he had killed his entire family and was about to take his own life. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now); Taz Ali and Martin Belam (earli on (#77MDJ)
Prime minister suggests possible measure as he prepares to chair emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heatHere's today's latest Met Office forecast for UK cities:Aberdeen 22CBelfast 24CBirmingham 32CCardiff 33CGlasgow 25CLiverpool 32CLondon 32CNewcastle 29CPlymouth 31CSheffield 31C Continue reading...
Anna Turley backs up Andy Burnham's suggestion that affluent areas should house more asylum seekers in futureJust 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the part of government tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information request has revealed. Sandra Laville has the story.On his visit to Stevenage, Andy Burnham also said he would visit the town on Remembrance Day to mark its 80th birthday.I'm going to come back to Stevenage on 11 November. We will pay our respects for Remembrance Day around that time, but I'll be here because if I'm right, that will be 80 years to the day that the post-war Labour government created the first new town right here in Stevenage. Continue reading...
Winds of more than 80mph, severe flooding and tornadoes swept through Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and KentuckyPowerful storms swept across the midwest on Tuesday, leaving three dead and more than 800,000 without power in four states as winds gusts of more than 80mph (130km/h) tore down trees and power lines.In Indiana, a four-year-old child died after a tree fell on his home in Geneva Township and a person died in a suspected weather-related house explosion in Portage, a city about 30 miles south-east of Chicago. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#77MM6)
Investigators believe Vikings and Hells Angels members involved in violence that preceded death of Brecon manA man was killed in what is believed to have been a violent brawl between rival motorcycle gangs in the south Wales valleys, police have said.Anthony Tony" Jones, 56, of Brecon, died of his injuries in hospital after the violence in Pontnewynydd, near Pontypool, last Thursday evening, which reportedly involved knives and hammers. Continue reading...
As London restaurants say wild birds are smaller and fewer this year, experts say countryside should not be playground for bloodsports'Every year on 12 August, fans of traditional British cuisine flock to plush restaurants in Mayfair to dine on grouse served with bread sauce and game chips.But those hoping to find the small wild birds, sourced from the UK's moorlands, may be disappointed. Wildfires have been raging on moors across the UK, burning habitats and incinerating wildlife after record-breaking heat has turned the landscape into a tinderbox. Continue reading...
Vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice says she recognises the difficult case' has damaged the universityCambridge University's leadership has bowed to internal pressure for an independent investigation into its appointment of Jason Arday as professor, with its vice-chancellor admitting the affair had damaged the institution.Prof Deborah Prentice said she recognised the anger and anxiety around this damaging and difficult case", but described it as an aberration that should not be used to cast aspersions on the abilities of its staff of colour. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#77MHV)
Errors by police and prosecutors left serial sex offender free to murder Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl WilkinsSimon Levy, the sexual predator left free by police and prosecution errors to murder two women, will never leave prison after being sentenced to a whole-life tariff.Levy was convicted on Friday of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. He was also convicted of attacking and raping another woman, 35, in January 2025, who survived and gave damning testimony against him. Continue reading...
Plans for hyperscale datacenter in Palm Beach county prompt concerns over water and electricity demandsAbout 16 miles (26km) south-west of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Largo estate, near the northern edge of the Florida Everglades, developers have proposed a hyperscale datacenter on a 202-acre (82-hectare) parcel of land surrounded by water. Local environmentalists warn that the proposed 600MW datacenter in western Palm Beach county could damage the wetlands, which the federal government and the state of Florida have spent a combined $6bn to restore after decades of drainage and development.One concern is that the datacenter could exacerbate an existing issue of toxic bacterial blooms in a water system which has already been stressed by drought, fertilizer runoff and warm water temperatures. In recent summers, the bright blooms of blue-green algae have covered nearly half of Lake Okeechobee, which feeds into the Everglades. Continue reading...
Operation under way to rescue dozens missing after boat overturned by waves at world's largest manmade lakeAt least 15 people have died and 27 are missing after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.The boat had a capacity of 90 people, but was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children, Zimbabwe's civil protection unit (CPU) said, citing ticket sales. Continue reading...
Geopolitics and cost of living crisis have cost Europe's largest travel company 60m so farHolidaymakers are waiting until the last minute to book their trips because of the continuing uncertainty caused by the war in Iran and the cost of living crisis, according to Tui, Europe's largest travel company, which said the war had cost it 60m (51m) so far.In the weeks after the outbreak of war at the end of February, Tui recorded a temporary drop-off in customers wanting to travel to Cyprus or Turkey, in what the company called a volatile market". Continue reading...
Angus Taylor and other Coalition members not supporting shadow housing minister's target migration numbers, which would be the lowest figures since the mid-2000s
High temperatures continue across UK with 38C forecast on Thursday and wildfires stretching emergency servicesAndy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heat, which has caused wildfires and plunged many parts of Britain into drought.The prime minister will meet ministers, officials and agencies on Wednesday as high temperatures continue across the UK, with temperatures of 33C forecast and up to 38C on Thursday. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping Political correspondent on (#77MCF)
Exclusive: Pay increases to two weeks in England and Wales after Guardian revealed officers mocked' for taking time offPaid paternity leave for police in England and Wales is to double, after the Guardian revealed last year that officers were mocked and ostracised" for taking time off to spend with their babies.The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has increased the amount of paid parental and adoption leave for officers from one week to two across all forces, with fathers' leave upped to be in line with mothers'. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#77MCG)
Exhibition in Port Talbot is part of project exploring how communities experience endings and transitionsMargaret Heggett, 95, does not remember a time when Port Talbot was ever quiet. Born and raised in the shadow of the steelworks, with a father, brother and husband who worked there, she never imagined what the town could look or sound like without its blast furnaces.I'm not saying it was beautiful, but there were jobs. We did know the closure was coming and we have to move with the times but it's affected the town a lot and it's very sad," she said. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As ministers scramble to resolve overcrowding in prisons, experts say the crisis demands a rethink of who we lock up - and what happens when they're set freeGood morning. On his family holiday last week, the prime minister, Andy Burnham, was reported to be taking daily calls from Ministry of Justice officials about his government's early release scheme. A furious public outcry has gathered pace since it emerged that the plan - brought in by his predecessor, Keir Starmer, to alleviate overcrowding in prisons across England and Wales - might include two of the killers of PC Andrew Harper and other serious sexual offenders, including grooming gang perpetrators.After several weeks of system says no" briefings, which Harper's mother Debbie Adlam has described as a rollercoaster ... really draining", yesterday Burnham endeavoured to put a pin in it until September.UK news | Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than 4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows.Meta | Courts in England and Wales have joined a number of restaurants, theatres and pubs in banning the controversial Meta glasses, which can record video footage while being worn.Middle East | Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing.UK politics | Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice has been accused of using nasty tactics" in an attempt to intimidate journalists and deflect attention from his own financial affairs after issuing a legal threat to the Guardian.US news | Democrats called on Tuesday for a congressional briefing over a stunning charade in which Donald Trump was secretly spirited to a different plane than the one the public and press believed he was travelling on. Continue reading...
by Natasha May in Bangkok and agencies on (#77M95)
Prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul calls for tighter gun controls and decisive penalties' after nine dead in school shootingThailand has suspended firearms licences after the deadly Nonthaburi school shooting, as the bodies of the teenage attacker and the grandparents he killed were cremated.The prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said he had ordered the interior ministry and police to stop issuing licences to possess, purchase and carry firearms, and called for tighter controls and decisive penalties". The measures are temporary until a new gun control law is in place, according to government operated news-channel NBT World. Continue reading...
Master's student made first bar with 100% UK ingredients since 1932 to highlight affect of climate crisis on cocoa plantsThe late queen was the only person in history to have ever eaten a chocolate bar made with 100% British ingredients, after she was given one as a six-year-old in 1932 by the confectioner Rowntree's.The bar was created from a glasshouse-grown cocoa plant, at Rowntree's headquarters in York. Continue reading...
Forecasters warned the Chinese capital could receive more than one-third of its average annual rainfall over 24 hoursThousands of people have been evacuated from areas at risk of flooding and landslides in Beijing, as the remnants of Typhoon Dolphin continue to bring torrential rain to northern and central China.Forecasters warned on Tuesday that the Chinese capital could receive more than 150mm of rain over the following 24 hours, with some districts forecast to exceed 200mm - more than one-third of Beijing's average annual rainfall of 528mm. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#77M94)
The Comac C919 will fly from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, although experts say it could take generations for it to challenge the west's dominance of the industryChina hopes to break into the world of commercial aviation with the first international flight of a Chinese-made passenger jet scheduled for Wednesday.The Comac C919 will take off from Beijing capital international airport at 3pm, landing in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, just over two hours later. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Rajeev Syal and Caroline Davies on (#77M0Q)
Letter signed by every chief constable in England and Wales warns freeing pair could weaken trust in justice systemAndy Burnham is facing an unprecedented mass call from police chiefs to block the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers, as unions warned his emergency plan to create more space in jails risked causing confusion or leading to prisoners being freed by mistake.A letter signed by 50 police leaders across the UK, including every chief constable in England and Wales, called on the prime minister to do everything in his power to stop the killers benefiting from a programme designed to free up prison space, saying there was a profound strength of feeling across policing" that this should not happen. Continue reading...
Justice department is asked to weigh new charges against David Hearn after US attorney dropped vandalism chargesThe White House has asked the Department of Justice to weigh new charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, according to a person familiar with the matter, pushing to revive a case Donald Trump has fumed about ever since an ally dropped the case citing insufficient evidence.Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped the charges against the man, David Hearn, on 31 July, blaming a contractor for a flawed installation. In a 20-page filing dismissing the charges, Pirro's office said it had received evidence that damage to the pool occurred before Hearn visited it, and that it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt." Hearn has maintained that he reached in the water to touch a piece of already detached lining while he was on a bike ride in June. Continue reading...
Reform deputy leader condemned for seeking disclosure of documents that could reveal reporter's sourcesReform's deputy leader Richard Tice has been accused of using nasty tactics" in an attempt to intimidate journalists and deflect attention from his own financial affairs after issuing a legal threat to the Guardian.In a letter sent from his lawyers, a Guardian correspondent was singled out for her reporting on a series of Tice's financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...
Star, 53, says disease has metastasised to her bones and it is too late for chemotherapyLucy Davis, the actor best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in The Office, has said she has incurable stage four breast cancer.The 53-year-old said she was diagnosed a year and a half ago and the disease had metastasised to her bones including her spine, right hip and ribs. She said it was too late for chemotherapy. Continue reading...
British driver Andy Green reached 406.320 mph in car powered by two hydrogen internal combustion enginesThe only person to break the sound barrier in a car earned another world record on Tuesday in a show of force for hydrogen power.British driver Andy Green reached 406.320mph (653.908km/h) in a car powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines with a combined 1,600 horsepower, setting the record for that vehicle category, according to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the international governing body of motor sports. Continue reading...
Clifford Wilby, 63, blocked the Walthamstow MP from leaving, filmed her and talked about her failings as a member of parliament'A 63-year-old man has been found guilty of harassing the Labour MP Stella Creasy after he was abusive and aggressive" to her on a tube train.Clifford Wilby, of east London, saw the MP for Walthamstow in July 2025 on a Victoria Line train, Westminster magistrates court heard. Continue reading...
Mike Heard used his paddle to strike gator that had latched on to swimmer in Silver River after hearing yells of Gator!'A Florida paddleboarder rescued a woman from an alligator attack in Marion county over the weekend.On Saturday, an alligator bit the woman on the arm while she was swimming in the Silver River, according to local reports citing Marion county authorities. Continue reading...
School said it is pivoting away from letter-grading system to curb the mental health crisis' among college studentsThe University of Michigan will pivot to a pass-or-fail-style grading system, instead of letter grades, for first-semester students in an effort to curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals".The school said in a notice on Tuesday that its goal was to help first-year students acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrinsic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys" and foster a culture of connection and collaboration - rather than competition". Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now); Martin Belam and Yohannes Lowe on (#77KKV)
Prediction comes amid warning of extreme heat' this week with temperatures of 38C possibleThe Guardian's environment editor, Fiona Harvey, has written a useful explainer about the UK public services that are struggling in the extreme weather. You can read it in full here:There's only one solution in the end to the drought now declared across most of England and that's rain, says Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading.An important consequence of drought is that very dry soils can become less able to absorb rainfall when it does arrive. This can increase surface runoff and can even contribute to localised flash flooding, particularly if rain falls intensely over a short period.The current situation highlights the need to improve long-term resilience to both drought and flood risk as climate variability increases, and shows one more damaging impact of the burning of fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Union chief says vote is about staff warning they cannot protect the public properly'In his pooled TV interview, Andy Burnham repeated the point he made in his Facebook post earlier (see 9.58am), saying he was confident that more could be done to free up space in the prison system (which would allow the early release system to be changed so that PC Andrew Harper's killers are excluded). Burnham said that since becoming PM he had been pushing the system every single day" to go further.Explaining how extra space could be found (see 9.19am), he particularly singled out the more than 2,000 prisoners on indeterminate IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences. He said:[The] plan will include issues like returning more foreign national offenders to their country of origin, and looking at the injustice of IPP sentences, which have led to young people, or young when they were imprisoned, being imprisoned indeterminately, and that clearly is unfair.My office was in touch with the family last night [see 10.04am], and I know the justice secretary is in regular touch as well.So, we will keep close to the family through this whole process because we understand how difficult this process has been for them. Continue reading...
Critics argue US high court justice should recuse himself from upcoming fossil fuel firms' climate accountability caseThe supreme court justice Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from his fossil fuel interests between 2005 and 2024, a new review of financial disclosures shows.The analysis from the non-profit advocacy group and judicial watchdog Court Accountability, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that even at the lowest range of estimates, Alito gained almost $400,000 from his oil and gas interests since being tapped for the high court by George W Bush in 2005. Continue reading...
Key tourist route closed and residents rallying round as battle against wildfire expected to go on for several daysThe battle to contain a large wildfire spreading across the New Forest will go on for several days, experts have said, as wind changes and a desiccated landscape fuel the flames.Smoke billowed above the deserted A31 road, the main tourist route into the New Forest national park where tens of thousands of families are on holiday, late on Tuesday while a helicopter flew above the blaze. Firefighters at the scene said they were trying to contain several hotspots across the more than 100 hectares (247 acres) of dried heathland as winds swirled over the area. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now and earlier) and Martin Belam (ea on (#77KKR)
The new president is a former judge on the European Court of Human RightsSpanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares visited Ceuta earlier today, as he insisted that Madrid had it all under control despite the most unique and complex" border arrangements there.He said Spain was in direct dialogue with the Moroccan authorities on how to prevent another border crisis. Continue reading...
Prof Wyn Evans, who raised concerns over treatment of female staff at Institute of Astronomy, was subject to baseless' investigation, judge rulesA University of Cambridge whistleblower who alleged bullying of female staff inside the university's Institute of Astronomy has won a tribunal against his employer.Prof Wyn Evans told a tribunal hearing in June that the Institute suffered from a bad history of misogyny". He claimed that one woman in the department had been hounded out of a job", another was left a frightened woman", and a third had faced aggressive professors" at the institute. Continue reading...
Lawsuit challenges executive order targeting international criminal court for investigating Israeli crimes in PalestineFour prominent US human rights organizations have accused the Trump administration of using its crippling" sanctions regime against the international criminal court (ICC) to undermine global efforts to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity.In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, the groups - the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Institute - argued that the administration's targeting of the ICC, as well as of groups and individuals affiliated with it or assisting its work, amounts to a blatantly illegal attack on international justice", the groups said. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Topping Political correspondent on (#77KT0)
Poll finds consensus on what makes people proud to be British but deep divisions on issues such as immigrationYou may think it's a commitment to buying a round, the ability to chat at length about the weather, or making a proper cup of tea. But when it comes down to what makes people proud to be British, there is a consensus across all ages, demographics and political groups - and tea, pints and the weather don't get a look-in.Hard work, fair play and community are the values that voters - no matter which political party, age group, social class or region they come from - instinctively believe capture what it means to be British, according to a large-scale study of British values by Public First. Continue reading...
Prime minister says he has asked justice secretary to push through measures to increase the number of prison placesAndy Burnham has said he is increasingly confident he can adapt the early release scheme for prisoners to exclude the killers of PC Andrew Harper and other serious offenders, saying he understood and shared the public's concern about their potential release.Writing on Facebook, the prime minister said on Tuesday he had asked the justice secretary, Alex Norris, to rapidly push through a series of measures to increase the number of prison places, requiring fewer people to be released early to free up room. Continue reading...
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