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Bolton pleads guilty to charges that he unlawfully retained sensitive national security information in agreement that includes $2.25m fine

Scrutiny of Black's association with Epstein has intensified after DoJ released millions of files last year and this yearThe billionaire financier Leon Black is scheduled to appear before the House committee on oversight and reform on Friday morning as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.The interview will be conducted behind closed doors, though the committee is expected to release a transcript at a later date, as it has done with previous interviews. Continue reading...

Estimated 150 million people in Europe could experience temperatures above 35C today

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...

Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about migration

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...

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

When the academic Sarah Steele was assaulted in England, she had no idea her case would end up in front of a US military court. Harry Davies explains why military judges and juries are ruling on crimes committed in the UKA little-known system in which US military personnel are tried through a court martial for alleged crimes committed in the UK is under growing scrutiny. One person who has been through that system is the academic Sarah Steele.Steele told the Guardian investigations correspondent Harry Davies that after she was strangled one night by Jacob Wulfson, a US fighter pilot who lived in a flat in Cambridge, her case was taken up by the US military justice system. The members of the jury at her trial were all men from the air force. It's been really difficult having to literally sit in a room full of people in uniform, overwhelmingly older men, and have those individuals who haven't any semblance of life experience similar to my own; they were culturally different," she said. Continue reading...

US among countries sending help to search for survivors on north coast, where dozens of buildings flattened, as official death toll reaches 235Rescue teams are racing to Venezuela's shattered northern coast after almost simultaneous earthquakes reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, killing at least 235 people but with thousands more fatalities feared. Officials said at least 4,300 people were injured as rescue missions continue.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the defence department would help search and rescue teams deploy to the affected region after Venezuela's main gateway, the Simon Bolivar international airport, near the capital, Caracas, was badly damaged by 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes less than 40 seconds apart, late on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

China's leader wants to promote his alternative to the current world order, and his efforts are being assisted by a capricious USXi Jinping meets Bangladesh's new prime minister on Friday, the latest in a wave of world leaders to visit Beijing this year as the Chinese leader builds his influence and economic ties, and seeks to shift the balance of power" away from the west.Xi's meeting with Tarique Rahman comes less than two weeks after the Chinese leader welcomed Myanmar's military chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, in Beijing. Continue reading...

Proposal to introduce one-time tax of 5% will go to voters in November after backers decline to withdraw measure

Blaze on Tintwistle Moor, Glossop, has burned more than 500 square metres, forcing road closures and smoke warningA major wildfire close to Greater Manchester has torn through large areas of moorland for more than 24 hours, forcing road closures and smoke warnings as fire crews battle to bring it under control.The blaze, on Tintwistle Moor, near Glossop, has burned an area of more than 500 square metres of moorland and woodland, with thick plumes of smoke directly affecting the villages of Tintwistle, Hollingworth and Woolley Bridge. Continue reading...

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is an anti-Islamic, far-right political activist well known in the UK and Europe

Planning permission has been sought for three additional military sitesHome Office plans to use three more former military sites to house thousands of asylum seekers have been condemned as arrogant", costly" and a political fix" by refugee charities and local stakeholders.Planning permission is being sought to build basic" accommodation at MOD Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, a statement said. These new sites could house 3,750 claimants, the government has claimed. Continue reading...

Charles and Camilla to remain at Clarence House and are said to want the public to have more access to monarchy HQ'

Network says it was no longer possible' for Stefanovic to host Today, days after he interviewed far-right activist Tommy Robinson on independent podcast

Delcy Rodriguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to the hardest-hit La Guaira area

Mike Tapp wrote unauthorised article saying new settlement rules should not cover overseas care workersShabana Mahmood is locked in an extraordinary standoff with Keir Starmer after Downing Street refused to immediately sack her junior minister for breaching the ministerial code.The home secretary has demanded that Mike Tapp, the immigration minister, should be sacked for writing an unauthorised article calling for overseas care workers to be exempt from hardline immigration changes. Continue reading...

Ambitious and welcoming' venue that opened in 2020 praised for reimagining what being a museum can mean'The Box in Plymouth has won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award, the largest such prize in the world, for its ambitious and welcoming approach".Awarding it the 120,000 prize, judges called the Box a revelation in so many ways" and a true jewel in the crown of the south-west". Continue reading...

Jury clears 16-year-old of murder and manslaughter over the death of Aria, who died from a single stab woundA 16-year-old boy has been found not guilty of the murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe, who died after being stabbed with a kitchen knife.Aria sustained a deep wound to her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on 15 December last year. Continue reading...

Civil service high-flyer caught up in Mandelson vetting row thought to be discussing comeback with Burnham's teamThe Foreign Office chief who lost his job over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal is in discussions with Andy Burnham's team about taking on a security-related role under the likely new prime minister, the Guardian understands.Olly Robbins has had early exploratory talks" with senior advisers to the newly elected Makerfield MP over a post in his putative Downing Street operation, and insiders suggested he could be appointed national security adviser. Continue reading...

Reform MP appears to contradict party leader's claim money from crypto billionaire is none of your business'Robert Jenrick has said it is legitimate" for the media to ask questions about Nigel Farage's 5m personal donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire, just days after the Reform UK leader told an interviewer it was none of your business".Jenrick, who is Reform's shadow chancellor, said voters on the doorstep were not asking about the money given to Farage by the Thailand-based British crypto investor Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...

Blocking of proposal backed by Oman signals new threat to free passage through strait vital to world economyIran has rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz , creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships through the strait.The proposal, backed by Oman, was potentially the first phase of a broader Omani proposal to consult on setting up a new management of the strait based on voluntary fees and modelled on the Malacca and Singapore strait mechanism. Continue reading...

The former Manchester mayor could be installed as prime minister in weeks if no other MP puts themselves forwardIn her Q&A this morning Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, confirmed that she wants the government to approve the licences for the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea.She said:I've been very clear that I think that the North Sea is a crucial asset for the UK, and that oil and gas will be an important part of our energy mix for years to come. And I'm very keen to make sure that we use that resource, to ensure our energy security.There are decisions to be made shortly on both Rosebank and Jackdaw. Those are quasi-judicial decisions. But in our manifesto two years ago, we committed to honour existing licences, and I hope that we do. Continue reading...