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Ryan Park says he does not want to see abortion put back into the criminal code'. Follow today's news live

Alarm after Elias Irizarry is hired to position in office that manages highly classified military operationsThe Pentagon has appointed a rioter convicted for his role in 6 January, 2021 insurrection to a sensitive national security role dealing with counterterrorism, overriding insiders' concerns about his past record.Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the storming of the US Capitol, has been appointed to a position in the US Department of Defense's special operations and low intensity conflict office which manages highly classified military operations, causing alarm among Pentagon officials. Continue reading...

All the latest results and updates as New Jersey, South Dakota, New Mexico and Montana also vote in primaries

Ocean Observatories Initiative, $368m network that has provided crucial climate data, latest victim of Trump cutsThe Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change.In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative" (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity. Continue reading...

Patients with knee arthritis who took medications for at least three years at reduced risk of needing surgeryTaking weight-loss drugs for at least three years could prevent thousands of knee replacements a year, research suggests.Globally, more than 500 million people have osteoarthritis. Knee arthritis is the most common form, affecting about 14 million people in the US and more than 5 million in the UK. Many will require knee surgery. In the UK more than 120,000 knee replacements are carried out every year. Continue reading...

Blanche confirms fund set up to compensate president's allies will not go ahead after fierce backlash and court setbacks

Experts say deluge of last-minute absentee ballots and notoriously slow system could delay results in tightest races

Demonstration follows family's plea for death not to be used to create divisionHundreds of people gathered outside a Southampton police station to protest against the murder of Henry Nowak and dozens clashed with police close to the home of his killer, Vickrum Digwa.The far-right activist Tommy Robinson was among speakers who addressed the crowd outside Southampton central police station at the Justice for Henry Nowak" protest. Continue reading...

However, Todd Blanche said the IRS will still be prohibited from auditing Donald Trump, his family and related entities

Prime minister echoes family's plea that case should not be used to target communitiesPoliticians and community leaders have called for calm amid fears that the populist right is using the murder of Henry Nowak by a Sikh man to whip up racist resentment against minority ethnic Britons.After Nigel Farage called for the public to respond with pure, cold rage", Keir Starmer condemned the Reform UK leader, saying Nowak's family had explicitly asked that the case not be used to target particular communities. Continue reading...

Craig and Lindsay Foreman given 10-year sentences in February for alleged espionage, which they denyA British couple jailed on spying charges in Iran have lost an appeal against their convictions, their family has said.Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both aged 53, were handed 10-year prison sentences in February after being convicted of espionage, which they deny. Continue reading...

Tom Kean has been out with health issue since March. Democrats are sharpening their knives for general election

US claims world's 10th-biggest economy engages in unreasonable' trade practices that restrict US commerce'

Anthony Odiong faced up to life in prison for exploiting his spiritual authority as a clergyman for sex with his congregantsA Roman Catholic priest who was convicted recently of criminal clergy sexual assault in Texas has been sentenced to 99 years in prison.Anthony Odiong, 57, received the punishment from a jury at a state courthouse in Waco on Tuesday after some witnesses described his sexually inappropriate behavior going back more than a decade. Character witnesses on behalf of Odiong, meanwhile, advocated for him to get probation, saying he could follow such an arrangement's rules - such as living near Waco and not committing additional crimes - despite feloniously breaking his priestly vows of chastity. Continue reading...

Prime minister under pressure to show his campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran have brought results as he faces elections with his political survival at riskIf there is to be a peace deal between United States and Iran, it will have to go through a familiar obstacle: Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel's military operations in Lebanon have become a sticking point in the talks for a potential opening of the strait of Hormuz - once again testing the volatile alliance between Donald Trump and Netanyahu.This time, the Israeli prime minister is under exceptional pressure to show that his campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran have brought results as he faces elections with his political survival at risk. Continue reading...

Trump, who was swiftly evacuated from April gala after incident, confirmed his attendance at summer eventThe White House correspondents' dinner will be rescheduled for 24 July after the Washington event was abruptly cancelled this spring following a shooting.Donald Trump, who was swiftly evacuated from the gala following the incident on 25 April, has pledged to attend a rescheduled event. Continue reading...

Investigation follows circulation of videos showing groups climbing out of sewer systems across the city at nightNew York police are investigating a bizarre mystery involving groups of people emerging from the city's manholes in recent weeks.The investigation follows the circulation of multiple social media videos showing people climbing out of sewer systems across the city, all in the middle of the night. Continue reading...

Witness B said in police interview that she pretended to be asleep when allegedly abused as a childA jury in Northern Ireland has heard details of the alleged rape of a child by the former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson.A police interview with the complainant was played to Newry crown court in Northern Ireland on Tuesday on the sixth day of the former MP's trial for sex offences. Continue reading...

Under new rules, tech companies will be asked to share AI models with government for review before public releaseDonald Trump signed an executive order to create a voluntary framework for the federal government to vet powerful new AI models before they are released. Tuesday's highly anticipated order represents an attempt by the president to tighten his grip on cybersecurity and national security threats posed by AI, tacking against his earlier deregulatory stance. But the voluntary nature of the framework shows that, while Trump has toed a more cautious line on AI than when he first took office last year, he is still reluctant to impose regulations on the tech industry.Under the new guidelines, tech companies would be asked to share their AI models with the government for a voluntary review, up to 30 days before a public release. The Trump administration says doing so will allow them to improve national security, particularly with regards to cybersecurity. Continue reading...

Mexico's president says ambassadors must avoid political affairs after Ron Johnson's post on drug trafficking disputeMexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday appeared to chide Ron Johnson, a US ambassador, for interfering in the country's politics amid rising tensions between her country and Washington over efforts to tackle drug trafficking.It is also very important, and I say this respectfully, to remember that ambassadors should focus on coordination and collaboration," Sheinbaum said during her regular morning news conference. Ambassadors must respect the internal political affairs of their countries." Continue reading...

Durvalumab shows promising results in trial led by London-based Institute of Cancer ResearchDoctors are hailing a drug that spares bladder cancer patients life-changing" surgery and stops tumours coming back.Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer in the world. Advanced or aggressive forms are often treated with surgery to remove the entire bladder, with patients left having to find alternative ways to pass urine for the rest of their life. Continue reading...

Jury in case of Henry Nowak's stabbing told killer carried small kirpan as well as larger knife

Former health secretary described as hysterical' about the issue by Peter Mandelson in messages disclosed this week

The US secretary of state added that Iran must also commit to specific negotiations on the disposition of highly-engaged uranium.Israel's weapons exports has reached an all-time high for a fifth year running, according to the country's defence ministry.In a statement, it said: Israel's all-time defence export record has been broken for the fifth consecutive year, with $19.2bn in 2025 - a nearly 30% surge compared to the previous year, more than doubling in five years and quadrupling in a decade." Continue reading...

Home secretary says officer wrongly linked to case had to relocate after footage emerged of victim being handcuffed while dyingBBC Scotland has more details of the Peter Murrell hearing this morning on its live blog. And, on its live blog, Sky News has pictures of some of the items purchased by Murrell with stolen SNP funds.Andy Burnham will not call an early election if he becomes prime minister after the Makerfield byelection, a spokesperson for the Greater Manchester mayor has said. Continue reading...

Avon and Somerset police's contact with Jo Shaw and ex-partner to be scrutinised after pair died in explosion on 3 MayThe death of a woman killed after her former partner forced his way into a house in Bristol with explosives is to be investigated by the police watchdog.Jo Shaw, 35, sustained fatal injuries in the blast in the Frenchay area of the city on 3 May. Her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41, was also killed in the explosion. Continue reading...

Angry phone call took place after Iran said it would suspend talks with US over Israel's Lebanon campaign, Axios reports

Researchers observed unavailable female dolphins - those that were older, or with calves - did not show the same avoidant behaviour

Consumer group makes super' complaint to ACCC after investigation found dangerous items on platforms such as eBay, Amazon and AliExpress

UK government says it would prefer workers to be guaranteed between eight and 20 hours a week based on regular hours

High-profile reporters reject accusations of revelling in drama, saying politicians are the people addicted to crisis'Politicians, not reporters, are responsible for driving a decade of chaos in Westminster, prominent political editors have said, after accusations that the media have become addicted to political crises.Britain could yet appoint its seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote 10 years ago, after the turmoil that has engulfed Keir Starmer's leadership since Labour's May election results. Continue reading...

Home secretary's condenmation of misinformation and inflammatory commentary' comes after death threats to police

Critics from both sides and legal scholars say slush fund' is scheme that will help January 6 riotersA legal and political firestorm is growing over the $1.776bn anti-weaponization" fund Donald Trump's justice department has launched to pay alleged victims of lawfare", but that ex-DoJ officials and legal experts call corrupt" and a slush fund" for Maga allies that benefits the president.Congressional critics from both parties and legal scholars have attacked the fund as an opaque scheme that will improperly help January 6 insurrectionists, some of whom said they intend to apply for grants, while echoing Trump's false claims that Joe Biden's administration was weaponized" against them. Continue reading...

Wetter weather expected to bring surge of slugs out of hiding, just as strawberries experience bumper early cropEntomologists in England are expecting a surge in slugs coming out of hiding to munch the nation's strawberry plants after weeks of sun followed by wetter weather has caused a bumper crop.The Royal Horticultural Society is bracing for a surge in inquiries from its 625,000 members, who write in with their garden gripes. Workers at the RHS have also noticed a spate of slugs in the charity's gardens, including Wisley in Surrey.Slugs love a young, vulnerable seedling, so transplant sturdy plantlets grown in pots. These can then be given some protection with cloches.The leaf-munching creatures are excellent for compost heaps as they get rid of dead and decaying matter, helping turn your waste into lovely compost. So why not go out with a torch on a mild evening while the weather is damp, and hand pick slugs into a container? These can then be placed either into a compost heap, where they can feast on all your garden waste, or near less vulnerable plants.Some gardeners do strategic planting, making sure to put plants slugs find delicious near their favourite plants so these are eaten instead.Why not dig a pond to encourage frogs, which will do slug elimination for you without the guilt of setting down poison pellets or drowning them in beer. It's better for the ecosystem, too.Encourage birds with a bird feeder - especially during spring when the young can be fed with a juicy snail.Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed. Continue reading...

High court in Edinburgh hears 125K vehicle was described as a van in faked invoice and stocked with luxury goodsThe luxury motorhome that Peter Murrell bought using money stolen from the Scottish National party was driven for only four miles, sitting unused for more than two years.Murrell, then the SNP's chief executive, drove the 124,550 Niesmann+Bischoff vehicle from the dealers at Halbeath in Fife in January 2021 to his mother's home in Dunfermline - a cost of 31,138 a mile.A hand-chased silver wine coaster from Hamilton & Inches worth 3,500 which was described as spending on leadership expenses".A 23 egg poacher was listed in SNP records as computer hardware purchases - internet cabling"An 81,000 Jaguar I-Pace SUV was identified as stage payment" in a fake invoice.The 3,070 cost of a robotic Husqvarna lawnmower, found by police at the home he then shared with Sturgeon, was listed as legal fees". Continue reading...

Change backed by labor department would expose workers to greater financial risk, letter shared with Guardian saysCongressional Democrats are strongly opposing a US Department of Labor proposal that would allow 401(k) investments to include cryptocurrency, private credit and private equity assets, arguing the change will expose workers to riskier and more complex investments.In a letter shared exclusively with the Guardian, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and House education and workforce committee ranking member Bobby Scott of Virginia, argued the rule would expose an estimated $14.2tn of 401(k) retirement savings to volatile assets and would probably not withstand a challenge in court. Continue reading...

Officials say law will improve migration management by allowing more deportations of undocumented peopleEU politicians have promised to increase deportations of undocumented migrants, under a new law that critics say mimics elements of the Trump administration's brutal immigration crackdown.Finalising a key element of an overhauled EU asylum and migration system, politicians have agreed a regulation that will enable national authorities to raid people's homes to enforce deportation orders. Continue reading...

No 10 considers jail sentence for Henry Nowak murder as Hampshire police commissioner writes to PM over national tragedy'

At least 18 killed, dozens injured and others trapped under collapsed buildings after attacks on five Ukrainian citiesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Donald Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine after a devastating Russian attack killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more.Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the air force, including eight hypersonic Tsirkon missiles. The main targets were Kyiv, the central cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, and the eastern cities of Poltava and Kharkiv. Continue reading...

Former frontbencher launches most significant internal criticism of $368bn Aukus deal since ALP national conference in 2023

Social Democrat stays on for third consecutive term as PM and will outline key policies by the end of TuesdayDenmark's new government is preparing to formally present its political programme after Mette Frederiksen negotiated a third consecutive term as prime minister, this time at the head of a four-party, left-leaning minority coalition.Announced late on Monday, the agreement between Frederiksen's Social Democrats, the Social Liberals, the Green Left and the centrist Moderates ended two months of uncertainty after March elections in which 12 parties won seats in parliament. Continue reading...

Nick Thomas-Symonds defends embarrassing' Whatsapp messages between Pat McFadden and Mandelson

One of largest equity fundraisings ever includes $10bn share sale to US investment group Berkshire Hathaway

Emily Thornberry criticises Israel's staggering' sense of impunity and rebukes Donald Trump for abandoning GazaThe UK government has let the Palestinian people down and failed to make it economically impossible for Israel to continue to act with impunity in the West Bank and Gaza, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, Emily Thornberry, has said.She accused her own government of lacking ambition and wringing its hands on the Palestinian crisis, and she also chastised Donald Trump for declaring a ceasefire in Gaza and then walking away, leaving Gazans to live in rubble. Continue reading...

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Labor's Luba Grigorovitch wrote 33 character references but says she regrets providing them for six individuals and will never write another

Kevin Minto's discovery near Ilminster, showing goddess Victoria, has been acquired with coin hoard for 78,000When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset field, he thought at first it was a coin - potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing.But the object turned out to be extraordinary: a gold Roman ring, unusually large and exquisitely crafted, set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Its software is used from health services to militaries. But controversies and criticism of the $375bn company are leading some to ask if Palantir is too powerfulGood morning. The Peter Mandelson story keeps unfolding. Peter Walker explains here what is in the latest release of documents, and Henry Dyer takes a look at the key papers missing from the latest disclosures. But today we are covering another major story - Palantir.Few companies attract controversy more than Palantir. Since the pandemic, the US data analytics company has grown voraciously, using its AI-driven software to make sense of intractable datasets for customers around the world. For the NHS, it analyses patient records; for the US military, it's focused on targets in Iran. Palantir's products are widely used, with the business now worth $375bn.UK politics | Peter Mandelson was receiving sensitive security briefings about the Foreign Office's work, and was in discussions with the head of MI6, before he had completed the developed vetting process, documents reveal.Ukraine | Russian air raids on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens by early morning on Tuesday, authorities said.Environment | More than a million jobs, higher wages, nearly half a trillion pounds in investment in the pipeline - the UK's green economy is powering ahead, according to research by the country's leading business organisation.US news | Donald Trump is reconsidering whether to keep pressing for a $1.8bn fund to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said, as the justice department paused the program to comply with a court order.UK news | Sir Alan Bates has said that the schemes set up to compensate post office operators over the Horizon IT scandal have been an utter disaster" and that the government should not be involved in running them. Continue reading...

Younger graduates, with experience of the fee system, are more disillusioned than those who did not pay fees, according to the surveyThere was a time when going to university seemed a no-brainer. Better qualifications opened doors to better jobs with greater earning potential.But with the graduate premium shrinking, mounting anger about spiralling student debt and growing fears about AI eating into the graduate jobs market, it is not surprising that attitudes are shifting. Continue reading...

John McFall prepares for mission to Haven-1 space station after UK Space Agency signs deal with US startup VastA British Paralympian and surgeon could become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit after the government signed a deal with a US company that is building a small commercial space station.John McFall, a member of the European Space Agency (Esa) astronaut reserve, was cleared for activities in orbit last year and could take part in a mission to the Haven-1 space station soon after its proposed launch in 2027. Continue reading...