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Administration that halting construction will leave Trump much less safe' after appeals court ruled work lacked necessary approval from Congress

Plea comes weeks before separate case is scheduled to start in New York, and could throw proceedings into disarray

Reform UK leader says he stayed away from vote count in Clacton to avoid being humiliated by nobodies'Nigel Farage's attempt to draw the sting from inquiries into his financial affairs appeared to have backfired on Friday as the standards watchdog reopened its investigation and MPs from all sides condemned the needless byelection.The Reform UK leader declared victory in the Clacton vote as he was returned with an increased majority and gained more votes than in 2024, saying he had stuck two fingers up at the entire political establishment". Continue reading...

Defense team file motion to dismiss state murder case on double jeopardy rules after Mangione tells Manhattan court I shot Mr Thompson and he died'

One person killed and hundreds evacuated in Croatia as blazes also hit Germany, Greece and SpainAlmost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France since the start of the summer, authorities have said, as firefighters in half a dozen European countries tackle ferocious blazes amid a record-breaking heatwave.A fire engulfed homes in a Croatian holiday resort on Friday, killing one person, injuring 40 and forcing 1,200 to evacuate, officials said, as the EU warned that pockets of very extreme" wildfire conditions stretched across the continent. Continue reading...

Group backs Elijah Manley in primary election in bid to unseat veteran Democrat in newly drawn districtA progressive group has endorsed a 27-year-old substitute teacher who overcame childhood homelessness in his bid to unseat the veteran Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida.The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) said it is backing Elijah Manley in next week's primary election in Florida's newly drawn 20th congressional district, casting the race as a contest between a young economic populist and a stalwart of the Democratic party establishment. Continue reading...

Constitutional council says curbs infringe freedom of expression and privacy as president vows to rework legislationFrance's top court has blocked a ban on social media access for under-15s, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression and privacy.The decision is a blow to President Emmanuel Macron as momentum builds around the world for Australian-style restrictions on children's use of social media. Continue reading...

Grifols, which runs private chain of clinics, to temporarily stop taking donations after new government investigationA chain of private plasma donation clinics in Canada has said it is pausing collections after the deaths of two donors and a new government investigation into potential unsafe practices.Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company which runs 17 clinics in Canada and is the country's only private clinic for plasma donation, said it informed Health Canada of its decision to temporarily pause collections on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Firefighters discover body and say more than 40 people hurt in the Lokva Rogoznica and Omi areasEngland has received just 4mm of rain so far in August, or 6% of the long-term average for the month, the Environment Agency said on Friday, as reported by PA.It follows the driest July on record for the country, when only 7mm of rain was measured, or 10% of the average. Continue reading...

With questions over Farage's finances and a new face in No 10, could Barnsley council be a bellwether for changing Labour fortunes?Labour marked its worst performance in more than 50 years when voters went to the polls in Barnsley in May, but 100 days on from those seismic local elections, the political landscape has shifted drastically.Could the South Yorkshire town, where Reform UK reaped the benefits of dissatisfaction with Labour, prove to be a test case for whether the governing party has turned the tide? Continue reading...

Utility company's plant, which has only run five times, now has an estimated total cost of 500mThames Water is preparing the UK's only desalination plant to restart operations later this year - but it will only be ready in the winter, long after the current drought is likely to have passed.The utility company said that it was hoping to start operating its plant in Beckton, east London, by the end of the year", in order to help build up reservoir supplies over the winter for next summer. Continue reading...

PM also says fire and rescue services will be given more cashThis election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party.They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of about 80,000 voters. Continue reading...

Marine conservationist says deliberate attack would be act of extreme cruelty' against endangered populationSpanish officials have launched an investigation after the matriarch of an orca pod known for jostling and ramming boats off the Iberian Peninsula was spotted with wounds suggesting she had been shot by a pellet gun.On Friday, Spain's environment ministry said Toni, the oldest living member of the pod, had been seen swimming in the Strait of Gibraltar with markings on her dorsal fin that were consistent with shots from a pellet gun". Continue reading...

Artworks valued at total of more than $10m were stolen from Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma in MarchItalian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen earlier this year from a private museum near the northern city of Parma, authorities have said.The raid took place overnight on 22-23 March at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 12 miles (19km) from Parma, after a series of high-profile thefts from other European museums. Continue reading...

Possible cut from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid UK heatwavesAndy Burnham's government has said it will look at cutting electric vehicle sales targets, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK's future carbon dioxide emissions.The government launched a consultation on Friday on cutting the target for new EVs to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules. The consultation will include several options, including leaving the headline target unchanged, or cutting it to 70%, 60% or 50%. Continue reading...

Evacuation orders issued for 400,000 after flooding, landslide warnings and power outages in Chiba prefectureAt least five people have died in eastern Japan after unprecedented" heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo's Narita airport and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings.The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and other areas, and about 45,000 homes lost power, as 115mm of rain fell hourly, approximately the same amount usually recorded for the whole month of August. Continue reading...

Steven Sansom and Adam Watson accused of trying to kill Urfan Sharif, who murdered his daughter, in prisonTwo men have been charged over what is understood to be the attempted murder in prison of Urfan Sharif, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his 10-year-old daughter Sara.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced the charges against Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, after an incident at Belmarsh prison in London. Continue reading...

Full investigation under way by authorities after incident on Thursday left two passengers with severe injuriesTwo people were seriously injured when a passenger train derailed between Haywards Heath and Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday.The South East Coast ambulance service said two people had been taken to major trauma centres with severe injuries. Continue reading...

Plus, heartbreakingly brilliant Cats: the Jellicle Ball, summer reads and Taylor Swift's low-key weddingI've been in New York for two weeks, where the unthinkable has happened: even for a city accustomed to extremes, it is so hot, so humid, so reminiscent of Mobile, Alabama, or Mumbai, that all over the city, New Yorkers have been forced to break persona to talk about the weather. Was it always like this?" (No.) Can you believe this?" (No.) Are you having a stroke?" (Possibly.) Continue reading...

Israeli PM criticised by political rival for attacking an international ally and overseeing horrific diplomatic failure'The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the UK the Islamic republic of Britain" in a podcast interview, where he also described the country as the first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon".His comments, made during an interview for Israel's army radio, played into a common far-right Islamophobic trope about Britain's small Muslim population. Continue reading...

Kevin Rideout, who was abducted by unknown assailants in Niamey, said to be in good health and in care of US officialsAn American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October has been released, his organisation has said.Kevin Rideout is in good health in the care of US officials" and would soon be reunited with his extended family, SIM International said in a statement. Continue reading...

England received only 10% of its average July rainfall and some areas may just get the odd shower for rest of AugustEngland has experienced its driest July since records began in 1836, receiving only 6.5mm of rainfall - 10% of the country's long-term meteorological average for the month. Wales also experienced its driest-ever July, while Northern Ireland recorded its eighth driest. Scotland was the only country in the UK not to set new records but still received only 69% of its average rainfall for July compared with the long-term average. Southern England faced the worst of the dry conditions with some areas, including the Sussex coast, receiving less than 0.2mm of rain in July. This resulted in widespread low moisture content within the soil, enabling temperatures to reach the high 30s celsius.Looking ahead, despite notable spells of rain in the north, parts of southern England may receive only the odd shower for the rest of August. Throughout the summer, forecast models have hinted at more unsettled weather reaching the south-east of England at a 10-day range. However, as time edged closer the rain was largely confined to north-western parts of Britain, failing to reach the south-east with any significance. With much uncertainty within forecast models, the risk of this dry period persisting is not out of the question. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Uran Ferizi says arrivals fell sharply after short-lived influx, but country continues to be stigmatisedThe number of Albanians who travelled to Britain in small boats four years ago remains the focus of unhinged" and hysterical" criticisms from rightwing politicians and the media, according to the country's UK ambassador.Uran Ferizi said the influx of more than 12,000 people from the Balkan state in 2022 was real", exceptional" and short-lived", but the Albanian community in the UK was still being framed by those events by Reform UK and the Daily Telegraph. Continue reading...

The Reform UK leader forced a vote that failed to make financial questions disappear, only the man himself Clacton byelection - UK politics liveDawn had long broken in the Essex town of Clacton-on-Sea when the results for the byelection came in. After a gruelling count, an atmosphere of deep exhaustion had settled over the room. Even the man with a dustbin on his head looked weary.As it was declared that Nigel Farage had, as expected, won, there was no cheering in the room, which had been boycotted by the Reform UK leader and his supporters; instead there was only an overwhelming sense of futility. Continue reading...

ABS data shows an almost 9% slump in new lending to investors after three interest rate hikes this year

Twenty-one birds released on Bodmin Moor where it is hoped they will one day return to produce their own youngThey took a little coaxing at first - after all, they had got used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall.Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project, had tears in his eyes. I do feel a bit emotional," he said. He sounded a little like a proud father wanting to play down the achievements of his offspring - and failing. They're a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren't used to flying free ... but they do look majestic, don't they?" Continue reading...

Former 2GB and 2UE radio broadcaster is facing 22 indecent assault and sexual touching charges. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty

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Second world war paintings and sketches show novelist engaging with her world in a new light'For decades, they lay in a secret room in her attic gathering dust. Now, newly discovered artworks by the Booker prize-winning author Iris Murdoch - including the only self-portrait she is known to have painted, four surrealist landscape paintings and three sketches of female nudes - will go on display for the first time on Friday.The artworks were created at the start of the second world war when Murdoch was a student at Oxford. They expose her early interest in surrealism and fascination with the naked female form. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader does not appear for the result, despite beating nearest challenger, Count Binface, in byelection he caused amid deepening scandal over 5m gift

Extreme heat is harming the wellbeing of the ordinary people the PM champions, yet he has ignored the subjectFrom the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis.Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him out on it. Continue reading...

Most owners would consider installing aircon as heatwaves lead buyers to focus on ability to stay cool, Rightmove saysSearches for homes for sale in the UK with air conditioning have more than doubled this summer as heatwaves push staying cool up the list of priorities for homebuyers, alongside nearness to good schools and transport links.In the week of the UK's fifth heatwave, in which temperatures in parts of England hit 38C, the property website Rightmove said the heat was influencing how Britons thought about their homes, with more people paying attention to how comfortable a property would be during hotter weather. Continue reading...

From chefs to paramedics, workers tell the Guardian how they are coping and unions outline the changes needed in the workplaceIn the sweltering kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, the head chef, Joshua Swinney, has a frozen tea towel wrapped around his neck to combat the heat.As temperatures exceeded 35C (95F) in the capital, workers who were not lucky enough to be in air-conditioned offices sweltered in the heat. Continue reading...

Cernavoda shutdown poses immediate problems for Moldova, which relies on Romanian power to cover its own electricity shortagesRomania has been forced to shut down the last working reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows - a rare move that will immediately affect power supplies in neighbouring Moldova.Drought and record-low water levels have deepened fears of an energy crisis across Europe, which is facing a new summer heatwave. Continue reading...

Shizuoka Crown melons are part of an important cultural gifting practice in Japan, where they are hand-patted by growers to achieve an even shape and textureThe melons at the centre of a national imbroglio involving the Australian prime minister have the sweetness of a watermelon, the snap of a honeydew and the perfume of a peach, according to fruit sellers.Anthony Albanese maintains he has nothing to apologise for, after a joke he made regarding a gift he received from Japan's prime minister. Continue reading...

Stephen Parkinson says court should have been told that sex offender was being investigated for even more serious offencesThe director of the Crown Prosecution Service has apologised and vowed to increase staff numbers after conceding that the court deciding whether to release Simon Levy on bail should have known the serial sex offender was being investigated for rape and murder.Levy, 40, was this week given a rare whole-life sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and the rape of another woman. Continue reading...

Leader of Reform UK on course to defeat Count Binface and an assortment of fringe candidates as polls close in EssexVoting has closed in one of the UK's more unusual and least tense byelections, with Nigel Farage set for a decisive if arguably empty victory against dozens of independent, fringe, extreme or otherwise oddball opponents.The Reform UK leader sought re-election to his Clacton seat in early July in an attempt to regain the political initiative following weeks of scrutiny over gifts he received and other aspects of his financial affairs. Continue reading...

Longest ballot in UK voting history features likes of Count Binface and Howling Laud Hope alongside Reform leaderPolls have closed in Clacton, where thousands of residents in the Essex seat voted in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface.The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelection in an attempt to address complaints over a deepening scandal about gifts he received. Continue reading...

CEO announces steps after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortionsFor nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement officials to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on. Continue reading...

About 60 crew responding to blaze covering about 16 hectares near Stourbridge golf courseFour people have been taken to hospital and several homes burned after a grassfire spread into a residential neighbourhood in the West Midlands.The region's fire service was alerted to an extensive grassfire near Stourbridge golf course just before 1.30pm on Thursday. More than 60 firefighters responded to the blaze covering about 16 hectares (40 acres). Continue reading...

Donald Tusk says it is first time someone on the order of Russia' has sought to attack US citizen in Nato countryA Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister has said.Donald Tusk said it was the first time that someone on the order of Russia" had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country. Continue reading...

Former PM of Israel calls events concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing' against PalestiniansIsraeli troops have forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged West Bank homes, the day after a top Israeli commander personally promised he would end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.Israeli soldiers also took over eight other homes in Qusra early on Thursday, telling the village's mayor, Abdul Azim Wadi, that the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers. They later relinquished six. Settlers still roam the village. Continue reading...

Need for Burnham to tackle regional inequality could not be clearer as London becomes educational outlier'Andy Burnham has put regional inequality at the top of his agenda as prime minister, and nowhere is the need for doing so clearer than in education.As England's A-level results were published on Thursday morning, students across the country were pictured celebrating a bumper crop of results, with record rates of As and A*s. Continue reading...

Randall Lane left his job last month after accepting money from founder of firm that does business with magazineThe top editor of Forbes left his job last month and was reportedly dismissed for accepting $6m from the founder of a firm that does business with the magazine.The New York Times reported this week that Randall Lane was paid by RJ Shook, whose company, Shook Research, worked with Forbes since 2016 to publish rankings of wealth advisers. The payment was made after Shook sold a majority stake in the company to a private equity firm a year ago. Continue reading...

Kyiv said to have suggested agreement in apparent attempt to reopen crucial grain corridor, according to ReutersUkraine has proposed a deal with Russia that would see both sides halt their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, Reuters has reported, in an apparent attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor.Kyiv is said to have made the offer via a third party. Moscow has yet to respond, the news agency added. The busy waterway is a key export route for both Russia and Ukraine, used to transport grain and other vital foodstuffs worldwide. Continue reading...

This year's festival is superpowered by a strong year for Scottish cinema, showing it can thrive under the four dimensional perpetual catch-22' of global ambitions Borges, ballet and BDSM: Peter Bradshaw's 10 must-see movies at Edinburgh international film festivalNow that its disastrous collapse and speedy rebirth is a trauma slowly receding in the rear-view mirror, the Edinburgh international film festival can set its sights on bigger things. Apart from its traditional role providing a showcase for the best of current world cinema, the festival has an ace up its sleeve for 2026: the undeniable confidence and conspicuous achievement of its home film industry in Scotland. Just as Cannes likes to give a decent amount of houseroom to favoured French directors, and Sundance sees at least part of its job to talk up US independent cinema, Edinburgh acts as a vector for Scottish film-makers to gain valuable exposure and get their work in front of significant festival audiences. Inevitably, some years are harder than others, but Edinburgh's 2026 edition feels stronger than it has been for years.The festival's opening gala slot, traditionally a local film, has been given to The Incomer, a surreal comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson and set Scotland's far north, and which picked up a major award at the Sundance festival earlier this year. Among a clutch of strong films are Borges and Me, based on Jay Parini's memoir of escorting author Jorge Luis Borges on a trip around the Highlands; Sunny Dancer, a chemo camp" comedy filmed in Loch Lomond, starring Bella Ramsay as a teenager dealing with the aftermath of cancer; and The Education of Jane Cumming, the extraordinary true life story of the 19th-century Edinburgh schoolkeeper who inspired The Children's Hour. Scottish artist Douglas Gordon is the focus of a new documentary, Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon, while Scottish Ballet perform in These Violent Delights, a film rendering their dance version of Romeo and Juliet. Past glories are due to live again with a 30th anniversary screening of junkie classic Trainspotting (with the added bonus of a live club night featuring a DJ set from Irvine Welsh). Continue reading...

Figures emerge in critical letter to Home Office from organisation appointed to scrutinise detention facilitiesNearly 100 children have been wrongly identified and detained as adults under Shabana Mahmood's one in, one out" deal with France, the Guardian can disclose.Home Office staff said that of 304 age-disputed cases arising from the scheme over nine months, 94 - or 31% - were ultimately found to be minors. Children are supposed to be excluded from the scheme, while government policy limits immigration detention of unaccompanied children to 24 hours.had been awaiting deportation for more than six months, despite being supposed be held for up to 28 days only in exceptional cases".were being readied for removal to France despite having TB or requiring hospital treatment.faced removal after being separated from family members with whom they had travelled, which she said had a particularly damaging impact". Continue reading...

Undercover officers working for West Midlands' special projects team' planted evidence to convict men, lawyers claimLawyers representing four men convicted of terror offences are increasingly hopeful that revelations from the undercover policing inquiry could boost the chances of their case being reopened.Ten years ago, Khobaib Hussain, Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz were arrested and later convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in the UK after an elaborate covert police operation. Continue reading...

Kew Gardens in London hits 38.1C and 40C-plus expected in parts of Europe with continent trapped under heat dome

Readers recall the breathtaking sight and community spirit of the rare celestial treat - and the handmade contraptions they saw it throughOn Wednesday evening, millions of people in Europe watched a rare solar eclipse. We asked some of them to share their photographs and experiences of this celestial treat.