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President will meet new Republican senator who has taken over the seat following the death of her brother Lindsey Graham

Arrival of outgoing British leader in Ukraine comes as Zelenskyy faces outrage after removing Mykhailo Fedorovin MadridMeanwhile, the EU's top court has ruled that a controversial Spanish law that offered an amnesty to those who planned and participated in the failed and illegal push for Catalan independence does not violate the bloc's rules. Continue reading...

Green leader says expected appointment shows new PM won't challenge the power of the bankers, or tax their wealth'Couples could legally marry in forests, on beaches, at sea or in their gardens under new proposals, the Press Association reports. PA says a government consultation announced today, covering rules in England and Wales, could help cut the costs of weddings and mean two ceremonies are no longer required to cover different faiths. PA says:The average wedding in England is estimated to cost more than 20,000, with venue hire alone typically accounting for around 6,000 without catering.The system as it stands means some couples have two ceremonies - one where they feel their beliefs are best reflected and another making their marriage legal. Continue reading...

Iran reports explosions in several cities including capital while US military says it also hit and disabled tanker in strait of Hormuz

US renews blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran attacks sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Plus, legendary director John Waters on 60 years of screen carnageGood morning. The US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, as Tehran came under attack for the first time in the latest round of strikes.The US targeted coastal defences and missile sites, as well as targets farther north, with state media reporting strikes on the country's capital, Tehran. The US also said it had disabled the unladen oil tanker, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship's smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings.What other development have happened in the region? Donald Trump said Iran has released a US citizen detained since 2024, identified as Dena Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen. Meanwhile, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, told US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, that Israel was determined to keep its forces in security zones" in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.What did the man's family say? Arenas-Silva's sister and immigrants' rights groups in Georgia said in a press statement that ICE did not provide him with necessary medications during his time in detention for an unnamed condition he was dealing with, despite his family's pleas that he take the medications during his arrest last week.How is the crisis becoming more international? Mexico has formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in ICE custody or during raids, the Mexican government has said. Since the beginning of Donald Trump's second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue reading...

Agreement combines Uber Eats with food delivery brands in 99 countries and expands taxi service reach

Timmy: Hope Dies Last elevates stranded humpback into Jesus-like figure, igniting hope and griefWhen people in Germany organised a daring rescue mission for a humpback whale stranded on the Baltic coast in April, it briefly looked like a country stricken with political division and economic anxiety was rallying around a common cause.A new satirical play inspired by the episode, however, suggests the spectators, social media influencers, politicians and millionaires who flocked to the seaside in support never just wanted to rescue the cetacean that came to be nicknamed Timmy, but for Timmy to rescue them. Continue reading...

Friedrich Merz responds to US project offering grants of up to $3m in Europe to address sovereignty, migration and censorship'Friedrich Merz has warned Donald Trump's administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced a scheme to fund Maga-aligned causes in Europe.The German chancellor was responding to a US initiative offering grants of up to $3m (2.2m) for European charities, thinktanks and individuals. Continue reading...

Ofcom concerned platform's age verification is ineffective, leaving some at risk of seeing posts about self-harm and suicideTikTok is under formal investigation over concerns it has failed to protect children from harmful content, the UK's online regulator, Ofcom, has announced.The social media platform's approach to checking the ages of users has sparked particular concerns" at the watchdog, almost a year after measures to protect children from the worst of online content came into effect under the Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

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Rise in GDP follows a 0.1% decline in April, figures from the Office for National Statistics showThe UK economy returned to growth in May, despite the impact of the Iran war on energy costs, official figures show.The Office for National Statistics said GDP rose 0.1% in May, in line with economists' forecasts, after a 0.1% decline in April. Continue reading...

Scunthorpe factory is expropriated from China's Jingye and ministers will ask a valuer to assess compensationBritish Steel has formally been taken into public ownership 15 months after the government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.Keir Starmer on Thursday said that it was in the national interest for the government to take over the factory from its Chinese owner, Jingye, in one of the last significant actions overseen by him as prime minister after the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act received Royal Assent on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Woman in her 60s was riding on popular cycling trail in northern NSW when she ran over the two-metre-long eastern brown snake, one of the world's most venomousA woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by a two-metre-long eastern brown snake that had become entangled in her bike chain in regional Australia.She was riding on the northern rivers rail trail near Burringbar, in the Tweed shire in northern New South Wales, when she ran over the snake. Continue reading...

The dual national, who missed six weeks of school, is latest of several children affected by recent Home Office policyA British girl was prevented from returning to her school in the UK for six weeks after a trip to see her grandmother in Italy because of the Home Office's new rule requiring dual British nationals to have a British passport to get back into the country.The 15-year-old, who was stranded in Rome in April, is just the latest of a number of children and young adults hit by a new Labour government rule that came into force in February. Continue reading...

AFP release images of children's clothes found on electronic devices seized as part of investigation into Hamish Tait

Malicious actor' obtains sensitive data including Medicare numbers, treatment details and pathology results in cyber-attack on Partnered Health

Vessels believed to have departed from Myanmar in late June, with mostly Muslim Rohingya minority onboardThe United Nations has said more than 500 people are feared dead after reports of two large shipwrecks off Myanmar since late June.The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its refugee agency UNHCR voiced alarm in a joint statement at reports that two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days". Continue reading...

Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with transforming the ministry, ousted in reshuffle after six months in postVolodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine's popular defence minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job, as part of wide-ranging government reshuffle.In a post on Telegram Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was leaving his position, saying it had been a great honour" to serve the Ukrainian people. He was widely credited with transforming the defence ministry and reducing corruption. Continue reading...

Campaign hopes to buy site for community, fearing it could go same route of corporate gentrification as Camden and Old SpitalfieldsTraders at Brixton market say they are in a battle of people over profit" after submitting a last-minute plan to stop the site being bought by a private equity firm which they fear could price out longstanding independent businesses.Those behind the Buy Back Brixton campaign said they are through to the second stage of a bidding process, competing against multinational companies to buy Brixton Village and Market Row for community ownership. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail landmark moment' in early detection and treatment of rare muscle-wasting diseaseEvery baby born in England will be screened for a rare muscle-wasting disease, starting next year, the Department of Health and Social Care announced on Thursday.Campaigners said the landmark moment" should lead to babies who were found to have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) being treated early and thus growing up without any of its debilitating symptoms. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 200 illegal holiday properties found in buildings at the highest level of seismic riskTourists in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, are staying in illegal accommodation listed on Airbnb and Booking.com in buildings considered so seismically vulnerable they could collapse in the event of a major earthquake, according to exclusive data shared with the Guardian.Analysis of data collected by Re:Rise, a Romanian organisation working on seismic risk reduction, identified at least 207 illegal tourist rental properties advertised across the two platforms in Bucharest at the end of May, with a combined capacity to host more than 1,000 visitors each night. Continue reading...

Rain Newton-Smith calls for a new generation of public-private partnerships to fund major projectsAndy Burnham must avoid another summer of speculation" on tax and spend that would spook British business, the chief executive of the CBI has warned.As Burnham prepares to take up the Labour leadership on Friday, with a new cabinet to be announced on Monday, Rain Newton-Smith urged him to tread carefully. Continue reading...

Anne Ruston called for the party to act with urgency' after discussion paper suggested ways to improve engagement with women, multicultural communities and young people

This blog is now closed - our latest full report is hereFor a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official.In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three points in the city of Bushehr were attacked today," Mohammad Mozaffari, the governor of Bushehr, was quoted as saying.In the recent attacks on the southern part of the country, more than 30 civilians lost their lives. While expressing our condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families, we honour the memory of the fallen. The government will stand by the people with all its might. The south of Iran is the beating heart of this land. The south of Iran, the soul of Iran." Continue reading...

Internal safety review at Australian National University found encampment had high' psychosocial risk rating

US disables unladen oil tanker using Hellfire missiles in strait of Hormuz amid concerns strikes could spiral into open conflictThe US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, as Tehran came under attack for the first time in this latest round of strikes.The US said on Thursday morning it had disabled an unladen oil tanker, during a fifth day of strikes, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship's smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings. Continue reading...

Minister urges public to report cases of three or more sick or dead birds in a group after brown skua seabird tests positive for H5N1 on Wellington beachThe deadly H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in New Zealand for the first time, sparking alarm that some of the country's most beloved and vulnerable native birds could be wiped out if it spreads.A single ocean-going seabird, a brown skua, returned a confirmed positive test on Wednesday, after it was found on Petone beach in Wellington on 10 July, said Andrew Hoggard, the biosecurity minister. Continue reading...

State MP abandons supreme court challenge, saying her party can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me'

Adaptation to frightening new normal and reducing emissions further and faster is critical, scientists warnDozens of people drowned, hundreds had to be rescued and thousands were displaced when floods struck the coasts of west Africa last month.Now scientists have concluded that the rains that caused the floods were supercharged by climate breakdown. Global heating, they say, turned what should have been a routine weather event into a climate catastrophe. Continue reading...

For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data showsBlack doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis.As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Continue reading...

The home secretary is the frontrunner for the role ahead of risky' Ed Miliband, according to senior Labour figuresShabana Mahmood has emerged as the frontrunner to become Andy Burnham's chancellor after a fierce briefing war over the prospect of Ed Miliband being appointed to the powerful role.Senior Labour figures with knowledge of Burnham's thinking told the Guardian they expected the home secretary to be moved to the Treasury amid concerns that Miliband would become a target for criticism of the government. Continue reading...

The match-winning England striker is a good ambassador for young people', says one contestantAll together now, with arms in the air: One Jude Bellingham, there's only one Jude Bellingham ...Unless, that is, you happened to find yourself in Shoreditch, east London, on Wednesday, where a dozen young men who looked vaguely like the England midfielder gathered for a lookalike contest almost as competitive as the one currently continuing in the US. Continue reading...

Incoming prime minister says he doesn't want to create new divisions' as Mahmood is tipped to be chancellorAndy Burnham has signalled that he will not increase wealth taxes immediately after becoming prime minister, easing concerns among the business community but limiting his economic room for manoeuvre.He said on Wednesday he did not want to create new divisions" with his tax policy, in comments that allies said were a sign that he did not intend to raise money by taxing wealth. Continue reading...

Second man on moon's Duro Rocket pen, crucial to Apollo 11 return, reaches astronomical sum at Sotheby's auctionThe felt-tip pen Buzz Aldrin used to fix a broken circuit-breaker and escape from the moon in 1969 has sold at auction in New York for more than $850,000 (630,000).The dented silver plastic Duro Rocket pen - used by the second man on the moon to save Neil Armstrong and himself from being stuck on the moon for ever" - had a sale price estimated by Sotheby's at between $800,000 and $1.2m and went for $857,600 after being pursued by five bidders. The victor got the broken piece of circuit breaker, too, as part of the lot. Both came from Aldrin's personal collection. Continue reading...

Members of the pro-Ukraine coalition of the willing" this week reasserted their desire for such a force after a cessation of hostilitiesMeanwhile, the Kremlin has rejected Lithuanian president's warnings about a potential Russian attack on critical infrastructure (10:06), dismissing them as horror stories" intended to prepare public for further militarisation."Reuters reported that the Kremlin said these comments were merely a pretext for further deployment of Nato military infrastructure to Baltic states." Continue reading...

While new study challenges assumptions about how far they travel, witnessing them in action still takes your breath away, scientists say

Challenges of regulating social media or stopping hate speech show these firms can set their own terms and prices for countries like Australia

Annual results show struggling firm's net debt has risen to 19.7bn, up from 17.7bn a year earlier

In final PMQs, PM offers Burnham - and England team - full support and defends action on NHS waiting lists, child poverty and economy

Treaty came into effect at midnight, eliminating border controls on land frontier with British overseas territory

Exclusive: allowing firms to dodge biodiversity protections by paying into levy will harm nature and economy, say 100 experts in letterThe UK government has been accused of rushing through" planning changes that could give developers permission to trash" nature for as little as 1.A letter signed by more than 100 conservationists, scientists, celebrities and businesses, including the actor and writer Stephen Fry and the broadcaster Chris Packham, has urged the incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, to immediately halt the rollout of environmental delivery plans (EDPs). Continue reading...

Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado will not lead negotiations over new elections, contrary to expectationsThe interim government of Venezuela has announced it will begin formal talks with the opposition aimed at strengthening democracy" in the country.The move is backed by the US, which says it is seeking a democratic transition" in a country still recovering from the twin earthquakes that killed more than 4,700 people. Continue reading...

As Ann Widdecombe's death raises concerns over security, politicians describe the threats and aggression they have faced and the anxiety it causesJess Phillips has received so many death threats she has to remind herself not to be blase. One night she received more than 600 rape threats. In 2019, a man forced his way into her office. The same year a white supremacist sent her a picture of Jo Cox, her friend and fellow Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, accompanied with the message: I will have you dealt with."This is not academic to me; it is something I face every day," says the MP for Birmingham Yardley. You learn to cope with it, but it does cause terrible anxiety. For me, I feel guilty about the people who work for me, my kids, my family." Continue reading...

Repeated heatwaves, driven by climate crisis, have raised need for guidance as workers struggle to copeMayor of London Sadiq Khan is backing calls for a maximum workplace temperature as pressure grows on the government to protect workers from the impact of repeated heatwaves across the UK.The extreme heat, driven by the climate crisis, has left people struggling to cope as temperatures in some workplaces climb above 40C, causing thousands of schools to close, and hospital and transport systems to break down. Continue reading...

Extradition request for James Fergie' Chambers sparks concerns that US government is conflating humanitarian aid with terrorismThe arrest in Ibiza and US justice department extradition request for a wealthy American donor to lefwing causes in connection with alleged material support for Hamas is sending ripples through leftwing circles in Spain and being closely monitored in the US for potential chilling effects" on support for Palestine.Spanish authorities detained James Fergie" Chambers Friday and are now holding him without bail in Madrid. A hearing is scheduled on whether he can be released on bail for Thursday. Continue reading...

Alleged attack may have been motivated by a social media post, police prosecutor tells court

Vulnerable people more at risk as research finds only half of local authority plans require cooling strategiesEngland risks constructing a new generation of death trap" buildings that can fatally overheat unless the government tightens standards and prioritises climate safeguards, planning experts have said.Fears are growing about the plight of vulnerable people in heatwaves, with research this week suggesting that 2,700 people had died in the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales. Yet only about half of local plans being drawn up by councils and local authorities require new buildings to have a cooling or ventilation strategy to prevent overheating, according to findings from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The representation of the people bill has become a test of whether Britain can curb the surge in billionairebacked donations trying to influence how we run the countryGood morning. I'm Hettie O'Brien, and I'll be arriving in your inbox regularly from today, rounding out the First Edition team alongside Libby and Michael.I've spent much of my time at the Guardian writing about who is pulling the strings in Britain: I enjoy illuminating knotty subjects for our readers, exposing how power works, and helping to make sense of the stories defining our world. I'd love to hear what you think - just reply to this email - we want you to play a part in shaping First Edition. But go easy, it's my first day.UK news | The police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe is examining whether a leftwing or single-issue cause may lie behind her killing, the Guardian has learned.Middle East | Donald Trump has threatened to expand US strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal amid a continuing dispute over the strait of Hormuz.UK politics | Boris Johnson's government wasted 10bn of public money because of the way it went about buying PPE during the coronavirus pandemic, an official inquiry has concluded.Europe news | A spokesperson for the EU has pushed back against the Trump administration's assertion that the international criminal court poses a threat to US sovereignty.US news | The man killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Maine on Monday has been identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, according to local news outlets. Continue reading...

Catholic Schools NSW's alleged donations to Liberal party show the need to ensure public money is spent for approved purposes, expert says