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Burnham criticises decades of neoliberalism' and says he wants to give people hope back'When Andy Burnham first tried to return to the Commons, by applying to be Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, Labour's national executive committee blocked him - in part because, they argued, Labour might find it hard to hold the Greater Manchester mayoralty in the byelection caused by his resignation.When he next applied to be a candidate, for Makerfield, the NEC no longer felt able to say no because the results for Labour in the May elections were so bad that the case for having Burnham in parliament became overwhelming. Continue reading...

Virginia's Mark Warner says speech was just lies and long-debunked conspiracies'

Film fanatics arrive from US, Switzerland and Ireland for midnight premiere of director's critically acclaimed epicOdysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than 4,000 miles to see the Greek king's epic fable on the big screen.The 22-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch Christopher Nolan's take on Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Continue reading...

Former Greater Manchester mayor expected to take reins as prime minister and appoint new cabinet on MondayAndy Burnham has become the leader of the Labour party, paving the way for him to take over as British prime minister on Monday.The former mayor of Greater Manchester won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, making him the only choice to take over from Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Southern rail station also attacked, Iranian media says, as IRGC claims to have destroyed US fighter jets stationed in Jordan

US president accused China of meddling in his 2020 election defeat and said system was catastrophically' unfair. Plus Christopher Nolan's epic take on The Odyssey hits the big screen

The US state mourns its longest-serving senator while Republicans scramble to choose a successorThe South Carolina state house is a microcosm of the US's contradictions. Outside there are memorials to the Confederate war dead and African American history. Below a statue of Strom Thurmond, a longtime US senator and racial segregationist, are the names of his five children including Essie Mae, whose mother, a Black maid, was 15 when Thurmond impregnated her.Thurmond died at the age of 100 in 2003; his successor, Lindsey Graham, a lifelong bachelor who never had children, died last Saturday at 71. His sudden exit leaves a void not just in Washington but the state that molded Graham, elected him to the Senate four times and wrestled with his shape-shifting journey from Ronald Reagan Republican to Donald Trump sycophant. Continue reading...

Plus, Trump pays out to E Jean Carroll, somnolent Little House on the Prairie, and why I'll be avoiding salad in the USIt's the last week of school and, in our case, the last week of primary school, ever, which I thought wouldn't be a big deal but now we're here, I'm sliding off my axis about the cruel passage of time. It's not about my children, who can't wait to crack on, it's about me, me, me. Continue reading...

Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecutionA Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution.Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continue reading...

Designers say that as well as offering a degree of protection from surveillance, their clothes make a powerful fashion statement about the importance of privacyAs facial recognition technology is rolled out across Britain's public spaces, a new generation of designers say privacy could be the next big fashion trend.Companies have started incorporating adversarial patterns" in their garments - carefully designed arrangements of shapes, colours and repeated motifs said to exploit weaknesses in some computer vision systems. Continue reading...

Storms are typical during intense heat but this week's have been extreme. Plus, deadly monsoon rains in BangladeshHailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms have struck across parts of Europe.While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries such as France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe, bringing flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with large balls of hail. Continue reading...

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Move dealt severe blow to Chinese companies' confidence in investing in the UK', says Ministry of CommerceChina's government has said it is strongly dissatisfied" with the decision to nationalise British Steel this week, 15 months after the UK government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.On Thursday, British Steel was brought under public ownership to protect the future of steel production", the government announced. Continue reading...

The Makerfield MP enters No 10 as prime minister on Monday. But who will he choose to join him at the table?Keir Starmer is expected formally to resign as prime minister on Monday morning at Buckingham Palace, with Andy Burnham being invited to take on the role shortly afterwards. Once back in Downing Street mid-morning, Burnham will begin assembling his cabinet. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Watchdog asked to look into how James Watt got data of ex-crowdfunders he invited to join buy-back bidJames Watt, the BrewDog founder who sold the debt-laden punk" brewer earlier this year, is the subject of complaints to the UK's data privacy watchdog linked to his surprise bid to buy the company back, the Guardian has learned.BrewDog's brand, intellectual property, UK breweries and 11 bars were sold to the US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray in March for 33m, in a deal that rendered the shares of more than 200,000 crowdfunding investors worthless. Continue reading...

Banks and building societies have started relaxing affordability rules and becoming more creative with productsFor many first-time buyers, getting their foot on the property ladder can feel like an impossible dream. However, the good news is that there are a growing number of mortgage deals that require only a small deposit, or no deposit at all.Metro Bank is the latest high street lender to launch a deal that allows eligible first-timers to borrow up to 100% of the value of aproperty. Home loans that let people borrow 100% have been making a bit of a comeback - they were once fairly commonplace but were axed after the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading...

Researchers find dance reduced depressive symptoms and social anxiety in young people in eight-week trialSalsa is one of the most popular dance forms, with hundreds of millions of followers worldwide. A mix of Caribbean, Spanish and African musical styles and rhythms, it is believed to offer many cognitive and physical benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health, muscle tone and posture.Now a randomised controlled trial suggests it could also reduce depression and anxiety. Researchers at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Health NHS trust studied 121 young adults with mild to moderate depression and anxiety who were randomly assigned to a salsa dance programme or a control group. Continue reading...

Mackerel skies and mare's tails signal arrival of warm fronts that push moisture to high altitudes and creates distinctive cloudsMare's tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships to carry low sails," runs an old English saying about summer skies.Mackerel skies are cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds in regular but patchy rows, resembling the light and dark-scale pattern on a mackerel. The cirrocumulus version is white and wispy, altocumulus is grey and thicker. One easy rule is that cirrocumulus is narrower than a finger at arm's length, altocumulus more like three fingers. Continue reading...

British domestic holidays are being pushed to their highest levels since CovidThe start of the peak summer season is set to bring millions of drivers on to British roads, with concerns of traffic chaos as the port of Dover faces its biggest test yet of new EU border controls.The semi-functioning entry-exit system (EES) is credited, along with the heatwaves and fears about flights after the war in Iran, with helping push British domestic holidays to its highest levels since Covid halted international travel. Continue reading...

Adelaide-based Olympian was banned from driving for five years over Melissa Hoskins' 2023 death

Boarding of M/T Wen Yao in Gulf of Oman comes as expanded airstrike campaign hits five bridges in southern IranAmerican forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran's ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade," US Central Command (Centcom) said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Appearing on a podcast with the far-right UK activist who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, Hanson makes evidence-free claims about migrants

Telco outlines reasons for network failure that hit mobiles, trains and retailers ahead of appearance at Senate inquiry

Australian government says it is deeply frustrated' and will continue to press for real charges with teeth' over deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles

Most Australian capital cities have at least 80% chance of unusually warm and dry spring as climatologists watch developing system with increasing alarm

William Upham, a 35-year-old former marine, faces federal charges and up to five years in prison, officials sayA former marine and Republican write-in candidate for the US House in Florida has been arrested and charged in federal court with threatening to kill Donald Trump, according to the US attorney's office.William Upham, 35, was taken into custody on Thursday after appearing in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. According to public records, Upham is a write-in candidate, running in the Republican primary for Florida's fifth congressional district. Continue reading...

Millions of Americans face air quality alerts from Minnesota to New York as authorities urge people to stay indoors

A crew in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Oakland spotted a pigeon in distress' after a vehicle fireHeartwarming footage of California firefighters treating perhaps their smallest patient on record has captivated the internet.A crew in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Oakland spotted a pigeon in distress" earlier this week after a vehicle fire, and jumped into action to assist. Continue reading...

Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller took aim at only leftwing activism at meeting of 66 nations against political violenceTop Trump officials on Thursday hosted a gathering of 66 nations to discuss the supposed threat of leftwing violence, and launched a series of diatribes, harsh even by the standards of the Trump administration, against leftism.The conference, convened by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and attended by Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, and Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, was billed as a ministerial on the resurgence of political violence", but the focus was solely on crushing leftist violence. It came as Donald Trump ramps up his efforts to label his political opponents, and a rising number of politicians identified with the Democratic Socialists of America as communists". Continue reading...

Burnham, who is set to take the job on Friday, will promise to give back control to communities and spread growthAndy Burnham will pledge he has the courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected" in his first speech as Labour leader.Burnham, who is set to be announced in the job at a special conference on Friday, will promise to give back control to communities and spread growth across the country. Continue reading...

Karoline Leavitt calls apparent bets on Kalshi prediction platform deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace'Donald Trump's longtime teleprompter operator has been placed on administrative leave, the White House said on Thursday, after reports that he used his position to win $100,000 by placing bets on the president's speeches using the online prediction market Kalshi.The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the president had been informed about the situation, which she described as deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace". Continue reading...

After Thelma Gaston disappeared, her companion was convicted of second-degree murderAuthorities in southern California announced this week that, after more than 40 years, they had identified the remains of a Los Angeles millionaire missing since 1981.The Riverside county sheriff confirmed in a statement that investigators, using genetic genealogy and dental records, had determined the remains found in a rugged area near Sugarloaf Mountain were those of Thelma Gaston. Continue reading...

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the US

About 100,000 children across the country drink the high-caffeine beverages dailyHigh-caffeine energy drinks have no place in children's hands" and will be banned from sale to under-16s in England from April next year under new laws designed to improve health outcomes in young people.About 100,000 children across the country currently drink high-caffeine energy drinks daily, with those in more deprived areas and households more likely to consume them, according to the government. Continue reading...

Beira's Place in Edinburgh, founded by the author, says claim was deeply offensive' as it considers legal actionAmnesty International UK has referred itself to the charity regulator over a report it published that described a sexual violence support centre founded by JK Rowling as anti-rights".The UK branch of the global human rights charity listed Beira's Place in Edinburgh among more than 100 organisations it said were part of an anti-rights movement. Continue reading...

Appointment by the outgoing prime minister potentially opens door for London mayor to join Burnham cabinet

The film-maker behind Selma and 13th will focus on the 14th amendment for a new film out later this year as Donald Trump targets those protected by itAva DuVernay announced on Thursday that she has made a documentary for Netflix on the 14th amendment, which gave liberty and rights to formerly enslaved people following the civil war, and has come under legal attack from Donald Trump.Netflix said on Thursday that it will release 14th later this year. The film will mark a return to nonfiction for DuVernay, the film-maker of Selma and Origin, and a follow-up to DuVernay's 2016 film 13th, her examination of the legacy of the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery. Continue reading...

Flash flood emergencies were issued on Thursday for parts of Kerr and Uvalde counties and Texas Hill Country

This live blog has been pausedThe Lebanese foreign minister, Youssef Raggi, said Lebanon has made a decision to end Hezbollah's military presence" and that decisions on war and foreign policy are the exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state".The Lebanese government is pushing to disarm Hezbollah, one of the most heavily armed militias in the Middle East, and it has become a central component of the US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel.Lebanon has made its choice: there will be no return to dual authority, and there is no longer any place for weapons outside the authority of the state or for decisions taken outside its constitutional institutions.The decision to end Hezbollah's military presence is a sovereign Lebanese decision. It preceded the Framework Agreement and paved the way for it, affirming that decisions on war and peace, as well as foreign policy, are now the exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state." Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereCouples 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...

Landmark high court ruling calls for fresh inquiry into Jools Sweeney's death to allow for previously omitted social media evidenceThe inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy, whose mother believes he died after a TikTok challenge gone wrong, is to be reopened in a landmark ruling by the high court.Jools Sweeney, a schoolboy from Gloucestershire, died in April 2022. His parents, Ellen Roome and Matt Sweeney, believed social media played a role in his death, pointing to the popularity of the blackout challenge" online at the time. Continue reading...

Wives and children offered new identities to try to stop gangsters recruiting down the generationsChildren and young adults raised in mafia families will be given a chance to break away from organised crime under new legislation in Italy that aims to stop the intergenerational recruitment of gangsters.In an unprecedented effort to sever the family chain, the Italian state will offer children aged under 25 and other close relatives of mafia bosses a chance to start over: a new home in another city, a new school and, if necessary, a new identity. Continue reading...

Critics say Foreign Office figures send global message about the role the country wants to play on international stage'Labour's foreign aid cuts mean reductions of as much as 90% in the bilateral support the UK will give to some African countries, Foreign Office figures show.The department's annual report includes a long-awaited breakdown of how the reduction in the aid budget will affect individual countries for the next three years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Green party launches pushback against idea that next PM will have more left-leaning agenda than StarmerAndy Burnham is too in hock to vested interests" to offer real change, Zack Polanski has said as the Greens launched a pushback against the incoming prime minister, portraying him as cautious and weak on such areas as wealth taxes, Gaza and rent controls.Under Polanski's leadership the Green party in England and Wales has more than tripled its membership, and is closely tracking Labour in opinion polls, with much of the new support coming from former Labour voters disenchanted with Keir Starmer's approach. Continue reading...

Protests in Lviv and Kyiv as Zelenskyy faces anger after removing the popular 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...

Heatwaves, high energy prices, calls for reindustrialisation and North Sea drilling are all high on the to-do list

Revised plan aims to keep something going' amid fears Netanyahu may gamble on new all-out offensive before Israeli elections

The actor, who also appeared in The Waltons and Private Benjamin, died at his home in CaliforniaHal Williams, the actor best known for TV roles in Sanford & Son and 227, has died at the age of 91.His representative confirmed that Williams died on 15 July at his home in California. Continue reading...

Diesel tops $5 a gallon as regular gas reaches almost $4, nearly a dollar and a quarter more than a year ago