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Atlantic Industrial Coatings was given $14.7m no-bid contract and its findings contradict president's claims of vandalismThe company hired to renovate the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has acknowledged that human oversight" and flaws in the repair plan caused the newly installed blue liner to peel and tear, according to documents reviewed by the New York Times that challenge Donald Trump's repeated claims of vandalism.The president has repeatedly said vandals armed with knives or box cutters were responsible for tearing apart the pool's American flag blue" liner. But documents reviewed by the Times show that Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the company awarded the renovation contract, blamed its own execution of the repair work and a flawed design plan. Continue reading...

Mike Rogers has also helped kill other bills that would have provided healthcare to responders and survivorsMike Rogers, a Michigan Republican US Senate candidate, has sought in recent weeks to create controversy over old tweets his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed posted about 9/11. He has for example, falsely suggested El-Sayed, who is Muslim, said the US deserved the attack.But, as critics have noted, Rogers has twice voted against healthcare and other benefits for 9/11 first responders and survivors, congressional records show. He has also helped kill other bills that would have provided benefits and healthcare to first responders nationwide. Rogers, a former member of Congress, is vying for Michigan's open US Senate seat in a tight race that could decide control of Congress during the next session. Continue reading...

A federal court is declaring that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement dateIn a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year.Energy secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old JH Campbell Generating Plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region, and he used emergency powers to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states - Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota - went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online. Continue reading...

Outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, which infected 12,882 people and led to two deathsThe US's largest recorded multi-state outbreak of sickness caused by the cyclospora parasite has ended, federal health officials announced on Friday.The record outbreak of cyclosporiasis was linked to processed iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico, which infected 12,883 people across 21 states and led to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. Continue reading...

UK employment tribunal examines whether Rockstar Games unlawfully fired 31 staff for trade union activityA worker fired by the makers of Grand Theft Auto has said he believed employees were put on a watch list" after signing a petition about remote working.Dayne Oram told an employment tribunal in Glasgow examining whether Rockstar Games unlawfully fired 31 employees for trade union activity on Friday that he thought the company started keeping an eye on a group of workers after the petition was sent to leadership in 2023. Continue reading...

President and defense secretary try to link worst terrorist attack in US history to current unpopular war

DUP education minister accused of dragging feet before revising guidelines on uniformSchools in Northern Ireland must give girls the choice to wear trousers as part of their uniforms as well as for PE and games, according to revised guidelines.From next year schools would no longer be able to prohibit female pupils from wearing trousers, Paul Givan, the country's education minister, said on Friday. Today, I am taking that decision, that will be formally communicated, schools will be hearing from me," he told the BBC. Continue reading...

MPs quietly withdrew support when it became clear it was not a priority of Andy Burnham's government

Sweden has ordered more Britons, including vulnerable people, to leave post-Brexit than any other EU countryHe arrived with nothing other than the clothes he wore that morning. Hours later he was banged up in a detention centre close to a Stockholm airport to await deportation.Charles, a former business director from Cambridge, who did not want his full name published, moved to Sweden in 2017 to be with his Swedish wife, Lily, and applied to remain after Brexit, before the deadline of December 2021. But the migration agency rejected his application, and he and his wife have been fighting with the Swedish authorities ever since. Continue reading...

Teen and his brother and cousin, who both drowned, were fishing off Alaska's St Lawrence Island when boat capsizedA teenaged boy was rescued having clung to a capsized fishing vessel in the Bering Sea for days after the boat overturned and his older brother and cousin drowned.The group had last been seen been leaving Alaska's St Lawrence Island in an 18ft fishing vessel on Friday, and were expected back early on Sunday but failed to return, the coast guard said in a statement. Authorities began their search on Sunday evening, and an aircrew found the sole survivor on top of the overturned vessel on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Proceeds are in a UK account amid a dispute about how the money should be used and a separate criminal investigationFunds from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea FC have earned at least 175m in interest while locked in a UK bank account, new accounts show, leading one analyst to describe the company housing the frozen cash as the most profitable football business in the world".Accounts for Fordstam, the company through which the billionaire Russian oligarch owned Chelsea, show that the proceeds of the sale completed in May 2022 have risen from 2.3bn to nearly 2.5bn. Continue reading...

Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Warren Davidson tell investigatory powers tribunal that secrecy over encrypted data case is needlessly' straining US-UK relationsA bipartisan pair of American politicians is telling Britain's most secretive court to stop hiding its handling of Apple's legal fight against a government demand to break into its customers' encrypted data, warning that Whitehall's taste for secrecy is needlessly" straining relations between the two allies.The letter, shared with the Guardian ahead of being sent to the investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) on Friday, is signed by the Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and the Republican congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio. Continue reading...

Bill's failure in Commons sparks anger among its supporters after Lords blocked earlier legislation

Darren Conway admits 11 charges after the Met identified him as a member of an online sexual offending forumA man has admitted using an online sexual abuse network to commit a host of sexual crimes, along with another man, against the latter's unconscious wife.Darren Conway, 52, pleaded guilty to 11 charges at Wood Green crown court. They included voyeurism, possession of extreme pornography and encouraging the other man to sexually abuse his wife on Conway's behalf. Continue reading...

The bill would have allowed terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to end their lives, after the approval of a panel of experts

Substitution with jack mackerel, a different species, because of dwindling stocks is criticised by the consumer group Which?If you've recently opened a tin of mackerel and thought there was something fishy going on, you may have been right. An overfishing crisis means that instead of traditional mackerel, some now contain a different fish with a similar name, prompting concerns that shoppers are being short-changed.Over the past year big brands such as Princes, as well as some supermarket own-labels, have replaced traditional tinned mackerel fillets with jack mackerel fillets. Continue reading...

Far-right German party's newly elected representatives face fresh scrutiny as it tries to form government in Saxony-Anhalt Why is the AfD's state victory significant and what might happen next?The Alternative fur Deutschland is facing scrutiny over the suitability of some of its prospective new MPs - including a former Stasi officer and a former pornography actor - just days after its historic win in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.Presented by the AfD's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, for a photocall in the state capital of Magdeburg on Thursday, some of the members-elect were revealed to have a range of questionable backgrounds, including criminal records, Stasi pasts and connections to far-right networks. Continue reading...

Ulf Kristersson's comments come ahead of the parliamentary election taking place this Sundayin BrusselsThe European Commission has said it is assessing whether Ukraine has a funding shortfall, amid renewed pressure to use Russia's frozen assets to aid Kyiv.That [frozen assets] is not a primary focus. We have worked extensively on this and now the focus is somewhere else."So we've got to carry out that work first. We need to establish the needs before we can potentially discuss ways of addressing it." Continue reading...

MPs today voted not to approve the assisted dying bill at its second reading. The bill, which was brought back to the Commons after being blocked in the Lords, would have allowed terminally ill people to end their lives with medical help in some circumstances. Find out how your MP voted Continue reading...

Party leader, who will contest Starmer's former seat of Holborn and St Pancras, says gas drilling has come up on doorstep

Three facilities in two days struck as bombardment of Ukraine's capital enters new phase of intensity

Term-limited, hard-right governor instituted an ideological infiltration of universities by placing allies in powerful postsIn fewer than four months' time, Ron DeSantis, Florida's hard-right governor, will be termed out of office, and what critics saw as his relentless eight-year, anti-woke" assault on higher education in the state will finally be over.But while DeSantis himself will be gone, numerous hand-picked loyalists will remain in positions of power to protect his ideological makeover of universities and colleges. The latest, Alex Kelly, the governor's former deputy chief of staff, and Florida commerce secretary, was named last week as the sole finalist in Pensacola state college's search for a new president, at least the 12th close DeSantis ally to win such a plum post. Continue reading...

Rights groups say those missing after being deported under one in, out out deal include dozens of age-disputed children

More than 30,000 due to attend Canadian artist's opener at Plenitude arena, as thousands without tickets plan Friday night karaokeMore than 30,000 Celine Dion fans have gathered in Paris for the Canadian singer's long-awaited return to performing on Saturday night, four years after she revealed her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition.Thousands more people without tickets have flocked to a series of giant karaoke events across France to belt out Dion's famous power ballads, in celebration of the star's health stabilising enough for her to return to the stage. Continue reading...

Widespread damage across Niihau, Kauai and Oahu, while in Japan further heavy rainfall causes widespread floodingHurricane Lowell caused significant damage to Hawaii's western islands this week. On Tuesday night the centre of Lowell tracked 50 miles (80km) from the island of Niihau in Kauai county as a category 2 storm with winds of up to 110mph. The strong winds resulted in widespread power outages across Ni'ihau, and the islands of Kauai and Oahu.The event was particularly notable because a tornado watch had been issued for Kauai on Monday night and into Tuesday morning. According to research maps from Iowa State University, it was likely to be the first tornado watch in Hawaii's history. In the event, a tornado was not documented, however hurricanes can produce tornadoes and most often occur in thunderstorms within rain bands away from the centre of the hurricane. Currently, five named stormed have occurred in the central Pacific with the strong El Nino this year being a key driver in the above normal hurricane season, as noted by the National Weather Service. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Calls from Labour grow as 105 MPs write to PM urging obvious' step to alleviate cost of living crisisAndy Burnham is coming under increasing pressure from his own MPs to commit to improving paternity leave in the UK in the next budget, with more than a quarter of Labour MPs writing to the prime minister to urge him to take action.Ahead of the chancellor's first budget next month, 105 MPs have written to Burnham calling on him to increase statutory paternity leave to help alleviate the cost of living crisis and arguing that lowest-paid fathers are the hardest hit by meagre paternity leave provision. Continue reading...

No 10 says new fleet of trains built in Derby will support 6,000 jobs across UKA fleet of battery-powered trains is to be built to bring faster, more reliable journeys to the north", Downing Street has announced.The 29 trains, which will be run by TransPennine Express, will be built at Alstom's Litchurch Lane works in Derby from 2028, supporting 350 local jobs, and nearly 6,000 across the UK, according to the government. Continue reading...

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Labour MPs Gareth Snell and Meg Hillier say Lords must be allowed to fulfil duty in scrutinising bill on serious public issueMPs who voted for and against assisted dying have urged their respective sides not to take the extraordinary risk" of forcing through the bill using an obscure parliamentary procedure if it continues to be blocked by the Lords.Two Labour MPs have written a warning letter to colleagues in the crucial hours before the next vote on Friday: Gareth Snell, who voted in favour of the bill, and Meg Hillier, who voted against. Continue reading...

Global oil price at its highest since May while investors dump stocks and bonds after Donald Trump's $5,000 dividend' promise

National Audit Office says failure to implement 70bn modernisation would also hold back economic growth

Christina Stambolian dress from 1994 has defined a whole category of fashion and is expected to fetch up to 220,000The dress that Diana, Princess of Wales wore one September evening in 1994 would have been memorable for its design alone - black, fitted, off-the-shoulder, skintight and short. However, it has another distinction, of defining a whole category of fashion - what has since become known as revenge dressing".Worn by Diana the same night Charles would reveal his infidelity on TV, the dress was quickly labelled the revenge dress" by the media. It has its own Wikipedia page, with the same title. Continue reading...

Trespass case launched by two mothers settled after officers often went to families' houses between midnight and 4am

A split emerges in One Nation over the video, with Barnaby Joyce offering an apology as Pauline Hanson continues to refuse to take it down

Luke Sayers says he accepts Cate Sayers did not post photo of his genitals as she says settlement closes painful and difficult chapter'

Ticehurst's former partner had pleaded guilty to stabbing her 15 times at her Forbes home just before midnight on 21 April 2024

The execution of Daniel Owen Conahan Jr makes him the state's 15th person executed this yearA Florida man was executed by lethal injection on Thursday after being convicted of one of a series of suspected killings that became known as the Hog Trail Murders in the 1990s.Daniel Owen Conahan Jr, 72, was sentenced to death for the 1996 kidnapping and strangling of Richard Allen Montgomery. Authorities found Montgomery's mutilated body in a wooded south-west Florida area where the remains of at least six people have been found over a three-year span. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis shows cost of chicken fillets, potatoes and donuts rose during supermarket giant's three-month promotion

Canadian PM Mark Carney hosts president in Calgary, where he grew up alongside large Ukrainian communityCanada offered support on Thursday to boost Ukraine's air defenses and help replenish its drone stocks, as the countries pledged to deepen their alliance during a visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Mark Carney hosted the president of Ukraine in Calgary in the western province of Alberta, where the Canadian prime minister grew up among a large community of people with Ukrainian heritage. Continue reading...

Broadcaster, 86, had intended to end her life in Swiss clinic after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023Esther Rantzen has said she is no longer able to travel to Switzerland to end her life because she has become too physically fragile".Rantzen, who presented the TV current affairs programme That's Life! for 21 years and founded the youth support charity Childline, had intended to end her life in a Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023. Continue reading...

Democrats are targeting Trump's relationship with Epstein as part of strategy ahead of midterm electionsJames Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, accused his rival Ken Paxton of ignoring" survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse, as Democrats seek to increase pressure on Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections.Speaking in Dallas, where Republicans are holding a midterm convention this week, Talarico appeared alongside one of Epstein's victims at an exhibit that featured about 3.5m pages of Department of Justice's files related to Epstein. Continue reading...

Advanced DNA testing reveals skeletal remains belong to Cindy Marcell Blizzard, who had run away from homeSkeletal remains discovered nearly 50 years ago in North Carolina have been identified as those of a 15-year-old girl who had run away from home.On 29 December 1977, skeletal remains and clothing were discovered in a wooded area near a tire manufacturing plant in Wilson, a city approximately 40 miles east of Raleigh. After decades of DNA testing, including advances in technology, investigators identified the remains as belonging to Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old girl who had run away from her home in Monkton, Maryland, in the spring of 1977, the North Carolina state bureau of investigation said. Continue reading...

Downing Street gives more details of plan, saying it would be charged as a percentage of accommodation costs, not a flat fee

Part of Dmitry Donskoy's right hand sent to spiritually strengthen' soldiersThe Russian Orthodox church has sent a fragment of a medieval warrior prince's remains to troops fighting in Ukraine, saying the relic would spiritually strengthen" soldiers and help them achieve victory.A reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, the 14th-century prince revered in Russia for his victory over the Mongolian Golden Horde in 1380, has been taken to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine and is now being transported along the frontline. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte said that Europeans increasingly understand' the need for their countries to take greater responsibility for our own security'Addressing German ambassadors, Wadephul repeats that the Russian threat has reached our doorstep and it's tangible."He adds:The Russian attempted attack at the airport in Leipzig is only the most recent incident in a string of constantly growing Russian aggression against Europe and against Nato.Russia and its partners operate with a global network against our interests and in favour of an own imperialist claim to great power status." Continue reading...

Critics react to bid for Republican votes with incredulity and point to potential $1.2tn cost atop existing national debtDonald Trump's promise of a $5,000 Trump dividend" for every US citizen if Republicans retain control of the US Congress in November's midterm elections has sparked incredulity and accusations of bribery.If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000," Trump said during the unprecedented Republican midterm convention in Dallas. It will be called the Trump dividend." Continue reading...

The Liberal MP and former SAS soldier is under attack from One Nation after complying with a subpoena to give evidence in the failed 2022 civil case

Arrests of woman, 42, and man, 60, made after Met carried out searches of addresses in north and north-west LondonA man and a woman have been arrested by counter-terrorism police in London on suspicion of assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service.The arrests of the 42-year-old woman and 60-year-old man were made after searches carried out at addresses in north and north-west London on 24 June, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the GuardianTestimony from 24 Israeli military insiders on the secret systems used in the war on Gaza has been revealed in a new documentary film about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians.NAZA, a film from the Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was shown at the Venice international film festival on Thursday as the only documentary competing for its prestigious Golden Lion award. Continue reading...

High commissioner to India replaces Olly Robbins, who was sacked over Peter Mandelson scandalThe Foreign Office has its first female head after the appointment of Lindy Cameron, the high commissioner to India.Cameron's new role as permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office means she will replace Olly Robbins, who was sacked over the Peter Mandelson scandal. Continue reading...