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Politics
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Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging sewers
Kobe, 18, who made discovery on site of former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, at first thought trove was €1 coins For a student with a summer job working on a Belgian building site, “money down the drain” has taken on a whole new meaning: excavating the trenches for a sewage system, he stumbled across a hidden trove of gold worth an estimated €9m (£8m). “We suddenly saw something lying there,” 18-year-old Kobe told the Belgian news network VTM . “At first I thought it was €1 coins. So we started digging them up. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought.” Continue reading...
Baby with heart defect at center of US surrogacy dispute handed to parents
Biological parents given custody of child born in Texas amid dispute over surrogate mother’s claim of abortion request A two-day-old baby with a rare heart defect at the center of a complex surrogacy dispute in Texas has been handed over to the parents’ custody and is receiving care, lawyers for the parents said on Friday. The baby has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a defect that requires surgeries to correct. The baby was born on Wednesday to surrogate mother McKenna West of Alaska after she reportedly refused requests to get an abortion from the biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California – requests they deny making. Continue reading...
‘Let’s see what he can do’: will Burnham bring Barnsley voters back to Labour?
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...
Thames Water plans to restart desalination plant – after drought has ended
Utility company’s plant, which has only run five times, now has an estimated total cost of £500m Thames 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...
Iberian orca known for ramming boats seen with suspected gunshot wounds
Marine conservationist says deliberate attack would be ‘act of extreme cruelty’ against endangered population Spanish 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 Toñi, 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...
Scientists hope to shed light on young universe by using dark side of the moon
UK team seeking to put suitcase-sized satellite in orbit around moon in search for 21cm line radio frequency signal Little is known about what was happening shortly after the big bang, but now researchers are hoping to shed fresh light on the matter by harnessing the dark side of the moon. Scientists are hoping to put a suitcase-sized satellite into orbit around the moon, using the data it collects as it passes the far side to search for a radio frequency signal emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms in the early universe. Continue reading...
People in the US: how do you see the impact of 9/11 on the country and day-to-day life?
We would like to hear from Americans about how they see the legacy of September 11, 25 years on We would like to hear from Americans about how they see the legacy of 9/11 . Now 25 years later, how do you see the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the country and day-to-day life? If you’re having trouble using the form click here . Read terms of service here and privacy policy here . Continue reading...
Burnham temporarily bans disposable barbecue sales in ‘tinderbox’ Britain
PM urges people not to risk lives and homes by starting fires as military brought in to help deal with wildfires UK politics live – latest updates Downing Street has issued a temporary GB-wide ban on the sale of disposable barbecue and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires as Andy Burnham urged people not to risk lives in “tinderbox” Britain this weekend. The prime minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been taken to hospital during eight fires that have ripped through several homes . Continue reading...
Train derails near Essex town of Wickford
Greater Anglia crash happens day after two passengers seriously injured in East Sussex derailment A Greater Anglia train has derailed near Wickford, in Essex, according to reports. The incident occurred a day after two passengers were seriously injured when a Southern Rail train derailed in East Sussex. Continue reading...
Trump’s dismal Patriot Games were the Hunger Games ordered off Temu | Aaron Timms
Monkey bars, gawky teenagers and a presidential cameo – all given a prime-time showcase by ABC – combined for the most leaden hour of America’s 250th birthday summer Culturally, it’s been a tough few months for Donald Trump. The UFC night he held at the White House for his birthday got lost amid the froth and excitement of the World Cup. The Great American State Fair on the Washington DC National Mall was a dud . The president’s jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner all bombed . Could the Patriot Games, a nationwide competition to find the American schoolchildren most adept at traversing a set of monkey bars, help rescue the summer? Last night we got our answer: no. A one-hour prime-time special brought us the best of the Patriot Games, and in a crowded field it managed to offer some of the most leaden TV of the American semiquincentennial. Freedom 250, the White House-backed non-profit that hosted the UFC fight at the White House and the Great American State Fair, produced the event, and put up the $125,000 in college scholarship winnings that went to each winner on the boys’ and girls’ side of the competition. The final round of the Games actually took place earlier this week , at a sports training facility outside Cleveland, Ohio. Last night we just got the best bits, and judging by what that amounted to, we should all be thankful we never had to endure the other bits. This was Trumpworld’s answer to the Hunger Games, but it’s unlikely there will be much clamor for a sequel. The patriots may be hungry for more, but the rest of us? Eh. Continue reading...
Belt and braces PM: what wearing suit braces says about Burnham
Mod fashion, nod to 80s excess or symbol of tradition? Andy Burnham’s wardrobe choice transcends class divisions The sartorial evolution of Andy Burnham reached another milestone this week when the prime minister appeared at a photocall in Derbyshire wearing a pair of braces under his suit. Navy, slimline and button-on rather than clipped, they were barely visible while he posed for a photo in Ilkeston. It was only when he unbuttoned his suit jacket to embrace members of the public that they were on view. Continue reading...
BP to develop offshore gasfield in Venezuela with firms linked to Trump administration
Move will be one of first large-scale foreign investments in country since US ousted leader Nicolás Maduro in January BP has answered Donald Trump’s call for oil companies to help rebuild Venezuela’s fossil fuel industry with new plans to develop a large offshore gasfield. BP will partner with two oil firms with close links to the Trump administration to develop the second phase of the Loran gasfield, in one of the first large-scale foreign investments in Venezuela since the US ousted its leader Nicolás Maduro in January. Continue reading...
Five reservoirs in England and Wales ‘exceptionally low’ as drought persists
Extreme heat and lack of rain threatening public water supply, with ‘real trouble’ predicted if autumn stays dry Five key reservoirs across England and Wales are “exceptionally low” as drought and extreme heat piles pressure on public water supply that is likely to continue into the autumn. Most of Europe has endured back-to-back climate crisis-driven heatwaves this summer. The extreme heat, coupled with strikingly little rainfall, means almost three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales is now in drought. Continue reading...
Farage wins Clacton byelection, but was it worth it? – podcast
Nigel Farage has won the Clacton byelection he triggered by resigning from the seat because he wanted to allow voters to ‘stick two fingers up at the entire establishment’. The Reform UK leader’s political finances were under investigation at the time. That process has now resumed, posing the risk of another byelection if Farage is found to have broken the rules. Has his party emerged stronger or weaker as a result of the byelection? And what next for Reform UK and its leader? Alexandra Topping and Rowena Mason discuss the fallout, and what it means Please keep sending your comments and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com . Please follow and subscribe to the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here . Continue reading...
Trump administration asks US supreme court to allow construction of White House ballroom
Administration asks justices to keep appeals court decision to halt work on hold while it prepares a full appeal US politics live – latest updates The Trump administration has asked the US supreme court to allow construction of his controversial $400m White House ballroom to proceed after an appeals court ordered work to halt. In a case testing Donald Trump’s presidential authority, the Washington-based US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled last week that the controversial project lacked the necessary approval from US Congress. Continue reading...
Italian police recover paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse after heist
Artworks valued at total of more than $10m were stolen from Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma in March Italian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cézanne, 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...
Andy Burnham looks to cut new EV sales targets
Move to dilute ZEV mandate from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid record UK heatwaves Andy 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...
What does Clacton get for its loyalty to stroppy Nige? Next to nothing | John Crace
Why bother to improve people’s lives – or even show up – when getting votes is this easy? In many ways, though, the stunt hasn’t paid off What can Clacton possibly have done to deserve this? Is this some cosmic karma for a past existence in which the town executed hundreds of innocent women and children? Surely, even then, enough is enough. For the past few years Clacton seems to have been the centre of some abusive psychological experiment. The sort the Americans used to run in the 1950s and 60s, that have long since been banned. One run by Nigel Farage and designed merely to fuel his narcissistic dreams, with the voters mere cannon fodder. Clacton’s relationship with Nige is and always has been entirely one-sided. The town’s job is merely to vote for him, whenever he commands. Even for byelections that are entirely unnecessary and will possibly have to be re-run before the end of the year. On a turnout of just 44%, little more than 60% of the voters duly obliged on Thursday, even though none of the main parties were standing and Nige’s main opponent was a man with a bin on his head. Maybe parts of Clacton are waking up, and are fed up with Farage taking the piss out of them. Continue reading...
Luigi Mangione to appear in court amid reports of plea deal over healthcare CEO’s killing – live
Earlier this week prosecutors and Luigi Mangione’s lawyers filed a joint letter requesting the hearing at 11am on Friday in Manhattan federal court Luigi Mangione , is reportedly expected to plead guilty at a scheduled hearing on Friday in Manhattan federal court, where he faces charges of stalking resulting in the death of Brian Thompson , the chief of executive of UnitedHealthcare , in 2024. The potential plea deal in the federal case, which NBC News and the New York Times (paywall) reported on Thursday, comes less a month out from a scheduled trial on 8 September on a New York state murder charge in connection with Thompson’s fatal shooting. The federal trial for the stalking charges in connection with the killing of Thompson is due to take place in January, and carries a potential life sentence. Continue reading...
Two men charged with attempted murder of Sara Sharif’s father
Steven Sansom and Adam Watson accused of trying to kill Urfan Sharif, who murdered his daughter, in prison Two 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...
Putin’s recruiters scramble to avoid second mass mobilisation as Ukraine losses mount
Russia is losing 30,000 casualties a month, and the country’s regions are under pressure to feed the ‘meat-grinder’. Experts say it may not be enough In kitchens and Telegram chats across Russia, the same question is being asked with growing frequency: will Vladimir Putin order another mobilisation? Nearly five years into the war, Russia is scrambling to find enough soldiers to replenish its ranks, as voluntary recruitment slows and its forces suffer heavy losses on the battlefield in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Tennessee’s Justin Pearson takes on America’s most contentious issues
The progressive candidate won a Democratic congressional primary after boldly staking positions on voting rights, datacenters and the US war machine Justin Pearson and Brent Taylor win primaries for key Tennessee House seat Justin Pearson made national headlines as one of the “Tennessee Three” – the state lawmakers expelled from the capitol protesting for gun control after a deadly school shooting. Three years later, the state representative won a Democratic congressional primary after boldly staking positions on some of America’s most contentious fault lines: voting rights, datacenters and the American war machine. “Republicans are responding to elected officials who stand up to billion-dollar datacenters, and the billionaires who own them. Democrats are responding to a vision of Medicare for All, ending genocide,” said Pearson. “The confluence that is happening between those issues, is [that] who profits off of war are the same people who are profiting off of polluting our communities and stealing our drinking water for their datacenters that replace our jobs.” Continue reading...
Memorial for second world war vandalized with bubbles and graffiti in Washington
Interior department calls incident ‘utter disgrace’ after area filled with bubbles and paint reading ‘Clean hands Dirty $’ A memorial in Washington DC for the second world war was vandalized with bubbly soap and graffiti on Thursday, prompting vows from the US government to find the perpetrator. The fountain bubbled over with suds and someone painted “Clean hands Dirty $” on one surface, splattering the area with red and green paint. Uniformed police and national guard troops converged on the scene, which was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, keeping visitors away. Continue reading...
Jeremy Bamber’s legal team challenge ban on his talking to the media
Lawyer says restriction comes at ‘significant moment’ in appeal process for White House Farm murder conviction The legal team of Jeremy Bamber, who has served 41 years in prison for murdering five members of his family, has challenged Wakefield prison’s decision to ban him from talking about his case to the media and long-term supporters. His lawyers have issued a claim for judicial review against the secretary of state for justice and the governor of the category A high-security prison, arguing that it is violating his right to free speech and obstructing his access to justice. Continue reading...