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Aid operations in aftermath of deadly Nepal floods hampered by conditions | First Thing
Guardian reporters in Nepal have witnessed first-hand the scenes of destruction and grief after the flash floods. Plus, a not-to-be-missed interview with the legendary Mr T Good morning. Thousands remain missing and the delivery of aid has been hampered by treacherous conditions in communities almost wiped out of existence by the flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet . A week after the disaster, survivors who fled up mountainsides are still being collected by army helicopters and evacuated. The mountain village of Syabru Besi was among those destroyed, with even the road to the village gone. According to local government officials, at least 500 people there are missing, a quarter of the population. The village resembles nothing more than a muddy riverbed, with just one building left standing. What have Guardian reporters witnessed? Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Gaurav Pokharel have been in Betrawati and Rasuwa districts with the photographer Ahmer Khan. In this video, Ellis-Petersen explains what she has seen alongside haunting footage of the debris. They have spoken to multiple survivors in a region now full of human suffering. Continue reading...
BoM forecasts strongest El Niño on record as research points to ‘alarming’ climate change influence
Bureau of Meteorology suggests El Niño has already broken records, with Pacific ocean temperature change exceeding 2C in six months Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here The growing El Niño weather phenomenon to Australia’s east is already breaking heat records, with forecasts showing it will likely easily surpass previous events, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, as seperate research suggested climate change had greatly shortened the odds of the event hitting record extremes. On Thursday the UN’s weather agency said the event in the Pacific was continuing to strengthen and would probably persist until early 2027, warning it had the “potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world”. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...
Federal judge considers whether to extend ban on USPS mail ballot changes
Judge says US Postal Service has told her nothing about how it plans to regulate mail ballots for midterm elections A federal judge in Boston said on Thursday the US Postal Service had told her nothing about how it would implement a plan to regulate mail ballots for the midterms as she considers whether to let the plan proceed in the weeks before election day. US district court judge Indira Talwani is deciding whether to extend her prohibition on the proposed regulation of mail ballots, an effort undertaken as part of an executive order by Donald Trump. The hearing in the closely watched case came a day before the first state begins sending mail ballots to voters. Continue reading...
US Open 2026: Osaka, Swiatek, Keys and Auger-Aliassime in action on day five – live
The latest updates from Flushing Meadows on day five You can mail Katy and follow us on TikTok and Bluesky Hello, hello! And welcome to our day five coverage of the US Open, where the first round has finally concluded after this week’s rain interruptions and we’ll get the chance to have a second look at the title credentials of Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova and Felix Auger-Aliassime – along with Naomi Osaka’s latest fashion statement and the mania surrounding the Filipino phenom that is Alexandra Eala . Britain’s Fran Jones and Harriet Dart are also in second-round action - Jones has a tough assignment against the home star in the making Iva Jovic and Dart plays the Czech 25th seed Marie Bouzkova - while Alex de Minaur, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Madison Keys and Michael Zheng, another rising American , play in the day session too (Coco Gauff, Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina and Gael Monfils are all in the night session). Continue reading...
US commerce secretary erroneously said no Americans have died in Iran war, Trump claims
President said Howard Lutnick had Venezuela operation on his mind when he was discussing Iran war on CNBC Donald Trump has claimed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, erroneously stated that no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because he was thinking about a previous US operation, in Venezuela. The claim, at odds with the Pentagon’s count of 18 US service members dead in the US-Israel war on Iran, sparked a swift backlash as Trump struggles to end the conflict after six months. Continue reading...
Rise of far-right Vannacci poses dilemma for Meloni as she celebrates Italian milestone
Futuro Nazionale’s speedy rise in polls prompts questions over whether PM will return to her roots before election Europe live – latest updates Giorgia Meloni’s government has become the longest-running in Italy since the second world war – a milestone the prime minister is determined not to let pass unnoticed. In the port area of Bari, capital of the southern Italian region of Puglia, where Meloni hosted the G7 in 2024 and where she spends her summer holiday, preparations are well underway for a festival-style showcase of her rightwing administration. Continue reading...
H.R. 4795: Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026
Vote: Passed 237/169 Rep. Krishnamoorthi [D-IL8]: Nay
Martin McDonagh says CIA has ‘done awful things all around the world’
McDonagh’s new film, Wild Horse Nine, stars John Malkovich as an agent in 1970s Chile who feels ‘guilt and regret’ over his role in global interventions The US’s history of intervening in democratic processes around the world deserves more attention in the light of current political developments, playwright and film-maker Martin McDonagh has said, as his Oscar-tipped film about a rueful CIA agent premieres at the Venice film festival. “I’ve been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has been doing over the last 60 years, and the awful things they’ve done all around the world,” McDonagh said about Wild Horse Nine, his first film since his 2022 tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin . “I think maybe something that’s not talked about enough. We know what the KGB are like, but we probably don’t question the CIA’s activity as much as we ought to.” Continue reading...
Iran targets US bases as Israel warns sanctions could drive Tehran to ‘desperate steps’
Air bases used by US in the UAE and Kuwait hit as the Israeli defence chief says Iran’s regime fears collapse due to economic pressures Iran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an “economic D-day”. As Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel’s defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more “extreme measures”. Continue reading...
Leon Black fails to appear for US House deposition about Epstein ties
Billionaire financier, who previously walked out of a deposition, instead launches lawsuit against the committee Billionaire financier Leon Black did not appear Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein , and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements. Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men’s relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs that Epstein may have helped Black craft. Black, whose name has come up repeatedly in the Epstein files , has denied wrongdoing. Black also said that he regrets dealing with Epstein. Continue reading...
Shootout in Kyiv between Ukrainian spy services ‘disgraceful’, says Zelenskyy
Domestic security service says clash with military intelligence directorate ‘definitely shouldn’t have happened’ Several people have been injured in a shootout in central Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine’s security services, in an incident Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “disgraceful”. The shootout, which took place on Wednesday morning in a downtown area of the capital, was between officers from the domestic security service, the SBU, and the military intelligence directorate, the HUR. Continue reading...
Kafka in paradise: Hawaii fire survivors in bureaucratic trap as US says no more mail delivery
Wildfire victims rebuilt their homes in Lahaina only to find USPS had ‘eliminated’ their addresses – while houses that didn’t burn receive mail as normal Two months after a devastating wildfire whipped through Lahaina in August 2023, Pam Reader was allowed back to see what was left of her home. With a heavy heart, she returned to the Hawaiian oceanside town now filled with endless blocks of burned houses. As she rounded her corner, she saw the only thing remaining was her bright turquoise mailbox. “It was an old crappy mailbox,” Reader said. “It was metal, though, which is why I think it survived.” Continue reading...
I own six guns. Here’s how to talk to conservatives about firearms
In rural America, guns are a fact of life. But even conservatives agree that properly locking them up is crucial in preventing deaths I have six guns in my house. The first was a vintage Winchester 12-gauge. It was the winter of 1990, and my husband and I had just moved from an urban block in north-west Philadelphia to 100-year-old farmhouse in Appalachian Virginia, where my family goes back seven generations. Continue reading...
Hillary Clinton leads tributes to Gloria Steinem: ‘Her activism was rooted in optimism’
Former US secretary of state joins Roxane Gay, Rachel Cargle and others in heralding groundbreaking feminist Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92 ‘We badly need to raise our boys more like our girls’: Gloria Steinem – a life in quotes Hillary Clinton led tributes to Gloria Steinem on Thursday, hailing the American feminist icon who died at 92 at home in New York as “one of the architects of the entire structure of women’s equality”. Clinton, a former US secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, appeared on the CBS Mornings TV show to deliver a tribute, urging younger generations to use Steinem as a role model in supporting each other in promoting the causes she championed. Continue reading...
Gloria Steinem: A life in pictures
The writer, publisher and activist spent a lifetime advocating for greater rights for women around the world and brought feminist discourse into the mainstream Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92 Continue reading...
Nvidia to buy developer platform Hugging Face in $12.9bn deal
Semi-conductor giant bets that support for open AI models could offset potential slowdown in demand for chips Nvidia will buy the popular developer platform Hugging Face for nearly $13bn, betting that support for open AI models could offset a potential slowdown in demand for the semiconductor giant’s chips. Shares in Nvidia were slightly lower after the $12.93bn (£9.57bn) deal – which ranks among its biggest ever – was announced for the database of AI models on Thursday. Continue reading...
Teenager in Wales given detention sentence for stabbing teacher in head
Judge voices concern about possible copycat incidents after boy, 16, found guilty over attack at school in Pembrokeshire A judge has expressed concern over possible copycat attacks on school staff as he sentenced a teenager who stabbed a teacher in the head to four and a half years in youth detention. Judge Thomas KC said it was the second such attack in south-west Wales in two years and that the authorities might have to consider what security measures were in place to protect teachers. Continue reading...
Alarm as US domestic violence killings remain high despite drop in homicides
Non-profits say requests for legal help and housing on rise amid Trump funding cuts for prevention and response As cities and states across the US report historic drops in homicides, domestic violence killings remain alarmingly high. In Chicago, where homicides fell from 805 in 2021 to 425 in 2025, killings tied to domestic violence increased by 15% between 2024 and 2025. In Kansas City, Missouri, homicides in general have dropped since 2023, but 2025 was the second deadliest year for homicides tied to domestic violence. In Ohio, too, 2025 was the deadliest year for domestic violence killings, while homicides in general followed the national decrease. Across the US, the share of violent crimes that involve domestic violence has increased from 25% in 2020 to 27.5% in 2024, according to a 2026 FBI report. Continue reading...
Spain’s PM says no evidence ‘whatsoever’ Morocco behind Ceuta border breach
Pedro Sánchez continues to defend Rabat after police report claiming border forces helped 70,000 cross border Europe live – latest updates Spain has seen no evidence “whatsoever” that Morocco planned or facilitated a mass border breach into its north African territory of Ceuta, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has told parliament. The address on Thursday followed the emergence of a police report, commissioned by a judge and widely quoted in the media, claiming Moroccan border forces had actively aided about 70,000 people to cross the border in late July. Continue reading...
Invasive tropical mosquito found breeding in east London
Climate crisis could increase incursions of Aedes aegypti, which can transmit Zika virus and dengue, experts say An invasive mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases has been found breeding in homes in east London, with warnings that the rapidly warming climate will lead to greater “incursions of invasive mosquitoes”. This is the first time the species has been identified breeding in the UK and the fourth time it has been detected. Continue reading...
Kemi Badenoch: Farage would use state power to target his opponents
Tory leader warns of ‘authoritarian’ Reform at event where she also defended her party’s plan to cut housing benefit Reform UK’s decision to ban some journalists from its conference shows that Nigel Farage would use state power to target opponents and be authoritarian in government, Kemi Badenoch has said. Answering questions after a speech on defence in London, the Conservative leader was asked about Reform’s decision to refuse accreditation to a series of journalists for its conference this week. Continue reading...
‘We need a touch of humanity’: Swedish MP promises help for Britons facing deportation if party wins power
Niels Paarup-Petersen says a law change can end the plight of British citizens caught out by harsh post-Brexit policy as general election looms A leading Swedish opposition party has promised an urgent reprieve for British nationals facing deportation from the country over Brexit administrative issues. Niels Paarup-Petersen, the migration spokesperson for the Centre party, said it would introduce laws to end the suffering of people such as the 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas if, as polls project, it forms a new centre-left coalition after the general election in 10 days’ time. Thomas has been told to leave by next Wednesday after 21 years in Sweden. Continue reading...
Australian science prize awarded to researcher studying memory accuracy of domestic violence survivors
Helen Paterson’s work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizes Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Memory is an imperfect thing: research shows that recollections of single events – a purse being snatched, say – differ to those about repeated or ongoing events, such as incidents of domestic and family violence. “What our research shows is that compared to a single-event witness, a repeated-event witness tends to report more gist-like details, the overall details of what typically would happen, and the things that remain constant between the episodes,” said Helen Paterson, an associate professor in forensic psychology at the University of Sydney. Continue reading...
Reform UK gets another £4m from crypto billionaire pardoned by Donald Trump
Ben Delo, who was convicted in 2022 for failure to apply anti-money laundering controls, is party’s second biggest donor Reform UK has been given a further £4m from the British crypto billionaire Ben Delo, with the party saying it is confident the formerly Hong Kong-based businessman will not be caught by the new overseas donor cap. Delo, who was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business before being pardoned by Donald Trump, has previously given £4m to Reform in January. Continue reading...