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AOC endorses progressive Democrat in closely watched Michigan race for US Senate seat
El-Sayed, backed by Bernie Sanders, leads polls ahead of Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow in primary US politics live – latest updates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has thrown her support behind Abdul El-Sayed, the doctor and progressive Democrat seeking the party’s nomination in Michigan’s closely watched US Senate race. In an interview with the New York Times, Ocasio-Cortez – an influential congresswoman on the left of the Democratic party – endorsed El-Sayed, a former public health director. “Despite our ideological differences and whatever disagreements there are in the party, every single one of us sees this moment as existential,” she said. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer’s on the pitch, he thinks it’s all over … Well, it will be soon | John Crace
Just before being kicked out of No 10, the PM is dreaming of lifting the World Cup for a nation – and political immortality The dream lives on. With 15 minutes left against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta, England were in danger of going out of the World Cup. The defeat would have been one of the more humiliating exits from an international tournament the team had experienced. But with heads going down and nerves shattered, up stepped Harry Kane with a couple of goals. The second, sublime. Captain Fantastic. Thank goodness Spurs had the foresight to send him out on loan to Bayern Munich to polish his finishing skills. The dream in question, of course, is Keir Starmer’s. For months now, he might have spent the first few minutes of every day staring at his wall chart, plotting England’s journey so that he becomes only the second prime minister after Harold Wilson to lead his country through World Cup glory, and maintain the record of the men’s team only winning a major international tournament under a Labour government. For that alone, Keir would go down in history as one of the immortals. Guaranteed the eternal thanks of a grateful nation. A state funeral in the bag. This would be his most lasting legacy. Continue reading...
Britain's apology for the scandal of forced adoption can never heal the pain for people like me | David Batty
An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976. I was one of them After my adoptive father died in November last year, my adoptive siblings found a short story by Enid Blyton among his possessions. The Child Who Was Chosen was read to us as children to explain the circumstances of my adoption. It follows a nice middle-class couple whose domestic bliss is marred by childlessness, prompting them to go to a “very kind lady” who helps them to find a “chosen baby” instead. In its foreword, Blyton advises adoptive parents to tell the tale to their adopted child “again and again … so that to him ‘adoption’ means something lovely”. The “chosen child” narrative, where parents tell adoptees they were specially picked, helped to shape the still widespread public perception of adoption as unambiguously altruistic. But it has also long been criticised by adult adoptees for masking the trauma of separation from their original parents. Reading Blyton’s saccharine story, I was struck by its glaring omissions. There is no mention of how the boy, who is unnamed until he is adopted, came to be put up for adoption; nor any suggestion that he once had another family and identity. There is no recognition of his first mother or her loss, only the loneliness of the prospective adoptive mother. The woman from the adoption agency also tells the couple that if this child isn’t the one they really want, she will find another one – as though she’s running a baby market. David Batty is a news editor and writer for the Guardian Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Couple who staged apparent proposal atop Empire State Building faces slew of charges
‘Rooftopers’ Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were arrested after allegedly scaling the New York skyscraper Two Russian “rooftoppers” who staged an apparent marriage proposal at the peak of the Empire State Building’s spire were reportedly arraigned in New York on Thursday on a slew of charges including reckless endangerment. Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov were arrested on Wednesday after the stunt, which featured the pair, dressed in all black, unfurling a peace banner and kissing. Continue reading...
AFP assessing allegation of Gaza war crimes committed by Australian citizen serving in IDF
Claims against Israel Defense Forces battalion include deliberate targeting and destruction of residential buildings in 2023 and 2024 without military justification Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australian federal police investigators are assessing a brief detailing alleged war crimes committed by an Australian citizen serving in the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. A 61-page brief has been handed to the AFP by the Australian Centre for International Justice detailing alleged war crimes committed by an IDF battalion in Gaza across 2023 and 2024. Continue reading...
Australia’s median wealth falls almost 7% since 2020 despite the rich getting richer, report says
Swiss bank UBS finds ‘growing divide between the wealthiest and the broader population’ as country adds more than 25,000 more millionaires Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Middle Australia’s wealth is going backwards while the richest claim an ever-greater share of the pile, according to new research that shows more than 25,000 people across the country became millionaires last year. The latest global wealth report from the Swiss bank UBS said 2025 marked “an extraordinary year”, in which close to a million new millionaires were created worldwide – a record increase in a single year. Continue reading...
Australians have more negative view of Israel than of China, Guardian Essential poll finds
Poll also finds perception of Donald Trump has soured since his re-election, with fewer than a third of respondents viewing him positively Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australians have a more negative view of Israel than of China, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found, with women and middle-aged people exhibiting the least positive perception of Israel. The poll also finds Australians’ perceptions of Donald Trump have tumbled since his re-election, with fewer than a third of voters having a positive response to the US president. Continue reading...
Donald Trump is the accidental hero of a real-life feelgood climate tale even as a creeping horror story plays alongside | Clear Air
Despite a deadly heatwave sweeping through Europe, the US president’s ineptness has created reason for optimism on the climate crisis Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Two real-life climate-themed movies are playing in parallel across the globe. They are about the world today, but they are also a snapshot of the future. The first is a slow-building horror story; the second, a feelgood summer hit. Both are worth watching. Horror films are suddenly box-office gold , so let’s start there. The World Health Organisation says the extreme, record-breaking heatwave blanketing Europe has killed more than 1,300 people . But everyone knows that number will end up a dramatic understatement . Continue reading...
Dangerous heatwave to bring record temperatures across eastern US
National Weather Service warns heat index could reach 115F as extreme heat grips midwest, Ohio valley and east coast Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A “prolonged, dangerous heatwave” is expected to intensify across parts of the central and eastern United States over the next few days and into the holiday weekend, bringing record-breaking temperatures, humidity, and dangerous conditions to millions of Americans. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Thursday that temperatures between 95F (35C) and 105F (40.5C), combined with high humidity, will push heat index values across parts of the region to between 100F (37.7C) and 115F (46.1C). Continue reading...
Trump is avoiding the World Cup because it’s packed with good things he doesn’t like | Barney Ronay
For all its gloss and elitist governance, football will not bend to the will of a president so eager to demonise and exclude At 4.38pm on 28 June Donald Trump dropped a Truth. Nothing unusual in that. Trump’s Truth Social feed is relentless and ever-giving. That same afternoon he also Truthed at 3.58pm, 3.59pm, and twice at 7.42pm, all in the same instantly recognisable, weirdly cartoonish tone, as if a giant maize-based salted snack from a jaunty 1970s TV advert has been pumped full of voodoo and vitamins and propped up behind a lectern to explain geopolitics to the world, but only in the kind of words you might use while arguing with your nine-year-old sister. Continue reading...
US World Cup performance stirs mixed emotions in St Louis’s Bosnian community
The US city is home to about 70,000 Bosnians, the largest diaspora community outside their homeland Mersad Smajic, a St Louis, Missouri, real estate investor and restaurant owner, has been thrilled to see fellow Bosnian immigrants thrive in their new home, which has been especially evident during the World Cup . The midwestern city has about 70,000 Bosnians, most of whom fled the country during its war in the 90s, making it the largest such community outside the Balkan country. Continue reading...
German prosecutors accuse Kyiv of ordering 2022 Nord Stream sabotage
Indictment against alleged leader of gas pipeline attack claims former Ukrainian army officer was directed by state German prosecutors have accused Ukrainian “state authorities” of ordering the 2022 explosives attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia with Europe, a charge likely to ignite tensions between Kyiv and Berlin, its biggest military backer. The sabotage in the Baltic Sea by a team of assailants almost entirely destroyed the seafloor infrastructure of the key source of Russian gas to Germany. Continue reading...
Starmer vetoes Tuchel’s day-off-school proposal after 1am match against Mexico
Education minister Jacqui Smith suggests disco nap on Sunday so everyone is fresh as a daisy on Monday Keir Starmer wants children up and ready for school on Monday morning regardless of the England game being played at 1am UK time. After England qualified for the next round of the World Cup on Wednesday evening after their win against the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the head coach, Thomas Tuchel, urged parents to let their children bunk off school so they could stay up to watch the match against Mexico. Play could last until at least 3am. Continue reading...
Malik Tillman’s bloody sock game rockets into US World Cup history
The midfielder had to work hard to win his place in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for this tournament. He is more than repaying his coach’s faith While Malik Tillman was unsure of what to expect from the United States’ last-32 clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, he certainly must have assumed he would finish the game with his boots intact. Tillman has been one of the US’s most important players in their run to the last 16, a vital part of their build-up and a tricky technician for opponents to contend with when he’s maneuvering through the final third. While everyone else waited to learn whether or not Folarin Balogun would be sent off during the second half of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory , Tillman noticed some discomfort with his right boot. There was a good reason: the top of it had been ripped after a stomp from an opponent. Continue reading...
Spain and France face more heat after scorching June caused 2,000 deaths
Temperatures could reach 44C in south-east Spain as fights break out in Paris supermarkets over air-conditioning units Spain and France are bracing for another possible heatwave that could bring temperatures of 44C (111F) over the coming days, as figures show that June’s extreme heat was responsible for more than 2,000 excess deaths in the two countries. Spain’s state meteorological agency, Aemet, said a mass of dry and very hot air would bring persistently high temperatures to much of Spain from Saturday, adding that temperatures in parts of the south-east could hit 42C to 44C on Tuesday. Continue reading...
FCA ordered to partly suspend car finance compensation scheme
Court orders financial watchdog to halt parts of £9.1bn scheme until challenges are heard, delaying payouts Business live – latest updates The UK’s financial watchdog has been forced to partly suspend its £9.1bn car finance compensation scheme , delaying payouts for millions of motorists. The Financial Conduct Authority had expected the scheme would this year start paying out £830 on average to those affected by the motor finance scandal, in which drivers were overcharged for loans as a result of commission payments between lenders and car dealers between 2007 and 2024. Continue reading...
WHO declares hantavirus outbreak linked to cruise ship over
The outbreak infected 13 people and killed three Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship over after the last identified contact of an exposed person completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus. The outbreak, which infected 13 people and killed three, involved the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain that typically circulates in Argentina and Chile. The cruise ship, MV Hondius, set off from Argentina on 1 April. Continue reading...
Minister and maritime boss accused of misleading MPs over plan to stop coastguard officers’ pay
Keir Mather and Virginia McVea’s claims follow decision by Maritime and Coastguard Agency to reject worker status of coastguard rescue officers A government minister and a senior official have been accused of misleading MPs over their plans to strip coastguard officers of their hourly pay. Keir Mather, the maritime minister, was said to have made false claims on Wednesday, while Virginia McVea, the chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), was accused of having done so during a meeting with MPs a week earlier. Continue reading...
Labour was not prepared to govern in 2024, says Morgan McSweeney
PM’s former chief of staff opens up on political mistakes and Donald Trump’s amusing comments about foxes UK politics live – latest updates Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, has said Labour was not prepared enough for government or for the volatile world when Keir Starmer was first elected. McSweeney, who had been Labour’s elections guru credited by many in the party for the size of their victory in 2024 , said the party did not have an idea about how to make things happen quickly for people who wanted change. Continue reading...
Decision not to jail two teenagers for rape was wrong, court of appeal rules
Trial judge found to have erred by giving boys youth rehabilitation orders for rape of two girls in Hampshire A judge’s decision not to give two teenage boys custodial sentences for the rape of two girls was wrong s, the court of appeal has ruled. After a national outcry , the attorney general, Richard Hermer, referred the case to the court to consider whether the sentences given to the boys – identified only as X, Y and Z – were unduly lenient. Continue reading...
At least nine monks killed in Thailand after boy drives truck into procession
Charges yet to be filed over incident in town of Mukdahan as police seek to establish circumstances of crash An 11-year-old boy has driven his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing at least nine monks. CCTV footage shared by a local rescue group showed the moment the monks, wearing orange robes, were run over as they walked in procession along a road. The timestamp on the footage was shortly before 11am local time on Thursday. Continue reading...
FDA issues most serious recall alert for potato chip brands over salmonella risk
An estimated 650,000 bags of potato chips are affected as US agency upgraded recall of several popular brands The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has upgraded a recall of several popular brands of potato chips to its most serious level because of the risk of salmonella contamination. Manufacturer Utz issued a voluntary recall in May for varieties of its Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips products, citing the possible presence of salmonella in dry milk powder sourced from a third party used to make a seasoning ingredient. Continue reading...
‘A sanitized view of America’: inside Trump’s campaign to erase US history from national parks
Critics say the Trump administration is trying to rewrite and whitewash history by removing and altering scores of signs on public lands Jerry Bransford, a former US National Park Service (NPS) ranger, has always had a deep connection with the land he grew up on – and the land hundreds of feet below it. His great-great-grandfather, Materson “Mat” Bransford, was one of the earliest explorers of Mammoth Cave in south-central Kentucky, the largest known cave system on the planet. But for decades, Mat wasn’t paid for his work. Enslavers rented him out for $100 a year to a man who wanted to turn the site into a tourist attraction – what would later become Mammoth Cave national park. Continue reading...
‘Riot of colour’: Gillian Ayres show in Devon just the tonic for gloomy times
Plymouth retrospective of artist, who died in 2018, aims to ‘champion and celebrate the power of the imagination’ She spoke about indulging in colour, feasting on beauty, feeling a little giddy when drinking in glorious hues and textures – and not searching too deeply for meaning. So in these gloomy times, a major retrospective of the work of the artist Gillian Ayres in her adopted Devon homeland may be just the job. Continue reading...