The Guardian
26 minutes ago
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House Republicans are ‘the only thing standing’ in the way of ending DHS shutdown, Hakeem Jeffries says – as it happened
This live blog is now closed.Sign up for the Breaking US News emailsPeter Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer who has various ties to Donald Trump and represents some 2020 election deniers, has become an outspoken advocate for an emergency executive order on US elections that would overhaul voting rules and rights by ending machine and mail-in voting.The exact nature and extent of Ticktin’s contact and influence with Trump and other administration officials is not clear. But election experts and analysts see Ticktin’s push for an executive order as worrying, and part of a broader drive by fellow election conspiracists who are now promoting similar and legally dubious emergency order plans to revamp voting rules this year in order to boost Republican fortunes in the fall elections. Continue reading...
The Guardian
40 minutes ago
KP Sharma Oli: Nepal’s former prime minister arrested over alleged role in deadly protest crackdown
At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal’s former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, was taken into custody on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during Gen Z protests last September.This week, a Nepali panel which investigated violence during the anti-corruption protests recommended that Oli, 74, be prosecuted for failing to prevent the crackdown on the protests. Continue reading...
The Guardian
45 minutes ago
Three killed as tourist helicopter crashes on Hawaiian island of Kauai
Two others injured after sightseeing aircraft comes down on remote beach on Na Pali CoastA tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said.The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed on Thursday afternoon at Kalalau Beach, the Kauai fire department said. The beach is on the Na Pali coast on Kauai’s north shore. The area is otherwise reachable only by hiking or boat. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
‘Break your silence’: Jane Fonda leads rally against Trump crackdown on arts and media
Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threatsThe actor Jane Fonda joined journalists, musicians and writers outside Washington’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday in urging US citizens to “break your silence” and “stand tall against authoritarianism”.At a damp but defiant rally hosted by Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment, around a hundred invited guests gathered to hear speakers and singers rail against book bans, political censorship and other threats to free speech under Donald Trump. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
US expects Iran operation to end in ‘weeks, not months’, says Marco Rubio
Secretary of state speaks as Israel threatens to expand attacks on Iran while Tehran keeps firing missiles at Israel Middle East crisis – live updatesWashington expects its operation against Iran to conclude in “weeks, not months”, the US secretary of state has said, despite continuing violence across the region and a threat from Israel to “escalate and expand” its attacks against the Islamic republic.“When we are done with them here in the next couple weeks, they will be weaker than they’ve been in recent history,” Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday after meeting G7 foreign ministers in France. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
Labor to underwrite Australian fuel imports under new security powers to ensure supply
PM did not rule out later fuel rationing or work-from-home measures but said he strongly preferred ‘voluntary arrangements’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government will take on the financial risk of importing essential products affected by the war in the Middle East to get additional supplies of petrol, diesel and fertiliser into the country.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the new fuel security powers on Saturday after a month of soaring diesel and petrol prices and widespread shortages at service stations, particularly in regional Australia. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
Breonna Taylor shooting: charges dismissed against ex-police officers for falsifying warrant
Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany were accused of lying on document used to enter Taylor’s house on night of shootingA federal judge has dismissed charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying the warrant used to enter Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night police shot her to death.Charles Simpson, a US district judge, issued a one-page ruling on Friday throwing out charges against Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, two former officers involved in crafting the Taylor warrant. Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
Connecticut officer fired after shooting man in mental health crisis as others tried to de-escalate
Mayor of Hartford has fired a white police officer who fatally shot a Black man in a mental health crisis nine timesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA white Connecticut police officer who fatally shot a Black man 30 seconds after arriving at the scene, where three fellow officers had spent several minutes trying to de-escalate the situation, was fired Friday.Arunan Arulampalam, Hartford’s mayor, said in a statement that he terminated Officer Joseph Magnano effective immediately in connection with the 27 February shooting of Steven Jones, who was on a city street holding a knife. The killing came eight days after a different Hartford officer fatally shot another man in a mental health crisis. Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
Lloyds bank faces £66m court battle with car loan customers
Law firm is preparing claim on behalf of 30,000 consumers who fear the FCA’s redress scheme will shortchange themLloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are to abandon the City regulator’s official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a £66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds’ motor finance arm, Black Horse. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Schools in England must be compelled to offer pupils healthy food, not junk
School dinners have suffered at the hands of politics and economics for almost 50 yearsAlmost a generation has passed since Jamie Oliver’s four-part Channel 4 documentary series Jamie’s School Dinners exposed the unhealthy reality of the food served to pupils at lunchtime, including – notoriously – fat-heavy, meat-light Turkey Twizzlers. It proved a shaming and effective intervention. His ensuing Feed Me Better campaign led the then prime minister, Tony Blair, to pledge to make school lunches more nutritious and hand schools more money to do that, given the average lunch at that time cost just 45p to make.Problem solved? Unfortunately not. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Missing private investigator evidence in Daily Mail’s case ‘stark’, high court told
Claimants say lost documents hide scale of alleged unlawful information gathering at publisher of the Daily MailThe amount of lost or destroyed documents relating to the Daily Mail publisher’s use of private investigators is “stark in the extreme”, the high court has heard.However, the thin surviving evidence of payments to private investigators contains “conspicuous and often shocking evidence”, according to lawyers for a group of claimants accusing the publisher of using unlawful techniques. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Reform candidate in Wales steps down after apparent Nazi salute
Party announces Corey Edwards’ decision to quit Senedd election campaign on grounds of mental healthA Reform UK candidate for the Welsh Senedd elections in May has announced he is standing down because of his mental health, after a photograph emerged of him apparently making a Nazi salute as an imitation of Adolf Hitler.The announcement by Reform comes a day after Nigel Farage defended Corey Edwards, its lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, saying he may have instead been impersonating the John Cleese character Basil Fawlty. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Swindon man accused over wife’s suicide tells court it was ‘worst day of his life’
Christopher Trybus is charged with manslaughter and two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behaviour A man accused of subjecting his wife to a campaign of “physical and sexual violence” said finding out she had died by hanging was the “worst day of my life”.Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 28 November 2017. Christopher Trybus, 43, is charged with his wife’s manslaughter as well as with two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behaviour. He denies all the charges.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Whale stranded off Germany swims to freedom after days of efforts to save it
Rescuers used boats and excavators to try to guide 10-metre long sea mammal to deeper watersA humpback whale stranded on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said on Friday.A flotilla of vessels were following the weakened animal at a distance, hoping to help guide it into the North Sea and toward the Atlantic Ocean, its natural habitat. Continue reading...
The Guardian
10 hours ago
Scientists film whale giving birth while other whales work together to help her
Female named Rounder surrounded by family members when about to give birth to her second calfScientists have managed to film a sperm whale giving birth while other female whales worked together to support the mother and her newborn.A team from Project Ceti, an international effort seeking to understand how whales communicate, was in a boat near a pod of 11 whales off the coast of the Caribbean island of Dominica on 8 July 2023. Continue reading...
The Guardian
10 hours ago
Italy investigates beauty brands over concerns about young girls’ mental health
Regulator fears use of ‘covert marketing strategies’ by Sephora and Benefit might fuel compulsive habits Italian regulators are investigating Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics over the apparent use of “covert marketing strategies” to sell beauty products to young girls that might be fuelling an unhealthy skincare obsession known as “cosmeticorexia”.The Italian Competition Authority said it was looking into promotions for skincare products such as face masks, serums and anti-ageing creams that in some cases appeared to target girls under 10. Continue reading...
The Guardian
10 hours ago
Missing aid boats have safely reached Cuba, US confirms
Two convoy vessels that were supposed to get to Havana by Wednesday have made it to Cuba, says US Coast GuardTwo sailing boats that went missing while carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba have safely reached the Caribbean island, the US Coast Guard said on Friday.Earlier in the day Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, had said his country would do everything it could to save the people on the two boats that disappeared while travelling to Cuba from Mexico. Continue reading...
The Guardian
11 hours ago
European intelligence agencies believe Russia is supplying drones to Iran, says official
Intelligence reports find Russia is close to completing phased shipment of drones, medicine and foodMiddle East crisis – live updatesIntelligence agencies in Europe believe Russia is in the final stages of preparing to supply drones to Iran for use in its war with the US and Israel, according to a senior European official.Russia has already been providing intelligence sharing with Tehran to help it target US forces in the region, the official said, but the upcoming delivery of explosive-laden drones would mark the first evidence of lethal support since the start of the war. Continue reading...
The Guardian
11 hours ago
‘It’s fired people up’: support grows, including within Labor, for new gas tax to curb wartime profits
Government, industry and opposition see growing public support for a new gas tax but the industry is fighting backGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe gas industry is mobilising in opposition to a potential new tax on the sector as political momentum builds – including among Labor MPs – for the government to use the May budget to prevent producers profiting from the Middle East war.The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, claimed a new tax would punish the same Asian trading partners Australia was leaning on to supply more fuel amid the global energy crisis. Continue reading...
The Guardian
12 hours ago
Blink and miss: Trump’s tactic of threats first and U-turn later is proving stale in Iran war
President’s move, dubbed Trump Always Chickens Out, appears to have soured as he loses hold on situation in IranFrom Wall Street to the White House, the dish everyone’s talking about this week is the Persian Taco. It’s what’s served when Trump chickens out in Iran.In the early hours of Monday morning, witnessing oil prices surge, stock futures plummet and bond yields climb due to his threat to pummel Iran’s civilian power infrastructure, the president hurriedly walked it back, announcing he would put off the bombing because talks with Iran were actually going great. After the bombast and bloodshed, it was time for Taco (Trump Always Chickens Out), a move he first put on display during the tariffs crisis last year. Continue reading...
The Guardian
12 hours ago
Older Australians in ‘immediate danger’ as fuel crisis affects travel for aged care workers
Unions and farmers call for government intervention as agriculture, construction and waste industries also at risk from higher pricesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCare workers, tradespeople and transport drivers are being hit hard by ballooning fuel costs, with some industry groups urging the government to roll out assistance packages or even a jobkeeper-style wage assistance program to help businesses avoid laying off staff.Reports of small mining businesses scaling back operations and some construction companies deciding against hiring more apprentices have prompted suggestions the government should step in to help, with the Master Builders Association already forecasting a downturn in the number of homes that will be built this year. Continue reading...
The Guardian
12 hours ago
UN’s landmark slavery ruling energises African Union’s fight for reparations
• UN votes to describe slave trade as ‘gravest crime against humanity’Despite resistance from states who had role in chattel slavery, many feel this is an idea whose time has comeJohn Mahama knows a thing or two about beating the establishment. On Wednesday, less than two years after completing a remarkable comeback as Ghana’s president with a landslide defeat of the ruling party candidate, he rallied the world to ratify a landmark vote against transatlantic chattel slavery, despite major opposition from the same western entities that drove it for centuries.The resolution to declare the practice as “the gravest crime against humanity” passed with a decisive majority at the UN general assembly and has been largely welcomed across Africa. Yet the details of the tally reveal a world still deeply divided on the gravity of the sin of enslaving more than 15 million people as chattel over the course of 400 years. Continue reading...
The Guardian
13 hours ago
Weather tracker: Cold weather sweeps Europe and cyclone hits Australia
Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areasSouthern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to widely unsettled conditions driven by an area of low pressure in the region. This area of low pressure – previously part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly wind. By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps. Continue reading...
The Guardian
17 hours ago
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