Polls open in Gordon and Denton byelection amid three-way battle between Greens, Labour and Reform pred 8 urami in 56 minutami Voters head to the polls in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in recent yearsAnalysis: What a win would mean for Reform, Greens and LabourThe polls have opened in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in years.The Green party leader Zack Polanski said his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party has targeted left-leaning voters in the Greater Manchester seat with claims that only Labour can see off Nigel Farage’s Reform, saying that a vote for the Greens was “in effect, a vote for Reform”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minns government undermined own goal with NSW protest restrictions, constitutional challenge hears pred 9 urami in 4 minutami Lawyer for protest groups argues state needs to prove it was ‘rational to prevent all protests’ to achieve social cohesionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers for three protest groups have argued a Minns government law which effectively banned marches in Sydney’s CBD made its own objective of enhancing social cohesion “worse”.On Thursday the NSW court of appeal heard the constitutional challenge against the anti-protest law, which was passed in the wake of the Bondi terror. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What a Gorton byelection win would mean for Reform, Greens and Labour pred 9 urami in 56 minutami Polls put seat in three-way dead heat with Labour facing threats from Reform and Green party in once safe seatThe Gorton and Denton byelection is the biggest electoral test yet for Keir Starmer before what are expected to be disastrous results for Labour in the May local elections. Polls put the race in a three-way dead heat, making it nearly impossible to call.The vote is particularly symbolic because of the threat Labour faces from Reform UK and the Green party in a once safe seat. Should Labour lose, it will put the spotlight back on Starmer’s decision to block Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, from contesting the seat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Magic beneath the surface’: pioneering geothermal plant launched in Cornwall pred 9 urami in 56 minutami A new mini power station and lithium extraction facility near Redruth are set to bolster green energy and create jobsJust outside the perimeter fence stand the hulking remains of grand stone engine houses, a testament to Cornwall’s proud tin and copper mining history.But inside is a shiny new mini power station and lithium extraction plant that is once again accessing rich underground resources in the far south-west of Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wieambilla police shootings property listed for sale for $190,000 pred 10 urami in 2 minutama Son of Nathaniel and Stacey Train says he is ‘hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe site of the Wieambilla ambush, Queensland’s worst police shooting, is up for sale.In 2022, conspiracy theorists Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train killed constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow at their remote property at 251 Wains Road, about 300km west of Brisbane. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘A devastating force’: how recent Mediterranean storms turned to tragedies pred 10 urami in 56 minutami Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destructionFor Andrés Sánchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina.Each moment of horror is a fragment of the destruction wrought by an atmospheric machine-gun that in recent weeks has fired storm after storm at the western Mediterranean. Scientists do not know if climate breakdown helped pull the trigger, but research suggests it loaded the chamber with bigger bullets. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Accused killer Greg Lynn seeks bail to live with son as lawyers apply for permanent stay in case pred 11 urami in 38 minutami Former airline pilot faces retrial over death of 73-year-old Carol Clay in 2020Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former airline pilot accused of killing a camper should be released on bail to live with his son ahead of an application for a permanent stay in the case, a Victorian court has heard.Former Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn appeared in the Victorian supreme court on Thursday as his lawyers argued that he should be freed from custody for the first time in almost three years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kash Patel fires FBI officials linked to Trump documents case, reports say pred 12 urami in 50 minutami Dismissals follow revelations that FBI subpoenaed records of Patel and Susie Wiles before Trump returned to officeAt least 10 FBI employees connected to an investigation of Donald Trump have reportedly been dismissed following revelations that the agency subpoenaed personal records of current FBI director Kash Patel and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in the years before Trump returned to office.The ousters, reported by CBS News and CNN, were linked to the federal investigation led by former justice department special counsel Jack Smith into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents that were found at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort after his first term. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tim Walz accuses Trump of withholding $259m in Medicaid funds ‘to punish blue states’ – as it happened pred 12 urami in 52 minutami This blog has closed. Read more hereSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.More from Reuters:President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“ Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Will Andrew bring down the monarchy? – podcast pred 12 urami in 56 minutami As MPs vote to release the documents relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade envoy, Helen Pidd speaks to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, about the former prince’s antics in the role and whether this scandal will be the monarchy’s lastThis week MPs backed a call to release documents on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011. Andrew was released under investigation last week after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office relating to that role. He has previously denied any wrongdoing over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.Pressure is now mounting on King Charles as to why he did not do more and act sooner. Plus, can the future king, Prince William, reform the monarchy and return its image to its glory days? Helen Pidd speaks to author Andrew Lownie Continue reading...(The Guardian)
