The Guardian

El Dorado blaze that burned 22,744 acres and claimed the life of a firefighter was ignited by an illegal device Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Nearly six years after a couple’s gender-reveal stunt sparked a deadly wildfire in southern California , the companies that sold the pyrotechnic device have agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement. The Hubbard, Ohio-based Wholesale Fi…

Advertisements for non-existent jobs aim to draw in people with access to classified or sensitive information Chinese spies are targeting UK government and military staff on job websites including LinkedIn to try to get access to classified or sensitive information, MI5 has warned. A bulletin has been released by the Five Eyes powers – the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – highlighting …

Senior police figures are pushing back against politicians they accuse of stoking tensions over Henry Novak’s murder Policing could be driven back to the 1960s by false claims officers are biased against white people, the leader of Britain’s black officers has said. Ch Insp Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, spoke out amid growing concerns that politicians such as Ni…

Stunning rebuke to president as lawmakers vote 215-208 for measure forcing him to seek congressional approval The US House of Representatives delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump over his war on Iran on Wednesday, as representatives backed a move to force him to seek approval from Congress or withdraw US forces. The House voted 215 to 208 in favor of the war powers resolution, as four Repu…

Order strips job protections from workers earning up to about $200,000 a year and deemed to be ‘influencing’ policy Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it easier to fire thousands of the best-paid workers in the US government aspart of a broader drive by his administration to overhaul the federal workforce. The order, released by the White House and the office of personnel managemen…

Fears that push for ballroom spending could jeopardize $70bn funding for immigration enforcement Senate Republicans on Wednesday formally dropped their attempt to spend $1bn on security improvements for Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, as it became clear the president’s demand for the money could jeopardize long-term funding for immigration enforcement. The Senate judiciary committee had last…

Commonwealth Bank economists expect 5% drag on home prices from tax changes, compared with Treasury forecast of 2%. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Krishani Dhanji with the main action. Australia’s youngest convicted murdere…

German director says he recognises actor should have been better protected during filming of Wrong Move German director Wim Wenders has withdrawn from circulation his 1975 film Wrong Move, because of a scene featuring a child actor topless who was 13 years old at the time of filming. “Streaming, TV and distribution partners have been instructed to no longer make the film publicly accessible,” the…

Special, secretive operation will ship 11th-century artwork across Channel without jolts, bumps or shakes As the Bayeux tapestry wends its way across the Channel in a top secret operation there will be no jolts, no bumps, no shakes or vibrations – unlike the voyage of William the Conqueror whose 1066 victory at Hastings the artefact recounts. “Nothing has been left to chance,” Catherine Pégard, t…

File detailing security mitigations is among those withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police Ministers have faced renewed cross-party pressure in parliament over documents missing from a 1,500-page release of papers about Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington. Despite the volume of information published on Monday, crucial documents were withheld at the request of the …

Keir Starmer says Younger led an ‘exemplary life’, while foreign secretary says country owes him ‘an enormous debt of gratitude’ Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, has died at the age of 62 after being treated for cancer. Younger led the Secret Intelligence Service, the agency also known as MI6, between 2014 and 2020. Continue reading...

North Carolina judge said Levi Mendez-Maldonado failed to show up in court – even after being told he had died in 2024 An immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina , recently ordered the deportation of a young man who was killed in 2024, citing his failure to appear in court. Judge Amy Lee ordered the removal of Levi Mendez-Maldonado in absentia on 21 May. Mendez-Maldonado, originally from H…

Analysis of evidence and interviews with experts suggests focus by rightwing critics on race misses reality of police failures As the row over the police handling of the stabbing of Henry Nowak by Vickrum Digwa continues, critics on the right have suggested that a preoccupation with anti-racism played a significant role in the failure by officers at the scene to properly assess what had happened …

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the virus ‘had a big head start’ but that the response was catching up The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have begun as early as January, the head of the World Health Organization said, giving the virus “a big head start”. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the response was being hindered by blanket travel restrictions and highlig…

Members of Jalisco New Generation cartel used fake retail store in San Diego as front for trafficking drugs, officials say Federal prosecutors have charged four suspects with trafficking more than one ton of cocaine for the Jalisco New Generation cartel using a fake retail store in San Diego as a front for a sophisticated tunnel that ran across the border to Tijuana, Mexico. The defendants includ…