The Guardian

Department commissioner will be Erin Dalton, who conducted outreach in Pennsylvania among unhoused communities Zohran Mamdani , New York’s mayor, has hired Erin Dalton as a new commissioner of the city’s department of social services. The hire comes as the new mayor has faced scrutiny over the city’s handling of its unhoused population following the deaths of at least 20 people who were found out…

Rare clash off island’s coast comes amid oil embargo and heightened tensions between two countries The Cuban Interior Ministry has said that border guards killed four gunmen and wounded six more on a speedboat bearing a Florida registration off the coast of Cuba’s Villa Clara province. The rare clash off Cuba’s coast, which took place on Tuesday, comes at a moment of heightened tensions between t…

Axon sees ‘major opportunities’ as Congress proposes $20m for ICE body cameras but data privacy experts warn of risks The largest body-camera maker in the US celebrated its latest financial results Tuesday – reporting record revenue and forecasting major growth – as it prepares to cash in on the Department of Homeland Security’s planned rapid acquisition and deployment of these devices nationwide…

Critics concerned as Casey Means, aligned with RFK Jr on vaccine stance, does not have active medical license Casey Means, Donald Trump’s controversial nominee for US surgeon general, appeared before the Senate health committee on Wednesday for a two‑hour hearing in which she defended her medical credentials, side-stepped direct questions on vaccine guidance, and blamed the country’s chronic‑dise…

Antonio Tejero, who died at 93, was part of rightwing network whose efforts were thwarted by King Juan Carlos The Spanish officer who led his armed followers into the Spanish congress in a failed military coup in 1981 has died on the same day that the socialist-led government declassified documents relating to the murky attempt to overthrow the country’s post-Franco democracy. Antonio Tejero, who…

Embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut remain open but Dfat warns situation is ‘unpredictable’. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia has directed the departure of all dependants of Australian officials posted in Israel and Lebanon, as a precautionary measure due to regional tensions. The government has also offered voluntary departures to depen…

Tehran says deal is possible as long as Washington abides by agreed-on preconditions, but Trump’s view is unclear Iran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran’s symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in country, and…

Shabana Mahmood given green light to take case to court of appeal with ban to remain in place pending outcome The home secretary has been granted permission to challenge the high court’s ruling that the decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful. An order issued by the high court on Wednesday said Shabana Mahmood could take the case to the court of appeal and that the…

Exclusive: Police meet Lindsay Hoyle to explain error after Hoyle shared tip that Mandelson planned to flee UK The Metropolitan police has apologised to the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, for accidentally revealing he was the source of a tipoff that Peter Mandelson supposedly planned to flee the UK, prompting officers to arrest the former ambassador. In yet another twist to the saga of Mandelson…

Sharon Graham tells chancellor she should ‘back British industry’ by increasing military spending The head of Britain’s largest trade union has demanded that Rachel Reeves be sacked as chancellor if the Treasury continues to hold up a multibillion-pound defence investment plan. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said tens of thousands of jobs were at risk from political dithering and …

Former Northern Ireland correspondent Vincent Kearney subjected to ‘unprecedented’ surveillance, says lawyer Police and MI5 subjected a former BBC journalist to a “long and consistent campaign of unlawful interference” by obtaining communications data from his mobile phone, a tribunal has heard. The surveillance was targeted at Vincent Kearney, who was the BBC’s Northern Ireland home affairs corr…

Ex-US ambassador’s media strategy looks set to be ‘attack as best form of defence’, PR consultants suggest For those seeking to understand Peter Mandelson’s media strategy as he navigates the greatest crisis of a crisis-strewn life, the latest instalment of the Jeffrey Epstein files may offer a steer. “You and your lawyers must start setting down the irrefutable facts, build a narrative and fight…

Peter Kyle signs cooperation deal on competition and says there is little nostalgia for pre-Brexit past The British public are “not nostalgic” for the pre-Brexit past but are pragmatic and want to move forward and “deepen” ties with the EU on trade and the economy, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said. Signing an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely on competition issues, Kyle said …

Officials execute search warrants outside of Alberto Carvalho’s home as part of ongoing investigation The FBI on Wednesday raided the Los Angeles Unified school district’s headquarters and the superintendent’s home. Federal officials served the warrants as part of an ongoing investigation, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discu…

Controversy over pro-Palestinian speeches at closing gala criticising Germany as ‘partners in genocide’ The organisation that manages the Berlin film festival is to meet for crunch talks amid reports that its American director faces dismissal after a series of rows over Gaza. In a statement on Wednesday, the office of Germany’s federal government commissioner for culture and media said the emerge…