The Guardian

Home secretary speeds up major part of bill governing asylum and refugees as new prime minister set to take over Shabana Mahmood will seek to shore up support for her controversial immigration bill on the progressive left of Labour, as she sets out plans to speed up the opening of new safe and legal routes that will permit thousands of refugees to come to the UK. The home secretary, who is the le…

High commissioner for human rights calls for ‘those responsible for violations of the law’ to be held to account US politics live – latest updates The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Friday raised the alarm internationally about deaths in US government immigration custody and called for “prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations”. Türk’s call c…

Michael Phillips, who says he has a 0.38in member, wrote that he needed procedure to improve his ability to urinate The North Carolina man who has made the apparently undisputed claim of having the world’s smallest penis is seeking the public’s support for enlargement surgery. Michael Phillips said online on Thursday that he needed the procedure to improve his ability to urinate, which is difficu…

Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures. Scientists said the heatwave was t…

Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about migration The migration minister, Mike Tapp, is to be denied access to sensitive documents and meetings without approval from the home secretary, as she called for the prime minister to sack him. Shabana Mahmood has demanded that Tapp be fired for writing an unauthorised article in the Times calling for …

The monarch’s declaration does not tell us much, except that his bill is lower than for people with much smaller fortunes The veil of secrecy that surrounds the royal finances was nudged aside a little on Thursday to allow the release of a new piece of information. We learned for the first time how much the king’s annual tax bill comes to. This was not a full tax return. It was a two-sentence dec…

New member for Makerfield and expected next prime minister joins other MPs who donate some or all of their pay Andy Burnham has said he will be donating 15% of his MP’s salary to local causes in his constituency of Makerfield. An MP’s salary currently stands at £98,599 and a number of MPs donate all or part of their salary to charities and causes in the areas they represent. Continue reading...

Despite £369m upgrade, King Charles will never live in palace but aides stress it will remain ‘buzzing hive’ of activity Not all modern British monarchs have viewed the prospect of moving into Buckingham Palace with unalloyed joy. So in announcing he will never live there, after the completion of its £369m upgrade next year, King Charles has at least grasped that nettle. Queen Victoria was initia…

Jurors in California deliberated for over 13 hours, before announcing that they were deadlocked A federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against the 29-year-old man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles, after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict. Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three…

California governor calls for national tax on super-wealthy and suggests the US should own a stake in AI companies US politics live – latest updates California’s governor, Gavin Newsom , called for a national “billionaires tax” on Friday as he fights a ballot measure targeting the ultra-wealthy in his home state. Newsom, who is expected to run for president in 2028, published his proposal the day…

Various issues – including a rodent infestation and mold – have left the historic, sprawling Ottawa estate empty 10 Downing Street has two things: mice and a chief mouser . For more than a decade, an officially recognized feline has kept the residence’s rodent infestation to a minimum. Over a similar period, the official residence of Canada’s prime minister has seen an unchecked explosion of rode…

Worst incident of its kind in country for more than 125 years leaves many searching for multiple family members – and pleading for international help Scenes of destruction after deadly earthquakes in Venezuela – visual guide Nearly all of Ligia Level’s family lived in a trio of apartment blocks along Hotel Avenue, a seafront sweep of palm-specked resorts and high-rise condos along Venezuela’s Car…

While Anthony Albanese calls ousted British PM Keir Starmer his mate, the pair share very different political fortunes Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese channelled Paul Keating as he spoke to government MPs in Canberra this week, reflecting on the tough work of reform. Keating, Albanese said, considered Labor to be a bit like a bicycle. “It only stands …

The LNP’s unapologetic moves on crime, transgender healthcare and police-led suppression of protests are a throwback to days many thought had come and gone Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A sign stopped Aunty Sandra King in her tracks. The elder of the Yagara, Quandamooka and Bundjalung people, now in her 70s, spoke at a protest last month against plans to build an Ol…

As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisions The heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever , with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income famili…