The Guardian

Dr Tracy Beth Høeg, the Food and Drug Administration’s top drug regulator, says she was fired from agency after declining to resign In a major shake-up at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), top regulators left on Friday – including Tracy Beth Høeg, the acting drug chief, who says she was fired, and Katherine Szarama, the acting vaccines chief who has only been in the position for days. Ji…

Voters in northern Brisbane electorate go to polls after sudden death of former independent MP Jimmy Sullivan Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A byelection in the Brisbane seat of Stafford is expected to swing towards the sitting LNP Queensland government in a result experts say would likely be fatal to former premier Steven Miles’ leadership of the Labor party. Voters…

The US supreme court dealt a devastating blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act when it ruled in Louisiana v Callais in April that states cannot consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority-Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks to Stacey Abrams , a voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority …

Family and supporters had hoped the US president could help free the 78-year-old British citizen during summit talks in Beijing Donald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”. Family and supporters of the 78-year-old British citizen had hoped the US president could help secure his release. Co…

Proposal comes after seven states drawing water from drought-stricken river failed to come to an agreement The US government has proposed a plan for the drought stricken Colorado River that could cut up to 40% of current supplies to Arizona, California and Nevada, as the waterway’s reservoirs continue to plunge to critically low levels. A top Arizona water official shared details of the Trump adm…

Criticism of budget funding comes amid warnings the Australian National Audit Office will struggle to meet its targets for independent reviews Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Labor has been accused inadequately funding one of the central institutions safeguarding public administration, with transparency advocates and independent David Pocock criticising commitments fo…

Politicians still care about traditional media, but winning over people spending more of their lives online is the challenge for modern MPs Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast He’s up before sunrise , pounding the pavement in a cap and running shorts. He’s still up late into the night , having slipped into a comfortable sweater while he checks figures in a darkened office…

Change reflects both transformation of US in Trump era and China’s increasing confidence on world stage Asked before he departed for Beijing if he would raise with the Chinese president the case of Jimmy Lai , the pro-democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong, Donald Trump said: “I’ll bring him up.” But, the US president added: “It’s like saying to me, ‘If Comey ever went to jail, would you let him …

Order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition The supreme court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives. The court’s order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nation’s m…

Chaotic week in which enforcer of ‘war on drugs’ flees senate building leaves government looking ‘incompetent’ The wanted man outran security agents , rallied protesters and even serenaded the media with a military hymn. Then, after a sudden exchange of gunfire, the Philippines’ most controversial lawmaker slipped out of the heavily guarded senate building in the middle of the night. Senator Rona…

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi appeared in US federal court to face six terrorism-related charges The US justice department has arrested and charged an Iraqi national accused of involvement in nearly 20 alleged terror attacks and attempted attacks across the US and Europe . The wave of violence attributed to Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi has caused huge concern in many European countri…

Trump administration accused of cutting military’s civilian harm program in light of US strike on girls school in Iran The Pentagon has quietly dismantled a program it is legally required to operate to prevent and respond to civilian deaths in US military operations, according to its internal watchdog. A report released by the department’s inspector general concluded the US military no longer has…

Police investigate incident on Thursday after witness claims seeing Raise the Colours logo on side of vehicle Police are investigating an incident where a man was run over by a van after a group of people were taking down union flags put up by Raise the Colours campaigners in Birmingham. A man, in his 30s, suffered a broken leg that required surgery. He remains in hospital after the incident on T…

Talks lead to 45-day extension to shaky truce between Israel and Hezbollah militant group, state department says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire after another round of talks in Washington, the US state department has said. It came after two “productive” days of talks, and more negotiations would be held from 2-3 June, the department spokesperson Tommy Pigot…

At one stage the northern mayor looked to be locked out of parliament, again, but he is still only one step along the road to his No 10 ambitions For weeks, Andy Burnham’s supporters had told MPs to “hold the line”, that he had a seat in parliament in his sights and that he would be a contender in any leadership contest. That was never the full truth. His path to No 10 – if he makes it – is litte…