The Guardian

Labour mayor giving advisory roles to ex-Bank of England economist and others seen as attempt to reassure markets Makerfield byelection – latest updates Three economic heavyweights have been brought in to advise Andy Burnham as he attempts to reassure the markets before his return to parliament and possible challenge to Keir Starmer . Burnham is understood to be getting advice from Andy Haldane, …

Greater Manchester mayor says result represents Labour’s ‘final chance to change’, after soundly beating Reform UK and hardline Restore Britain UK politics – live updates Andy Burnham has won the crucial Makerfield byelection by a huge majority, paving the way for a challenge to Keir Starmer’s premiership. The Greater Manchester mayor beat the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, by 9,231 votes, a…

Attack brings to at least 211 number of people killed as Trump administration targets alleged ‘narcoterrorists’ The US military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a months-long campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America. The latest attack brings the number of people the US military…

In a sharp rebuke to critics of Trump’s deal with Iran, the vice-president referenced the billions in defence aid Israel recieves from the US News: Iran announces plans to bring in maritime fees for strait of Hormuz Analysis: Iran peace deal makes clear how far US has been forced to retreat since 2025 US vice-president JD Vance has lashed out at Israeli critics of the Iran deal, saying Donald Tru…

Byelection loss suggests voters rebelled against SNP over Peter Murrell’s theft of £400,000 in party funds UK politics – live updates The Scottish National party (SNP) has conceded defeat in the formerly safe seat of Aberdeen South in a shock loss to the Scottish Conservatives. A senior source at the SNP told PA it was the “Tories’ night”, but pledged to “win it back in 2029”. Continue reading...

Wealth tax criticized by billionaires and Gavin Newsom would levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth over $1bn A popular proposal in California to impose a wealth tax on billionaires has gained enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in November, state officials announced on Wednesday. The news is set to intensify an already heated debate around the tax, which has pitted tech moguls and the…

Musical stars and retired politicians from less polarised era seeming antidote to cage fights on White House lawn The Barack Obama presidential center opened in Chicago on Thursday after more than a decade in the making amid a musical fanfare and paeans to democratic principles that evoked a previous age, all while delivering an implied rebuke to Donald Trump . Featuring appearances by a cast of …

Officers arrest man on suspicion of attempted murder as child is treated in hospital for serious injuries A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure, Cambridgeshire police said. The force said officers were called to Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo in Huntingdonshire at 1.24pm on Thursday over “reports of an incident involving a…

Legal team of alleged gunman, 28, reverses position on ‘extreme emotional disturbance’ defense after one day In a stunning reversal, Luigi Mangione’s legal team said on Thursday they would no longer pursue a psychiatric defense in his upcoming state trial over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Just one day earlier , Mangione’s lawyers told Judge Gregory Carro they would purs…

Musicians and production team understood to be facing same punishment after livestream of patriotic song The Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of a production team, including musicians, have been reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for performing in a concert livestreamed on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel in 2024. According to court documents, the criminal court of Qom province sentenced t…

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor hopes a win over Reform UK will help force the prime minister to step aside Good evening, and welcome to the Guardian’s Makerfield byelection live blog. The polls have just closed and we may have to wait until around dawn (quite early in the summer, of course) until we get a result. But, as the votes are counted, it should become clear well before then who is goi…

Two payments of $50m will boost Ukraine’s air defence and munitions supply. Follow today’s news live • Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action. Jim Chalmers has defended the government’s changes to its controversial capital gains …

David Farley was told One Nation’s policy was to fly only the Australian flag, party leader tells conference Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s leader, Pauline Hanson, says she “had to have a conversation” with the new Farrer MP, David Farley, after he appeared to defy her policies on immigration and fly…

Drivers feel some relief but prices still a dollar more per gallon overall since before US-Israel attack on Iran Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The average price of US gasoline fell to just under $4 a gallon on Thursday for the first time since March , following the announcement of a preliminary agreement between the US and Iran to end the war and reopen the strait of Hormuz. T…

Number of people infected now tops 1,000 though health officials say the global risk remains low Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will tap $107m in emergency funding for Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ) and Uganda , officials said on Thursday. The continued Ebola outbreak in the DRC comes …