The Guardian

Health secretary’s lack of challenge had reassured Starmer and his allies – but then briefings for a speculative Thursday launch emerged As the unofficial political truce of the king’s speech approached, with still no sign of a leadership challenge from Wes Streeting, some of his Labour colleagues assumed the health secretary’s chance to go for the top job might have passed for ever. “There is a …

St John the Divine, Kennington has built one of UK’s largest youth choral programmes in area marked by deprivation St Paul’s Cathedral school, one of the UK’s most prestigious private schools, has long been associated with the musical elite. So was seven-year-old N’raeah, from south London, nervous about auditioning for its internationally renowned choir? “No,” she said, beaming. “Everybody’s cou…

King Charles unveils government agenda for the next year as PM faces leadership threat from within Labour UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer on Wednesday looked to reassert his authority over his restive party, unveiling his plans for the next parliamentary session even as speculation grew that he would be challenged for his job as soon as Thursday. Starmer announced his second King’s…

Warsh will serve four-year term as chair, taking over amid rising inflation and pressure from Trump to lower rates The US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve , one of the most powerful roles in the federal government that holds enormous sway over the economy. The 54-45 Senate vote on Wednesday was split along party lines, with the exception of Democratic senator John Fett…

Justices said decision was due to ‘improper external influences on the jury’ by a court clerk during the trial Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The South Carolina supreme court on Wednesday overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh , the disgraced South Carolina attorney, due to “shocking jury interference” and ordered a new trial in the 2021 killing of his wife and son.…

Brand owner Mondelēz was accused of reducing weight of Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the packaging Many chocolate lovers consider shrinkflation a serious crime – and they have been vindicated after a German court ruled that the makers of Milka cheated consumers by cutting the bar’s size, while keeping the wrapper the same. The three-week case in a regional court …

Greater Manchester mayor seeks to reassure his supporters after potential seats for him fail to materialise Andy Burnham has told Labour MPs they should hold the line and that he has options to return to parliament after several seats identified by allies of the Greater Manchester mayor failed to materialise. Two seats his backers had described as “nailed on” as recently as Monday night are now o…

Project organisers say high costs and energy crisis have scuppered green route from Camden to King’s Cross The Camden Highline, a multimillion-pound effort to transform a disused rail line into a greenery-filled walking and cycling paradise, has been all but scrapped. Nearly a decade since it was conceived as London’s answer to New York’s fabled High Line , the project has fallen victim to high c…

Erik Fleming was sentenced in Los Angeles court after previously pleading guilty over the Friends actor’s 2023 death Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A licensed drug addiction counselor who delivered Friends star Matthew Perry the doses of ketamine that killed him was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 56-year-old …

Tiffany McElroy says inmates assisted in delivering her baby in May 2024 after jail staff left her to fend for herself An Alabama woman has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that her civil rights and those of her infant daughter were violated after jail staff where she was incarcerated allegedly left her to labor alone for more than a day. Tiffany McElroy, now 28, was booked into an Alabama jail i…

Exclusive: In letter seen by the Guardian, 30 members of Congress warn US president’s Cuba military operation would worsen ‘mass suffering’ US politics live – latest updates More than 30 members of Congress have urged Donald Trump ’s top officials to end the use of the Guantánamo Bay naval base for immigrant detention and rule out any plans for military action on Cuba . In the letter to the secre…

The US president’s late-night Truth Social vitriol riddled with erratic capitalization and spelling? That’s leadership This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday Gas prices are soaring because of blockages in the strait of Hormuz as part of the unauthorized war in Iran. There’s a highly consequential meeting with the president of C…

Beloved animated series will return for 36th season in the fall after telecoms giant Bell Media reaches deal with Disney Fans of Les Simpson have a message for anyone who doubted the future of the beloved and long-running Québécois version of the animated satirical show: Mange de la crotte. Les Simpson will return for its 36th season in the fall after telecoms giant Bell Media said it had reached…

New rules will enable single-ticket bookings across multiple rail operators throughout Europe Cross-border train journeys through several European countries are the stuff of many a holidaymaker’s dreams. But the reality of trying to buy the tickets navigating multiple websites without knowing who can help if a connection is missed – can prove less than relaxing. As one MEP puts it, it can often r…

After drawing delighted crowds since first sighted in Orkney the young male has swum 400 miles across the North Sea A peripatetic walrus who became a local celebrity as he toured the north-east coast of Scotland has now been spotted in Norway, bringing to an end his Celtic sojourn. The young male was christened Magnus after he after first hauled his estimated 2.5-metre frame out of the sea on to …