The Guardian

Three pumped storage hydroelectric power station sites in Scotland on list of 16 long-duration electricity storage plans The energy regulator has given the provisional green light for the construction of the first new hydropower projects in more than 40 years, part of plans to reduce Great Britain’s reliance on energy imports. Ofgem has published a list of 16 long-duration electricity storage pro…

Shabana Mahmood has demanded Mike Tapp be sacked over call for care worker exemption to migration rules UK politics live – latest updates An extraordinary public row between the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and one of her junior ministers has escalated after he said he “won’t be intimidated” in response to calls by her for him to be sacked. Mahmood demanded on Thursday that the migration mini…

“We hope to rescue as many living people as possible’, says the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, but authorities fear the death toll will be in the thousands Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez visited Macuto, La Guaira state, yesterday to assess the level of damage and observe search and rescue efforts, according to local media. She announced the imminent arrival of international aid,…

Extreme heat continues to impact daily life – and sporting events – across Europe. Plus, a tornado in Russia Temperatures are forecast to rise dramatically in parts of central and northern Europe this weekend as the intense heatwave continues . In Germany and Poland, highs up to or exceeding 40C (104F) are expected on both Saturday and Sunday, days after swathes of France experienced similar extr…

Airport has also been ‘engaging closely’ with regulator to discuss cost of plan to build third runway Business live – latest updates Heathrow has said that passenger numbers and profits will fall this year because of the conflict in the Middle East. Europe’s busiest airport said it expects a 1.1% decline in the total number of passengers to 83.6 million as the impact of the Iran war affects air t…

Sarah Steele has told of ‘degrading’ experience under US military justice system after assault by airman in Cambridge A UK justice minister has described the case of a British woman strangled by an American fighter pilot as “really serious” and said the Ministry of Justice would examine it. Sarah Steele, an academic, has come forward to speak about the “distressing and degrading” experience she h…

Alejandro Gertz Manero’s cars and properties contrast starkly with Morena party’s long association with austerity With his million-dollar jewellery collection and his two Rolls-Royces, Mexico’s new ambassador to the UK will fit right in with the Mayfair crowd. Former attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero was appointed to the post by President Claudia Sheinbaum last year, but only recently discl…

Minns government waited on federal approval of carbon credit scheme before proceeding with long-awaited great koala national park Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A long-promised New South Wales great koala national park is set to go ahead after the Albanese government greenlit the state to receive hundreds of mill…

About 40 members of staff looked at information of boy, three, who ended up in zoo enclosure About 40 members of hospital staff accessed the medical records of a three-year-old boy hurt in a crocodile pit, prompting an investigation, it has been reported. Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and is investigating whether all the wo…

First time red warnings issued in UK for three consecutive days; Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as hospitals reach ‘saturation point’ European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say Paris to ban drinking alcohol in public as hospitals hit heatwave breaking point The UK Met Office has extended a red heat alert into Friday for a large area of south-eas…

Fears hard-won gains in reducing child mortality over 20 years are at risk after end of USAID funding for nutrition programmes Child malnutrition in Nepal has reached “alarming” levels, according to the largest ever survey of under-fives in the country. The new figures came just over a year after USAID, the former US flagship agency closed by the Trump administration in 2025, stopped funding work…

Emerging research suggests datacentres create a heat island effect, pushing up temperatures in the immediate vicinity by as much as 9C The community living next to the largest datacentre park in Europe say the scorching summer heat has grown unbearable. On days like Wednesday, said Nabeel Nawaz, the store manager of a Chaiiwala franchise in the centre of Slough, the heat is like something “pinchi…

All branches of the military will be taught how to use technology that has become a ‘game changer on the battlefield’, says defence minister All of South Korea’s military forces will be trained as drone operators in a sweeping overhaul of its warfare strategy, the defence minister has said. “All soldiers should be able to use drones like a second personal firearm,” Ahn Gyu-back, who heads the def…

New structure to be built above 194-year-old Mitchells Causeway as residents face months of delays to reopening of Victoria Pass section of highway Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A vital road connecting Sydney with New South Wales’ central west will remain shut for at least another year, leaving Blue Mountains an…

Apple Macbook 13-inch prices jumps from $1,799 to $2,099 while the cost of iPads surges by 25% Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australians woke up on Friday to higher prices for Macbooks and iPads after Apple hiked worldwide, blaming an AI-driven cost crunch for computer parts. The iPhone range was unaffected but …