The Guardian

Mayor shot dead in Mexico months after surviving assassination attempt

Valentín Lavín Romero is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in 2024A mayor was shot dead on Wednesday in the Mexican state of Morelos after having survived a previous assassination attempt earlier this year. He is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024.Valentín Lavín Romero, who was from the Green party, an ally of the ruling leftwing Morena party, was wounded at the end of January when hitmen shot him at a petro

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BBC World

Teen jailed for exam cheating in Guinea dies after sickle cell complications, father says

Mamadou Djouma Bah, 17, was arrested and sentenced to prison for exam fraud earlier this month.

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The Guardian

5.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Texas panhandle

No injuries or deaths were reported from early-morning temblor whose epicenter was 68 miles from AmarilloSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Texas panhandle, the state’s northernmost region, on Thursday, marking the strongest quake to hit the area since 1900.The earthquake struck at around 5.21am at a depth of 3.5 miles (5.7km), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Its epicenter was about 27.8 miles (38.3km) south-east of the city of S

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The Guardian

Mission to ‘eradicate scourge of drowning’ after deaths surge across England

Strategy will tackle ‘public health disaster’ that claims more lives than fire, flooding or knife crimeA national strategy to address the “public health disaster” of drowning has been launched in England – hours after two women died at an Essex beach, the latest in a surge of water-related tragedies.Among the measures being considered are: providing every child in England with water safety education and swimming lessons; establishing how climate change can increase risks; and media campaigns to

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The Guardian

Tropical Storm Bertha heads for Texas after Louisiana landfall

Forecasters warn of US coastal flooding, heavy rain and dangerous surf as the storm tracks westTropical Storm Bertha made landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon, and is moving westward toward the Texas coast, where it is expected to reach later on Thursday, bringing rainfall, winds and rising water levels.In a Thursday morning update, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Bertha was moving west and that the center of the tropical storm was expected to move near or along the Loui

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The Guardian

Lobbying firm pressed for details about payments to journalists for favourable stories

MPs and others condemn behaviour of CT Group, which offered cash for positive coverage of clientsA political lobbying firm secretly paying journalists for articles favourable to its clients is facing calls to reveal full details of the payments, after the practice was denounced as a dangerous “attack on democracy”.MPs, senior lobbyists and transparency campaigners all condemned the behaviour of CT Group, the firm co-founded by the campaign strategist Lynton Crosby, an election guru previously hi

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BBC World

Ex-governor convicted of murdering a pregnant student in Kenya

Okoth Obado was found guilty of killing Sharon Otieno with whom he had had an affair.

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BBC World

Nicaragua's legislature debates barring opposition from elections

The move comes days after President Daniel Ortega demanded 'a wall, a blockade' against opposition parties.

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The Guardian

Drought declared in parts of Wales as July on course to be driest in nearly 200 years

Government agency announces status in north Wales and Upper Severn after series of heatwaves and lack of rainfallParts of Wales are now in drought and all other areas of the country are experiencing prolonged dry weather conditions, according to a government agency.Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said on Thursday that record-low river flows, back-to-back heatwaves and widespread wildfires have prompted the declaration of drought status in north Wales and the Upper Severn. Continue reading...

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The Guardian

Ex-BBC journalist awarded £20,000 after MI5 and PSNI unlawfully accessed phone data

Investigatory powers tribunal ruled surveillance aimed at identifying Vincent Kearney’s sources was disproportionate and unlawfulA former BBC journalist has been awarded £20,000 in damages after MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland unlawfully obtained data from his mobile phone.A specialist tribunal on Thursday ordered the agencies to pay the compensation to Vincent Kearney for attempts to identify his sources while he was the BBC’s Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent. Continue

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The Guardian

Owner of Viking ship used in The Odyssey says studio has not paid bill for damage

Swedish nonprofit alleges cost to repair replica was $6,000 but Universal – which made $264m on film’s opening weekend – has not stumped upThe Swedish owners of a Viking longship replica that features in the Hollywood blockbuster The Odyssey say they feel “forgotten” after film-makers allegedly returned the vessel damaged and failed to foot the bill for repairs.In nearly three decades at sea, the warship Glad av Gillberga – based on a wreck from around 1040 found in Denmark’s Roskilde fjord – ha

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The Guardian

‘I got carried away’: Elon Musk expresses regret about Doge and wading into Trump’s orbit

Billionaire in interview with the Economist admits he was too consumed by politics and shares predictions about AIElon Musk has admitted he became too consumed by politics during his volatile alliance with Donald Trump and his brief appointment as the president’s financial axman, running the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge).The world’s richest person, and briefly its first trillionaire after his SpaceX company floated on the US stock exchange in June, made the confession in

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The Guardian

Pauline Hanson blames ‘fake news’ media for her bad press. But serious leaders have to own their actions

In a fortnight of rolling blunders, the One Nation leader digs deep into the Trump playbook of blame-shiftingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere’s apparently only one thing to blame for Pauline Hanson’s string of bad headlines in recent weeks, from her decision to pal around with the far-right convicted criminal Tommy Robinson to her description of domestic violence on Wednesday as a “two-way street”.According to the One Nation leader, it’s of course not Hanson hers

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The Guardian

Murdoch and Musk in the crosshairs at Venice film festival

Danny Boyle’s drama about the acquisition of The Sun and a four-hour Elon Musk documentary will premiere alongside new films from Martin McDonagh and Werner Herzog – but only one female director has a movie in competitionThe Venice film festival promises to take a swing at media moguls of the print and digital era this year, with Trainspotting director Danny Boyle’s new film about Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of the Sun and a new documentary about Elon Musk included in the lineup of the films fo

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Washington Post World

House passes measure to restrain Trump on Iran

The vote marks the first test of Republican support for the conflict since President Donald Trump resumed military strikes against Tehran this month.

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The Guardian

US House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw US military from Iran

Resolution, which comes after similar one in June, is largely symbolic, as Trump administration says it’s unconstitutionalUS politics live – latest updatesThe US House of Representatives on Thursday for the second time passed a war powers resolution directing Donald Trump to withdraw the US military from the conflict with Iran, amid renewed fighting in the Middle East that has driven oil prices to their highest levels in weeks.The resolution proposed by Democrat Pramila Jayapal passed by a 214-2

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The Guardian

Israeli security minister joins Jewish extremists as they storm al-Aqsa mosque compound

Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was among thousands who gathered at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy siteIsrael’s far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, joined thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Thursday.Escorted by armed police, they prayed, waved the Israeli flag and sang the national anthem in a provocative display of political power. Continue reading...

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WSJ World News

Brent Hits $100 Again as Houthi Attacks Threaten Further Supply Squeeze

Brent crude hit $100 a barrel for the first time in two months as the conflict in the Middle East widened after Iran-backed Houthi militants said they attacked two Saudi tankers heading toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

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The Guardian

About 500 national guard members deployed to West Virginia after flash floods

Search and rescue operations continue as troops deploy across state after torrential rain caused floods and damageAbout 500 national guard members have been deployed across West Virginia after torrential rain caused flash floods in parts of the state this week, and as emergency crews continue search and rescue operations.Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, West Virginia’s governor, Patrick Morrisey, said that the state remained in a “phase of search and rescue” with teams working to “ide

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NY Times World

Iran War Live Updates: Oil Prices Hit $100 a Barrel After Attacks in Red Sea

The price of Brent crude soared after Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen claimed strikes on two Saudi tankers. President Trump warned that the U.S. would hold Iran directly responsible for further attacks by the group.

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