Trump official who oversaw dismantling of USAID leaves US state department

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Under Pete Marocco’s lead, nearly all USAID staff was fired, with funding slashed and contractors dismissed

Pete Marocco, the Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the state department, a US official said on Sunday.

Donald Trump’s administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff, as billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending.

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Mickey Rourke ejected from Big Brother house over ‘unacceptable behaviour’

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Actor, 72, understood to have used behaviour and language considered threatening against housemate Chris Hughes

The Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke has been kicked out of the Celebrity Big Brother house over “instances of unacceptable behaviour” and “inappropriate language”.

The 72-year-old Bafta winner is understood to have used behaviour and language that was considered to be threatening and aggressive during a task, directed towards his housemate Chris Hughes, a former Love Island contestant. No physical altercation took place, according to the PA news agency.

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British Steel to deploy emergency measures to save Scunthorpe furnaces

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Firm in race against time to get key materials as business secretary says no guarantee it will get what it needs

British Steel is to deploy emergency measures in a race against time to save the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, as the business secretary refused to guarantee the plant could get what it needed in time.

The company is understood to be looking at offers of help from more than a dozen businesses to obtain materials such as iron ore and coking coal, potentially allowing it to avoid the temporary shutdown of one of the two furnaces.

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Melanoma patients in England get fast-track access to cancer vaccine

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NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad expanded to include trial for patients with advanced type of skin cancer

Patients with an advanced type of skin melanoma in England will be given fast-track access to a “revolutionary” new cancer vaccine as part of an NHS trial.

The vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (ImmunoBody), helps the immune system recognise cancer cells and therefore better respond to immunotherapy treatment.

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UK Laws Are Not ‘Fit for Social Media Age,’ Says Report Into Summer Riots – The New York Times

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  1. UK Laws Are Not ‘Fit for Social Media Age,’ Says Report Into Summer Riots  The New York Times
  2. MPs reject two-tier policing claims in 2024 riots  BBC
  3. UK police struggled to counter online falsehoods that fueled summer violence, lawmakers say  AP News
  4. No evidence of 'two-tier policing' in handling of Southport riots, MPs say  Sky News
  5. Claims of two-tier policing during 2024 summer riots ‘baseless’, report finds | Police  The Guardian
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Germany willing to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, says Friedrich Merz – Financial Times

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  1. Germany willing to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, says Friedrich Merz  Financial Times
  2. Germany announces fresh military aid to Ukraine  DW
  3. Merz signals Ukraine could use Taurus missiles to target Crimea, Kerch Bridge.  The Kyiv Independent
  4. Germany Sending Taurus Missiles to Ukraine Risks ‘Escalation’: Kremlin  Kyiv Post
  5. Peace in Ukraine ‘out of reach’ in immediate future, Germany says  TVP World
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Army planners sent in to help clear Birmingham’s rubbish piles

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Government calls in military experts as month-long refuse workers’ strike brings warnings of public health emergency

Office-based military specialists have been called in to deal with the mounting piles of rubbish on the streets of Birmingham after a month-long strike by refuse workers.

Tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish have gone uncollected and Birmingham city council has declared a major incident and issued a public health warning since the all-out-strike by Unite union members began on 11 March.

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Hedge fund billionaire says US may face ‘worse than a recession’ from Trump tariffs

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Ray Dalio’s comments come after rocky week across stock markets after policies including 145% tariff raise on China

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio said that he is worried the US will experience “something worse than a recession” as a result of Donald Trump’s trade policies.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the 75-year-old hedge fund manager said: “I think that right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession. And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well.”

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Six injured and 24 properties damaged in Texas house explosion, say officials

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Authorities investigate after residents as far as 28 miles away report hearing a boom as Austin house collapses

A house explosion in Austin, Texas, destroyed the residence and damaged 24 nearby properties, injuring six people – including two firefighters.

Around 11.25am CDT, residents across Austin reported hearing a boom and feeling an explosion in the area. “It rattled my windows and building,” one person posted on social media with an image of a plume of smoke rising into the air. Residents as far away as Georgetown – about 28 miles to the north – reported hearing the explosion.

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