Sooryavanshi praised by Laxman after teen stars against Zimbabwe in T20
After a difficult start to his international career in England, teen prodigy Sooryavanshi stepped up against Zimbabwe.
DCC, one of FTSE 100’s biggest energy firms, agrees £5.75bn takeover
KKR and Energy Capital Partners poised to buy firm despite misgivings from founder and biggest shareholders
One of the biggest energy businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange has agreed a controversial £5.7bn takeover by private equity, adding to the growing exodus of companies from the UK market.
The US private equity groups KKR and Energy Capital Partners are poised to buy DCC Energy after the company’s board recommended the offer despite misgivings from its founder and biggest shareholders.
Continue reading...Trump continues pause on Iran strikes as Pentagon reveals higher casualty figures | First Thing
Eighteen American troops have been killed and 624 wounded since White House launched war on Tehran. Plus, International Cowboy Day in Kenya
Good morning. The US has paused strikes on Iran for a third night as top military officials advised Donald Trump to halt his bombing campaign, and diplomatic negotiations have continued to avoid a return to all-out war. Oil prices fell on Monday as markets responded to the pause in combat. Tehran said on Sunday it would pause what it called “retaliatory” attacks against US allies in the region.
Trump is said to be weighing up diplomatic and military options in the nearly five-month-old conflict. Axios reported on Sunday that Adm Bradley Cooper, the top US military commander in the region, had told Trump the US military campaign had reached the limits of its effectiveness.
How many US service personnel have been killed and injured in Trump’s Iran war? The Pentagon updated its official war casualty database over the weekend, adding more than 140 wounded service members. The new figures show that 18 US troops have been killed and 624 wounded since the US launched its war against Iran on 28 February.
How has Katy Perry become embroiled in debate over the war? The pop star has condemned the White House after it used her hit song Firework in a TikTok video showing US military strikes on Iranian targets, saying: “I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it. I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength … my music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”
What has the international court accused Netanyahu of? The court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, issued a warrant accusing the Israeli prime minister of being “allegedly responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
Continue reading...Burnham says there are ‘big decisions’ ahead on making council tax fairer – UK politics live
Labour’s 2024 manifesto did not include any specific commitments on council tax but two models are being floated
James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, has accused Andy Burnham of planning “more ways to tax Middle England”. Responding to reports that Burnham wants to change council tax (see 10.03am), Cleverly said:
Andy Burnham and Labour are just looking for more ways to tax Middle England, and raise taxes on people’s homes.
Replacing council tax and stamp duty with a new house price tax would not be a tax cut for hardworking families – quite the reverse: people across England would end up paying more.
Continue reading...Photos: France, Spain battle ‘monster’ wildfires as more heat looms
France and Spain are battling vast wildfires that have forced more than 325,000 people to flee, as a new heatwave looms.
How ‘fire-generated thunderstorms’ make wildfires more deadly
Certain types of severe wildfire can create pyrocumulonimbus - something that Nasa calls the "fire-breathing dragon of clouds".
Pirlo out of Italy football top job after backlash over Russian betting firm links
The uproar throws the Italian Football Federation into further disarray following Italy's third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup.
PM urged to uphold climate pledges made as mayor and ban new North Sea oil drilling
Experts who helped Burnham draw up Manchester carbon neutral pledge say backtracking would send wrong message amid wildfires and heatwaves
Leading climate scientists who created Greater Manchester’s carbon neutral by 2038 commitment are urging Andy Burnham to unequivocally reject new drilling in the North Sea.
In a letter to the prime minister they said he, as mayor of Greater Manchester, had unveiled one of the UK’s most ambitious local climate programmes that tackled housing, green growth and public transport.
Continue reading...‘Our country is the mission’: more than 100 ex-Nasa astronauts launch new voting campaign
Astronauts for America liken effort to instill trust and faith back in constitution’s principles and democratic institutions to ‘making a course correction’
Orbiting 250 miles above the US in the international space station, astronaut Cady Coleman did not look down and see red or blue states, sanctuary cities or communities occupied by thousands of federal immigration enforcement agents in camouflage uniforms and automatic weapons.
What she saw was a single land, from Pacific to Atlantic, no borders or partitions, just a united America, and a population valuing its equality while convinced that what brought them together was far greater than anything that divided them.
Continue reading...Philippines’ Marcos puts anti-graft campaign at centre of address to Congress – Reuters
- Philippines' Marcos puts anti-graft campaign at centre of address to Congress Reuters
- Philippine president slams China in veiled rebuke in his state of the nation speech AP News
- Philippine president to deliver key speech in the shadow of corruption scandal and political tension ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
- SONA 2026: Marcos vows to finish reforms as term enters final stretch Philippine News Agency
- Marcos faces the nation as corruption crackdown hits Philippine growth South China Morning Post
Moment Ukrainian drones strike Russia’s Belgorod
Dramatic videos captured the moment Ukrainian drones hit Belgorod, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border.
Bali bans Dutch expats whose run club allegedly excluded Indonesians
The two men, who are accused of favouring foreigners for their events, allegedly violated immigration laws.
US deports Kenyan former NFL player Daniel Adongo
The authorities say the ex-sportsman had overstayed his visa and had been arrested multiple times.
Why has the US halted its bombing of Iran?
Tit-for-tat strikes have halted in the Middle East amid reports of depleted US weapons stocks.
Israeli forces storm multiple West Bank towns, settler violence worsens
At least 20 West Bank towns and villages have been raided, with homes demolished and dozens of Palestinians arrested.
Baby missing after mother and toddler found dead off coast of South Australia
Emergency services pulled the bodies from the ocean at Port Macdonnell amid ‘grave concerns’ for second child
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A baby is missing off the coast of South Australia after the bodies of a mother and her toddler were pulled from the ocean.
Emergency services were called to the state’s southernmost coastal town, Port Macdonnell, at about 11.15am on Monday after a car was found with its engine running.
Continue reading...Chinese chipmaker shares surge nearly 470% in blockbuster stock market debut
The company's shares soared by nearly 470% in its market debut, as the AI boom drives chip demand.
Argentine leader calls Brazilian president a ‘thief’ and a ‘convict’
Javier Milei spoke at a campaign rally for right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who is running against Lula.
Blanche-led DoJ likely to derail Epstein survivors’ pursuit of justice, experts say
Lawyers predict ‘more suppression and no active investigations’ but victims’ groups determined to continue fight
As Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer Todd Blanche appears poised for confirmation as attorney general, numerous Jeffrey Epstein survivors have sounded the alarm that a US justice department helmed by him would derail their pursuit of justice.
In a letter urging Republican senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to reject his nomination, these survivors said that Blanche’s handling of the Epstein case as acting attorney general was characterized by misstep after misstep.
Continue reading...Netanyahu accuses NYC Mayor Mamdani of ‘fomenting hate’ after arrest threat
Mamdani walked back his threat last week, acknowledging he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.