Jamaica hunkers down as deadly Hurricane Beryl nears
Powerful storm kills at least six people and causes significant damage in the southeast Caribbean.
Three people die after arrests at election protests in Mauritania
Two died in detention facility and one in hospital, officials say, after protests over Mohamed Ould Ghazouani’s win
Three protesters have died in detention in Mauritania, the interior ministry has said, after mass arrests during protests in the opposition stronghold of Kaédi after the north-west African country’s presidential election outcome.
Officials said protests had turned violent in the southern town near the border with Senegal late on Monday, prompting security forces to confront demonstrators.
Continue reading...Hundreds of France election candidates withdraw amid pressure over tactical approach to stopping far right – as it happened
This live blog is closed.
It was raining in Calais on election day. A thin, penetrating, miserable drizzle blowing in off the Channel that was entirely in keeping with the mood of a great many voters as they headed to the polls in France’s most momentous ballot in living memory.
“It’s all going to shit,” said Xavier Hembert, voting with his son Arthur on the rue Philippine de Hainaut, named after Edward III of England’s French-born wife, much loved here ever since she persuaded him not to decapitate the port’s Burghers in 1347.
Continue reading...Suspected hit-woman arrested in Armenia
Aimee Betro is taken into custody after being found near the country's capital, police say.
Israel reportedly kills senior Hezbollah commander in drone strike – as it happened
This live blog is closed
Al Jazeera is reporting that “at least four people have been killed and 17 injured in Israeli bombardment in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighbourhood”.
More details soon …
Continue reading...Live: Jamaica braces for Hurricane Beryl as Grenada left with ‘unimaginable’ damage – The Independent
- Live: Jamaica braces for Hurricane Beryl as Grenada left with 'unimaginable' damage The Independent
- Beryl To Bring Life-Threatening Impacts to Jamaica - Videos from The Weather Channel The Weather Channel
- Hurricane Beryl tracker: Jamaica braces for 'life threatening wind and storm surge' as deadly storm roars across Caribbean Yahoo! Voices
- Texas included in Hurricane Beryl's forecast cone as monstrous storm charges through Caribbean Fox Weather
- How climate change heats up the Atlantic for storms like Beryl Miami Herald
Cracks showing in Democratic support as Biden says he ‘nearly fell asleep on stage’
Polls show Kamala Harris would be only a point behind Trump if she were to replace Biden in presidential contest
Cracks in support among Democratic leaders for Joe Biden’s campaign continued to widen on Wednesday ahead of his evening meeting with Democratic governors, as Barack Obama reportedly privately shared that he believed Biden’s path to re-election had become even tougher.
Biden will be talking with state governors and Capitol Hill leaders all week, officials indicated on Tuesday, in attempts to reassure them of his competence after last week’s calamitous debate performance against Donald Trump. The White House said Biden will also sit for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday, to be aired over the weekend.
Continue reading...EU plan to impose import duty on cheap goods could dent Shein and Temu
Brussels move to end tax loophole exploited by China-linked marketplaces could also dent Shein’s planned London listing
The EU is moving forward with plans to impose customs duty on cheap goods in a shift that could hit imports from online retailers and harm a hoped-for London listing by the fast-fashion seller Shein.
The potential change comes amid growing disquiet among retailers based in the UK, elsewhere in Europe, and the US about rising competition from Chinese-linked marketplaces Shein and Temu, which exploit a loophole that excludes low-value items from import duty.
Continue reading...‘Slapping therapy’ healer should have learned from death of six-year-old, UK court told
Hongchi Xiao accused of manslaughter of Danielle Carr-Gomm, who died 18 months after diabetic boy in Australia
An alternative healer accused of the manslaughter of a woman with diabetes who died after stopping taking insulin at his slapping therapy retreat should have learned a “cruel lesson” from the death of a six-year-old boy who lost his life after a previous workshop, a jury has heard.
Hongchi Xiao, 61, of Cloudbreak, California, is on trial at Winchester crown court accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, from Lewes, East Sussex.
Continue reading...Five killed by Russian strike in central Ukraine
A further 47 people are injured, after blasts rocked the city of Dnipro early on Wednesday morning.
Labour expects surge of ‘shy Reform’ voters in some northern and Midlands seats
Activists forecast margins of less than 2,000 votes separating them from Farage’s party – or even a shock defeat
• How boundary changes may affect key constituencies
Labour candidates and activists are privately braced for a surge in support for Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK in north-west England and the Midlands, with some forecasting a margin of less than 2,000 votes between the two parties in some seats in Thursday’s general election.
In certain Conservative-held seats, campaigners told the Guardian that the Tories were likely to be pushed into third place by Reform, with one citing the phenomenon of “shy Reformers” affecting the results.
Continue reading...Wimbledon gardeners reuse coffee grounds in sustainability bid
More plans afoot for compostable food use, says head gardener, as tournament commits to wildlife ‘net gain’ by 2030
Rain or shine – usually more of the former – Wimbledon’s stunning floral displays always manage to dazzle.
For those hoping to give their gardens an SW19-inspired transformation, the tournament’s secret has finally been revealed: coffee grounds from the staff room.
Continue reading...Nearly 30,000 people in northern California evacuated as raging wildfire spreads
Thompson fire near Oroville destroys homes and vehicles as state simmers in brutal and potentially historic heatwave
Thousands of homes are under threat from a raging wildfire that erupted in northern California on Tuesday, as the state simmers in a brutal and potentially historic heatwave.
Roughly 28,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as the Thompson fire quickly swept across more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) near the city of Oroville, about an hour outside Sacramento, California’s capital.
Continue reading...Can a Hezbollah-Israel war trigger civil strife in Lebanon?
Hezbollah's decision to wage a low-scale conflict against Israel has triggered mixed reactions in Lebanon.
Labor branch in Albanese’s electorate passes motion supporting Fatima Payman
Members in Leichhardt ‘express solidarity’ with the rebel senator and say they share her ‘strong support’ for Palestine
A Labor branch in Anthony Albanese’s own electorate has passed a motion expressing support for the dissident senator Fatima Payman, even as expectations grow she is poised to quit the party.
Labor’s Leichhardt branch – which is within the prime minister’s Sydney electorate of Grayndler – passed the supportive motion at a scheduled meeting on Wednesday night.
Continue reading...General election live: Party leaders battle for votes on eve of election as Tory minister predicts Labour landslide
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer out campaigning after Mel Stride says Labour likely to win a large majority
It has just gone 7am: let’s look at today’s stop stories. With 24 hours to go until polls open, the Guardian leads with Keir Starmer accusing the Conservatives of desperate tactics amid claims that Tory criticism of his defence of family time was insensitive and had antisemitic undertones.
The Times has Boris Johnson saying a Labour landslide would be “pregnant with horrors”:
Continue reading...UK woman admits helping end life of terminally ill son
Antonya Cooper, from Oxford, made admission to help efforts to change law on assisted dying
A woman has admitted giving her terminally ill seven-year-old child a huge dose of morphine to end his suffering more than 40 years ago.
Antonya Cooper said her son Hamish had experienced “horrendous suffering and intense pain” as a result of his stage four cancer and “beastly” treatment.
Continue reading...Is the UK’s health system worse than much poorer countries?
The worsening state of the NHS is high on the list of voter grievances ahead of the UK’s snap election. Some of them sa