UK heatwave live: Met Office issues extreme heat warning as government convenes emergency Cobra meeting pred 5 urami in 14 minutami Parts of country face fifth heatwave of the summer with highs of 38C forecast this week Firefighters have worked through the night and are continuing to tackle the heathland fire in the New Forest in Hampshire, the local authority said.The A31 that runs through the New Forest is closed in both directions, with road closures expected to remain in place for at least the next 48 hours while emergency services continue to respond to the fire.My thanks and gratitude to everyone working tirelessly to respond to this ongoing incident and keep our communities safe, as well as minimising the impact on our unique environment and wildlife.The emergency services are continuing to work hard on the ground, supported by council teams, Forestry England, the National Park Authority, National Highways, and many others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Immigration minister says poorer areas have taken ‘fair share’ of asylum seekers – UK politics live pred 5 urami in 18 minutami Anna Turley backs up Andy Burnham’s suggestion that affluent areas should house more asylum seekers in futureThe order of service for the funeral of Ann Widdecombe has been published, the BBC’s Michael Keohan reports. He says:She will enter Buckfast Abbey to ‘amazing grace’ just after 2pm.There will also be tributes from Sir Christian Sweeting and Ann’s nephew the Rev Roger Widdecombe.Donations have been requested to be split between Leprosy mission and Aboud India in memory of Ann.Ahead of the funeral at 2, there will be a solem mass at 11.The reality is, this is a military base that is outside the village. It’s self-contained. People there will be managed and processed properly with the services that they need there on site. So we are looking to reduce the impact on local communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump plays down Air Force One plane switch as criticism grows over ‘decoy’ passengers – US politics live pred 5 urami in 26 minutami President says Secret Service wanted him on ‘different plane’ due to threat as Democrats call for congressional briefingHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.President Donald Trump said he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat that he insisted didn’t scare him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires pred 5 urami in 31 minutami Exclusive: England ‘desperately unprepared’ for effects of crisis including water shortages and heatwavesUK heatwave live – latest updatesJust 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within a key government department tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information request has revealed.The officials make up 0.3% of staff within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barnaby Joyce claims One Nation ‘one of the gayest parties in Australia’ as former candidate’s comments surface pred 5 urami in 46 minutami One Nation MP says failed WA candidate’s comments describing same-sex attraction as a mental illness are ‘highly offensive’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBarnaby Joyce has defended One Nation as “one of the gayest parties in Australia” after comments surfaced from one of its failed candidate describing same-sex attraction as a mental illness.The former National turned One Nation MP was asked to respond to a series of homophobic comments made by a former Western Australian legislative council candidate for One Nation in a video last month, as first reported by ABC on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Great Britain faces electricity supply shortfall during solar eclipse pred 5 urami in 49 minutami Event expected to hit solar power just as fifth heatwave of summer increases use of air conditioning and fansGreat Britain faces a shortfall of electricity supplies on Wednesday evening as the near total solar eclipse is expected to wipe out solar power generation.The government’s electricity grid operator raised an official alarm that there is currently not enough power generation expected as the moon blocks up to 95% of the sun over parts of the country, the most dramatic eclipse visible in Great Britain since 1999. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Crowley defeats Francesca Hong to win Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor pred 5 urami in 55 minutami Crowly pulls off last-minute victory in tight race after polls had shown his progressive opponent as a clear frontrunner David Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, pulled off a last-minute victory after re-entering the Wisconsin governor’s race and snagging an endorsement from Tony Evers, the outgoing governor.The race came down to the wire, with Francesca Hong and Crowley running close to each other as each batch of results came in. Polls had shown Hong as a clear frontrunner in the race but with large chunks of voters still undecided and an ever-changing field of candidates, polling was difficult. Polls in Michigan similarly showed the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed with a more sizeable lead than he ended up with in his victory in the Democratic primary for US senate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Japanese ambassador to Australia downplays Albanese melon gaffe as Taylor claims PM has ‘stuffed up’ pred 6 urami in 50 minutami Coalition demands police investigate apparent leaking of diplomatic cable to newspaper but Labor calls it a ‘silly political stunt’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Japanese ambassador has downplayed Anthony Albanese’s comments about a gift of melons from Sanae Takaichi, saying Tokyo had been reassured by the Australian government that the prime minister “did not make the comments in the way that has been reported”.While the Coalition continued to raise outrage over Albanese’s comments to the Bush Deep podcast, including seeking to have federal police investigate the alleged leaking of a diplomatic cable to a newspaper, the Japanese government appeared to be uninterested in making a diplomatic incident out of the much-maligned comments. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew Bragg stands by proposed migration limits – even as Liberal colleagues decline to back him in pred 7 urami in 12 minutami Angus Taylor and other Coalition members not supporting shadow housing minister’s target migration numbers, which would be the lowest figures since the mid-2000sFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has stood by his proposal to lower net migration to 180,000 per year in a wide-ranging speech where he lamented not stopping the Morrison government’s “madness” – even as colleagues side-stepped supporting the target figure publicly.The opposition frontbencher said a housing “shortfall” – comparing the number of dwellings against population size – could be rectified if the net overseas migration (Nom) target was set at 180,000 or under over four years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished pred 8 urami in 52 minutami Voters will be required to number at least five parties above the line in order of preference after bill passed upper house 33 votes to fourFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastProminent MPs such as Georgie Purcell and other microparty members will face an uphill battle to retain their seats in Victoria’s upper house after parliament voted to abolish group voting tickets.Victoria’s legislative council was the only remaining upper house in Australia to use the GVT system, in which voters could only choose one party above the line on the ballot paper, with their preferences then allocated by the party if it was knocked out during counting. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
