General News

The White House is fueling speculation over plans to eliminate two large national monuments in California established by former president Joe Biden. Less than a week before leaving office, Biden designated the 624,000-acre Chuckwalla national monument in southern California and the 224,000-acre Sáttítla Highlands national monument in northern California. Native American tribes consider these lands…

A former minister behind the controversial VIP lane for supplying personal protective equipment during the pandemic has said “some crooks” were probably awarded contracts, but defended the scheme as necessary to plug shortages. Lord Agnew, who was a Cabinet Office minister responsible for procurement during the pandemic, accused the Covid inquiry of having a “misconceived…

Protesters in Israel have accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ordering the airstrikes that shattered the ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to provide “cover” for a campaign to dismantle Israel’s democratic system and to maintain his own grip on power. Political tensions in Israel surged after the Israeli prime minister announced on Sunday that he would seek…

A British woman detained in the US for three weeks because of a visa mix-up has reportedly arrived back in the UK. Sky News broadcast images of Rebecca Burke, 28, a graphic artist from Monmouthshire, being welcomed at Heathrow airport by a loved one. Her return to the UK comes after her family confirmed she…

Thames Water has said it hopes to agree a deal with one of six bidders by the end of June and has secured a delay to a review of its bill increases to smooth the rescue process. The UK’s biggest water company said negotiations were ongoing and it wanted to complete the transaction by the…

More pages honoring diversity in US military history have been removed from defense department websites as the Pentagon undergoes what appears to be a purge of content that it considered to be related to diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI. Articles about the Native American code talkers in the second world war appear to…

The UN’s human rights chief has voiced horror at Israel’s resumption of airstrikes on Gaza that have killed at least 404 people, saying further misery was being inflicted on people “already suffering catastrophic conditions”. In a statement on Tuesday Volker Türk said he was horrified by Monday night’s airstrikes and shelling in Gaza. The decision…

Close Brothers, one of the UK’s biggest providers of car loans, has slumped to a £103m loss as it deals with the fallout of the motor finance commission scandal, which it estimates will cost it a total of £200m this year. The lender also scrapped its dividend again. Its shares plunged by 17% on the…

A Victorian man has been charged for allegedly making death threats and antisemitic comments to a federal member of parliament. The 41-year-old was charged on Tuesday afternoon after the Australian federal police conducted a search of his home in the Melbourne suburb of Officer, the AFP said in a statement. The man had allegedly contacted…

A jury has been unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of a man accused of murder after a young woman was fatally stabbed on an isolated beach. The jury was on Tuesday discharged after it was unable to reach a verdict following days of deliberations, more than six years after Toyah Cordingley’s…