CATEGORIES

Iowa Republicans vote for sweeping limits on abortion after six weeks

Iowa's state legislature has voted to ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy - the latest in a run of anti-abortion laws passed across the US since the overturning of Roe v Wade last year ended the nationwide constitutional right to abortion.

Milan Kundera, Czech novelist who thrived in exile, dies at 94

The Czech writer Milan Kundera, who explored being and betrayal in poems, plays, essays and novels, including The Unbearable Lightness of Being, has died aged 94 after a long illness, a spokeswoman for the Milan Kundera Library has confirmed.

Beavers back in north-east England, 400 years after they vanished

It was a genuinely tense tale of the riverbank as a family of beavers were released into the Northumberland countryside yesterday, the first time in more than 400 years the animals were making the county their home.

Deeper coral reefs are the most affected by plastic pollution

No part of the planet is free of plastic waste, and coral reefs are no exception, but scientists have now made the discovery that the deeper the reef, the more plastic debris is likely to be found.

Hot topic - Ulez splits voters in Johnson's former seat

Boris Johnson's vacated Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat is one of three up for grabs next week, but the contest for the west London constituency is leading to particularly frayed nerves among both the Conservatives and Labour.

Gove hands back £1.9bn in unspent funds intended for tackling housing crisis

Michael Gove's department is handing back £1.9bn to the Treasury originally meant to tackle England's housing crisis after struggling to find projects to spend it on.

From 390 light years away, Nasa's new close-up of 50 'sun-like' stars

A stunning and \"unprecedented\" close-up image of the nearest star-forming region to Earth was released by Nasa yesterday to commemorate the first year of operation of the James Webb space telescope.

Home Office ordered removal of murals at second detention site

The Home Office ordered the removal of child-friendly murals from the Manston detention centre in Kent, the Guardian has learned.

Unease in Labour as party rejects all appeals by expelled members

Labour has so far rejected all appeals made by members expelled for breaking party rules, its governing body has revealed, prompting questions over the fairness of the disciplinary process.

Analysis - A summit that tested all sides' patience on the issue of membership

It was, by the standards of international summits, an undiplomatic intervention. A clearly frustrated Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted that Nato allies were showing Ukraine disrespect, that they were discussing his country's hopes of joining the military alliance without him. \"It seems there is no readiness, neither to invite Ukraine to Nato nor to make it a member of the alliance,\" he wrote.

A nation's anchor Welshman who set the tone for big state events

From hosting the nightly news to announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Huw Edwards is the presenter the nation turns to when crisis strikes.

From bookcases to beats - huge former Ikea becomes arts venue

It once played host to the sound of announcements, bored chilstaff dren and tense couples arguing over furniture with semi-pronounceable names. Now, a 56,500-sq-metre Tottenham warehouse that was home to an Ikea for 17 years is to vibrate to sub-bass and repetitive beats, as it becomes a leading new cultural venue for London.

Artistic merit: merchant's gift to Glasgow wins UK museums prize

The Burrell Collection in Glasgow has been named as the 2023 museum of the year after judges described it as a world-class treasure trove of objects.

EU's nature restoration law approved in knife-edge vote

The EU has narrowly passed a key law to protect nature - a core pillar of the commission president Ursula von der Leyen's European Green Deal - after months of fiery debate and an opposition campaign that scientists criticised as misleading.

"Transitions take time': president of Cop28 on phasing out fossil fuels

The phasedown of fossil fuels is \"inevitable\", the president of the next UN climate summit has said, but can only happen when the world has increased its renewable energy capacity.

Britain and US ask Kyiv for 'a bit of gratitude'

Britain's defence secretary and the US national security adviser suggested Ukraine ought to show more gratitude for the help from the west yesterday in a response to Volodymyr Zelenskiy's complaints that his country had not been given a firm timetable or conditions for joining Nato.

Huw Edwards named as the BBC presenter at centre of allegations

Huw Edwards was named yesterday as the BBC presenter suspended over allegations he paid a young person for explicit images in a media scandal that has rocked the national broadcaster and left him in hospital.

'It's Quite Emotional': Woakes Relishes Fresh Chance Of Ashes Glory

All-rounder feared his Test chances were gone but he has become central to England’s hopes of a series turnaround

Carrie And Boris Johnson Announce Birth Of Third Child

Carrie and Boris Johnson have announced the birth of their third child, a second son. On an Instagram post of her holding the baby, the former prime minister's wife joked: "Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson born 5th July at 9.15am. (Can you guess which name my husband chose?!)"

Mass Protests Across Israel Over Push For Overhaul Of Judiciary

Tens of thousands of Israeli demonstrators have blocked motorways across the country and access to Tel Aviv's airport in protest at the government's renewed push to advance legislation overhauling the judiciary.

Mortgage Stress Likely To Worsen, Says IMF

UK mortgage payers grappling with the most expensive home loans in 15 years have been warned by the International Monetary Fund to brace themselves for still higher borrowing costs over the coming months. With pay growth registering its fastest growth since modern records began more than two decades ago, the IMF used its annual health check on the economy to back the Bank of England in whatever tough action it deems necessary to bring inflation under control.

No Extra Cash For Pay In The Public Sector, Warns Hunt

Jeremy Hunt has told ministers there will be no extra money to give millions of public sector workers an average 6% pay rise, which would potentially force departments to choose between raising salaries or cutting frontline services.

Svitolina sees off Swiatek and says war has toughened her

Elina Svitolina says living through a time when her country is at war has made her stronger after pulling off one of the biggest wins of her career, defeating Iga Swiatek, the top seed, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 in a 2hr 51min battle to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Analysis MPC needs to be wary of overkill

Unemployment is up. The number of job vacancies is down. The rate of jobs growth is slowing at a time when the number of people looking for work is rising. There are signs the UK labour market is starting to slow.

Italy's far-right government clashes with judiciary amid controversial inquiries into ministers

Italy's far-right government is embroiled in a power struggle with magistrates amid controversial investigations involving leading figures within the ruling coalition.

Hong Kong police raid family home of UK-based political exile Nathan Law

Police in Hong Kong raided the home of Nathan Law's family yesterday, taking relatives of the UK-exiled pro-democracy activist away for questioning.

Zelenskiy fails to secure Nato invitation for Ukraine despite last-ditch hardball diplomacy

Volodymyr Zelenskiy failed in a last-ditch effort to secure an invitation to join Nato yesterday, after the leaders of its 31 countries signed off on a declaration that did not give Ukraine a firm timetable or clear conditions for its eventual membership.

Man stabbed nine-year-old girl to death in street, jury concludes

Deividas Skebas killed nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte by stabbing her in the heart as she played with a hula-hoop in the street, a jury decided yesterday.

Pink to green to 'off-white': heritage door row is still not an open and shut case

An Edinburgh woman who was forced to repaint her bright pink door after a protracted row with her local council is facing a further investigation into her interpretation of \"off-white\".

'Red flags ignored' Families say report does not do enough to address issues

Jo Billington can vividly remember the moment police came to her home in Crosby, Liverpool, at 5am on 6 September 2020. They told her that her 23-year-old son, Jacob, had been killed in Birmingham, where he had been on a night out with friends.