Democrats demand answers from Trump on USS Abraham Lincoln conditions

• Five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan faces a severe human rights crisis, highlighted by the barring of 2.4 million girls from attending school. • Humanitarian funding has plummeted by nearly 70% since 2022, driven by donor fatigue and competing global political crises.

• President Vladimir Putin conducted his first visit to the disputed Kuril islands, signaling a strategic shift in Moscow's approach to territorial disputes and international relations. • The move reflects Russia's widening confrontation with Western powers and serves as a geopolitical signal that extends beyond the immediate territorial disagreement with Japan.

Efforts of emergency services and military in Blaenavon appear to be working but there are fears for the futureMore than three weeks after it began burning and two days after the military deployed to the area, there is hope that the huge wildfire on the hillside above the Ebbw valley village of Blaenavon may finally be coming under control.Emergency workers and soldiers described a gruelling battle against the deep-seated peat fire that has spread over 4,000 hectares (9,800 acres), putting lives, farmland and property at risk. Continue reading...

Suppliers could factor water scarcity into charges as part of Ofwat proposal to reduce consumptionWater companies could be allowed to raise bills for customers during periods of drought under proposals being considered by the sector’s regulator for England and Wales.Suppliers would be permitted to factor “water scarcity” into bills as part of efforts to reduce consumption under Ofwat’s plans, which are being likened to surge pricing – the practice where private hire firms raise taxi fares at times of higher demand. Continue reading...

Revelation comes after it was disclosed that Reform UK backer had paid for spying on prominent journalistThe businessman and Reform UK backer Arron Banks commissioned a private intelligence firm to dig into the Conservative party chair, in addition to having paid for an investigation into a prominent journalist.Banks, a former Reform UK candidate and leave campaign donor, appeared to confirm on Sunday that he was behind an investigation into Kevin Hollinrake. Continue reading...

Suspect, 19, who is not enrolled at the university arrested in connection with shooting of five people, authorities sayA young man suspected in connection with the shooting of five people on Saturday on the campus of Virginia State University (VSU) hid in a dormitory closet for more than 14 hours being found and arrested, according to authorities.The suspect – identified as 19-year-old Camron Harris – was found in Seward Hall on VSU’s campus at 4pm, local police Lt James Lamb said, according to the Virginia news outlet WTVR. The shooting occurred at about 1.30am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Hundreds watched the 56-metre monument’s consecration, including anti-communist leader Lech WałęsaAn enormous statue of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be Europe’s tallest was inaugurated on Saturday in a small Polish village, in the presence of the anti-communist leader Lech Wałęsa.Hundreds of people took part in the consecration of the monument, which towers 55.6 metres (182ft) over Konotopie in central Poland, a village of fewer than 150 people. Continue reading...

Belgium battling biggest fire in more than a century as flames near German border and 600 people told to evacuateTwo people have died in fires on the Greek island of Salamis as firefighting aircraft were called on to help tame the biggest blaze in Belgium in more than a century in the latest wave of wildfires in Europe.The bodies of two people were recovered from the Peristeria beach area of Salamison Sunday after two fires broke out on the island, a fire department spokesperson told AFP. Hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate. Continue reading...

Australia records 3% fall in one-year-olds fully immunised against hepatitis B as downward trend continues, expert saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian medical experts have warned a shift in child vaccination advice in the US is not grounded in science and could undo decades of public health advances.The US president, Donald Trump, signed an unprecedented executive order calling for American children to be vaccinated against fewer diseases, suggesting a link to autism despite no evidence. The official number of recommended immunisations for children would drop to 11, compared with 18 at the end of 2024. Continue reading...

After securing wage rises for low-paid workers, weathering death threats and working with three PMs – the ACTU secretary is ready for a breakGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSally McManus started her job as the country’s most powerful trade union leader amid howls of criticism.Shouted down for suggesting union members were right to break “unjust” industrial laws in a live TV interview, McManus quickly adjusted to the high decibel work of being secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Continue reading...

One seller says second world war memorabilia containing banned Nazi symbols is legal under exemptions to the lawsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNazi artefacts bearing prohibited symbols are being openly sold in Australia three years after the federal government made it illegal to do so, with vendors saying they are doing so for “educational” reasons.The government in 2023 outlawed the display and trade of items bearing the Nazi Hakenkreuz (swastika) and double-sig rune that was the logo of the Schutzstaffel (SS), after multiple states passed similar laws that banned the display of Nazi symbols and the performance of the Nazi salute. Continue reading...