First Thing: Race for California governor deadlocked as primary results across the US pour in

• International NGOs are warning of a collapsing humanitarian situation in Yemen four years after the United Nations truce. • Geopolitical friction and tactical exploitation by disruptive actors are currently hindering regional stability and economic growth initiatives.

Chancellor hails deal saying it will create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction, hospitality, creative and technology sectorsBusiness live – latest updateBritish taxpayers will provide £1.3bn in funding to help Hollywood studio giant Universal build its first theme park in Europe.Comcast, the US media company that owns NBC Universal and Sky, had been considering a number of countries in which to build its first European theme park. Continue reading...

Veteran journalist says executives pushed unverified claims and gave politicians a say in interviewsThe longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who was fired by CBS News on Tuesday after clashing with the network’s new management, issued a public statement accusing the network’s new executives of silencing employees and claiming they instructed him “to inject falsehoods and bias” into his reporting.“‘60’ has been the number-one program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality, and humanity in our stories,” Pelley wrote in the lengthy statement he shared on social media on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

Prosecutors seek to try 17-year-old as adult after animals injured at major barrel racing eventA teenage girl who allegedly stabbed three show horses at a weekend rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a “crazy, obsessed stalker” who waited in a darkened barn to commit the attacks, the owner of one of the animals has said.The Nevada city’s police department arrested a 17-year-old female on Saturday for the incidents at the National Barrel Horse Association’s supershow, a competition for the sport’s top riders at the South Point equestrian arena on the Las Vegas strip. Continue reading...

New Gallup poll finds support for same-sex marriage and relationships in the US has stopped rising after two decadesAcceptance of same-sex marriage and relationships in the US has flattened after more than two decades of steadily increasing support, with an ongoing decline among Republicans, according to a new Gallup poll.About 65% of US adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, down slightly from 71% in 2022 and 2023. Continue reading...

Stephen McCullagh planned ‘cold-blooded and calculated’ killing of Natalie McNally in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, in great detailA YouTuber who set up a false alibi by livestreaming a video-gaming session online has been sentenced to 31 years in prison for the “cold-blooded and calculated” murder of his pregnant partner.Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Lisburn, County Antrim, showed no emotion on Wednesday as he was sentenced at Belfast crown court for the murder of Natalie McNally, a crime that chilled Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

New issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on parallels between marketing for cigarettes and UPFsThe new issue of the American Journal of Public Health focuses on ultra-processed foods, and reveals that big tobacco companies used strategies that helped them sell cigarettes to sell ultra-processed food products, including Lunchables, geared toward children.The parallels between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cigarettes include not only how UPF products were formulated and marketed to drive excess consumption, but also the growing body of evidence linking UPFs to a variety of health risks. For UPFs, these include cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and cognitive health decline. Continue reading...

Petrol station attack throws spotlight on widespread exploitation of foreign farm labourersThe exploitation of farm workers in Italy has come under the spotlight again after four men – three Afghans and one from Pakistan – were allegedly burned alive in a car at a petrol station in Calabria.The attack was captured by a surveillance camera at the garage in Amendolara, close to Cosenza. Two Pakistani nationals have been arrested on charges of aggravated murder, according to public prosecutor Alessandro D’Alessio. Continue reading...

While the technology is set to play a growing role in modern warfare, there remains an unresolved ethical challengeShould the AI-powered drones of the future have a licence to kill? The question is becoming ever more pressing as governments and the defence industry acknowledge that drone systems will play an increasingly crucial role in future warfare.With drones being deployed in huge numbers in the Ukraine war and AI being used to assist bombing missions in the Iran conflict, there is an expectation among some observers that weapons will have to operate with increased operational autonomy, which means they will need something approximating a moral framework. Continue reading...

With corrupt police on the streets and shopkeepers forced to pay gangs, president has vowed to tackle crime that now affects all parts of societyIt was about 11pm and Luis* was about to get into an Uber to go home when the police car pulled up. One of the officers produced two plastic bags with what looked like drugs: one contained some sort of powder, the other little crystals. Luis had never seen them before.Luis, who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisals, insisted that the drugs weren’t his, but the officers didn’t seem to care. They shoved him into the back of the police truck and drove into the night. Continue reading...

Home Office barred Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on grounds their visit was ‘not conducive to the public good’Two leftwing US political commentators who were banned from entering the UK will still speak at the Oxford Union via livestream.The Home Office told Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker their presence in the country was “not conducive to the public good” when they attempted to come to London to attend this week’s SXSW London event. Continue reading...