Five reservoirs in England and Wales ‘exceptionally low’ as drought persists

• Pakistan has historically utilized mediation as a core pillar of its foreign policy to manage conflicts between neighboring adversaries. • Unlike global superpowers, Pakistan's drive for mediation is fueled by immediate security threats, including refugee influxes, cross-border terrorism, and narcotics smuggling.

• UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to aid Colombia. • The funding is designated to support the humanitarian response following a devastating earthquake that struck the region.

Marine conservationist says deliberate attack would be ‘act of extreme cruelty’ against an endangered populationSpanish officials have launched an investigation after the matriarch of an orca pod known for jostling and ramming boats off the Iberian Peninsula was spotted with wounds suggesting she had been shot by a pellet gun.On Friday, Spain’s environment ministry said Toñi, the oldest living member of the pod, had been seen swimming in the Strait of Gibraltar with markings on her dorsal fin that were “consistent with shots from a pellet gun”. Continue reading...

PM urges people not to risk lives and homes by starting fires as military brought in to help deal with wildfiresUK politics live – latest updatesDowning Street has issued a temporary GB-wide ban on the sale of disposable barbecue and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires as Andy Burnham urged people not to risk lives in “tinderbox” Britain this weekend.The prime minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been taken to hospital during eight fires that have ripped through several homes. Continue reading...

Greater Anglia crash happens day after two passengers seriously injured in East Sussex derailmentA Greater Anglia train has derailed near Wickford, in Essex, according to reports.The incident occurred a day after two passengers were seriously injured when a Southern Rail train derailed in East Sussex. Continue reading...

Move will be one of first large-scale foreign investments in country since US ousted leader Nicolás Maduro in JanuaryBP has answered Donald Trump’s call for oil companies to help rebuild Venezuela’s fossil fuel industry with new plans to develop a large offshore gasfield.BP will partner with two oil firms with close links to the Trump administration to develop the second phase of the Loran gasfield, in one of the first large-scale foreign investments in Venezuela since the US ousted its leader Nicolás Maduro in January. Continue reading...

Mod fashion, nod to 80s excess or symbol of tradition? Andy Burnham’s wardrobe choice transcends class divisionsThe sartorial evolution of Andy Burnham reached another milestone this week when the prime minister appeared at a photocall in Derbyshire wearing a pair of braces under his suit.Navy, slimline and button-on rather than clipped, they were barely visible while he posed for a photo in Ilkeston. It was only when he unbuttoned his suit jacket to embrace members of the public that they were on view. Continue reading...

Artworks valued at total of more than $10m were stolen from Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma in MarchItalian police have recovered three paintings by the French masters Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen earlier this year from a private museum near the northern city of Parma, authorities have said.The raid took place overnight on 22-23 March at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 12 miles (19km) from Parma, after a series of high-profile thefts from other European museums. Continue reading...

Move to dilute ZEV mandate from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid record UK heatwaves Andy Burnham’s government has said it will look at cutting electric vehicle sales targets, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK’s future carbon dioxide emissions.The government launched a consultation on Friday on cutting the target for new EVs to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules. The consultation will include several options, including leaving the headline target unchanged, or cutting it to 70%, 60% or 50%. Continue reading...

Earlier this week prosecutors and Luigi Mangione’s lawyers filed a joint letter requesting the hearing at 11am on Friday in Manhattan federal courtLuigi Mangione, is reportedly expected to plead guilty at a scheduled hearing on Friday in Manhattan federal court, where he faces charges of stalking resulting in the death of Brian Thompson, the chief of executive of UnitedHealthcare, in 2024.The potential plea deal in the federal case, which NBC News and the New York Times (paywall) reported on Thursday, comes less a month out from a scheduled trial on 8 September on a New York state murder charge in connection with Thompson’s fatal shooting. The federal trial for the stalking charges in connection with the killing of Thompson is due to take place in January, and carries a potential life sentence. Continue reading...

Russia is losing 30,000 casualties a month, and the country’s regions are under pressure to feed the ‘meat-grinder’. Experts say it may not be enoughIn kitchens and Telegram chats across Russia, the same question is being asked with growing frequency: will Vladimir Putin order another mobilisation?Nearly five years into the war, Russia is scrambling to find enough soldiers to replenish its ranks, as voluntary recruitment slows and its forces suffer heavy losses on the battlefield in Ukraine. Continue reading...