Thirty-five people want to be the next president of France. What could possibly go wrong?

Nature groups say cygnets and their parents need to be left alone by people trying to stay cool in heatwaveNature groups have pleaded with swimmers to give wildlife a wide berth after dozens of people swam in a nature pond on Hampstead Heath among nests of baby birds.Swans and their 12-day-old cygnets were disturbed by hordes of splashing revellers in the north London park on Monday as London reached record 35C temperatures. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water during the chaos. Continue reading...

Local conservationist says a fishing boat hoping for a more commercial catch may have thrown them overboardHundreds of dead sharks and fish believed to be part of a discarded catch have washed up on two Welsh beaches.Dogwalkers found a full net of dogfish, also known as catshark, on Carmarthenshire’s Cefn Sidan on Saturday. The discovery came after hundreds more dead sharks and fish had been found on Saundersfoot beach in neighbouring Pembrokeshire a few days earlier. Continue reading...

On-pitch performance and cost-cutting help to halve pre-tax losses to £18m in the first nine months of the yearManchester United have taken a £22m hit from the sacking of their former manager Ruben Amorim but cut their losses in half thanks to improved performance on the pitch and the cost-cutting zeal of the co-owner Jim Ratcliffe.United’s successful pursuit of Champions League football under Michael Carrick drove a 57% rise in broadcast income during the third quarter of the financial year to nearly £65m, as more of the club’s games were picked for TV. Continue reading...

Simon Stiell said burning fossil fuels was driving intense heatwaves as UK and France broke temperature records on consecutive daysThe UN climate chief has said an extreme early heat event sweeping parts of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis”, after France and the UK set new temperature records for May on two consecutive days.Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said on Wednesday the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas – known to be the primary driver of climate change. Continue reading...

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of ‘catastrophic collision of disease and conflict’ as suspected cases reach 900The head of the World Health Organisation has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to help tackle the Ebola outbreak there.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on social media that the region was in the midst of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.” Continue reading...

Modelling predicts 241,000 people on the scheme before January 2028 won’t be receiving supports by mid-2031Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 240,000 participants are expected to be shifted off the national disability insurance scheme in the four years after new eligibility rules are introduced, internal documents reveal.Newly released departmental modelling also shows proposed cuts to funding for social, civic and community participation will help achieve the single biggest saving of the measures the Albanese government is pursuing to contain the scheme’s ballooning growth. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham and Torsten Bell say the former Labour PM’s essay does not address today’s challengesUK politics live – latest updatesTony Blair’s criticism of the Labour party fails to engage with inequality and the “extremes of austerity”, senior party figures have said.Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, who is widely expected to launch a leadership challenge if he wins next month’s Makerfield byelection, said the essay merited a “considered response” and he would set one out on Thursday. Continue reading...

Donald Trump moves quickly to unite Republicans behind the Texas attorney general as Democrats eye rare openingUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailRepublican leaders rushed to throw their weight behind Ken Paxton following his big primary victory in Texas over the four-term US senator, John Cornyn, amid anxiety within the party over his prospects in November’s general election.Hours after the race was called, Donald Trump – who backed Paxton, despite intense concern among establishment Republicans – took to Truth Social to attack his Democratic rival in the midterm elections. Continue reading...

As the budget fight plays out fiercely online, Labor senator Ellie Whiteaker turns to a zebra and a giraffe for helpGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSelling a complicated federal budget isn’t exactly child’s play, but Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers could do worse than following the example of their colleague’s toy giraffe and zebra to help explain their contentious tax changes.The budget fight is dominating parliament and Senate estimates, but it’s being fought just as fiercely online. The weapons of choice? Memes, fluffy animals and a questionable reference to a serial killer cannibal. Continue reading...

A report found that Brian O’Hara probably interfered with investigation in what mayor called a ‘breach of trust’The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, resigned on Tuesday after a report found that he probably interfered with an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct.O’Hara stepped down after a meeting with the Minnesota city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, who earlier this month nominated him to serve a second term after his appointment in 2022 to steady a police department still in turmoil after the murder of George Floyd two years earlier. Continue reading...

At least seven people have died in recent days as people have tried to cool off in Britain’s waterwaysWater safety experts have warned about the dangers of outdoor swimming after a spike in drownings as people try to escape soaring temperatures by cooling off in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other bodies of water.In recent days, emergency services have reported at least seven deaths because of water-related incidents, with six involving young people, as Britain’s heatwave sends crowds of people to the seaside and other swimming spots. Continue reading...