This California town booted out its leaders – what happens if they refuse to leave?

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is leading recovery efforts in Venezuela following a series of earthquakes and floods. • OCHA is currently coordinating support across 80 local and international organizations, working alongside government authorities to provide relief.

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson says politicians have helped fuel hatred and that police are not taking violence against women and girls seriously enoughUK politics live – latest updatesRacism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media.Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by online interactions and statements by politicians she said would not have been acceptable a few years ago. Continue reading...

Trade body says local chains would have to balance concerns with potential benefits provided by AI-enabled technologyCinemas across the UK are considering banning customers from wearing Meta’s smart glasses, amid fears they could be used to pirate films.The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) trade body said that a number of local chains could end up introducing policies that restrict camera-enabled smart glasses at the big screen, adding to a growing list of venues concerned about covert use. Continue reading...

Administration’s plan to scrap drilling-free buffer zone around New Mexico site prompts scrutiny from UnescoThe Trump administration’s push to expand oil and gas extraction across the US is set to bring drilling near cherished natural and cultural sites, raising alarm among conservationists and prompting questions from the UN’s heritage body.Unesco said it has received information on the administration’s plan to scrap a drilling-free buffer zone around Chaco Culture national historical park in New Mexico, a world heritage site and one of the most important cultural areas in the US. A Unesco spokesperson said it has procedures regarding “potential threats” to a world heritage property and was awaiting a response from the federal government as to its impact. Continue reading...

Tenants can be evicted for not paying utilities even if they have paid rent – tenants and their allies are fighting backThis story was supported and co-published by the journalism non-profit the Economic Hardship Reporting ProjectIn 2024, Constance Soule got a surprise from her landlord: a “notice of termination” that gave her 10 days to move out of her apartment.Soule, a disabled Alzheimer’s patient with a housing voucher, had paid her rent at a Larkspur, California complex managed by Greystar, the country’s largest apartment manager. But she was about to be evicted from her home across from the Golden Gate Bridge solely over utility charges, court documents show. Continue reading...

Prime minister wishes couple well in their move back from the US to a non-royal residence outside London• Harry and Meghan: key moments and controversies since US moveSecurity funding for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they return to live in the UK this month is a “private matter”, Andy Burnham has said.News of Harry and Meghan’s planned return to Britain from the US came as a surprise to many on Wednesday night; King Charles was only informed three days earlier. Continue reading...

Far-right minister says those convicted in military courts of terror offences will be executed after passing of death penalty law that does not apply to IsraelisIsrael’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has attracted international sanctions and condemnation for his activities, has posted a gloating video of the construction of the site of a gallows where Palestinians convicted of terror offences, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, will be hanged.Ben-Givr said the new execution site would be equipped with viewing booths where families of victims could watch the hangings. Continue reading...

Fashion site also broke rules on labelling by using terms ‘leather’ or ‘suede’ for synthetic productsThe British online fashion seller Boohoo has been fined €2.3m (£2m) by France’s consumer watchdog ⁠for deceptive ⁠practices ​such as offering fake discounts.The Manchester-based firm, whose parent company renamed itself Debenhams Group last year, was found to have exaggerated its discounts, giving shoppers a false impression ⁠of the savings they were making, ​according to the directorate-general for competition, ‌consumer affairs and ‌fraud Control. Continue reading...

Eleni Petinos tells inquiry her sacking as a minister in Dominic Perrottet’s government was potentially motivated by her reluctance to get rid of the building commissionerGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former New South Wales fair trading minister Eleni Petinos has given evidence at a corruption inquiry that she may have been used by fellow Liberals to try to get rid of the building commissioner David Chandler, recounting numerous attempts in 2022 to persuade her he was “dodgy” and should be sacked.She has also told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) inquiry that her subsequent sacking as a minister in the Dominic Perrottet government in July 2022 – allegedly for bullying staff – was unfair and potentially motivated by her reluctance to sack the building commissioner. Continue reading...

Alessandro Rapinese denies accusation he is waging personal vendetta against cyclists amid a public backlashThe mayor of Como set the wheels of controversy in motion for banning bikes in the walled historic centre of the lakeside city after being hit by one.Alessandro Rapinese’s ban, which comes into force in September, targets about 30 streets and means cyclists, whether it be those on e-bikes or push bikes, will have to dismount or walk their vehicles through those areas. Continue reading...

Hui Ka Yan also forfeits all his personal property and the company he set up is given hefty finesBusiness live – latest updatesThe founder of Evergrande, one of China’s largest property developers, has been sentenced to life in prison and had all of his personal property confiscated.Hui Ka Yan, 67 and once named by Forbes as China’s richest man, with a net worth of $42.5bn (£31.2bn) in 2017, pleaded guilty in April to eight charges. Continue reading...