UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

As polls point to victory in Saxony-Anhalt for AfD party promising deportations, people face agonising choice: stay or goAs the Bible study session wrapped up, leaving worshippers to mingle over cake and coffee, Fatemeh, 44, fought back tears as the conversation turned to Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt.“I worry about it every day,” she said. “I can’t stop thinking about my son and what might happen to us.”Fatemeh worries about what might happen after the elections. Photograph: Christian Jungeblodt/The Guardian Continue reading...

New record for Australia as more than 27,000 EVs sold in August, driven by the rising cost of fuel and new government policyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastElectric vehicle sales in Australia exceeded petrol cars for the first time last month as a transformation driven by high fuel prices and government policy encouraging clean car uptake accelerated.More than 27,000 EVs were sold in August, a new record for a single month and representing 24.9% of new cars sold. The climate-friendly technology surpassed both petrol vehicles (nearly 26,000 sold) and diesel cars (23,600). Continue reading...

Daniel Billings said ‘I did what I did’ in call from friend’s house after 2024 domestic violence murderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo hours after Daniel Billings murdered his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst in a frenzied stabbing he spoke to a woman he had met on Tinder.“I’m sorry I murdered her,” Billings told the woman during a phone call at 2.02am on 22 April 2024. Continue reading...

Republican candidate Thomas Ross and his former campaign manager devised a plan to stash drugs in their opponent Louise Secker’s purse or vehicleA Missouri House race has been rocked by the Wednesday arrest of Republican candidate Thomas Ross, whom prosecutors accuse of attempting to frame his primary opponent Louise Secker for cocaine possession.In June, Ross allegedly gave his former campaign manager, identified by the initials “CS” in court documents, a bag of cocaine and Adderall. The two devised a plan for the former manager to stash the drugs in Secker’s purse or vehicle. Continue reading...

Sean Alfortish and Leon Parker convicted on some counts but not murder charges linked to insurance fraud plotA federal jury in New Orleans on Thursday returned a split verdict after more than 30 hours of deliberations in a three-week-long blockbuster fraud and murder trial that garnered headlines far beyond Louisiana.Jurors deadlocked on murder charges Sean Alfortish and Leon “Chunky” Parker faced, leading US district judge Wendy Vitter to declare a mistrial as prosecutors vowed to try the case on those counts again. Continue reading...

Telle has previously worked for Trump during his first term as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairsDonald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting army secretary after the departure of Daniel Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with defense secretary Pete Hegseth.Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. Continue reading...

Setback for Republicans in redistricting battle as court orders forbids maps from being used in November electionsThe Missouri supreme court has unanimously blocked new congressional districts backed by Donald Trump from being used in the November election and ordered a statewide vote on whether to uphold or reject the new map.The decision Thursday marks a rare setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle. Republicans had hoped Missouri’s new congressional boundaries could help them win an additional seat and hold onto their slim House majority in the midterms. The ruling still could be appealed to the US supreme court. Continue reading...

Organ kept Tim Andrews off dialysis and acted as a ‘bridge’ while he waited for a human transplant in the USA genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes and had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, against a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list. Continue reading...

Firefighters hollowed out a dumpster truck and lifted a man from trash and debris after bystanders alerted driver to screamsSan Francisco fire officials manually hollowed out a garbage truck early on Wednesday to rescue a man trapped inside.Firefighters were dispatched around 4.11am after receiving a report of an individual stuck inside a Recology dumpster truck, authorities said. Continue reading...

US tech company has sued London mayor after he prevented it from working with Metropolitan policeSadiq Khan has agreed for his text messages and emails to be searched as part of a legal battle with Palantir, the high court has been told, after he prevented the US technology company from working with the Metropolitan police.The London mayor stepped in to block a £50m deal between Palantir and the Met in May, with the artificial intelligence developer suing Khan’s office over the decision. Continue reading...

Under-pressure carmaker will shed 15% of workforce and halve its product line in sector’s biggest ever restructureThe car company Volkswagen has confirmed that it will shed 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade after being hit by US tariffs and fierce competition from Chinese rivals.The German manufacturer said management and unions had agreed as part of a sweeping cost-cutting plan to cut a further 50,000 positions by 2030, bringing total job losses in the pipeline to 100,000. Continue reading...