​Why is Europe still not ready for extreme heat?

Hearing in New York state case over shooting of healthcare executive sealed at short notice ‘at request of the defense’Luigi Mangione’s New York state case in the killing of the healthcare executive Brian Thompson descended into secrecy on Wednesday when Judge Gregory Carro held sealed proceedings despite press objections.Mangione’s state trial for allegedly shooting dead Thompson on a Manhattan Street in late 2024 is scheduled for 8 September. Mangione also faces a federal trial in relation to Thompson’s killing. The murder triggered an intense manhunt but also prompted an outpouring of public rage against the practices of the for-profit US healthcare industry. Continue reading...

Non-binding agreement to start building vehicles in 2027 would safeguard jobs at UK’s largest car factoryNissan has agreed to look at building cars in northern England for Chinese manufacturer Chery, in a move that would secure jobs at the UK’s largest car factory.The Japanese carmaker on Wednesday said it had signed a non-binding agreement and that discussions were ongoing over contract manufacturing by Nissan for Chery, which is part-owned by the Chinese state. Continue reading...

Christi Hill and male police officer misidentified in Vickrum Digwa case on AI platforms including GrokUK politics live – latest updatesA former police officer has been forced to flee to a safe space after she was falsely accused online of being involved in the Henry Nowak murder.Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has criticised social media and AI platforms, including Elon Musk’s Grok, for spreading the false claim that she was one of the officers who arrested Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa. Continue reading...

There’s a three-week wait on test results in Yuendumu, near Alice Springs, and locals say NT Health has dropped the ball on telling locals what to do if they test positiveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA remote Aboriginal community at the centre of the Northern Territory’s diphtheria outbreak is struggling to cope with rising case numbers, with locals saying there is no hand sanitiser at the health clinic and limited information about how to avoid the disease or what to do if you test positive.There have been more than 240 cases of the once-eradicated disease reported in Australia since October, primarily in remote Indigenous communities in the NT, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia, according to data released by the Australian Centre for Disease Control. One of the largest clusters in the NT is in Yuendumu, a community of about 700 people 300km from Alice Springs. Continue reading...

Obstetricians and gynaecologists say anti sex-selective abortions bill ‘predicated on misinformation’ and ‘underlying aim is to restrict access to abortion’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe man who wants to ban “sex-selective abortions” is the first person who will tell you it won’t work.New South Wales Libertarian party MLC John Ruddick has introduced legislation that would see health practitioners sent to prison or fined thousands if they carry out a termination because of the sex of a foetus. Continue reading...

Premier Chris Minns says changes would balance road safety and a more practical approach for medicinal cannabis usersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMotorists who use medicinal cannabis may soon be able to drive on New South Wales roads without fear of a severe penalty as the Minns government announces long-awaited reforms.The government announced on Thursday it would introduce legislation which would see drivers with a medicinal cannabis prescription no longer face a three-month licence suspension or fine for having the THC component of cannabis in their system. Continue reading...

Bank apologises after IT update caused problems with Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland appsLloyds Banking Group has apologised after thousands of its customers were unable to make payments or send money due to another IT glitch.According to Downdetector, a website that lets people track real-time service issues and outages, customers started noticing problems shortly after 11am on Wednesday, with issues affecting many of the group’s brands: Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows and MBNA. Continue reading...

Democrats say appointment of Bill Pulte could doom bipartisan agreement to renew section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance ActSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump’s appointment of a close political ally with no intelligence experience to lead the nation’s spy agencies has thrown last-ditch efforts to renew a critical surveillance program into doubt.Bill Pulte, currently head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, was tapped by Trump to serve as acting director of national intelligence days after Tulsi Gabbard departed the role. Continue reading...

DfE plans to withdraw funding for assistive software, saying it is now rarely needed due to ‘widely available free tools’Disability campaigners have called on the government to halt plans to cut funding for specialist tech support for tens of thousands of disabled students in England.Almost 10,000 people have signed a petition opposing Department for Education (DfE) proposals to withdraw funding for specialist assistive software available as part of the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Continue reading...

Fewer than one in 10 SEW customers satisfied with firm’s handling of supply crisis, which left tens of thousands without waterSouth East Water failed to adequately communicate with customers during outages last winter that left tens of thousands of people without water, a report has concluded.Fewer than one in 10 SEW customers were satisfied with how the company handled the water supply crisis that stretched across parts of Kent and Sussex last winter, the consumer council for water said. The report found communication was the company’s greatest failing. Continue reading...

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...