Officials

Armed group appears to reach agreement with Trump administration over safety of Red Sea shippingOfficials from the US met Houthi leaders over the weekend at the country’s embassy in Muscat, Oman, it has been confirmed, leading to the US decision not to intervene to help Saudi Arabia drive back a Houthi advance inside Yemen.The Houthis reassured the US that the ceasefire agreement between the two sides struck in 2025 still held and the movement had no intention of attacking US shipping in the Red Sea. Only Saudi-linked shipping was regarded as a target owing to its blockade of Yemen, the Houthis confirmed. Continue reading...

• A court blocked a last-minute effort by President Trump to change the rules regarding the use of mail ballots. • Washington State elections director Stuart Holmes noted that ballots were already printed, making a shift in rules very costly. • The ruling prevents election officials from having to execute contingency plans, such as the one in Weber County, Utah, to abandon mail voting entirely.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the record-setting cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce has ended. • Health officials confirmed that all contaminated iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico is now off the market. • Consumers no longer face a risk of getting sick from this specific batch of contaminated produce.

Security stopped individual who entered property of ex-vice-president and was asked to leave, no arrests were made Law enforcement officials and a spokesperson for former vice-president Kamala Harris said a trespasser was stopped at her Malibu home in California on Friday night.Neither the former vice-president nor her husband, Doug Emhoff, were home at the time. Continue reading...

The deadly fire had begun in the ferry’s cargo hold, then tore through the ship within secondsThe bodies of passengers killed in a ferry fire off the Philippines arrived at a port near the resort town of Coron, Palawan, on Saturday morning, as the country’s coast guard warned the death toll of 35 would grow.Tents were being set up to receive 30 bodies brought from the M/V June Aster, which ran aground near the tourist hotspot after a fire erupted on Wednesday evening and tore through the vessel “in seconds”. Continue reading...

Outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, which infected 12,882 people and led to two deathsThe US’s largest recorded multi-state outbreak of sickness caused by the cyclospora parasite has ended, federal health officials announced on Friday.The record outbreak of cyclosporiasis was linked to processed iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico, which infected 12,883 people across 21 states and led to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in 30 states demanding they retain and hand over sensitive voter data. • These letters cite the enforcement of election rules under the Civil Rights Act, despite previous court rulings denying the federal government permission to collect this state data. • Election officials from both Republican and Democratic parties described the DOJ's communications as threatening.

Census Bureau also considers race and ethnicity questions in overhaul that would have dramatic effect on voter mapsThe Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to the US census intended to exclude immigrants without legal status in addition to other groups, with potentially significant effects on the allocation of federal resources and drawing of districts in the House of Representatives.In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau also announced it was considering changes to the data it collects about race and ethnicity, amid the Trump administration’s push to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Continue reading...

Kent Blacklidge, who officials say was ‘directly involved with child exploitation cases’, turned himself in last weekA federal law enforcement agent tasked with “trying to provide justice in cases involving kids” has been charged with child rape in Alabama, state authorities said on Tuesday.Kent Blacklidge, described as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), turned himself over to the Baldwin county jail on 5 September in connection with a grand jury indictment charging him with first- and second-degree rape, sodomy and sexual abuse, police in the city of Spanish Fort said in a statement. Continue reading...

• Reform UK officials resigned following a Channel 4 News undercover investigation into the party's funding practices. • The documentary alleges that officials breached political donation rules by arranging for an overseas company to pay for polling. • One official was filmed suggesting ways to evade electoral laws to facilitate donations to the party from abroad.

Security experts fear Putin may be winning hybrid war with the west amid rise of pro-Kremlin, far-right partiesDefence planners working with Nato fear that if war broke out with Russia, Europe could not currently sustain a prolonged war of attrition owing to a public lack of war readiness, a conference on the future of European military coordination heard this week.The pessimism reflects concern that Russia may be winning a so-called hybrid war with Europe, weakening the options available to Nato war planners in the event of military conflict. Continue reading...

• Reform UK suspended two senior officials following an undercover report regarding the party's donations. • The Electoral Commission, the watchdog overseeing party funding rules, confirmed it is considering all relevant information and has contacted the Metropolitan police. • These revelations create additional political pressure for leader Nigel Farage ahead of his upcoming conference speech.

Interior department given three months to decide whether wolves can be removed from endangered species listDonald Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the interior department to consider de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act and to contemplate whether the agency could make it easier to authorize killing them.The order gives interior secretary Doug Burgum three months to determine whether gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have recovered enough for the federal government to de-list them. Continue reading...

• Reform UK officials Dan Jukes and James Orr have stepped down from their roles following an undercover report concerning party donations. • The party has launched an internal investigation into the allegations raised by the report to determine if any rules were breached. • The Electoral Commission clarified on Thursday that parties must report all permissible donations exceeding £11,180 and all impermissible donations over £500.

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...

Investigation broadcast by Channel 4 shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform Nigel Farage is facing fresh criticism on the eve of the Reform UK party conference after some of his team were filmed appearing to plot to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations in an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4.A group of investigative journalists called Verbatim, funded by the Centre for Climate Reporting, posed as a potential Reform supporter and his wealthy American father, an impermissible donor, who paid for £30,000 of polling commissioned by Reform and which benefited the party. Continue reading...

• Election officials are resisting proposed mail ballot rules from the Trump administration, stating it is too late in the election cycle to implement the changes. • The dispute centers on the handling of election ballots, with officials facing both legal challenges and practical logistical hurdles. • In response, the U.S. Postal Service has spent months developing a Federal Ballot Mail Portal to securely share lists of mail-in ballot recipients with state officials.

Government talks up pact but Venezuelan opposition alarmed that democracy yet to return after Maduro exitTrump administration officials on Tuesday defended a highly contentious deal giving the US control of a significant chunk of Venezuelan oil reserves, arguing that the sweeping agreement would help stabilize and rebuild democracy in the shattered South American country while giving Washington vital access to strategic crude reserves.Last week, Donald Trump announced a “groundbreaking” deal that would give the US “majority” control over 65bn barrels – roughly one-fifth – of Venezuela’s oil reserves. Continue reading...

Buddy Stephens, who was featured on Last Chance U, publicly criticized his school and league hierarchyA college football coach who rose to prominence in a Netflix documentary series about student athletes trying to make the big time on their final opportunity has been fired after publicly calling officials “idiots” for changing the structure of the league in which his team competed.Buddy Stephens, the coach in question, starred in the first two seasons of the gritty reality show Last Chance U that chronicled the struggles endured by football players at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) as they juggled academics, challenging home lives and their full-contact sport in their efforts to reach the NFL. Continue reading...

Canadian PM is set to retaliate against tariffs levied by Donald Trump and criticized US officials over insultsUS politics live – latest updatesMark Carney has rebuked Donald Trump’s administration and urged officials in Washington to “start being serious” amid escalation trade tensions between the US and Canada.Days before Canada is due to retaliate against Trump’s sweeping tariffs with its own duties on US goods, the Canadian prime minister criticized US officials for insulting his country. “It is beneath their office,” he said. Continue reading...

RFK Jr, the health secretary, has suggested the death were ‘fabricated’ while the CDC claimed it was reviewing themTop US health officials and government agencies are currently not including the two recent measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania in their counts.“This is highly unusual,” said Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She noted that this did not happen with the three deaths reported from measles in Texas and New Mexico last year. Continue reading...

Recent deadly water-related incidents amid heatwave leads National Park Service to issue water-safety remindersAs a heatwave continues to bake the western and central US, officials are urging swimmers to be cautious when seeking respite from the summer heat, especially amid a score of recent deadly water-related incidents.Each year, from April to September, drowning deaths rise nationwide, according to 2018-24 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading...

In move that could generate millions, Exeter academics to deliver MA at National Defense University in RiyadhThe University of Exeter has approved plans for a “formal partnership” with Saudi Arabia to train senior military officers and government officials, despite long-held concerns about the Saudi government’s human rights record, the Guardian has learned.In a deal that could generate millions of pounds for the Russell Group university, Exeter academics will deliver an MA in applied security and strategy (also known as an MStrat) to a cohort at the National Defense University (NDU) in Riyadh. Continue reading...

Helipad relocation led in part to incident where Marine One, carrying the president, had close call with passenger jetSafety officials say the relocation of a helipad amid Donald Trump’s multi-project White House reconstruction led in part to an incident earlier this month in which a military helicopter carrying the president came too close to a passenger jet.A preliminary report published Thursday by the National Transportation ⁠Safety Board (NTSB) blamed “communication issues” for the failure of the crew of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to give the required three minutes’ notice to air traffic controllers that they were about to take off from the White House. Continue reading...

• A survey conducted by Catawba College and YouGov reveals that North Carolinians across the political spectrum broadly support nonpartisan election officials who prioritize public interest over party affiliation. • Despite this shared expectation, the data indicates that significant partisan trust gaps persist regarding the current administration of elections. • The findings highlight a critical tension in North Carolina's political climate, where there is a desire for neutrality amidst deep ideological divisions.

Mosquito traps are set up at Germany’s biggest airport, with doctors told to watch for symptoms of deadly diseaseGerman health officials are seeking to reassure the public after two workers at the country’s biggest airport died of malaria.Mosquito traps have been set up at Frankfurt airport and a mosquito monitoring process is under way. A detailed investigation is being conducted to clarify how the workers contracted the disease. Continue reading...

At least 160 people have died, while officials believe 340 foreign nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine among those missing. Follow the latest newsFlash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missingTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Authorities in Nepal and Tibet have said they fear the death toll from catastrophic flooding could be much higher than 160 people already killed, as search and rescue efforts to locate the hundreds missing continue.A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, triggering the flash flood which washed away houses, roads and border crossings.Rescue teams are rushing on Thursday to find hundreds of people missing after the flood and landslides killed at least 160 people. Many of the missing were foreign tourists, officials said.Nepali police said they had recovered 157 bodies after “devastating floods”, with officers working to move families in flood-risk areas to safety. Chinese state media reported “major casualties” from a mudslide at a Tibet border hub, reporting three dead and another 265 missing. The overall death toll appears likely to rise.Tibet government officials mobilised nearly 800 emergency workers and 150 vehicles as well as sniffer dogs and speed boats to help the rescue efforts, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.At least 403 tourists – 341 of them foreigners – were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck on Wednesday morning, according to Nepal’s tourism ministry. The missing foreigners included 142 Indians, 33 from the UK, 47 from the US, 34 from Australia and 24 from Canada as well as others from South Korea, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, the tourism board said. Nine ⁠South Koreans ⁠were missing, the country’s foreign ministry said.At least 28 Nepal police officials were missing, a police spokesperson said.Entire villages and markets were “wiped out”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said. It was dispatching emergency supplies including blankets, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.United Nations chief António Guterres said UN ⁠teams ​and ‌partners ‌were ‌mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal ‌to support affected communities.Surveillance video from the Chinese side of the border showed a raging wall of mud and debris crashing over a building several storeys high, engulfing it as dozens of people flee for their lives below. The surge sweeps away buses and cars.Experts warned that a lingering blockage upstream on the Nepal-China border river could produce a second flood.The cause of the flooding was not immediately clear. Nepalese foreign minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide, which in turn blocked a river, sending water gushing downstream. Nepal’s disaster authority said satellite data indicated a “snow-rock landslide” on the Nepal-China border may have caused the flood. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.Chinese leader Xi Jinping said “the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.The US Geological Survey first reported a magnitude-4.4 earthquake early on Wednesday, about 66km (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. It later updated to call the shaking a 5.2-magnitude landslide. Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Monday regarding a voting order initiated by Donald Trump, though the court refrained from declaring the order lawful. • Election officials have expressed significant concern that the ruling's lack of clarity could lead to widespread chaos during upcoming voting processes. • The decision is critical as it leaves the legal status of the voting order in limbo, potentially impacting election administration and voter access.