Top World News

Businesses could be barred from non-essential water use amid supply threat

Golf clubs, private schools and car washes may face tighter rules from water companies as England’s drought continuesThree water companies are seeking to impose severe restrictions on businesses as the drought continues across most of England, putting rivers and wildlife under huge pressure.Golf clubs and private schools could be barred from using mains water to irrigate playing fields and courses, and commercial car washes stopped from operating, under “non-essential use bans” being sought by the companies. Continue reading...

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Ukrainian soldier to go on trial over sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines

Special forces officer Serhii Kuznetsov denies involvement in the 2022 blasts that left pipelines badly damaged A Ukrainian soldier is to go on trial in Hamburg accused of taking part in one of the most brazen acts of sabotage in postwar European history – the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany.Serhii Kuznetsov, a special forces officer from the Ukrainian military, is accused by prosecutors of being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, causing an explosion, damaging property and disrupting public services. Continue reading...

Australian industry reliant on gas for ‘foreseeable future’, resources minister tells press club

Madeleine King says national gas reservation scheme, expected to come into effect from 2028, will reduce power pricesFollow our Australian politics live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe resources minister, Madeleine King, says Australian industry will be reliant on gas for the “foreseeable future”, and that the national gas reservation scheme will push down power prices.But the Western Australian MP did not put a price tag on the cost of gas under the proposal– as the former opposition leader, Peter Dutton, once did – nor predict when households and businesses would start to see that financial relief. Continue reading...

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Wednesday briefing: ​Why small boat crossings are here to stay ​

In today’s newsletter: The ​collapse of the UK’s ‘one in, one out’ asylum deal with France exposes the limits of border enforcement that did little to stop crossings, and only made them more dangerousGood morning. You’d be forgiven for missing it. Earlier this month, the government quietly scrapped its “one in, one out” deal with France. The partnership was supposed to eliminate small boat crossings by deterring asylum seekers from making the treacherous journey across the world’s busiest shipping channel.The deal, which lasted just 423 days, was beset with problems, had a negligible impact, and now joins a long list of policies that have tried and failed to address highly visible, often tragic small boat crossings. This morning, the Home Office announced that it would be doubling the number of riot police along the French coast in lieu of the deal.UK news | Extremists holding anti-immigration opinions are becoming increasingly likely to consider carrying out terrorist attacks against immigration centres and asylum hotels, the head of MI5 has warned.UK politics | Nigel Farage has denied that a Reform UK government would authorise lethal force against small boat crossings in the Channel.Ukraine | Andy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday as the UK seeks to further underline its support for the Ukrainian president, in contrast to his difficulties with Donald Trump.US politics | Kimberly Guilfoyle is stepping down as US ambassador to Greece after weeks of reports that she sought payment from a Trump donor in exchange for access to administration officials.Pope Leo XIV | Pope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican said late on Tuesday. Leo, 71, underwent an operation and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, with tests confirming a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said. Continue reading...

Leaders of India’s Cockroach party jailed for violating ban on protest site

Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das will spend spend five days in prison for entering Delhi’s Jantar Mantar – a historic protest site that has been closed by authoritiesTwo leaders of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement have been sent to jail for five days for violating a ban on protests at a site in central Delhi.A court ordered that Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, leaders of the Cockroach Janata party (CJP) movement, spend five days in Delhi’s Tihar prison for jumping over police barricades, holding up slogans and waving the Indian flag at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Continue reading...