Statement by Trump administration confirms longstanding suspicions that Musk-led agency is on its way out The “department of government efficiency” (Doge) has apparently been dissolved with eight months still remaining on its contract, ending a drawn-out campaign of invading federal agencies and firing thousands of federal workers. “That doesn’t exist,” office of personnel management (OPM) director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about Doge’s status, adding that it was no longer a “centralized entity”. Continue reading...

"We have nothing to hide," Trump wrote on Truth Social, after previously fighting a proposal to make more of the Epstein files public.

Local people describe devastating impact of millions of toxic beads from Southern Water site near Camber Sands * What are bio-beads used for and how did they get spilled on to Camber Sands beach? The massive spill of plastic beads at Camber Sands is devastating for local people, wildlife and tourism and the beads are dispersing along the coast, residents heard at an emotional public meeting on Thursday. Millions of tiny, toxic plastic beads are thought to have escaped into the sea from Eastbourne sewage works in East Sussex about two weeks ago when a screen keeping them in broke. They began to wash up on Camber Sands beach last Thursday, with the situation worsening over the weekend. Continue reading...

A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim

Flossie McShea from Devon says she saw a shooting, a beheading and porn and that other students ‘show you their screen without invitation’ A 17-year-old girl who says she was exposed to horrific images and videos including porn, a shooting and a beheading on a smartphones during the school day has joined a legal action against the education secretary. Flossie McShea, from Devon, says she also received threatening messages while at school, as she put her name to a judicial review in an attempt to get smartphones banned in schools in England. Continue reading...

Proposals draw scorn from some Labour MPs who say it is a ‘dangerous path’ to take, while others want the government to go further Shabana Mahmood is to announce changes to the UK’s immigration rules modelled on the Danish system, largely seen as among the most stringent in Europe, the Guardian understands. Last month, the home secretary dispatched officials to Denmark to study its border control and asylum policies. The country’s tighter rules on family reunions and restricting some refugees to a temporary stay are among the policies being looked at. Continue reading...

Sprinklers could save 500-year-old tree that had branches cut off without authorisation in April, says expert The restaurant chain Toby Carvery is being urged to pay for life support for an ancient oak tree that its owner had chainsawed last spring to widespread public dismay. Experts say the trunk of the 500-year-old tree, on the edge of a Toby Carvery car park in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, has shown signs of regrowth, despite its branches being sawn off by the restaurant’s contractors in April. Continue reading...

First 50 vehicles, costing nearly £10m each, finally ready to deploy to Nato’s eastern flank, where drones now dominate Britain’s military has announced the first delivery of Ajax armoured vehicles, eight years behind schedule and amid questions about their relevance as cheap drones dominate the battlefields of Ukraine. The junior defence minister Luke Pollard said the first 50 vehicles, costing nearly £10m each, were ready to deploy on Nato’s eastern flank, though he acknowledged the problems of the past when delivery deadlines of 2017, 2020 and 2021 were all missed. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Behaviour of Robert Albon, or ‘Joe Donor’, described as compulsive by judge who said he targeted vulnerable women A prolific unregulated donor is still attempting to sell his sperm despite warnings from two family court judges, a Guardian investigation has found. Robert Albon, who calls himself “Joe Donor”, has appealed to the courts to gain access to at least four of his biological children against their mothers’ wishes. In a rare move, a judge named him in 2023 to warn women of the risks of using his services, which he promotes on social media. Continue reading...

The Coral Adventurer will return to Cairns, as investigations into Suzanne Rees’ death continue * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The luxury Coral Adventurer cruise has been cancelled in the wake of the death of passenger Suzanne Rees, who was left on the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island and wasn’t found until the next day. It will now return to Cairns, as investigations into Rees’ death continue. Continue reading...