General news

• Royal Mail issues delay warning to 216 UK postcode areas today — full list

  14-07-2026 10:07 via express.co.uk
  The post is delayed across hundreds of postcodes.
  
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• England 1-2 Argentina: World Cup 2026 semi-final – live

  15-07-2026 23:04 via theguardian.com
  ⚽ Dramatic late goals set up World Cup final with Spain
  ⚽ The semi-final – in pictures | Golden Boot | Player guideEngland’s defenders will face an extreme challenge when they come up against Lionel Messi in their World Cup semi-final. It is not just that he is the greatest player of all time but the almost unique way in which he plays.The 39-year-old is renowned for ambling around for much of a game, saving his energy for when truly required. It makes him incredibly diff
  
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• Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency

  15-07-2026 22:48 via theguardian.com
  US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Department of Defense will offer testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers 30 and older.The US defense secretary unveiled plans for a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops that will work to ensure service members have the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their optimal conditions in
  
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• Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine’s popular defence minister

  15-07-2026 22:47 via theguardian.com
  Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with transforming the ministry, ousted in reshuffle after six months in postVolodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s popular defence minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job, as part of wide-ranging government reshuffle.In a post on Telegram Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was leaving his position, saying it had been a “great honour” to serve the Ukrainian people. He was widely credited with transfo
  
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• US military announces another wave of strikes against Iran as Trump says ‘they better behave’ – Middle East crisis live

  15-07-2026 22:34 via theguardian.com
  US strikes Iran for fourth consecutive day as Iran deputy foreign minister says interim deal all but ‘dismantled’Trump again threatens to strike Iran’s power plants amid impasse over strait of HormuzFor a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official.“In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three p
  
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• Maltese politicians ‘involved’ in plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia, court hears

  15-07-2026 21:58 via theguardian.com
  Former economy minister Chris Cardona and ex-chief of staff Keith Schembri named as being involved in 2017 murder of journalistTwo political figures who previously held powerful government roles in Malta were accused of plotting to kill the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during court testimony on Wednesday.The allegations, against a former economy minister and a former chief of staff to the prime minister, were made during a chaotic day at the courts of justice in Valletta, where the business
  
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• Police charge 14-year-old boy over alleged terror plot targeting London mosques

  15-07-2026 21:32 via theguardian.com
  ‘Documents of concern’ found at child’s home in the capital, with no other suspects soughtA 14-year-old boy from south London has been charged with an offence linked to “extreme rightwing terrorism” after a police search uncovered an alleged plot to target two mosques.The boy was arrested on 9 July on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle, but officers dispatched to his address found “a number of documents of concern” during a search, according to th
  
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• Kylian Mbappé feels sands of time shifting as France suffer fresh World Cup angst

  15-07-2026 21:31 via theguardian.com
  France’s captain has played with a sense of unfinished business but he will be 31 when the next World Cup beginsIt was only last month that Kylian Mbappé suggested all roads may lead to Florida. He was in sufficiently mischievous mood to reveal David Beckham had been chewing his ear off about a move to Major League Soccer, dangling the prospect of a reunion with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.“We will see, I don’t know,” he said. “The American culture is differe
  
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• New $1 coin featuring Trump in production at US Mint, treasury says

  15-07-2026 21:24 via theguardian.com
  Coin commemorating 250th anniversary will be released this fall and will mark the first time a living president appears on currencyThe treasury department announced Wednesday that the US Mint has started producing a new commemorative $1 coin featuring Donald Trump as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.The coin is scheduled for release this fall. Treasury officials said its final design was approved earlier this year by the US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appo
  
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• Venezuelan man becomes 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year

  15-07-2026 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, 45, found ‘unresponsive’ while being transferred between detention facilities in GeorgiaAnother person has died in federal immigration custody this week in Georgia, officials announced on Wednesday. His is the 22nd death in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this year.Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan man, died on Monday morning while being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia. In a press release
  
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• Germany warns US against election interference after it announces grants scheme

  15-07-2026 20:45 via theguardian.com
  State department says plan will provide funding to ‘address national sovereignty, migration, censorship and lawfare’Friedrich Merz has warned Donald Trump’s administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced a scheme to fund Maga-aligned causes in Europe.The German chancellor was responding to a new US initiative offering grants of up to $3m (£2.2m) for European charities, thinktanks and individuals. Continue reading...
  
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• ITV and BBC to screen full World Cup final half-time show despite time concerns

  15-07-2026 20:22 via theguardian.com
  Broadcasters expect to have time to analyse the gameChannels planning for break to last 25 to 30 minutesITV and BBC are planning to screen in full Fifa’s controversial half-time show from the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, but the broadcasters remain in the dark over how long it will last.The Guardian revealed last month that there were concerns among broadcasters at the length of the half-time spectacle, which has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and will
  
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• In this star-powered World Cup, Spain show value of collective and control | Sid Lowe

  15-07-2026 20:03 via theguardian.com
  Luis de la Fuente’s final-bound team have been fuelled by togetherness and a commitment to each other that goes back a long wayOn the way out of the dressing room in Arlington, Luis de la Fuente gathered his “family” and delivered one last message before the World Cup semi-final against France. He had long known what he was going to say, if not exactly how – it’s what he has been saying for 50 days and more. “I’ll tell them that this is a unique stage, t
  
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• Food supplements could help bees cope with climate crisis, research suggests

  15-07-2026 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Insects in study fared better in cold when given a probiotic and prebiotic mix alongside their usual sugar dietFood supplements for honeybees could help the insects better withstand temperature stresses linked to a changing climate, early research suggests.Scientists found that worker bees fed a mixture of probiotics and inulin, a plant-derived prebiotic, survived prolonged cold exposure better than bees given an ordinary sugar diet. Continue reading...
  
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• Save the Children clashes with Labour after accusing Starmer of ‘complicity’ in Gaza deaths

  15-07-2026 19:49 via theguardian.com
  Government – which provides significant portion of charity’s funding – is understood to have demanded an explanationThe charity Save the Children has angered the government with a social media post marking Keir Starmer’s impending exit from Downing Street.The organisation suggested on X that the outgoing prime minister was complicit in the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Israel-Gaza war. Continue reading...
  
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• Florence Welch’s mother says cuts to arts and humanities ‘absolutely tragic’

  15-07-2026 19:49 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Prof Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor of Bristol University, believes her daughter’s success shows value of arts educationOne of Britain’s leading university vice-chancellors has described sweeping cuts to arts and humanities across the sector as “absolutely tragic”, citing her famous daughter as an example of the value of a creative arts education.Prof Evelyn Welch, the vice-chancellor of Bristol University and incoming chair of the Russell Group of research-inte
  
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• Ella Baron on Nigel Farage and the World Cup – cartoon

  15-07-2026 19:25 via theguardian.com
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• The Guardian view on obesity: put public health before food industry pressure | Editorial

  15-07-2026 19:22 via theguardian.com
  Obesity reflects prices, advertising and access, not simply weak willpower. Ministers must now actBritain has spent the last three decades asking individuals to make healthier choices inside a market that makes those choices more expensive and less visible. It is no surprise then that the proportion of adults in England living with obesity nearly doubled in that time, to 30%. MPs on the health select committee have decided enough is enough. Preventing obesity in future generations, they say, mus
  
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• The Guardian view on Keir Starmer’s farewell: a dignified departure and a necessary one | Editorial

  15-07-2026 19:22 via theguardian.com
  The outgoing prime minister was on good form during his sometimes emotional last PMQs. But Labour MPs were right that change was neededMercifully for a prime minister whose defenestration was swift and brutal after Labour’s catastrophic local election results in May, Sir Keir Starmer’s valedictory week has offered several opportunities to point to what he got right. Sir Keir’s steadfast record in corralling international support for Ukraine – and ensuring Britain stayed o
  
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• A victory for Nationwide’s board – but members still deserve stronger voting rights | Nils Pratley

  15-07-2026 19:18 via theguardian.com
  Building society rules need an overhaul if ballots on executive pay are non-binding and huge takeovers don’t require approvalIn the end, the rebellion at Nationwide, the country’s biggest building society, was modest. James Sherwin-Smith, who was trying to become the first member-nominated director in almost 25 years, secured only 12% of votes cast – enough to count as unusual but a long way short of causing embarrassment for the board. Meanwhile, the society got its usual 95%-
  
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• At his final PMQs, Starmer soaked up the love from all sides – and even some tenderness from Kemi

  15-07-2026 19:12 via theguardian.com
  It wasn’t his performances on Wednesday lunchtimes that did for the ultimate mid-table PM – it was all the other stuffWho would have thought it? Most of us would have put money on Kemi Badenoch failing to read the room for Keir Starmer’s last ever prime minister’s questions. Not a bit. From her opening tribute to Ann Widdecombe to her final gags, Kemi was the model of warmth, generosity and tenderness. Pitch perfect. Not a word out of place. So much so that you couldn&rsq
  
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• Heatwaves are killing people in Britain. We need to take action now | Letters

  15-07-2026 18:52 via theguardian.com
  Dr Alessandro Massazza says extreme heat is linked to poor mental health, but solutions do exist. Plus letters from Sean Smith and Woody CaanThe data published by Imperial College London on deaths caused by the May and June heatwaves is a stark reminder of how climate change is not only measured in degrees of temperatures but also in terms of lost lives (May and June heatwaves killed about 2,700 people in England and Wales, data suggests, 13 July).While each death due to extreme heat is a preven
  
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• 'Welfare' has a long and positive history in Britain | Letter

  15-07-2026 18:51 via theguardian.com
  Martin Bailey responds to a letter that said the word ‘welfare’ is American and has negative connotationsRuth Lister is very much mistaken in her accusation that the word “welfare” is pejorative and American in origin (Letters, 13 July). William Beveridge refers to welfare 25 times in his report of 1942.Moreover, the use of the word welfare in Britain has a long and positive history – it was the stated aim to improve the welfare of the British people by liberals, th
  
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• Gary Stevenson and how class signifiers shape our perceptions of authority | Letter

  15-07-2026 18:51 via theguardian.com
  Carla Keen on the cultural signals we attach to how people speak, in response to a review on a documentary hosted by the inequality campaignerLucy Mangan’s description of Gary Stevenson as having an “adolescent bullishness” raises a wider question about how class shapes perceptions of authority (How to Get Filthy Rich With Gary Stevenson review – how did this end up such an embarrassment?, 8 July). I am an artist from a working-class background working in theatre, and I a
  
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• Deaf people excluded from gene-editing debate | Letter

  15-07-2026 18:51 via theguardian.com
  There is no majority support for use of gene editing on non-life-threatening conditions, writes Tom Lichy of the British Deaf AssociationYour editorial (The Guardian view on gene-edited humans: darker uses must be acknowledged alongside medical ones, 5 July) offers welcome support to those expressing concern about the lack of public dialogue on gene-edited humans. These concerns are exacerbated when some scientists view the use of germline editing to eradicate hereditary conditions as inevi
  
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• Wally Funk obituary

  15-07-2026 18:48 via theguardian.com
  Pioneering American aviator who was the oldest woman to fly into space aged 82 in 2021As an aviator, Wally Funk, who has died aged 87, was a trailblazing pioneer for women, breaking barriers for eight decades of a remarkable career. “Aviation has been my whole life; I eat and breathe it,” she said in her 2020 memoir, Higher, Faster, Longer (written with Loretta Hall).She earned her pilot’s licence as a teenager, at 20 was the US military’s first female flight instructor,
  
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• ‘Zara death pants’: are these the world’s most dangerous trousers?

  15-07-2026 18:43 via theguardian.com
  Wide-legged and flowing, they are causing a storm on social media, with people posting videos of the fabric getting caught in escalators and causing painful tripsName: “Zara death pants.”Appearance: Flowing, wide-legged, with a high waist, elastic waistband and front pockets. Continue reading...
  
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• Nobby Stiles died with brain condition caused by repeatedly heading a football, coroner rules

  15-07-2026 18:43 via theguardian.com
  England World Cup winner died in 2020 but his death was never reported by authorities to the coroner’s officeThe England footballer and World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with a brain condition caused by repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has ruled.Stiles, a tenacious, tough-tackling midfielder described by Geoff Hurst as the “heart and soul” of the 1966 World Cup-winning team, died in 2020 but his death was not reported by authorities to the coroner’s office. Conti
  
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• Social media curfew for teens: is it pointless? - The Latest

  15-07-2026 18:41 via theguardian.com
  Sixteen- and 17-year-olds face an overnight social media curfew in an extension of the government’s social media ban for under-16s.Under the plan, aimed at reducing online harms, certain apps would be blocked by default from midnight to 6am.But the curfew will not be mandatory and teenagers can opt out, so will it achieve anything?Annie Kelly speaks to social affairs correspondent Jessica Murray Continue reading...
  
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• Stonegate pub and bar chain investigated over ‘unfair’ treatment of landlords

  15-07-2026 18:39 via theguardian.com
  Pubs code adjudicator says it has reasonable grounds to believe group has breached industry regulationsThe owner of the Slug & Lettuce and Be At One chains is being investigated over concerns about possible “unfair” treatment of landlords who run more than 3,000 of its venues.Stonegate Group, Britain’s biggest chain of bars and pubs, could be fined up to 1% of revenue, more than £16m, if it is found to have breached the “pubs code”, legislation governing h
  
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