Author: The Guardian

More than half of British adults will vote in the 2024 general election, the lowest share of the population since the general election, a report shows.The Institute for Public Policy think tank found that only 52% of British adults voted on July 4, the lowest level since voting was extended to all adults over 21 in 1928.Turnout – measured as the proportion of adults registered to vote – was reportedly the lowest since 2001.However, the IPPR said this figure was even lower as a share of the adult population as a whole, meaning that if the non-voting party were a…

California’s wildfire season is off to a ferocious start, with the state’s top wildfire official saying that fires have already burned through five times the average amount of land for this time of year.Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Joe Tyler, the director of the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire), said the state has responded to more than 3,500 wildfires so far this year. Together, those fires have scorched nearly 220,000 acres – more than five times above what is typical for mid-July, which is considered fairly early in the state’s wildfire season.“We are not…

DDuring Joe Biden’s press conference at the NATO summit, which many described as a test of the future of his re-election campaign, he demonstrated clarity and conviction on foreign policy. But at a time when America is intensely focused on his fitness to lead, it was overshadowed by some embarrassing gaffes and a shaky voice.After about eight minutes of prepared remarks, Biden answered reporters’ questions about NATO, Ukraine, China and Israel, as well as questions about his cognitive health and vow to stay in the race.”I’m determined to run, but I think it’s important to allay fears,” Biden said at…

The British politician Roy Jenkins once famously observed that Tony Blair’s challenge in getting Labour elected in 1997 was “like a man carrying a priceless Ming vase across a highly polished floor”.Joe Biden dropped the vase, shattering it into a thousand crazy pieces, before his rare press conference even got started on Thursday.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Biden declared at the Nato summit in Washington while introducing Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelenskiy. “President Putin!”Joe Biden mistakenly refers to Zelenskiy as Putin before correcting himself – videoIt was a cringeworthy moment for European leaders who did not know whether to clap. The 81-year-old US president…

In a key news conference that could make or break his presidential campaign, Joe Biden passionately defended his foreign policy record even as he faced a series of questions about his mental health and in another misstep Incorrectly calling Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump”.Biden, who has spoken widely on thorny foreign policy issues, including competition with China and Israel’s war with Hamas, said he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to occupy the Gaza Strip.He said he had contacted Xi directly to warn him against providing further support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, but had not contacted Vladimir…

Should I stay or should I go? If I stay there will be trouble … This wasn’t so much a press conference, more a job interview conducted in front of an audience of millions. One where almost everyone had already made up their mind that they would rather almost anyone else got the nod.This was politics as a bloodsport. Painful to watch. Like intruding on a personal grief. Because there could be no winner here. Were Joe Biden to be word perfect and razor sharp, the doubts would remain about his cognitive abilities. The US president cannot erase his recent…

Ten days into this year’s competition, it feels like Elena Rybakina’s name will be engraved on the women’s singles trophy for the second time in three years. The Kazakh player reached the semi-finals after losing just one set and is looking forward to building on the success she won so well in 2022.Barbora Krejcikova had other ideas. The 2021 French Open champion has struggled with injuries over the past 12 months, but the 28-year-old found a way to offset Rybakina’s power on Thursday as she claimed a 3-6 win , 6-3, 6- won. “This is unbelievable,” Krejcikova said cheerfully. “It’s…

The family of two Australians found dead at a luxury hotel in the Philippines alongside a Filipina relative say they are praying “for answers and the truth in this horrific matter”.The bodies were discovered with their hands and feet tied in a room at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay, a resort city south of the nation’s capital.The victims were Sydney man David James Fisk, 57, his partner, Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen, and a younger relative of Cortez.Masked man seen on CCTV before Australian couple found dead in Philippines hotel – videoTagaytay’s police chief, Charles Daven Capagcuan,…

England beat New Zealand in a tense six-match final at Canterbury on Thursday to seal the series 3-0 with two games remaining, despite Jon Lewis The decision to rest captain Heather Knight was controversial.Alice Capsey scores career-best unbeaten 67 after successfully having her LBW decision overturned on 40 but overturned by DRS – comments suggest it will miss Leg stump – and New Zealand were forced to pay for their mistakes on the pitch. They beat Amy Jones in the 11th and 18th before Fran Jonas fumbled the ball out of bounds at third and England returned home with four…

Joe Biden has accidentally introduced the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as “President Putin” in a gaffe that will fuel further concerns about his mental acuity that have threatened to scuttle his presidential campaign.Biden made the mistake while flanked by Nato leaders during a signing ceremony alongside Zelenskiy on the final day of the Nato summit in Washington. It came just an hour before a rare press conference by Biden that has been called “make-or-break” for his campaign, as a growing number of political allies and donors have been calling for him to drop out of the race.Concluding his opening remarks,…