business 
Retail sales in Great Britain rose last month amid a sharp increase in consumers spending at department stores, hardware shops and clothes outlets. Reflecting a stronger economic backdrop than feared, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed sales volumes rose by 1% on the month, although spending at supermarkets fell after a bumper … Read more
Donald Trump’s appointment of a career health researcher to head the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provoked a serious rightwing backlash for the new administration. Dozens of Maga influencers, along with many rank-and-file Trump supporters, have taken to social media to denounce Susan Monarez to spin false conspiracy theories about her connections … Read more
For beleaguered and divided congressional Democrats desperate to find an effective line of attack against Donald Trump, news that the US president’s national security team discussed plans to bomb Yemen on a widely available messaging app in the presence of a journalist came at just the right time. The leak has put the White House … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature White House moves to end union rights for many government agency employees Good morning and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and will be bringing you all the latest news lines through this morning. We start with … Read more
Keir Starmer’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle, is standing down from his role after nine months in No 10, the Guardian understands. Doyle is the second senior member of Starmer’s team to be in post for less than a year after the election, following the departure of Sue Gray as his chief of staff in … Read more
Good morning. Keir Starmer is today promising to improve the north of England’s “Victorian-era” public transport system. Anyone reliant on trains and buses north of Watford will know exactly what he is talking about, and will probably welcome Starmer’s intent – while also thinking they have heard this all before from central government, and wondering … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Morning opening: You’re (not) welcome here In normal times, a visit by a US vice-president would be actively sought by many allied countries as a useful show of close relations with Washington. But these days are gone. When JD Vance touches … Read more
A wet and wild weekend is on the way for much of Australia, as heavy rain in Queensland moves east and a tropical low off the coast of Western Australia threatens to develop into a cyclone. Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra can all expect a washout on Saturday, with heavy rainfall expected to stretch from Queensland’s … Read more
WH Smith is to sell its 480 retail stores to the Hobbycraft owner, Modella Capital, in a deal worth £76m, and has confirmed that the 233-year-old brand will disappear from the high street after a “short transitional period”. Under the terms of the deal, the high street business, which employs 5,000 staff, will be rebranded … Read more
More heavy rain has hit Queensland, Australia, just weeks after the devastation of Cyclone Alfred. Much of north and central Queensland was put under severe weather alert for heavy rainfall earlier this week, as six-hourly rainfall totals of 30-60mm were anticipated, with risk of seeing a total of up to 120mm locally in this time … Read more