The court has allowed the administration to fire tens of thousands of government workers, discharge transgender troops, end protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from war-torn countries and fundamentally shift power from Congress to the president.
Afghans being forced out of Iran are grappling with an uncertain future in Afghanistan, where widespread poverty and severe restrictions on women and girls await.
Unlike with opioids, there is no medication to suppress cravings for meth and other stimulants. As use soars, hundreds of clinics are trying a radically different approach.
Six months after a doctor told her no medication existed for meth Jamie Mains heard about a pilot contingency program. “For me,” she said, “money was a good enough reason to try.”
The City Council vote all but dooms the company’s chances of obtaining one of up to three casino licenses that New York State is expected to award this year.
Kristy Marmorato, the City Council member who represents the district where the casino would be built, opposed the land-use changes it would need to proceed.
Prices rose by 3.6% in the year to June, the steepest rise in inflation since January 2024, the Office for National Statistics said.
That marks a significant rise from the 3.4% rate in May.
The rate at which prices rise matters to shoppers, whose money doesn't go as far if goods and services are becoming rapidly more expensive.
The decision will affect whether the Bank of England decides to raise or lower interest rates as higher rates can slow inflation by dampening economic activity.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he makes "no apology" for stopping the reporting of a leak that revealed data about thousands of Afghans who had supported British forces.
Writing in the Telegraph, Sir Ben said the decision to apply for an injunction was "not a cover-up".
In February 2022, the details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) were leaked. The previous government learned of the breach in August 2023 when some details were posted on Facebook.
Sir Ben said when he was informed of the error he was "determined that the first priority was to protect all those that might be at risk".
"Some may disagree but imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list. I would dread to think what would have happened," he added.
A new resettlement scheme - the Afghanistan Response Route - was set up in April 2024 for those on the leaked list. About 4,500 Afghans have arrived in the UK so far.
The scheme is understood to have cost around £400m, with a projected final cost of about £850m.
Details of the major data breach, the response and the number of Afghans granted the right to live in the UK as a result only came to light on Tuesday after a High Court judge ruled the gagging order should be lifted.
The leak contained the names, contact details and some family information of people potentially at risk of harm from the Taliban.
Watch: Daughter of Afghan translator involved in leak speaks to Newsnight
The daughter of an Afghan translator whose details were leaked told the BBC's Newsnight programme that her whole family "panicked".
"No one knows where the data has been sent to - it could be sent to the Taliban, they could have their hands on it," she said.
Her grandmother, who is still in Afghanistan, is "completely vulnerable", she added.
Downing Street would not confirm whether the official responsible for the leak had faced disciplinary action, with a spokesman saying they would not comment on individuals.
Speaking in the commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the person involved in the leak was "no longer doing the same job", and offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the government.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also apologised on behalf of her party.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said Parliament should have been informed about the leak.
He told the BBC's World Tonight: "Parliament cannot be ignored for that length of time, we owe a duty to the public to at least have examined this."
The chief executive of Co-op has confirmed all 6.5 million of its members had their data stolen in a cyber-attack on the retailer in April.
"I'm devastated that information was taken. I'm also devastated by the impact that it took on our colleagues as well as they tried to contain all of this," Shirine Khoury-Haq told BBC Breakfast in her first public interview since the hack.
"There was no financial data, no transaction data but it was names and addresses and contact information that was lost," she added.
Ms Khoury-Haq said she would not step down from her role, but said she was "incredibly sorry" for the attack.
Co-op was one of three retailers, alongside Marks and Spencer (M&S) and Harrods who were victims of cyber-attacks in spring this year.
Co-op announced on 30 April that it had been hacked, initially saying it would only have a "small impact" on its call centre and back office.
But days later, after being contacted by the alleged hackers, BBC News revealed that customer and employee data had been accessed.
Co-op then admitted the criminals had "accessed data relating to a significant number of our current and past members".
BBC News later discovered from the alleged attackers that the company disconnected the internet from IT networks in the nick of time to stop the hackers from deploying ransomware and so causing even more disruption.
Last week, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said four people had been arrested in connection with the hacks on Co-op and M&S
These were a 20-year-old woman was arrested in Staffordshire, and three males - aged between 17 and 19 - were detained in London and the West Midlands.
They were apprehended on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences, blackmail, money laundering and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
The ban will come into force for residents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday
Southern Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban - affecting almost one million customers - due to prolonged dry weather.
The move will come into force for residents across much of Hampshire and all of the Isle of Wight from 09:00 BST on Monday.
It will ban the use of a hosepipe for activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or filling a paddling pool.
Managing director Tim McMahon apologised to customers and said: "Only by working together can we make sure there's enough water to go around for customers and the environment."
The water company was fined £90m in 2021 after raw sewage was discharged across Hampshire, West Sussex and Kent.
Announcing the temporary water restrictions, it called on customers to act immediately and avoid a "spike" in demand that could make the situation worse.
The restrictions will apply to 791,000 customers in 336,000 properties in Hampshire as well as 144,000 customers in 75,000 properties on the Isle of Wight.
The River Test and Itchen chalk streams supply most of the water in the area but are at "critically low levels" - down 24% on normal flows for this time of year, the company said.
The Environment Agency also declared the Solent and South Downs were experiencing "prolonged dry weather".
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The River Itchen has been affected by the dry spells, Southern Water said
Several other water companies have already introduced hosepipe bans, including Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and South East Water.
People found to be using a hosepipe during a ban can be fined up to £1,000.
Mr McMahon said: "We have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region.
"In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest.
"We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic salmon and southern damselfly."
He continued: "Our teams are working 24/7 to find and fix leaks faster than ever, using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough."
Water Minister Emma Hardy said: "We face a growing water shortage in the next decade which is why we are pushing ahead with urgent water reforms.
"Our Plan for Change includes £104 billion of private investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks."
The renovation will begin in 2027 and will take an estimated five years
It's a makeover on a massive scale - it involves moving 1,300 plants, replacing 16,000 panes of glass and cleaning up hundreds of tonnes of iron.
This is the ambitious £50m plan to renovate the world-famous Palm House, which sits at the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
The hot and humid conditions inside have taken their toll on the building, which opened in 1848 and houses a tropical rainforest.
Kew will also use the refurbishment – which will see the glass house closed for five years from 2027 – to reduce emissions from the Palm House to net zero.
Kevin Church/BBC News
Kew's oldest pot plant will be one of the trickier specimens to relocate
The planning permission for the project has now been submitted, and some of the plants that make up the indoor tropical rainforest have started to be relocated.
"This is probably the plant that I worry about moving the most," says Thomas Pickering, head of glasshouses.
He's standing next to one of Kew's most precious specimens: a plant called Encephalartos altensteinii, which is a type of cycad.
It's growing in a pot, and at 250 years old, it's older than the Palm House itself. It's also enormous - weighing more than a tonne and standing about 4m tall.
"It's the sheer size of it. It has a huge weight in that root ball, but also this incredibly long stem, which is very old because they're incredibly slow-growing plants," says Pickering.
The horticulturists will use scaffolds, supports and braces to protect the plant when the time comes for it to be moved. Other plants, that are a bit easier to shift, have already been taken to a temporary greenhouse.
Kevin Church/BBC News
The Palm House is packed with plants from all over the world
"It's going to be a long term project," explains Pickering.
"And over the next two years, it's going to be a process of selecting which plants we need to containerize (place in pots) and keep, which ones we need to propagate - and also some of the plants will be felled because we won't be able to move them."
RBG Kew
The Palm House under construction in the 1840s
RBG Kew
This is what its interior looked like when it was being built
RBG Kew
It was completed in 1848 and was an engineering marvel of its time
The Palm House was built more than 175 years ago and was a wonder of the Victorian age.
No-one had ever constructed a glass house on that scale before and the engineers borrowed techniques from the shipping industry to build the huge structure.
It was last renovated in the 1980s, but now the iron is heavily rusting in places, so it will be stripped back to the bare metal work, repaired and repainted.
All of the thousands of single glazed panes of glass will be replaced and tests are underway to find the best type of glass to provide maximum insulation.
Kevin Church/BBC News
Techniques were borrowed from the shipping industry to build the huge structure
Kevin Church/BBC News
The heat and humidity that help the plants to thrive have damaged it
Maintaining the Palm House's temperature at 21C uses a lot of energy, but now gas boilers will be replaced with air source and water source heat pumps.
"This is an incredibly challenging building to make net zero," said Rachel Purdon, head of sustainability at Kew.
"We can do a huge amount with things like sealing the glass and improving the heating systems to massively reduce the carbon footprint and improve the sustainability of the Palm House without impacting the aesthetics."
The Water Lily House, which is located next to the Palm House, will also be made over as part of the renovation. The public will still be able to visit both for the next two years before they're closed for the works.
Kevin Church/BBC News
The Palm House will use huge heat pumps to provide the warmth the plants need
The team at Kew acknowledges this will be a big undertaking that will have a temporary impact on people coming to their botanic gardens. But they say the results will be worth it.
"The really important aspect of this is to try and ensure that the structure can last as long as possible, before we have to do another refurbishment," says Rachel Purdon.
(File photo) There have been almost daily reports of deaths near the GHF's sites since it began operating at the end of May
The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said 20 people have been killed in what it called a "tragic incident" at one of its aid distribution centres in southern Gaza.
Nineteen were trampled to death and one was stabbed "amid a chaotic and dangerous surge" at the site in the Khan Younis area, a statement said. It added that it believed the surge was "driven by agitators in the crowd" who were affiliated to Hamas.
It was not immediately possible to verify the report.
However, officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis earlier said that more than 10 people were killed and others injured due to "suffocation" after the GHF's private security contractors closed an aid site.
Sandie Peggie complained about sharing changing facilities with a transgender doctor
Cara Berkley
BBC News
An employment tribunal involving a female nurse and a transgender doctor, which has become the latest front in the battle over gender policy, is resuming in Dundee.
Sandie Peggie was suspended from her role as a nurse with NHS Fife last year after she objected to Dr Beth Upton, who is a transgender woman, using a female changing room.
Ms Peggie claims her treatment was unlawful under the 2010 Equality Act and has brought a case against the health board and Dr Upton.
NHS Fife and the doctor are defending their actions – at a cost to the public purse so far of at least £220,000 – arguing that they complied with NHS policy.
Ms Peggie, who has worked at NHS Fife for more than 30 years, told the tribunal she had felt uncomfortable around Dr Upton in a changing room at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital on three occasions between August and December 2023.
She said the issue came to a head on Christmas Eve when Dr Upton started to undress in front of her.
Ms Peggie told the tribunal she had felt "embarrassed and intimidated".
The pair then exchanged words - although the details of their conversation are disputed.
Dr Beth Upton made a bullying and harassment complaint to NHS Fife
After the exchange, Dr Upton complained to NHS Fife about Ms Peggie's behaviour and the nurse was suspended on 3 January 2024.
In her evidence, Ms Peggie said she had "felt more shocked than anything" when she learned there was a complaint against her.
The board has described Ms Peggie's case as "unnecessary and vexatious" while Dr Upton has accused the nurse of bullying and harassment.
"I'm not interested in vengeance and I'm not interested in retribution – I'm interested in justice," the doctor told the tribunal.
"Trans people are not predators by nature of being themselves."
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Sandie Peggie raised issues with the changing room facilities at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy
The tribunal sat for 10 days in February and was then adjourned until now.
A separate disciplinary hearing, which had also been scheduled for February, was postponed at the request of Ms Peggie's legal team.
In that case, the nurse is facing allegations – which she denies – of misconduct, failures of patient care and misgendering Dr Upton.
It is now reported to have taken place although the outcome has not been made public.
Supreme court ruling
The wider issue of gender has provoked years of debate in Scotland.
"The concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man," wrote the judges, adding that "the ordinary meaning of those plain and unambiguous words" was self-explanatory and required "no further explanation".
The 88-page judgment was a repudiation of the SNP's interpretation of the law.
The Scottish government responded that it had acted in good faith by arguing in court that trans women were women.
Ms Peggie has since called on NHS Fife to respond to the Supreme Court by acting immediately to "stop permitting any man who identifies as a woman" access to female-only spaces.
NHS Fife says work is underway to "identify areas where any adaptations may be required and schedule any work that may be necessary," as a result of the judgment.
It added that it was waiting to review a new code of practice expected to be issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which advises public bodies on the law.
In a statement, the EHRC said it was "currently working at pace" on the new advice but it added that organisations should "comply with the law" now by "looking at what changes, if any, need to be made to their policies and practices".
The Scottish government says it "accepts the Supreme Court ruling" adding that "detailed work that is necessary as a consequence" is ongoing.
Four English water companies have announced hosepipe bans so far this summer, with others warning of similar action if nothing significant changes to water supplies.
The Environment Agency has already said that some areas are either in drought or a 'state of prolonged dry weather, external', after the second driest Spring on record for England and the sixth overall across the UK.
What is a hosepipe ban?
A hosepipe ban, also known as a Temporary Use Ban, is a restriction on using hosepipes. They are imposed by water companies to try and save water during periods of high demand or low supply.
People living in areas where there is a hosepipe ban are not allowed to use one to:
Water a garden or plants
Wash vehicles, paths, patios or windows
Fill a swimming pool, paddling pool or hot tub
This is to ensure enough water is saved for drinking, those who are vulnerable and for essential use.
Anyone breaking these rules could be fined up to £1,000.
How do I know if there is a hosepipe ban in my area?
Use the tool above to see if there is a hosepipe ban in force for your area. You can find your water company details on your utility bill or using the list below.
Southern Water, external is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban - affecting almost one million customers - across Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight from 21 July.
Thames Water, external says a hosepipe ban is due to start on 22 July in Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and parts of Berkshire because of a lack of rain and increasing demand, which has stretched supplies.
Another hosepipe ban, affecting more than 1.4 million South East Water, external customers across Kent and Sussex, will come into force on 18 July.
Meanwhile, the first hosepipe ban of the year which began on 11 July was issued by Yorkshire Water, external. It affects much of Yorkshire, parts of north Lincolnshire and parts of Derbyshire.
Who is exempt from a hosepipe ban?
There are quite a few exemptions to hosepipe bans, with exact details available on each water company's website.
They generally include:
People who are registered disabled, blue badge holders or on a water companies' priority services register.
Businesses where hosepipe use is part of their purpose - for example, garden centres and car washes.
Ponds, if hosepipe use is needed for the welfare of fish or aquatic animals.
Pools required for medical treatment.
Ornamental fountains that are used for religious purposes.
Food crops in allotments or home gardens, if they cannot reasonably be watered with a watering can.
A full list of exemptions can be found on the websites of each individual water company.
In the United Kingdom, hosepipe bans are enforced by water companies.
They have the authority to impose fines of up to £1,000 on those who violate the ban under the Water Industry Act, external.
How can I water my garden?
Image caption,
There are plenty of ways to keep your plants watered, especially with some forward planning
You can still water your plants using a watering can or bucket.
Even during a ban, the use of a hosepipe for some gardening activities is still allowed. Your water company's website will give exact details of what is permitted - likely to include the watering of crops, recently planted trees and shrubs and newly laid lawns.
Irrigation systems that involve drip or trickle irrigation only, which are fitted with a pressure reducing valve, a timer and are not handheld, are also allowed.
You can use a hose to water your garden if it uses water that is not sourced from the mains. This includes grey water (water that is not pure, like wastewater from washing clothes), rainwater from a water butt or water from a private borehole.
While some of the UK has experienced rain since the end of the last heatwave, the long-term forecast for some may be worrying.
Southern and eastern areas of the UK are forecast to experience drier than normal conditions through the next month to mid-August.
More northern and western areas may have rainfall closer to normal.
While droughts are complex to forecast this might give us an indication that with drier than average weather on the way, we could well see more widespread restrictions in the coming weeks or months.
Heatwaves: The New Normal?
How hot is too hot? From heat labs to firefighting helicopter pilots and wineries, we look at how extreme heat impacts people and environments in the UK.
Southern Water says they will end restrictions "as soon as we can, but this can only happen when there's enough water in our reservoirs, rivers and underground aquifers to meet demand".
South East Water says they will lift their ban "when we're satisfied that both customer demand and water supply levels are restored to a point where they are not breaching our Drought plan".
Thames Water says the length of their ban "will depend on the weather" but there needs to be "prolonged and significant rainfall" in order to lift it.
People torched the hats in videos, apparently upset about the Jeffrey Epstein case. “People in China were like, ‘Oh, come on, we worked so hard making them,’” Fallon said.
The oil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi was painted in the UK in 1931
A rare oil portrait of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been sold at auction in London for £152,800 ($204,648).
The figure is much higher than the £50,000-£70,000 that auction house Bonhams had estimated the work might fetch. It was painted in 1931 by British artist Clare Leighton when Gandhi visited London.
Bonhams said the painting is thought to be the only oil portrait Gandhi sat for.
He led a non-violent resistance movement against British rule in India and his teachings have inspired millions. Most Indians revere him as the "father of the nation".
The portrait was made when Gandhi went to London in 1931 for the second Round Table conference, held to discuss constitutional reforms for India and address its demands for self-governance.
According to Bonhams, Clare Leighton "was one of the very few artists admitted to his office and was given the opportunity to sit with on multiple occasions to sketch and paint his likeness".
The works remained in the artist's collection until her death in 1989 in the US, after which it was passed down through her family.
Bonham's did not say who bought the painting and it's not clear whether it will be put on display.
South Korea is notorious for its hyper-competitive education system
South Korea has arrested a high school teacher and a student's father who allegedly broke into a school late at night to steal exam papers.
Their attempt took place at 01:20 local time on 4 July (18:20 GMT) at a school in Andong, a city southeast of Seoul, but was foiled when the school's security alarm went off.
The teacher is facing charges for accepting bribes and trespassing, while the father has been accused of trespassing.
A facilities manager at the school, who allegedly conspired with the duo, has also been arrested for allowing theft and unlawful entry into the school.
Authorities say the teacher had privately tutored the child of the arrested father - which teachers actively employed by schools in South Korea are not allowed to do.
The student had "consistently maintained top grades", according to public broadcaster KBS, but it is unclear if their academic record is related to previous cases of exam-paper theft.
Police also suspect that money had changed hands between the father and teacher, and that this was not their first intrusion attempt, KBS reported.
This incident is the latest in a series of exam-related scandals in South Korea, a country notorious for its hyper-competitive education system.
In June, police announced they were investigating the leak of answers to a nationwide English exam via an online chatroom.
In February, 249 people were detained - dozens of school teachers among them - for selling mock questions for the high-stakes Suneung exam to private academies.
And in late 2023, dozens of students sued the government after teachers accidentally cut their test short by 90 seconds.
South Korea consistently ranks among industrialised countries with the highest levels of stress for young people aged 11 to 15.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said he makes "no apology" for stopping the reporting of a leak that revealed data about thousands of Afghans who had supported British forces.
Writing in the Telegraph, Sir Ben said the decision to apply for an injunction was "not a cover-up".
In February 2022, the details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) were leaked. The previous government learned of the breach in August 2023 when some details were posted on Facebook.
Sir Ben said when he was informed of the error he was "determined that the first priority was to protect all those that might be at risk".
"Some may disagree but imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list. I would dread to think what would have happened," he added.
A new resettlement scheme - the Afghanistan Response Route - was set up in April 2024 for those on the leaked list. About 4,500 Afghans have arrived in the UK so far.
The scheme is understood to have cost around £400m, with a projected final cost of about £850m.
Details of the major data breach, the response and the number of Afghans granted the right to live in the UK as a result only came to light on Tuesday after a High Court judge ruled the gagging order should be lifted.
The leak contained the names, contact details and some family information of people potentially at risk of harm from the Taliban.
Watch: Daughter of Afghan translator involved in leak speaks to Newsnight
The daughter of an Afghan translator whose details were leaked told the BBC's Newsnight programme that her whole family "panicked".
"No one knows where the data has been sent to - it could be sent to the Taliban, they could have their hands on it," she said.
Her grandmother, who is still in Afghanistan, is "completely vulnerable", she added.
Downing Street would not confirm whether the official responsible for the leak had faced disciplinary action, with a spokesman saying they would not comment on individuals.
Speaking in the commons on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the person involved in the leak was "no longer doing the same job", and offered a "sincere apology" on behalf of the government.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also apologised on behalf of her party.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said Parliament should have been informed about the leak.
He told the BBC's World Tonight: "Parliament cannot be ignored for that length of time, we owe a duty to the public to at least have examined this."
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