Heat pump sales fell 23% in Europe last year, industry data shows, reverting to the level they were at before the war in Ukraine and slowing the shift away from gas-burning boilers. Demand for clean heating devices fell by about half in Belgium and Germany, and by 39% in France, according to data for 13…
Elected politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the “global challenge” to restore trust in politics. Radical changes suggested by the Welsh parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes.…
Donald Trump has signed an executive order to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The order directs the domestic policy council to make recommendations to “aggressively” reduce the costs for accessing IVF, according to a White House fact sheet. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Twitter/X that the order was evidence…
Donald Trump stood firm against warnings that his threatened trade war risks derailing the US economy, claiming his administration could hit foreign cars with tariffs of around 25% within weeks. Semiconductor chips and drugs are set to face higher duties, Trump told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. The White House has repeatedly raised…
Rick Buckler, the drummer of the rock group The Jam, has died aged 69 after a short illness. In a statement, his management company said Buckley “passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking after a short illness with family by his side”. The statement described him as a “loving husband, father and grandfather” who…
A top federal prosecutor has quit after refusing to launch what she called a politically driven investigation into Biden-era climate spending, exposing deepening rifts in the US’s premier law enforcement agency. Denise Cheung, head of criminal prosecutions in Washington, resigned on Tuesday after Trump appointees demanded she open a grand jury investigation into Environmental Protection…
The general manager of the US men’s ice hockey team said he would welcome a visit from Donald Trump to the 4 Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada on Thursday night. Bill Guerin, who played 18 years in the NHL, said on Fox News that Trump’s presence would give a boost to…
Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia after further tests showed a continuing “complex” medical situation, the Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday. The pontiff, 88, underwent a chest X-ray, which “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy”. Antibiotic cortisone therapy to treat an earlier-diagnosed polymicrobial infection of the…
A woman and a schoolgirl have died in a house fire in Sydney’s south-west overnight. Emergency services were called to the blaze at Heckenberg at 12.40am on Wednesday. Fire crews extinguished the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the home. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Police and fire crews recovered the bodies…
A 39-year-old man has been jailed for sending an “utterly deplorable” email to safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, one day after she was criticised by X owner Elon Musk. Jack Bennett, from Seaton, Devon, pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications to three people between February 2024 and January 2025, including the Birmingham Yardley MP, at Exeter…
