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Downing Street sources suggested Khan’s elevation comes as part of a regular honours list, rather than being linked specifically to Starmer’s departureCouples could legally marry in forests, on beaches, at sea or in their gardens under new proposals, the Press Association reports. PA says a government consultation announced today, covering rules in England and Wales, could help cut the costs of weddings and mean two ceremonies are no longer required to cover different faiths. PA says:The average wedding in England is estimated to cost more than £20,000, with venue hire alone typically accounting for around £6,000 without catering.The system as it stands means some couples have two ceremonies – one where they feel their beliefs are best reflected and another making their marriage legal. Continue reading...

The epicenter of the earthquake was about 40 km north of Te Anau, which is the gateway to the tourist hotspot of Fiordland.

Flash flood emergencies were issued on Thursday for parts of Kerr and Uvalde counties and Texas Hill CountrySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email “Life threatening” flooding has taken hold in south-central Texas, where up to 20in of rain have already fallen in some areas – just one year after the same region endured catastrophic flooding that killed more than 100 people.Flash flood emergencies were issued on Thursday for parts of Kerr and Uvalde counties, where emergency crews performed water rescues, as well as areas around the Guadalupe River and the Pedernales River, according to morning updates from the National Weather Service (NWS). There have been no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. Continue reading...

Iranian news agencies say a US missile hit island in strait of Hormuz, after foreign ministry said children’s cancer hospital in Ahvaz had to be evacuatedUS attacks oil tanker in strait of Hormuz as strikes reported in TehranThe Lebanese foreign minister, Youssef Raggi, said Lebanon has made a decision to “end Hezbollah’s military presence” and that decisions on war and foreign policy are the “exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state”.The Lebanese government is pushing to disarm Hezbollah, one of the most heavily armed militias in the Middle East, and it has become a central component of the US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel.Lebanon has made its choice: there will be no return to dual authority, and there is no longer any place for weapons outside the authority of the state or for decisions taken outside its constitutional institutions.The decision to end Hezbollah’s military presence is a sovereign Lebanese decision. It preceded the Framework Agreement and paved the way for it, affirming that decisions on war and peace, as well as foreign policy, are now the exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state.” Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read the rest of our Europe coverage herein MadridMeanwhile, the EU’s top court has ruled that a controversial Spanish law that offered an amnesty to those who planned and participated in the failed and illegal push for Catalan independence does not violate the bloc’s rules. Continue reading...

Shabir Ahmed, a UK-Pakistan dual national, lost his British citizenship after his conviction more than two decades ago. Now, Pakistan is refusing to take him back.

Guardian analysis finds 19% of games reached heat levels warranting delays, as Fifa defends its player safeguardsThe climate crisis has come for football.During this year’s World Cup, nearly one in five of the tournament’s 100-plus matches took place in levels of heat and humidity that a football players’ union has previously said should trigger delays or postponements, a Guardian analysis has found. An additional 23 matches were played in cities as they reached those heat levels, but in stadiums where conditions were mitigated by air conditioning. Continue reading...

Long-running AIHW survey shows daily rates of smoking dropped to 5.6% last year – down from 8.3% two years agoGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDaily smoking rates have fallen to a historic low and are tracking well ahead of national targets, while vaping rates have stabilised, according to the largest nationally representative survey on tobacco use.But those who do smoke are increasingly using illicit tobacco, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) National Drug Strategy Household Survey also found. Continue reading...