Millions of people across England and Wales received an emergency alert to their phones on Friday as the government warned against activities that could start fires.
The deputy prime minister, Louise Haigh, said it was the most extensive use to date of the emergency alert system, with phones beaming a siren noise about 7pm, with the warning: “There is a serious risk of wildfires nationally.”
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People have been urged not to light barbecues, campfires, fireworks or anything else that could spark a blaze while the wildfire risk remains high. They have also been urged to call 999 immediately if they spot a fire.
Andy Burnham spent time in Stourbridge in the West Midlands on Friday after homes were destroyed and residents were left injured by a series of fires. The prime minister warned that Britain “is a tinderbox right now” with the public set for a “difficult weekend”.
He announced a temporary national ban on the sale of disposable barbecues to be enforced immediately. The ban will remain in place as long as the risk of wildfires remains high.
The military was called in to assist stretched emergency services in south Wales. About 100 personnel were deployed with about 100 more due to arrive on Friday evening, distributing water and providing logistical support.
It has been a record year of wildfires in England and Wales: the number so far this year has passed the 1,017 recorded in 2025. Fire services have declared 11 major incidents in a 24-hour period starting on Thursday.
Haigh said: “In response to the continued risk proposed by wildfires, the government has taken the decision to issue an emergency alert to England and Wales.
“This is the most extensive use of the UK’s emergency alert system in response to an active incident, and reflects the seriousness with which the government is acting to safeguard people and property.
“During this period of extreme heat, we are asking people to take simple steps to limit the risk of further fires.
“By following the safety guidance, everyone can play their part in protecting local communities and supporting our frontline services who are working around the clock to keep people safe.
“The government will continue to provide every assistance to communities being impacted by these fires, including the deployment of 100 additional military personnel in major incident areas.” %!s()
Appeals court previously ruled that Trump administration must seek authorisation from Congress to continue with project.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to allow construction of his $400m ballroom to move forward.
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On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the country’s highest court for a stay on a lower court’s injunction that paused Trump’s building efforts while litigation proceeds.
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The DOJ argued that construction on the ballroom, a topic of persistent focus for Trump, is necessary for security reasons.
“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” the DOJ wrote.
Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court was expected. On August 7, a majority on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered construction of the controversial ballroom halted unless the government gains congressional approval.
It set a deadline of August 21 for the construction to be stopped. But the injunction itself was stayed for 14 days, to allow the DOJ to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The appeals court’s ruling upheld a previous order issued by District Court Judge Richard Leon in April.
Like the April ruling, the appeals court’s ruling specifically related to above-ground construction that changes the visible characteristics of the White House.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the panel wrote in the decision.
Ongoing legal battle
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had filed a lawsuit in December, after the Trump administration tore down the East Wing of the White House and began work on a 90,000sq ft (8,360sq m) ballroom last year.
But Trump has repeatedly defied court rulings and insisted that work on the ballroom will continue.
Meanwhile, the price of the project to US taxpayers has ballooned, contradicting Trump’s earlier claims that it would be funded solely through outside donations.
Trump and his allies have argued that the new ballroom is needed to host secure events following a series of failed assassination attempts.
Critics have noted the ballroom plans come amid a wider push by the president to transform the US capital in his image, including through the construction of a massive triumphal arch.
After last week’s injunction, Trump decried the appeals court ruling on the ballroom construction.
“This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety,” Trump wrote in response.
He added that the ballroom would include bomb shelters, medical facilities, protection from drones and missiles and other security features that are “all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit”. %!s()
The arrest comes weeks after Trump criticised Jeanine Pirro for dropping charges over damage to the Reflecting Pool.
A woman has been arrested and charged with two felonies over the vandalism of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, weeks after President Donald Trump publicly rebuked his own US attorney over a separate vandalism case at the nearby Reflecting Pool.
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US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Friday that Melissa Farris, 41, had been taken into custody and charged with depredation of US property and destruction of veterans’ memorials.
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The charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
The arrest comes a day after the memorial was vandalised with soap and graffiti. Bubbles filled its fountain, while the words “Clean hands dirty $” were painted in red and green on its surface.
“Vandalising our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honouring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom,” Pirro wrote on the social media platform X, adding that her father and grandfather were among those who served in the US armed forces.
Pirro also posted photographs of a woman who appeared to be holding a spray-paint can near red graffiti on the memorial. She did not say where the images came from.
Farris is expected to be arraigned on Friday. The Public Defender’s Office said earlier in the day that she had not yet been assigned a lawyer.
Trump-Pirro clash over Reflecting Pool
The charges come weeks after Pirro dropped vandalism charges against several people accused of damaging the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The decision angered Trump and exposed a rare public disagreement between the president and one of his political appointees.
Trump had claimed the pool was deliberately vandalised after renovations he had ordered and overseen. But its condition deteriorated within days of the work being completed, with blue sealant peeling and algae appearing in the water.
Pirro held a news conference in early July to charge former Olympic athlete David Hearn with the alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism. He was one of at least seven people who faced criminal charges over the pool’s peeling sealant.
While Pirro had initially said the government’s case was built on “tremendous evidence”, she issued a court motion less than a month later, on August 1, dropping the charges against Hearn.
Pirro asserted that the Interior Department had provided her office “less than fulsome information at the outset of the case”, and she blamed the damage on faulty repairs to the Reflecting Pool.
Trump responded by sharply criticising Pirro and doubling down on his allegations of vandalism, though he has yet to provide definitive proof.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella,” he told reporters on 3 August.
Trump appeared to connect that dispute with the latest vandalism at the World War II Memorial on Friday.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“First the Reflecting Pool, now this,” he continued. “We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???”
The Interior Department said US Park Police were investigating the vandalism and pledged to find whoever was responsible.
“The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act,” the department said.
Trump has made renovations to Washington, DC, a major facet of his second term, and he and his allies have initiated controversial renovations to the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among other landmarks.
This month also marks the anniversary of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington, DC, in an effort to crack down on crime.
Critics, however, have criticised Trump for a heavy-handed approach to law enforcement and have questioned the basis for some of the charges brought under his anti-crime campaign. %!s()
'I shot Mr Thompson'- What it was like inside court as Mangione pleaded guilty
ByKayla Epstein
in court in New York City
ByMadeline Halpert
in New York City
Figure caption,
"I shot Mr Thompson" - Inside the court as Mangione pleaded guilty
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After more than a year-and-a-half of intense spectacle and legal wrangling, Luigi Mangione appeared in a federal courtroom in New York on Friday as rumours swirled that he may plead guilty.
The 28-year-old, accused of shooting dead UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024, arrived wearing a beige prison uniform with a white T-shirt underneath.
His feet were shackled and he held his hands behind his back, although US marshals had not handcuffed him.
A crowd of press, supporters of Mangione, observers, and a handful of court staff members who had won a lottery to attend gathered in the packed courtroom.
And in the front row seated behind the prosecution: Thompson's family members, who at times appeared visibly emotional.
As the packed room awaited the arrival of Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione conferred with his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo, reviewing papers as we waited to hear whether Mangione would admit to the killing for the first time.
The hearing had been scheduled to begin at 11:00, but started slightly later.
It began with an immediate jolt.
Image source, Reuters
Friedman Agnifilo told the judge: "Mr Mangione is prepared to plead guilty at this time."
From then on it was silent, as the judge asked Mangione a series of questions to ensure he understood the decision he was about to make. She asked him about his background and use of medications. He answered the questions tersely but firmly.
Asked if he understood that he could face life in prison - he replied, "yes".
Only when began to read a statement to the court, did Mangione appear to falter. His speech was rushed, and somewhat mumbled.
After Judge Garnett politely suggested he lean into the microphone, he continued steadily until he reached his conclusion: an admission that he had killed Thompson.
There had been reports in US media leading up to the hearing that Mangione would be taking a plea deal. That is not what happened - Mangione simply changed his plea of not guilty to guilty.
FULL coverage: Mangione plea hearing
Mangione admits killing healthcare CEO and pleads guilty to federal charges
"After years of enduring severe pains from a broken back" and dealing with the healthcare insurance industry, Mangione stated that he had learned UnitedHealthcare would hold an annual conference in Manhattan in December 2024.
He researched online and emailed the company posing as an investor to learn more about the event, Mangione told the court. "Unlike previous interactions with insurance" he got a quick reply, he said.
He told the court he used a 3D printer to make a gun.
And on the morning of 4 December 2024, Mangione confessed: "I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died."
Image source, Reuters
It marked the first time a court had heard Mangione tell the story of how he committed a crime that prompted a media storm and worldwide attention.
"Mr Mangione, how do you now plead?" Judge Garnett asked the defendant before her.
Mangione leaned into the microphone before him and stated: "Guilty."
"I will accept your guilty plea," the judge said.
Members of Thompson's family were emotional as he issued the admission for the first time. In a statement shortly after, they said the day marked an important step toward justice.
Mangione is scheduled to be sentenced on 18 December. The maximum sentence for each of the two stalking charges is life in prison.
Prosecutors have recommended Mangione serve between 24-30 years in prison. But ultimately Judge Garnett will decide his sentence.
His trial on separate state charges stemming from the murder is still scheduled to begin in September. %!s()
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Maryam sits in front of a blank sheet of paper, holding her pencil as she begins drawing the first lines. Her eyes focus on the details of the drawing while her hand moves calmly.
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Amid a reality in which Israel’s genocidal war has imposed itself on the details of everyday life in Gaza, 16-year-old Maryam tries to create a different environment for herself, even if only for a few hours. The paper and pencil give her a chance to step away from the scene around her and return to something she loves and knows well.
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Maryam’s family’s home was bombed in January 2024, and she now lives in her grandmother’s house in Deir el-Balah. She has lost friends and people close to her, including her uncle, as a result of Israel’s attacks during the war – strikes that have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
The art space she draws in – located at a cafe on the beach in Deir el-Balah – has become a refuge.
“The space helped me return to myself and rediscover my passion for drawing,” she says.
For Maryam, drawing means more than a hobby. It is a way of putting her feelings onto paper, especially those that are difficult to express in words.
“I feel a great sense of psychological relief, as if I can put my feelings on the paper instead of keeping them trapped inside me,” Maryam says. “Every drawing makes me feel that I have managed to describe a part of what I feel and convey it to people in my own way, even the things I sometimes cannot talk about.”
[Eman Abu Zayed/Al Jazeera]
Providing a space for hope
Maryam has been drawing since she was a child, but began attending the art space in April, when it was set up.
She says that each completed drawing gives her a sense of achievement and opens a small space for hope amid heavy days.
“It made me wake up every day with a new passion, with drawing becoming part of my day. Every day, I finish a new drawing, it plants new hope inside me,” Maryam says. “If I hadn’t drawn, I would have given in to depression and the difficult circumstances I was going through. But I managed to get back on my feet and learn a new drawing, something new, every day.”
Helping children like Maryam is the reason 35-year-old Abdullah al-Ghafri set up the art space – and why he is working hard to keep it open, despite the expensive rental costs that have him continuously searching for investors.
“The idea was born out of necessity and the difficult reality,” al-Ghafri says. “With most educational and cultural centres in Gaza destroyed and bombed, we could not find a place to accommodate the talents of young people and children.”
“The main goal is to lift the participants out of the atmosphere of war and destruction,” al-Ghafri adds. “And to provide a space where they can release negative energy and replace it with positive energy and hope.”
Coping mechanism
Psychologist Asil Abu Shawish says art can give children and adolescents a way to express their feelings at times of great trauma.
“When a child draws, sings or plays an instrument, they are, in a way, releasing some of the pressure and emotions that have built up inside them,” she says.
Abu Shawish explains that having a safe space where children can engage in artistic activities can give them a sense of stability amid constantly changing circumstances.
“When a child enters a safe space and knows they have time for drawing or music, it helps them feel that they still have a part of their life that they can control. That feeling is very important psychologically.”
As the war continues – despite an official October “ceasefire” – children are exposed to high levels of fear, stress and loss. Abu Shawish, therefore, believes that artistic activities can give them an opportunity to deal with these emotions in a safer way.
“Art is not a treatment for all the psychological effects left by war, but it can be an important means of emotional release and coping, especially when the activity is appropriate for the child’s age and carried out under the supervision of people who are able to support them.”
She says the impact of these activities can be observed during the sessions themselves, through children’s interaction with one another and their ability to focus and engage in the activity.
“Sometimes we notice that a child who is quiet or withdrawn begins to interact with the group through drawing or music. The activity itself can become the starting point for a relationship, a conversation or a sense of safety.”
She believes some children find art to be an easier language than words.
“Not every child can say, ‘I’m afraid,’ ‘I’m sad,’ or ‘I lost someone.’ They may draw that feeling, choose a song that expresses it, or release their emotions through playing an instrument.”
Art can therefore become a means of coping with difficult circumstances, particularly when the activity continues over time and becomes part of a child’s life.
A music performance at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Nuseirat camp [Eman Abu Zayed/Al Jazeera]
Musical therapy
In Nuseirat, at the Palestinian Student Care Association, Jabr Thabet coordinates activities with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where children gather around their instruments and learn singing and music.
“We are trying to bring music to children wherever they are, even if the place changes and the centres are damaged,” Thabet, who is the projects and venue coordinator at the Conservatory’s Gaza branch, says. “We are not just teaching them music. We are trying to give them a space where they can experience a normal moment, feel joy and meet other children like them.”
The conservatory’s Gaza City location was damaged during the war, and so its teachers have continued their activities in displacement areas, including Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City itself.
During the sessions, Thabet watches the children’s interaction with music, from the moment they arrive until the training ends. “What stands out to me most is their enthusiasm. A child comes to the session waiting to learn something new and leaves wanting to come back again.”
“Music allows a child to bring out what is inside in a different way. A child may not be able to talk, but they can sing or play an instrument.”
Thabet adds, “For us, art is a form of resilience. When a child can sing, play and create something beautiful amid all this destruction, in a way, they are preserving a part of themselves and their life.” %!s()
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
