A fragile sign of progress emerged in Garden Grove after authorities said they found a crack in a damaged tank holding toxic chemicals, a development that may be easing pressure as fears of an explosion have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes. Roughly 50,000 residents in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, were ordered to evacuate on Friday after the tank began leaking and sent fumes across a densely populated area about 8km from Disneyland. Federal regulators sent in a team of…

The United States will secure either a satisfactory agreement with Iran or confront Tehran “another way,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as Washington sought to temper expectations of any immediate breakthrough in the three-month-old war. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Rubio said the US would allow diplomacy every opportunity to work before turning to what he called “alternatives,” after President Donald Trump said yesterday that he had instructed his team not to hurry into an agreement with Iran. Rubio said…

With pressure building inside a tank of hazardous chemicals in Southern California, firefighters racing to stop an explosion or toxic leak have turned to outside specialists in a bid to avert disaster, as several nearby shelters filled up with evacuees. Evacuation orders stayed in force across a zone affecting tens of thousands of residents in Garden Grove, a Los Angeles-area suburb. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County, while his office urged residents to comply with evacuation…

A powerful blast struck a train carrying military personnel in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan, killing at least 24 people, according to a senior official. Among the dead were army servicemen in the provincial capital of Quetta, where the attack also left more than 50 people wounded, the official told AFP. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced as a "cowardly" act of terrorism. Images from the scene…

Kyiv woke to one of the fiercest assaults it has faced since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago, as waves of drones and missiles slammed into the capital and nearby areas, including an Oreshnik hypersonic missile fired close to the city. During the hours-long overnight attack, two people were killed in Kyiv and another two died in the surrounding region, while nearly 100 others were injured, Ukrainian officials said. Officials said dozens of apartment buildings and several schools were damaged, with many…

Drone warfare is intensifying sharply on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with each passing week bringing heavier strikes, broader reach and higher casualties. On Friday, Russian officials said Ukrainian drone attacks on a college dormitory in the town of Starobilsk in Luhansk, an eastern Ukrainian region that Russia almost entirely occupies, killed at least 18 people. Ukraine's armed forces said the strikes had targeted military sites in the town. The attack came one week after a Russian ballistic missile tore…

Gunfire erupted outside the White House when a man opened fire on Secret Service officers, then died after agents returned fire, the agency said in a statement carried by US media. A bystander was also struck in the exchange, the agency said, though officials did not disclose the person's condition. US President Donald Trump said the gunman had a "violent history and possible obsession" with the White House. "Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening…

History hangs heavily over Makerfield. The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815, and Britain’s political class has now chosen 18 June as polling day for the Makerfield by-election — inviting comparisons they can hardly have failed to notice. The fall of an emperor? The ascent of a new prince? Or simply a bruising political mess? On the 211th anniversary of Waterloo, several endings remain possible. This by-election exists for one reason above all: to try to return Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to…

A fresh allegation has emerged in the UK police investigation involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with officers reportedly examining a claim that he acted inappropriately toward a woman at Royal Ascot. According to The Sunday Times, the alleged incident took place at the Berkshire racing fixture in 2002. Royal Ascot has long been one of the royal family’s signature summer events, and Queen Elizabeth II attended the 2002 meeting during the year of her Golden Jubilee. The Sunday Times reported that it remains unclear whether…

"A government of laws, not men." That message blazed across the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday, casting a sharp rebuke in light against one of the most powerful buildings in the country. The words, drawn from founding father John Adams, were projected above a banner of US President Donald Trump that has hung from the building for months. Washington has hardly been quiet since Mr Trump returned to the White House last year, and the capital has become familiar terrain for demonstrations of…