After an ongoing feud between Republican Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, a Republican lawmaker said the standoff between the two Congress members could result in a fistfight. “A fistfight could break out at any moment,” Republican Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett told The Daily Beast. Mr Burchett told the publication that he was serious, and added he was enjoying the Republicans’ rivalry as a “professional wrestling fan.” He told the outlet, “I am friends with both of them. It’s entertaining to think that a fistfight could break out at any movement. I kind of dig that.” The Tennessee Republican isn’t alone in his stance. Another GOP lawmaker close to both Reps Greene and Boebert, who spoke anonymously, told the outlet: “You can’t have too many of these rifts for too long.” Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar called the battle a “two-way sword” to The Daily Beast. He continued, “I just think that whatever is there, could be utilized both ways,” he said, adding that “people make decisions that they have to work and live by, and you kind of hate being in their shoes.” The conflict between the congresswomen came to a head recently when Ms Greene was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus after she called Ms Boebert “a little b****.” The Georgia Republican claimed last week that she didn’t know why she was booted from the Freedom Caucus. She dismissed the move, saying that she didn’t “have time for the drama club.” Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene says she didn’t know she was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus booting Marjorie Taylor Greene looks worse for them than it does for her Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from House Freedom Caucus following fight with Lauren Boebert

Watch a live view of Kalyvia, Greece, where wildfires have sparked evacuations of coastal towns amid a summer heatwave. Smoke continues to rise across the sky on Monday 17 July, while sizzling temperatures have swept across Europe in recent days and the heatwave has taken hold across many popular holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean. Much of southern Europe has been in the high 30s, while some parts of southern Italy and areas in Greece have been in the low-to-mid 40s, which is eight to 12 degrees above the seasonal average for the region. The hottest temperature recorded was around 45C and the heatwave has caused health issues, leading to a strain on local medical services during a busy tourist period. Forecasters say in the coming days parts of Italy and Greece could push the 48.8C recorded in Syracuse, Sicily in August 2021, the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. The hot weather is set to continue for at least another week. Read More Watch view of the Vatican as European temperatures soar to nearly 40C Mapped: Temperatures set to soar in Italy, Spain and Greece due to Charon heatwave Greece ‘like Africa’ as Europe melts in deadly heatwave forecast to smash record

Sen Joe Manchin is continuing to feed speculation about his political future by appearing at an event with No Labels as he weighs whether to make a third-party run for president. The West Virginia Democrat will appear at the event on Monday night in New Hampshire, which holds one of the first presidential nominating contests and is a crucial swing state in the general election. No Labels, a centrist organisation, has pushed for a third-party candidate for president. But some Democrats have feared that a No Labels-backed candidacy would siphon votes away from President Joe Biden and enable former president Donald Trump to win another term as president. In May, the organisation said it opposed Mr Trump’s candidacy. “We don’t believe there is any “equivalency” between President Biden and former President Trump, who is a uniquely divisive force in our politics and who sought to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after he lost the 2020 election,” the statement written by co-chairmen former senator Joe Lieberman and Benjamin Chavis said. “But we reject the notion that No Labels’ 2024 presidential insurance project would inevitably help former President Trump’s electoral prospects if he were the Republican nominee.” Mr Manchin, a conservative Democrat, has not yet indicated whether he would stage a third-party run for president or seek another term in the Senate. Were he to run in 2024, he would be seeking another term with a Republican at the top of the presidential ticket. In 2020, Mr Trump won every county in West Virginia. Throughout the first two years of Mr Biden’s presidency when Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate, Mr Manchin served as the swing vote in a 50-50 Senate. His opposition to Build Back Better, Democrats’ proposed social spending bill, ultimately killed the legislation. Last year, he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer resurrected talks that led to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. But since then, Mr Manchin has criticised the Biden administration’s implementation of the law. West Virginia Gov Jim Justice, a former friend of Mr Manchin, announced his candidacy to challenge the incumbent. He is heavily favoured to face Mr Manchin, himself a former governor, in the general election. Mr Manchin has said he will decide his political future by the end of the year. Despite his indecision, he raised $424,485.52 in the most recent fundraising quarter from March to July and he has more than $10.7m in cash on hand. Read More Arizona Democrats file complaint against No Labels over donor secrecy Biden’s economy pitch: Campaign like Reagan while refuting Reagan’s policies

Greg Abbott has been branded “one of the dumbest people in the country” by the author of a satirical story about country music star Garth Brooks that was reshared by the Texas governor. Christopher Blair runs the parody website The Dunning-Kruger-Times, which posted the story that Mr Brooks had been booed off the stage at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree last month after calling his conservative fans “a**holes.” The entire story was made-up - but Mr Abbott didn’t seem to notice. “When I saw [Mr Abbott’s repost], I was besides myself with joy,” Mr Blair told The Guardian. “He’s one of the dumbest people in the country.” “As soon as I wrote the headline, I said to myself that it might be a little bit much,” Mr Blair said. “But it wasn’t.” The Texas governor had tweeted a link to the story on 25 June with the caption: “Garth Brooks Booed Off Stage at 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree. Go woke. Go broke.” “Garth called his conservative fans. ‘a**holes’ Good job Texas,” he added. His tweet seemed to refer to a question-and-answer session with the country singer last month in which he said his new bar in Nashville planned to “serve every brand of beer,” shutting down the idea that it wouldn’t serve Bud Light, following the conservative-led boycott of the beer brand. “Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another,” Mr Brooks said. “If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway to go.” The governor has since deleted his tweet, but reactions to the tweet are still up. Democratic Texas Congressman Greg Casar tweeted: “Gov Abbott just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad.” “The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern,” he explained. Read More Greg Abbott mocked after falling for hoax story about Garth Brooks being booed off stage Garth Brooks commended for not bowing to anti-LGBT trolls and refusing to boycott Bud Light First Amendment group sues Texas Governor and others over the state's TikTok ban on official devices Wembymania set to hit Las Vegas, as Spurs rookie 'can't wait' for his NBA debut at Summer League Joe Manchin fuels speculation around third-party 2024 run with No Labels event George Santos repays himself $85K raised from lackluster reelection fundraising

Vladimir Putin has been blasted for his “cynical move” to end the Black Sea grain export deal after the Crimean Bridge was struck on Monday. Russia said it had halted participation in the landmark UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea just hours after Moscow said Ukraine had attacked the critical Russian supply line amid reports of multiple explosions. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “strongly condemned Russia’s cynical move” in a tweet, adding that the EU would continue to work towards ensuring food security for poor countries. Moscow’s decision comes after Russia’s Investigative Committee said Kyiv was behind the “attack” on the bridge, which is a major supply artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and was previously bombed in October. It subsequently opened a terrorism case. Meanwhile, Ukraine has not officially confirmed nor denied involvement and the country’s military has suggested Moscow could be responsible. Three Ukrainian media outlets quoted unnamed sources as saying Ukraine’s domestic security agency and navy were behind the incident, adding that they had used sea-borne drones to attack it. Read More Ukrainian boxer fights through the challenges of war on her way to the Paris Olympics Russia has 'sufficient stockpile' of cluster bombs, says Putin, as Ukraine gets US cluster bombs Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who led Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile

Watch a live view of St Peter’s Square in Vatican City, as temperatures reach 38C. Sizzling temperatures have swept across Europe in recent days, and the heatwave has taken hold across many popular holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean, such as Spain, Italy and Greece. Much of southern Europe has been in the high 30s, while some parts of southern Italy and areas in Greece have been in the low-to-mid 40s, which is eight to 12 degrees above the seasonal average for the region. The hottest temperature recorded was around 45C and the heatwave has caused health issues, leading to a strain on local medical services during a busy tourist period. Fifteen cities in Italy, most of them in the country’s centre and south, were under heat advisories due to a high level of risk for older adults, children and other vulnerable people. Last week, a 44-year-old man, who was painting a zebra crossing in 40C heat in the northern town of Lodi, lost consciousness and later died in hospital, local media reported. Read More The pope's Ukraine peace envoy heads to Washington with the plight of children top of his agenda The Vatican's next doctrinal guardian defends the book on kissing he wrote as a young priest A wave of political turbulence is rolling through Guatemala and other Central American countries

Russia is set to ban iPhones for government officials and state employees after accusing Apple of helping the US government conduct espionage operations. Government officials at Russia’s trade ministry will be banned from using iPhones and other Apple products for “work purposes” from July 17, the Financial Times reported. The trade ministry’s ban includes emailed correspondence relating to work activities, said its deputy head Vasily Osmako. The digital development ministry said it will follow suit, while state-owned company Rostec, which is under Western sanctions, said it has already introduced a ban on Apple products. It comes after the Kremlin told officials to stop using Apple products in March, citing fears they were vulnerable to US hacking. “Officials truly believe that Americans can use their equipment for wiretapping,” Andrey Soldatov, a Russia security and intelligence services expert, told the Financial Times. Russia’s Federal Security Service claimed in June it had uncovered a “spying operation by US intelligence agencies using Apple devices”. However, the FSB provided no evidence. The security service claimed several thousand iPhones with Russian SIM cards or registered with Moscow diplomatic missions in Nato countries were “infected” with monitoring software that indicated Apple’s “close co-operation” with the US National Security Agency. “Everyone in the presidential administration is aware that the iPhone is a completely transparent device and its use for official purposes is unacceptable and prohibited,” Dmitry Peskov, president Putin’s spokesperson, said last month. Apple has denied working with US intelligence services. The tech company said it “has never worked with any government to build a backdoor into any Apple product, and never will”. The ban will not impact regular consumers. Apple pulled out of Russia following last year’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Apple products continue to be imported to Russia from other countries. Read More Calls for security review after Briton arrested in Germany accused of spying for Russia Huawei: Why are western governments worried about China's technology powerhouse? Privacy: Why the iPhone battery spying trick shows that everyone needs to care about being snooped on

Two people were killed and their daughter was seriously injured after multiple reports of explosions on the Crimean Bridge led officials to declare an “emergency situation” in the early hours of Monday. Officials closed roads leading to the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which is a major supply artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and a prestige project that was personally opened by President Vladimir Putin. There was no immediate confirmation of an attack on the bridge, but it has been struck at least once previously since Vladimir Putin’s invasion began more than 500 days ago. Preliminary visuals of the lit-up Kerch Bridge on social media appeared to show a portion had been damaged. Russian military bloggers reported two missile strikes on the overpass. The RBC-Ukraine news agency said explosions were heard on the bridge, while Russian officials called it an "emergency" situation. A girl, who was injured in a passenger car, was being treated in intensive care, while her parents were killed, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region said in a message on the Telegram messaging app. Read More Ukrainian boxer fights through the challenges of war on her way to the Paris Olympics Russia has 'sufficient stockpile' of cluster bombs, says Putin, as Ukraine gets US cluster bombs Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who led Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile

Europe’s record for the hottest temperature ever recorded could be broken this week, with Italy issuing new hot weather red alerts for 16 cities as another heat dome heads towards the Mediterranean region. A new anticyclone dubbed “Charon”, who in Greek mythology was the ferryman of the dead, advanced into the region from north Africa on Sunday and could lift temperatures well above 45C in parts of Italy. “We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country,” Italian weather news service said. “In some places ancient heat records will be broken.”The hottest temperature recorded in Europe was 48.8C in Sicily, in August 2021. The new heat dome enters Europe as the region is already experiencing deadly heat and wildfires with temperatures above 40C. At least 4,000 people were evacuated in Spain as firefighters struggle to contain wildfires tearing through La Palma. It comes as extreme temperatures are breaking records worldwide as both the US and China saw the mercury crossing 50C on Sunday. Read More Why is there no UK heatwave as Europe swelters during Cerberus? California's Death Valley sizzles as brutal heat wave continues Is it safe to travel in Europe during the heatwave and how are Britons affected?

The tax system is opaque - and abused, with politicians and private citizens lining their pockets.

Foothill villages in close proximity to warring groups are the most vulnerable in Manipur's conflict.

Police have fatally shot a Georgia gunman who went on the run after allegedly killing four people in a small town south of Atlanta. Andre Longmore, 40, was killed during a manhunt on Sunday afternoon, Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett confirmed to the WSB-TV station. “The monster is dead,” Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett told reporters on Sunday afternoon. “The entire state of Georgia can breathe a little easier tonight.” Authorities say that a Henry County deputy and a Clayton County police officer were wounded during the incident, but both are conscious. The deputy was taken by Life Flight to Grady Memorial Hospital for medical treatment. Officials say that officers exchanged gunfire with Longmore twice in nearby Clayton County before he was “neutralised” and declared dead, the sheriff added. Investigators say that Longmore killed four residents of Dogwood Lakes Drive and Dogwood Ridge around 10.45 am on Saturday. Hampton Police Chief James Turner identified the victims on Sunday as s Scott Levitt, 67; Shirley Levitt, 66; Steve Blizzard, 65; and Ronald Jeffers, 66. Police said that Longmore lived in the Dogwood Lakes Drive neighbourhood but they have not yet determined a motive for the shooting. “Wherever you are, we will hunt you down in whatever hole you may be hiding in and bring you into custody. Period,” Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett told reporters on Saturday. Police had identified the suspect as 40-year-old Andre Longmore, who they had obtained four warrants for and described him as being armed and dangerous. Hampton is a city of 8,500 residents located around an hour south of Atlanta, Georgia. Officials say that the last homicide was reported in 2018 and insisted it is one of the safest communities in the state. “This community is grieving,” Hampton city manager Alex Cohilas said on Sunday. “We’re thankful we have achieved a resolution in which no more loss of life has occurred.” And he added: “It’s just not normal for us.” The murders and the police response are under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Earlier, Frankie Worth, a resident of the neighbourhood, said he saw the suspect brandishing a black handgun and that he witnessed him fatally shoot his neighbour. “Just when I was about to open the window, I heard pow,” Worth told Atlanta’s WSB-TV. “When I opened the window, I saw (the gunman’s) arms up and he’s coming back down.” And he added: “When he realised the shot was good, he took the weapon, checked it for a minute, put it in his holster.” Read More In quiet Georgia subdivision, neighbor says he saw man accused of killing 4 shoot man in street At least four killed in Georgia mass shooting as police hunt ‘active shooter’ Usher’s ex-wife wants to drain Georgia lake where her son was killed