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Leaked documents appear to show Johnson used political contacts in commercial approach to crown princeBoris Johnson recently approached senior Saudi officials he had met when he was prime minister to pitch the services of a consultancy firm he claimed could be useful" to the petrostate's autocratic crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, leaked files suggest.Johnson, who resigned from government in 2022, appears to have led the newly formed company's efforts last year to persuade the Saudi government to hire it to provide advice on reducing carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Johnson's office sent invoice to hedge fund manager, which was paid, weeks after meeting Venezuelan leader last yearFrom a private jet somewhere over the Caribbean Sea in February last year, Boris Johnson called his old political adversary David Cameron, then the foreign secretary, to notify him of a visit.Johnson had taken a day out from a family holiday in the Dominican Republic for an unlikely meeting with the leftwing president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, a man whom Johnson, when in office, had likened to a dictator of an evil regime". Continue reading...

Non-disclosure of apparent meeting a year before firm won NHS role raises serious questions over transparency

Leaked material from Johnson's private office raises serious questions relating to his time in No 10 and since he resignedThe Boris Files are a trove of leaked data from the office of Boris Johnson, the former prime minister's private office. The data shines a spotlight on Johnson's commercial interests since he left Downing Street in September 2022.It reveals how the former Conservative leader is using the relationships he forged in the UK's highest elected office to facilitate his personal enrichment. He appears to be doing so via his private office, which is subsidised by the public. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leak exposes how former leader has used publicly subsidised office to manage commercial interestsA trove of leaked data from Boris Johnson's private office reveals how the former prime minister has been profiting from contacts and influence he gained in office in a possible breach of ethics and lobbying rules.The Boris Files contain emails, letters, invoices, speeches and business contracts. They shine a spotlight on the inner workings of a publicly subsidised company Johnson established after leaving Downing Street in September 2022.Johnson lobbied a senior Saudi official he had met while in office, asking him to share a pitch with the petrostate's autocratic crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for a firm he co-chairs.The ex-PM received more than 200,000 from a hedge fund after meeting Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro - contrary to statements he was not paid.While in office, Johnson appears to have held a secret meeting with Peter Thiel, the billionaire who founded the controversial US data firm Palantir, months before it was given a role managing NHS data.In an apparent breach of Covid pandemic rules, Johnson hosted a dinner for a Tory peer who financed a lavish refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, a day after the second national Covid-19 lockdown came into force. Continue reading...

Andrew David Kenneth Young, a transport enthusiast, among 16 who died when tourist attraction derailedThe third British victim of the Lisbon funicular crash has been named by Welsh police as Andrew David Kenneth Young, 82, a transport enthusiast from Holyhead.Young was among 16 people who died when the Elevador da Gloria, a popular tourist attraction, derailed in the centre of the Portuguese capital on Wednesday. Continue reading...

New home secretary vows to move further and faster' to cut number of people entering by irregular routes

Artist's latest work at Royal Courts of Justice in London is thought to refer to pro-Palestine demonstrationsA painting by Banksy of a judge using a gavel to beat a helpless protester appeared on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice in London before quickly being covered up by guards.Banksy confirmed the artwork was his by posting a picture of it on Instagram on Monday morning. Continue reading...

Jonathan Hayes tells inquiry he thought he was dying at every stage' after grappling with Axel RudakubanaA man who tried to apprehend the Southport killer said he thought he was dying at every stage" after being stabbed in a scene of horror".Jonathan Hayes, speaking at the inquiry into the attack, told of his terror" as he witnessed Axel Rudakubana wielding a bloodied 20cm kitchen knife. Continue reading...

Beck's family say failures within justice system led to her death after Michael Webber pleaded guilty to crimeA former senior noncommissioned army officer has admitted sexually assaulting the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later killed herself.WO Michael Webber pleaded guilty to assaulting Gunner Beck during a training exercise and will be sentenced at the military court in Bulford, Wiltshire on 31 October. Continue reading...

Patients who opt for surgery, which is storyline in Materialists film, warned they risk infection, nerve damage and disabilityIt is the ultimate eyebrow-raising kitchen table confession in Celine Song's romantic comedy-drama, Materialists.After matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) grows suspicious of scars on her new partner's body, financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) makes a startling admission: he has had leg-lengthening surgery - and gained six inches in height. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex visits Windsor, where his grandmother was laid to rest, on third anniversary of her deathPrince Harry has laid a wreath and flowers in memory of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II on the third anniversary of her death.The Duke of Sussex arrived in the UK on Monday and travelled to Windsor, where the late queen was laid to rest at the King George VI Memorial Chapel within the castle's St George's Chapel. It is understood he laid a wreath and flowers and privately paid his respects. Continue reading...

Finisher T-shirts also feature outline of River Wear, as organisers spin medals as most unique' in event's historyThe organisers of the Great North Run have apologised after finisher T-shirts and medals were printed with a map of rival northeast city off Sunderland, in place of Newcastle.About 600,000 took part in the half marathon on Sunday, running 13.1 miles from the centre of Newcastle, across the River Tyne, and through Gateshead, finishing by the coast in South Shields. Continue reading...

Reach, which also owns Express, Star and regional papers, says restructure will also create new roles

Spain announces raft of measures designed to increase pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to end Gaza war

NSW premier initially supported the controversial bill which would have allowed recreational hunters to shoot feral animals on public lands

Sussan Ley under pressure to repair ties with diaspora group after NT senator claimed without evidence Labor was bringing in migrants to win votes

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Opposition parties planning to remove centrist and bring down minority government after just nine monthsThe French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, is expected to be ousted in a confidence vote on Monday afternoon, plunging the eurozone's second biggest economy into political crisis.Opposition parties from the left to the far right have made clear they will vote against the 74-year-old centrist, meaning he and his minority government would fall after only nine months in office. Continue reading...

Former chancellor is now partner at Robey Warshaw but is expected to move to part-time role, reports say

Phillips, who has been on the run with his children for four years, was shot by police after officers came under fire while investigating burglary in Piopio, authorities saidA fugitive father who had been hiding in New Zealand's rugged wilderness with his three children for nearly four years has been shot dead by police investigating an armed burglary, police said on Monday.The whereabouts of Tom Phillips has attracted headlines around the world since just before Christmas 2021, when he fled into the Waikato wilderness with his children Ember, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, following a custody dispute with their mother. Continue reading...

After Patterson was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years, only the question of motive remained

Report by Labour peer Harriet Harman says systemic bullying prevalent in chambersSexual relations between barristers and pupils and anyone undertaking work experience in their chambers should be banned to prevent predatory abuse at the England and Wales bar, a review by the Labour peer Harriet Harman has concluded.The report on bullying and harassment, which calls for decisive and radical change", comes months after Navjot Jo" Sidhu KC was disbarred for sexual misconduct towards an aspiring female lawyer. Harman, also a former deputy Labour leader, said the case highlighted the systemic issues facing the bar with regard to sexual misconduct". Continue reading...

Toblerone and Chocolate Orange also smaller this year after poor cocoa harvests in Africa raise cost of raw materialsTucking into a box of Quality Street or Celebrations is a Christmas tradition.But as this year's supply arrives in British supermarkets, it is becoming clear that the Grinch has already struck and made the tubs of the confectionery lighter. Continue reading...

Death of British singer, who wrote and sang hits including Goodbye Stranger and Bloody Well Right, comes after a long illness', band saysRick Davies, the co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for the British band Supertramp, has died aged 81.Davies died at home on Long Island last week after a long illness", the band said in a statement released on Sunday. Continue reading...

Cross-bench peer says support and hostility has been unleashed but insists really detailed discussion' is neededTanni Grey-Thompson, the cross-bench peer and former Paralympic athlete, has said she received abusive" emails accusing her of being responsible for people dying in pain" because of her opposition to the assisted dying bill.Grey-Thompson, a multiple gold medallist and disability rights campaigner is expected to speak in Friday's second reading of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales to request medical help to end their lives. Continue reading...

Exclusive: A Second Life will feature My Bed and never seen before pieces that reflect on artist's experience of cancerTracey Emin will open her biggest ever exhibition at the Tate Modern next spring, showcasing her best artworks from a 40-year career.A Second Life will include some of Emin's most famous works, including the headline-grabbing and Turner prize-nominated My Bed, from 1998, alongside never-before-seen pieces. Continue reading...

The actor claimed accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy. The Guardian's editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, and journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne on why the news organisation risked millions to defend its reportingNoel Clarke became a household name playing Mickey in Doctor Who and established himself as a writer and director with a trilogy of films inspired by his upbringing in west London - Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood.In April 2021, he received a special Bafta for outstanding contribution to British film. A few days later, the Guardian ran a series of articles - and an episode of this podcast - containing accusations by more than 20 women that he groped, harassed or bullied them. Continue reading...

Immediate issues for the agency will include bird flu, immunisation and misinformation, as well as the challenges of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But there's a lot we don't know yet - and can we ensure it's apolitical?Australia is a step closer to having its own national agency to inform and coordinate public health responses - a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control.Long-awaited draft legislation was tabled in parliament last week to create this permanent CDC, which is to start from 1 January 2026.1987Epidemiologist Prof Bob Douglas asks in the Medical Journal of Australia Does Australia need a centre for disease control? Continue reading...

Stalling house prices and shift back to office working are affecting people's ability to move out of city, say expertsLondoners are buying the lowest share of houses outside the capital in more than a decade as their moving plans are curtailed by a stalling local market and the shift back to office working.They were behind just 5.3% of house purchases elsewhere in the country in the first seven months of this year, the lowest proportion since 2013, research has found. Continue reading...

Prime minister faces criticism from Emily Thornberry, who highlights risk of handing country to Farage'Keir Starmer has been warned by senior Labour figures to stop making mistakes, before a battle over the party's deputy leadership and amid fears the government could row back on workers' rights.As candidates began to jostle to replace Angela Rayner, the prime minister faced public criticism from Emily Thornberry, a potential contender, who said further mistakes from Starmer could lead to having to hand our country to [Nigel] Farage". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Andy Burnham-backed Mainstream group will inevitably influence looming deputy leadership contestKeir Starmer is facing fresh pressure from Labour insiders, days after a sweeping government reshuffle, as party figures from the left and centre mobilise through a network, backed by Andy Burnham, designed to change Labour's direction.The network, called Mainstream, will inevitably influence Labour's looming deputy leadership contest, with Burnham already throwing his weight behind former cabinet minister Louise Haigh as well as Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader. Continue reading...

New home secretary will be joined in London by counterparts from US, Australia, Canada and New ZealandShabana Mahmood, the new home secretary, will host a meeting of the Five Eyes security alliance to discuss how to stop people-smuggling as it emerged that ministers were looking at housing those who entered the UK by small boat in military barracks.Mahmood is to be joined in London by Kristi Noem, the US secretary of state for homeland security, as well as interior ministers from Australia, Canada and New Zealand - the other member countries of the intelligence-sharing pact. Continue reading...

Criminal Cases Review Commission faces criticism over its handling of several high-profile casesThe miscarriage of justice watchdog is failing prisoners appealing against wrongful convictions because it does not have forensic expertise and will not engage with third parties who do, experts have claimed.Advisers to Inside Justice, a miscarriage of justice charity, say that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) relies on legal professionals without a proper understanding of the science that underpins many convictions and appeals. Continue reading...

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi says European nations should engage constructively and not facilitate America's excesses'

London-born Italian, who died in 2006, built websites to spread Catholic teaching and is credited with two miraclesA London-born Italian teenage computer whiz who died in 2006 age 15, has been declared the Catholic church's first millennial saint during an open-air mass in a packed St Peter's Square.Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia, built multilingual websites to spread Catholic teaching, later earning him the nickname God's influencer". He was canonised by Pope Leo XIV alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Catholic activist, who died a century ago. Continue reading...

Demonstration in central London on Saturday led to 857 arrests under Terrorism ActA total of 890 arrests were made at a demonstration in central London on Saturday against the banning of the protest group Palestine Action.Police arrested 857 people under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a proscribed group, while 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

Thousands of workers told to stay home this week as car manufacturer deals with digital systems outageProduction at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and dozens of its suppliers is to remain on hold for at least this week, with disruption from a crippling cyber-attack at the carmaker expected to last until October.The UK's biggest car manufacturer, owned by India's Tata group, halted production at the sites after discovering hackers had infiltrated its systems a week ago. Continue reading...

British couple feared the worst after kittens were left in hold after flight to Paris and returned to GreeceA newlywed couple who married in Greece said they feared the worst when three kittens they had rescued from Crete went missing after being left in the hold of an aeroplane.They first travelled to the island in September 2023 and found the mother cat, who had a very distinctive bulging eye that needed to be removed", Bethany Mulcahy-Stephenson, a veterinary nurse, said. Continue reading...

Devices will vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds at 3pm, with message confirming alert is a testMillions of mobile phones will vibrate and make a siren sound across the UK on Sunday afternoon during a test of a nationwide emergency alert system.Handset users will also receive a message on their screens reminding them the 10-second alert, which will happen at 3pm, is a test. There are about 87m mobile phones in the UK. Continue reading...

Once a singular voice on the airwaves and satellite radio, the King of All Media' has seen his audience shrink markedlyHoward Stern was once one of the most powerful figures in American media: a controversial shock jock" who thrived on controversy proclaimed himself the King of All Media" and once commanded a contract worth half a billion dollars.But now Stern's career could be winding down from its heyday in the 1990s and 2000s when he revolutionized American listening habits and wielded huge cultural power. Continue reading...

Action will bring services to early finish on Sunday and close underground entirely for four days from MondayTube users have been urged to check before travelling this week as strikes by staff escalate, bringing services to an early finish on Sunday evening and closing the London Underground entirely for four days from Monday.The RMT union has batted back pleas to call off the industrial action, involving about 10,000 workers, as it attempts to secure a shorter working week as part of pay negotiations. Continue reading...

Co-leader of nascent leftwing party says more than 750,000 people have registered their interestLabour is dead" after failing to deliver for working people, Zarah Sultana said as she urged supporters of a new leftwing party she is creating to be patient and watch this space".Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South who quit Labour after losing the whip for backing a move to scrap the two-child benefit cap, is co-leader of a nascent party with Jeremy Corbyn. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor also suggests the cabinet needs to more pluralistic' and less London-centricThe Labour government needs a reset to become more decisive and listen more to its MPs, Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor and former cabinet minister, has said.Burnham, who is touted as a potential future leader, said he was concerned about the balance of the cabinet after the reshuffle and wanted the government to be more pluralistic". Continue reading...

Reform UK leader clarifies that, if he wins election, he will have to wait until law passed to deport people more quickly, which could take months. This live blog is closed

Nine attorneys tell Guardian they have not been contacted by justice department - state of affairs they call atrocious'For more than six months, Donald Trump and his justice department have insisted they would get to the bottom of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, but nine attorneys - who have represented approximately 50 Epstein survivors - told the Guardian they have not been recently contacted by the justice department.The revelation casts doubt on the effort by the Trump administration to fully investigate Epstein's crimes and activities and reveal everything that the government knows about him. It comes as Trump faces intense political pressure, including from his own base, over his social ties to Epstein, who was famed for courting rich and powerful figures into his circle. Continue reading...

Public will never forgive' ex-PM for immigration policies, claims Reform leader after Nadine Dorries called for unity

British ambassador to Washington says US president has sounded wake-up call to the international old guard'Donald Trump is a risk-taker sounding a necessary wake-up call to a stale status quo, Peter Mandelson has told the Ditchley Foundation in a speech before Trump's second state visit to the UK this month.The UK's ambassador to Washington portrayed Trump as a harbinger of a new force in politics at a time when business as usual no longer works for fed-up voters. Continue reading...

Public broadcaster says prime minister has made decision to avoid divide within his Liberal Democratic partyJapan's prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has said he is to step down following calls from his party to take responsibility for a disastrous defeat in July's upper house election.The public broadcaster NHK said Ishiba made the decision to avoid a divide within the party, while the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said he was unable to withstand the mounting calls for his resignation. Continue reading...

Metroteka aims to encourage people to read more in country that lost majority of libraries in second world warAn express" library has opened in a new metro station in Warsaw, aiming to provide an appealing cultural space to encourage residents and commuters to forgo smartphones in favour of books and, thanks to fresh herbs growing in a vertical garden, a dash of subterranean greenery too.The stylish Metroteka, which opened this week in the Kondratowicza M2 line metro station in the Polish capital's Targowek district, offers two reading areas for adults and children, as well as a space for public readings and events. Continue reading...