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Union statement comes after Nigel Farage says a Reform UK government would stop unions funding Labour if they block 72m donations to his partyThe Liberal Democrats have said that they will try to introduce a cap on the amount people donate to political parties by amending the representation of the people bill as it goes through the Lords.Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson, said:We can't keep playing whack-a-mole with each new attempt by Farage to sell out our democracy.Labour's residency requirements aren't good enough and the Conservatives simply sat on their hands whilst in power. For decades governments of both colours have stood by and done nothing.The scale of donations made to Reform in recent days is unprecedented in British politics and should deeply concern anyone who cares about the health and integrity of our democracy.We cannot afford to see the Americanisation of our politics, with out of control political spending, funded by stratospheric sums of crypto and corporate cash. These donations show clearly whose side Reform are on, with crypto billionaires, foreign and powerful corporate interests lining up to pour in eye-watering sums of money to advance their agendas. Continue reading...

Comments come after court on Monday allowed states to send ballots under process followed for years in blow to Trump's attempts to limit voter access

Minister says discussions are ongoing on how to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank after security incidents across Europe, including in Denmark and Poland

Analysts warn of an acceleration in high-risk arms race with Russia and China in Earth's orbitThe US has deployed weapons in space, the US military has confirmed, in an extraordinary public announcement that analysts warn will accelerate a high-risk arms race with Russia and China in Earth's orbit.US secretary of the air force, Troy Meink, announced that Washington had active on-orbit" weapons, meaning they had been deployed and were currently circling the globe. Continue reading...

Long-awaited Thirlwall inquiry finds three babies may have survived if hospital had acted over concerns raised

Tobacco investments raise new concerns about Dr Nicole Saphier ahead of confirmation hearingDonald Trump's nominee for US surgeon general reported more than $200,000 in business income from a company she owns that sells dietary supplements, a loosely regulated industry that health and consumer advocates say raises concerns about her record and which some critics allege are akin to snake oil".Dr Nicole Saphier, who specializes in breast cancer as a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey and was formerly a Fox News contributor, is facing a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. She filed a financial disclosure and ethics agreement last week. Continue reading...

More than 130 counsels and KCs sign letter to PM saying international law requires further measures to stop illegal settlementsMore than 130 legal experts, including 18 king's counsel (KCs), have written to Andy Burnham saying that sanctions on Israeli settlements fall far short" of Britain's obligations under the international court of justice's (ICJ's) finding that the occupation is unlawful.The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband last week announced an import ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine and other measures. Signatories to the letter to the prime minister, including the leading lawyers Michael Mansfield KC and Imran Khan KC, and the former lord justice of appeal Alan Moses, say it is not enough. Continue reading...

Wage growth - used to set triple-lock pension - slows to 3.9%, meaning state pension should hit 13,000 next year

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen condemns reckless action from Russia towards Denmark's military'A Russian warship has fired two emergency flares at a Danish helicopter in the Baltic Sea, and Nato fighter jets have shot down a drone over Lithuania, in the latest security incidents on the alliance's eastern flank linked to Russia's war against Ukraine.Poland also scrambled fighter jets due to the activity of Russian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory", a day after retrieving a suspected Russian drone adrift in its waters. Continue reading...

Councillors say locals have been raising concerns about people secretly filming in change rooms, swimming pools and around schools

More than 1,200 people including Ben Fogle sign letter saying buying British will help preserve manufacturing firms

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Labour should replace levy in 2027 rather than 2030 as energy bills are poised to surge over the winter, says lobby groupThe North Sea oil and gas industry has called on Labour to scrap the windfall tax on fossil fuel firms three years early, as Britain heads into a winter with energy bills expected to reach their highest level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the industry's trade body, wants the tax replaced in 2027, rather than in 2030, with a narrower levy that only applies during price spikes. Continue reading...

Nassif declares I'm not corrupt', threatens to pull out of evidence and waves handwritten notes at counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer

Carmaker builds on relationship with British armed forces by seeking to cash in on Europe's rearmament drive

Economists urge John Healey to press Bank to change policy that is costing the exchequer billions of poundsEconomists have urged the chancellor, John Healey, to press the Bank of England to slow down its bond-selling programme that has already cost the exchequer billions of pounds.The Bank's monetary policy committee (MPC) meets this week to not only decide the level of interest rates but also whether they should freeze or slow the sale of government bonds, known as gilts, bought as part of the rescue operation after the 2008 banking crash. Continue reading...

Figure likely to dictate rise in state pension triple lock, as workers face inflation squeeze fuelled by oil price rises

After a five-storey building collapsed in Delhi, focus is on how urban areas can adapt to growing populations. Plus, Ahmedabad's ace newspaper delivery driver goes viralRecently, I may have saved a woman's life on the road. Somehow, this was something I had expected to happen.On that day, I saw a truck leave a construction site with a tangled wire trailing behind. I frantically looked to see what the wire was attached to and spotted the scaffolding a few meters ahead. I shrieked and grabbed the hand of the woman walking in front of me just as the metal pipes came crashing down. We hugged for a brief second, and then walked our separate ways. Continue reading...

Witness tells court he sent Jones friendly messages after two alleged assaults because he had been generous to him

Exclusive: George Osborne's programme to reduce costs for first-time buyers delivered 25bn in social value in UK last yearGeorge Osborne's scheme to reduce costs for first-time buyers represented very high value for money", according to a government review, bolstering the case of senior government figures who have been arguing to resurrect the idea.An official audit of the help-to-buy programme has calculated it provided 25bn of social value to the UK in the last financial year, despite criticisms it was overly expensive and only served to inflate house prices. Continue reading...

Health service faces exodus as almost four-fifths of BAME managers surveyed reported racism, exclusion and barriers to career progressionThe NHS in England is facing an exodus of minority ethnic managers who have suffered racism, exclusion and discrimination during their working lives, a report has found.Almost four-fifths of managers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds have experienced racism, exclusion and obstacles to progressing in their careers, according to a survey carried out by the NHS Alliance. Continue reading...

Some arguments used to challenge convictions are inconsistent with available evidence, science and established physiology', say two scientistsTwo leading experts have withdrawn from Lucy Letby's defence team over concerns about the scientific credibility" of some of its evidence.Separately a public inquiry into the murders will publish its findings on Tuesday. The review, led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, is expected to highlight a number of missed opportunities for bosses to intervene after doctors raised the alarm about a spate of unexplained deaths on the neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016. A criminal investigation is ongoing into potential corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester hospital. Continue reading...

NT police say the person unlawfully gained access' to the base in the suburb of Winnellie

The militant group in Yemen captured the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, near the chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandab straitYemen's Houthi rebels have seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, reinforcing the Iran-backed group's ability to control a key shipping route, as concerns mount that the world is facing a new oil supply crisis.The seizure of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the militant group's swift advance across Yemen's Red Sea coast, after the capture of the port of Mokha and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...

Widow's Bay dominated this year's ceremony, with The Pitt, Hacks and Pluribus landing other major categories

Drive to save thousands of Afrikaners from false claims of white genocide' appears to show signs of slowingWhen Donald Trump announced in February 2025 that the US would accept Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees, many white South Africans who believed that they were victims of racism in their country thought that their prayers had been answered.However, in the past few months, dozens of applicants to the refugee programme have been rejected, with many left dismayed and confused as to why they would be left to face what Trump has falsely claimed is a white genocide" in South Africa. Continue reading...

Almost 3,500 people have died in outbreak and experts say more must be done to ensure Bundibugyo is under controlAuthorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have announced that the Ebola outbreak ravaging parts of the country has reached its peak.For the first time since the epidemic was declared in May, the numbers of people becoming infected is slowing down, according to officials. Continue reading...

Latest daily reductions will further choke one of the world's most important shipping lanesThe Panama canal plans to again cut maritime traffic due to worsening drought caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon, further choking up one of the world's most important shipping lanes.The canal handles 5% of global maritime trade and about 40% of US container traffic; it is favoured by shippers because it usually reduces cost and transit times, especially for companies trading between China, Asia and the US. Continue reading...

Committee to reconsider Harry and Meghan's publicly funded police protection now they are full-time residentsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a review of their publicly funded security following their return to the UK.The royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec), which oversees tax-funded security for royalty and public figures, is to reconsider Harry and Meghan's level of police protection. Continue reading...

Plans to strengthen legislation already going through parliament might mean donors having to meet stricter UK residence requirementsAndy Burnham's government could thwart Reform's unprecedented 72m donations with retrospective restrictions on political donors that will include tough new residency requirements, ministers have announced.In a move that is likely to set off furious complaints from Nigel Farage's party, the government will table amendments to legislation going through the House of Lords within weeks that puts the legality of Reform's latest donations in doubt. Continue reading...

Ministry of Defence says person, who has yet to be identified, died in road traffic incident not believed to be result of hostile actionA member of the UK armed forces has been killed in a crash in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.The person, who has not yet been named, died in a road traffic incident on Saturday. It is understood the incident was not a result of hostile action. Continue reading...

Man, who cannot be named to protect anonymity of his victim, admits scores of criminal offencesA man has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually assaulting his wife over a period of 20 years as he admitted 60 criminal offences.The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of his victim, is in his 60s and before his arrest lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Continue reading...

Screenwriter points to parallels between two worlds while academic says some of author's characters would make perfect reality show contestants'If Jane Austen's novels run on closed social worlds, courtship rituals, status anxiety, gossip and relentless scrutiny of who's coupling with who, it follows that the obvious contemporary equivalent would be reality television.That's according to Andrew Davies, the writer who has spent decades modernising British period dramas. Continue reading...

Soaring oil prices of above $108 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure stoke inflation fearsUS government borrowing costs have risen to 5% for the first time since 2023 as soaring oil prices fuelled by the war in the Middle East trigger an intensifying sell-off in the global bond market.The yield - in effect the interest rate - on 10-year US Treasury bonds hit the psychologically important threshold on Monday, on a day of renewed selling pressure on Wall Street as the global oil price reached $108 a barrel. Continue reading...

US president blames conflict, and not Iran', for spike in US diesel pricesJennifer Rankin in Brussels and Charlotte Higgins and Amy Hawkins in KyivCatching up with other news from across Europe, the head of Nato has said a Russian drone attack on a train close to Ukraine's border with Poland would not deter Kyiv's western backers. Continue reading...

Centre-left bloc led by Social Democrats has narrow lead with 95% of vote counted, but faces internal policy battleSweden's political parties have launched coalition negotiations as the Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson started the long and difficult process of trying to form a new government.Full results from Sunday's election are not expected until after overseas votes are counted on Wednesday, but with 95% of the votes counted, the Social Democrats and the centre-left bloc had a narrow but growing lead of 176 seats to the right-leaning parties' 173. Continue reading...

In an interview about the donations, he said they are compliant with the law today'Andy Burnham has cancelled engagements today and tomorrow following the death of his father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, the Press Association reports.Burnham has spoken about his father's illness which meant that he did not know his son had become prime minister.[We] will continue bringing forward further reforms to strengthen confidence in our democracy.Following on from the previous minister for democracy's letter to you of 10 July 2026, we wanted to reiterate the government's concerns, shared by many members of the public and parliamentarians, about the rise in the volume and concentration of money in UK politics. We have to limit the way financial power can end up dominating political power, to get to a politics that works for all people in all places.We believe spending limits on parties and candidates are too high, and ought to be reduced. Continue reading...

Firm, once part of Sanjeev Gupta's empire, fell into administration last year but has failed to find buyer

Military chief had pulled country out over Harry-Meghan nonsense' but U-turned after clarification from the palaceUganda has U-turned on its decision to withdraw from the Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games after the country's military chief said he had been reassured by King Charles that there was no problem" with its participation.Last week, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the eldest son of the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, made the surprise announcement the country would not participate in the games in a post on X. He said he was motivated by his respect for the king amid division over the Harry-Meghan nonsense". Continue reading...

After 2025's wildly lucrative reunion, the Gallagher brothers will tour the UK, Ireland and US, and revisit the Hertfordshire site of their greatest live triumphOasis have finally confirmed new tour dates for 2027, including their long-rumoured return to Knebworth for a run of shows 30 years after they played a historic two nights at the Hertfordshire venue in 1996.Come witness the fitness," Noel and Liam Gallagher said in a new statement. It shall be a sight to behold." Continue reading...

Newly collated data also shows Indigenous Australians experiencing disproportionally high rates of infection

Rainbow clouds are not uncommon in Australia but rarely photographed, and experts say they get their colours when light is diffracted around ice crystals

Exclusive: Advocate says homeless clearances should be halted after man is hospitalised during confrontation in Brisbane park

Pauline Hanson's gas policy and the party's relationship with Rinehart is examined in a new Guardian podcast series, The Populist

St Barts is one of many UK institutions whose benefactors were involved in the trafficking of enslaved AfricansInside the Great Hall of St Bartholomew's North Wing, alongside stately portraits of the apostle from whom London's oldest hospital takes its name and King Henry VIII, extravagant commemorative boards adorn the walls.The Great Hall was a grand, formal space where governors weighed their philanthropic donations and drafted their wills, many while investing in the stock of companies built on the trafficking of enslaved Africans. Today, many of those donors are commemorated in acrylic gold paint on the boards. Continue reading...

Prime minister had been due to speak at the TUC conference in Brighton

Public offering of Aliko Dangote's Nigerian oil refinery business could swell his net wealth by two-thirdsThe fortune of Africa's richest person could swell by two thirds to nearly $60bn (44bn) after his refinery in Nigeria listed publicly in the continent's biggest-ever initial public offering.If Monday's flotation of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals on the Nigerian exchange goes to plan, then Aliko Dangote will add a further $23bn (17bn) to his $35bn net worth. Continue reading...

Impasse comes amid growing Saudi anger with Tehran over Houthi advances and strikes on airbase and pipeline

Project will prepare volunteers across US to monitor polls, encourage early voting and respond to disinformationThe Democrats intend to train tens of thousands of volunteers to monitor the polls and counter possible voter intimidation under a new plan to protect November's US midterm elections from anticipated interference from Donald Trump and his allies.The nationwide initiative, dubbed the New Battlefield Project, will help state Democratic committees build up a vast coalition of volunteers to monitor the polls, push voters to cast their ballots early and create a network to respond to disinformation. Continue reading...

Flooding in West Bengal has led to three deaths, while severe beach erosion has been witnessed in Orange countyFlooding around the city of Malda in the Indian state of West Bengal since Thursday has had a devastating effect. So far, three deaths have been recorded and many areas are still flooded, with numerous villages affected, along with the region of Bhutni. Erosion from the flooding, reported from Khaskol, led to a disruption in river flow which led to a more severe impact in Bhutni. More than 100 boats have been sent out for evacuation.At East Basudevpur, a 20ft (6-metre) embankment collapsed, reducing the channel from 550ft to under 150ft, which could lead to further flooding unless repaired. This flooding resulted after the Ganges River rose about 75cm above its extreme danger" level owing to heavy rainfall. Continue reading...