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While overall levy for UK is unchanged, sectors not covered by Turnberry deal face tougher competitionDonald Trump's latest round of tariffs has put UK businesses at a disadvantage against the EU even though the overall tariff for London has not changed, experts have said.In the levies, announced late on Thursday and said to be aimed against countries that engage in forced labour, the EU's previous 15% near blanket tariff is reduced to 10%, the same level as the tariff deal struck by Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson last year. Continue reading...

PM chairing the inaugural meeting of the national economic council that will aim to shift economic decision-making away from LondonAndy Burnham has arrived by police convoy at No 10 North at Heron House in Manchester:Andy Burnham was probably feeling left out of the Celtic alliance", after apparently telling John Swinney that Scottish independence was off limits". Continue reading...

Even some Republicans apparently expressing concern over measures against 85 countries

US courts, state officials and Democrats warn that moves are endangering voting rights and the rule of lawThe Trump administration continues to expand its authoritarian and radical drive to revamp voting rules and seize state election powers, though it faces growing resistance from US courts, state officials and Democrats, who warn the moves are sparking chaos" and endangering voting rights and the rule of law.Donald Trump's unprecedented drive to change election rules, which states legally set, is fueled by his obsession with his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, which he falsely attributes to voting fraud, coupled with his fear that Democrats will find a reason to impeach me" if they take control of the House in November's midterms elections, say former election officials and legal experts. Continue reading...

Researchers tracked mother-child pairs for up to 11 years, finding Pfas mixtures may affect developing gutsPrenatal and early life exposure to Pfas mixtures is probably linked to higher levels of intestinal inflammation in children, new first-of-its-kind research shows. Intestinal inflammation can cause irritable bowel diseases, like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer.While Pfas has been linked to irritable bowel disease and intestinal inflammation in adults, the new peer-reviewed Mt Sinai study is the first to look at how the chemicals impact children during a critical developmental phase. Continue reading...

Axel Rudakubana moved to psychiatric hospital after it was concluded he could not be safely managed in prisonThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of attempting to manipulate the system" by the families of his victims, after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rubakubana, 19, was jailed for life in January last year, with a minimum sentence of 52 years, for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Continue reading...

Evacuees have been told to leave using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainlandOver in France, it's not just the south-west that gets affected, but the country's south-east regions are also being hard hit, AFP noted.Dozens of fires flared up and are being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac - officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday. Continue reading...

Several others seriously injured in attack that residents of Palestinian village say also involved Israeli militaryFour Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed in a shooting in the northern West Bank, health officials have said, during what residents described as a settler attack also involving the Israeli military. Several more people were seriously injured.The serious incident in the Palestinian village of Tell, near Nablus, is the deadliest attack in the West Bank this year and has the potential to lead to a series of reprisals between Israeli-backed settlers and Palestinian communities. Continue reading...

Intense and highly unpredictable' blaze forces more than 40,000 people to flee popular holiday spot

Inquiry's focus this week is on security for the Jewish community, with the MP telling the commissioner his son is afraid to attend synagogues and events

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Measures effectively replace blanket 10% tariffs Trump imposed in February that were struck down by US supreme courtDonald Trump has once again inspired anger and confusion in US allies and trading partners as he imposed a wave of tariffs on more than 80 countries, replacing an expiring global duty introduced earlier this year.The new measures effectively replace blanket 10% tariffs that Trump imposed in February. The US supreme court ruled many of those were illegal. The new levies come in at between 10% and 12.5% on countries including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and the 27 countries that make up the EU. Continue reading...

Fires remain out of control in Northwest Territories and Ontario, while Argentina endures record night-time heatRecent hot, dry weather in Canada has triggered hundreds of wildfires across the country. As of Wednesday, more than 900 were burning, scorching about 3m hectares of land. While fires have broken out in several provinces, the greatest concern is in the Northwest Territories and Ontario, where several remain out of control.Poor air quality has been reported across affected regions, with wildfire smoke carried by winds into the US and even across the Atlantic to northern Europe. The risk of further blazes remains high as North America enters the peak of fire season. Continue reading...

Hot weather and World Cup fever help defy analyst expectations of decline, with sales volumes up 1% in JuneOnline sales accounted for the highest level of retail sales in five years last month as record hot weather spurred a rush for air conditioning, outdoor products and clothing.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1% month on month in June, as the hot weather and a World Cup retail rush defied analyst expectations of a 0.3% decline. Continue reading...

Burnham says no one in government loses when power is shared' as he revives Brown-era national economic council

TGA says product information for some diabetes and weight loss drugs updated with warning of NAION disorder

Landlords say high costs of running hospitality business outweigh potential savings of business rates discountOne of Andy Burnham's first policy measures as prime minister is a 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues.The policy, announced on Thursday, is part of a broader agenda to support the high street and will cost 100m. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Westminster survey finds one in two staffers experiencing clinical levels of psychological distressStaff employed by MPs are calling for urgently tightened security after reports of some being physically attacked and hundreds receiving threatening calls and messages.A survey of more than 500 MPs' staff members found that 78% had received threatening communication and nearly one in three fear for their own safety or that of colleagues. Continue reading...

Team in Ohio finds swapping to electric has very large' impact, despite study being scaled back by Trump cutsA US study has found a 70% drop in hospital admissions and days off from work or school when people with poorly controlled asthma had their gas stove and hob replaced with electric.Ohio's publicly owned MetroHealth began the study in December 2024 but funding was terminated early by the incoming Trump administration. It had been designed to investigate if replacing gas cooking improved asthma for 1,200 people living near Cleveland, Ohio. Continue reading...

Digital billboards from environmental groups, targeting Labor MPs attending national conference, cancelled with airport stating they are too political'

Sonam Wangchuk halted strike amid concerns about possible violence' in India as protest movement urges demonstrations across country on Friday over police brutalityThe Indian cockroach" activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a 26-day hunger strike over an exam paper scandal that has spiralled into a wide ranging, youth-led wave of demonstrations against Narendra Modi's government.Supporters meanwhile have called a nationwide day of protest on Friday. Continue reading...

Edmund Rice Education Australia can be sued over abuse committed by Catholic order, after receiving much of its property holdings

Writing from year after gross indecency arrest challenges isolated mathematician' image, says Cambridge academicWhen people think of Alan Turing, they might imagine he was arrogant, isolated, humourless, tortured. A better way of remembering the father of modern computing would be, an academic argues, as playful, funny, cheeky, literary, and someone who really liked sex".The Cambridge University English literature professor Sarah Dillon has transcribed and studied a little-known short story that Turing wrote in the year after his arrest in Manchester for gross indecency. Continue reading...

Irish politicians concerned about Daniel Tatlow-Devally's treatment in jail want Micheal Martin to send observers to Ulm 5 trialA cross-party delegation of Irish politicians has urged Dublin to send observers to a high-security trial of pro-Palestinian activists in Germany and to raise concerns about the Irish defendant's detention when the German chancellor visits next week.Mairead Farrell of Sinn Fein, a member of the seven-member delegation, said she and her colleagues had attended the hearing in Stuttgart on Wednesday of the so-called Ulm 5 activists, who are facing charges over an attack on an Israeli arms company. Continue reading...

Black-crowned night heron one of many species thriving at Holnicote Estate where river reset' has transformed area into lush oasisA rare black-crowned night heron has been spotted on an estate in the south-west of England where an innovative river reset" is transforming the area into an oasis for birdlife.The heron was caught on camera in a jungly corner of the Holnicote Estate, where conservation experts have been restoring the landscape by allowing a river to return to its natural course. Continue reading...

Marat Ganiev, 55, fails in attempt to permanently halt remaining charge of perverting the course of justice

This live blog has not closed, you can read our latest story from the region hereEarlier in the US day, before Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump issued this threat on his Truth Social platform:From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Continue reading...

South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen on the Cockroach movement - and the students driving India's biggest protests in yearsI've never seen this many young people out on the streets,' says Hannah Ellis-Petersen.For days, tens of thousands of Indians have been marching under the banner of the Cockroach Janta party. Continue reading...

Airbus A350-1000ULR becomes most watched plane on flight tracking websites as Qantas tests new aircraft for its Project Sunrise

IRGC claims base in south-west England was used by US to launch bombing missions, making it legitimate target'

Elon Musk's EV company lost a quarter of its value after revealing weak profits and high spending on AI and roboticsTesla's stock fell about 13.5% on Thursday in one of the biggest single-day market losses in the company's history.Elon Musk's automaker has struggled throughout the year, losing about 27% of its market value as huge capital expenditures and weaker-than-expected profits worry investors. Continue reading...

Residents in Ladera Ranch in Orange county voice concerns after six children diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma

Conservative leader is becoming more confident and forging a message for her party, but faces a new opponentSo, Andy Burnham seems like a nice guy." Those were the slightly unexpected opening words of Kemi Badenoch's first speech since the change in prime minister. But make no mistake: she was there to bury her opponent.Even Badenoch-sceptics inside the Conservative party and farther afield agree the Tory leader is becoming more confident, and has been able to forge an increasingly coherent message for her party, one based on a promise of economic competence. Continue reading...

MPs and others condemn behaviour of CT Group, which offered cash for positive coverage of clientsA political lobbying firm secretly paying journalists for articles favourable to its clients is facing calls to reveal full details of the payments, after the practice was denounced as a dangerous attack on democracy".MPs, senior lobbyists and transparency campaigners all condemned the behaviour of CT Group, the firm co-founded by the campaign strategist Lynton Crosby, an election guru previously hired by David Cameron and Boris Johnson. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Clinical assessments concluded Rudakubana could not be safely managed in prison, sources sayThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been moved from prison to a psychiatric hospital after an assessment by psychiatrists, the Guardian can disclose.He was transferred to Broadmoor high-security hospital from the category A prison Belmarsh this week after it was concluded that he could not be managed safely in a prison environment, sources confirmed. Continue reading...

Hospitality businesses call on Andy Burnham to cut VAT and extend help to hotels and restaurantsPubs, clubs and live music venues in England will receive a 20% discount on their business rates bills as part of a 100m aid package but Andy Burnham has immediately faced calls to be more ambitious.The prime minister said the measure, aimed at supporting the high street and easing cost of living pressures, would be fully funded, including through a review of relief for businesses deemed not to make a positive contribution to communities, such as vape shops. Continue reading...

Shalina Rahman, 42, and daughter Sameeha, 15, were on holiday in West Mersea and boy is believed to be family memberThe teenage girl and woman who died in the waters off an Essex beach were trying to help a seven-year-old boy who had got into difficulties, police believe.Family members identified the pair as Shalina Rahman, a 42-year-old British-Bangladeshi teacher who is married to a Bangladeshi politician, and her 15-year-old daughter, Sameeha. The boy, believed to be a family member, was also said to be on life support in a hospital in London after the incident. Continue reading...

Mykhailo Fedorov says only in his former post could he combat procurement corruption and complete the army's transformation'EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has offered a bit more detail on the new package of sanctions, saying they are the largest round in four years," and will hit Putin where it hurts most."In a statement, she said:We have agreed on the 21st sanctions package against Russia.It delivers sweeping measures targeting Moscow's financial system, its military-industrial complex and energy sector, that keep Russia's war economy running. Continue reading...

New PM says no prisoners will be released under the policy until there is an urgent review of schemeKemi Badenoch is speaking in central London at the moment and is expected to say that Andy Burnham is still thinking like the mayor of Manchester".Going by what he's announced so far, Andy Burnham's ambitions for Britain are too small," she was expected to say.My message to British businesses is quite simple: to British businesses, to British innovators, to British investors: I will back you as your Chancellor, and I'll back you in financial services, in technology, in retail, in industry, in all parts of the economy.I'm just as concerned about the cost of business as I am about the cost of living. Continue reading...

September exercise called off after Kenya raises concerns over funding and jurisdiction for criminal offencesThe British army has been forced to cancel training for its troops in Kenya after the Kenyan government refused to ratify a bilateral defence agreement.While the UK government wanted to renew the existing agreement, Kenyan lawmakers had sought changes to give local authorities greater powers to hold British soldiers accountable for any offences committed in the country. Continue reading...

Benchmark rises sharply over fears Houthi militia could strangle Saudi exports as US-Iran fighting intensifiesThe oil price has climbed back above $100 a barrel for the first time in two months, as a fresh escalation of the Middle East conflict threatens to compound disruption to global oil supplies.The benchmark oil price rose sharply on Thursday, after reaching $95 a barrel the day before amid fears that Yemen's Houthi militia could strangle Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea while US-Iran tensions over oil flows through the strait of Hormuz intensify. Continue reading...

The men were convicted over alleged plan to stage coup and organise deadly demonstrations over fuel prices last yearTwo Russian men have been found guilty by an Angolan court of terrorism and spying, after being accused of planning a coup and helping to organise deadly demonstrations in the southern African country last year.Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin were sentenced to eight and 11 years in jail respectively. They had denied the charges, claiming they were in Angola for cultural and business activities. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester chief constable says crucial data on phones seized from Heaton Park synagogue attacker was not examinedGreater Manchester police have apologised for a missed opportunity" to act before an attack on a synagogue.The force's chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said the phones of the Heaton Park synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie were seized by officers but crucial data was not examined. Continue reading...

Live, rolling coverage of business, economics and financial markets as traders fear attacks from Yemen and Iran creating two-chokepoint problem'The Houthi attacks off the coast of Yemen targeted Saudi Arabian tankers, but two Chinese vessels carrying Saudi oil appear to be trying to exit the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Reuters reports.From Reuters:Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil are exiting the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, shipping data showed, even as a Saudi vessel came under attack in the region.The ships' attempt to transit the strait will clearly test how tightly the Houthis will impose the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia they announced on Monday. Continue reading...

PM says those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared' as scandal spirals into widespread angerNarendra Modi has vowed to set up fast-track courts" to speed up the punishment of officials accused of leaking examination papers, as the Indian prime minister seeks to quell a youth-led cockroach" protest movement that has rocked Delhi and posed one of the biggest challenges to his government.In his first public remarks on the movement, Modi posted on X: Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth ... Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared." Continue reading...

Angel Rampersad, Michael Swinton, Isabella Gonzales and Tyler Feehan were among 18 US troops killed in the warA 30-year-old husband and father of two. A 25-year-old officer just weeks away from earning his MBA. A 19-year-old recent high school graduate. And a 28-year-old from Queens, New York, with a radiant smile".The Pentagon this week identified three American service members who were killed, and a fourth believed to have been killed, in the Middle East over the past week amid an escalation in attacks between the United States and Iranian forces. Continue reading...

CBA chair says contempt charge over closing speech by Rajiv Menon KC has left lawyers fearful of doing their jobThe prosecution of a leading human rights barrister for contempt of court over his closing speech during a trial of Palestine Action activists has left lawyers fearful of doing their job, the chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has said.Rajiv Menon KC is due to stand trial next week, accused of breaching the judge's directions in the trial of six people for a direct action protest at an arms factory of the Israeli subsidiary Elbit Systems UK in Filton, near Bristol, in 2024. Continue reading...

Oradea is only major city in EU where local authorities have repeatedly blocked Pride plansCampaigners in a Romanian city have vowed to go ahead with plans for a Pride march after local authorities denied them permission for the fourth consecutive year.Since 2023, campaigners in the western city of Oradea - population 180,000 - have sought authorisation for Pride events. Each year, however, they have come up against opposition, turning Oradea into the only major city in the EU where local authorities have repeatedly blocked Pride plans. Continue reading...

One Nation leader labels family violence leave ridiculous' and decries woke' support of women's rights in November podcast

Budget airline, which has two US investment firms vying to buy it, also affected by passengers booking laterThe low-cost airline easyJet has revealed a 70% slide in profits because of soaring fuel costs and later bookings as a result of the conflict in Iran, only weeks after it agreed to a 5.7bn takeover.The carrier reported a pre-tax profit of 85m between April and June compared with 286m during the same period a year earlier, as its fuel costs increased by 105m after the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East in late February sent energy prices rocketing. Continue reading...