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Former deputy PM now involved in tech industry says many within the sector are winding themselves up into a lather'

Polling suggests Andy Burnham is attracting progressives back to Labour, motivated by desire to stop Nigel Farage How Labour's majority depends on five progressive voter types - in charts

Firm unveils further cost-cutting plan including job losses blaming poor summer sales of private homes

Roberto Hamidovic, 48, ran network of thieves who targeted tourists in Paris Metro and DisneylandA clan leader who sent gangs of child pickpockets to target tourists in the Paris Metro and popular attractions such as Disneyland Paris has been jailed for human trafficking.Roberto Hamidovic, 48, likened to Fagin, Charles Dickens's notorious criminal boss, ran a network of child thieves, mostly girls, some as young as 10, who brought in an average of 25,000 (21,500) a day, according to police. Continue reading...

IPPR finds failure to align testing standards has forced companies to abandon exporting to EU and is costing costing 0.18% of national incomeThe UK is losing out on annual exports to the EU that could be worth as much as 6.5bn without a deal with Brussels that allows manufacturers to jettison duplicate product testing.In the latest attempt to calculate the loss of trade with the EU after Brexit, the IPPR thinktank said many companies have given up selling goods to the EU or set up subsidiaries inside the trade bloc after successive governments failed to secure a mutual recognition agreement that would avoid the extra administration costs.Motor vehicle and part exports would have been between 2.48bn and 3.42bn higher each year.Electronic exports could have been between 1.17bn and 1.67bn higher.Pharmaceutical exports would have had an estimated annual uplift of between 740m and 820m. Continue reading...

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Four occupants of bus taken to hospital after multi-vehicle crash in Glenburn

Shabana Mahmood says the failure to intercept the two boats was not acceptable'Not every migrant boat can be intercepted, a cabinet minister has suggested, after two uncontrolled landings from the Channel in two days. The Press Association says Lucy Powell, the education secretary, said (you) can't stop everything all of the time", the day after 21 people were detained when a boat evaded Border Force to reach the beach of Samphire Hoe in Dover. PA reports:It was the second undetected landing in two days, following a dinghy making it to shore at Folkestone on Monday morning.Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, who has ordered an urgent review by the Border Security Command, said the failure to intercept the two boats was not acceptable".-Labour would be the largest party in a hung parliament, were an election held tomorrow, winning 241 seats in our model's central estimates-Such a result would be a net loss of 170 seats for Labour on the 2024 election, but is up from our MRP this time last year, which projected the party would be reduced to just 144 seats and showed Reform UK within touching distance of a majority Continue reading...

For the first time in recent history there'll be no pre-game entertainment at the NRL grand final. But everyone has a different story about what actually went downEmma, the NRL and Tones and I seem to be at war - but I can't make sense of what's going on.I'll try to catch you up. The Dance Monkey singer made headlines this week after it was leaked she'd turned down an offer to perform at next weekend's NRL grand final. The rugby league boss Peter V'landys said negotiations broke down due to artistic differences", and some claimed it was because the Aria award-winning artist didn't want to play her biggest hit. Continue reading...

Fuel costs have risen to levels not seen since early April, adding to risk of inflation and interest rate hike

Latest data also shows unemployment at highest level since the pandemic, which analysts doubt will stop RBA hiking interest rates

But Kyriakos Mitsotakis says he cannot accept any arrangement that recognises British Museum's ownership of the sculptures

Exclusive: Levy that allows almost 16,000 houses to be built on Norfolk Broads will not cover cost of mitigating environmental damage, critics sayA new levy on developers to allow almost 16,000 homes to be built in the environmentally protected Norfolk Broads has been cut by tens of thousands of pounds per house, the Guardian can reveal.Ministers say the government's environmental delivery plans (EDPs) were created to unblock housing growth across the country and are a win-win" for development and nature. Continue reading...

Five desalination plants shut down for days, while Gaza remains in grip of severe water and sanitation crisisIsrael is facing weeks of water shortages after an exceptional algae bloom crippled much of its desalination capacity, in a crisis scientists say was triggered when Israeli attacks destroyed much of Gaza's wastewater infrastructure, causing a massive discharge of untreated sewage.Pollution does not recognise political borders," said the Zalul Environmental Association, an Israeli NGO dedicated to protecting the country's seas and shores. The discharge of untreated sewage from the Gaza Strip into the sea is contributing to the worsening crisis affecting the Israeli desalination facilities. The wastewater contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which feed microalgae and cyanobacteria and may intensify their blooms." Continue reading...

Acting president says Venezuela returning strongly after setbacks'. This blog is now closed - see our full reports:

Pubs have been pet friendly for years' in other countries, premier says, as Labor moves to overturn ban on dogs in venues

Die Linke candidate, a lawyer affected by her experiences as the child of political migrants from Turkey, poised to head Berlin coalition governmentElif Eralp launched her election bid last autumn with the blunt statement: People like me are actually not supposed to become mayor in this country." So the fact that the 45-year-old lawyer and daughter of political migrants from Turkey is on the verge of becoming Berlin's next mayor and the capital's first leader of Turkish origin is quite the moment in German politics.After last weekend's city state election, in which her far-left party, Die Linke, came first with more than a quarter of the votes, Eralp has become a household name. Continue reading...

A conflict that began with tanks and then artillery is now pivoting around a new generation of drones focused on military, industrial, economic and civilian targetsFinally, in the dead of night, the threat above has passed. The rain has eased and the Ukrainian drones are ready, prepared by a ground crew shrouded in hard-to-detect green and red lights. A small succession of Ukrainian Fire Point FP-2 craft, miniature monoplanes with a 6-metre wingspan and more than 100kg of explosive, line up for an attack mission into occupied Luhansk, over 200 miles away.The drone's main piston engine is a familiar scooter's buzz, but its launch booster is something else. The jet sound reverberates, almost painfully. A burst of fire lurches into the distance, the last of which signifies it is time for Ukraine's 413 Raid drone regiment to pack and go.The launch of an FP-2 drone during the mission into occupied Luhansk Continue reading...

Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching, including two charges involving the athlete

Former NSW police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies before concealing bodies in bags purchased from sports storeBeau Lamarre-Condon was seen sizing up a surfboard bag used to dispose of a victim days before the police officer murdered two men, prosectors have alleged in a Sydney court, with chilling CCTV footage shown to the jury.Lamarre-Condon has been accused of fatally shooting Sydney couple Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, with his police service weapon at Baird's Paddington home on 19 February 2024. Continue reading...

Dockers supporters cannot buy a barrel of Woodside oil - but the fossil fuel company hopes to buy into fans' loyalty

Small crowd enjoys singer's free concert in MacArthur Park, which has often drawn headlines for less cheery reasonsWith no announcement and little fanfare, Justin Bieber performed a free acoustic set on Monday at a Los Angeles park often in local headlines for less cheery reasons.In videos that surfaced online, four musicians flanked the global phenom, who wore a plain T-shirt and shorts as he sang hits including Daisies and Yukon. The low-key affair with a small crowd stood in stark contrast to Bieber's recent blockbuster World Cup and Coachella performances. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham under pressure to revisit Brexit as poll suggests pledge to rejoin could boost Labour's electoral chancesBritain should work towards rejoining the EU in the next decade, Tony Blair has said, adding to growing pressure on Andy Burnham to abandon Labour's reluctance to revisit the 2016 referendum.The former prime minister has urged Burnham to use his 10-year plan in November to put the country's membership of the union back on the table, a decade after it voted to leave. Continue reading...

Hundreds gathered on Tuesday night in anticipation of a small boat arriving in GosportThree people have been charged in connection with anti-migrant protests that drew hundreds of demonstrators to a marina in Hampshire on Tuesday night.Six people were arrested by police, as anti-migrant activists who mistakenly believed a small boat was due to arrive at Gosport gathered in an attempt to disrupt the arrival of any asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Approach to treating high blood pressure not fit for purpose', say researchers, with 59% of cases undiagnosedOnly half of people being treated by a GP for high blood pressure in England have it under control, and millions more are completely unaware they have the silent killer" condition, research reveals.Most people with hypertension (59%) are in the dark and undiagnosed, raising their risk of stroke, heart attack and early death, according to the largest ever study of its kind. Continue reading...

El Nino poses critical threat to nations' defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministersThe UK has warned countries around the world that the climate and nature crises and the coming El Nino threaten their national security and defence, presenting foreign ministries with the findings of an explosive report suppressed under Keir Starmer.Ed Miliband, the UK's foreign secretary, made a presentation to the foreign ministers of the EU as well as Kenya and other countries on Wednesday night at a private meeting during the UN general assembly in New York, based on the report by the UK's spy chiefs that found the collapse of natural systems around the world would lead to conflict, migration and food shortages. Continue reading...

Wes Streeting says he leads a ministry for growth' as Labour seeks to show more defence spending will create UK jobsDefence contractors have promised to create 40,000 apprenticeships, work experience placements and jobs for young people each year, as Wes Streeting claimed to be overseeing a ministry for growth".Labour is keen to demonstrate that the rapid increase in defence spending planned for the coming years, which may necessitate tax rises, will result in jobs in the UK. Continue reading...

Whether produced by Russia, China or far-right influencers, deepfakes and disinfo are being used to spread deceitful narrativesRussian disinformation campaigns are varied in their falsehoods and strategies.The narratives range from a deepfake Tom Cruise slamming the Paris Olympics to portraying a recent Russian attack on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border as a false-flag operation. Continue reading...

Warning from Charity Commission for England and Wales concludes two-year investigation after death of Hisham al-Hakimi in October 2023The international aid charity Save the Children has been issued with an official regulatory warning over management failures and misconduct that put staff at its Yemen office at serious risk.The warning concluded a two-year investigation by the Charity Commission for England and Wales into the running of the office after the death of its safety and security director, Hisham al-Hakimi, in October 2023 after he was detained by the Yemeni authorities. Continue reading...

Argentinian president accuses United Nations of being filled with parasites' in bellicose general assembly speechJavier Milei has condemned the UN as he warned that Argentina would take matters into our own hands" in its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.In a caustic speech at the general assembly in New York, the Argentinian president criticised the UN for being ineffective when it came to the long-running tensions over the British overseas territory in the south Atlantic known in Argentina as the Malvinas. Continue reading...

Witness says T2 Hawk aircraft, which was being used for a training flight, was basically on fire' on takeoffAn RAF jet crashed and exploded moments after two pilots ejected during a training flight over Anglesey (Ynys Mon) in north Wales on Wednesday.The aircraft, a Hawk T2, had just taken off from RAF Valley on the west of the island when the incident occurred, witnesses said. Continue reading...

Agreement with Mauritius over Diego Garcia unlikely to be revived unless president changes his mind, insiders believeThe Chagos Islands deal is on hold for as long as Donald Trump objects to it, UK officials believe, with no immediate signs it can be adapted to suit the US president.After Trump savaged the three-way plan as a terrible deal" during a meeting with Andy Burnham at the UN general assembly, the prime minister said he was confident" the UK would be able to find a solution to revive the idea. Continue reading...

FBIjobs.gov offline on Wednesday as ShinyHunters group claims to have accessed records of agents and applicantsThe FBI is investigating an apparent breach of its jobs website as a criminal hacking group claimed to have accessed very sensitive data" on nearly all agents and job applicants.The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating," the bureau said in a statement. The website, the main portal for prospective employees to learn about the FBI and initiate the application process, remained offline Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

New RAF unit will warn of incoming missile attacks, and support offensive and defensive operationsA new military unit dedicated to defending satellites, protecting services people need on Earth and potentially supporting offensive operations is being launched by the UK.The No III Space Effects Squadron will be announced on Wednesday, with the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, warning that Britain needs to keep pace in the new space race". Continue reading...

Local advocacy groups say they have cut ties with Hannah Gann, who fully lied about her identity and background'A Philadelphia teacher is facing criticism from her fellow colleagues and activists after it was revealed that she fabricated being both Palestinian and Black.The Racial Justice Organizing Committee (RJOC) and Philly Educators for Palestine (PEFP) announced over the weekend that it was cutting ties with one of their long-time members", Hannah Gann, who completely lied about her identity and background, claiming at various times to be Palestinian, Tunisian and Black". Continue reading...

Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran is ready for dialogue and diplomacy but without the language of force'Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, turned the tables on Donald Trump, describing America as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East while also insisting that Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table.In a defiant speech to the UN general assembly in New York, his first since the US and Israel launched an all-out war on Iran, Pezeshkian repeatedly vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to America. Continue reading...

Campaigners say plan marks notable shift away from oil and gas as previously pledges were only for carbon neutralityEurope's biggest economy, Germany, has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about its green policies.In a roadmap published on Wednesday, the German government set out for the first time an explicit promise of transitioning away" from fossil fuels. Previous pledges were only for carbon neutrality". Continue reading...

Farage referred to the new unit and said Burnham was setting it up using the excuse that Russia wants to interfere with elections'The former Labour minister leading the government's review into youth unemployment has written to 100 firms to ask them to provide work placements and jobs for young people, the Press Association reports. PA says:Alan Milburn, who was commissioned by former prime minister Keir Starmer to lead the government's review into worklessness, has approached business leaders" in sectors including rail, transport and utilities to ask them to provide more chances for young people.The Milburn review said Royal Mail, Octopus Energy, Greene King and Lloyds bank are among the companies who are already offering opportunities to school and university leavers. They are taking part in the review's First Chance scheme, which has come from the review. Continue reading...

Sentencing comes after years of appeals and retrials in the case involving former TV production assistant Miriam HaleyHarvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years on Wednesday after being convicted of sexually assaulting former TV production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 at his Manhattan apartment.Haley appeared in court on Wednesday morning and delivered a victim impact statement. Continue reading...

Financial pressures suspected to be behind ONS figures for England and Wales that show marriages lasting longerCouples are putting off divorce because of the cost of living crisis, lawyers have said, after figures showing the average length of a marriage ending in divorce in England and Wales reached a record high last year.The Office of National Statistics (ONS) released figures on Wednesday showing that the average marriage ending in divorce lasted for 13 years in 2025. This is the longest since records began in 1963 and up from a record low of 8.9 years in 1985. Continue reading...

Organised crime groups offer cash to move packages containing illegal drugs, weapons and dirty cashStudents are being recruited by criminals in West Yorkshire to transfer illegal packages containing illegal drugs, prohibited weapons, stolen goods and dirty cash.Organised criminals are using social media platforms including Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to recruit people to help them move illicit goods, particularly targeting students and vulnerable adults. Continue reading...

Sandie Peggie accuses RCN of failing to adequately support her in dispute over sharing women's changing room with trans doctorA nurse who objected to sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor has said she felt discriminated against" by her union after raising the complaint.Sandie Peggie, who worked for NHS Fife for more than 30 years, won a partial victory against her employer after a tribunal in December 2025, when a judge upheld her harassment claim against the health board but dismissed claims of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation. Continue reading...

Cooperation on OceanEye, which will help to predict extreme weather and climate events, comes amid government attempts to move closer to BrusselsBritain is to join a major new ocean science programme, led by the EU, to better forecast extreme weather and climate events, it will announce today in New York.The announcement comes as Andy Burnham's government aims to rebuild the UK's relationship with Europe, and follows warnings that this year's supersized" El Nino, tracked in the Pacific Ocean, will fuel more extreme weather globally. Continue reading...

PM says his comments last year were deliberately misinterpreted by Keir Starmer and his advisers

Housing costs are up with renters worst affected and financial stress is also growing, according to the largest survey of its type

Seventy-nine per cent of all NSW swimming sites rated good' or very good', as state's cleanest and most polluted beaches revealed

Discovery of Gallo-Roman period structure hailed as major breakthrough' by French culture ministryAn ancient wall discovered beneath Paris has been described as a major breakthrough" by France's culture ministry, with the archaeological find possibly confirming the location of the city's original settlement.A roughly 20-metre (65ft) stretch of wall dating from the Gallo-Roman period was discovered in Paris this summer beneath a building on the Ile de la Cite, near Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital. Continue reading...

Housing rights campaigners decry landlord's barbaric behaviour' after apartment Maricarmen had lived in for 71 years was bought by a developerThere were violent scenes in Madrid on Wednesday as riot police fought with protesters trying to prevent the eviction of an 87-year-old disabled woman from her apartment in the Retiro district.Hundreds of protesters had gathered, many of them overnight, in an effort to block the fourth attempt to carry out the eviction. Activists from the Madrid and Barcelona tenants' union, and celebrities including the actor Carlos Bardem and the singer and actor Ana Belen, joined the protest. Continue reading...

Ofcom says site's age-checking regime may not be highly effective', as required by the Online Safety ActOne of the world's most visited pornography websites is being investigated by the UK's communications watchdog over concerns it can still be accessed by children.Pornhub's age checking regime may not be highly effective", according to Ofcom, and could be in breach of online safety laws requiring strict measures to prevent under-18s from accessing sexually explicit content. Continue reading...

Richard Clayton KC had undergone operation for ruptured achilles tendon day before hearing optician's appealA judge was wrong to hear a case from his bed via video link while recovering from surgery, the court of appeal has said.Richard Clayton KC, sitting as a deputy high court judge, heard an optician's appeal against a finding of serious misconduct from bed the day after returning from hospital where he had undergone an operation for a ruptured achilles tendon. Continue reading...