In his party conference speech last week, Andy Burnham said he wanted to change the triple lock uprating mechanism from 2030Asked if she will propose tax cuts in her speech tomorrow, Badenoch tells McCann that she will have to wait until her speech tomorrow at 11.15am.(This is getting confusing. On BBC Breakdfast, Badenoch told Jon Kay the speech was at 12pm.)It's not going to be exactly like the Iron Dome. We haven't called it an Iron Dome. Continue reading...
World Health Organization detects no sign of further outbreak since Darya Shipilova died last weekThe World Health Organization has said the risk of an epidemic in Russia is lowafter the sudden death of a lab technician who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia.Darya Shipilova, who was 28, died last week, two days after falling ill. Russian media reports suggested she may have become infected after an accident at her workplace, where dangerous pathogens are kept and studied. Continue reading...
California's leaders attack president after he suggests Iran could take out' Los Angeles or San Diego. Plus an auction of some of the most famous props in movie historyGood morning. Donald Trump has suggested Iran could take out" Los Angeles and San Diego, in comments described as reckless" and deranged" by California officials. At a rally in Nebraska on Monday, the crowd applauded when the US president said high prices owing to the war with Iran were a small price to pay for keeping the world safe - keeping our country safe". He added: They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego."Gavin Newsom, the governor of California and a Democrat who has repeatedly clashed with Trump during his two terms, said from his press office account: Let's be clear: the president is advocating for an attack on 10+ million US residents in two of America's largest cities. This is not normal ... He is deranged and dangerous."What is happening with Trump's approval rating? A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval rating at a record low of 32% and the president losing support among independent voters and Latinos, who had backed him in 2024. The dip comes before the crucial midterm elections in November that will determine control of Congress.What is the latest with taxpayer-funded Trump ads? After repeated criticism, Trump said on Monday he would pay for the hitherto taxpayer-funded ads from Maga Inc, his political war chest. He provided no details on reimbursing taxpayers for ads that had already aired, nor how he would go about having his political organization pay for such advertising.Why has Iran's oil minister resigned? Mohsen Paknejad has resigned days after allegations that an intermediary trust selling Iranian oil abroad owed millions of dollars-worth of export receipts to the state. Iran is grappling with a dire economic situation, including inflation running at 85%.What is behind the latest disagreement between Israel and the UK? It stems from the UK's decision to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank - a move that Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's foreign minister, labelled morally distorted". Israel has threatened to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, prompting the UK to warn it will expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat forced out.Why has the Green party in England and Wales been condemned over its Zionism policy? The English and Welsh Greens are facing international ostracism after adopting a policy declaring Zionism as a form of racism, which has drawn dismay from the group representing European Greens. The co-leader of the German Greens separately said the policy was intolerable and unacceptable". Continue reading...
Counter Terrorism Policing says 22-year-old arrested in London on suspicion of terrorism offencesA 22-year-old British man has been arrested in London on suspicion of terrorism offences related to the suspected RAF Fairford terrorism plot, Counter Terrorism Policing said.More details soon ... Continue reading...
Trump's counter-terrorism czar', Sebastian Gorka, was scheduled to speak at conference but White House says he will no longer attendA National Conservatism (NatCon) conference beginning today in Jerusalem advertises a talk from the Trump administration's anti-terrorism czar alongside speeches from far-right Israeli politicians, European figures who have faced disciplinary action over alleged antisemitism, and Christian nationalist and far-right figures from the United States.The Jerusalem event is perhaps the most significant recent gathering to feature large contingents of Israeli nationalists alongside Christian nationalists and far-right European nationalists from a milieu sometimes shadowed by accusations of antisemitism. Continue reading...
August Hanning served as president of federal intelligence service from 1998 to 2005A former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service has been arrested on suspicion of treason and spying on behalf of an overseas intelligence agency, prosecutors said.August Hanning, 80, was head of the federal intelligence service (BND) - which operates outside Germany to gather information across the fields of political, economic, and military intelligence - between 1998 and 2005. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Campaign group's analysis of North Yorkshire plans finds datacentre would have to burn 4.9m tonnes of wood a yearDrax's planned datacentre could produce nearly double the emissions of all flights out of Gatwick airport each year by burning 4.9m tonnes of wood annually, an analysis has shown.Campaigners say this would make it one of the dirtiest datacentres out there". Continue reading...
Watchdog examining whether company carried out adequate risk assessment as required by Online Safety ActMark Zuckerberg's Meta is under investigation for a potential breach of the UK's digital safety laws after launching a Snapchat-style feature on Instagram.The UK's communications watchdog, Ofcom, is investigating whether the $1.9tn (1.4tn) company infringed the Online Safety Act (OSA) by failing to carry out adequate checks on whether its Instagram Instants product could show illegal content or be accessed by children. Continue reading...
She must decide by the end of the week whether to seek further review of federal charges over a confrontation with ICE agents at Delaney HallA US congresswoman who just gave birth to a baby girl faces a deadline this week on whether to seek a rehearing of a federal case against her by the Trump administration after an oversight visit to an immigration detention facility.LaMonica McIver, 40, represents New Jersey's 10th congressional district. She gave birth to her second child last Thursday - a rarity for a sitting member of Congress. She is only the 15th member of Congress to give birth while serving and part of a small subset of congresswomen who have school-age children. Continue reading...
Experts say president is vulnerable amid discontent over rising prices - and the US public has ample cause for complaintIn Donald Trump's telling, he's a model of incorruptible self-sacrifice.I'm the only president that donated his salary," he told a group of cheering supporters at a Hispanic heritage month celebration in the White House last week, before conceding that George Washington - a very wealthy person" - might have beaten him to the punch. Continue reading...
For-profit water corporations, federal cuts and climate crisis are supercharging water rate hikes', study co-author saysUS households are paying 62% more for drinking water than they did a decade ago - outpacing inflation, grocery prices and household incomes, according to a new study.Food & Water Watch, a Washington DC-based non-profit, analyzed 2025 billing data from the 500 largest community water systems in the US, which together serve about 155 million people, or 45% of the country's population. The analysis compared current rates with data from a similar Food & Water Watch survey conducted in 2015. The study does not include wastewater or storm water charges, which are often billed separately from drinking water service. Continue reading...
Labour could pay price for disappearance of parks and playgrounds around Euston stationWhen HS2 construction began around London's Euston station in 2017 and people living nearby watched parks and playgrounds give way to diggers and rubble, they were promised that the lost green space would be replaced. They have to give it all back," said Dorothea Hackman. But they are destroying it - so there's nothing to give back."As the dust from the political party conference season begins to settle, disappearing green spaces and housing developments have become central issues in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection. On Thursday, Labour and the Green party will contest the seismic seat vacated by the former prime minster Keir Starmer. Continue reading...
Excluive: Weapon is one of hundreds of items to be sold as part of the influential late director's personal archiveThe axe wielded by Jack Nicholson as he delivered his chillingly manic line Here's Johnny!" in the 1980 horror movie The Shining is to go on sale.Nicholson's character, Jack Torrance, uses the axe to hack out an opening in a locked door protecting his terrified wife Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall. It is also the murder weapon in the killing of Scatman Crothers' character, Dick Hallorann. One of cinema's most famous axes could be yours for a list price of between 30,000 and 50,000. Continue reading...
Health minister says 28 contacts identified after death of citizen who arrived from DRC on SaturdayKenya has recorded its first confirmed Ebola case, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arrived in Nairobi on Saturday, the health minister, Aden Duale, has said.The patient has since died, and 28 contacts have been identified so far including family members and health workers, Duale told a press conference. Continue reading...
Four members of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro's family have been elected to office, most notably his wife and son Flavio, who won the first round of voting to be Brazil's new presidentThe weekend's elections in Brazil not only put Jair Bolsonaro's eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro, in the lead in the presidential race, but also underscored how far the former president has come in building a political dynasty.As his far-right senator son heads into a runoff against the leftist incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a sweeping far-right victory in congressional races also secured seats for Jair Bolsonaro's wife, two of his sons and one of his brothers. Continue reading...
by Philip Oltermann European culture editor on (#78VSW)
Researchers argue incorrect binding of Voynich manuscript radically changes ideas about its drawings and indecipherable textIt has been called the world's most mysterious manuscript: a medieval set of pages filled with botanical drawings, astronomical diagrams, pictures of nude women and indecipherable text. Claimed at various times to be a book in a lost language, a musical score, an instruction manual or just an elaborate hoax, the so-called Voynich manuscript's true meaning has defied cryptographers and codebreakers for centuries.Now, new research offers an explanation for why a scholarly consensus over this enduring puzzle has been so hard to come by: not only because its truth is so profoundly mysterious - but because everyone has been reading its pages in the wrong order. Continue reading...
Former Duke of York is attempting to quash search warrants that led to his arrest in FebruaryAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been warned not to use the king's private money to fund his legal action against Thames Valley police.The former Duke of York is attempting to quash search warrants that led to his arrest, with a private high court hearing due to take place on Thursday. Continue reading...
The country's 85-medal haul included athletes who trained with limited money and borrowed equipment. Plus, the Mumbai performer turning everyday absurdities into comedyIn a country where cricket eclipses every other sport, the recently concluded Asian Games offered a much-needed reminder of India's breadth of sporting talent. In this edition of the games, in Japan, India won 85 medals: 21 golds, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals. I admit I did not know many of the players competing, or even some of the sports they play before putting this piece together. Learning about the stories, I wonder why not.There were individual breakthroughs, records broken and history made. There were also hard-fought team victories, including the Indian women's hockey team gold medal after a 44-year wait. Continue reading...
Seven women share their stories to make people aware of patterns of violence behind anti-immigration street patrol movementDuring their relationship, Lisa's ex-partner was controlling. He kept her at home where he was emotionally and physically abusive towards her, including once attacking her with a machete.These days, he runs protests outside houses of multiple occupancy that he claims are housing asylum seekers. He coordinates groups of men to patrol the streets of his town, claiming to protect women but often using these patrols to profile and target men of colour. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The party has voted to define Zionism as racist and back a single Palestinian state. But what does the policy mean, why has it caused alarm among Jewish members, and how will it impact the future of the Greens?Good morning.The Green party of England and Wales is in turmoil. Following a vote to adopt a policy that equates Zionism with racism, and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state with equal rights for all", some Jewish members say they are considering whether they are welcome in the party.RAF Fairford | No 10 has insisted the Gloucestershire base is secure a day after the US air force suddenly withdrew a dozen B-1 bombers that had been stationed there amid security concerns about a possible threat from Iran.Donald Trump | Donald Trump's approval ratings reached a record low on Monday, according to new opinion polls. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval rating at a record-low 32%.Brazilian elections | Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, is poised to win the Brazilian presidency, after a shock first-round victory.Jeffrey Archer | Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling author and former MP whose political career ended in disgrace when he was imprisoned for perjury, has died at the age of 86.Cancer | Cases of seven types of cancer have risen sharply among younger people in England, major new research has found, prompting warnings that lifestyle choices are costing thousands of lives each year. Continue reading...
International leaders visit Tuvalu as part of climate talks co-hosted by Australia ahead of Cop31 conferencePacific island leaders have urged a promised global transition away from fossil fuels must not be left open to renegotiation as they gather in tiny Tuvalu in a bid to build momentum before a major climate summit.About 50 dignitaries - 14 national heads including Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, a list of climate change ministers and the heads of global agencies - flew to the low-lying atoll nation in a bid to bring attention to the plight of the countries most at risk from the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Civilians try to flee as men and boys rounded up on streets by new alliance as Ethiopia conflict erupts againAs renewed fighting has threatened a fresh humanitarian crisis in the northern region of Ethiopia, reports are emerging that a new alliance of armed groups in Tigray has been forcibly recruiting men and boys to its ranks.Renewed conflict erupted on 23 September between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region, shattering the fragile Pretoria peace agreement signed between the two sides in November 2022. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#78VRT)
Researchers, who looked at UK, US and Dutch data, say lifestyle choices are costing thousands of lives a yearCases of seven types of cancer have risen sharply among younger people in England, major new research has found, prompting warnings that lifestyle choices are costing thousands of lives each year.The number of people under 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer in England has quadrupled since 2001, while early onset bowel, kidney and uterine cancer diagnoses more than doubled. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds more than 150,000 tonnes of fuel was shipped to Russian ports in July and August, some using sanctioned tankersOil is being shipped from South Korea to Russia via sanctioned tankers as Moscow scrambles for supplies amid the war in Ukraine, a move one expert said undermines" Seoul's public backing for Kyiv.Guardian analysis of port records and ship-tracking data found that in July and August over 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, was loaded at several South Korean ports on to seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia's far east. Continue reading...
English Heritage acquires film of first re-enactment, a lot of pushing and shoving' between Kent and Sussex studentsAt the top of a hill in a field near Hastings, a group of defiant English combatants awaited the invading army of William the Conqueror, brandishing their spears and shouting Harold! Harold!".Unfortunately, the Norman army had been held up in traffic on the A27 from Brighton, meaning the most significant battle in English history had to be delayed by 20 minutes while the French got into their costumes. Continue reading...
by Lauren Gambino, Joseph Gedeon, Andrew Roth, Will C on (#78VM3)
The war with Iran is reshaping America ahead of the midterms - how will it affect US voters at the polls? Join us for a live conversation on 6 October at 12pm ET with political and global correspondents
Publisher says author died peacefully at home between writing sessions'Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling author and former MP whose political career ended in disgrace when he was imprisoned for perjury, has died at the age of 86.Archer, who was a Conservative MP for five years before serving as the party's deputy chair, died suddenly and peacefully" at his home between writing sessions" on Monday, his publisher HarperCollins said. Continue reading...
Party to unveil plans for one of UK's most significant military programmes since the cold war'The Conservatives will announce plans to build a 10bn British Iron Dome" similar to Israel's air and missile defence system, which the party will christen Britannia Shield" in an announcement at conference on Tuesday.The shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, will say Britain needs to be ready to defend itself from potential aerial attacks and that new investment was needed in advanced radar and interceptor missiles. Continue reading...
British Airways Boeing abruptly lost altitude over Ireland due to technical issue' and returned to HeathrowA flight from London to Chicago declared an emergency after a sudden and steep descent of 28,000 feet over Ireland and was forced to turn back to Britain.British Airways flight BA295 was bound for Chicago's O'Hare airport but after a technical issue" during which oxygen masks were deployed from the ceiling, the plane landed safely back at London Heathrow. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and Tiago Rogero in Rio de Janeiro on (#78VBH)
Progressive voters and supporters of incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva left reeling after far-right surgeFlavio Bolsonaro is in pole position to win Brazil's presidential election, after a far-right tsunami propelled him to a shock first-round victory over the incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, leaving progressive voters reeling.The 45-year-old rightwing candidate received 56.1m votes to Lula's 53.8m - 47.03% to 45.16% - meaning the 80-year-old leftwinger has a mountain to climb if he is to bounce back in the second round on 25 October. Never, since the return of democracy to Brazil in 1985, has the first-round runner-up managed to turn the game around and win the second ballot. Continue reading...
Party has common enemy in defectors, while Nigel Farage's woes have given some insiders reason to hopeDuring a quick-fire Q&A at the Conservative party conference this weekend, Kemi Badenoch was asked who she would pick between Robert Jenrick or Suella Braverman.Why do you keep offering me these? It's like asking if I'd rather be shot or drowned," the Tory leader responded with her trademark directness. Continue reading...
Experts say strength of evangelical church and perception that Lula is too old also helped propel Jair Bolsonaro's son to first-round election winOn Sunday night, as the scale of the far-right triumph in Brazil sank in, an adapted football chant rang out in one of Rio's most leftwing areas.Let's turn this around, Lu-laaaaa! Let's turn this around, Lu-laaaaa! Let's turn this around, Lu-laaaaa!" crestfallen progressives bellowed while drowning their sorrows after witnessing an excruciating election setback for their leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...
Former prince to challenge whether Thames Valley force and central criminal court of England and Wales acted lawfully over searches relating to his arrestAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking action against Thames Valley police and the central criminal court to challenge the legality of search warrants that led to his arrest this year, a judicial spokesperson has said.A private high court hearing is scheduled to take place before Mr Justice Hilliard on Thursday to determine whether documents related to the former Duke of York's call for a judicial review can be made public, with Thames Valley police and the central criminal court of England and Wales in opposition. Continue reading...
Tit-for-tat expulsions expected after relations deteriorate as a result of UK ban on goods from illegal settlementsThe UK has threatened to expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat forced to leave Israel as a result of Israel's decision to close the UK consulate in East Jerusalem later this week.This could means as many as 27 Israeli diplomats being expelled from the UK, a step that would arguably mark the lowest point in British-Israeli diplomatic relations since the formation of the state of Israel. Continue reading...
A researcher at a climate change think tank says the Conservative policy would be a disaster for first time buyers'Yesterday, as a gimmick, the Tories were handing out Bottler Burnham" bottles of water (0% strength") to make a point about Burnham supposedly cancelling plans for an early election under pressure from the Tories. It is a version of a stunt they pulled in 2008 when they gave journalists bottles of a Bottler Brown" beer. (Gordon Brown did pull plans for an early election at the last minute; this time the jibe is unfair, because there were no Burnham plans for an early election.)The new bottles feature the image of Burnham produced by the Manchester artist Stan Chow.The SNP's effective ban on new nuclear energy in Scotland flies in the face of common-sense.No part of Great Britain should be missing out on plans for new nuclear renewal. Continue reading...
by Eve Livingston Scotland correspondent on (#78VBG)
Strong and fair' proposal to be taken to members' ballot after previous offer led Unison to walk out of negotiationsGlasgow city council has reached an agreement with the trade union Unison over pay and grading, averting one of the UK's biggest ever fire-and-rehire exercises.Talks between the council and the GMB, Unite and Unison unions previously broke down when Unison refused to ballot its members on a new pay and grading system, designed to resolve historical equal pay issues. Continue reading...
Hundreds of schools in France remain closed amid planned demonstrations across the countryThe conservative People's Party is very pleased with the announcement.At last," they say on their X, with a slick election video - set to the EU's anthem Ode to Joy" - to go along with it.Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap election for 29 November, just days after rightwing parties blocked his minority government's emergency measures on housing amid widespread protests (9:10).The election will take place on Sunday, 29 November, the earliest possible date procedurally.In a fierce address, Sanchez framed the election as choice between regressing" under a far-right coalition" or keeping moving forward" with his progressive administration (9:04, 9:09, 9:17).He said the election will be about who will guide Spain through a period of disruption amid high political tensions, global instability, climate emergency, and uncertainty posed by the rise of AI (9:13). Continue reading...
Party in England and Wales ditches commitment to phase out nuclear in major shift in its energy policyGreen party members have voted to end the party's opposition to nuclear power, dropping a commitment to phase out the technology in a major shift in its energy policy.The motion, adopted at conference, removes a blanket opposition to nuclear fission" and instead commits the Green party of England and Wales to assessing nuclear projects alongside other low-carbon technologies. Continue reading...
Departure comes amid large drop in oil receipts, rampant inflation and shrinking economyIran's oil minister has resigned days after allegations that an intermediary trust selling Iranian oil abroad owed millions of dollars' worth of export receipts to the state.Mohsen Paknejad's departure comes as Iran grapples with a dire economic situation, including inflation running at 85%. An overall drop in oil receipts has led to a massive shortfall in foreign exchange earnings and one of the biggest drops in the value of the rial since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Continue reading...
Public figures back commissioner's call for government commitment to funding legal support for those affectedThe singer and television personality Mel B has said she is heartbroken" by the Windrush scandal victims' fight for justice, as the Windrush commissioner urged ministers to commit to providing funding for legal support for those affected by the end of October.In April, the Guardian revealed that the Home Office had refused to pay compensation in more than half the claims made by victims of the scandal, in which mainly Black Britons who came legally to postwar Britain were wrongly stripped of citizenship and settlement rights. Continue reading...
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