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NEC told it must address concerns from disgruntled party members over lack of democracy if Burnham does not face leadership challengeLabour chiefs have been warned they must placate disgruntled Labour members who are angry at the lack of party democracy because Andy Burnham is not expected to face a challenge to become Labour leader.MPs have told the party there are growing complaints from members about the lack of involvement from members if Burnham does not face a leadership contest from any other MP. Continue reading...

Study suggests even light activity such as ironing could reduce health risks linked to prolonged sedentary behaviourSitting for longer than half an hour at a time each day raises the risk of dying from cancer, a study suggests.Researchers who tracked more than 90,000 people over a decade found that sitting or lying down while awake for more than 30 minutes in one period each day was associated with an increased risk of cancer death. The risk increases for every additional hour of continuous inactivity, the findings suggest. Continue reading...

Culture secretary says her department will stop using platform, citing concerns over far-right content fuelling violence and divisionThe UK's culture and media department will stop using X because the site now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate", Lisa Nandy has announced.The culture secretary's department is the UK's second to quit the Elon Musk-owned platform over increasing concerns about the way it highlights and prioritises often inaccurate far-right and racist content and is used to incite violence and division. Continue reading...

Top House Democrat on committee that issued report says president tries to steal the celebration of America's 250th anniversary and turn it into something that's all about Trump'

Couple pledges millions to children's hospitals, food banks and educational programs in advance of their big dayTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce are donating $26m to charities in advance of their rumored wedding at New York's Madison Square Garden this weekend, a representative for the couple has confirmed to the Guardian.The 20 named charities include organizations in meaningful locations to the couple such as Nashville (where Swift got her start in music), Kansas City (the home of Kelce's Chiefs NFL team) and New York City, where Swift and Kelce's wedding is reported to take place. Continue reading...

Victims say hearing Keir Starmer's acknowledgment of their suffering was emotional but want more mental supportThis summer's World Cup fever vividly takes Ann Keen back to 1966 and the day England won the tournament - she was 17 years old and it was the day she told her father she was pregnant. It was the worst thing that could ever have been said to him. I was told I'd put shame on the family and I must be sent away," the former Labour MP said.I was in an unmarried mother's home where I had to scrub the steps from morning until night. It was all about punishment. Even in the delivery room I was told I couldn't have anything for the pain, because I was a bad girl. And when NHS staff are telling you that, you start to believe it." Continue reading...

Security guard Hernan Alberto Gil Flores, 43, initially told rescuers not to tell his wife in case he did not surviveA 43-year-old security guard who survived last week's devastating earthquakes in Venezuela thanks to a pocket of air in his workstation cabin has been pulled from the collapsed basement of a shopping centre amid huge cheers from international rescue teams.Hernan Alberto Gil Flores had been trapped for eight days under the rubble of the Galerias Playa Grande in the hard-hit coastal port city of La Guaira since the back-to-back quakes struck. Continue reading...

Yorgen Fenech said to have spent 400,000 on fees for men convicted of car bombing that killed investigative journalistA businessman accused of commissioning the murder of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia spent more than 400,000 (343,000) on legal fees for the hitmen convicted of her killing, prosecutors claim.Yorgen Fenech, the 44-year-old heir to one of Malta's largest fortunes, arrived in court for the second day of his trial on Thursday in an unmarked armoured police vehicle. He is on house arrest having pledged a record bail estimated at 50m. Continue reading...

Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and WalesStarmer said what happened to the mothers, and their children, should never have happened. He said:What happened to them, and to tens of thousands of mothers, children, and families, should never have happened. It is a stain on our history.Mothers, many young, vulnerable, and without support were coerced, bullied, or misled into feeling that they had no choice but to have their children taken away from them. What a thing to do.I have to confess, as I said to them this morning, I found it hard to read the testimonies and to hear their stories.I find it particularly hard, as a dad. How much harder it must have been for them to go through that, to set out their testimonies and tell their stories over and over again. Continue reading...

The US city is home to about 70,000 Bosnians, the largest diaspora community outside their homelandMersad Smajic, a St Louis, Missouri, real estate investor and restaurant owner, has been thrilled to see fellow Bosnian immigrants thrive in their new home, which has been especially evident during the World Cup.The midwestern city has about 70,000 Bosnians, most of whom fled the country during its war in the 90s, making it the largest such community outside the Balkan country. Continue reading...

PM's former chief of staff opens up on political mistakes and shares Trump's theories about wind turbines

Indictment against alleged leader of gas pipeline attack claims former Ukrainian army officer was directed by stateGerman prosecutors have accused Ukrainian state authorities" of ordering the 2022 explosives attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia with Europe, a charge likely to ignite tensions between Kyiv and Berlin, its biggest military backer.The sabotage in the Baltic Sea by a team of assailants almost entirely destroyed the seafloor infrastructure of the key source of Russian gas to Germany. Continue reading...

Schism caused by Society of Saint Pius X ordaining four bishops without consent presents first crisis for Pope Leo

First judge found to have erred by giving 15-year-olds youth rehabilitation orders for rape of two girls in HampshireTwo 15-year-old boys who were spared custody for the rape of two girls have been sentenced to four years' detention after the court of appeal ruled their sentences were unduly lenient".After a national outcry, the attorney general, Richard Hermer, referred the case to the court to consider whether the sentences given to three boys - identified only as X, Y and Z - were too light Continue reading...

Reasons for increase not clear but experts say it could be welcome sign marine ecosystem is becoming healthierThe Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast have long drawn fans of the natural world keen to catch sight of the resident guillemots and puffins.But as recently as last week, another much bigger black-and-white animal has been delighting wildlife spotters. Orcas have been appearing more regularly than ever before. Continue reading...

Jury also finds Riad Bouchaker guilty of assaulting two other children and a childcare worker in 2023 stabbingsA man has been found guilty of attempting to murder three children during a stabbing attack in Dublin in 2023, a crime that horrified Ireland and triggered a riot in the capital.A jury at the central criminal court on Wednesday also found Riad Bouchaker, 52, guilty of assault causing serious harm to a childcare worker, Leanne Flynn, and of assaulting two other children and a teenager. Continue reading...

Figure is more than five times the widely used 600,000 figure widely cited in apologies by king and politiciansAt least 3.3 million people were enslaved in the Netherlands during the transatlantic slave trade, research claims - more than five times the 600,000 figure widely used in history books and cited in apologies by the king and politicians.King Willem-Alexander referred to the more than 600,000 people who were brought from Africa on Dutch ships to be sold as enslaved people when he apologised three years ago for the role of the Netherlands in the transatlantic slave trade. Continue reading...

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion hears how witnesses are subjected to hate speech amplified by misogyny

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Day trippers face fines for entering Austrian city's old town during July and August in action to curb chaotic traffic situations'Salzburg has begun enforcing a summer ban on visitors driving into its historic centre, picking up a policy modelled by other car-choked European cities plagued by overtourism.Authorities in Austria's fourth largest municipal area said they hoped the less traffic, more city" restrictions in July and August would reduce the number of vehicle entries by 1,000 a day. Continue reading...

Prime minister says he will take no lectures from Tories after Kemi Badenoch says investment plan is insufficient

New name recognises the playwright's huge impact on British theatre with producer Sonia Friedman saying he would be tickled pink'The Duke of York's theatre in the West End is to become the Tom Stoppard theatre in honour of the playwright who died in November.The theatre is currently presenting Carrie Cracknell's revival of Stoppard's 1993 masterpiece Arcadia and the same play was produced there in 2009. The playwright's wife, Sabrina Stoppard, said: Tom was in his element whenever he had a play on in the West End, so I am thrilled to bits that this theatre will be named after him. It means that his memory will live on, not just through his plays, but also through this building." Continue reading...

Track record of Welsh Water shows public ownership is not the answer to all the woes in the utilities sectorGood news for Andy Burnham: one of the original 10 water privatisations from the Thatcher-era has returned to public ownership already. Thanks to a complicated turn-of-the-century corporate saga, Welsh Water, serving 3 million people, converted to not-for-profit status in 2001. It has no shareholders. Financial surpluses go straight back into keeping bills down and looking after your water and beautiful environment", as the website blurb puts it.How's it going? After a quarter of a century without dividend-hungry shareholders to feed, has the model proved its superiority? Not exactly. Welsh Water usually has high scores on customer trust metrics but its performance on bills and spills tends to be middle of the pack. Continue reading...

Nearly 100 academy chief executives earn more than 200,000 a year, and at least one more than 500,000The era of academy school leaders in England receiving banker-style salaries" and hefty annual increases may soon be over, with the government to introduce limits on executive pay.Nearly 100 academy chief executives earn more than 200,000 a year, with pay in academy trusts equating to anything from less than 5 a pupil to more than 150. Only a quarter of the high-earners were women. Continue reading...

Ahead of England's first knockout game of the World Cup, Love Letter to England celebrates what English people have in commonWhat does it mean to be English? Ahead of England's first knockout game of the World Cup, Ian McKellen and the award-winning playwright James Graham have released a short film that attempts to answer that deceptively simple question.The film, Love Letter to England, explores and celebrates what people across the country have in common. It draws on early contributions to the National Conversation, a UK-wide initiative that began last month. Continue reading...

Case stems from 2022 lawsuit challenging FEC's enforcement of limits on coordinated party expenditures'

Keir Starmer earlier unveiled a 15bn plan but said defence spending cannot be bottomless pit' and MoD has to spend better'Keir Starmer is speaking now.They are at Malloy Aeronautics, a firm that designs heavy-lift drones, and Starmer says this morning they showed him one of the heaviest drones he had ever seen.Last year, I made the decision in the national interest to reprioritise aid spending towards defence and achieve the biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the cold war.That was the right choice because the world has changed. National security is economic security. Continue reading...

More than 2,000 anti-foreigner protesters march through Durban city centre as the arbitrary deadline passes for undocumented migrants to leave the countrySouth Africa was holding its breath on Tuesday as mass anti-immigration protests were held across the country. They come after a weeks-long campaign against foreigners that has seen at least four killed and tens of thousands fleeing for safety.In the coastal city of Durban, where violence had been expected, the streets were unusually quiet and shops were shuttered as tension hung thick in the air. Continue reading...

Four men arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in jackpotting' scheme targeting ATMs at rest stops along I-95A group of four robbers netted more than $500,000 in an elaborate jackpotting" scheme targeting ATMs at rest stops along Interstate 95 in Connecticut, federal prosecutors in the state have alleged.The men targeted at least nine cash machines during a 10-day spree in August, according to a press release on Monday by the US attorney's office, which charged the four with a range of federal offenses. Continue reading...

Cristina Guarda says delegation was denied access to cells in offshore detention facility, at which six people have attempted suicideAn Italian MEP has questioned whether the Italian government is trying to hide the truth" about conditions at an offshore migrant detention centre in Albania after a delegation she was part of said they were prevented from conducting a full inspection.Cristina Guarda, from Italy's Greens and Left Alliance (AVS), said staff at the Italian-run facility in Gjader had refused to give MEPs from the Greens/EFA group key information, such as how many people were being held at the centre, and that they had not been allowed to access their cells. Continue reading...

Scott Bessent says he encourages them to be good actors' after Trump ranted about prices not dropping fast enoughScott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, issued a veiled warning to oil and gas companies to lower their prices on Tuesday, a day after Donald Trump berated those retailers on social media for not dropping their prices fast enough and demanded they target $2.50 a gallon.I would encourage them to be good actors, especially in the 250th anniversary, because we're watching," Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, addressing big oil, independent and international retailers. Continue reading...

Authorities are still searching to identify the suspect of an alleged assassination attempt of a Ukrainian business tycoonin MadridMore than 1 million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers have applied to regularise their status in Spain under a government programme to harness and defend the benefits of immigration at a time when most European countries are pulling up the drawbridge.The fact that more than 1 million people submitted applications shows just how necessary this recognition of rights and responsibilities was." Continue reading...

ONS confirms 0.6% GDP growth in first quarter, with services, production and construction sectors expanding

The prime minister in waiting is seeking an interim base in the city centre before Ancoats site is completed in 2028A civil service base that is under construction in Manchester has been earmarked for Andy Burnham's No 10 North, according to reports.The northern centre of government will be in Ancoats, on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, but the site is not due to be completed before 2028, according to the Manchester Evening News. Continue reading...

Billionaires' wealth grew by 25% on average in the year ended in April, research from Swiss bank UBS finds

Police allege the 75-year-old tried to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy after explicit online chats

Exclusive: Staff at Rockstar Games hope move can be completed before release of GTA VI scheduled for NovemberThe makers of Grand Theft Auto are attempting to gain official union recognition after mass sackings last year.Video game designers and other employees at Rockstar Games are working with the IWGB Game Workers Union to try to secure unionisation before the release of GTA VI scheduled for November. Continue reading...

Government fears repeat of anti-migrant violence in 2008 that led to looting and resulted in deaths of 62 peopleSouth African authorities have deployed police units to towns and cities around the country before planned demonstrations against undocumented foreign nationals.Security personnel were seen patrolling the central business district in Johannesburg, the economic capital, where many shopkeepers decided not to open on Tuesday. Trucks and other assets belonging to the South African National Defence Force were also present, according to local media reports. Continue reading...

Acoustic recording of a song titled The World Is Not Enough included in wide-ranging auction featuring formative Coldplay recordingsA lost demo recording of a song Coldplay's Chris Martin reportedly intended for 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough is going up for auction, alongside other recordings from the band's earliest years.For the auction by Wax Poetics, the British producer Chris Allison is making available an archive of recordings the band made prior to their Allison-produced second EP The Blue Room, released in October 1999. Continue reading...

Expected next prime minister focuses on restoring faith in politics, cost of living and devolution in major speech

Report says once-in-a-generation changes needed to tackle why such children are lowest-performing large demographicHigh-performing primary and secondary schools in England should be encouraged to admit more disadvantaged pupils from white working-class backgrounds to help reverse a continuing crisis in underachievement, an independent inquiry has said.The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes concluded the current education system was not set up to serve white working-class children and families". Continue reading...

Mangione, accused of killing health executive Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty in state and federal casesLuigi Mangione 's Manhattan federal court trial related to to the murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson is scheduled to start in January 2027.Mangione stands accused of the 4 December 2024 killing of Thompson on a New York City street. He faces murder and weapons charges in his state-level case, and stalking counts in the federal proceedings. Continue reading...

Mark Rutte stressed need for military investment ahead of long-awaited UK funding announcement on TuesdayNato's secretary general has said he is confident Andy Burnham will stick to the alliance's long-term spending commitments, and that the man expected to be the UK's next prime minister would recognise that rearmament can spur economic growth.During a visit to London, Mark Rutte said he did not expect the UK to meet an alliance target to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035 in one big step" when its long-delayed defence investment plan was published on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Legal and labor experts say Trump v Slaughter decision upends settled constitutional law in favor of loyalty test'As a reality TV show host, Donald Trump rose to fame with the catchphrase: You're fired!" On Monday, the US supreme court handed him - and all future presidents - the power to fire leaders of independent agencies or commissions, overturning 90 years of court precedent curbing executive power.While Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social as a big win", labor advocates, unions, and consumer advocacy groups criticized the supreme court decision on the case, Trump v Slaughter, and warned of the long-term impacts for democracy in the US.Court rules Trump can fire leaders of independent agenciesCourt rules geofence warrants require constitutional privacy protectionsCourt rules Trump's firing of Lisa Cook from Fed was unconstitutionalCourt upholds law to count mail-in ballots arriving after election dayCourt rejects Trump's bid to appeal $5m E Jean Carroll Continue reading...

No damage reported in 4.6 magnitude aftershock; At least 1,450 people are known to have died in initial quakes but number is expected to riseIn an update to X, El Salvador's president has said that after hours of intensive work rescuers have freed Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas, 21, who was trapped under a building in Caraballeda, La Guaira, calling the operation a miracle".This rescue was made possible thanks to the coordinated effort of the rescue teams from Venezuela, Mexico, and El Salvador, who worked tirelessly to reach Aaron," Nayib Bukele wrote in a social media post, adding that the 21-year-old is now receiving specialised medical attention. Continue reading...

Trial begins of Simon Levy, who denies killing Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins and attacking third womanA man who was arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a woman was freed by police and went on to kill another woman four months later, a court has heard.The prosecution said Simon Levy, 40, had previously raped and attacked a third woman, whom he left for dead, and sexually assaulted six others during a series of attacks between January and August 2025. Continue reading...

Two independent reviewers of terrorism legislation call for safeguards for NGOs and journalists before bill becomes law this weekBritish foreign correspondents could be at risk of prosecution if they use sources within state-backed groups in countries such as Iran under national security legislation being rushed through parliament this week.David Anderson, the UK's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has warned that unless the bill is amended it could accidentally pull journalists working in danger-zone countries into prosecutions for terrorism. Continue reading...

Team hope 30 of hours of footage held by three countries will be enough to bring to life film-maker's visionMore than 70 years after he shot the first few frames, Orson Welles's ambitious project to put Don Quixote on the big screen may finally be completed thanks to a consortium of European film archivists.Oja Kodar, the American film-maker's partner and collaborator, has given her blessing to the project led by archives in France, Spain and Italy, along with the Munich film museum, to produce a coherent film out of 30 hours of footage scattered among them. Continue reading...

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