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Rachel Reeves ignored Ed Davey's request to block Reform UK leader's resignation until conclusion of standards inquiryFor anyone involved in British politics, an invitation to be interviewed on Radio 4's Today programme is the ultimate badge of seriousness. There are probably hundreds of MPs who have never made it onto the programme because they have not been deemed important enough.But, as if to prove the point that the Clacton byelection really is a farce" (see 7.59am), this morning Today had an interview with Count Binface, the serial joke byelection candidate who may turn out to be Nigel Farage's main opposition in Clacton.Probably not, but then you know my job is to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy.And look at this, eh? The fact that you are interviewing me on the Today Programme, because all the other parties aren't standing, says more about them than it does about me.I don't believe that single-handedly will tackle homophobia, racism or indeed any hate crime. But I do strongly believe that returning power back to people's hands is a huge part of the role we should all be playing as elected public servants - and it's how we build trust again. Continue reading...

US president says a lot of progress' has been made on ending war after meeting on sidelines of summit in Ankara

John Edwards resigned in June after independent investigation following claims of sexual harassment and bullyingThe UK information commissioner who resigned over sexual harassment and bullying claims is understood to be taking legal action against a woman who flagged his conduct.The science and technology secretary, Liz Kendall, said she was appalled" by the fact that John Edwards was preparing to serve legal papers on one of the incredibly brave" women at the ICO who raised concerns about his behaviour. Edwards resigned from his post as the UK's data regulator in June after an independent investigation. Continue reading...

Image of man in underwear, blindfold and bound to iron rod has been widely shared on social media

Exclusive: Andrew Bailey says no policy changes were made as a result of pressure from crypto tycoon-backed Reform leader

As alliance gathers in Ankara, European leaders informally agree strategy to try to keep US president on side

July update projects GDP growth of 1% this year, making UK the third fastest-growing economy in the G7The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its growth forecast for the UK, while leaving those for other G7 countries weaker or unchanged, amid hopes the economic impact of the Iran war may be less severe than feared.In a July update of its World Economic Outlook, which was finalised before the latest outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, the Washington-based organisation projected UK gross domestic product to grow by 1% this year - up 0.2 percentage points from its April forecast. Continue reading...

France's far-right leader plans to take part in 2027 vote after court of appeal upholds her conviction for embezzlementThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen launched her presidential campaign on Wednesday, after a decision by a court of appeal shortened her ban on running for office, allowing her to take part in the 2027 vote.Le Pen said voters would decide her future. Continue reading...

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, believed to have left UK for Zimbabwe before bodies of partner and children were discoveredPolice are hunting for a man after the deaths of his wife and two daughters in Bedfordshire.Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, known as Zandile, and Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead in a detached house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on Monday. Continue reading...

Ellis, 28, was executed in 1955 after fatally shooting her abusive partner David Blakely

Experts warn that some marine species are at risk of mass mortality events' in ever-warming oceansUK waters are being hit with an extreme" marine heatwave, the Met Office has said, as scientists warn that high ocean temperatures globally could result in mass-mortality events" for some species.The forecasters said these elevated temperatures have developed rapidly because of last month's heat dome, during which most of Europe sweltered in its worst ever heatwave that scientists said would have been impossible without the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Climate crisis prompts calls for workplace temperature limits and rights to heat breaks and adjusted working hoursAs Europe's sweltering summer continues, trades unions are mounting a push for new laws to counter deadly heat stress that is linked to an estimated 230 workplace deaths a year.This year's toll may be even higher, with 1,300 excess European deaths already connected to the June heatwave by the World Health Organization, and other estimates running as high as 20,000. Continue reading...

Environmental protection agency and independent studies have found food biggest source of chemical exposureThe US Food and Drug Administration has rejected a legal petition demanding it set limits on toxic Pfas forever chemicals" in food, marking another setback for public health advocates' push to limit exposures to the dangerous compounds.The agency is refusing to set limits despite a growing body of science and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finding food is the biggest source of Pfas exposure. Testing has found the levels of Pfas in single servings of some contaminated foods to be equivalent to drinking many glasses of contaminated water. Continue reading...

Holiday operator says market in good shape, with strong recent recovery in bookings across all destinations as customers take the plunge

Those with high levels of vocational training, including tradespeople, are least exposed to AI displacement, according to government review

Report says new film has finished filming - although title and release date not yet confirmedTwenty-four years after Staines's foremost political interlocutor was last seen on the big screen in Ali G Indahouse, Ali G is set to return to cinemas.As reported by The InSneider, a new movie has wrapped production, with filming locations including Oxfordshire, where Baron Cohen was spotted in character last summer, and in the US. A title and release date have not been confirmed and representatives for the star declined to comment. Continue reading...

Telco said outage was not due to a cyber-attack but warned of scammers calling people claiming to be from Telstra

UK government urged to apply pressure on France to fix system or suspend checks by next week

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The fearless 23-year-old is determined to keep a level head as he prepares to face Flavio Cobolli on WednesdayA week ago, very few people knew who Arthur Fery was. But he has been propelled into the limelight as the last man standing after a disastrous start to Wimbledon for British players.Fery, who is ranked No 114 in the world, defied expectations on Monday night when he triumphed on Centre Court over one of the top players for most of the past decade, the former world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov. Continue reading...

Kristy McBain criticises shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson for testing' Triple-zero system during major network blackoutThe communications minister, Anika Wells, has accused Barnaby Joyce and Angus Taylor of going off half-cocked" by raising without evidence the prospect of China having been behind the major Telstra outage affecting millions of Australians nationwide.Wells's fellow federal minister Kristy McBain also criticised the shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, after the Liberal senator said she had tested" the Triple-zero system by making unnecessary calls to the emergency line - which carries a criminal penalty. Continue reading...

Rubbish dumps can expose birds to contaminants, raising questions over whether landfill foraging helps or harmsStorks are gaining weight from a diet of literal junk, according to research that suggests the previously disappearing birds face potential health risks as a result of increasingly eating from rubbish dumps.Landfill offers what appear to be quick and convenient meals for white stork populations in Europe. But new research suggests they may be gaining a short-term energy boost at the cost of hidden long-term health effects. Continue reading...

Ofcom levies largest-ever consumer protection fine after finding firm deliberately mishandled millions of phone callsVirgin Media has been fined 28m by the UK telecoms watchdog for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling their contracts over a near-three-year period.Ofcom discovered that Virgin Media likely mishandled" millions of phone calls between the start of 2022 and autumn 2024, with deliberate call-dropping tactics, unnecessary call transfers and putting customers on hold for no reason". Continue reading...

The man, who cannot be named, faces two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in Victoria's county court. He has pleaded not guilty

Shoppers urged to seek quality products or alternatives as data shows demand surpassing least year's totalBritons are expected to buy nearly 8m mini fans this year as they are surging on to the market" in the hot weather - but almost half of those are expected to be low-quality products that end up in landfill within a year.Waste managers and recycling campaigners have raised concerns as the number of online searches for electrically powered handheld fans, which sell for as little as 2, has already surpassed that seen in the whole of 2025 in the first six months of this year. Continue reading...

Early flight data showed the K2 Airways plane with five crew on board possibly crashed into the sea southwest of KarachiA Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane with five crew members on board lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem on its way to Karachi, Pakistan aviation authorities said.Early flight data indicated the 27-year-old converted freighter operated by K2 Airways from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates possibly crashed into the sea southwest of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes, before a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Continue reading...

While the Reform leader casts himself as the victim questions about his finances are unlikely to disappear

Despite promises of successive governments, gap between richest and poorest areas consistent since 1997Britain's deep regional income divide has barely changed in 30 years despite the promises of successive governments to narrow the gap, according to a report showing the challenge for Andy Burnham.As the prime minister-in-waiting prepares for government, the Resolution Foundation said almost no progress had been made since 1997 to tackle stark divisions in household income, before housing costs are taken into account, between the richest and poorest parts of the country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Landmark review by disability minister will call for dehumanising' assessment system to be redrawn

Man flown from France as part of legal entry programme decries effect on others who may have a similar case'An asylum seeker brought to the UK by the Home Office has said it feels unjust that he was allowed into the country only because someone else was deported.The individual benefited from the one in" part of the controversial one in, one out" scheme, where one asylum seeker who reached the UK on a small boat is forcibly returned to France in exchange for another being brought legally to Britain. Continue reading...

Government's former extremism adviser sounds alarm as idea that diversity is harmful becomes mainstream view'Two in five Britons believe Muslims cannot integrate into British society and more than half believe the country's national identity is disappearing due to diversity", a report authored by a former government adviser on extremism has found.Sara Khan, who stood down in 2024 as the UK's first counter-extremism commissioner, said such views contrasted sharply with accompanying findings that showed 85% of Muslims favour integration". Continue reading...

Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in prison in India, is accused of orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023US authorities have announced charges against the leader of an Indian criminal group in connection with the political assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Canada - a high-profile killing that strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India at the time.Lawrence Bishnoi - the imprisoned head of an Indian criminal gang - and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh, are accused of orchestrating the assassination of a well-known Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside a temple where he served as president in 2023. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh has not been apprehended. Continue reading...

National Anti-Corruption Commission inspector, Gail Furness, says systemic issues behind two complaints have been addressed

The average dwelling price has risen to more than 17 years of a typical household's disposable income

College freshman's mother identified his body after he was reported missing following 4 July boat trip with friendsOn 4 July, Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and a group of friends went on a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf coast. Wells's friends all returned back home that evening, but Wells did not, prompting his mother to report him missing and ask for help on social media, triggering a two-day search that caught national attention. That search came to an end on Monday, when a body was found on the island. On Tuesday, Wells's mother, Christine Wonsley, identified the body as belonging to Wells.His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated," Wonsley wrote in a Facebook post. My heart is broken for my sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son." Continue reading...

French far-right leader announces decision after court orders her to wear ankle tag over embezzlementThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has announced she will run for the presidency in 2027 and will lodge an appeal to France's highest court over her sentence to wear an electronic ankle tag for the embezzlement of European parliament funds.Tonight, I am a candidate in the presidential election," Le Pen, 57, told TF1 television on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Experts say the critical reservoir system is careening toward a breaking point as the US west's climate warms and driesLake Powell, the US's second-largest reservoir, threatens to plunge to unprecedentedly low levels this year after a historically bleak snowpack failed to raise its water level, scientists and water experts have said, adding renewed urgency to stalled talks over how to conserve a water source depended on by tens of millions of people in the US south-west.The 185-mile Colorado River reservoir currently stands at about 22% of its capacity, or roughly 5.6m acre-feet. Lake Powell fell below that level for a few months three years ago. But those 2023 levels were recorded in the winter, when the reservoir, which straddles the Utah-Arizona border, hits its lowest ebb. Spring runoff carried the level back up to 9.6m acre-feet by June, according to data from the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...

Far-right leader gives TV interview saying that she will appeal against part of today's ruling which cast doubt on a presidential runThe opening speeches are now under way in Ankara, and you can watch them below.This is the Day 1 industry event, not the leaders' summit, mind you. Continue reading...

A look at the the case, the appeal court decision, and how it could affect the race to succeed Emmanuel MacronMarine Le Pen has said she will be a candidate in France's presidential race next year, after a court ruling on her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement of public funds allowed her to run.However, the path ahead is far from straightforward. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Latest Guardian revelation about gift from cryptocurrency tycoon comes as Reform UK leader forces byelectionThe 5m gift to Nigel Farage by a cryptocurrency billionaire was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who were concerned it may have been laundered money, the Guardian can reveal.The disclosure will put further pressure on the Reform UK leader, who is awaiting a decision by the standards commissioner over whether his failure to declare the money breached parliamentary rules. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex and other prominent figures lost their case over claims the newspaper used unlawful methods to source stories about themPrince Harry and six other prominent figures are facing a legal bill of up to 50m after losing their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail over claims it used unlawful methods to source stories.In an emphatic ruling that is likely to signal an end to new litigation relating to the phone-hacking scandal era, the high court dismissed all the group's claims, stating that the claimants had not proved that any information had been obtained unlawfully. Continue reading...

Three vessels, including a Qatari LNG carrier, struck within hours close to OmanQatar has warned Iran it will bear full legal responsibility after three tankers, including a Qatari LNG vessel, were struck within hours in the strait of Hormuz.All three vessels were struck close to Oman which had suggested a new shipping corridor close to its coastline - a proposal opposed by Iran, which wants to charge ships using the waterway. Continue reading...

Desks offering gift wrapping and bureau de change stations will be closed at dozens of stores nationwideJohn Lewis has put 200 jobs at risk as it plans to shut down desks operating gift wrapping and foreign exchange services.The 36-strong department store chain said it had begun a consultation on redundancies as it plans to close the desks that operate bureau de change services in 30 stores, and specialist gift wrapping in 25 stores. Continue reading...

Supporters hope to stop 17th-century Villa Europa passing into private hands after Wolfgang Porsche unexpectedly put it on marketAustrian cultural figures have launched a campaign to buy a villa once home to the writer Stefan Zweig after its owner, the automotive magnate Wolfgang Porsche, unexpectedly put it on the market following a row over his plans to build a private tunnel for his car collection.Zweig, the Austrian Jewish writer whose novels inspired the Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, lived in the 17th-century property until 1934 when he was driven out of Salzburg by the Austro-fascist regime and his family was forced to sell it at a rock-bottom price. Continue reading...

Varenna's authorities say wandering around the village shirtless or in swimwear is now bannedA fishing village by Lake Como has imposed fines of up to 200 (171) for those who wander around with bare chests or in swimwear, in the latest attempt by an Italian holiday destination to crack down on uncouth tourists.Varenna has been feeling the strain from an increasing number of visitors and so authorities were moved to introduce a raft of new rules aimed at preserving the village's appearance and guaranteeing a smidgen of peace and quiet for its year-round population of roughly 650. Continue reading...

Forecaster says curtailing rising costs such as health and pensions are today's challenge, not just tomorrow's'

Audience of 9.1 million watch live and on iPlayer despite kick-off time, with 48m requests for digital content on MondayEngland's triumph over Mexico in the World Cup attracted a peak live audience of 9.1 million on BBC One and BBC iPlayer despite kicking off at 2am BST - the biggest television audience ever for a live UK broadcast at that hour.The dramatic 3-2 win drove the biggest day ever recorded for BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app and for BBC Sport's social video views, the broadcaster said. Continue reading...

Officials admit new post-Brexit EES system is not perfect', as airports and airlines voice fears over delaysThe EU has rejected calls by airports and airlines to suspend the implementation of new fingerprinting and facial recognition border controls even though it admits there are 20 difficult spots" with queue chaos.With just a week to go before the peak summer holiday season starts, EU officials admit the new entry/exit System (EES) is not perfect" but will tell travel industry representatives that full suspension is not needed" and not possible". Continue reading...

Anastasiia Berezovska was being sought by police over attack that seriously injured a Ukraine-born businessmanA woman suspected of carrying out last week's bomb attack in Monaco that seriously injured a Ukraine-born business tycoon has been found shot dead near Kyiv, in the latest twist in a case that has shaken the wealthy Mediterranean principality.Ukrainian prosecutors said on Tuesday the woman had been found with a gunshot wound to the head and that two men had been arrested in connection with the case, including an officer with Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) and a former law enforcement officer. Continue reading...

Sally Dowling admits her office pitched the story but says it was not authorised by her, while her colleagues call her a person of integrity'