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In-store inflation rises to an annual 1.5% in August, according to a survey for the British Retail ConsortiumThe pace of price rises in UK shops rose to its highest level in two years in August, a trade body index shows, with higher energy costs pushing up the price of food and AI chip demand making technology more expensive.In-store inflation stepped up to 1.5% year on year in August, up from 0.9% in July, led by prices for tinned and packaged food which increased by 2.5% against 1.1% in the prior month, according to data from the research company NIQ for the British Retail Consortium. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 7,280 suspected illegal spills in rivers and sea recorded in first five months of 2026The number of suspected illegal discharges of raw sewage into rivers and seas by water companies during dry weather increased significantly during the first five months of 2026.Dumping raw sewage into waterways during dry spells via overflows amounts to pollution. It is considered a breach of the permits given to water companies and is illegal. Discharging during dry weather increases the toxicity of the sewage pollution entering waterways. Rivers have less flow and volume, and there is no rainwater to dilute the sewage pollution entering the waterway. Continue reading...

U-turn on early release scheme will create stresses and strains' on prison system, says former justice secretaryAndy Burnham is taking a big risk" by seeking to continue running prison capacity to the limit, according to the former justice secretary appointed by Keir Starmer to oversee a review of sentencing.As parliament resumes on Tuesday, the government will confirm its U-turn on its early release scheme, which would have seen thousands of prisoners released early as part of a plan to ease prison overcrowding. Continue reading...

City council emphasises economic case for Madring amid local outrage over disruption and environmental impactOpponents of Madrid's newly constructed Formula One circuit have accused the regional authorities of putting profit before people's wellbeing after tests for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the track later this month yielded noise levels that were almost twice the legal decibel limit.The regional government of Madrid and the city council are hoping that the 5.4km-long (3.3 miles) Madring circuit - which has been built in the north-east of the Spanish capital at a cost of 83m (71m) - will attract visitors, boost the local economy and put the city firmly on the motor racing map. The Madring bills itself as a perfectly connected circuit: just 20 minutes from the city centre". Continue reading...

Chancellor says he wants everyone from apprentices to senior economists to take part in brainstorming exerciseJohn Healey has asked junior Treasury staff - including IT workers and apprentices - to send him ideas for his October budget, saying he will listen to all suggestions regardless of grade or profession.The chancellor's unorthodox approach comes as he faces a tricky autumn with expected inflation rises, sluggish growth and potential cuts from other departments to fund extra defence spending. Continue reading...

Exclusive: FCA pressures firms to do more to sort 760,000 accounts as watchdog urges families to use free tracking serviceChild trust fund providers are being put under the spotlight to check they are treating savers fairly and doing all they can to reunite young people with lost accounts.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said about 760,000 accounts worth an average of 2,000 were yet to be claimed - more than 1.5bn in total - as it launched a review of the market. Continue reading...

A yes to membership would have given Brussels a boost but Icelanders have not voted to isolate themselvesIceland's 52.8% to 47.2% vote against reopening EU accession talks is, undeniably, a blow for Brussels. But claiming it as a Brexit-style victory for national sovereignty" or evidence of broad rejection of the EU misrepresents the reality of the island's relationship with the bloc.For the EU, Iceland was a dream candidate: small, stable, prosperous and strategically located in an increasingly contested Arctic. Eager as it is to wield more geopolitical clout and revive flagging momentum around enlargement, a vote in favour would have given Brussels a very welcome boost. Continue reading...

Alleged offenders at large after man in his early 20s fatally shot in early hours of Tuesday

Opera House of the west' still slated to open to the public as scheduled on 7 November, NSW arts minister says

Resignation comes after months of turmoil at Pentagon, from leaked investigation to ousting of senior officialsArmy secretary Dan Driscoll has handed his resignation to Donald Trump, the White House said on Monday, becoming the latest high-profile figure to depart the defense department.The army official, who is second in line to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, had reportedly been eyeing an exit from the Pentagon amid apparent friction with the secretary. Continue reading...

Premium of nearly 10% paid by housebuyers comparable with cost of a cheaper private school over seven yearsA house near a top state secondary school costs an extra 40,000 on average, according to research that reveals education premiums that rank alongside some private school fees.The average property in a postcode district that includes a top 50 state secondary commands a price tag of 415,791, compared with 375,217 across the wider local authority areas in which those schools are located, a UK-wide analysis by the estate agent Yopa found. Continue reading...

Dale Sanders said he fell 71 times on the trail, but completed the journey as people are motivated ... by my efforts'A 91-year-old hiker has reclaimed his record as the oldest person to complete the more than 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail.By his count, Dale Sanders, of Tennessee, fell 71 times during the feat, six of which he said were hard falls and one which required a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the end. The 2,193-mile trail runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. Continue reading...

Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in warm freshwater, and if it enters through the nose, can cause brain damageA North Carolina teenager has died after contracting a rare and often fatal brain-eating amoeba.The state's health department (NCDHHS) confirmed the boy's death on Monday, saying: NCDHHS has been informed that the teen who developed a rare illness, caused by Naegleria fowleri died on Aug. 31, 2026. We extend our condolences to the family, friends and community impacted by this loss." Continue reading...

RFK Jr, the health secretary, has suggested the death were fabricated' while the CDC claimed it was reviewing themTop US health officials and government agencies are currently not including the two recent measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania in their counts.This is highly unusual," said Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She noted that this did not happen with the three deaths reported from measles in Texas and New Mexico last year. Continue reading...

Singer, accused of murder and sexual abuse of teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez, to be represented by LA public defenderSinger D4vd lost his high-profile private lawyers on Monday at a hearing where he entered a new not guilty plea to charges that he killed, sexually abused and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.It is not clear why Blair Berk and her colleagues Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter parted ways with the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke. They were replaced by a lawyer from the Los Angeles county public defender's office. Continue reading...

From a darling of the Tory right to a moderate former army officer, we profile the key players

TCG Isin expected to play vital role in locating Filo Jet's voyage data recorder 514 metres below surfaceA deep-sea search and rescue vessel is on its way to Cyprus as Turkey joins efforts to retrieve the 20 people still missing after a passenger ferry capsized off the island's northern coast.The TCG Isin will join the vast operation to find survivors after the high-speed ferry sank on Sunday barely four nautical miles outside the port town of Kyrenia. Continue reading...

Santos was accused of profiting from bets tied to his attendance at Trump's State of the Union addressGeorge Santos, the former Republican congressman whose political career collapsed under a mountain of lies, has become the first person ever handed a lifetime ban by the prediction-market platform Kalshi.The company announced the permanent suspension on Monday, along with a $71,356 fine, after federal regulators accused Santos of profiting from bets tied to his own attendance at Donald Trump's State of the Union address earlier this year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Prime minister wants to bring back hope' by tackling cost of living as MPs call for electoral reformAndy Burnham will drive home his pledge to bring more essential services back into public control, telling MPs in the Commons on Tuesday that it will be the only way to improve growth across the country.Burnham will address the house for the first time in 16 years from the frontbench, and six weeks since he became prime minister, after spending the summer recess announcing a slew of policies that will now be put before MPs. Continue reading...

Conservative leader sacks shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow foreign secretary Priti PatelKemi Badenoch sacked her shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, and the shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, in a sweeping Conservative reshuffle on Monday, replacing Stride with Andrew Griffith, and Patel with Tom Tugendhat.Stride, who had been shadow chancellor since Badenoch became leader, was widely seen among Tories as failing to make an impression at a time when Labour had been under pressure over the economy. Continue reading...

Lander screamed at and verbally abused as he protested against Hindu nationalist rally in Madison Square GardenThe New York Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander was screamed at and verbally abused by protesters over his stance on Israel as he protested against a Hindu nationalist politician speaking outside Madison Square Garden.As Lander attended a demonstration on Saturday against the event, organized by the Hindu nationalist RSS movement and where Mohan Bhagwat, leader of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was speaking, he was confronted by several protesters demanding that he leave the rally. Continue reading...

Body of victim thought to be in her 70s found in bin bag in walled garden area of Stanley Park on FridayPolice in Liverpool have urged members of the public to come forward with information after the body of an unknown woman believed to be in her 70s was found in a black bin bag in a popular park.Merseyside police were contacted by a passerby who had found the woman's body in Stanley Park, in the Anfield area of Liverpool, at about 5.25pm on Friday 28 August. Continue reading...

Iran responded to an assault on its Larak Island by targeting US bases in Jordan

Congressman says Thomas abandoned his principles to become an extremist, hard-right member of benchSenior Democratic congressman James Clyburn said his decision to support Clarence Thomas for a US supreme court seat was a mistake" and called for the expansion of the nation's highest legal panel to 13 justices.Clyburn, of South Carolina, spoke up for Thomas at his fiery 1991 confirmation hearings, calling him a personal and professional friend" who would use their shared experiences lifting minorities and advancing civil rights to become a respected and accomplished jurist. Continue reading...

Both thefts occurred on 17 August at a distribution center east of Los AngelesThieves made off with tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer in two separate heists from a southern California warehouse on the same day, police said.Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the thefts - valued by police at $70,000 - into a lighthearted social media promotion. But police in Montclair said Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether they were part of a single operation. Continue reading...

The queen of country was interred next to her late husband in an intimate ceremony attended by close familyDolly Parton was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Nashville on Friday, her family has confirmed.The queen of country music, who died aged 80 on 25 August after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer", was interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum alongside her husband of 60 years Carl Thomas. Continue reading...

Workers thought to be stuck in underground areas at 11 sites after last week's devastating flash floodsRescue teams are working to reach more than 900 missing hydropower workers, hundreds of whom are feared trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of 12 hydropower projects in Nepal after the devastating flash floods, the country's disaster management authority has said.The death toll from the unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on Wednesday last week has risen to 939 people, with 16 more dead reported in Tibet. More than 4,400 are missing on the two sides of the border. Continue reading...

Fashion designer was convicted of hate crime by French court in 2011 after series of racist and antisemitic remarksThe controversial fashion designer John Galliano announced on Monday that an exhibition honoring his work that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art had scheduled to open for the upcoming spring's Met Gala is not going to go forward.The museum's decision to honor Galliano, who was convicted of a hate crime by a French court in 2011 after a series of racist and antisemitic remarks, had drawn controversy and backlash. Continue reading...

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds reasonable cause to believe' tech firm subjected workers spoke up about Palestine to hostile work environmentThe US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency tasked with enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, has found that Cisco, the global tech company, probably violated the civil rights of Middle Eastern, Muslim and other company employees.The determination, reached earlier this summer, is believed to be the first by the federal agency finding a major company at fault in connection to pro-Palestinian advocacy that swept campuses and workplaces in recent years. Continue reading...

Berlin expected to outline response to incident this month widely speculated to have been coordinated by RussiaThe German government is imminently expected to announce who it believes was behind a suspected drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane earlier this month and to outline its response to the incident in coordination with its European and Nato partners.The chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told the public broadcaster ARD in an interview on Sunday evening: We are in the process of concluding the investigations; we have reached a broad agreement within the federal government on how we will respond, and we will make this clear in the coming days. It won't take much longer." Continue reading...

Telecoms company to benefit from soaring prices for recycled metal recovered from full-fibre broadband rolloutBT is on track for an estimated 2bn-plus windfall over the next decade from selling off old copper cabling, as it cashes in on soaring prices amid the AI market frenzy and switches the UK's network to full-fibre broadband.Copper is one of the main beneficiaries of the electrification of everything", essential for the rapid growth of AI datacentres, electronics and the fast-growing renewable energy industry. Continue reading...

Trump's Operation Economic Outcast is expected to push many Iranians into deeper poverty as food inflation soarsFor many Iranians, the new US sanctions campaign, called Operation Economic Outcast, seems superfluous given the grim economic situation in their country.Iranians are facing runaway food inflation, closed petrol stations and a seemingly never-ending depreciation of the nation's currency caused by a lack of foreign exchange reserves. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Dr Will Tullett says better understanding of scents can improve wellbeing and perception of the worldChildren need a better education in sniffing aromas, a leading historian of smells has said, noting it may improve their wellbeing and help them understand the world around them.Dr Will Tullett, of the University of York, said pollution had been found to impair people's olfactory abilities, while many objects and substances today - from margarines to car interiors and even our own homes - were stripped of their original smells and reodourised" with synthetic scents. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour MPs believe SMC has become ineffective and its work should be a core function of government'Ministers are considering a shake-up of the government's social mobility watchdog that could range from giving it more teeth to abolishing it outright.The move comes amid concerns that the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) - originally conceived under Gordon Brown's government in 2010 - has become ineffective. Continue reading...

Unions say ban will take time to enact, while president also wants under-15s social media ban as key legacyFrench high schools are rushing to put in place a ban on mobile phones this week as Emmanuel Macron pushes for children to spend less time in front of screens.Education unions warned that banning mobile phone use in lycees - where children are aged 15 to 18 - would be hard to implement quickly. Continue reading...

Pedro Sanchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclaveSpain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month's massive border crossing into Ceuta.As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions over immigration within the EU. Continue reading...

Kameron Glasgow of Florida honors wife Kenya and daughter Kennedi at local vigil after last week's tragedyA Florida man whose wife and toddler daughter were killed by a lightning strike while he was near them recently has implored people to hold ... tight" to their loved ones.Kameron Glasgow made that arresting remark to local media at a weekend gathering honoring the memories of his wife, Kenya, and two-year-old daughter Kennedi after they died on 23 August from an exceedingly rare cause. Continue reading...

Divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors, with eight people so far confirmed to have diedNearly 20 people are still missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight, as divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors.The double-hulled ferry with 267 people onboard took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the upturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and members of the coastguard. Continue reading...

US attacks Iranian rocket launchers on island in strait of Hormuz and Tehran targets US bases in Jordan and UAEThe US has reverted to military attacks on Iran for the first time in a month, firing missiles and drones at Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, prompting the Iranian military to attack US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.US Central Command said it acted late on Sunday after it detected the Iranians planning to fire fresh mines into the strait. Last week Donald Trump claimed the US navy had cleared the strait of mines for the first time since the conflict started on 28 February, a claim the Iranians rejected as lies. Continue reading...

Rights group claims 300 homes were destroyed in Tibet and number of missing people is far higher' than Beijing admitsA Tibetan advocacy group says hundreds of homes were destroyed on the Tibetan side of the border in last week's deadly floods, raising questions about Beijing's official account of the scale of the disaster.Public discussion about the flash floods has been restricted, with security officials in Tibet announcing on Sunday that it had penalised at least 10 people for sharing false disaster information". There was no further information on the nature of the penalties. Continue reading...

Julius Mugabo launches landmark case as union says thousands in capital lost incomes due to broken system'An Uber driver who got into thousands of pounds of debt and feared losing his home due to delays in Transport for London renewing his licence to pick up passengers is taking on the organisation in the high court in the first challenge of its kind.Julius Mugabo, 55, has been an Uber driver licensed by TfL since 2016. Under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, all minicab drivers cannot work lawfully unless TfL has carried out checks on them and issued or renewed their licences. These licences must be renewed every three years. Continue reading...

Concern among staff that fragile artwork's scarce light hours' given to someone with no known interest in museumThe British Museum privately hosted the Donald Trump-supporting tech billionaire Peter Thiel in the exhibition space of the Bayeux tapestry earlier this month, the Guardian understands.The museum's director of development, Charlotte Appleyard, hosted the PayPal founder at a VIP viewing of the tapestry, which is yet to open to the public, on 18 August. Continue reading...

Organisers say people must revive spiritual relationship with food amid double threat of climate crisis and conflictMending the broken food system under the threat of climate-driven weather extremes will require more than economic fixes and intensive agriculture, according to the organisers of a pioneering summit this week, who say the world must revive its spiritual relationship with food.Delegates from more than 60 countries and the UN will gather for the next five days in Paro in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan for the world's first conscious food summit", which will bring together governments and farmers, mindfulness experts and yoga therapists. Continue reading...

More than 200mm of rain forecast in parts of South Korea, while parts of southern Europe to be 10C above averageSouth Korea's prime minister, Han Seong-sook, met officials to prepare for heavy rain expected this week, with rainfall totals across central and northern parts of the country forecast to exceed 200mm in some areas.South Korea was battered by heavy rainfall earlier this month and some areas were particularly hard hit. Over the weekend further thunderstorms pushed into the region and these are expected to cause disruption through Monday. This heavy rain is caused by a series of severe thunderstorms that developed over the Yellow Sea, on the western side of South Korea, and will slowly push eastwards on Monday before easing on Tuesday. These storms have been strengthened by the very warm Yellow Sea, which now has a surface temperature of 29C, 4C above the climatological average. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: As rescuers search for survivors after catastrophic floods, the disaster offers a stark warning about the climate risks facing the region, and the worldGood morning. Over the weekend, rescue workers in Nepal and Tibet raced to find people who are still trapped in villages affected by catastrophic flash floods. As of this morning, the death toll stands at 903, and more than 4,000 people are missing.For those of you reading this in a place where life continues as usual, the scale of devastation is hard to fathom. In a matter of minutes, a torrent of mud and debris engulfed entire villages, snapped bridges and swept away people's homes and families. Some survivors are marooned on top of buildings that rescue workers can't reach. Others are trapped in tunnels beneath the ground. Many have no idea if their loved ones are still alive.UK politics | PC Andrew Harper's killers will remain in prison after Andy Burnham announced changes to the early release scheme that will see anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, excluded from the scheme.Milo Yiannopoulos | Far-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US back to the UK by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in connection with what the agency said was expired authorisation to be in the country.US-Iran | Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on airbases in Jordan after the United States attacked Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, the first such strikes in a month.Iceland | In a blow to Brussels, Iceland has held a referendum that has narrowly rejected the government's proposal to hold accession talks with the EU.Nepal-Tibet disaster | A headteacher in Nepal evacuated 900 children from a school moments before a deadly wall of water struck their town amid the devastating flash floods that have killed almost 800 people and left thousands missing.Tuesday | Justice secretary Alex Norris is due to present the government's revised plans for the prisoner early release scheme, which includes a headroom review aimed at freeing up more space in the system.Thursday | In the first UK visit by an EU leader of Andy Burnham's tenure, the prime minister is will host talks with French president Emmanuel Macron.Saturday | Officials from Jamaica will visit the UK to lodge a petition with King Charles to seek legal guidance from the privy council on the country's request for reparations over Britain's involvement in the slave trade, on the anniversary of the 1781 Zong slave ship departure from West Africa. Continue reading...

Inmates would take over basic' road maintenance duties, allowing skilled crews to focus on fixing 500,000 potholes

As Russia hits another ammunition warehouse, killing at least 38, locals put blame on poorly placed depotsIt is a day and a half since a Russian jet-powered drone smashed into an ammunition dump in Myla, a village 15 miles outside central Kyiv. Volodymyr, 61, a security guard, leads visitors from his family's badly damaged home, its roof blown off, back windows shattered, through the garden towards the impact site 300 metres away.The garden, like so many in Ukraine's villages and suburbs, is a sizeable allotment. But today the greenhouse is shattered, a vegetable patch is blackened and crisp underfoot. Several metres of grapevine have been destroyed. Even so, Volodymyr finds two surviving bunches to hand to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and WalesHousebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain's biggest building society.Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for homes within three miles of a national park. Continue reading...