Burnham is heading to New York for the United Nations general assemblyIf Andy Burnham wanted to inject some edge into his meeting with Donald Trump later (which he doesn't), he could bring along a copy of today's Financial Times. This front page headline speaks for itself.Mortgages on the front line' as Iran war deals 840 blow to homeownersBritish homeowners are paying an average of 840 a year more when they refinance their mortgages, as the rising borrowing costs triggered by the Iran war start to impact consumers' spending power.Approximately 1m households have rolled off fixed-rate mortgage deals since February, according to Bank of England data. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now and earlier) and Martin Belam (ea on (#78J2E)
The US president made the comments as he arrives at the UN headquarters in New YorkNordic correspondentEmotions among Greenlanders are a mixture of hope, scepticism and fear ahead of the signing of a new much vaunted deal on Arctic security between the US, Greenland and Denmark.There have been many different reactions in Greenland because they are talking about a deal but no one can see the deal, we don't know what it is all about, and what's in it for us or what's in it. Also, because we have been terrorised as a people for the last 1.5 years by the American president, so many people feel no trust at all." Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) on (#78J1T)
The UN secretary-general said the world must work together to solve problems in final major assembly address as secretary generalTehran appears to have relaxed its preconditions for reopening the strait of Hormuz, saying it is prepared to do so within seven days so long as the US takes reciprocal steps to ease the pressure on Iran.Previously Iran had set seven onerous pre-conditions for lifting the blockade including an end to war on all fronts" and a commitment by the US to cease all aggressive actions against Iran including sanctions. Continue reading...
Christopher Poulter and Kevin Biggs, who died in 2004, exonerated of mailbag theft after new evidence emergedTwo men have had theft convictions quashed at the court of appeal half a century after they were wrongfully arrested because of a corrupt police officer, although one did not live to see his exoneration.Christopher Poulter and Kevin Biggs were 21 and 18 respectively when they were convicted in 1976 of taking 13 mailbags from a wagon in Clapham goods yard in London. Continue reading...
Broadcaster refutes memoir claim that he was behind publication of gym photos of Diana, Princess of WalesPiers Morgan has said he will sue Earl Spencer over fabricated inaccuracies" and examples of brazen falsity" in his book about Diana, Princess of Wales.The earl has made a series of claims in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, including that King Charles said we'll forget her soon enough" after she died, which has prompted a war of words between him and Buckingham Palace. Continue reading...
Scientists found unequal impact of the climate crisis would not be reversed even if implicit goal of the 2015 Paris agreement is achievedThe unequal impact of the climate crisis on the world's poorest people has been highlighted by new research that finds the tropics will be among the last places to feel the benefits if the global community cuts greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.Temperatures have risen more significantly in tropical areas relative to historic levels than at higher latitudes, including in wealthier countries in Europe and North America. Continue reading...
Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting Jesse Baird, 26, and his partner, 29-year-old Luke Davies, with police service weapon in 2024
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#78J1Y)
Party strategists say careful targeting of seats has paid off and should continue, but some say a wider vision is neededOne of the more dramatic moments in a Liberal Democrat conference otherwise short of them came late on Sunday, when the party frontbencher Lisa Smart told the polling veteran John Curtice that, in effect, he no longer understood modern politics.Curtice had warned the Lib Dems they risked being left behind, with the lack of a coherent national message seeing them all but ignored outside a few electoral strongholds. Smart's response? In the new era of five- or six-party politics, and mass tactical voting, this does not matter. Continue reading...
Generations of artisans from Mumbai to Lucknow have shaped the world's most coveted designs. Plus, the gen Z memes giving classic Bollywood a new lifeThe zardozi embroidery on a Dior dress, the T-strap leather sandals at a Prada show, the mirror-work technique used on a Fendi bag - for decades, the skill of Indian artisans has been an invisible force behind some of the world's most coveted fashion.Now, that work is beginning to claim its own place in the spotlight, and the Mumbai-based textile and embroidery atelier Chanakya International is at the forefront. Continue reading...
President has been posting on Washington arch, AI and his 25 top achievements' - the chances of an uplifting speech appear slimThe annual gathering of the United Nations general assembly has historically been a platform for US presidents to display their most serious face and a positive vision to the world.From Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower to John F Kennedy and Barack Obama, over eight decades US leaders have used the setting to expound on grand themes before a global audience at pivotal moments in international affairs. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Intelligence chiefs warn that Russia's appetite for risk is growing, as sabotage and other covert attacks target countries supporting UkraineGood morning. As the UN general assembly kicks off in New York later today, we anticipate a heavy focus on the ongoing conflicts in Iran, Ukraine and the Gulf - as well as the inevitable body language analysis of Andy Burnham's first in-person meeting with Donald Trump.But another related conflict is likely to dominate informal discussions: the intensifying acts of sabotage on European states that are believed to trace back to Russia but deliberately fall below the threshold for military response - a so-called hybrid or shadow war" with the singular purpose of disrupting support for Ukraine.Yemen | The UK has agreed to provide defensive air support to Saudi Arabia to help counter Houthi fighters and restore stability in the Middle East while driving down the cost of living at home, Andy Burnham has said, ahead of his first meeting with Donald Trump.Environment | The jaw-dropping" El Nino currently heating up the planet has burst through the highest temperature ever recorded for the phenomenon, several months before its expected peak.Gaza | Israeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British aid workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike.US | After President Trump's snap decision to ban CNN from the White House, the four other networks that comprise the White House's TV pool decided they would cease their pooled coverage of the president.Slavery | Bones of the enslaver Edward Colston are likely to remain interred in a church in Bristol if and when the currently unused building is given a new lease of life as a community resource, it has emerged. Continue reading...
by Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondent on (#78HZJ)
Exclusive: Collection's 300,000 pages record lives of enslaved people in countries including the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa and TrinidadNearly 4m records documenting the lives of enslaved people across 20 former British colonies have been made searchable online for the first time.The records have been digitised and indexed by the genealogy company Ancestry, which has partnered with the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London. Continue reading...
Storm triggers landslides and travel chaos while cutting off almost 50,000 homes from electricityTyphoon Dujuan has killed at least two people in Japan, while tens of thousands of houses near Tokyo remained without power after the storm swept through the region, authorities said on Tuesday.Dujuan - which brought violent winds of 144km/h (89mph) - was moving away from Japan on Tuesday morning, allowing authorities to downgrade most heavy rain and landslide warnings. Continue reading...
Executive tells court he was groped on bottom at Sydney event after ex-broadcaster pleads not guilty to 21 indecent assault and sexual touching charges
Experts say trend across England probably reflects swifter access to diagnoses as wealthier families go privateSome of the most affluent areas of England have had the sharpest rises in the proportion of young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic, according to new research.Claims for the personal independence payment (Pip) benefit for these health conditions were typically proportionally far higher in deprived areas with higher rates of poverty, low educational outcomes and insecure employment. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham says he will urge Donald Trump to bring an end to conflict with IranThe UK has agreed to provide defensive air support to Saudi Arabia to help counter Houthi fighters and restore stability in the Middle East while driving down the cost of living at home, Andy Burnham has said, ahead of his first meeting with Donald Trump.The prime minister said he had agreed to a request for air-to-air refuelling of Saudi jets to defend energy infrastructure against the Iran-backed rebels and help keep oil flowing from the Gulf to ease global economic turmoil. Continue reading...
Textile designer brings florals, vines and smiley doodles to brand's luxury checks for one-off paired collectionBurberry and Celia Birtwell are both national treasures of sorts. One is Britain's grandest luxury name, the other the textile designer who dressed bohemian 1960s London in her prints and has a place in art history as David Hockney's favourite muse.Burberry's designer, Daniel Lee, has always loved Birtwell's prints. When the two met this spring, he fell for her energy, and her zest for life", and a one-off Burberry meets Birtwell collection that closed London fashion week was born. Continue reading...
Immigration agency's move makes it harder for lawyers and family to find detainees, in line with stringent Trump policyUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, an unannounced move that has made it far more difficult for lawyers and relatives to find them, according to current and former officials familiar with the practice.ICE removed those detainees from its online detainee locator system on 15 September, according to three current and former ICE officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change. Several lawyers contacted by the AP confirmed their clients vanished from the system this week, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association warned its members about the situation on Friday. Continue reading...
Lawyer tells hearing that families wish to know whether weaponry involved in deaths was made in BritainIsraeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike.It is also possible that the inquest into the deaths of John Chapman, 57, Jim Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, may examine whether the weaponry that killed the men was made in the UK. Continue reading...
Dr Vincent Brown will appear at Westminster magistrates court charged with seven offencesA man has been charged with crimes linked to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 in the first case of its kind to be brought in the UK.Dr Vincent Brown, formerly Dr Vincent Bajinya, 65, who used to live in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda but now lives in Islington, north London, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday charged with seven offences. Continue reading...
Students faced prison terms and thousands of dollars in restitution over campus protest against Israel's war on GazaFive Stanford University students who faced prison sentences and thousands of dollars in restitution in connection to a campus protest against Israel's war on Gaza had all charges dropped on Monday.The students also had their restitution severely reduced, ending a two-year legal saga that also saw the lead prosecutor in the case removed by the court. Continue reading...
Wildfire forces evacuations and burns through mountains surrounding Villa de Leyva in the north-eastColombian authorities declared a public calamity as a wildfire burned through mountains surrounding one of the country's best-known colonial towns in the north-east, scorching large swaths of vegetation and forcing evacuations.Nearly 20 active fires are burning across the South American country. Dry conditions have increased fire danger in Colombia as it braces for the effects of El Nino, which can help wildfires spread. Continue reading...
Republican congresswoman rejects ethics complaint and says allegations part of politically motivated' hit campaignLauren Boebert, the firebrand Republican subject of a House ethics complaint that she had sex with three staff members, and paid one to keep quiet, has said the allegations are untrue - and part of a politically motivated" campaign against her.Boebert's denials came through a formal statement from her office, which said the congresswoman rejects the claims as utterly false". She also published a verbose video rant on social media in which she accused the person who filed the document as a sloppy, desperate, obsessive hack" - and journalists who reported the story as falling victim to a scam". Continue reading...
Nigel Farage dismisses loss of previous leader as bump in the road' and says party will carry on as if nothing has happened'Nigel Farage dismissed the loss of Reform UK's leader in Wales last week as a bump in the road" as the party unveiled a replacement.Helen Jenner replaces Dan Thomas, who stood down last Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviours. Continue reading...
The number of potentially damaging environmental incidents triggered by this year's hot and dry weather has surpassed that of 2025Wildlife in England and Wales will be affected by the current drought for years to come, the government has said.This summer saw large parts of England and all of Wales plunged into a serious drought, with both recording their driest Julys since records began in 1836. Continue reading...
Helen Jenner will be party's new head in Senedd after a narrow victory over Jason O'ConnellHere are some more lines from Max Wilkinson's speech to the Lib Dem conference this morning.Wilkinson, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson, accused Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, of using divisive language" that you would expect from the authoritarian right". After condemning the Tories and Reform UK for their anti-migration views, he said:And what's the Labour response to this hard right agenda? Their home secretary has indulged in the sort of divisive language that we would usually expect from the authoritarian right ...Well let me tell you home secretary - no matter how hard you chase, you'll never catch up with [Nigel] Farage - that is a fool's errand.He said that it was the duty of the Liberal Democrats to stand up to the Tories and Reform UK, and the poison" they were spreading on migration. Repeatedly referring to Reform UK's Robert Jenrick as a plonker", he said:[Jenrick] and his party are plonkers with dangerous ideas ... and 72m to deliver them.And their allies in the Conservative party are weakly following them.He criticised the Conservatives and Reform UK for proposing to withdraw Britain from the European convention on human rights. He said:Leaving the European convention on human rights will not fix our asylum system.It will not stop dangerous Channel crossings - not a single boat - and it will not stop the criminal gangs.And he confirmed that the Lib Dems want to tax big tech to finance a new online crime agency. This was announced overnight and Peter Walker and Alexandra Topping have written the story up here.We will carry on as if nothing has happened
by Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent on (#78HKX)
US president reportedly changed his mind over Saudi Arabia's pleas for assistance as bombs were being loadedHouthi fighters are moving to seize strategic heights in Yemen that would cut the Red Sea coast off from areas held by Saudi-backed forces after Donald Trump called off US strikes on the group at the last minute, reportedly as bombs were being loaded on to aircraft.Amid increasingly heavy fighting in Yemen, which has displaced tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, the New York Times reported on Monday that the US president had flip-flopped wildly in recent days after a call from Saudi Arabia for US strikes on the Houthis. Continue reading...
by Frances Mao (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier) on (#78H9R)
CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections, including in home state of former leader Angela Merkel, where it polled just 4.9%Staying in Germany, tens of thousands of automotive workers at Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other car brands are protesting on factory floors across the country today for government and management help to save their jobs.
Officials say man was critically injured and officer was wounded in Yom Kippur incident near Belleville synagogueA police officer and a man were wounded in an exchange of gunfire on Sunday near a synagogue in Ontario as members of the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, authorities said. The man was hospitalized in life-threatening condition.The Canadian province's special investigations unit said the exchange of gunfire happened near the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, about 110 miles (160km) east of Toronto. Belleville police said the officer encountered the man at about 7.10pm and that both were taken to a hospital. Continue reading...
Sneaker company removes social media ad after backlash from critics who said it resembled KKK imageryThe sneaker company Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.The Instagram ad photo showed K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers. Critics lashed out online, saying that a white triangular image created by lighting on the skirt resembled a KKK hood - and that the way she held the sneakers made them look like the dangling feet of a lynching victim. Continue reading...
Claimants are asked to dig out decades-old medical records to prove they qualify despite inquiry's recommendationsSuzanne Morgan will never forget the day her mother died. It was nine months after she had gone into hospital with gallstones, where she received a routine blood transfusion.She went downhill rapidly," Morgan recalled. Her mother haemorrhaged in her liver, and the next day she was dead. Continue reading...
Eco-moorings help to restore seagrass in just five years, boosting sealife such as seahorses, eels and crabsOne of the UK's most precious underwater habitats - Dorset's seagrass meadows - is recovering thanks to eco moorings" designed to prevent the seabed being ripped up, a study has revealed.Scars caused by traditional anchors in some areas of seagrass in Studland Bay have almost entirely vanished, which is boosting the number of seahorses that thrive in the submerged meadows. Continue reading...
Several workers say they're opting to go without health coverage due to premium costs soaring this yearStarbucks workers say their health insurance premiums have soared this year, in some cases more than doubling, according to a recent survey conducted by Starbucks Workers United.The survey of more than 130 Starbucks workers in both unionized and non-unionized stores, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found baristas are experiencing significant hikes in costs for their health insurance coverage starting 1 October. Continue reading...
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