After a five-storey building collapsed in Delhi, focus is on how urban areas can adapt to growing populations. Plus, Ahmedabad's ace newspaper delivery driver goes viralRecently, I may have saved a woman's life on the road. Somehow, this was something I had expected to happen.On that day, I saw a truck leave a construction site with a tangled wire trailing behind. I frantically looked to see what the wire was attached to and spotted the scaffolding a few meters ahead. I shrieked and grabbed the hand of the woman walking in front of me just as the metal pipes came crashing down. We hugged for a brief second, and then walked our separate ways. Continue reading...
Exclusive: George Osborne's programme to reduce costs for first-time buyers delivered 25bn in social value in UK last yearGeorge Osborne's scheme to reduce costs for first-time buyers represented very high value for money", according to a government review, bolstering the case of senior government figures who have been arguing to resurrect the idea.An official audit of the help-to-buy programme has calculated it provided 25bn of social value to the UK in the last financial year, despite criticisms it was overly expensive and only served to inflate house prices. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell, Health policy editor on (#78D4C)
Health service faces exodus as almost four-fifths of BAME managers surveyed reported racism, exclusion and barriers to career progressionThe NHS in England is facing an exodus of minority ethnic managers who have suffered racism, exclusion and discrimination during their working lives, a report has found.Almost four-fifths of managers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds have experienced racism, exclusion and obstacles to progressing in their careers, according to a survey carried out by the NHS Alliance. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#78D2X)
Some arguments used to challenge convictions are inconsistent with available evidence, science and established physiology', say two scientistsTwo leading experts have withdrawn from Lucy Letby's defence team over concerns about the scientific credibility" of some of its evidence.Separately a public inquiry into the murders will publish its findings on Tuesday. The review, led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall, is expected to highlight a number of missed opportunities for bosses to intervene after doctors raised the alarm about a spate of unexplained deaths on the neonatal unit in 2015 and 2016. A criminal investigation is ongoing into potential corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester hospital. Continue reading...
The militant group in Yemen captured the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, near the chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandab straitYemen's Houthi rebels have seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, reinforcing the Iran-backed group's ability to control a key shipping route, as concerns mount that the world is facing a new oil supply crisis.The seizure of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the militant group's swift advance across Yemen's Red Sea coast, after the capture of the port of Mokha and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...
Drive to save thousands of Afrikaners from false claims of white genocide' appears to show signs of slowingWhen Donald Trump announced in February 2025 that the US would accept Afrikaners from South Africa as refugees, many white South Africans who believed that they were victims of racism in their country thought that their prayers had been answered.However, in the past few months, dozens of applicants to the refugee programme have been rejected, with many left dismayed and confused as to why they would be left to face what Trump has falsely claimed is a white genocide" in South Africa. Continue reading...
Almost 3,500 people have died in outbreak and experts say more must be done to ensure Bundibugyo is under controlAuthorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have announced that the Ebola outbreak ravaging parts of the country has reached its peak.For the first time since the epidemic was declared in May, the numbers of people becoming infected is slowing down, according to officials. Continue reading...
by Mark Saunokonoko with Agence France-Presse on (#78D12)
Latest daily reductions will further choke one of the world's most important shipping lanesThe Panama canal plans to again cut maritime traffic due to worsening drought caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon, further choking up one of the world's most important shipping lanes.The canal handles 5% of global maritime trade and about 40% of US container traffic; it is favoured by shippers because it usually reduces cost and transit times, especially for companies trading between China, Asia and the US. Continue reading...
Committee to reconsider Harry and Meghan's publicly funded police protection now they are full-time residentsThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a review of their publicly funded security following their return to the UK.The royal and VIP executive committee (Ravec), which oversees tax-funded security for royalty and public figures, is to reconsider Harry and Meghan's level of police protection. Continue reading...
by Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey on (#78CV2)
Plans to strengthen legislation already going through parliament might mean donors having to meet stricter UK residence requirementsAndy Burnham's government could thwart Reform's unprecedented 72m donations with retrospective restrictions on political donors that will include tough new residency requirements, ministers have announced.In a move that is likely to set off furious complaints from Nigel Farage's party, the government will table amendments to legislation going through the House of Lords within weeks that puts the legality of Reform's latest donations in doubt. Continue reading...
Ministry of Defence says person, who has yet to be identified, died in road traffic incident not believed to be result of hostile actionA member of the UK armed forces has been killed in a crash in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.The person, who has not yet been named, died in a road traffic incident on Saturday. It is understood the incident was not a result of hostile action. Continue reading...
Man, who cannot be named to protect anonymity of his victim, admits scores of criminal offencesA man has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually assaulting his wife over a period of 20 years as he admitted 60 criminal offences.The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of his victim, is in his 60s and before his arrest lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#78CRX)
Screenwriter points to parallels between two worlds while academic says some of author's characters would make perfect reality show contestants'If Jane Austen's novels run on closed social worlds, courtship rituals, status anxiety, gossip and relentless scrutiny of who's coupling with who, it follows that the obvious contemporary equivalent would be reality television.That's according to Andrew Davies, the writer who has spent decades modernising British period dramas. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington and Lauren Almeida on (#78C9D)
Soaring oil prices of above $108 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure stoke inflation fearsUS government borrowing costs have risen to 5% for the first time since 2023 as soaring oil prices fuelled by the war in the Middle East trigger an intensifying sell-off in the global bond market.The yield - in effect the interest rate - on 10-year US Treasury bonds hit the psychologically important threshold on Monday, on a day of renewed selling pressure on Wall Street as the global oil price reached $108 a barrel. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose (now) and Jakub Krupa in Stockholm (ea on (#78CBG)
US president blames conflict, and not Iran', for spike in US diesel pricesJennifer Rankin in Brussels and Charlotte Higgins and Amy Hawkins in KyivCatching up with other news from across Europe, the head of Nato has said a Russian drone attack on a train close to Ukraine's border with Poland would not deter Kyiv's western backers. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#78CKX)
Centre-left bloc led by Social Democrats has narrow lead with 95% of vote counted, but faces internal policy battleSweden's political parties have launched coalition negotiations as the Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson started the long and difficult process of trying to form a new government.Full results from Sunday's election are not expected until after overseas votes are counted on Wednesday, but with 95% of the votes counted, the Social Democrats and the centre-left bloc had a narrow but growing lead of 176 seats to the right-leaning parties' 173. Continue reading...
In an interview about the donations, he said they are compliant with the law today'Andy Burnham has cancelled engagements today and tomorrow following the death of his father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, the Press Association reports.Burnham has spoken about his father's illness which meant that he did not know his son had become prime minister.[We] will continue bringing forward further reforms to strengthen confidence in our democracy.Following on from the previous minister for democracy's letter to you of 10 July 2026, we wanted to reiterate the government's concerns, shared by many members of the public and parliamentarians, about the rise in the volume and concentration of money in UK politics. We have to limit the way financial power can end up dominating political power, to get to a politics that works for all people in all places.We believe spending limits on parties and candidates are too high, and ought to be reduced. Continue reading...
Military chief had pulled country out over Harry-Meghan nonsense' but U-turned after clarification from the palaceUganda has U-turned on its decision to withdraw from the Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games after the country's military chief said he had been reassured by King Charles that there was no problem" with its participation.Last week, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the eldest son of the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, made the surprise announcement the country would not participate in the games in a post on X. He said he was motivated by his respect for the king amid division over the Harry-Meghan nonsense". Continue reading...
After 2025's wildly lucrative reunion, the Gallagher brothers will tour the UK, Ireland and US, and revisit the Hertfordshire site of their greatest live triumphOasis have finally confirmed new tour dates for 2027, including their long-rumoured return to Knebworth for a run of shows 30 years after they played a historic two nights at the Hertfordshire venue in 1996.Come witness the fitness," Noel and Liam Gallagher said in a new statement. It shall be a sight to behold." Continue reading...
Rainbow clouds are not uncommon in Australia but rarely photographed, and experts say they get their colours when light is diffracted around ice crystals
by Written by Morgan Ofori and David Conn; Animation on (#78CFR)
St Barts is one of many UK institutions whose benefactors were involved in the trafficking of enslaved AfricansInside the Great Hall of St Bartholomew's North Wing, alongside stately portraits of the apostle from whom London's oldest hospital takes its name and King Henry VIII, extravagant commemorative boards adorn the walls.The Great Hall was a grand, formal space where governors weighed their philanthropic donations and drafted their wills, many while investing in the stock of companies built on the trafficking of enslaved Africans. Today, many of those donors are commemorated in acrylic gold paint on the boards. Continue reading...
by Eromo Egbejule in Abidjan and agencies on (#78CFT)
Public offering of Aliko Dangote's Nigerian oil refinery business could swell his net wealth by two-thirdsThe fortune of Africa's richest person could swell by two thirds to nearly $60bn (44bn) after his refinery in Nigeria listed publicly in the continent's biggest-ever initial public offering.If Monday's flotation of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals on the Nigerian exchange goes to plan, then Aliko Dangote will add a further $23bn (17bn) to his $35bn net worth. Continue reading...
Project will prepare volunteers across US to monitor polls, encourage early voting and respond to disinformationThe Democrats intend to train tens of thousands of volunteers to monitor the polls and counter possible voter intimidation under a new plan to protect November's US midterm elections from anticipated interference from Donald Trump and his allies.The nationwide initiative, dubbed the New Battlefield Project, will help state Democratic committees build up a vast coalition of volunteers to monitor the polls, push voters to cast their ballots early and create a network to respond to disinformation. Continue reading...
Flooding in West Bengal has led to three deaths, while severe beach erosion has been witnessed in Orange countyFlooding around the city of Malda in the Indian state of West Bengal since Thursday has had a devastating effect. So far, three deaths have been recorded and many areas are still flooded, with numerous villages affected, along with the region of Bhutni. Erosion from the flooding, reported from Khaskol, led to a disruption in river flow which led to a more severe impact in Bhutni. More than 100 boats have been sent out for evacuation.At East Basudevpur, a 20ft (6-metre) embankment collapsed, reducing the channel from 550ft to under 150ft, which could lead to further flooding unless repaired. This flooding resulted after the Ganges River rose about 75cm above its extreme danger" level owing to heavy rainfall. Continue reading...
STC's 2027 program also features Celeste Barber in Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris play, Tim Minchin as Scrooge and the return of The Picture of Dorian GraySix years after the Australian historian Jenny Hocking won her legal battle to release secret correspondence between Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm Fraser and the governor general John Kerr, her fight to reveal the truth about Gough Whitlam's dismissal is being adapted for the stage.The Palace Letters, announced on Monday as part of Sydney Theatre Company's 2027 program, will have its world premiere at Sydney Opera House in April. It will star Georgie Parker as Hocking, with Jonathan Biggins playing Whitlam. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#78CBM)
Richard Tice says contributions are legally compliant after author of review into overseas donations says rules will be applied retrospectivelyReform UK's deputy leader has declined to say when two crypto billionaires who gave a combined 72m to the party returned to the UK, as the architect of a review into overseas donations said anyone here for less than 12 months would be subject to a limit on donations.Richard Tice said that while he was completely confident Reform had complied with all current and proposed laws on donations, he could not say when Ben Delo returned to the UK from Hong Kong, or how much time the Thailand-based Christopher Harborne spent in Britain. Continue reading...
Police in Bali believe the two young children died as a result of violence, while a 57-year-old man is believed to have taken his own lifeIndonesian police are investigating the deaths of three Australians who died in Bali over the weekend, with initial reports suggesting a father killed his two young children before taking his own life.The man, 57, and his two children, seven and four, who are also Indonesian citizens, were discovered deceased in a bungalow in Kuta on Sunday morning. Continue reading...
A new public consultation has opened on the 150bn-litre above-ground White Horse project in Abingdon, OxfordshireThames Water has amended the blueprint of a planned mega-reservoir in Oxfordshire as the struggling utility tries to convince regulators that construction should go ahead amid warnings of catastrophic consequences".The White Horse reservoir near Abingdon is scheduled to hold 150bn litresof water with a surface area of 6.7 sq km (2.6 sq miles) - almost the same size as Gatwick airport. Continue reading...
Jean Nassif tells inquiry his statements were all talk' borne from frustration with former building commissioner David Chandler and 2GB radio shockjock Ray Hadley
by Quique Kierszenbaum in Sair, and Peter Beaumont on (#78C9G)
Report by Israeli human rights group says systematic and broad assault being waged on conditions required for Palestinians' existenceIsrael is working towards the systematic elimination" of the conditions that sustain Palestinian collective life in the occupied West Bank, according to a major report published by the human rights group B'Tselem.The Israeli organisation's hard-hitting report, shared with the Guardian in advance of publication, says Israel is dramatically intensifying its attacks on every aspect of Palestinian life in the West Bank", including the ability to get to work, take children to school or university, receive medical treatment or municipal services, meet family and friends, cultivate land or go on vacation ... routine activities that make up human life".1,107
In today's newsletter: As Labour MPs scramble to realign later today around a bill that could stop donations like this in their tracks, a look at new game-changing donations to a party engulfed in financial scandalsGood morning. Nigel Farage has a confirmed talent for upending the laws of political gravity, and this weekend has been no exception, as he declared himself humbled" by two donations of 36m each from cryptocurrency tycoons Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.I'd shoehorn a joke about buses in here but, honestly, this feels too consequential for that.Economy | Former chancellor George Osborne said Britain's economy had fallen off a cliff" since Brexit - and that rejoining the European Union's customs union would be the fastest route to recovery.Technology | Sam Altman and Elon Musk backed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's call to slow the pace" of AI development. Amodei had cautioned that an AI swarm could otherwise become capable of taking over the entire internet" within a year.Sweden | With most of the votes counted, Sweden's national election remained too close to call on Sunday night, with left-wing parties holding a lead of just a single seat according to a partial tally by the election authority.Ukraine | A train carrying Boris Johnson and the former CIA chief David Petraeus may have been the target of a Russian drone strike that hit a train engine near the Poland-Ukraine border, according to Ukrainian Railways.Travel | The air traffic control outage that caused thousands of flights to be grounded across the UK earlier in the week was caused by a military aircraft entering spurious" flight data into the system, according to a report.Monday | First ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will meet in Cardiff to discuss moves towards self-determination across the nations.Tuesday | The final report of the Thirwall Inquiry into events at the neonatal unit where Lucy Letby worked will be published. Letby was sentenced to 15 whole-life terms for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others.Thursday | Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, will address the European parliament. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#78C91)
Commonsense change' looks to end current confusion and put passengers first, not shareholders' when services are disruptedRail passengers whose trains are cancelled will have the immediate right to travel on other operators' services to finish their journey without further charge, ministers have announced.The commonsense change" will take effect from Sunday 20 September, ending the confusion in Britain where many pre-booked tickets are not valid on other firms' trains. Continue reading...
Attenders will be asked to take part in tests to see if they have become more open to views they do not agree withFestivalgoers sometimes report feeling they have a fresh perspective of the world when they make their weary way home after a stimulating cultural gathering.A new festival of ideas" in Somerset is aiming to measure whether the beliefs and ideas of attenders and speakers really are changed by their event. Continue reading...
Electoral Commission finds abuse, particularly of women, minority ethnic and disabled people, is affecting candidates' behaviourAbuse and intimidation of election candidates is a serious and growing concern", the Electoral Commission has said, as a review of this year's local and mayoral elections in England revealed a surge in threats to those who stood.More than half of the candidates for Labour or Reform UK reported abuse while those most likely to be targeted were women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities. Continue reading...
Alleged victim tells court he froze and was in disbelief' after broadcaster kissed him on corner of his lips at public eventA prominent athlete froze and was shocked and embarrassed" when Alan Jones kissed him on the side of his mouth at a public event, the broadcaster's trial at Sydney's Downing Centre has heard.The witness said the kiss on the corner of his lips happened years after Jones sent him a weekly bouquet of flowers after he had complimented the flowers on Jones's dining table. He said Jones's driver would drop the flowers at his home every week. Continue reading...
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