Research covering UK outside Greater London places city ahead of Slough, Sandwell and othersManchester has been named the first-time buyer capital of Britain" after data revealed that those taking their first step on the property ladder accounted for 75% of home purchases made in the city with a mortgage last year.The research from the mortgage lender Halifax may also provide fresh evidence of how high house prices in London are forcing growing numbers of would-be capital dwellers to ditch that dream and look farther afield.ManchesterSloughSandwellLeicester/OadbyReadingThurrockDartfordKnowsleyWolverhamptonLuton Continue reading...

Shares in engineering firm slide as airline cancels flights after finding engine component failure on aircraftShares in Rolls-Royce, the leading British engineering company, were the biggest faller on the FTSE 100 on Monday after Cathay Pacific Airways identified an engine component failure on an aircraft and began inspecting its entire Airbus A350 fleet.The Hong Kong-based airline, which has cancelled 24 return flights so far while it performs the precautionary" checks, said a number of aircraft would be out of service for several days. Shares in Rolls-Royce closed down 6%. Continue reading...

Concerts dates next August clash with festival fringe when city's hotels and rented rooms are already stretchedLetting agencies are charging up to 7,000 a night for rentals in Edinburgh next August after Oasis announced three concerts at Murrayfield stadium during the annual festival period.Nearly all the city's hotel rooms have been reportedly booked up for the three Oasis concert dates, with the last rooms on offer for more than 545 a night for a couple. Continue reading...

Shooting occurred at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station early on Monday, according to policeFour people were shot and killed on a Chicago metro train early Monday, according to news reports.Police said they had received a 911 call at about 5.27am that three people were shot on a train at the Forest Park CTA Blue Line station. Continue reading...

Rebecca Gregory sentenced to three years after she was seen on CCTV threatening to kick one child in the headA nursery worker has been jailed for three years after she verbally abused four children in her care and threatened to kick one in the head.Rebecca Gregory, 25, had pleaded guilty to four counts of wilfully assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. Continue reading...

Harris campaign responds: In a stunning senile moment Trump suggested it was Harris who treated Pence poorly'Donald Trump has drawn ridicule and accusations of hypocrisy after accusing Kamala Harris of mistreating Mike Pence, the former vice-president who his supporters said should be hanged during the January 6 insurrection that he incited.The Republican's nominee's comments came in an interview with Fox News, when he also singled out Harris's 2018 cross-examination of Brett Kavanaugh during Senate confirmation hearings after Trump, then president, nominated him as a justice on the US supreme court. Continue reading...

Plans underline European carmakers' problems in switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric modelsVolkswagen is considering shutting two German factories, in what would be the carmaker's first closures ever in its home country, as it struggles with the transition away from fossil fuels.The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer on Monday informed its works council, which represents employees, that it was looking at closing at least one larger vehicle manufacturing plant and one component factory in Germany" in order to find cost savings worth billions of euros. Continue reading...

Schools, offices and airport had closed after trade union said general strike was needed to shake those who need to be shaken' over inaction

Tories found to have problems with relatability, and few voters could identify party leadership candidatesConservative party politicians have started to be seen as weird", with very few members of the general public - or even their own voters - able to identify the leadership candidates, new research has suggested.It showed 70% of voters either did not know or thought none of the candidates could win the next election - with James Cleverly the highest scorer on 8%, followed by Priti Patel. Continue reading...

Election results in Germany causes consternation across Europe as German chancellor says preliminary results in Thuringia are bitter'

Police tracked down long-lost fingerprint evidence, solving mystery of Pinnacle Man' whose body was found in 1977A man who was discovered frozen in a Pennsylvania cave almost five decades ago was finally identified after police tracked down long-lost fingerprint evidence, solving a mystery that had long baffled authorities in mountainous Appalachia.The Berks county, Pennsylvania coroner's office on Tuesday identified the man as Nicholas Paul Grubb, 27, of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, CNN reported. Continue reading...

Dmytro Kuleba calls on Kyiv's Asian partners to consider increasing military aid to Ukraine after Moscow stages missile attack on KyivRussian forces are fighting in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Selydove and Ukrainsk, pro-Russian bloggers said on Monday, as Moscow's forces try to smash through part of Ukraine's defensive line.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the purported Russian advance, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Lucy Connolly, 41, faces substantial' jail term over tweet calling for attacks on hotels housing asylum seekersA childminder who is married to a Conservative councillor is facing a substantial" prison sentence after she admitted stirring up racial hatred with an inflammatory social media post.Lucy Connolly tweeted about hotels housing asylum seekers on the same day three girls were fatally stabbed at a dance class in Southport. She said on X: Mass deportation now, set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care ... If that makes me racist, so be it." Continue reading...

PM turns 62 on Monday but No 10 insider admits it was really bad' no one remembered his special day at morning meeting

Fans at London station left disappointed after fictional train's departure not announced on public address systemDisappointed Harry Potter fans booed after an annual announcement at London King's Cross railway station did not happen.People gathered at the station hoping to hear a message on the public address system that the fictional Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 3/4 at 11am, as happens in JK Rowling's books. Continue reading...

EHRC investigation found 11 unlawful acts aimed at barring Irish Travellers from Pontins' holiday parksPontins has issued an apology to Gypsy and Traveller communities after an investigation by the equality watchdog uncovered discriminatory practices by the holiday park operator.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) served Pontins with an unlawful act notice in February after an investigation found practices aimed at barring Irish Travellers from its holiday parks between 2013 and 2018. Continue reading...

Higgins' lawyer also tells defamation trial Reynolds was an unreliable witness and harassed Higgins by leaking documents

Vessel in distress about 150km offshore from Nowra, NSW police say

Jayson Gillham's demands include an affirmation of artists' rights to speak freely, but Melbourne Symphony Orchestra says it won't happen

Some African countries, meanwhile, hit by unusual rainfall with flooding killing at least 170 peopleUnrelenting heat will continue across parts of Brazil this week with temperatures about 5C to 10C above the 1991 to 2020 average.Daytime temperatures will reach 35C to 40C in parts of the Central West region, affecting cities such as Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Manaus. This extreme heat is likely to continue into next week, with temperatures above 40C possible in places. Continue reading...

Queensland ambulance service says woman suffered arm injuries' before being taken to hospital

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The man, who cannot be named, has pleaded not guilty to raping five women

Labor urged not to water down already weak proposal' but PM confirms he is mulling whether to make new EPA compliance only' amid battle to pass billAnthony Albanese says the government is considering watering down a proposal for a new independent environment watchdog in a bid to get the legislation through parliament.The Greens and crossbench senators have called on the government not to further weaken the already weak proposal" for a new national environmental protection agency (EPA) by abandoning a plan to allow the regulator to handle development proposal decisions.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Golfer has resisted calls from bereaved and survivors of Grenfell fire to sever sponsorship with insulation firmOne of the world's leading golfers, Shane Lowry, is facing growing pressure to end his sponsorship deal with the insulation company Kingspan if it is among firms strongly criticised in the Grenfell Tower inquiry final report due to be published this week.The Ryder Cup player counts the Irish firm as a major sponsor and wears its logo on the sleeve of his golf shirts. He has so far resisted calls from the bereaved and survivors of the 14 June 2017 fire to end the sponsorship arrangement with Kingspan, which made some of the combustible foam insulation used in the tower's disastrous refurbishment. Continue reading...

Labour announces end of high-stakes judgments, to be replaced by report cards that grade schools in four categoriesSingle-word Ofsted judgments for state schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools' strengths and weaknesses.The four headline ratings currently awarded by the inspections watchdog in England - outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate - will go as part of radical changes announced on Monday by the government. Continue reading...

The 2024 winter was the second hottest on record since weather data collection began in 1910

Tim Costello says I never thought I would see in my lifetime John Howard to the left of Anthony Albanese on an issue'

Ardent coin collectors and fans of the little blue dog scrambled for release of dollarbucks' on Monday morning

Shadow minister will launch leadership campaign with call to think afresh and move on from landslide election defeatKemi Badenoch will say the Conservatives must do more than criticise Labour in order to win the next general election, as she launches her campaign to lead the party.Potential dividing lines with her leadership rivals already appear to be forming, after Robert Jenrick said on Sunday he would oppose Labour's declaration of war on the middle classes". Continue reading...

Ipsos poll found 40% of Britons thought there was not enough time to raise all concerns in 10-minute slotTwo-fifths of patients leave their GP appointment without discussing everything that is worrying them about their health, a survey has revealed.The finding has prompted claims that older people often feel family doctors want them out the door as soon as possible" rather than listening to all their concerns. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands take to streets as anger rises at Netanyahu government after deaths of six hostagesTens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday night and a general strike was called amid an eruption of public outrage over the government's handling of the war in Gaza after the deaths of six hostages being held deep underground by Hamas.The discovery of the hostages' bodies in Gaza over the weekend threatened to bring deep divisions over the war to breaking point. An estimated 100,000 protested in Tel Aviv, while others demonstrated in Jerusalem as pressure on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reach a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home reached a new peak. Continue reading...

Mass protests follow call for general strike by head of Israeli labour union after six hostages held by Hamas were recovered overnight

Karolina Zurawska also charged with attempted murder following incident involving 67-year-old man on same dayA woman has been charged with murder after the death of a six-year-old boy in Swansea.Karolina Zurawska, 41, will appear before the city's magistrates court on Monday in connection with the death of Alexander Zurawski, who was found dead at a property in Cwm Du Close, Gendros, on Thursday.The standfirst of this article was amended on 1 September 2024 to remove an erroneous reference to the death of the 67-year-old man. Continue reading...

Two men and one woman accused of carrying out robberies at night and using gas to make residents groggyThe string of robberies, spanning years and all following a similar pattern, had left Spanish police perplexed.Late at night as residents slept, the thieves - dressed in black and with their faces covered - would gain entry to some of Ibiza's most exclusive homes, often making off with thousands of euros in stolen goods. The victims frequently reported the same groggy feeling when they woke up, leading police to suspect that the perpetrators were using some sort of gas to induce drowsiness. Continue reading...

Families queue at vaccination centres on first day of complex campaign to inoculate children against emerging threatA complex, large-scale vaccination campaign to inoculate children against the newly emerged threat of polio in the Gaza Strip has begun successfully despite ongoing fighting in the territory, according to UN officials and local health authorities.Infectious conditions such as dysentery, pneumonia and severe skin diseases are affecting more than 150,000 people in Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, amid a dire humanitarian crisis and unsanitary conditions caused by Israel's campaign to annihilate Hamas in the wake of 7 October. Continue reading...

Pontiff's itinerary, including visits to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, reflects importance of Asia to Catholic churchPope Francis is to embark on the longest, farthest and perhaps most challenging trip of his pontificate as he begins a 12-day Asia-Pacific tour that is expected to highlight environmental threats, emphasise interfaith dialogue and reinforce the importance of Asia for the Catholic church.The 87-year-old will set off on Monday on a tour taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, a trip that will clock up more than 20,000 miles by air. Continue reading...

Angus Lapsley, whose mislaid papers were found at a bus stop, will join review team led by George RobertsonA civil servant who mislaid classified Ministry of Defence papers that were later found at a bus stop in Kent has been selected to advise on the government's defence policy review.Angus Lapsley, Nato's assistant secretary general for defence policy and planning, will join a team headed by George Robertson, a former Nato secretary general and former defence secretary, along with the former Donald Trump adviser Fiona Hill and Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who ran the UK military joint forces command. Continue reading...

Police said the children, all under four and thought to be boys, were related to the man at house in Staines-upon-ThamesFloral tributes have been laid after a man and three young children were found dead in a house in Surrey.Police discovered their bodies in a property in Bremer Road, Staines-upon-Thames, at about 1.15pm on Saturday. Neighbours said they believed a young Polish family with twins lived at the house, and that the three children were all boys. Continue reading...

Discovery of six bodies may trigger renewed protests as anger grows over prime minister's handling of the crisis

Sam Farrow, from Wigan, swam 45.2-mile length of lake in 22h 48m and says she is in complete shock'A British endurance swimmer is believed to have broken a world record for the fastest swim across Lake Geneva.Sam Farrow, 31, from Wigan, swam the length of the lake from the Chateau de Chillon to the Bains des Paquis - a distance of 45.2 miles (72.8km) - in 22 hours and 48 minutes. Continue reading...

Fans who queued online for tickets to see Gallagher brothers' shows found price had almost trebledArtists have been urged to take a stand against extortionate" dynamic pricing for concerts after Oasis tickets were hiked up to more than double their original price.Fans of the Manchester band expressed their shock and anger after queueing online for hours only to find that the price of the 135 standing tickets had risen to 355. Continue reading...

Body of Hvaldimir taken to harbour for expert examination after being discovered in Risavika BayA beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters while wearing a harness that prompted rumours he might be a spy for Moscow, has been found dead.The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale's body was found floating in the Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing. Continue reading...

Documents show officers instead prioritised environmental and pro-Palestinian protests as potential hazardsIn the months leading up to this summer's riots, police leaders believed that the threat of violence from far-right protests was likely to be minimal", official papers reveal.Documents from December 2023 show that police instead prioritised the pro-Palestinian movement, environmental protests, football matches and animal rights activism as potentially threatening public order. Continue reading...

Aircraft said to have circled a village twice on Sunday morning before coming down near ChesterfieldA pilot has died after a light aircraft crashed into an industrial estate in Derbyshire.Emergency services were called to reports that an aircraft had come down in Chesterfield on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

Helen Scarsbrook says company, which is appealing against the ruling, hasn't recognised value of female shop floor staffDuring an average shift on the shop floor at Next, Helen Scarsbrook has to remain polite and keep smiling while she makes split-second judgments about which customers need help and which need to be tactfully discouraged from shoplifting and ushered out of the store.She and her mostly female colleagues are on their feet for long stretches and regularly do heavy lifting as new stock arrives at the back of the shop. She is confident that her work in one of Next's 466 UK stores is just as challenging, or more so, as the jobs performed by Next's mostly male warehouse workers, who have always received higher rates of pay. Continue reading...

IDF says Hamas killed captives shortly before bodies found, as families' group accuses Netanyahu of abandoning' abducteesIsrael has confirmed the deaths of six more hostages taken in the 7 October attack by Hamas, saying they were killed by their captors shortly before their bodies were found on Saturday in a tunnel complex under Gaza.According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them," a military spokesperson, R Adm Daniel Hagari, told reporters in an early-morning briefing. Continue reading...

Tinuke Craig says current black British theatre talent was developed when schemes to improve access were commonThe lack of investment in arts schemes aimed at working-class children will create a cultural landscape that is whiter and posher, according to one of the UK's leading black British theatre directors.Tinuke Craig, who has worked on productions including the Donmar Warehouse's Trouble in Butetown, said the current crop of black British theatre talent was developed in the 1990s when free schemes aimed at improving access to the arts for working-class communities were common. Continue reading...

The opposition is yet to announce a policy that would create more housing supply, while the Greens put Airbnb in their sights