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Candidates for next prime minister reduced to three ahead of final MPs’ vote on Wednesday

Ben Wallace says he wouldn’t be able to immediately spend extra cash promised by Tory leadership candidate

Prices of butter, milk and pet food rise at the fastest rates as shoppers face cost of living squeezeSupermarket inflation is expected to reach the highest level since at least 2008 in August after rising to almost 10% this month, amid the worst squeeze on household budgets on record.Families are facing a £454 increase in average annual grocery bills, adding pressure to the cost of living crisis, with butter, milk and pet food among the biggest risers over the last year, according to figures from Kantar. Continue reading...

Mayor says service is under immense pressure as it tackles 10 significant fires around capital

CWU members vote in favour of action after union said management hoped to impose 2% increaseThousands of Royal Mail workers have voted to strike in a dispute over pay.About 115,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) were balloted on whether to stage a campaign of industrial action and voted 96.7% in favour of strikes, on a turnout of 77%. The result of the ballot was announced by the union’s general secretary, Dave Ward, and its deputy general secretary, Terry Pullinger, at the York Barbican. Continue reading...

Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss now look to be fighting each other to take on Rishi Sunak in membership vote

‘Waiting for the autumn will be too late,’ says regional director as Omicron variants drive threefold surge in cases over past six weeksThe World Health Organization has called on European governments to urgently reinforce rather than reduce Covid-19 monitoring, warning of a potentially difficult winter as a new wave of infections sweeps across the continent.Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said it was now “abundantly clear” that the region faced a surge driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variants BA.2 and BA.5 and that it would intensify further as indoor mixing increased in the autumn. Continue reading...

UK at risk of breaking global commitment to help deliver UN sustainable development goals on poverty, environment and inequalities, say NGOsThe next British prime minister must halt the government’s “back-sliding” in its support for crucial global development targets, NGOs have warned.A report published by Bond, the network for British development charities, said that without urgent action the UK will break its global commitments to help deliver the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. Continue reading...

The decision to produce a film glorifying China’s Communist party in a town destroyed by civil war has been described as ‘appallingly bad taste’A Chinese action film executive-produced by Jackie Chan has triggered outrage after shooting scenes in al-Hajar al-Aswad, a Syrian town destroyed in the civil war.Home Operation, directed by Song Yinxi, is inspired by China’s evacuation of hundreds of its nationals from Yemen in 2015 during the civil conflict there, and is the first joint venture between Chinese and Emirati producers. AFP reported that Song said the film was intended to glorify the Chinese Communist party (CCP): “It takes the perspective of diplomats who are Communist party members, who braved a hail of bullets in a war-torn country and safely brought all Chinese compatriots on to the country’s warship unscathed.” Continue reading...

Welsh theatre company retells story of 1970s scientists and hippies in work billed as Breaking Bad meets The Good LifeOver the past half century it has been the subject of books, documentaries, a classic Clash song – and a great deal of mythologising.Now Operation Julie, the police drug bust in mid-Wales that broke up a global LSD supply ring, has been turned into a musical with a strong eco message created with the help of some of those at the centre of the saga. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears no effort was made to communicate with deaf woman wrongly identified as a perpetrator

Coroner told Gabriel Messo attacked his mother before being shot three times by a police officer in 2020

Government seeks to shore up domestic energy supplies amid European crisisThe French government is poised to pay nearly €10bn (£8.5bn) to fully nationalise EDF as ministers attempt to tackle the European energy crisis.The French finance ministry said on Tuesday it had offered €9.7bn or €12 a share to buy the 16% of debt-laden EDF it does not already own. Continue reading...

In closing submissions, newspapers’ lawyer accuses several of Roberts-Smith’s witnesses of ‘outright dishonesty’

Foreign secretary says she would up defence budget to 3% of GDP by 2030 and rethink size of armed forcesLiz Truss will make an urgent attempt to overtake her main rival, Penny Mordaunt, in the Conservative leadership race with a pledge to raise defence spending and a vow to look again at the size of the UK armed forces.The foreign secretary is facing an uphill battle to join Rishi Sunak in the final two of the contest, as well as an insurgent campaign by the fourth-placed Kemi Badenoch, who picked up more supporters than Truss at the last round of voting. Continue reading...

Deputy reserve bank governor, Michele Bullock, says most Australians are ‘well placed’ to absorb impact of rate rises

Loss of UK chip designer’s flotation would jeopardise capital’s attempt to prove it can compete against USSoftBank has reportedly halted plans to explore a London listing of Cambridge-based chip designer Arm, because of the political upheaval in the UK government.Boris Johnson, ministers and executives from the London Stock Exchange have been involved in an 11th hour bid to persuade Japanese owner SoftBank to at least consider a partial listing of Arm in the UK. Higher valuations have made New York the financial centre of choice for most of the world’s largest tech flotations. Continue reading...

Gordon Copeland inquest hears officers initially only searched for around 13 minutes after Gomeroi man entered water

Met Office prediction would make country hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados

Sajith Premadasa instead pledges support for splinter faction of ruling party that could upset PM’s bid to become presidentSri Lanka’s main opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, has withdrawn from the presidential race and thrown his support behind a rival candidate, presenting a significant challenge to prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s bid for the executive role.In an announcement made on Tuesday morning, Premadasa said that “for the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of president”. Continue reading...

Peter Selwyn Gummer, Lord Chadlington, had stake in company awarded £50m Covid contracts via government VIP laneLabour has called for a review of the Lords conduct rules after the Conservative peer Lord Chadlington was cleared of lobbying for £50m Covid contracts awarded to a company in which he had a financial interest.The Lords commissioner for standards Akbar Khan ruled that Peter Selwyn Gummer, who sits as Lord Chadlington in the upper house, had not broken any rules. Continue reading...

Dr Ashley Bloomfield dramatically scales back planned event, including cancelling the karaoke, in face of Omicron surgeNew Zealand’s Covid chief has had his farewell party scuppered by a rising wave of Omicron cases.“We’ve canceled karaoke,” the director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, said when questioned about his plans for farewelling the high-stress role. “We’ll do that later in the year, I hope, if the staff still want to come.” Continue reading...

It’s important to view encounters between the two militaries in operational context

Alexander Matsegora tells Russian newspaper there are ‘a lot of opportunities’ for economic cooperation, despite UN sanctions

Authorities have confirmed a number of government agencies, including police had interacted with the Adelaide family

Airport runways close and 999 calls surge while Boris Johnson is accused of ‘checking out’ by attending airshow but not Cobra meetingAirport runways have been closed and 999 calls have surged as Britain endured some of the hottest temperatures on record, which are forecast to rise again on Tuesday to a record-breaking 41C (106F) in parts of southern and central England.Boris Johnson was accused of being “checked out”, as the prime minister missed an emergency Cobra meeting about the searing heat and attended the Farnborough airshow, where he gave a whimsical speech about completing a loop the loop and a barrel roll in a Typhoon fighter jet. Continue reading...

Iona gas storage facility drops to record-low supply levels due to high demand amid Victoria’s price cap

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereReuters has a quick snap that Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has instructed the military to prioritise destroying Ukraine’s long-range missile and artillery weapons, according to a defence ministry statement.The UK’s Ministry of Defence has claimed that Russia is using the private military company Wagner in Ukraine to reinforce its frontline forces, but that losses they have sustained are likely to be impacting their effectiveness.Russia has used private military company Wagner to reinforce front-line forces and to mitigate manning shortfalls and casualties.Wagner has almost certainly played a central role in recent fighting, including the capture of Popasna and Lysyschansk. This fighting has inflicted heavy casualties on the group. Continue reading...

While masks remain optional in schools nationwide, authorities in several Australian states have strengthened requests for action

Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne – who play Karl and Susan – reflect as fans prepare for final episode to airThe Neighbours stalwarts Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne, who played Karl and Susan Kennedy in the Australian soap opera, have said they shared “a few tears and a lot of hugs” as their 28-year stint on the show came to an end.With the Neighbours finale due to air later this month, some of the show’s longest-standing actors have been reflecting on their time on set and working alongside future Hollywood stars. Continue reading...

Suspicions over François Mitterrand’s health were raised a decade before his cancer prognosis was made publicA British diplomat raised concerns about the secret extent of French president François Mitterrand’s ill health a decade before the statesman’s terminal prognosis was made public, newly released official papers reveal.Sir Reginald Hibbert, the UK government’s ambassador in Paris, appraised Whitehall colleagues in December 1981 with “talk about the president’s health which seemed to me to carry a certain amount of conviction”. Continue reading...

From 2025, commuters can expect two extra trains every hour between Manchester and York and journey times up to 40% shorterTrain services in the north of England are to be given triple the intended investment after the government announced the first part of its £96bn integrated rail plan.The multibillion pound plan – announced last November – pledged to deliver faster train journeys more quickly than the original plans for the HS2 eastern leg and Northern Powerhouse Rail. Continue reading...

Beaches and theme parks could all host ceremonies as Law Commission says couples should have more choiceCouples could soon marry on a cruise, in their kitchen or during a day out at the beach under proposals to tear up current restrictions on where weddings can be held.In what would be the biggest overhaul to marriage regulations in England and Wales since the 19th century, the Law Commission is recommending that weddings should be able to take place anywhere, providing the presiding official considers it safe and dignified. Continue reading...

PM alludes to ‘deep state’ plot to drag UK back into EU before winning confidence vote by 349 to 238Boris Johnson has defended his three years in power as his government survived a no-confidence vote, during a combative speech that hinted at a “deep state” plot to drag the UK back into the EU when he leaves office.The prime minister’s pugnacious argument in the House of Commons on Monday evening opened the debate on a vote of no-confidence that his government won by 349 to 238, a majority of 111. In a highly unusual move, No 10 called the vote of confidence in itself after it rejected a Labour motion that singled out Johnson. Continue reading...

Tom Tugendhat’s elimination leaves No 2 in race the only hopeful who is vaguely liberal and not tinged by Johnson’s government

Provisional trial date for Katie Tidmarsh set for 6 March after she appeared at a court in LeicesterA 38-year-old woman accused of murdering an infant 10 years ago has been granted bail by a crown court judge.Katie Tidmarsh is accused of killing one-year-old Ruby Thompson after the girl became unwell at her home address in Leicester on 11 August 2012, Leicestershire police said. The force said Ruby was taken to hospital but died two days later. Continue reading...

Falling wholesale costs could lead to savings of £10 off a tank within a fortnight, the AA saidMotorists can expect reductions of about £1.50 a tank after fuel prices dropped from record highs seen in recent months.According to the AA motoring group, average pump prices for petrol have fallen since the start of the month, when prices were 191.53p a litre for petrol and 199.07p a litre for diesel. Continue reading...

In leaked letter two female ex-staffers demand party acknowledge they were asked to sign gagging clausesTwo female former Labour staffers have accused the party of making damaging statements to the media about a sexual harassment case, demanding in a leaked letter that the party acknowledge they were asked to sign gagging clauses.The two former aides have written to the national executive committee (NEC), the party’s governing body, asking it to address the allegations at a meeting on Tuesday. Continue reading...

In need of repair, futuristic yet surreal complex built by artist Xavier Corberó is to become public spaceLike a three-dimensional De Chirico painting or an Escher staircase to nowhere, the labyrinthine Espai Corberó near Barcelona defies architectural logic, being designed “without plans, obeying only space and poetry”.“It’s not my home, it’s a place I made with the help of patrons and buyers as a home for my sculptures,” the artist Xavier Corberó told the art magazine AD shortly before his death at 81 in 2017. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can see our latest story on the extreme heat here

Tax is a ‘no-brainer’ after companies’ huge profits during Covid but corporate influence makes it ‘politically difficult’, Stiglitz says

Productivity Commissions calls for mandatory labelling of inauthentic products to warn consumers and protect income of Indigenous artists

Council claims station backed by minority group doesn’t represent Islamic community as dispute spills into court

Roads and railways less busy than usual but UK transport operators say worst is yet to come

Force majeure declared in letter to customers concerns supplies via Nord Stream 1 pipeline, says source

Prospect of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Khalifa Haftar burying differences may be welcomed by UNLibya’s prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has made an unexpected alliance with his former enemy, the eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar, in a bid to cement a fragile ceasefire and end a months-long oil blockade.Less than three years ago, Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) besieged Tripoli in a failed attempt to capture the capital. On Monday, in a highly symbolic gesture, LNA’s chief of staff, Abdulrazek al-Nadoori, was invited to visit the city for talks. Continue reading...

Analysis: Charm offensive moves away from slick videos and stirring soundtracks, and towards Tory MPs

Contents of dozens of royal wills have been kept private by judges in special hearings closed to the publicGenerations of the royal family have concealed details of assets worth more than £180m through a series of legal applications that have been granted in total secrecy.The assets are outlined in 33 wills that were drawn up by members of the Windsor family over more than a century. Continue reading...

First demonstrator aircraft will fly ‘within next five years’ to test features such as stealth capabilityThe UK government has announced that it will work with Japan on plans for its next-generation Tempest fighter jet as executives from across the aviation industry gathered in the sweltering heat for the start of the Farnborough airshow.The first demonstrator Tempest aircraft – capable of supersonic flight – will fly “within the next five years” to test features such as stealth capability. Continue reading...