Burnham to set out cost of living support as his Cabinet meets for first time
Andy Burnham is expected to announce new support aimed at easing the cost of living crisis as his Cabinet meets for the first time. The new prime minister said he wanted to give households "breathing space" and promised to set out details on Tuesday. The announcement comes a day after he stood outside No 10 and outlined the first priorities of his government.Burnham completed appointments to his top team late on Monday, with John Healey named as chancellor and Ed Miliband as foreign secretary. Angela Rayner has returned to government as housing secretary, while Wes Streeting has been appointed defence... [Continue Reading]
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Day News Recap: Iran conflict widens as deaths mount, UK gets new prime minister and markets turn risk off
The biggest escalation remained the conflict between the United States and Iran, with Washington saying it had carried out a ninth straight night of strikes while Tehran said mediators had relayed proposals to end the fighting and its foreign minister claimed talks were held under the threat of bombing. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US it would receive an “unforgettable lesson”, and the supreme leader called for “sacred unity” as the confrontation deepened. 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗Casualties linked to the wider conflict also rose. The Pentagon named two US soldiers killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian missile and... [Continue Reading]
Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister amid pledge to end instability
Andy Burnham has set out his first message as United Kingdom prime minister after his appointment was confirmed following a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. He arrived at 10 Downing Street in London and said Britain needed to regain stability, describing the moment as a chance for reflection and a new direction in politics. He also pledged major changes and said the country had not been good enough.Burnham said he wanted the transition to act as a "circuit-breaker" for Britain and promised what he called the biggest changes in 40 years. He said a new political model... [Continue Reading]
Sir Keir Starmer gives final speech as prime minister as Andy Burnham takes office
Sir Keir Starmer has delivered his final address as prime minister on Monday, marking the end of his time in the post as Andy Burnham takes over the country's top job. Speaking before an applauding crowd, Starmer said: "My work is done" and wished Burnham well. The moment comes after Starmer had repeatedly said he would remain in office, before announcing he would step down on 22 June, four days after Burnham won a Westminster seat.The speech was presented as Starmer's last in the role and was framed around a formal handover of power. The timing places the transition on... [Continue Reading]
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Indian police use tear gas and baton charges as Cockroach movement marches on parliament
Police in New Delhi used tear gas and baton charges to disperse protesters marching toward parliament on Monday, as the youth-led Cockroach movement staged its largest demonstration yet. More than 10,000 people took part in the march, which was aimed at demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and action on alleged corruption in the exam system. The protest took place near Jantar Mantar and coincided with the first day of parliament's monsoon session.According to the supplied material, the crowd had gathered overnight at Jantar Mantar before setting off in the morning. The movement said its founder, Abhijeet Dipke,... [Continue Reading]
Breakfast News Recap: US strikes on Iran deepen as deaths mount and markets turn risk off
Two United States service members were killed and several others injured after Iranian ballistic missiles struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, sharply escalating the confrontation and adding to pressure on Washington to respond. 🔗The United States Central Command said it launched a new wave of strikes overnight, the ninth consecutive night of attacks, while Iran said it had hit US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan as the conflict widened across the Middle East. 🔗 🔗Another US service member died in northern Iraq after the controlled detonation of an unexploded drone munition, underlining the wider danger to American forces... [Continue Reading]
Israeli ministers join march near Gaza calling for resettlement
Israeli cabinet members, parliamentarians and settler activists have joined a march toward the Gaza border to call for the rebuilding of Jewish settlements in the territory. The gathering took place on Sunday near the border fence and came despite a military order restricting access to the area. Video verified by the source showed dozens of Israelis assembled at the fence, while some participants were reported to have bypassed checkpoints through nearby hillsides.The event was organised by the settler group Nachala, which described it as the "March of Thousands" and said more than 10,000 people attended. Israeli media reports, however, estimated... [Continue Reading]
Burnham signals pragmatic shift on North Sea oil and gas policy
Andy Burnham is expected to keep Labour's pledge not to issue any new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, while taking a more pragmatic approach to existing production. The position comes as he prepares to enter Downing Street, with the final weekend before his premiership dominated by debate over how far the new government should go on drilling. Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said the party would stick to its manifesto commitments, but that there would be a change of emphasis on North Sea oil and gas.Powell said the government still sees homegrown clean energy as the long-term... [Continue Reading]
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Israel advances Gaza settlement plans amid blocked recovery concerns
Israeli officials are publicly advancing plans to establish new military-linked outposts and settlements in northern Gaza, according to remarks cited in the supplied material. Defence Minister Israel Katz said he intends to set up three Nahal outposts in areas that were in northern Gaza, describing them as bases that combine farming with an armed presence. The reporting frames the move as part of a broader strategy that analysts say would obstruct recovery in the territory and help consolidate control.Katz said the plan would be carried out only "in the right way, at the right timing, while coordinating," and argued that... [Continue Reading]
Belgium approves ban on imports from Israeli settlements as EU remains deadlocked
Belgium has approved a ban on importing goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The decision was taken at the federal government's final cabinet meeting before the summer break, according to the Belgian News Agency. It makes Belgium one of a small but growing number of European countries to act unilaterally on the issue.The move fulfils a commitment made last year amid concern over Israel's bombardment of Gaza and the scale of the death toll there. Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot had pressed EU counterparts earlier this week in Brussels for a bloc-wide ban, but ministers remain... [Continue Reading]
China warns UK over British Steel nationalisation as compensation row deepens
China's foreign ministry has said it will closely monitor the United Kingdom's full nationalisation of British Steel and urged both sides to reach a mutually acceptable solution, including compensation arrangements for Jingye. The comments came after the UK government took full ownership of the loss-making steelmaker on national security grounds. The dispute centres on the Scunthorpe plant, which is the only source of primary steelmaking in the UK.The Chinese ministry said the issue had drawn widespread attention in China and warned that the way Britain handles it will affect Chinese investors' confidence in the UK's investment climate. Jingye, the Chinese... [Continue Reading]
Israeli forces destroy three schools in southern Lebanon, minister says
At least three schools in southern Lebanon have been looted and destroyed, according to Lebanon's education minister, in the latest reported damage to the country's education system during the conflict. The schools were said to have been reduced to piles of ashes after explosives were used, according to a statement carried by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The destruction adds to a growing tally of educational facilities damaged or destroyed in the south.Education and Higher Education Minister Rima Karami said the schools had been added to an expanding list of institutions hit during the fighting. She said the schools were... [Continue Reading]
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Ukraine's Zelenskyy faces backlash after sacking defence minister sparks rallies
Rallies in support of sacked Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have emerged in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed him from the post. The dismissal has quickly become a political problem for the president, with analysts saying it comes at a time when his ratings are falling. The episode has also drawn attention to tensions inside Ukraine's wartime leadership over military reform and command structure.Fedorov was appointed in January and served for seven months before being removed on Wednesday. According to the reporting, he had no military background or battlefield experience, but had built a reputation as... [Continue Reading]
EU commissioner urges member states to cut visas for Russian citizens
The European Union's internal affairs commissioner has urged member states to reduce the number of visas issued to Russian citizens, saying current levels are incompatible with support for Ukraine. Magnus Brunner made the remarks during an informal meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Dublin on Thursday. He said the bloc needed to do more to bring down visa numbers, which he described as still too high.Brunner said member states were being asked to reduce the number of visas they issue to Russian citizens. He noted that the figure was down from around four million visas a year... [Continue Reading]
Emerald ash borer detected for first time in the EU in Hungary and Slovakia
Authorities in Hungary and Slovakia have reported the first detection of the emerald ash borer in the European Union, raising concern over a pest that has already caused major ash-tree losses in North America and parts of Eastern Europe. The findings were announced on 16 July and involve separate detections in eastern Slovakia and in a forest area near Hungary's border with Ukraine. Officials say the discovery has triggered closer monitoring and additional trapping in Hungary.Slovakia's Agricultural Central Control and Testing Institute said 18 suspected emerald ash borers were found this month in the Streda nad Bodrogom district in the... [Continue Reading]
Kyiv protests erupt after Zelenskyy sacks defence minister in reshuffle
Hundreds of people gathered in central Kyiv on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed defence minister Fedorov as part of a wider government reshuffle. Protesters marched through the streets carrying banners reading "The army is the priority" and chanting "Shame". The demonstration came as parliament also accepted Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko's resignation and approved Serhii Koretskyi, the former head of energy firm Naftogaz, as her successor.The dismissal has added a public dimension to a political reset that was already under way in Kyiv. Fedorov, who had been in the post for six months, was seen by supporters as a moderniser... [Continue Reading]
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Sudan minister says war has profoundly reshaped demographics amid mass displacement
A senior Sudanese minister has said more than three years of war have profoundly reshaped the country's demographic makeup. Mutasim Ahmed Saleh, the minister of human resources and social development, said the conflict has emptied some areas, burdened cities and disrupted economic and social stability. His remarks were made in Khartoum and come as Sudan continues to face a large-scale displacement crisis.Saleh said his ministry is working with several partners to strengthen population policies and link them to social protection programmes. He said the most significant changes caused by the war include rising poverty, widespread loss of income, deterioration in... [Continue Reading]
French PM Lecornu's Morocco visit advances diplomatic reset
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has begun his first official foreign visit in Morocco, in a two-day trip that runs from July 15 to 16. The visit is being used to deepen the recent rapprochement between Paris and Rabat into a broader strategic partnership. It comes after France recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2024, a move that ended years of diplomatic ambiguity.Lecornu is travelling with about a dozen ministers, according to the supplied report, and the talks are covering defence, security, economic cooperation and investment. The visit is taking place in Rabat and is being presented as a... [Continue Reading]
Thames Water returns to profit as debt rises and funding runs through Q4 2026
Thames Water has reported a full-year post-tax profit after increasing customer bills by 40% last year. The company said it made £113m in the 12 months to the end of March, reversing a £1.51bn post-tax loss in the previous year. It also said it has enough debt funding to keep operating through to the fourth quarter of 2026.The utility's net debt rose to £18.5bn from £16.8bn over the same period. Thames Water said it had continued to fund the business through debt and internally generated cash flows. Chief executive Chris Weston said the company had made progress in turning itself... [Continue Reading]
EU races to agree new Russia sanctions before oil-price deadline
European Union ambassadors were holding last-ditch talks in Brussels on Tuesday in an effort to finalise a new sanctions package on Russia before a deadline that could force a higher cap on Russian oil prices. The proposed measures are intended to keep pressure on Moscow's energy revenues, which remain a central source of funding for the war in Ukraine. Officials said the talks were taking place after several member-state objections delayed agreement on the bloc's 21st sanctions package since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.If no deal is reached by Wednesday, the EU could be required to raise the oil price... [Continue Reading]
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