Andy Burham to tour Britain in effort to reconnect government with public

Lawyers for man accused of killing healthcare CEO Brian Thompson raise red flags about limits on reportersWeeks before Luigi Mangione faces a jury over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, the hugely anticipated proceedings already have potential to reach trial-of-the-century status.Intense global interest in Mangione’s case is unfolding against a media landscape where news consumers expect minute-by-minute updates, a mise-en-scène now made all the more complicated by social media influencers who managed to get press credentials and often flock to major US criminal cases in search of clicks and money. Continue reading...

Finance sector will gain from the tech but it will need substantial investment and create risks, says rating agencyThe rating agency Moody’s has said the race to adopt AI is putting big banks at the mercy of a small group of Silicon Valley firms, leaving them vulnerable to widespread outages and price gouging by profit-hungry tech bosses.The financial sector’s efforts to integrate AI into day-to-day operations will eventually cut costs and increase revenues across the City and Wall Street, Moody’s said. Continue reading...

Man is told he should not have been granted settled status so he can no longer sponsor Brazilian wife to remainA 33-year-old Italian engineer who has been in London since 2018 has been plunged into a battle with the Home Office after officials told him they made a mistake allowing him to stay in the UK after Brexit.Fabio, who initially came to London to finish his doctorate and who has built a successful career working on energy and climate change, says he is shocked by the development as he has not broken any rules since Brexit. Continue reading...

Team manager has ‘no idea’ why they disappeared, after reports one of Commonwealth Games athletes said they intended to claim asylumYears of arduous preparation and training had come to fruition and the pressure was finally lifted. After competing for their country in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, athletes from Uganda were afforded a couple of days’ sightseeing time before catching their plane home on Tuesday.But when the flight took off, there were four empty seats. Continue reading...

Those tempted to access fake websites run risk of phishing scams and having computer infected with malwareThe Odyssey is the hottest release this summer and you have been looking forward to seeing the much-acclaimed adaptation of Homer’s epic ancient Greek poem. But you have been unable to go to the cinema, so when you spot an ad to watch online, you jump at the chance.There are positive reviews posted on the site so you decide to sign up. Although it asks for your bank details – which is unusual for a “free” trial – you are so eager to watch the blockbuster you input your details. Continue reading...

Rebeca Grynspan seen as continuity candidate with tacit support from current secretary general, António GuterresA Costa Rican diplomat and former vice-president whose parents were refugees from the Holocaust has become the surprise frontrunner to lead the United Nations as its first female secretary general.Rebeca Grynspan, whose parents emigrated to Central America from Poland – and whose maternal grandparents were killed by the Nazis – is the current head of the UN conference on trade and development (UNCTAD), a body that has exhaustively tallied the economic damage inflicted by Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. Continue reading...

Natto toast, fresh fruit sandwiches and soufflé pancakes all part of growing interest in east Asian cuisineGolden brown and glistening with melted butter, a tray of freshly baked bread fills the screen in a TikTok video. The camera lingers on the glossy tops before one bun is gently pulled apart, revealing a cloud-soft interior.The clip is one of countless videos of Japanese milk buns that have racked up millions of views and thousands of comments and shares, helping to propel the pillowy rolls into UK supermarkets. Continue reading...

Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authoritiesA Russian family faces deportation from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum – despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and potential torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism.Nikita and Olga Belov fled their homeland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities – including military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them – after expressing opposition to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Missing payments suggest employment laws may have been breached by recruitment agencies used by courier companyLow-paid temporary workers at one of the UK’s top courier businesses have missed out on entitlements to sick pay and pension contributions, internal documents suggest.The payments – typically included in the “charge rate” that large brands pay recruitment companies to supply them with temporary workers – are missing from internal spreadsheets calculating the cost of employing thousands of transient staff working at DPD. Continue reading...

Local council described incident as ‘worst act of environmental vandalism in Lane Cove history’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt began with a gardener being hired to trim grass at a harbourside mansion in Sydney – and escalated to payments being left in a shoe for the unlawful felling of hundreds of native trees in protected bushland.Now a court has fined Yi Wang $187,500 for his role in organising and carrying out the destruction of 287 trees from a council-owned foreshore bushland at Woodford Bay in Longueville in late 2023. Continue reading...

Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soilsPlastic contamination should be a central concern in efforts to deal with food waste, which campaigners call one of the most overlooked problems of the climate crisis, researchers have said.This is despite the fact that, as the chef, author and activist Max La Manna puts it, food waste management is “one of the few climate problems where everyone wins”. Continue reading...