Arron Banks urged to set out extent of surveillance of journalists

• China has reached a milestone with its reusable Long March 10B rocket, while the People's Liberation Army recently released a video featuring a diamond-shaped sixth-generation stealth aircraft. • The footage, which shows the aircraft's shadow and airmen discussing a refueling mission, leaves the exact stage of the jet's development and testing unclear.

• Ethiopia is currently navigating a turbulent environment shaped by overlapping conflicts, geopolitical rivalries, and significant economic risks. • The situation highlights the limitations of diplomacy, as weak trust between major international actors hinders the resolution of regional crises.

Israeli prime minister’s unexpected move blindsided IDF commanders and risks alienating Trump, his main allyBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his key domestic and international allies. Continue reading...

Demonstrators accuse authorities of failing to tackle issues in exams for highly sought-after civil service jobsThousands of angry young job-seekers clashed with police in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states, on Monday as a weeks-long protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment drives for coveted government jobs escalated into a march on the state legislature.Police fired water cannon and teargas and swung batons as they tried to stop flag-waving demonstrators from clambering over barricades and surging towards the assembly in Ranchi, the state capital. Some of the protesters responded by dancing and cheering as jets of water drenched the crowd. Continue reading...

The former US president will host six episodes of A Great Book for Audible, discussing work from Toni Morrison and John le Carré to James BaldwinBarack Obama is set to host a podcast about books that have “profoundly shaped his worldview and our society”, from Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré.The podcast, called A Great Book with Barack Obama, will launch on Audible on 24 September. Continue reading...

German government talks of a ‘new level of danger’ but declines to say who it thinks was responsible for deviceAmerican intelligence experts believe Russia was behind an attack on a German airport last week with a drone laden with explosives, US media have reported, as Berlin remained silent on the likely culprit.Last week’s security emergency prompted the interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, to break off his summer holiday in Italy and rush to the scene in the eastern city of Leipzig, as he spoke of a “new level of danger” for Germany. Continue reading...

The prime minister is promising to crack down on ‘rip-off’ business practicesAndy Burnham has announced he will ban fake discounts and make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions in an effort to improve life for UK consumers.In the long run, these so-called “everyday fixes” may not make as much difference to your wealth as increasing mandatory contributions on pensions or capping rents, but they will get rid of some day-to-day frustrations. Here are six other things he could fix while he is in the mood: Continue reading...

Move closes loophole but doesn’t include definition of ultra-processed foods, promised earlier this yearThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing its rules on how food manufacturers notify them of ingredients brought to the market – but the Trump administration has once again punted on defining “ultra-processed foods”, promising more details later.While the move would close a regulatory loophole, it falls short of the administration’s promises to reform food regulations dramatically even as one of the biggest foodborne illness outbreaks unfolds. Continue reading...

More than 120 firefighters tackling blaze which started on Sunday after a van caught fire near habitat ‘more rare than rainforest’More than 120 firefighters are tackling a “devastating” blaze on internationally protected heathland in the New Forest.The area hit by the blaze, which started after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday, is protected heathland that is home to a number of rare species, according to the New Forest national park authority. Continue reading...

US president on Truth Social concedes contractor had cut some corners to finish $14m renovation project by deadlineDonald Trump has conceded his own administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was rushed and shoddy, while insisting that alleged vandals were to blame for damage to the Washington landmark.In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said the pool’s contractor had cut some corners to finish the $14m repainting project in time for a 4 July opening. “As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job,” he wrote on Sunday, claiming the resulting damage from this was confined to “a very small area” and “relatively inconsequential”. Continue reading...

Attack hundreds of miles from border one of deadliest launched by Kyiv as it steps up campaign to weaken Moscow’s economyA “massive” Ukrainian drone strike on an industrial city deep inside Russia killed at least 13 people, according to the local mayor, as Kyiv steps up its campaign of long-range strikes on targets far from the frontline.Kyiv said it hit the Taneko refinery in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, around 1,200km (750 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The raid was part of a campaign to reduce the “military potential of the Russian aggressor,” Ukraine’s general staff said. Footage circulating online appeared to show smoke rising from the refinery in the city. Continue reading...