Burnham ally to unveil ambitious plan to reverse decades of privatisation

• U.S. and Iranian officials have arrived in Switzerland to initiate critical negotiations regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. • In his first press conference on Wednesday, new chair Kevin Warsh signaled a shift in policy by reversing previous Federal Reserve steps.

• Recent strikes in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have resulted in five deaths, signaling an intensification of hostilities. • Authorities in Crimea have suspended public fuel sales to prioritize supplies for medical services, emergency responders, and critical infrastructure.

• Diplomatic negotiations have reportedly regressed following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reversing previous progress. • While the MoU was initially viewed as a breakthrough for broader cooperation, talks have since stalled due to unresolved key issues.

While PM’s desire to fight was strong, time with his inner circle at Chequers sharpened his sense of the inevitableOn Friday, as the dust settled on Andy Burnham’s thumping victory in the Makerfield byelection, Keir Starmer was in defiant mood. “I have said repeatedly, I am not going to walk away,” the prime minister said, adding: “Let’s pull together as a party and a movement.”Just 48 hours later, one of his most loyal ministers was on the BBC sending a very different message. “I don’t want to come on here and be delusional that there is no process, there are no forces at work which are challenging the prime minister as leader – that is clearly the case,” said the business secretary, Peter Kyle. Continue reading...

Ministers say Starmer will set out his intentions on Monday morning with an autumn departure the most likely optionKeir Starmer is expected to announce a timetable for his departure on Monday morning, clearing the way for Andy Burnham to become prime minister without a formal contest by the autumn.Cabinet ministers say Starmer will set out his intentions outside Downing Street on Monday morning, starting a process that will end with the UK installing its seventh prime minister in a decade. Continue reading...

Algae blooms and peeling paint mar $14.2m renovation as president blames problems on ‘disgraceful Vandalism’The troublesome Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington is “probably” going to be drained for repairs, Donald Trump has said, after algae blooms and peeling paint marred the controversial recent renovation efforts for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations next month.In a Truth Social post late on Saturday, Trump said that after meeting with pool contractors, they would “probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible”. Continue reading...

Archie Law, 15, sailed his own boat to save men in distress, beating lifeboat service to the sceneA 15-year-old boy rescued two men who had fallen from an inflatable toy boat off the Isle of Skye by sailing his own boat to save them – beating the lifeboat service to the scene.The teenager, Archie Law, beat a volunteer crew of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to the rescue on Saturday evening, after the UK coastguard received reports of “two males in difficulty in the water” off Broadford Bay around 9pm. Continue reading...

New leader could be chosen unchallenged or after a quick contest while outgoing PM has time to finalise his legacyUK politics live – latest updatesIf the predictions are proved correct and Keir Starmer does announce a timetable for an autumn departure from Downing Street, the machinery of government will again kick into gear for a handover of power – but one that will be, by UK standards, relatively leisurely.While many democracies build in lengthy transition periods – a defeated or retiring US president serves for nearly three months after their successor has been picked – the UK tends to do things at speed. A losing prime minister will typically get out of 10 Downing Street the morning after an election while the removal vans of their replacements lurk idling around the corner. Continue reading...

Former negotiating team member gives shock interview claiming supreme leader’s instructions were not followedMiddle East crisis – live updatesA former member of Iran’s negotiating team in the previous round of talks in Islamabad is facing the threat of prosecution and dismissal from parliament after he went on the main state broadcaster to reveal what he claimed were confidential letters from the country’s supreme leader.The interview with Mahmoud Nabavian, the deputy chair of Iran’s national security council, was eventually cut off, but only after he said he had seen secret correspondence written by Mojtaba Khamenei in which the ayatollah allegedly said Iran’s negotiating team had overstepped its mandate Continue reading...

Prison officers’ union calls for immediate end to practice at HMYOI Wetherby over fears for child and animal welfarePet ferrets kept as therapy animals at the UK’s largest children’s prison have been co-opted by managers to kill rats, resulting in a bloody incident and concerns over child and animal welfare.The unorthodox method of vermin control was waved through last month at HMYOI Wetherby in West Yorkshire following a surge in rat numbers in prison offices and grounds. Continue reading...

Rob Jetten acknowledges grief and pain of Moluccan families as crowdfunded monument unveiled in RotterdamThe Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, has formally apologised for the “heartless” mistreatment of thousands of Moluccan soldiers who fought for the Dutch colonial army during Indonesia’s struggle for independence.About 12,500 men from a group of Indonesian islands who served in the Royal Dutch East Indies army came with their families to the Netherlands in 1951, many having been given no choice. They thought it would be a temporary evacuation after Indonesia had won independence. Continue reading...