Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben Delo

• The Institute for Economics and Peace released the 2026 Global Peace Index, which indicates that current geopolitical risks have surpassed those seen during the Cold War. • The report notes that the data only partially captures the full impact of the Iran War and its associated aggressions due to the index's data cut-off date.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's commitment to resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy during recent diplomatic talks. • The discussions focused on expanding industrial cooperation, developing a steel value chain, and increasing collaboration in railways and tunneling.

Crowd member repeatedly said some Democrats ‘should be shot’ during Ted Cruz’s speech, without senator respondingOn the night Republicans gathered to mourn the killing of Charlie Kirk and warn against the dangers of violent rhetoric, a crowd at the party’s irregular midterm convention in Dallas repeatedly called for a sitting Senate candidate to be shot, while the Republican senator at the podium never denounced or even noted the outbursts.The outbursts came repeatedly during Ted Cruz’s Thursday night address at the American Airlines center, when he named a Democrat he accused of holding radical views. After the senator mentioned the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, video footage depicts at least one audience member shouting: “He should be shot!” The same cry followed when Cruz named Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and again after he named Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Cruz did not pause or respond to the shouting, and it remains unclear whether he heard it from the stage. Cruz did not respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...

Residents in Frederick, Maryland, shaken after clashes as activists decry violence from officers as ‘unconscionable’Political leaders in Maryland are calling for investigations into the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as they clashed with protesters during a federal operation in a local community.Residents of Frederick, a city about 50 miles north-west of Baltimore, are still shaken more than a week after ICE officers arrived in numerous vehicles and could be seen on video footage using batons on members of the public and driving their cars on to the sidewalk towards people. Continue reading...

Petition to king, who remains Jamaica’s head of state, is formally lodged in landmark visit to UK by officialsA palpable surge of emotion swept through Brixton’s New Park Road Baptist church as the packed congregation rose to sing Bob Marley’s Redemption Song.The service on Sunday marked the anniversary of the 1781 Zong massacre, when more than 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard so the ship’s owners could claim insurance for “lost cargo”. Continue reading...

As trust in institutions wavers, experts say local, collective action is more effective in driving changeWildfires, excess deaths, hosepipe bans, school closures: this summer many British people have experienced the often devastating effects of the climate crisis in ways they had not before. In that sense, policymakers and climate experts have a unique opportunity to engage with the public about what needs to happen to better prepare the country for the years ahead. But as trust in institutions wavers – and yellowed, drought-stricken grass begins to recover – can the messaging cut through?This week, reflecting on a summer as “hot as hell”, the UN’s head of climate, Simon Stiell, said: “Climate is sometimes seen as a partisan issue, as territory in the culture wars. That is palpably false.” Continue reading...

Charity urges gardeners in England to swap thirsty brassicas for drought-tolerant cropsThey are an integral part of the British Sunday roast – but cauliflowers are now going to be off the menu, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.England’s climate has changed so much that the RHS is now recommending that gardeners exclude the brassicas from their vegetable patches. Continue reading...

Chickens – which can test positive for viruses but cannot spread them – an ideal early warning system for mosquito-borne diseaseThe start of West Nile virus transmission began unusually early in some US states, with the most cases in early summer since 2004, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in July – so Delaware turned to chickens.“They kind of are the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” said Tom Moran, head of the mosquito control section at the Delaware department of natural resources and environmental control. Continue reading...

The Brookwood Church in Simpsonville only just disqualified Jerry Sidell from serving there in any capacityA registered sex offender who was sentenced to prison in the 1980s after he told authorities that he had molested several boys whom he met through his religious work with Christian youth in Georgia was later allowed to participate for decades in ministry at a South Carolina church.The Brookwood church, a southern Baptist institution in the South Carolina city of Simpsonville, only just disqualified Jerry Sidell from serving there in any capacity, after he joined it in 1999 and fulfilled various ministerial roles. Continue reading...

Chinese president’s arrival in Delhi seen as step towards reconciliation after deadly 2020 military clashThe Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has received a red-carpet welcome in India for a summit of Brics developing nations, as regional rivals Beijing and Delhi make a public display of thawing relations while quietly competing to lead at a time of shaky US global dominance.As Xi stepped off the plane, he was walked past an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. Continue reading...

Hundreds of staff may have worked without legally required face-fitted masks over 20 yearsHundreds of London Underground workers could have been exposed to asbestos for almost 20 years without protection required under safety regulations, according to documents seen by the Guardian.Under 2002 rules on controlling asbestos and other hazardous materials, employers are required to take a series of precautions, including ensuring exposed workers are given individually fitted face masks to prevent inhalation of toxic dust. Continue reading...