London flat where boy fell to death could have had more safeguards, inquest told

• Iran's foreign minister stated that Tehran is not interested in a temporary ceasefire, insisting instead on a comprehensive deal to fully end the war. • This stance follows comments from Donald Trump, who downplayed hopes for a deal by noting that there is currently no dialogue occurring.

• A comprehensive revision checklist has been released for UPSC Civil Services Mains 2026 aspirants, focusing on 15 essential International Relations (IR) topics. • The guide highlights critical areas including the India-UK FTA, Arctic geopolitics, UNSC reforms, neighbourhood ties, and the concept of "Pax Silica."

‘They call us extreme, they call us radical,’ the progressive candidate said. ‘But I think people see through that’US politics live – latest updatesIt wasn’t supposed to be this way.In conservative Florida, Alex Vindman – a retired army intelligence officer who blew this whistle on Donald Trump in his first term – appeared set to carry the Democratic establishment banner as the party’s staged a long-shot bid to topple a Republican US senator. Continue reading...

Researchers at UCL warn repeated exam attempts may undermine confidence of students and raise risk of dropping outForcing teenagers who fail GCSEs into multiple resits has a negative impact on their mental health, according to research to be published as pupils receive their grades on Thursday.The study by academics at University College London (UCL) compared the mental wellbeing of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who failed to reach a grade 4 or equivalent in maths or English GCSEs – and found that only those in England, where resits are mandatory, showed significantly lower wellbeing. Continue reading...

PM wants to reduce department’s stranglehold on public purse and bring long-term thinking to economic policyAndy Burnham is far from the first prime minister to dream of taming the power of the mighty Treasury.Boris Johnson all but forced the resignation of Sajid Javid by handpicking his team; Margaret Thatcher favoured her economic adviser Alan Walters over Nigel Lawson, prompting the latter’s furious resignation; Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s power struggle was the stuff of Whitehall legend. Continue reading...

President says he plans to meet dictator this year but Kim Yo-jong says Washington remains Pyongyang’s enemyDonald Trump has said he is planning to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un later this year even as the reclusive leader’s younger sister cast doubt on their communications and dampened hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough between the two leaders.Trump, who also claimed North Korea had 57 nuclear weapons, had suggested he and Kim were holding secret negotiations on Tuesday after announcing the US would downgrade its participation in military exercises held by South Korea, a US ally. Asked whether Kim had responded to his request for a conversation, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.” Continue reading...

Discovery marks latest grim finding in lake as water levels in crucial reservoir outside Las Vegas continue to declineHuman remains have once again been discovered at Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the latest in a line of gruesome discoveries as water levels in the crucial reservoir continue to drop, authorities said.These remains were discovered on 16 August, USA Today reported. The National Park Service (NPS) told the outlet there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the body. Continue reading...

Image captured in early June shows animal foraging in the waterway in first since early 1900s, signaling its recovery An otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in more than 100 years, in a further sign that New York’s previously befouled waterways are recovering some of their ecological health.The North American river otter was photographed by a motion-activated camera foraging near some vegetation in the Bronx River, a waterway that flows through New York’s Bronx and empties into the East River. Continue reading...

Military orders criminal investigation into the death of the five-year-old and six family members in Gaza in 2024The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members in Gaza in 2024, saying it had ordered a criminal investigation into the killing.The death of Rajab and her family was one of the most high profile of a series of incidents involving civilian casualties during the first months of the Gaza conflict which prompted international outrage. Continue reading...

People told they and their pets should keep out of river at Ham amid anger over Thames Water’s treated sewage planSwimmers are being warned not to enter the water at the first official bathing site on the River Thames, in south-west London, because of toxic blue-green algae in the water.The blue-green algal blooms are rare in moving water but are likely to be caused by the extreme heat, low river flow, and nutrient pollution from sewage waste. Continue reading...

Pesidential deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra dismissed day after former defence minister called for wartime electionUkraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired a senior aide amid a fresh corruption investigation – one day after a former defence minister warned the country was facing “a crisis of governance” and needed to hold a wartime presidential election.Iryna Mudra, a presidential deputy chief of staff, was dismissed by decree after multiple reports in Ukrainian media that her house was being searched by officials investigating an alleged money-laundering scheme. Continue reading...