MPs ‘failing to learn lesson’ over freebies after accepting £400,000 of hospitality

• A new column from Xinhua argues for returning development to the center of global cooperation to address systemic failures in current international progress. • The piece highlights that while science and technology are advancing rapidly, millions are being left behind due to persistent poverty, climate risks, and widening inequality.

UN secretary general has said UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’ due to unpaid contributions from member statesThe Trump administration has started the process to transfer $725m to the United Nations, a congressional notification seen by Reuters ⁠showed – a move aid experts said ⁠was a welcome step towards paying ​billions in dues owed.There was no immediate response from Washington DC to questions about the reasons for the payment from an administration that has slashed funding to many UN agencies and blasted the global body for not living up to ⁠its potential. Continue reading...

David Campanale seeks damages after what he says was organised campaign against his faith in Sutton and Cheam How much is a career in politics worth? The Liberal Democrats, despite admitting claims of religious discrimination, say about £22,800. A former Lib Dem candidate claims £790,000.It is a question before the Central London county court after David Campanale argued that discrimination against his Christianity cost him his political career in a civil case against the party. Continue reading...

Asking people to weigh in on adoption of different categories in move that will sow confusion and create access challenges, say expertsThe Trump administration is asking for public feedback on changes to the ways it recommends vaccines – likely opening the door to greater access challenges and confusion, experts say.In a notice published by the health and human services (HHS) to the Federal Register on Friday, officials say they are now seeking comments from the public about the current categories for vaccine recommendations, which so far fall into routine, risk-based and shared clinical decision-making. Continue reading...

Premier Ben Carroll says $230m would be earmarked for 10 public dental clinics to operate on a walk-in basisGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorians would be able to walk into a dental clinic and receive free checkups and treatment under an Australian-first proposal the Labor government will take to the November state election.The premier, Ben Carroll, will announce the plan – Labor’s first major election commitment – at a rally on Saturday to mark fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls. Continue reading...

Chief justice signs temporary order to permit work while court considers emergency appeal from administrationThe US supreme court has allowed Donald Trump to continue construction of his controversial White House ballroom for now, temporarily pausing a lower court order that would halt much of the project.Supreme court chief justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday, permitting work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from Trump’s administration. Continue reading...

The department told Nevada officials that the 15,903 figure registered was ‘preliminary’ and more than 14,000 names still needed reviewAbout a month after alleging Nevada had as many as 16,000 non-citizens on its voter rolls, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials admitted they had confirmed that only 185 were actually non-citizens, according to records obtained by the Guardian.In a primetime TV address on 16 July, Donald Trump claimed that a DHS review had found about 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote in four states. Continue reading...

Experts say more must be done to adapt to changing climate, after two trains derailed within 24 hours during a recent heatwaveRailway companies are racing to prepare for another brutal summer next year, as a developing El Niño could see 2027 break more heat-related records.Britain’s railway system has already been under stress from extreme heat this summer, with several operators reducing timetables and train speeds. Continue reading...

ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, after temporary protection status was revokedThe first deportation flight to Haiti since the US supreme court upheld Donald Trump’s power to strip 350,000 Haitians – and others – of a key type of legal status in the US landed in the troubled nation on Thursday.The flight was carrying more that 160 Haitian nationals and landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter. Continue reading...

First responders also rescued flood-stranded people after storms unleashed heavy rains in the US north-eastResidents in Delaware’s capital and on Long Island, New York, were picking up the pieces on Friday after tornadoes touched down during sudden storms that battered the north-eastern US with heavy rains and left dozens of people stranded in their cars during flash flooding.In Atlantic Beach on Long Island, the long peninsula that stretches out into the ocean to the east of New York City, images posted on social media showed a large funnel cloud over the water and small buildings torn apart at a beach club. Continue reading...

Appeals court slashes judgment to $1.5m in a significant legal victory for the rightwing Infowars founderA Texas appeals court has slashed the $50m judgment to $1.5m against Alex Jones, founder of the rightwing platform Infowars, over falsely calling the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut a hoax.The ruling does not affect a $1.4bn judgment against Jones in Connecticut, but is a significant legal victory for Jones after he and his company, Free Speech Systems, were found liable for damages for claiming the mass shooting didn’t happen. Continue reading...