Politics live: electrifying push for Australians to save $5,000 a year; bumper weekend for auctions

• Hardline factions in Iran are leveraging escalating tensions with the United States to consolidate domestic power. • Holly Dagres of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy notes that rigid power centers are strengthening despite widespread Iranian belief that the state is plagued by corruption and repression.

• The Vatican convened an international symposium to document systemic violence and religious persecution against faith communities in the Middle East and the Global South. • The event focused on the geopolitics of 21st-century faith and the specific patterns of violence targeting believers in these regions.

• An Iranian commercial vessel was attacked near Qeshm Island, resulting in one death and four injuries. • An official attributed the attack to the "US terrorist enemy."

Prime minister vows to ‘reindustrialise Britain’ through new partnership with business The prime minister is to host business leaders, entrepreneurs and local mayors at Downing Street on Monday to pitch his government as a “partner for growth” that can offer a stable platform for investment and jobs in the UK.Ahead of the event, Andy Burnham said the country had “everything it needs to succeed”, including talented people and world-class universities, but requires “a culture shift in how Britain does business” if it is to unlock its full potential. Continue reading...

Kirsty McNeill reaffirms Labour’s 0.7% of GDP pledge and promises value for money to allay voter concernsThe development minister, Kirsty McNeill, has declared herself “a huge believer in aid”, as she reaffirmed Labour’s manifesto pledge to return to a target of 0.7% of national income spending.McNeill, a former adviser to Gordon Brown and senior executive at Save the Children, declined to give any timetable, repeating the formula that the government would work towards the target “when fiscal circumstances allow”. Continue reading...

The 8ft statue, installed in Phoenix last week to mark one year since Kirk’s killing, was found painted redA newly unveiled statue of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.The statue was found with red spray-paint. A nearby poster memorial in front of the statue was vandalized with red paint as well. Continue reading...

Police officer shared location of a woman with his relative who is accused of abusing womanA San Jose police officer was fired for using his department’s Flock license plate tracking system to share the location of a woman with the suspect accused of abusing her, Chief Paul Joseph told NBC Bay Area on Friday.The firing marks another in a growing number of cases of misuse of a controversial surveillance technology that has expanded rapidly over the last several years. Continue reading...

Disturbing and AI-generated versions of Dr Seuss character have been used to threaten schools and communitiesSchools and law enforcement authorities in the US are issuing warnings against a viral “Cat in the Hat” social media trend in which disturbing or AI-generated versions of the Dr Seuss character are used to threaten students, schools and communities.The latest warnings come as safety concerns increase and several teenagers have been arrested or charged over posts connected to the trend. Continue reading...

Jefferson county coroner says 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, while two infants died with disease in AugustA coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak.Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen. Continue reading...

US president says ‘many people agree’ with his view on unification, brushing off Andy Burnham’s opposition to referendumDonald Trump has reiterated his support for Irish unification and brushed off Andy Burnham’s opposition to a referendum. “Everybody says that. Then things happen,” the US president said on Sunday of the British prime minister’s response.“It seems to me that one of the naturals of all time is to put them together,” Trump said of the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Continue reading...

Call for ‘constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’ likely to challenge Burnham’s devolution agendaThe first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are meeting to affirm their nations’ right to seek independence from the UK, as part of a summit that is likely to challenge Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scottish National party leader John Swinney and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at a landmark conference in Cardiff on Monday, calling on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Continue reading...