UK savings deals: the heat is on as banks offer up to 8%

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the UN Security Council on Thursday, July 24, emphasizing the critical role of diplomacy in resolving global crises. • Guterres acknowledged that while diplomatic efforts may have failed to prevent current military confrontations and border tensions, they remain the most effective tool for ending them.

• Iran is utilizing Chinese technology and Russian tactics to launch increasingly accurate and lethal bombing campaigns against US bases in the Gulf. • US intelligence estimates reveal that Iran's ballistic missile program remains roughly 70% intact, contradicting previous Washington claims that Tehran's military capabilities had been obliterated.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the UN Security Council on Thursday to emphasize the critical role of diplomacy in resolving global crises. • Guterres acknowledged that while diplomatic efforts may have failed to prevent current military confrontations and border tensions, they remain the most effective tool for ending them.

• Mike Coté argues that the United States is currently trapped in an ineffective cycle of alternating between conflict and negotiation regarding Iran. • The author proposes a "third option" to break this pattern, suggesting a strategic shift in how the U.S. manages its relationship with the Iranian regime.

• The Foreign Affairs Council convened to discuss critical global conflicts, specifically focusing on Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the volatile situation in the Middle East. • Ministers addressed the regional instability caused by the war in Iran and the deteriorating security conditions across Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

• President Trump has threatened a "massive attack" against Iran as the ongoing conflict between the two nations approaches the five-month mark. • The escalation follows a cycle of U.S. airstrikes within Iran and retaliatory strikes launched by Tehran against U.S. targets located in the Gulf.

In the Warrington suburb of Culcheth, people are hopeful about what one of their own can achieve as the first northern PM in half a centuryThe Cherry Tree pub is an unassuming local. On a busy road in the Cheshire village of Culcheth, it is a chain-run pub where four shots cost £8, every burger comes with a soft drink, and sport is shown all day on the big screens. It is also a favourite of Andy Burnham, the new prime minister.Many of the drinkers have a story about – arguably – Culcheth’s most famous son. Continue reading...

Jalsa Salana in Hampshire has had enhanced support from police, emergency services and local authoritiesSecurity has been increased by several hundred additional staff at the UK’s largest Muslim convention, Jalsa Salana, alongside enhanced coordination with police, emergency services and local authorities, against a backdrop of growing anti-Muslim sentiment.Last month, another big Islamic gathering was forced to close early after 12 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, over a suspected far-right threat. Continue reading...

Syngenta says it will stop selling paraquat in Australia after new regulations on chemical linked to Parkinson’s diseaseGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSyngenta, the producer of a herbicide banned in more than 70 countries and which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, will stop selling paraquat in Australia, saying new regulations has made it “commercially unviable”.The decision to pull the product follows new restrictions on the highly poisonous chemical announced by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in June. Continue reading...

In sea pools built with sandbags and rubble, Amjed Tantesh gives traumatised children brief respite from their daily livesSwimming classes have started again in Gaza after three years of war, with hundreds of children learning to float, doggy paddle and take their first strokes in five makeshift sea pools built from sandbags and rubble.The lessons allow a few hundred girls and boys to reclaim their childhood for a few hours in a place where there are no playgrounds, no formal education and children live in fear of continuing Israeli attacks. A UN survey in March found that 96% of children felt death was imminent.Activity on the Gaza seafront Continue reading...

Officials have long lobbied for peak that rises 2,918 metres above sea level to be given coveted designationMore than four decades have elapsed since Evangelos Geroliolios made his first ascent to the home of the ancient gods. At the top of Mount Olympus, on the rocky peak of Greece’s highest mountain, he felt unalloyed awe.“I’ve never forgotten that unique moment, that unique feeling up there on the throne of Zeus,” recalled Geroliolios, who as mayor of Dion-Olympus now spends a great deal of his time administering the area around the site. Continue reading...