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Aid to lower-income countries fell by almost 7%, while higher-income countries saw their share of Britain’s aid budget increaseThe world’s poorest countries were worst hit by British aid cuts under Keir Starmer’s government, while higher-income countries saw their share of aid increase, new figures reveal.The latest figures released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office show a 6.7% decrease in funding to the least-developed countries and low-income countries, amounting to cuts of £118m. Continue reading...

• Saudi Arabia is struggling to balance military deterrence and diplomacy as conflict escalates with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. • The kingdom faces increasing security and economic pressures resulting from the ongoing instability in its neighboring country. • Geopolitical stability is required for Saudi Arabia to successfully host major international events, including Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

• Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson is poised to return as Sweden's leader after her centre-left coalition took a narrow lead in the recent election. • The election authority reported that left-leaning parties are projected to win 176 seats in the 349-seat parliament, while the hard-right bloc is seen winning 173 seats. • A victory for the opposition would reverse the rightward shift of the last four years, which saw Sweden implement some of Europe's toughest asylum rules for migrants.

Labour MPs and unions are pressuring the government to legislate for a stricter cap on political party donationsGood morning. This afternoon peers will debate the second reading of the representation of the people bill. If you hear a loud bang echo around the Lords chamber, it will be the sound of stable door being shut after the horse has bolted.At the end of 2024 the Sunday Times carried a report saying that Elon Musk was considering donating $100m to Reform UK. It made a good headline, but the idea seemed so preposterous that no one at Westminster really took it very seriously. Musk is not a British citizen, and so it would have been illegal for him to have given the money directly anyway; he would have had to have donated via UK companies.We’re completely confident that [the Delo and Harborne] donations comply with not only the existing rules, but they also comply with the rules currently going through parliament, albeit with that retrospective element …Unless [Labour] literally try and change the rules again as it’s going through the House of Lords, in which case it would have to go back to the Commons. I mean, anything’s possible with this sort of dictatorship currently ruining the country. You know, we’re the victims of a coup.These donations are made in accordance with the rules and the regulations, and you’ve now got a hyperventilating hypocrisy from the socialists ruining this country, who are trying to change the rules retrospectively, which is it’s not the fair way, it’s not the British way, and I think most people will say ‘does that just mean that Labour are terrified of the progress of Reform and they’re trying to create an unlevel playing field? Continue reading...

• Chip Huyen is sharing strategies to reduce AI inference costs, which are the expenses associated with running a trained model to generate predictions, ahead of her P99 CONF appearance on October 21–22. • She recommends using continuous batching to prevent hardware slots from sitting idle while waiting for the slowest request in a group to finish. • This approach allows developers to process more requests simultaneously, lowering the cost per output for companies deploying large language models.

• The Expedition 75 crew performed science hardware maintenance and spacesuit upkeep aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. • One crew member disconnected and stowed physics hardware used for crystal growth research inside the Destiny Microgravity Science Glovebox. • These maintenance tasks ensure that critical research equipment and safety gear remain operational for astronauts living in orbit.

Sweden has ordered more Britons, including vulnerable people, to leave post-Brexit than any other EU countryHe arrived with nothing other than the clothes he wore that morning. Hours later he was banged up in a detention centre close to a Stockholm airport to await deportation.Charles, a former business director from Cambridge, who did not want his full name published, moved to Sweden in 2017 to be with his Swedish wife, Lily, and applied to remain after Brexit, before the deadline of December 2021. But the migration agency rejected his application, and he and his wife have been fighting with the Swedish authorities ever since. Continue reading...

• Donald Trump praised the election victory of Germany's hard-right AfD party on Monday, blaming the result on "horrible" immigration rules. • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized supporters of the party in his own country, stating on X that only "idiots or traitors" would celebrate the AfD triumph. • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that an "extremist threat" is currently advancing on a global scale.

Akram Khan among those paying tribute to ‘pioneering’ choreographer of intense musicality and grace who inspired generations of dancersSir Richard Alston, the British choreographer and teacher who took contemporary dance into new directions with his elegant and intelligent creations, has died at the age of 77. A former artistic director of Rambert and the Place, where he made more than 50 pieces for the Richard Alston Dance Company, he was celebrated for lucid, emotionally attuned work that was often as graceful as it was rigorous.His death was announced on Monday by the Richard Alston Foundation, which was established in 2021 to promote contemporary dance and preserve his work. “It is with deep sadness that we have to report the death of Sir Richard Alston,” said the statement. “After a period of ill-health, and despite exceptional treatment at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and the support of his closest friends, he passed away peacefully at his home on 7 September. While Richard is best known for his extraordinary career and contribution to contemporary dance, we will also remember him for his wit, warmth and generosity of spirit.” Continue reading...

• Right-wing parties and factions now rule or influence more than half of the European Union's 27 member states. • This political shift marks the first time such parties have been poised to take power since the Nazi era 81 years ago. • The rise of these anti-immigration groups affects governance and policy across various EU nations, including Italy and Finland.

• A Shanghai-based tech tour agency reports a 50% surge in inquiries from potential visitors, primarily hailing from Singapore and Europe. • The spike in interest is driven by the global AI hardware boom, as clients seek firsthand access to China's technological ecosystem. • This trend highlights China's critical role in the AI supply chain and the growing international desire to understand its hardware capabilities.

• The U.S. House is expected to vote this Tuesday on a short-term spending measure designed to prevent a government shutdown. • The proposal aims to keep the government operational through the November midterm elections, allowing members of both parties to focus on their campaigns. • GOP hard-liners from the House Freedom Caucus are resisting the measure, citing objections to funding for Planned Parenthood and the absence of a ban on specific hemp products.

‘Total peace’ plan of previous government led only 99 of Colombia’s 30,000 armed combatants to disarm, but new president Abelardo De la Espriella opposes peace agreementsIn mid-June, 99 guerrilla fighters were flown by helicopter to a small settlement in a rural area of southern Colombia where they lined up and, one by one, handed their weapons to government officials: rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers.They also stripped off their heavy tactical vests, field packs and camouflage uniforms, which were each piled into a bonfire to mark the beginning of a new life away from an armed conflict that has claimed nearly half a million lives in the last six decades. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s senior international reporter Luke Harding will be answering your questions live from 1pm BST. Ask him about his new book on Trump and Putin, the state of the war in Ukraine, or his career reporting from Kyiv, Moscow and around the worldAsk a question: log in or sign up hereLuke Harding, author and award-winning foreign correspondent, has covered wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and most recently Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2011 he was the Guardian’s chief writer in Moscow before being expelled by the Kremlin.Luke has been reporting this week on the Andy Burnham’s renewal of support for Ukraine and Russia’s loudening threats to Britain. He has also recently written in depth about Ukraine’s increasingly successful drone warfare tactics and the aftermath of injuries for Ukrainian soldiers. Continue reading...

Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumnUK economic growth slows downBusiness live – latest updatesIn the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong.The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole position as the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2026. Despite the gloomy international backdrop and yet more domestic political uncertainty, consumers have largely continued spending and business investment has boomed. Continue reading...

Labour chair says Reform deputy leader is trying to harass journalists over reporting on his financial affairsUK politics live – latest updatesRichard Tice has been accused by Labour’s Bridget Phillipson of mounting a “deeply chilling attempt to silence the free press” after he sent a legal threat to the Guardian over its reporting on his financial affairs.Lawyers for Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, singled out a Guardian correspondent for her journalism about a series of Tice’s financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...

Reform deputy leader condemned for seeking disclosure of documents that could reveal reporter’s sourcesRichard Tice has been accused of using “nasty tactics” in an attempt to intimidate journalists and deflect attention from his own financial affairs after issuing a legal threat to the Guardian.In a letter sent from his lawyers, a Guardian correspondent was singled out for her reporting on a series of Tice’s financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...

Poll finds consensus on what makes people proud to be British but deep divisions on issues such as immigrationYou may think it’s a commitment to buying a round, the ability to chat at length about the weather, or making a proper cup of tea. But when it comes down to what makes people proud to be British, there is a consensus across all ages, demographics and political groups – and tea, pints and the weather don’t get a look-in.Hard work, fair play and community are the values that voters – no matter which political party, age group, social class or region they come from – instinctively believe capture what it means to be British, according to a large-scale study of British values by Public First. Continue reading...

• Asian markets remained cautious but generally positive despite hardline rhetoric from Iran, with the Nikkei leading gains at +2%. • Australia's ASX lagged as the financial sector dropped 2%, driven by a 4.3% fall in Westpac shares following a 20% plunge in mortgage loan applications. • Investors are closely monitoring the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) rate decision tomorrow, with a 100% market expectation that rates will be held.

Gabar Choli tells of how, for months, he was shackled, pinned and forcibly fed – and the physical and emotional scars the ordeal has leftIn June 2025, a sluggish and thin Gabar Choli, with sunken temples and bones visible under his skin, braced himself for the immigration detention center guards to charge into his cell once again.Choli was in a solitary confinement medical cell inside the Port Isabel service processing center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in south Texas where immigrants arrested in Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown are detained. Continue reading...

• Canada has intensified its deportation efforts, resulting in the removal of 3,323 Indian nationals so far in 2026. • This surge is part of a broader upward trend in deportations that has been accelerating since 2021. • The drive highlights a tightening of Canadian immigration policies and a more aggressive approach to enforcing visa and residency regulations.

Drought and record heat have forced the Norfolk and Suffolk league to move kick-off to the end of August as the ground is deemed too dangerous to play onThis summer’s record drought has forced a football league to delay the start of its season because “rock hard” pitches are a danger to its players.The 2026/27 season in the Anglian Combination League of 85 amateur teams in Norfolk and Suffolk was due to start next weekend. Continue reading...

• Novo co-founder Michael Rangel highlights how major Wall Street banks have effectively priced out approximately 36 million small businesses from essential financial services. • Despite the rise of fintech, Rangel notes that his own company still faces challenges in providing banking services to crypto-related firms due to systemic barriers. • The issue is critical as the solopreneur economy grows; Stripe research from June shows that 4 million Americans earned over $100,000 as solopreneurs in 2023, up from roughly 2 million in the early 2010s.

Settlement ends years-long legal battle over collapse of 18-story hotel that was under construction in New OrleansA judge approved a $106m settlement on Thursday that ends a years-long legal battle over the deadly 2019 collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction in New Orleans.The 18-story hotel project partially collapsed in October 2019 , killing three people and damaging nearby property. A grand jury ultimately decided against indicting anyone in the deadly collapse, but lawsuits were filed, including one brought by the city of New Orleans in August 2020 naming the building owners, their partners and contractors. Continue reading...

• Tensions have escalated between Spain and its EU allies following a humanitarian crisis at Ceuta, the European Union's only land border with Africa. • Italy and Denmark have criticized Madrid, accusing Spain of failing to secure the border and allowing migrants to enter EU territory. • The conflict highlights a growing shift in EU policy, as hard-right narratives regarding immigration increasingly influence mainstream political discourse.

The narratives of the right are seeping into mainstream EU policy, and Spain finds itself increasingly isolated in its humanitarian stance on borders• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt was over almost as quickly as it began. But the human cost of the mayhem in Ceuta over the last seven days, and the disunity it exposed within the EU, will take a lot longer to fix.To recap: more than 70,000 people swam or waded into the tiny Spanish enclave in north Africa from neighbouring Morocco in a matter of hours at the end of last week. The exact circumstances in which the heavily securitised border came suddenly to be open are still unclear. Continue reading...

• President Trump warned that Iran will be "hit very hard" if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened soon to allow oil shipments to resume. • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported that talks are currently progressing to resolve the blockade. • The situation is critical as the US has reportedly exhausted nearly all of its global stockpile of long-range precision missiles due to the ongoing conflict.