Lies

• The Middle East is shifting toward "Energy Redundancy Diplomacy," a strategy focused on maintaining energy production, financing, and exports through multiple interchangeable systems. • This approach aims to ensure stability by creating backup infrastructures that can be activated when geopolitical disruptions occur. • The strategy matters because it enhances a state's strategic capacity to withstand shocks and maintain global energy supplies despite regional instability.

Partner of woman killed by dangerous driver among those who say they are devastated at killers leaving jail earlyWhen Calvin Buckley, whose pregnant partner was killed by a dangerous driver in 2023, secured a tougher sentence for the man who took her life, he felt some justice had been served. Now, under plans to release prisoners early to ease overcrowding, Adil Iqbal, who filmed himself speeding at 123mph before he crashed into 38-year-old Frankie Jules-Hough, may serve less time in prison than he would have under his original sentence.“He could actually serve less time than he originally was going to before we appealed,” Buckley said. “We’ve fought for a tougher sentence. What is the point of having an actual sentence if the government can just reduce that?” Continue reading...

• The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) extended its gains following a positive rally on Wall Street. • Economist Louise Southall from Xero noted surprising Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing discretionary spending grew at a faster rate than spending on essential items. • The market activity coincides with a drop in global oil prices, contributing to the shifting financial landscape.

• Wall Street experienced a broad rally, with the S&P 500 gaining 1%, the Nasdaq Composite rising over 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 624 points (1.2%). • The surge was driven by a decline in oil prices and renewed investor optimism regarding a potential diplomatic deal between the US and Iran. • This rally is significant as it extends a recovery period following a volatile July characterized by sharp market swings.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed support for Spain following a diplomatic crisis involving the territory of Ceuta. • The move comes after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused several European leaders of attacking him rather than offering solidarity during the turmoil. • Tensions escalated on Thursday when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed suspending Spain from the 29-country Schengen zone, which typically allows for borderless travel.

• The Japanese yen rose nearly 1% against the U.S. dollar on Monday as investors anticipated a potential coordinated currency intervention between Japan and the United States. • This rally is driven by market expectations that Japanese authorities will act to stabilize the currency, alongside shifting outlooks regarding the Bank of Japan's monetary policy. • The movement is significant as it reflects growing volatility in the USD/JPY pair and highlights the tension between U.S. economic strength and Japanese currency stability.

• Spain has condemned Italy and France after the two nations implemented stricter border controls and targeted checks on arrivals from Spanish territory. • The diplomatic tension follows a massive migrant crisis in Ceuta, where between 50,000 and 60,000 people attempted to enter Spain from Morocco. • Spain has labeled these unilateral security measures as "selfish" and "unlawful," arguing that the actions undermine European solidarity.

Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMRRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years.Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), made his call in the course of a contentious interview with CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning. Continue reading...

• U.S. allies express growing concern that the United States is facing a strategic defeat in Iran, citing a lack of progress toward President Trump's primary objectives. • The situation has escalated significantly with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime chokepoint for oil shipments. • Allies perceive a pattern of dysfunction and vulnerability within the U.S. military and diplomatic approach to the conflict.

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized EU allies for their "selfish" reaction to the migration crisis in Ceuta, accusing them of spreading prejudice and misinformation. • Sánchez argued that border security is a "shared responsibility," noting that Spain and Morocco have worked together to prevent unauthorized movement into mainland Europe with minimal support from other member states. • The tension escalates as Italy has temporarily reinstated border checks on arrivals from Spain, while officials in Finland and Denmark have suggested suspending Spain from the Schengen area.

Twenty-two people were injured in overnight attack in which Kyiv said it was able to shoot down just one of 27 Russian ballistic missilesThere has been an update by the Spanish government on the Ceuta border crisis, with officials saying the death toll has risen to 67. The government also announced plans to install a containment barrier extending from the breakwater into the sea to deter further crossings after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco this week, AP reported.The Spanish foreign minister, José Albares, said that “practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco”. In a post on X, he added:It is not possible to travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without presenting identification at a police checkpoint. The integrity of the Schengen area is fully guaranteed. Continue reading...

• Asian stocks showed mixed stability on Thursday following a volatile week characterized by an AI-driven sell-off and uncertainty regarding US Federal Reserve interest rate policies. • South Korea's Kospi rallied 3.55% (up 201.22 points) and Taiwan's benchmark rose 1.66%, while Japan's Nikkei climbed 1.43% to 62,315.56. • Despite these daily gains, the Nikkei and Kospi remain on track for significant weekly declines of 3% and 12%, respectively.

• Asian markets trended higher on Friday, led by a massive 14.38% surge in South Korea's Kospi and a 5.04% jump in Japan's Nikkei 225. • The rally was primarily driven by a strong tech sector following positive Microsoft earnings reports on Wall Street. • Investors weighed mixed regional data, including contracting Chinese manufacturing and falling Japanese retail sales against rising inflation in Tokyo.

• The Nasdaq surged 2%, driven primarily by strong performance in Microsoft and various semiconductor stocks. • Market activity occurred as investors analyzed megacap tech earnings and the Federal Reserve's recent decision to maintain current interest rates. • In contrast, European markets showed mixed or negative trends, with Germany's DAX down 0.27% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 projected to drop 0.84%.

Some residents in glass-fronted block say they are still ‘fighting to stay cool’ in Britannia Point in south-west LondonAs the fourth heatwave of the year hit the UK on Wednesday, Benice Bodah and her three teenage sons braced for more scorching temperatures inside their south-west London home. The two-bedroom flat is equipped with a built-in air-conditioning unit, but it has only been working intermittently in the almost three years since the family were placed in temporary accommodation at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood. “It has not been easy, but what can we do?” said Bodah, 48.Several councils have now agreed to stop housing families in emergency accommodation in the glass-fronted block after the Guardian revealed they were told they couldn’t use the built-in air-conditioning during heatwaves as it had “not been offered as an amenity” for them. The 19-storey building is owned by Criterion Capital, set up by the billionaire property magnate Asif Aziz. The temporary tenancies can last from weeks to years and are managed separately by letting agencies, including London-based Aura Assets Management. Continue reading...

• Asian stocks showed mixed stability on Thursday following a volatile week characterized by an AI-driven sell-off and uncertainty regarding US Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. • Significant gains were seen in South Korea's Kospi, which rose 3.55% (201.22 points), Taiwan's benchmark, which climbed 1.66%, and Japan's Nikkei, which increased by 1.43%. • Despite these daily gains, the Nikkei and Kospi remain on track for weekly declines of 3% and 12% respectively, reflecting deep investor caution.

• Indian equity benchmarks rallied on Wednesday, with the Nifty 50 rising 1.1% to close above 24,250 and the Sensex gaining over 800 points (1.1%) to settle above 77,600. • The market surge was primarily driven by strong gains in the IT and metal sectors. • This growth occurs amid high volatility as investors monitor geopolitical risks in the Middle East and fluctuations in global oil prices.

PM will not discuss details but will focus on need to find ‘common ground’ and to build political consensus Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has said he made an “inadvertent mistake” by sharing an Instagram post of a man wearing a T-shirt featuring an image of a guillotine and the phrase “we’re only making plans for Nigel”, but he repeatedly said he would not apologise to Nigel Farage. Aletha Adu has the story.Good morning. Andy Burnham is this morning giving a speech on social care. He is not going to discuss in any detail at all the sort of reform to the system he wants to implement, but instead he will focus on his intention to build a political consensus on the changes needed. He will say:For decades, governments have kicked this issue down the road because they’ve seen it as too risky, too difficult, and too complicated.Politicians might have different views but I’m serious about fixing this issue and to do that, we have to find common ground and listen to others to find a way forward. Continue reading...

The A350 landed in Toulouse 24 hours and 24 minutes after leaving Melbourne as airline plans direct London serviceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas completed what is believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight when its Airbus jet landed in Toulouse on Tuesday after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.The flight, which triggered a surge in online tracking, is part of the airline’s Project Sunrise in which it plans to use a new A350 jet to fly nonstop from Australia to London. Continue reading...

Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, left bodies ‘rotting away’, family members sayA fraudulent funeral director broke the trust of families on an “almost industrial scale” as their loved ones’ bodies were left “rotting away”, a court has heard.Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. He previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Two children reportedly taken to hospital after residents told in-built units ‘not offered as amenity’Homeless families placed in temporary accommodation in London were told they could not use the in-built air conditioning as it had “not been offered as an amenity” for them, leading to two children being hospitalised during recent heatwaves.Some residents at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood, south-west London, experienced such stifling conditions that young children became ill. The company managing some of the tenancies involved told the Guardian households in temporary accommodation had now been told they could use the air conditioning. Continue reading...

PM urged to end ‘cover-up culture’ and order independent review taking in evidence that has emerged on 1994 crashThe families of those killed in an RAF Chinook crash in 1994 have urged Andy Burnham to end Britain’s “cover-up culture” and order an independent review into the disaster.Twenty-nine serving military personnel died when the Chinook HC2 helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in south-west Scotland during a flight from Northern Ireland. Continue reading...

Comment follows news Axel Rudakubana had been transferred from prison to psychiatric hospitalThe lawyer for the families of Axel Rudakubana’s victims has said the Southport killer is “trying to retraumatise the families from his cell” after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rudakubana, now 19, was given a life sentence for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults. Continue reading...

• The FTSE 100 rallied 1.3% over the week, while the FTSE 250 and AIM all-share indices rose by 0.8% and 1.6% respectively. • Market gains were driven by reports suggesting that peace talks between Iran and the United States could potentially resume. • Investors are now focusing on upcoming economic indicators, including Germany's Ifo business climate and US durable goods orders on Monday.

Colt Gray, who was 14 at time of attack on Apalachee high school, admits 55 charges including four counts of murderThe wife of a teacher killed in a high school shooting in Georgia two years ago told a court on Friday that the families of the four victims had been handed “a life sentence of grief and trauma” by the teenage student who murdered them.Shayna Aspinwall, whose husband Richard died at Apalachee high school, about 45 miles north-east Atlanta, on 4 September 2024, was speaking at the sentencing hearing for Colt Gray, 16, who earlier pleaded to 55 charges, including second-degree murder. Continue reading...

Axel Rudakubana moved to psychiatric hospital after it was concluded he could not be safely managed in prisonThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of attempting to “manipulate the system” by the families of his victims, after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rubakubana, 19, was jailed for life in January last year, with a minimum sentence of 52 years, for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Continue reading...

Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin were tried together over shooting on K Street in April 2022 that left six deadThe trial of two men accused of carrying out the deadliest shooting the city of Sacramento, California, has seen ended in a mistrial on Tuesday. .The suspects, Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin, were tried together and faced up to 15 years to life in prison for their role in the shooting, which killed six people and injured at least a dozen. While they were not convicted for the deaths, they were found guilty of being in possession of firearms despite having prior felonies. Continue reading...

Former PM’s supporters question pledge to end factional infighting after more than half his cabinet removed or demotedKeir Starmer’s allies have questioned Andy Burnham’s pledge to end factional infighting after he removed or demoted more than half of the outgoing prime minister’s cabinet in his first reshuffle.“This was a deeply factional cabinet reshuffle,” one said. “The idea it was anything else is ridiculous.” Continue reading...