Tories would abolish stamp duty, Badenoch tells party conference – UK politics live
Politics
about 1 hour ago

Tories would abolish stamp duty, Badenoch tells party conference – UK politics live

Party leader says measure is a ‘bad tax’ and scrapping it would free up the housing market and improve social mobilityVoting in the Labour deputy leadership election opens today. Lucy Powell, the former Commons leader, is seen as the favourite and, as Jessica Elgot reports, Powell told supporters yesterday that, if she is elected, she will use the post to argue for changes in the way the government is operating. “We can’t sugarcoat the fact that things aren’t going well,” she said.Powell is no longer a government minister and, if she is elected deputy leader, she will do the job from the backbenches. In an interview on Newsnight last night, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary standing against Powell, said a Powell victory would be “destabilising” for the party. She said:[Electing Powell] risks destabilising the party … we best achieve what we need to do together when we have those fierce conversations, including disagreements, behind closed doors.Members need to understand that there’s a potential challenge around all of that – that if you’re not inside when the big decisions are being made, you’re not at that table, you’re not in those conversations. Continue reading...

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Tour operator Intrepid drops carbon offsets and emissions targets
Travel & leisure
about 1 hour ago

Tour operator Intrepid drops carbon offsets and emissions targets

Firm will instead invest A$2m a year in ‘climate impact fund’ supporting renewables and switching to EVsOne of the travel industry’s most environmentally focused tour operators, Intrepid, is scrapping carbon offsets and abandoning its emissions targets as unreachable.The Australian-headquartered global travel company said it will instead invest A$2m a year in an audited “climate impact fund” supporting immediate practical measures such as switching to electric vehicles and investing in renewable energy. Continue reading...

Ecuador’s president unharmed after protesters attack his motorcade
Ecuador
about 1 hour ago

Ecuador’s president unharmed after protesters attack his motorcade

Daniel Noboa’s convoy was attacked by a large group throwing stones in protest against rising fuel pricesEcuador’s president Daniel Noboa has escaped unharmed after his motorcade was targeted by stone-throwing protesters and what one minister described as a volley of gunshots.Noboa was inaugurating a water treatment plant in central Ecuador on Tuesday when his motorcade was set on by a large group protesting against rising fuel prices. Continue reading...

Outgoing French PM says ‘there is desire’ to agree budget and talks down prospect of snap election – Europe live
France
about 1 hour ago

Outgoing French PM says ‘there is desire’ to agree budget and talks down prospect of snap election – Europe live

Sébastien Lecornu speaks at the Matignon Palace and expresses optimism that parliament will not need to be dissolvedEmmanuel Macron’s second term is set to end in May 2027 and he has repeatedly said he will not resign, the Associated Press (AP) reports.If the French president were to quit, the Constitutional Council would declare a vacancy, the Senate president would assume interim powers and a new presidential election would be held within 35 days. On the far left, Melenchon’s France Unbowed has asked for Macron’s departure. More surprisingly, and a sign of Macron’s growing isolation inside his own camp, Édouard Philippe, Macron’s first prime minister after he swept to power in 2017 and once a close ally, has suggested the president should step down and call an early presidential election once the 2026 budget is adopted. Since 1958 and the inception of the Fifth Republic, only one French president has resigned: Charles de Gaulle after losing a 1969 referendum.New Caledonia, which may seem far from mainland France but on which, as you know, important texts (…) [are to be adopted] in the coming days, and unfortunately the political situation prevents us from starting the debates and the possible adoption of these texts by the National Assembly and the Senate. This is a major concern. Continue reading...

Ex-FBI director James Comey to appear in court amid concerns of Trump weaponizing justice department – live
US news
about 1 hour ago

Ex-FBI director James Comey to appear in court amid concerns of Trump weaponizing justice department – live

Former FBI director expected to plead not guilty in case that has amplified concerns that the department is being used to pursue Trump’s enemiesEx-FBI director to appear in court on lying to Congress chargeA series of “violent” texts sent by a Democrat seeking to become Virginia’s attorney general has shaken up the state’s governor’s race, with Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears seizing on the controversy to try to reverse her opponent’s double-digit polling lead.Earle-Sears has released new campaign advertisements condemning Democratic former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, her opponenent in the governor’s race, for continuing to support Jay Jones, whose private texts three years ago speculated about a senior state Republican getting “two bullets to the head” and “breeding little fascists”. Continue reading...

Regional powers signal objection to US reclaiming Afghanistan’s Bagram base
News
about 1 hour ago

Regional powers signal objection to US reclaiming Afghanistan’s Bagram base

A forum of regional countries, including India, voiced opposition to any foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan.

At UK’s Conservative Party Conference, Tories Wonder About Their Future
Politics and Government
about 1 hour ago

At UK’s Conservative Party Conference, Tories Wonder About Their Future

The once dominant British political party has been outflanked by Reform, a right-wing populist rival. At the Tory annual conference, attendance was sparse.

Why gold’s historic rally is about more than just Trump
News
about 1 hour ago

Why gold’s historic rally is about more than just Trump

The price of gold has soared 50 percent in 2025. Experts say the 'safe haven' asset is becoming an all-occasions asset.

More than 40 Trump administration picks tied directly to oil, gas and coal, analysis shows
Trump administration
about 2 hours ago

More than 40 Trump administration picks tied directly to oil, gas and coal, analysis shows

Report looks at White House nominees and appointees and agencies dictating energy, environment and climate policyDonald Trump has placed dozens of people with ties to the fossil fuel sector in his administration, including more than 40 who have directly worked for oil, gas or coal companies, according to a new analysis.The report from Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy and ethics non-profit that has been critical of the Trump administration, alongside the Revolving Door Project, a corporate watchdog, analyzed the backgrounds of nominees and appointees within the White House and eight agencies dictating energy, environmental and climate policy. That includes the Environmental Protection Agency, the interior and energy departments and others. Continue reading...

Rose is afraid of walls
Opinions
about 2 hours ago

Rose is afraid of walls

Two years of genocide have made left my three-year-old niece traumatised. Fear and anxiety shape her childhood.

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