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The prime minister has promised a crackdown on criminal gangs making money from dumping waste Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said she wants a “fair spread” of accommodation to house asylum seekers.Prime minister Andy Burnham said last week the country “cannot have a situation where it’s only the poorest communities in the country” housing asylum seekers.You’ve got to get a fair spread and what we are doing with the new model of asylum accommodation and the future of asylum accommodation is think carefully about how you have a fair spread that doesn’t end up being in one community or one type of community.In a way it doesn’t really matter whether you’re in an affluent part of the country or in a more deprived constituency like mine. Continue reading...

Deficit has doubled over the past decade with spending growing under Trump and BidenUS gross national debt tops $40tn for first timeSign up for the US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The US gross national debt reached $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, the highest in US history. Continue reading...

Ukraine faces ‘terror that is only growing’ from Russia, former army chief saysRomania’s military has destroyed a marine drone spotted just “a few hundred meters” from the Neptun Deep platform, a major offshore gas project in the Black Sea.The drone, spotted just “a few hundreds of meters” from the gas extraction works at the Neptun Deep platform located some 80 miles east of the city of Constanța, was destroyed by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet. Continue reading...

Nearly a quarter of girls’ entries received one of the higher grades against around a fifth of those from boysAlmost one in four boys in England get top grades in mathsMyles McGinley, managing director of the Cambridge OCR exam board, said more pupils are taking GCSE business studies than in previous years, describing this generation of young people as “increasingly entrepreneurial”.He said business studies entries are a third higher than five years ago, adding: “The founders of some of the next great unicorn businesses may well be among those achieving GCSEs in business studies today.” Continue reading...

Launches, detected by South Korea and Japan, came after US scaled back exercises with South Korea in apparent overture to Kim Jong-unNorth Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, a day after North Korea shrugged off Trump’s order to scale back military drills with South Korea in an apparent bid to resume diplomacy.The joint chiefs of staff said the launches happened from North Korea’s capital region around 5pm (0800 GMT) on Thursday. The military said the missiles were launched towards North Korea’s eastern waters. Continue reading...

Joanna Boydell steps down after widespread criticism over company’s handling of guest safety issuesThe boss of Travelodge has resigned after widespread criticism of her handling of security failings at the hotel chain, including a shocking case where a domestic abuser was given a key to a woman’s room before assaulting her.In a brief company statement on Thursday, Travelodge said Joanna Boydell had stepped down and been temporarily replaced by its finance chief, Ray Reidy. The company has launched a formal search for a permanent substitute. Continue reading...

Israeli military orders criminal investigation into deaths of Hind and six family members. Plus, FCC chair Brendan Carr’s close coordination with White House revealedGood morning.The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members in Gaza in 2024, saying it had ordered a criminal investigation into the killing.What prompted the investigation? The Israel Defense Forces repeatedly denied its troops had been in the area, but investigations by the media and others found evidence that strongly suggested nearby Israeli tanks were responsible.How significant is it? The IDF published reviews on Wednesday into five high-profile incidents in Gaza. But criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops over the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions. A UN report published in February described “a pervasive climate of impunity” by Israel in occupied Palestine.What is the wider context? In September last year, a UN commission found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and massive destruction.What did Béjar say in his testimony? That his job often included him briefing Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, on product issues. He estimated that he spoke to Zuckerberg at least 100 times. One email Béjar sent to Zuckerberg in 2021 showed the engineer warning of constant reports of harmful content and damage to teenage wellbeing on Facebook and Instagram. Béjar said he emailed Zuckerberg after the chief executive publicly said the company did not prioritize profit over safety. Meta denies all allegations in the case. Continue reading...

The 18-year-old’s body was found in Nattai national park on Thursday – but initial police messages indicated she was aliveTeen hiker Lily Hooper found dead as NSW police apologise for miscommunication ‘born of elation’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have blamed dense bushland and radio confusion for wrongly reporting to 18-year-old Lily Hooper’s parents, the New South Wales premier and the media that the missing bushwalker had been found alive.Hooper had last been seen on 12 August after leaving home for a hike in the rugged bushland of Nattai national park, 90km south-west of Sydney. She was reported missing that night, triggering a multi-agency search involving nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of volunteers. Continue reading...

Initial report from ‘thick and dense terrain’ where Hooper was located was she had been found alive but within 10 minutes a ‘more accurate account’ was relayed to policeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe body of missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in a remote New South Wales national park more than a week after she set out on her hike.Police have apologised “unreservedly” for wrongly suggesting Hooper had been alive when she was found by SES search volunteers off the walking trail in the state’s southern highlands on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

Alibaba's U.S. listed shares were volatile in premarket trading after posting a 75% drop in net income in the June quarter.

Bitcoin and ether surged after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass a bill that would set a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector.

We look at a new study about Americans’ use of cannabis.

Plus, could tweaking flight paths reduce global warming?

Just last year, Prince Harry said he couldn’t imagine ever bringing his family back home from America.

Hui Ka Yan’s punishment caps the downfall of a property empire whose collapse set off a prolonged crisis in the Chinese economy.

Moscow is taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted stock of interceptors and is intensifying attacks, worsening the civilian death toll.

Clément Vandenkerckhove was born to Belgium’s Prince Clement before his marriage. He is now a prince himself, though he is not expected to have royal duties.

Just last year, Prince Harry said he couldn’t imagine ever bringing his family back home from America.

Hui Ka Yan’s punishment caps the downfall of a property empire whose collapse set off a prolonged crisis in the Chinese economy.

In India, some people are strapping cameras to their bodies to collect data on how humans move and train A.I.

Kim Yo-jong, a powerful adviser and sister of Kim Jong-un, also said she was “unaware” of any communication with Washington, contradicting President Trump’s claim her brother had responded to his outreach.

Moscow is taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted stock of interceptors and is intensifying attacks, worsening the civilian death toll.

Chinese court sentences Evergrande founder to life in prison for fraud  AP NewsChina Sentences Evergrande Founder to Life in Prison  The New York TimesChinese court sentences founder of troubled property developer Evergrande to life in prison  Click2HoustonFounder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison  BBCWorld in Brief: America’s government debt passes $40trn; Evergrande’s founder is sentenced  The Economist

Prince Harry and Meghan will move back to the United Kingdom, source says  NBC NewsPrince Harry and Meghan moving back to Britain this month  The GuardianHarry and Meghan are moving home  USA TodayPrince Harry and Meghan Markle to Make Shocking Move Back to the U.K. with Kids Archie and Lilibet (Exclusive)  People.comAs Harry and Meghan Plan Their Return, Britain Wonders: What Changed?  The New York Times

Stock Market Today: Bond Market Steady After Treasury Intervention, Nasdaq Futures Tick Up — Live Updates  WSJAn alarmed bond market gets the Trump administration to act again  AP NewsBond yields edge higher as traders digest Treasury debt buyback plan  CNBCStock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures steady after Treasury's bond intervention buoys markets  Yahoo FinanceTreasury's upsized buybacks may complicate Fed's monetary policy work  Reuters

Apartment blocks and warehouses were targeted in the "massive attack" on Thursday, officials say.

The train collided with the four men at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo, authorities say.

The UK's foreign secretary condemned the move as "an unacceptable and destructive act".

The nine-page booklet covers issues including respect in public, sex and consent, and gender equality.

Clément Vandenkerckhove was quietly brought into Prince Laurent's family at a town hall ceremony.

Jo Boydell had been criticised for the company's handling of issues with its safety and security.

Francesca Hennessy is in talks to fight undisputed bantamweight world champion Dina Thorslund in the United Kingdom later this year, BBC Sport understands.

Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in Ealing pays tribute to Sara El-Khawas, 14, and her family who died.

The Scottish government spent almost £100,000 on official visits to the United States in June.

The government says the sites in Kent, Surrey and West Yorkshire contain 22,000 tonnes of waste.

A rare Suffragette Christmas card dating back to 1910 has been discovered in Mold, Flintshire, at a vintage roadshow.

The couple's children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are enrolled to start at a school in September.

The prince and his wife have been estranged from the royal family but are now returning to England with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

The pair went missing in 1992

Lily Hooper, 18, disappeared while hiking in Nattai National Park

This official determination arrives shortly before President Donald Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House

He became the only horse ever named Horse of the Year in Italy, France and the United States

Kyiv’s strikes have knocked out nearly a third of the country’s major oil refineries

Just 33 percent of respondents said they approved of Donald Trump’s performance in the White House

‘It’s like they brought people here from all across the country, just to be here,’ one person says

Beginning the harvest at this time of year was once nearly unthinkable

The United States plans to send a military hospital ship to Peru’s Pacific coast next year to help with the effects of El Nino

The foreign minister says in an interview that Turkish military officials had visited the airbase as part of training.

The Taliban navigates a complex web of global trade and security alliances without gaining full political recognition.

Brussels is concerned about the rising number of migrants reaching Crete - and is allowing itself to be blackmailed by the notorious Haftar family in eastern Libya, as DER SPIEGEL reporting has found.