11 h. ago Ministers accused of making ‘almost no progress’ on grooming gangs inquiry

Home Office minister Jess Phillips told MPs the appointment process was in its ‘final stages’.

Politics

12 h. ago Jess Phillips says grooming gang failure officials deserve to go to jail

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said officials like social workers who failed to act on grooming gangs should 'face the full force of everything they deserve'

Events

17 h. ago World War 3 fears hit Europe as warnings issued ahead of Russian military moves

The ministry of health in France has alerted officials in the country to be prepared for a large number of casualties at its hospital amid fears of another Russian attack

Events

3 d. ago Israeli airstrike kills Houthi prime minister in Yemen, rebels say

Ahmed al-Rahawi killed alongside several ministers gathered for prerecorded speech by rebel group’s leaderAn Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the Houthi rebel-controlled government in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, the Houthis have said.Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a strike in Sana’a on Thursday along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement on Saturday. Other ministers and officials were wounded, the statement added without providing further details. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Samoa’s election: Voting has begun after months of turmoil, here is everything you need to know

Samoans began voting on Friday in parliamentary elections amid personal rivalries and geopolitical tensions Samoa went to the polls on Friday in a national election called early by the caretaker prime minister, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, after months of political turmoil.Official campaigning ceased on Sunday with billboards blacked out, posters taken down and social media endorsements suspended under strict orders from the electoral commissioner. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Home Office minister praises joint EU operation to smash drug smuggler gangs

Operation White Sea has led to the seizure of cocaine worth £66 million from reaching the UK and EU.

Politics

5 d. ago Samoa’s election: Personal rivalries, geopolitical tensions and everything else you need to know

Samoans will go to the polls for parliamentary elections on Friday after months of political turmoilSamoa will go to the polls on Friday in a national election called early by the caretaker prime minister, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, after months of political turmoil.Official campaigning ceased on Sunday with billboards blacked out, posters taken down and social media endorsements suspended under strict orders from the electoral commissioner. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy picks Olha Stefanishyna as ambassador to US

Ukrainian officials due in Washington on Friday; Russians short of fuel as oil refineries burn. What we know on day 1,282Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Olha Stefanishyna, a former top cabinet minister, as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, ending months of speculation. She takes over as ambassador from Oksana Markarova, who held the position for six years, including more than three years of full-scale war with Russia, and became a target for partisan criticism from Republicans. It was announced in July that Markarova would be replaced. Stefanishyna served in Zelenskyy’s administration as a deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, playing a major role in the country’s integration into western institutions, and as minister of justice.Zelenskyy announced his officials will meet US counterparts in New York on Friday as the Ukrainian president continues to push for a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin despite Kremlin refusals. “Friday, meetings will take plac...

Politics

6 d. ago The Guardian view on UK attitudes to Europe: Labour is following where it could be leading | Editorial

There are signs of ministerial courage in making the case for closer ties to our neighbours, but the government could go further and fasterBritain’s relationship with the European Union was not a prominent issue in national debate when Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister, and Downing Street has striven to keep it that way. Labour strategists have seen Europe as a fissile topic, and Sir Keir’s opposition to Brexit in the 2016 referendum as a liability with swing voters. The prime minister has moved Britain closer to Europe, but in timid increments. The summit that formally “reset” relations early this year was long on statements of ambition, but short on substance. The government’s private recognition that economic logics impel Britain back into a European orbit has been in constant tension with fear of making that case in public.The balance now appears to be shifting. In a speech on Wednesday, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister responsible for EU relations, made the...

Politics

6 d. ago Critics of closer trading alignment with EU seem to be losing their voice

Labour’s support for ‘dynamic alignment’ with Europe and a youth mobility scheme has gone unchallenged by Gove – and FarageAsked in 2020 whether the UK would accept aligning with EU business regulations, Michael Gove, the then Cabinet Office minister, said bluntly: “We will not trade away our sovereignty.”Sitting next to his Labour successor, Nick Thomas-Symonds, on Wednesday, the now editor of the Spectator was more circumspect. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Starmer’s EU negotiator gives stronger backing to youth mobility scheme

Nick Thomas-Symonds indicates closer ties with Europe in future and promises to agree agriculture dealUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer’s lead negotiator on Europe has enthused about how excited he is by the prospect of an EU youth mobility scheme, as he signalled a broader government shift towards embracing closer ties with the bloc.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of negotiating Britain’s relationship with the EU, said on Wednesday he was looking forward to signing a deal to let young people travel and work more freely across Europe. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Farage producing policies on the back of a fag packet, says Home Office minister

Nigel Farage is producing policies on the “back of a fag packet”, a Home Office minister has claimed.

Politics

7 d. ago Government aims for permanent food and drink deal with EU as it attacks Farage

It came as Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is to accuse Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of wanting to see British businesses fail.

Politics

7 d. ago Manhunt for ‘sovereign citizen’ in rural Australia after two police officers shot dead

Prime minister Anthony Albanese pays tribute to bravery of slain officers, who were killed serving a warrant for historic sex offences

Events

7 d. ago Nuked Blood: Met Police joins review of alleged crimes at MoD

Allegations that Ministry of Defence officials illegally covered up evidence of nuclear experiments on troops are now being assessed by the Met Police

Events

7 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Manhunt for gunman ‘on run with family’ after two officers shot dead

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events

7 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Two officers dead and search underway for gunman ‘accompanied by a child’

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events

7 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Two officers dead and search underway for gunman ‘accompanied by children’

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events

7 d. ago Australia police shooting latest: Two officers feared dead in ‘active incident’ in rural town of Porepunkah

Prime minister Anthony Albanese praises officers for their bravery

Events

8 d. ago The Guardian view on protests in Serbia: a battle for democracy that the EU must not ignore | Editorial

An authoritarian crackdown on mass demonstrations in an EU candidate country requires a stronger response from BrusselsDuring a summer in which European leaders have focused on shuttle diplomacy with Donald Trump over trade and Ukraine, they have maintained a discreet silence regarding another crisis in Europe’s east. For more than nine months, mass student-led protests in Serbia have been challenging the authoritarian rule of Aleksandar Vučić, who has been in office as prime minister and president for 11 years. Up to now, Brussels has largely opted to look away.The catalyst for some of the largest demonstrations in Serbia’s history was the collapse of a newly renovated railway station roof in the country’s second city, Novi Sad, leading to the deaths of 16 people. The disaster was widely attributed to entrenched fraud and corruption presided over by Mr Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive party, and swiftly became the spark for a movement for democratic reform. The students are deman...

Events