4 h. ago China’s crackdown on lavish civil servant perks will ‘harm’ the economy, experts warn

Updated regulations ban the country’s 40 million civil servants from lavish banquets, and restrict them from overseas travel for ‘personal leisure’Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty.The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Police told to release ethnicity of suspects in high profile cases after string of secrecy rows

Forces will disclose the ethnicity and nationality of a suspect when it could reduce the risk of disorder, there are high levels of false information about an incident or there is significant public interest.

Events

6 h. ago Man arrested after police firearm discharged inside Sydney domestic airport

Airport spokesman said no injuries resulted from the incident at terminal twoFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has been arrested after an incident at Sydney airport this morning that involved a police firearm being discharged inside the T2 domestic terminal.An Australian federal police spokesperson said the agency has launched an investigation into the incident and a crime scene had been established. There was no ongoing threat to the public. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago White House plans to review all Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they meet Trump’s agenda for America’s 250th birthday

Trump accused the Smithsonian of falling under the sway of ‘a divisive, race-centered ideology’ in his March executive order

Politics

7 h. ago Andy Carroll 'splits from Lou Teasdale due to her demands' weeks after public row

Footballer Andy Carroll is said to have split from his girlfriend Lou Teasdale just weeks after their public row on holiday as her social media behaviour gets the blame

Politics

8 h. ago The spicy favorite that can help protect your vision and your heart

But eat the whole pepper at your own risk...

Politics

8 h. ago Now Rachel Reeves plots inheritance tax raid on Middle England to plug huge gap in public finances as Tories blast Labour's 'politics of envy'

The Chancellor is said to be looking at tightening rules on gifting of money and assets before someone passes away to address an estimated £50billion spending hole at the next Budget .

Politics

11 h. ago Cristiano Ronaldo put Tottenham transfer target above Lamine Yamal in shock vote

As Manchester City ponder the future of one of their young stars who has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, Cristiano Ronaldo's view on the matter has already been made clear

Events

11 h. ago United Airlines flight canceled after female passenger had 'biohazard' diarrhea that destroyed bathroom

A woman shared the shocking story of how she single-handedly canceled a flight by wreaking havoc on the plane's bathroom for an hour and a half straight.

Politics

11 h. ago These are the best public bathrooms in America — and you can vote on your favorite

Nine bathrooms across New York City, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Florida, New Hampshire, Texas, and California are among the finalists in Cintas’ best restroom competition

Politics

12 h. ago On Gaza’s killing fields, journalism faces its darkest hour – but that won’t stop us reporting | Asef Hamidi

Israel’s actions are an assault not only on individual reporters but on the entire global public’s right to know the truthAsef Hamidi is the director of news, Al Jazeera ChannelAs the world witnesses the horrors unfolding in Gaza, a related tragedy continues with chilling regularity: the systematic targeting and killing of journalists. Just as the Gaza journalistic community thought matters could not get any worse, Benjamin Netanyahu’s brutal occupying forces carried out yet another cold-blooded murder on Sunday, this time of the Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, along with videographers Ibrahim Thaher, Mohammed Nofal and their colleagues. They were sheltering in a media tent near al-Shifa hospital, and were killed by a direct strike.The Israeli war machine, accelerating its stated goal of occupying Gaza, showed no restraint in targeting journalists, in violation of international conventions. So far in this war it has killed 238 of us. The war on Gaza has b...

Events

12 h. ago Labour facing fresh 'cronyism' row after donor wins £5m contract for project 'overseen by former staff'

Public Digital is helping to run a 'Test, Learn and Grow' initiative across public services as part of a Whitehall reform programme.

Economics

13 h. ago Reflective Sha’Carri Richardson vows to seek help after airport arrest

Sprinter arrested after dispute with Christian ColemanSays she will pursue help, self-reflection and growthIssues public apology to boyfriend, fans on InstagramOlympic gold medal sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson said she plans to seek help following her 27 July arrest, which stemmed from a physical confrontation with her boyfriend, US sprinter Christian Coleman, at an airport.“I’m taking this time to not only see myself but get myself a certain level of help that overall is going to reflect who I truly am in my heart and my spirit and not allowing this moment – but accepting this moment – to be more,” Richardson said in an Instagram post Monday night. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Terror in Moscow as NUCLEAR BOMB alerts are played on public transport, sending passengers fleeing for their lives after hackers target warning system

Bus passengers in Moscow were ordered to rush to bomb shelters after nuclear bomb alerts were played out on the city's public transport after hackers targeted Russia's warning systems.

Events

13 h. ago World’s swankiest manhole covers? A thrilling tour of the new embankments concealing London’s £4.6bn super sewer

Built to tackle 18m tonnes of rising excrement, the Tideway project has also generated dramatic new public spaces dotted with giant artworks. Our writer takes the ‘stink tower’ tour of the capitalA group of colossal black tombstones has landed on the north bank of the Thames in London, looking like mysterious monoliths from another civilisation. They stand near Blackfriars Bridge as imposing bookends, rising almost 10 metres, folded in places to form platforms and benches, slipping down in others to become one with the pavement. Water trickles from the summit of one huge slab, running down ridges and splashing into a sunken pool. Another pair rise straight out of the river wall, hoisting wooden fenders with them from the swirling brown waters below.“I wanted to make something that comes from nowhere,” says Scottish artist Nathan Coley, as he clambers on to one of his concrete blocks, which form part of the most prominent new public artwork in Britain’s capital, set to be unveiled ne...

Economics

13 h. ago Trump’s military takeover of Washington DC is a sheer demonstration of power | Moira Dongan

No one believes that the deployment of troops to America’s most liberal, most racially diverse, and most culturally thriving cities is about solving a real problemPresident Trump imposed a military takeover of the nation’s capital on Monday, sending National Guard troops to Washington. He also seized control of the DC municipal police department, invoking an obscure section of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act which allows the president to take control of local law enforcement in the district for a period of one month in times of emergency.That there is no emergency is irrelevant: Trump has declared one in order to exercise powers that are only available to him in a state of exception, which is, of course, what the whole country increasingly finds itself to be experiencing as the president expands the powers of his office from those of a constitutional executive into something more like the power of authoritarian control.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Sturgeon: Salmond happier for SNP to be destroyed than succeed without him

The former first minister said she realised her ex-mentor came to view her as ‘public enemy number one’.

Politics

13 h. ago Golf for them, grind for us: Trump, Vance and the hellish US holiday divide | Arwa Mahdawi

While American workers battle burnout and ‘infinite workdays’, the men at the top are living the endless vacation dreamYou know what the problem is with the US? Nobody wants to work any more. People feel entitled to cushy jobs with fat salaries and unlimited holiday time. And by “people” I mean American politicians, who seem to treat public office as an excuse for endless vacations. Because the president and vice-president are technically always on duty, there’s no official holiday policy – and it rather feels as if they are taking advantage of this.Take the vice-president, JD “OOO (out of office)” Vance. When he’s not inspiring memes or threatening to deport menswear influencers, he always seems to be off on a jolly. So far this year, the man has been skiing in Vermont, shut down bits of Disneyland for his family’s use and apparently raised the water level of a river in Ohio for a kayaking trip. Now, the Vances are summering in the Cotswolds. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Vote in our Independent Money poll: Do you know the interest rate on your main savings account?

Each week, we invite readers to share their views on the financial stories making headlines – and impacting your bank balance

Economics

14 h. ago Phillip Schofield still hasn't kicked vaping despite it leaving him 'covered in blisters'

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield has admitted he is in a "bad way" after turning to vaping in a bid to deal with the stress and anxiety of his affair going public

Science