Pressure on families 'still acute' despite fall in inflation to 2% target

The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said pressure on household finances remains \"acute\" despite official figures showing inflation fell to 2% in May, returning to the official target rate for the first time in nearly three years.

Protection officer for PM held in bets inquiry

One of Rishi Sunak's close protection officers has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.

Comrades in arms? Questions for the west over mutual aid deal

As state visits go, Vladimir Putin's arrival in North Korea yesterday was relatively low-key.

Reeves pledges to close gender pay gap 'once and for all' if Labour wins

Rachel Reeves has promised to close the gender pay gap \"once and for all\" and make flexible working the norm if she becomes Britain's first female chancellor.

McKellen Expected To Make Full Recovery After Fall From Stage During Performance

Ian McKellen was "in good spirits" and expected to make "a speedy and full recovery" after a fall during Monday evening's performance of Player Kings, a spokesperson for the Noël Coward theatre in London has said.

Migrant Deaths At Morocco-EU Border Caused By Police 'Trap', Survivors Claim

Moroccan authorities took a series of fateful decisions that led to the deaths of dozens of asylum seekers attempting to scale the border fence into the Spanish north African territory of Melilla two years ago, survivors and an investigation by an NGO have claimed.

NHS Will Buy Beds In Care Homes To Cut Hospital Waits, Says Labour

NHS money will be used to buy thousands of beds in care homes to reduce overcrowding in hospitals, long waits in A&E and the number of patients becoming trapped in ambulances, under Labour plans.

Sarwar Starts Holyrood Campaign With Pledge Not To Raise Income Tax

Anas Sarwar has effectively fired the starting gun on the 2026 Holyrood election campaign as he pledged not to raise income tax if he became Scotland's first minister.

Putin Lands In North Korea As US Warns Against Military Pact

Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for a summit with Kim Jong un, amid US warnings against any agreement that could add to military pressure on Ukraine and raise tensions on the Korean peninsula.

UK Children Shorter And Sicker Due To Poor Diet

Children across Britain are getting shorter, fatter and sicker in the face of an epidemic of poor diets, food insecurity and poverty, according to a report warning that millions are now facing a "timebomb" of avoidable health conditions.

England prepare for night moves against hot hosts

Buttler's side begin the Super Eight phase of the T20 World Cup against a West Indies team on the crest of a wave

Consumers curb spending even as grocery costs ease

Britons have cut back on their supermarket shopping and traditional summer purchases because of the recent cool weather, even though grocery price inflation has slowed further, according to a report.

At least 17 killed in Gaza refugee camps after latest Israeli strikes, say medics

A series of Israeli airstrikes yesterday have resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians in two of the Gaza Strip's historic refugee camps, as tanks advanced further into the southern city of Rafah, according to reports from residents and medics.

Biden eases way to US citizenship for half a million undocumented spouses

Joe Biden has announced a move to open a pathway to citizenship for undocumented spouses of US citizens, a sweeping initiative on a key election issue that could provide relief to more than half a million \"mixed-status\" families, say senior administration officials.

Protection missing on wall from which girl, 14, fell to her death

Missing safety features on a sea wall in Devon would have mitigated the risk of the death of a Ukrainian refugee schoolgirl who suffered a fatal fall, a Network Rail official has told an inquest.

Father died helping stranger hurt over wedding feud, court hears

A father of two was killed as he tried to help a stranger apparently injured during a feud between two families over a wedding, a court has heard.

Barton to pay £75,000 over tweets that called radio DJ a 'bike nonce'

The former footballer and manager Joey Barton has issued a public apology on the social media site X and has agreed to pay £75,000 to Jeremy Vine after a high court ruling that calling the broadcaster a \"bike nonce\" on social media was defamatory.

Timberlake arrested and charged with drink-driving in New York

Justin Timberlake was arrested early yesterday morning and is accused of driving while intoxicated on New York's Long Island, authorities have said.

Blue wall target Lib Dems hope for fast spin of seats in Conservative heartland

As an instant vignette highlighting just how much trouble the Conservatives might face in their English heartlands, Calum Miller's 10 minutes or so of chats in the neat cul-des-sacs of Langford would be hard to beat.

'I'm enjoying it, Nick!" Starmer won't be rushed into straight answers on phone-in

Over in Clacton, Nigel Farage's campaign was actually selling tickets to see him last night, at an event for voters billed as \"Meet Nigel Farage\".

Election projection Starmer set for landslide but 100 seats still on knife-edge

Labour is heading for a landslide win in the election, according to a new projection, but more than 100 Conservative-held seats appear to be on a knife-edge with the results in the hands of millions of undecided or swing voters.

Dutch prime minister lined up to lead Nato after deal with Orbán over Ukraine opt-out

Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, will become the next head of Nato after winning over Hungary's prime minister with a promise not to deploy Budapest's forces or spend its money supporting Ukraine.

Full-bodied? Oldest wine ever found yields grisly secret ingredient

The oldest wine ever to have been discovered in its original liquid form is reddish-brown and, quite conceivably, full-bodied.

Dirty air now the second largest health risk to young children

Nearly 2,000 children under five are dying every day from air pollution, which has overtaken poor sanitation and a lack of clean water to become the second biggest health risk factor for young children around the world.

England Fan Among Eight Facing Criminal Charges After Euros Brawl

One England fan and seven Serbs are facing criminal charges and tournament bans after a brawl involving 150 people before Sunday's game between the two countries.

Greek Coastguard Treatment Of Migrants Illegal, Says Ex-Officer

A former Greek coastguard officer has described as "obviously illegal" the actions of colleagues who abandoned nine migrants at sea in one of 15 alleged illegal pushbacks from Greek islands or territorial waters that reportedly killed dozens of people.

Hezbollah US Envoy Attempts To Avert Escalation Between Israel And Lebanese Militants

A senior envoy from the Biden administration has met Benjamin Netanyahu for talks aimed at averting a deepening conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, after Israel warned over the weekend that it was on the brink of a "wider escalation".

India Fears Modi Will Become 'More Aggressive' Despite Loss Of Majority

As Narendra Modi traversed India during recent months, campaigning for a third term in power, he repeated the same refrain.

Netanyahu Dissolves War Cabinet Amid Tension Over Handling Of Gaza Conflict

Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the Israeli war cabinet that had been overseeing the conflict in Gaza, rebuffing his far-right allies who had been seeking seats and apparently moving to solidify his grasp on decision-making over the fighting with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah across the Lebanese border.

Paris Loses Out To London As Europe's Largest Equity Market

Paris has lost its spot as Europe's largest equity market to London, as investors react to political turmoil in France in the week since the president, Emmanuel Macron, called a shock snap election.