The Guardian

Valdis Dombrovskis says bloc is ‘ready to engage’ amid meetings with ministers including Rachel Reeves Business live – latest updates The European Commission would be “open-minded” to discussing closer trade ties with the UK, including a customs union, a senior EU official has said. The EU economy commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, told the BBC that the European bloc was “ready to engage with an o…

Carlo Soracchi, who infiltrated anti-fascist group in early 2000s, accused of suggesting crime as he had ‘got nothing’ Three anti-fascist activists have accused an undercover police officer of attempting to incite them to firebomb a shop that was said to be a front for the far right, the spycops inquiry has heard. The accusation has been levelled against Carlo Soracchi, an officer who spent six y…

Latest communications undermine Chomsky’s earlier claims that he primarily had financial dealings with Epstein The close friendship that Noam Chomsky maintained with Jeffrey Epstein continued being detailed extensively among millions of investigative records pertaining to the late convicted sex offender recently released by the US justice department, including Chomsky “fantasizing about the Carib…

Economists and the central bank might see a roaring economy but workers and mortgage holders still feel like they’re doing it tough Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Reserve Bank thinks the economy is running too hot and needed a rate hike to slow it down. It sure doesn’t feel that way. Continue reading...

‘It is shameful. It does shame politics,’ said health minister Karin Smyth Here are some more extracts from Katy Balls’ interview with Peter Mandelson in the Times (mostly conducted early last week, before the latest Jeffrey Epstein revelations). (See 9.13am .) Mandleson says he was “naive” in his dealings with Epstein. He says: I don’t know what [Epstein’s] motives were – probably mixed – but he…

Britons cut back in January after record grocery spending in December, turning to own-label products Business live – latest updates Britons started 2026 by buying more healthy food such as fruit and yoghurt as they attempted to hit new year health goals, while grocery price inflation eased to the lowest level since April, research has shown. Annual grocery inflation fell back to 4% in the four we…

The 13-year-old attempted to kayak back to shore to get help, but the vessel took on water, forcing him to swim 4km Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A teenager has saved his mother and two younger siblings by swimming for four hours in fading light and rough conditions after they were swept out to sea in south-west…

A violation of a ceasefire by Russia would result in a response in less than 24 hours, according to the plan We are restarting our live Europe coverage and will bring you the latest news around the continent throughout the day. Under a proposal discussed between Ukrainian, European and American officials, Kyiv has agreed with western allies that repeated breaches of any future ceasefire agreement…

Met police assessing reports of alleged misconduct in public office after government information apparently shared Peter Mandelson is facing a possible police investigation into his alleged leak of market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein at the height of the financial crisis. New disclosures from the Epstein files appear to show Mandelson sent a string of emails to the late sex offender c…

Ministers’ proposals to tackle ‘forever chemicals’ fail to match tougher stance taken in Europe, say experts Environmental campaigners have criticised a “crushingly disappointing” UK government plan to tackle “forever chemicals”, which they warn risks locking in decades of avoidable harm to people and the environment. The government said its Pfas action plan set out a “clear framework” of “coordi…

Calls for NSW police to ‘exercise their discretion’ and facilitate a peaceful rally in Sydney on 9 February while Israeli president visits Australia Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Palestine Action Group plans to march against the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog’s, visit to Sydney next week, despite the New So…

Aerospace business and artificial intelligence firm to unite for IPO as world’s most valuable private company Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence business xAI, in a $1.25tn (£910bn) merger that consolidates part of Musk’s empire as SpaceX prepares to go public later this year. The two companies announced the deal on Monday i…

US president makes further claims of antisemitism against Ivy League school amid wider dispute with higher eduction institutions Donald Trump has announced that his administration is seeking $1bn in damages from Harvard University, the latest step in a long-running battle with the university over allegations of antisemitism. In a Truth Social post late on Monday, Trump accused the Ivy League scho…

Sleek car doors reduce vehicle drag but are prone to losing operability in the event of a crash, officials say China will soon ban concealed door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), becoming the first country to do so after several deadly incidents triggered global scrutiny of the controversial design first popularised by Tesla . According to regulations announced on Monday by the Ministry of Ind…

Tributes for Queensland snowboarder Brooke Day recall a ‘cherished team mate’ who had an ‘infectious sense of humour’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Tributes have poured in for the Australian woman who died in a ski lift accident at a Japanese resort, describing the 22-year-old as kind, talented and possessing a …