John Healey backs growth but says Labour must be honest on spending 07. September 2026 (14:54) Chancellor ducks questions on whether he will have to raise taxes but says he will stick firmly to fiscal rulesBusiness live – latest updatesJohn Healey has said boosting economic growth will be his defining mission as chancellor as he warned Labour had to “be honest” about the need to control public spending at next month’s budget.In his first big speech since taking the job in July, Healey said the top priority for his 28 October budget would be to support stronger growth across the UK while sticking firmly to the government’s fiscal rules. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Next overturns equal pay ruling that raised basic wages for shop staff 07. September 2026 (14:45) Retailer wins appeal against 2024 decision forcing it to pay shop workers the same as warehouse employeesThe UK retailer Next has overturned a 2024 court ruling forcing it to pay its shop staff the same higher basic pay rates as its warehouse workers under equal pay rules.The chain, led by the Conservative peer Simon Wolfson, said it had “won a landmark victory in its ongoing equal pay litigation”. It has succeeded in its appeal to the employment appeal tribunal “on the key issue of basic pay”, it said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Oasis recordings up for auction despite band’s objections 07. September 2026 (14:25) Archive documenting concerts, rehearsals, soundchecks and conversations estimated at up to £1.6mAn archive of more than 100 hours of Oasis recordings – including concerts, rehearsals and candid conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher – is to be auctioned for up to £1.6m despite objections from the band.The collection was amassed by the band’s sound engineer Huw Richards, who worked with Oasis from the release of their 1994 debut album, Definitely Maybe, until 2001. It comprises 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes and three MiniDiscs, and is being sold by Richards’s son, Owain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four arrested after baby dies on camping trip in Staffordshire 07. September 2026 (14:15) Two women and two men arrested on suspicion of murder after death of three-month-old girl near Great WyrleyFour people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a three-month-old girl died in Staffordshire while camping with her family.Officers said they were made aware of the death on Saturday at 8.45am after being called by paramedics from the West Midlands ambulance service, who were responding to a report of a child in cardiac arrest. An air ambulance was also sent but the child was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Legal veterans lead fightback against Trump’s ‘full-out assault on democracy’ 07. September 2026 (14:00) Advocacy groups expand legal challenges and condemn president’s ‘self-serving attempts to take over midterms’A cluster of advocacy groups that boast veteran lawyers, voting experts and ex-judges have expanded legal challenges to Donald Trump’s authoritarian executive orders on voting and other presidential actions they see as a “war” on the rule of law in the US.Heavy legal opposition to Trump’s two executive orders on elections to curb voting rights and supplant the authority of states on election matters has come from the Democracy Defenders Fund, the Campaign Legal Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and kindred groups. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ratko Mladić, the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’, given hero’s funeral in Serbia 07. September 2026 (13:20) Fanfare at Belgrade funeral of man convicted of genocide raises questions from EU over Serbia’s membership planEurope live – latest updatesThousands of mourners have gathered in Belgrade for the funeral of Ratko Mladić, a Serbian general convicted of orchestrating the worst massacre in Europe since the second world war, and whose hero’s return home has raised international alarm.Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” for his role during the Balkans genocide in the 1990s, Mladić died in prison in late August aged 84 while serving a life sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Nakedly political’: US attempts to link trans support to authoritarianism in new health department report 07. September 2026 (13:00) HHS releases report linking ‘gender ideology’ to political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conductedThe US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report linking “gender ideology” to leftwing authoritarianism and political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conducted and “nakedly political”, likely leading to greater politicization of science and health.It follows attempts by the administration to limit access to gender-affirming care – including, on Friday, an agreement reached between the Department of Justice and a New York hospital to no longer offer pediatric gender-affirming care. Dozens of hospitals stopped offering gender-affirming care after the Trump administration began investigating them for offering the standard of care. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US labor unions saw membership gains in 2025, mostly in states with bargaining protections 07. September 2026 (13:00) Uptick in US union membership coincides with high public approval ratings of unionsAfter years of decline, union membership in the US increased by 411,000 members in 2025, the largest increase since 2008, according to a new report.The report makes clear the impact that “right to work” laws can have on union membership: most gains were concentrated in states that protect collective bargaining. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Louisiana mayor completes 90-day jail term for raping 16-year-old boy 07. September 2026 (12:38) Judge admits he made mistake in sentencing Misty Roberts, who faced up to 17 years in prison after convictionThe former Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts has completed the 90-day jail sentence she received for raping a 16-year-old boy while still in elected office and been released from custody, according to state corrections records.The 44-year-old finished her jail term on Monday, the Labor Day holiday in the US, one week after the judge who presided over her case rejected a request from prosecutors to force her to serve a harsher sentence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Far-right AfD celebrate ‘dream result’ in key German state as Merz reportedly holds crisis talks – Europe live 07. September 2026 (11:58) Group fail to secure majority in Saxony-Anhalt state parliament leaving uncertainty over next stepsFar-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majorityAfD’s Chrupalla continues in this vein, saying the German public wants to see a change in direction, and specifically saying the electorate is “fed up” as the government keeps “transferring billions of our tax money to Ukraine … instead of using it for our own population.”He says the party has “a clear mandate” to rule in Saxony-Anhalt and will hold discussions with others about what can be done. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
