Ministers consider closing social mobility watchdog as part of planned shake-up 31. August 2026 (14:23) Exclusive: Labour MPs believe SMC has become ineffective and its work ‘should be a core function of government’Ministers are considering a shake-up of the government’s social mobility watchdog that could range from giving it more teeth to abolishing it outright.The move comes amid concerns that the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) – originally conceived under Gordon Brown’s government in 2010 – has become ineffective. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Can Reform UK recover from its summer horribilis? 31. August 2026 (14:22) Clacton, funding, internal divisions – party prepares for annual conference next week after a season of misstepsSenior Reform UK figures like to boast that the summer time – and parliament’s longest recess – is when the party makes hay.Supposedly, it is when Nigel Farage and co can muscle in on the news cycle with provocative statements and new policies, painting “establishment” opponents as workshy layabouts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The London office, the empty boxes and the £1bn tax loophole 31. August 2026 (14:00) Exclusive: How a court case over an unoccupied office block could end a widely used tax avoidance schemeFrom the outside, the seven-storey building at 2 America Square looks like any other office block in the heart of London’s financial district.Located about half a mile from Tower Bridge, one might expect it to be a hive of commercial activity, teeming with employees holding important meetings. However, much of the property is home not to staff vying for their next bonus, but to stacks of nondescript black boxes arranged in neat lines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Countries legally obliged to consider slavery reparations, says UN committee 31. August 2026 (13:54) Guidance says states must implement ‘comprehensive measures’ to address legacy of racial discriminationA UN committee has said countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and take other measures to address the enduring legacy of racial discrimination.Guidance published on Monday by the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination (CERD) said the obligations arose from a legally binding 1965 convention on racial discrimination, not from the legal standards that existed when the slave trade took place. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
In a town in the heart of the US, Israeli settler violence in West Bank hits close to home 31. August 2026 (13:00) War on Gaza and violence in West Bank is playing out in the streets of Toledo, Ohio, where the Arab American community has flourishedFrom his office outside Toledo, Ohio, Thamin Tim Ridi opens his phone to livestream the scene outside the besieged house of his brother, Loui, thousands of miles away in the occupied West Bank.This month, with his property at risk of being destroyed by Israeli settlers, Loui traveled from Ohio to his ancestral home in Qusra, south of Nablus, where his mother and other family members have been living in constant fear of attack. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French high schools rush to put Macron’s phone ban into force 31. August 2026 (12:41) Unions say ban will take time to enact, while president also wants under-15s social media ban as key legacyFrench high schools are rushing to put in place a ban on mobile phones this week as Emmanuel Macron pushes for children to spend less time in front of screens.Education unions warned that banning mobile phone use in lycées – where children are aged 15 to 18 – would be hard to implement quickly. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM 31. August 2026 (12:21) Pedro Sánchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclave Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta.As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions over immigration within the EU. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US man says ‘hold tight’ to loved ones after wife and toddler killed by lightning 31. August 2026 (12:00) Kameron Glasgow of Florida honors wife Kenya and daughter Kennedi at local vigil after last week’s tragedyA Florida man whose wife and toddler daughter were killed by a lightning strike while he was near them recently has implored people to “hold … tight” to their loved ones.Kameron Glasgow made that arresting remark to local media at a weekend gathering honoring the memories of his wife, Kenya, and two-year-old daughter Kennedi after they died on 23 August from an exceedingly rare cause. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran hostilities flare after US strike in strait of Hormuz – Middle East crisis live 31. August 2026 (11:59) US targets Iran’s Larak Island in first exchange of fire in more than a month, sparking reprisals against US forces in the regionUS strikes Iranian launchers in strait of Hormuz, prompting Iranian retaliatory attacksThe UAE condemned an Iranian drone attack intercepted over its territorial waters, calling it a “dangerous escalation”.In a statement on X, the UAE’s foreign ministry “strongly condemned the hostile Iranian attack on the country involving a drone that was intercepted by air defence systems over UAE territorial waters”. The ministry also said the UAE reserved the “full and legitimate right to respond”. See post at 09.51 for more details. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly 20 people still missing after ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus 31. August 2026 (11:49) Divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors, with eight people so far confirmed to have diedNearly 20 people are still missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight, as divers join search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors.The double-hulled ferry with 267 people onboard took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the upturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and members of the coastguard. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
