The Guardian

Virgin Media fined £28m for preventing customers from cancelling contracts

Ofcom levies largest-ever consumer protection fine after finding firm deliberately mishandled millions of phone callsVirgin Media has been fined £28m by the UK telecoms watchdog for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling their contracts over a near-three-year period.Ofcom discovered that Virgin Media “likely mishandled” millions of phone calls between the start of 2022 and autumn 2024, with deliberate call-dropping tactics, unnecessary call transfers and putting customers on hold for “n

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

High-profile Melbourne man called rapist and punched in face shortly after he raped former employee, court hears

The man, who cannot be named, faces two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in Victoria’s county court. He has pleaded not guiltyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA high-profile Melbourne man was called a rapist and punched in the face by his former personal assistant shortly after he raped her at his home, a Victorian court has heard.But the man’s barrister, Dermot Dann KC, told the rape trial on Wednesday

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Labour calls on Farage to ‘come clean’ over £5m gift and work with crime agency over money laundering concerns - UK politics live

Lib Dems tell Reform UK leader ‘the game is up’ as political rivals vow to boycott ‘stunt’ Clacton byelectionRevealed: Farage’s £5m gift reported to UK crime agency over money laundering concernsGood morning. In a surprise announcement, yesterday Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said he would resign from the Commons so that he could fight a byelection in the hope of being re-elected as MP for Clacton. He thought a resounding win would somehow invalidate the parliamentary inquiry into claims t

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

The Telstra outage is a stark reminder of the widespread effects of single system failures

The network disruption – which brought trains, traffic lights and Eftpos payments to a halt – raises questions about the resilience of servicesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWednesday’s national Telstra mobile outage serves as another stark reminder of how reliant on connectivity Australia now is, and how single points of failure can have widespread consequences across the country.The nearly five-hour outage – whi

general  Jul 8, 2026

WSJ World News

Oil Prices Climb on Renewed Supply Disruption Fears as U.S., Iran Exchange Fire

Oil prices rose in Asia amid renewed fears of supply disruptions as the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes, the strongest escalation since the two signed a memorandum of understanding in June to end their conflict.

general  Jul 8, 2026

NY Times World

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general  Jul 8, 2026

NY Times World

A Look Back at Trump’s Broadsides Against NATO Allies

President Trump has rarely missed an opportunity to castigate the Western military alliance, whose leaders he’s meeting this week, as weak and ineffective.

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Britons to buy 8m mini fans this year – but almost half will end up in landfill

Shoppers urged to seek quality products or alternatives as data shows demand surpassing least year’s totalBritons are expected to buy nearly 8m mini fans this year as they are “surging on to the market” in the hot weather – but almost half of those are expected to be low-quality products that end up in landfill within a year.Waste managers and recycling campaigners have raised concerns as the number of online searches for electrically powered handheld fans, which sell for as little as £2, has al

general  Jul 8, 2026

BBC World

US strikes target Iranian military boats

The US has launched the strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Search under way after Boeing 737 cargo plane goes missing off Pakistan coast

Early flight data showed the K2 Airways plane with five crew on board possibly crashed into the sea ⁠southwest of KarachiA Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane with five crew members on board lost contact with air traffic control on ⁠Tuesday night after reporting a navigational ⁠system problem on ​its way to Karachi, Pakistan aviation authorities said.Early flight data indicated the 27-year-old converted freighter operated by K2 Airways from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates possibly cra

general  Jul 8, 2026

BBC World

Russian fuel shortages bite – but will Putin change tack in Ukraine war?

Even in Moscow, authorities are unable to guarantee fuel supplies, but will economic pressure lead to talks or escalation?

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Farage is likely to win in Clacton but can his credibility survive? | Peter Walker

While the Reform leader casts himself as the victim questions about his finances are unlikely to disappearFarage quits as an MP amid scrutiny of his financesFor Nigel Farage, a year that was progressing quite nicely started to go wrong when the Guardian revealed he had received an undeclared gift of £5m from a crypto billionaire. Just 10 weeks later, he has been pushed into perhaps one of the biggest gambles of his political career.That gamble is seemingly not with his role as an MP. Farage took

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Disability benefits in England and Wales not fit for purpose, Timms review to find

Exclusive: Landmark review by disability minister will call for ‘dehumanising’ assessment system to be redrawnWhat is the Timms review into Pip and what is it likely to conclude?Disability benefits in England and Wales are “not fit for purpose” and the entire assessment system must be redrawn as part of a radical welfare overhaul, the government’s landmark review of personal independence payments will say.The Guardian understands the review will conclude that the points-based system of assessmen

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Almost no progress made on UK regional household income divide in 30 years, report finds

Despite promises of successive governments, gap between richest and poorest areas consistent since 1997Britain’s deep regional income divide has barely changed in 30 years despite the promises of successive governments to narrow the gap, according to a report showing the challenge for Andy Burnham.As the prime minister-in-waiting prepares for government, the Resolution Foundation said almost no progress had been made since 1997 to tackle stark divisions in household income, before housing costs

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Asylum seeker in UK as part of ‘one in, one out’ scheme says it is unfair on those deported

Man flown from France as part of legal entry programme decries effect on others ‘who may have a similar case’An asylum seeker brought to the UK by the Home Office has said it feels unjust that he was allowed into the country only because someone else was deported.The individual benefited from the “one in” part of the controversial “one in, one out” scheme, where one asylum seeker who reached the UK on a small boat is forcibly returned to France in exchange for another being brought legally to Br

general  Jul 8, 2026

NY Times World

Here’s the latest.

general  Jul 8, 2026

The Guardian

Two in five Britons think Muslims cannot integrate in UK, poll finds

Government’s former extremism adviser sounds alarm as idea that diversity is harmful becomes ‘mainstream view’Two in five Britons believe Muslims cannot integrate into British society and more than half believe the country’s national identity is disappearing due to “diversity”, a report authored by a former government adviser on extremism has found.Sara Khan, who stood down in 2024 as the UK’s first counter-extremism commissioner, said such views contrasted sharply with accompanying findings tha

general  Jul 8, 2026

NY Times World

Trump’s arrival in Turkey for NATO summit adds drama and spectacle

The second President Trump landed in Turkey, the center of gravity shifted right to where he likes it best: himself.

general  Jul 8, 2026

NY Times World

What to Know About Australia’s Contest With China in the Pacific After Beijing Tested a Missile

With a series of recent treaties and alliances, Canberra is seeking to prevent Beijing from establishing a military foothold in the Pacific Ocean.

general  Jul 8, 2026

BBC World

Will Le Pen rise again? French nationalist leader defiant after court's ruling

Within hours of a court of appeal confirming a guilty verdict, Marine Le Pen had already launched her presidential campaign.

general  Jul 8, 2026