Author: James Carter

UK inflation has held steady at 2.8 per cent in May, defying expectations of a rise and offering some relief to households and policymakers, the Office for National Statistics has confirmed. Economists had widely predicted that inflation would tick up to 3 per cent last month, making the unchanged figure a welcome surprise. The rate of price rises matching April’s level suggests that cost pressures remain broadly stable for now. Inflation fell to its lowest level in more than a year in April, largely driven by a reduction in household energy bills after Ofgem lowered its energy price cap by…

Uber and Lyft routinely charge customers wildly different prices for identical trips and offer discount promotions that often save riders little or nothing compared to standard fares, a bombshell investigation has found, raising fresh questions about whether the practices could breach consumer protection laws. The investigation by Consumer Reports recruited 174 volunteers who priced more than 40 routes on both apps across 18 states. In Kansas City, Missouri, 55 volunteers testing a single route were quoted 29 different prices. In Austin, Texas, fares for another identical route ranged from $25 to $65 — a difference of 160 per cent. Critically,…

A California state senator born to Afghan refugees who grew up in foster care after losing both parents is romping to an early lead in the special election to temporarily fill the congressional seat vacated by disgraced Democrat Eric Swalwell. Aisha Wahab, who made history as the first Afghan American to hold elected office in the United States, garnered more than 40 per cent of the vote in Tuesday’s special election for California’s 14th Congressional District, with the Associated Press calling that she would advance to an August runoff. Wahab had previously topped the open primary held earlier this month…

A Green-led London council has threatened to withhold cooperation from the Home Office over immigration enforcement operations, claiming that raids are dividing communities and leaving residents living in fear of “a knock on the door.” Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for safer, thriving neighbourhoods, Jonathan Bartley — a former co-leader of the Green Party — has announced a review of the borough’s information-sharing arrangements with the Home Office, timed to coincide with Refugee Week, which began on 15 June. In a video posted on the council’s website, filmed in front of graffiti reading “all migrants welcome,” Bartley said: “Immigration raids are…

Donald Trump has pledged to do “whatever I can” to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, as G7 leaders reached a unified conclusion at their summit in France that Russia is losing ground and must come to the negotiating table. Speaking in Évian-les-Bains on Tuesday, Trump said he had held a “very good meeting” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and called directly on Vladimir Putin to “make a deal,” citing the staggering human cost of the conflict. “Russia’s lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine,” Trump said. “Last month, they lost 35,000 soldiers between the two…

A leading refugee lawyer has issued a blunt ultimatum to One Nation supporters who celebrated Australia’s World Cup victory over Turkey while opposing immigration — telling them they have two choices: stay silent, or confront the contradictions in their own politics. Sarah Dale, centre director and principal lawyer at the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that the Socceroos’ win embodied exactly the kind of multicultural Australia that One Nation’s policies would prevent. Nestory Irankunda’s stunning strike against Turkey, she wrote, was “a goal that began in a refugee camp,” pointing out that Irankunda and…

A former London Labour activist has admitted a computer misuse offence linked to allegations that the party’s membership database was manipulated to boost a candidate’s chances of selection ahead of the 2024 general election. Gabriel Leroy, 24, from Southwark, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a Computer Misuse Act offence under Section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, according to the Evening Standard. Three other defendants appeared at the same court and entered not guilty pleas. Joel Bodmer, 40, Shila Bodmer, 41,…

Donald Trump has publicly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he must act “more responsibly” in Lebanon, declaring that Israel “would not exist right now” without American backing — his most pointed rebuke yet of an ally that has been increasingly sidelined during the US-Iran peace talks. Speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, following a bilateral meeting with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Trump made clear that his patience with Israeli military operations in Lebanon was wearing thin. “I have a great relationship with Bibi, but he has to be more responsible with respect to…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged that the United Kingdom will play its “full part” in getting the Strait of Hormuz open “as quickly as possible,” speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France. The commitment comes as Starmer described the reopening of the crucial shipping route as “very, very important” for Britain, saying the blockade’s impact on energy prices had been felt in “every house across the country” since Iran closed the strait following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year. Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply passes through the waterway, and its effective…

Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Tehran that “all hell will rain down” if Iran attempts to acquire a nuclear weapon, insisting the deal to end the Middle East war makes the prohibition “loud and clear,” as both sides prepared for a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday. Speaking at the G7 summit in France after talks with the Emir of Qatar, Trump declared the US had “no obligation” to invest in Iran despite the agreement to end nearly four months of conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes. “We are not investing any money” in Iran, he said.…