Trump reportedly rejects Iran’s seven-day peace deal to reopen strait of Hormuz

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Tehran awaits official response to plan, but US president is said to expect renewed strikes after midterms

Iran is ⁠awaiting an official US response to its proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the Middle East war as Donald Trump was reported to have rejected the deal.

Iran raised the diplomatic initiative at the UN general assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted ⁠to the Americans via Qatari mediators and could ⁠reopen the strategic waterway and put an end ​to hostilities in the region within seven days.

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Three-quarters of UK’s popular plug-in hybrid cars unable to use rapid chargers

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Only 26% of PHEVs sold across top 20 models can use chargers with power of 50kW or more, analysis finds

Three-quarters of the 20 top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the UK cannot use rapid chargers, research has found, amid concerns that many are essentially “petrol cars pulling round a heavy battery”.

The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive – unlike fully electric cars – while still reducing emissions.

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Lula bans fixed-odds sports betting a week before Brazilian elections

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President’s ‘hard, drastic and necessary measure’, likely to attract widespread public support, polls suggest

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has signed an order banning fixed-odds sports betting just over a week before the first round of the presidential election, in a move he said was designed to tackle the pervasive problem of families falling into debt.

The decision ends the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting.

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Rare sale of David Hockney painting of beloved dog Stanley could fetch £2.5m

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Exclusive: Dog Painting 17 is believed to be one of only six of works from Dog Series in private hands and first to be auctioned

David Hockney adored his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie and let them run riot – so much so that after one had an accident in the LA home of the actor Dennis Hopper, the painter is said to have quipped: “It’ll be dry in the morning, luv, and you can just pick it up.”

But Hockney did not just indulge his four-legged companions, he treated them as portrait subjects for a series of paintings, one of which is to be sold by Christie’s.

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‘I felt shame’: former BA worker locked in legal battle after losing job of 30 years

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Cabin crew worker was among thousands of staff laid off during pandemic in what MPs called a ‘national disgrace’

During a 30-year career as a member of British Airways’ cabin crew, Tess De Mello took pride in a job well done, saying she regularly went above and beyond to make passengers more comfortable. To her, the role was more than just employment – it was part of her identity.

“I took pride,” she said. “I really took pride in myself, I took pride in my role, I took pride in everything because it was everything I wanted to be.”

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‘The weaker he gets, the more dangerous he gets’: Trump lashes out as his power wanes

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Trump tries to dominate at the UN as his approval ratings plummet and even some Republicans stray from the script

Donald Trump stood before the United Nations on Tuesday and threatened to “annihilate” Iran. Yet even as the most powerful man on the planet flexed his military muscles, he was powerless to keep the gravitational pull of domestic politics at bay.

Heading into the UN building in New York, the US president was questioned by Kaitlan Collins, an anchor at CNN, which he had banned from the White House before a judge ruled against him. “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” the 80-year-old snapped. “You should not be here covering me.”

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Labour must reunite progressive voters to win the next election, says Lucy Powell

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The deputy leader wants the party to take advantage of a split on the right and not be embarrassed to show its values

Labour must “reunite the progressive voter coalition” if it is to take advantage of a split on the right and win the next election, the party’s deputy leader has said.

Lucy Powell, who won the race to be deputy leader 12 months ago with a warning that Labour was losing the fight to be heard as Reform UK surged, said the government now had a second chance under Andy Burnham.

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Drones could speed up getting defibrillators to people having cardiac arrests, study suggests

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New research suggests the technology could be used to increase out-of-hospital access to life-saving devices

Drones could help cut the time it takes to get a defibrillator to people experiencing cardiac arrests when not in hospital, researchers have suggested.

In the UK alone, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a year where emergency medical services attempt to resuscitate the individual, according to the British Heart Foundation. However, fewer than one in 10 people survive such an event, and some who do are left with neurological problems.

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‘Let’s tell the truth’: Smithsonian head given standing ovation as he hits back at Trump attacks

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Outgoing secretary Lonnie Bunch rejects claims the institution is unpatriotic, telling audience ‘You cannot understand all without illuminating the dark corners’

Lonnie Bunch, the outgoing secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has defended the organisation against political interference, insisting that telling the unvarnished and complex truths of history is an act of “great love” for the country.

Speaking on Friday at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, Bunch received a standing ovation from hundreds of audience members and rejected claims that the institution’s staff or exhibitions were unpatriotic.

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PAM wins big in Morocco parliament elections but falls short of majority – aljazeera.com

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  1. PAM wins big in Morocco parliament elections but falls short of majority  aljazeera.com
  2. Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party wins parliamentary election, interior ministry says  AP News
  3. Moroccan centrist party tops parliament vote after boost from football chief  Reuters
  4. Party Close to King Leads in Morocco’s Election as Young Voters Stay Away  The New York Times
  5. Morocco’s ruling coalition tops vote; candidate who called Jewish leader ‘cancer’ elected  timesofisrael.com
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TikTok to pay Alabama $100m and limit teenage use in first state settlement

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Trial had been set for Monday over claims by Alabama that TikTok misled parents about tools meant to shield children from harmful content

TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama at least $100m and enact time limits and other restrictions for teenage users, avoiding a trial with a settlement that was modelled on Instagram-owner Meta’s recent agreement with US states.

Alabama described it as a “first-in-the-nation settlement” with a state in the sweeping litigation over social media’s affect on teen wellbeing.

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British climber, 28, dies in fall in northern Spain

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Mountaineer’s body recovered about 20 metres below the summit of Torrecerredo, the highest peak of the Picos de Europa range

A British man has died after falling about 61 metres (200ft) while descending from the summit of a mountain in northern Spain, according to local law enforcement.

The 28-year-old mountaineer fell down a vertical gully on the east side of the Torrecerredo – the highest peak of the Cantabrian mountains – on Thursday afternoon, the Spanish Civil Guard for the Asturias region said.

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