Category: News Story

STORY

The Council of the European Union has adopted a further package of sanctions against Russia, targeting energy, banking, crypto services, shipping and military production. The measures include 218 new individual listings, comprising 48 people and 170 organisations, which the Council described as the largest batch of listings introduced by the EU in four years.

Asset freezes and restrictions have been imposed on 94 banks and major financial institutions, while transaction bans have been extended to another 33 Russian credit and financial institutions. The package also targets a bank in Kyrgyzstan, three other non Russian banks and 14 crypto service platforms based in several countries outside the European Union over alleged involvement in sanctions circumvention.

More than 40 vessels associated with Russia’s shadow fleet and several oil refineries in Russia and Belarus are included in the measures. The Council also listed more than 50 military industrial organisations, including bodies linked to the production of long range drones. The sanctions were adopted in response to Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine and will be implemented through the relevant EU regulations and decisions.

STORY

Catalyst Care Limited and its two directors have been fined after admitting offences connected with the operation of three unregistered children’s homes in Kent. Ofsted said the case was its first successful criminal prosecution of an illegal children’s home provider, following an investigation into accommodation provided to nine children between October 2022 and April 2025.

The company, Davidson Lynch Shyllon and Miriam Ekathor pleaded guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court in March. They were sentenced on 4 August and received fines totalling £92,400, alongside victim surcharges of £2,960 and costs of £17,250. The two directors were also disqualified from carrying on, managing or holding a financial interest in a children’s home.

Ofsted said repeated warnings had been issued while the homes continued to operate and received more than £1.7 million from local authorities. Children’s homes in England must be registered so that staffing, safeguarding and living conditions can be inspected. Ofsted has also received new powers to impose financial penalties and is expanding the team responsible for investigating unregistered provision.

STORY

Businesses bidding for major Government contracts will face new assessments of the jobs, training and community benefits they intend to provide. The Cabinet Office said the changes would apply across a central Government procurement market worth about £90 billion a year, with bidders judged on commitments including apprenticeships, work placements, skills development and support for people facing barriers to employment.

For contracts worth £5 million or more, the weighting attached to local and social benefits will increase from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. The Government said the revised system would place greater emphasis on employment opportunities for young people, care leavers, people with long term health conditions and those who are not in education, employment or training.

The threshold at which the requirements normally apply will rise to contracts worth more than £1 million, which ministers said would reduce burdens on smaller companies, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. Successful suppliers will also be expected to report annually against agreed performance measures, with the new arrangements due to take effect from 1 January 2027.

STORY

Mel Barlow has been appointed as the new British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam and will take up the post in September 2026. The appointment was announced by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 3 August.

Barlow is currently His Majesty’s Ambassador in Vientiane, a position she has held since 2023. She previously served as Deputy Ambassador and Consul General in Kathmandu and as Deputy Head of the FCDO’s Consular Strategy and Network Department.

Her earlier diplomatic career has included roles covering trade policy, economic diplomacy and relations with countries across Asia. She joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002 and has served in Tokyo and Seoul, as well as holding several positions within the department in London.

STORY

A man who sexually assaulted a woman near and inside Euston station has been sentenced to two years in prison. Obinwa Obichukwu, 45, was convicted in January of two counts of sexual assault following an investigation by British Transport Police.

The court heard that Obichukwu approached the woman on Euston Road in August 2023, placed his arm around her and repeatedly attempted to persuade her to go to his home. He then prevented her from entering the station and assaulted her before following her towards the Underground ticket barriers and assaulting her again.

The victim escaped and reported the incident, allowing officers to identify Obichukwu through her account and CCTV evidence. Inner London Crown Court also imposed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required him to remain on the sex offenders register for the same period.

STORY

The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber heat health alerts for the East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East. The alerts run from 9am on Monday 3 August until 9am on Wednesday 5 August as high temperatures place additional pressure on health and care services.

Yellow alerts have also been issued for the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the South West. Health officials said older people, those with long-term medical conditions and people who live alone may face the greatest risk during prolonged periods of hot weather.

The public has been advised to remain hydrated, keep living spaces as cool as possible and avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day. People have also been encouraged to check on relatives, friends and neighbours who may be less able to protect themselves from the heat.

STORY

New European Union transparency requirements for artificial intelligence systems have begun to apply across the bloc. The rules are intended to help people recognise when they are interacting with AI or viewing material that has been generated or altered by an automated system.

Providers must design relevant systems so that users are informed when they are dealing directly with AI. They must also add machine-readable markings to certain generated or manipulated material so that the content can be detected by appropriate technical tools.

Organisations deploying AI must provide information when people encounter deepfakes, unreviewed AI material concerning matters of public interest, emotion recognition systems or biometric categorisation. The European Commission has published guidance setting out which providers and users are covered by the obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act.

STORY

The Government’s Sovereign AI programme has invested in British technology company OLIX as part of a nine-figure funding round intended to develop a new generation of artificial intelligence chips. The London and Bristol based company is working on processors designed to make AI inference faster, cheaper and more energy efficient.

OLIX was founded in 2024 by James Dacombe and has secured $220 million through its Series A funding round. The Government said the investment would support the development of domestic computing capability and create highly skilled jobs while reducing reliance on technology produced overseas.

The investment is the fifth equity commitment made through Sovereign AI since the programme was launched. Eleven companies have now received support through its wider funding activity, with ministers describing semiconductor design and advanced computing as central to the United Kingdom’s future AI infrastructure.

STORY

Donald Trump is facing fresh allegations of corruption after his media company launched a premium service offering paying customers early access to posts on his Truth Social platform. The new Truth API service is aimed at businesses and financial institutions, with subscriptions reportedly costing up to $100,000 (£75,000) a month. Critics argue that because Trump’s posts frequently contain market-moving policy announcements, the service could give wealthy subscribers a financial advantage over ordinary investors.

The controversy has prompted Democratic Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren to call on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether the arrangement complies with securities laws and whether it creates conflicts of interest. They argue that selling faster access to information issued by a sitting President risks undermining confidence in financial markets and could allow well-funded firms to trade on policy announcements before they are widely disseminated. Trump Media has rejected the criticism, saying the service provides access to public information and is comparable to premium data products offered by other technology companies.

Ethics experts have also questioned whether a President should be able to profit from the commercial distribution of official or market-sensitive communications. Trump’s supporters have defended the initiative as a legitimate commercial product, while opponents argue it blurs the distinction between public office and private financial interests. The launch has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s business activities during his presidency and is expected to remain the subject of political and regulatory debate in the coming weeks.

STORY

Labour’s Bev Craig has been elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, succeeding Andy Burnham after a mayoral by-election triggered by his election to Parliament and subsequent appointment as Prime Minister. The election was decided under the supplementary vote system after no candidate secured an outright majority on first preference votes. Turnout was approximately 25%, the lowest recorded for a Greater Manchester mayoral election.

Craig, the former Leader of Manchester City Council, faced Reform UK’s Sian Astley in the second round after the remaining candidates were eliminated and second preference votes redistributed. Following the transfer of votes, Craig secured 309,525 votes (66.3%), while Astley received 157,178 votes (33.7%), giving Labour a decisive victory in one of its most important electoral tests since Andy Burnham entered Downing Street.

The result maintains Labour’s control of the Greater Manchester mayoralty, a position first won by Andy Burnham in 2017. Speaking after the declaration, Craig said she was honoured to have been elected and pledged to work on economic growth, transport and public services across Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs.

Final result (second round)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Bev Craig	Labour and Co-operative	309,525	66.3%
Sian Astley	Reform UK	157,178	33.7%