Angela Rayner has admitted she should have paid more tax when she bought her flat in Hove, blaming inaccurate legal advice she received beforehand.
The deputy prime minister said she paid the standard rate of stamp duty on the East Sussex property on the basis it was her only home.
But she said she received further advice, that she should have in fact paid a higher rate, due to arrangements set up for her family home in Greater Manchester.
She denied she had tried to dodge tax, and said she had referred herself for investigation by the prime minister's ethics adviser.
Rayner has faced mounting Tory criticism over her tax situation after continued media scrutiny in recent weeks.
Recording a clip with reporters, she said she had been prevented from sharing more details of her "complex" living arrangements because of a court order that has since been lifted, after she applied to have it removed.
She added that she had contacted HMRC to say she owed additional tax on the property, which she is "prepared to pay".
The Daily Telegraph has previously reported she saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the purchase because she had not paid the higher rate on the £800,000 flat.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been overheard discussing organ transplants as a means of prolonging life on the sidelines of a military parade in Beijing.
Putin suggested even eternal life could be achievable as a result of innovations in biotechnology, according to a translation of remarks caught on a hot mic.
The unguarded moment was captured on a livestream carried by Chinese state TV as the two leaders and North Korea's Kim Jong Un walked together through China's historic Tiananmen Square.
Xi and Putin have been in power for 13 and 25 years respectively. Neither has expressed any intention of stepping down.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the North Korean and Russian leaders, China's president used his Victory Day spectacle to project an alternate vision for the future of the world order.
However their private conversation suggests their sights extend beyond the economic and political.
The exchange was relayed by a Mandarin translator for Putin and a Russian translator for Xi, and has been translated into English by the BBC.
"In the past, it used to be rare for someone to be older than 70 and these days they say that at 70 one's still a child," Xi's translator could be heard saying in Russian.
An inaudible passage from Putin follows. His Mandarin translator then added: "With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality."
Xi's translator then said: "Predictions are, this century, there's a chance of also living to 150 [years old]."
Putin reportedly reprised his remarks later while speaking to Russian media.
Russian state news agency Tass quoted him as saying: "Modern recovery methods, medical methods, even surgical ones dealing with the replacement of organs, enable humanity to hope for active life to last longer than it does today.
"Average age is different in different countries but life expectancy will increase significantly".
Xi said the world faced a choice between peace and war as China unveiled a huge arsenal of weapons - including nuclear missiles with a global reach - to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Wednesday's parade marked the first time that the Chinese, Russian and North Korean leaders had appeared together publicly, viewed by some observers as a message to the Western nations that have shunned them.
Putin and Kim joined 24 other dignitaries at the parade, including Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif, Vietnam's Luong Cuong and Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa.
China has sought to position itself as a possible counterweight to the US since the imposition of Donald Trump's tariffs.
On Wednesday, the US president accused Xi of conspiring against the US with the leaders of Russia and North Korea.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America."
A group of young English-speaking hackers are claiming to be behind the cyber attack which has halted the global production lines of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
The group is bragging about the hack on the messaging app Telegram, sharing screenshots apparently taken from inside the car maker's IT networks.
The gangs is also responsible for a wave of cyber attacks on UK retailers including M&S in the spring - and are calling themselves "Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters".
"Where is my new car, Land Rover," the hackers - who are thought to be teens - posted to taunt the company.
The BBC has approached JLR for comment.
In private text conversations with one of the criminals, who claims to be the spokesperson for the group, they said they are trying to extort the car company for money.
But the hacker would not say if they have successfully stolen private data from JLR or installed malicious software onto the company's network.
The hacker wouldn't provide any more evidence they are responsible for the hack - and they are known to lie to get attention.
But two images posted by the group show apparent internal instructions for troubleshooting a car charging issue and internal computer logs.
One security expert has speculated the screenshots suggest the criminals have access to information they should not have.
"Based on the information provided by the attackers and open source intelligence, the attack has access to JLR's internal systems and network," security researcher Kevin Beaumont said.
A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office said: "Jaguar Land Rover has reported an incident and we are assessing the information provided."
'Took immediate action'
Car production at sites including the Halewood plant in Merseyside and another in Solihull have been heavily disrupted since the attack was discovered on Sunday.
Staff have been sent home and JLR has said it's working to get manufacturing back online.
The company has not disclosed the nature of the attack.
"We took immediate action to mitigate its impact by proactively shutting down our systems, it said in a statement.
"We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner.
"At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and production activities have been severely disrupted."
The hackers chose the name Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters to reflect the merging of various youth-orientated cyber criminals who are all associated with a network called The Com.
Earlier this year the National Crime Agency warned of the growing threat from cyber criminals in The Com.
The newly named group is a mixture of hackers who have been part of the groups Shiny Hunters, Lapsus$ and Scattered Spider - all notorious young hacking groups of the last few years that emerged from The Com.
The Telegram channel used by the criminals now has nearly 52,000 subscribers. The group has been bragging about hacks and sharing incomprehensible in-jokes for days.
It's the forth such Telegram channel as previous ones have been closed down.
Scattered Spider is name of a loosely linked group of hackers responsible for high profile attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods in April and May.
In July the National Crime Agency arrested 4 people in connection to the hacks.
A 20-year-old woman was arrested in Staffordshire, and three males - aged between 17 and 19 - were detained in London and the West Midlands. All have since been released on bail.
Perry was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023
A woman dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" has pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that ultimately killed Friends actor Matthew Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty to five charges in Los Angeles on Wednesday, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or bodily injury.
The American-British dual-national originally faced nine criminal counts. Federal prosecutors called her Los Angeles home a "drug-selling emporium" and found dozens of vials of ketamine during a raid.
Perry was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with an examination finding his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine.
A sentencing hearing for Sangha, who is being held in federal custody, has been set for 10 December in Los Angeles.
Sangha initially denied the charges but agreed to change her plea in August, just weeks before she had been due to stand trial.
She is one of five people - including medical doctors and the actor's assistant - who US officials say supplied ketamine to Perry, exploiting his drug addiction for profit, and leading to his overdose death.
They include: Dr Salvador Plasencia and Dr Mark Chavez, two doctors who sold ketamine; Kenneth Iwamasa, who worked as Perry's live-in assistant and both helped purchase and inject the actor with ketamine; and Eric Fleming, who sold ketamine he'd gotten from Sangha to Perry.
The four others have also agreed to plead guilty to charges in the case. They will be sentenced at different times in November and December.
Sangha faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison, according to the justice department.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It can distort perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.
It is used as an injectable anaesthetic for humans and animals because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment.
The substance is supposed to be administered only by a physician, officials say, and patients who have taken the drug should be monitored by a professional because of its possible harmful effects.
Jasveen Sangha's social media
Sangha is said to have mixed with celebrities socially, with one of her friends telling the Daily Mail she attended the Oscars
Perry's death and the investigation into how he obtained so much of the drug over multiple years offered a glimpse into Hollywood's ketamine drug network, which one doctor called the "wild west" in an interview with the BBC.
As part of her plea agreement, Sangha also pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to a man named Cody McLaury in August 2019, who died hours after the purchase from a drug overdose, according to the justice department.
Federal authorities accused Sangha of supplying ketamine from her "stash house" in North Hollywood since at least 2019, alleging in an indictment that she worked with celebrities and high-end clients.
More than 80 vials of ketamine were found there in a search before her arrest in March 2024, along with thousands of pills that included methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax.
Sangha is said to have mixed with celebrities socially, with one of her friends telling the Daily Mail she attended the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
Her social media presence depicted an extravagant lifestyle, including parties and trips to Japan and Mexico.
China has unveiled a range of new weapons, drones and other military hardware in a massive parade that many see as a clear message to the United States and its allies.
The event saw Xi Jinping host more than 20 foreign heads of state, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, both of whom rely on China for economic support and more.
It was a display of Xi's growing power on the world stage, and of China's military prowess - the show included the "Guam killer" missile, the "loyal wingman" drone and even robotic wolves.
Beyond the hype and shiny new weaponry, what did we learn?
Here are our five takeaways.
1. China has a lot of weapons. How well can it deploy them?
What was clear from Wednesday's display was that China has been able to quickly produce a diverse range of weapons.
Ten years ago, the military technology they put on show tended to be "rudimentary copies" of far more advanced equipment invented by the US, notes Michael Raska, assistant professor in the military transformations programme at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
But this parade revealed a more innovative and diverse range of weapons, particularly drones and missiles - a reflection of how advanced their defence-industrial complex has become.
China's top-down structure and significant resources enable it to churn out new weapons faster than many other countries, points out Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow with the Pacific Forum.
It can also produce them in huge quantities, giving it a battlefield advantage where it can overwhelm the enemy.
"China has the ability to churn out munitions, ships, all these platforms... the state can just make these directives and off they go," Mr Neill says.
But how well can China's military integrate these weapons systems?
"They can show off these flashy advanced platforms, but are they organisationally agile to use them in the way they want to?" Dr Raska asks.
He adds that it won't be easy because the Chinese military is massive and untested, given it has not been involved in a significant war for decades.
2. China is focusing on missiles to counter the US
China has rolled out plenty of missiles, including some new variants.
These include the Dongfeng-61, which is capable of carrying multiple warheads in its nosecone; the Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile which could be launched from northern China and hit the US; and the "Guam Killer" Dongfeng-26D intermediate range missile, which could hit key US military bases in Guam.
The DF-61 missiles made their public debut during the parade
There were also several hypersonic anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-17 and YJ-19, which can fly very fast and maneuver unpredictably to evade anti-missile systems.
There's a reason for this focus on missiles.
China has been developing missiles and rocket forces as a key part of its deterrence strategy - and to counter the US' naval superiority, Mr Neill says.
The US Navy is unrivalled in the world with the largest fleet of aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups - China still lags behind on that count.
But, Mr Neill points out, some in the Western defence community are increasingly arguing that these strike groups are vulnerable, as they are effectively "sitting ducks" for any missile attacks.
Beijing is not only strengthening deterrence, but is also creating a "second strike capability," he says - a country's ability to launch a retaliatory strike if attacked.
Other notable weapons included the much-talked about LY-1 laser weapon, which is basically a giant laser that could burn or disable electronics or even blind pilots; and an assortment of fifth-generation stealth fighter jets including the J-20 and J-35 planes.
3. China is going all the way with AI and drones
There were a wide range of drones, some of them AI-powered, but the one that grabbed eyeballs was the AJX-002 giant submarine drone.
Also known as an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) measuring up to 20m (65ft) in length, it could possibly do surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
China also showed off its GJ-11 stealth attack drone, dubbed the "loyal wingman", which can fly alongside a manned fighter jet and aid it in its attacks.
Besides an array of conventional aerial drones, there were also "robotic wolves". Experts say these could be used for a variety of tasks from reconnaissance and sweeping for mines, to hunting down enemy soldiers.
The drone display shows a clear direction that China wants to take with its military strategy, where it "not only wants to augment, but replace traditional structures".
It has clearly taken lessons from the Ukraine war, where one can "just throw drones at the enemy" to wear down their defences, Dr Raska notes.
"Alacrity in the kill chain matters," adds Mr Neill, pointing out that in a fast-moving battle, decisions have to be made in "nanoseconds" to defeat the enemy and gain the upper hand – which is what AI can do.
Many countries are still concerned about deploying AI in their military systems and asking "how comfortable are we in putting AI in the kill chain", he adds.
But China is very comfortable with that, Dr Raska says. "They believe they can control AI. They are going all the way to integrate it into their systems."
4. China may have the technology, but the US still has an edge
The parade clearly shows that China is catching up quickly with the US in its military technology, and has the resources to build up a huge arsenal of weapons.
But the US still maintains an edge in terms of operations, experts say.
The US military "excels" because there is a "bottom-up" culture where units on the ground can make decisions as the situation evolves and alter their fighting strategies, Dr Raska notes. This makes them more agile in a battle.
China, on the other hand, is "top-down" where "they can have flashy platforms and systems but they will not move a finger until they receive an order from the top", he adds.
"The Chinese think its technology that creates deterrence. They believe that will deter the US... but at the operational level, there have been instances which show they may not be as good as they say they are", Dr Raska says, pointing to recent encounters such as an incident last month when a Chinese warship rammed one of its own smaller vessels as they confronted the Philippine coast guard.
5. The parade was a weapons sales pitch – and a chance to show the US a united front
With the leaders of more than two dozen countries invited to the event, the parade of weapons and tanks was essentially a giant sales pitch on Chinese arms to potential buyers, Mr Neill points out.
Some of the countries in attendance such as Myanmar are already known to be buying huge quantities of Chinese weapons. But the chance to sell to new customers or increase orders is how the Chinese government can extend its influence globally, Dr Raska notes.
The parade was attended by some heads of state while most Western leaders shied away from it
Among the key clients were those standing front and centre with Xi – Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.
The three presented a united front as they walked to the parade together and stood on stage.
That was a message to the US, Mr Neill says: if America wanted to really challenge them it would mean "fighting them on several potential theatres at the same time – the Korean peninsula, Taiwan Straits, and Ukraine".
"And if you consider it, putting pressure on the US on all three domains, it may fail in one of those theatres."
As the cannon fire echoed through Tiananmen Square, even before the first set of troops goose-stepped their way through Beijing's central avenue, the day's most enduring image unfolded.
China's President Xi Jinping welcomed North Korea's Kim Jong Un with a long handshake, then moved on to greet Russia's Vladimir Putin, and then walked to his seat, flanked by two of the world's most sanctioned leaders.
It was sheer political theatre. And it was this meeting - rather than the weaponry - that appears to have irked US President Donald Trump.
As the parade began, Trump sent a sharply-worded message on Truth Social, accusing the three leaders of conspiring against America.
This may well have been the reaction President Xi had hoped for as he kept Putin to his right and Kim to his left throughout the parade. The moment may have even been designed to infuriate a US president who would perhaps prefer to be the centre of the world's attention.
The Chinese leader has stolen the limelight, and he's using it to show his power and influence over an eastern-led alliance – a defiant group determined to push back against a US-led world order.
It is a strong message from Xi as the world reels from the unpredictability of Trump's presidency. Besides Kim and Putin, there were more than 20 other foreign heads of state. Just earlier this week, Xi also appeared to be resetting his troubled relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump's 50% levy on Indian imports has prompted a thaw between the long-time rivals.
Wednesday's spectacle was supposed to be about commemorating an 80-year-old victory over Japan. But it was actually about where China is headed - right to the top, with Xi playing the role of a global leader.
And at his feet was a military that is being built to rival the West.
China holds the reins now
This was the first time Xi, Putin and Kim had been seen together - and together, they climbed to the top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace that overlooks the historic square to watch the parade.
The symbolism was hard to miss. Communist China's founder Mao Zedong had declared the founding of the republic there in 1949 - and 10 years later, it was where he hosted Kim's grandfather and the then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, to watch a military parade.
Getty Images
From left to right: Kim Il-sung; first Premier of the People's Republic of China Zhou Enlai, Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Suslov; Chairman of the Workers' Party of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh; Mao Zedong; Nikita Khrushchev
That was the last time the leaders of the three countries were together. It was the height of the Cold War, China was isolated from much of the world, as was North Korea, and the Soviet Union was the most powerful and richest among them.
Now, it's China that holds the reins in this relationship. Nuclear-armed but still poor, North Korea needs Beijing's aid. And Putin needs the legitimacy that Xi just provided him.
In the past, Xi appeared to keep his distance from Putin and Kim, and publicly maintain a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine. He did not condemn it, but denied China was helping Russia.
It even seemed like he was on the sidelines as Russia and North Korea grew closer more recently. Kim has been sending troops to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine in exchange for money and technology.
But now he seems to be standing by his two neighbours, even as they continue to attack Kyiv.
"Today humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero sum," Mr Xi told the watching crowds, along with millions glued to the parade coverage on state TV across the country.
China is a "great nation that is never intimidated by any bullies", he declared.
And the military parade that followed was about showing that - it was a display of power, precision and patriotism.
It started with a gun salute – 80 times to mark 80 years since China's victory over Japan in World War Two, ending a brutal occupation. The sound bounced off every corner of the square as 50,000 spectators, some of them war veterans, sat in silence.
The choir followed, every single member appearing exactly spaced out as the cameras panned above them. They sang in perfect harmony: "Without the Communist Party, there is no modern China." Each verse was punctuated by raised fists.
President Xi drove the length of the parade route to inspect his troops before each battle unit took turns to goose-step past their leader. Every joint strike on the tarmac reverberated through the stands.
The rumbling tanks came first in the display of China's new weapons. But they looked old compared to what followed. A new nuclear-capable missile that can be launched from sea, land and air, hypersonic anti-ship missiles and laser weapons to defend against drone attacks. There were new underwater and airborne drones that can spy on targets.
Getty Images
The US may still have an edge, honed over years and through its involvement in conflicts across the world, but there is no doubt that China is building a military to rival that.
And Wednesday's show of strength was a statement aimed at Washington and its allies, as well as the rest of the world - and even at Putin and Kim, who knew the significance of what they were looking at.
"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable," Xi had said in his speech in an effort to bolster pride in the nation.
The West is worried
It appears to be working on some people.
On a bridge overlooking the Tonghui River, crowds had gathered away from the main parade route to try to see the military flypast. Thirty-year-old Mr Rong said he found the parade moving.
"Cherishing this moment is the most fundamental thing we can do. We believe we will retake Taiwan by 2035," he declared.
This is the rhetoric feared by many on the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China believes is a breakaway province that will one day be united with the motherland. Xi has not ruled out the use of force to achieve that goal. And the weaponry that he showed off on Wednesday, much of which emphasised China's naval capabilities, is bound to worry Taiwanese leaders.
It also worries many Western nations, especially in Europe, which are still grappling with how to end the war in Ukraine. Many were absent from the parade.
Han Yongguang, 75, shrugged off any suggestion that Western leaders had shunned the parade.
"It's up to them to come or not," he said. "They are envious of China's fast development. To be honest, they are aggressive at heart. We are completely committed to the common prosperity of mankind. We are different."
This parade has been fuelling a wave of nationalism at a time when China is battling serious domestic challenges: a sluggish economy, a real estate crisis, an ageing population, high youth unemployment and local governments deep in debt.
Getty Images
As confident as China appears on the world stage, President Xi must find a way to keep a burgeoning middle class from worrying about their future. China's economic rise was once thought unstoppable, but that is no longer the case.
So this parade - with all the rhetoric about an old enemy, Japan - may be a welcome distraction.
After a long display of cutting-edge weaponry, including nuclear missiles, the parade concluded with thousands of doves and balloons released into the skies over Beijing.
The commemoration - the songs, the marches, the missiles, the drones, even the "robot wolves" - was not so much about China's struggle.
Rather, it was about how far China has come - and how it is catching up with the US and challenging it for supremacy.
The e-commerce giant is ending a program that let Prime members share free shipping with a family member who lives somewhere else. Here’s what to know.
The agency’s staff scientists pointed out how Covid was still unpredictable and posed a threat to toddlers, but the official decided to restrict shots only to children with risk factors.
Dr. Vinay Prasad disagreed with staff at the F.D.A., wanting to narrow Covid vaccination approvals to people younger than 65 who have health conditions that put them at risk for severe disease.
A federal judge ordered steps in the search monopoly case that will restrain Google but not break it up, signaling a cautious antitrust approach by courts.
The Google search case is one of five pending antitrust suits by the Justice Department or the F.T.C. against big tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google, twice.
A federal judge ordered steps in the search monopoly case that will restrain Google but not break it up, signaling a cautious antitrust approach by courts.
The Google search case is one of five pending antitrust suits by the Justice Department or the F.T.C. against big tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google, twice.
When Jerry Nadler announced his retirement this week, he opted to directly address a question that’s been roiling the Democratic Party since Joe Biden’s withering debate performance last year: How old is too old to run for office?
The 78-year-old congressmember cited his age as a factor in his departure plans from a safe seat in New York City. And in doing so, he earned praise from some of the party’s younger agitators — though based on interviews, it’ll take more than a handful of elderly lawmakers like Nadler heeding their calls to step aside to repair the intra-party rift.
As it is, the vast majority of Democrats who are 70 or older are publicly running for another House term.
Against that backdrop, a trend of acknowledging the party’s age problem — often tacitly — is beginning to emerge, even as other senior members of the party are likely to stay put.
Four House Democrats, including Nadler, and four Senate Democrats over the age of 65 have said this year that they are stepping down from Congress. A fifth House Democrat said he would retire from his home district if Texas’ proposed redistricting maps survive legal challenges. Democrats believe even more departures could be coming with a government shutdown deadline looming and lawmakers evaluating their futures after returning from their August recess.
“These retirements are a great example of maturity from these leaders to make the difficult decision for them of knowing even after you've served somewhere for decades that it's time for somebody else to lead,” Leaders We Deserve co-founder David Hogg said in an interview, specifically responding to Nadler’s news.
But 25-year-old Hogg, who has become a leading voice for generational change within his party, also pledged to continue his plan to financially support some candidates who challenge older incumbent Democrats.
“There is still more of a need for us to bring in some fresh blood into this party and help rejuvenate it,” he said, “and show people how the party is changing in the wake of a pretty major loss last election cycle.”
More than 80 House members are 70 or older, a statistic younger Democrats like Hogg cite to underscore their argument that a party in turmoil needs generational change. Only one House member is in his 20s, and the vast majority of older congressional members are expected to run for reelection.
Still, some Democrats who have announced their retirement have explicitly cited age as a factor.
Nadler told the New York Times that “watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that.” Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81, announced in the spring she wouldn’t seek reelection, saying, “It is now time for me to pass the baton” and this week praising the “new voices” as “so sharp, so articulate, so self-assured. It's wonderful.”
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, 67, likewise said earlier this year that “it’s important that people in my position do what they can to lift up the next generation of leaders” when unveiling her retirement. And 83-year-old Illinois Rep. Danny Davis told supporters in July when he decided to retire that “this would be a great time to try and usher in new leadership.”
As Democrats search for a path out of the political wilderness, they have faced a push for fresh faces from voters and activists who have urged their leaders to mount a more visible resistance to President Donald Trump. The impatience from younger Democrats has led several primary challengers to attempt to turn incumbents' age into a liability. Three House Democrats have died in office this year, further fueling the contentious debate on the left.
“The boomer generation has held on to some of these seats for a long time,” said New York City-based Democratic strategist Evan Thies. “And we saw in the last election that even very accomplished, highly competent and productive elder electeds are now at risk of not winning their elections simply because they're older.”
Even agitators like Hogg have carved out exceptions to their push to oust senior Democrats, which he insists is motivated by effectiveness and not solely age. Hogg, whose primary plans caused an uproar within the Democratic National Committee that culminated in his ouster as a party vice chair, has exempted Democratic luminaries like Nancy Pelosi, 85, from his anti-incumbent movement. And he has said the same of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 83, who still draws huge crowds even as he signals this term could be his last in the Senate.
“Generational change has been underway in the House Democratic caucus for the last several years, and it's something that every caucus member, regardless of which generation they find themselves in, has embraced,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 55, told reporters Tuesday when asked about generational change and Nadler’s decision. “What the record shows is leadership to rank-and-file-members to committee positions, and at all points in between.”
This year, House Democrats elevated a younger, rising star in the party, Rep. Robert Garcia, as their top member of the Oversight Committee, and Jeffries himself had participated in a changing of the guard when Pelosi stepped aside as speaker, along with her top lieutenants, Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn, to make way for a younger trio.
Rep. Jared Huffman took over as the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee from Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who stepped aside amid a cancer battle and later died. And Rep. Angie Craig won a caucus-wide election to be the top Agriculture Committee Democrat after Rep. David Scott also dropped his bid amid health questions.
In a move that some younger Democrats have criticized, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has actively recruited older, well-known Democrats like former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in his long-shot bid to flip the upper chamber. Other Senate Democratic candidates are younger, including Rep. Chris Pappas, 45, in New Hampshire and the trio of Democrats running in Michigan.
Some senior House Democrats are keeping others in the party guessing about their future plans. Two top members of the previous generation of House Democratic leadership — Pelosi and Hoyer — have been publicly noncommittal on their re-election plans, though Pelosi has filed for re-election. And others who have faced competitive primary challenges amid broader health questions, like Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), have said they’re still running for re-election.
Hoyer spokesperson Margaret Mullkerrin said in a statement he was “focused on holding the Trump Administration accountable, protecting democracy at home and abroad, supporting federal employees and civil servants, and delivering for Maryland’s 5th District.”
Jumaane Williams, the 49-year-old New York City Public Advocate, applauded Nadler for stepping down after “watching what happened to the country, particularly around President Biden.”
"I think the party in general should be learning this lesson,” he said. “Hopefully, when it's my turn, I have that lesson, too.”
With additional reporting by Jeff Coltin and Shia Kapos.
Apple has just released its weekly update to XProtect for all supported versions of macOS, bringing it to version 5313. As usual, Apple doesn’t release information about what security issues this update might add or change.
This version adds 4 new rules for components of MACOS.MISOMESA and 7 for MACOS.MISOMAGIC, both new codenames in the Yara file, it also adds a new rule for MACOS.SOMA.AUENC, another Soma/Amos component, and amends the existing detection rule for MACOS.DUBROBBER.CHBI.
You can check whether this update has been installed by opening System Information via About This Mac, and selecting the Installations item under Software.
A full listing of security data file versions is given by SilentKnight and SystHist for El Capitan to Tahoe available from their product page. If your Mac hasn’t yet installed this update, you can force it using SilentKnight or at the command line.
If you want to install this as a named update in SilentKnight, its label is XProtectPlistConfigData_10_15-5313
Sequoia and Tahoe systems only
This update hasn’t yet been released for Sequoia and Tahoe via iCloud, but should be very shortly. If you want to check it manually, use the Terminal command sudo xprotect check
then enter your admin password. If that returns version 5313 but your Mac still reports an older version is installed, you may be able to force the update using sudo xprotect update
Angela Rayner has admitted she should have paid more tax when she bought her flat in Hove, blaming inaccurate legal advice she received beforehand.
The deputy prime minister said she paid the standard rate of stamp duty on the East Sussex property on the basis it was her only home.
But she said she received further advice, that she should have in fact paid a higher rate, due to arrangements set up for her family home in Greater Manchester.
She denied she had tried to dodge tax, and said she had referred herself for investigation by the prime minister's ethics adviser.
Rayner has faced mounting Tory criticism over her tax situation after continued media scrutiny in recent weeks.
Recording a clip with reporters, she said she had been prevented from sharing more details of her "complex" living arrangements because of a court order that has since been lifted, after she applied to have it removed.
She added that she had contacted HMRC to say she owed additional tax on the property, which she is "prepared to pay".
The Daily Telegraph has previously reported she saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the purchase because she had not paid the higher rate on the £800,000 flat.
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Russia has rebuffed calls for a ceasefire as its troops advance in Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia will achieve all its objectives by force if Ukraine does not agree to a deal.
"It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict," Putin said. "If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily."
He praised the "sincere desire" by Donald Trump to find a solution – a day after the US president said he was "disappointed" in Putin, following Russia's attacks in Ukraine since their Alaska summit.
Trump has tried to persuade Putin to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Russian leader has not agreed to do so.
"I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. But is there any point? Let's see," he said.
He added that any such meeting required preparation in advance to yield results, and that Zelensky could always go to Moscow to see him – a "knowingly unacceptable" idea, as Ukraine's foreign minister was quick to point out.
Ukraine's president has been highlighting Putin's refusal to meet as a way of urging Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and boost Ukraine's defences.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
Putin was speaking in Beijing after attending a massive military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The event - also attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and leaders of some 20 other countries - was seen as a challenge to the US-dominated global world order.
It did not go unnoticed by Trump who wrote on his social media platform: "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America."
Asked by a Russian state TV journalists whether the war in Ukraine could end soon, the Russian leader said "there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel".
But he went on to stress that Russia would not relinquish the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine his troops have seized.
The Russian leader repeated his demands for Ukraine not to seek to become a Nato member and to stop what he called discrimination against ethnic Russians – one of the allegations mentioned as a pretext for the invasion.
Putin hinted that security guarantees that Ukraine's Western allies have promised to provide Kyiv after a future peace deal would not relate to the Donbas areas whose inhabitants had opted to join Russia – a reference to widely-criticised votes held in the aftermath of the annexation.
Watch: BBC correspondent Katy Watson reports from scene of deadly Russian attack on Kyiv
On Thursday, the French president will host a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing – a grouping of allies of Ukraine.
A source at the Élysée, Macron's office, has said the group want to secure American backing for a plan to press Russia to agree a ceasefire, with allies extending security guarantees to Ukraine immediately, rather than waiting for a peace deal.
President Trump pressed Putin for a ceasefire during their summit in Alaska last month, but then emerged from the talks saying the search for a peace deal would be a better way of ending the conflict.
Putin has rejected calls for a truce and his troops have intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities. More than Russian 500 drones and 24 cruise missiles were launched on Wednesday night alone.
Rachel Reeves has dismissed forecasts of a £50bn "black hole" in the public finances, despite higher borrowing costs and expected tax rises piling pressure on the chancellor ahead of the autumn Budget.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Reeves hit back at reports speculating over her plans, arguing that "a lot of them are talking rubbish".
Reeves said she would aim to "get the balance right" at the Budget, which will be on 26 November, but the Conservatives said the government "don't know what they're doing".
Reeves told the BBC: "Working people and businesses can rest assured, I know how important it is to return growth in investments to our economy and I will do that in the Budget this year."
However, shadow chancellor Mel Stride accused the government of not having a plan and of "stalling" the Budget "in the vain hope things might get better".
'Talking rubbish'
Last month, an independent think tank, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr), estimated that the chancellor would need to plug a £50bn gap in the public finances
But the chancellor played down the figure and told the BBC Niesr had "more than most got their numbers wrong in the last few years".
Forecasts for how much money Reeves needs to find to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules vary widely, with some estimates putting the figure at around £25bn.
Reeves has two rules on government borrowing, which she has repeatedly said are "non-negotiable". These are:
day-to-day government costs will be paid for by tax income, rather than borrowing by 2029-30
to get debt falling as a share of national income by the end of this parliament in 2029-30.
Ahead of the election, Labour pledged not to increase taxes on "working people", which included VAT, National Insurance (NI) and income tax.
However, at the Budget last year, she increased the amount of NI employers have to pay, which led to a backlash from many businesses and sectors, such as hospitality.
U-turns on proposed welfare cuts and winter fuel payments have also put pressure on the chancellor to find alternative revenue streams.
It has led to speculation the chancellor is considering tax rises on property, banks and people, but Reeves hit back at such reports.
"People who seem to know what is in the Budget before we have made those decisions are just wrong," she told the BBC.
"A lot of them are talking rubbish, and frankly, a lot of what they're saying is irresponsible.
"It's up to me to decide what is in the Budget, and I will do that in a careful way, getting the balance right between making sure that we've got enough money to find our public services, particularly our National Health Service , whilst also ensuring that we can bring growth and investment to Britain," she added.
The chancellor also denied that recent sharp increases in government borrowing costs hurt her credibility, saying they have "moved in line with other countries".
"There are global pressures on borrowing costs. You can see that around the world, from the United States to Europe and beyond. We're not immune to those," she said.
'Positive signs'
In recent days long-term borrowing costs across the world have increased, amid concerns about political uncertainty, levels of debt, and a structural shift in pension funds away from such bonds.
Some commentators have argued that the UK's financial position is so weak that it will need a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, but Reeves said "serious economists" don't accept that idea.
She argued there were "lots of positive signs" in the economy, but accepted that more needed to be done so that "working people wherever they live, actually feel the benefits of that growth".
Asked about whether she would return to the bill for welfare to make the Budget numbers add up, she said: "The welfare state should always be there for people who really need it, but we also need to do more to ensure that everyone who can work does work."
After the recent U-turn on welfare cuts, the terms of reference for Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Timms' review of disability benefits is expected shortly.
Some Labour MPs are also campaigning for extra spending to alleviate child poverty by reversing the two-child benefit cap.
The chancellor was speaking to the BBC ahead of the announcement of the Budget date.
A strike carried out by US forces on a boat in the Caribbean Sea - which the White House says killed 11 drug traffickers - may have violated international human rights and maritime law, legal experts have told BBC Verify.
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that US forces destroyed a vessel which he said had departed from Venezuela. He said the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua cartel and was carrying drugs bound for the US.
US defence officials have so far declined to offer details on the strike, footage of which Trump shared on Truth Social, including what legal authority they relied upon to justify it.
BBC Verify reached out to a range of experts in international and maritime law, with several saying that US may have acted illegally in attacking the vessel.
Under the convention, countries agree not to interfere with vessels operating in international waters. There are limited exceptions to this which allow a state to seize a ship, such as a "hot pursuit" where a vessel is chased from a country's waters into the high seas.
"Force can be used to stop a boat but generally this should be non-lethal measures," Prof Luke Moffett of Queens University Belfast said.
But he added that the use of aggressive tactics must be "reasonable and necessary in self-defence where there is immediate threat of serious injury or loss of life to enforcement officials", noting that the US moves were likely "unlawful under the law of the sea".
Are US strikes on alleged cartel members legal?
Experts have also questioned whether the killing of the alleged members of the Tren de Aragua cartel could contravene international law on the use of force.
Under Article 2(4) of the UN charter, countries can resort to force when under attack and deploying their military in self-defence. Trump has previously accused the Tren de Aragua cartel of conducting irregular warfare against the US, and the state department has designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
But Prof Michael Becker of Trinity College Dublin told BBC Verify that the US actions "stretches the meaning of the term beyond its breaking point".
"The fact that US officials describe the individuals killed by the US strike as narco-terrorists does not transform them into lawful military targets," he said. "The US is not engaged in an armed conflict with Venezuela or the Tren de Aragua criminal organization."
"Not only does the strike appear to have violated the prohibition on the use of force, it also runs afoul of the right to life under international human rights law."
Prof Moffett said that the use of force in this case could amount to an "extrajudicial arbitrary killing" and "a fundamental violation of human rights".
"Labelling everyone a terrorist does not make them a lawful target and enables states to side-step international law," he said.
Notre Dame Law School Professor Mary Ellen O'Connell told BBC Verify that the strike "violated fundamental principles of international law", adding: "Intentional killing outside armed conflict hostilities is unlawful unless it is to save a life immediately."
"Sometimes armed groups waging war against governments deal in drugs to pay for their participation in conflict. There is no evidence the gang President Trump targeted is such a group."
But US officials have been quick to defend the strike. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham wrote on X that the strike was the "ultimate - and most welcome - sign that we have a new sheriff in town".
Getty Images
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham has defended the strikes
His fellow Republican senator, Bernie Moreno from Ohio, wrote: "Sinking this boat saved American lives. To the narco traffickers and the narco dictators, you'll eventually get the same treatment."
A White House official told BBC Verify that Trump had authorised the strike on the boat, which they said was crewed by Tren de Aragua members, after it left Venezuela. The official added that the president was committed to using all means to prevent drugs reaching the US.
The Pentagon declined to offer further comment or share the legal advice it obtained before carrying out the strike.
Can Trump launch attacks without Congressional approval?
Questions have also been raised as to whether the White House complied with US law in authorising the strike. The US constitution says that only Congress has the power to declare war.
However, Article II - which lays out the president's powers - says that "the president shall be Commander in Chief of the Army" and some constitutional experts have suggested that this grants the president the power to authorise strikes against military targets. Trump administration sources have previously cited this provision when defending US strikes on Iran.
But it is unclear whether that provision extends to the use of force against non-state actors such as drug cartels.
Rumen Cholakov, an expert in US constiutional law at King's College London told BBC Verify that since 9/11, US presidents have relied on the 2001 Authorization of Use of Military Force Act (AUMF) when carrying out strikes against groups responsible for the attacks.
"Its scope has been expanded consistently in subsequent administrations," he added. "It is not immediately obvious that drug cartels such as Tren de Aragua would be within the President's AUMF powers, but that might be what "narco-terrorists" is hinting at."
Questions also remain as to whether Trump complied with the War Powers Resolution, which demands that the president "in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities".
How did the US conduct the strike?
It is unclear what method the US used to launch the attack. Trump did not offer details in his news conference in the Oval Office and the Department of Defense has failed to offer further information.
In Venezuela President Maduro has yet to respond to the US strikes, but his Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez has suggested that the footage released by the White House may have been generated using AI. In a post to X, he suggested that water in the video "looks very stylized and unnatural".
BBC Verify has run the clip through SynthID - Google's AI detection software - and found no evidence that the footage is fake.
The strikes come amid reports that the US has deployed several naval warships to the region in support of anti-narcotics operations against Venezuela.
We've not been able to track all of these vessels. But using information from publicly-available onboard trackers, and videos on social media, we've potentially identified four of them in the region.
A ship identifying itself as the USS Lake Erie - a guided missile cruiser - last transmitted its location in the Caribbean Sea on 30 August, east of the Panama Canal on 30 August.
Two others identifying themselves as the USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham last transmitted their locations in mid-August, at the American base in Guantanamo Bay. A fourth, the USS Fort Lauderdale, transmitted its location north of the Dominican Republic on 28 August.
Trump - who has long sought to oust Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro - has authorised a US$50m reward for any information leading to his arrest. The Venezuelan leader claimed victory in last year's elections, widely viewed as rigged by international observers.
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