Top Senate Republican says Democrats see shutdown as ‘politically advantageous’ as 30 September deadline looms

The US government is drawing nearer to a potential shutdown after Donald Trump told Republicans on Friday “don’t even bother dealing with” the Democrats , whose congressional leaders are refusing to support spending bills that do not include their healthcare priorities.

Congress is up against an end-of-the-month deadline to approve legislation funding the federal government, otherwise many departments will stop work and employees will be told to stay home. While the Senate and House of Representatives have made some progress on passing the 12 appropriations bills that make up the budget, it seems certain that Congress will need to pass a short-term measure to keep the government open beyond 30 September.

Watchdog says there are also allegations of discriminatory and misogynistic comments, centring on Charing Cross police station

Nine Scotland Yard officers have been suspended after an investigation was launched into claims of excessive use of force and the making of discriminatory and misogynistic comments.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the allegations centre on Charing Cross police station in central London, the source of a previous scandal for the Metropolitan police.

After disastrous week, some MPs predict challenge likely if local and Welsh elections go badly next May

Keir Starmer has been warned that time is running out to repair his faltering premiership, with Labour MPs beginning to ask whether he could be challenged as prime minister.

After a disastrous week which saw Angela Rayner resign and Peter Mandelson sacked as ambassador to Washington, a number of MPs said a challenge was likely if local and Welsh elections went badly next May. Some said the one thing currently protecting Starmer was the lack of an agreed replacement.

• Belgian rider wins his third stage of 2025 race

• Vingegaard adds four seconds to overall lead

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen sprinted clear at the end of stage 19 to seal his third win at this year’s Vuelta a España on Friday while overall leader Jonas Vingegaard added four seconds to his advantage over Joño Almeida.

After 160km of relatively flat riding in west central Spain, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Philipsen burst to the front near the finish and never looked like being caught.

Israeli strikes on Gaza, air alerts in Kyiv, the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, and Carlos Alcaraz’s victory at the US Open: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

• Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing

One in five institutions spending less, including in areas such as cancer and heart disease, because of erosion in support from government and charities

Universities are cutting back on vital research, with world-leading work on deadly conditions such as cancer and heart disease under threat from an erosion in funding from government and charities, according to a report.

The report, compiled by Universities UK , found that one in five UK universities have reduced their research activity, including cuts to life sciences, medicine and environmental sciences, and many said they were expecting to make steeper cuts in the future because of mounting financial pressures.

Christoper Joell-Deshields to hand over Pride for London’s banking passwords, social media and email accounts

The head of London’s Pride parade, who is fighting claims that he used its funds for his personal benefit, has been ordered by the high court to relinquish control of the organising body’s bank account.

Christoper Joell-Deshields, who was suspended as chief executive last month, consented to an order on Friday to hand over Pride for London’s banking passwords, social media and email accounts.

The attack in Doha upended a decades-old assumption – and left Arab leaders questioning how much they can still rely on Washington

On Thursday, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, led a funeral at the state mosque. Flanked by officials in white thobes, he prayed over six caskets – one draped in a Qatari flag and five bearing Palestinian flags.

Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, which also killed a Qatari officer, marked an unprecedented moment for the Gulf kingdom. The attack undercut the assumption that has underpinned Qatari foreign policy for three decades and reverberated across the Arab region: be useful to the United States, and it will protect you.

Decision means none of drugmaker’s much-trumpeted £650m UK investment package is currently proceeding

The drugmaker AstraZeneca has paused a planned £200m investment in its Cambridge research site, completing a depressing week for the UK pharmaceutical industry.

The decision by Britain’s biggest company means none of its much-trumpeted £650m investment package in the UK – which was originally announced in March 2024 – is currently proceeding.