LONDON – Former British business minister Kemi Badenoch launched her bid to become leader of the opposition Conservative Party on July 28, making her the sixth candidate seeking to replace the outgoing Rishi Sunak. Mr Sunak stepped down as leader following the party’s worst-ever election performance earlier in June, but said he would stay as acting leader until a successor was chosen. Ms Badenoch, in an article for July 29’s edition of The Times, said the Conservatives had “deserved to lose” the July 4 election and that, in government, the party had been too left-wing. The leadership contest will see the party’s elected lawmakers first narrow the field to four candidates, who will make their case at the Conservative Party conference, which begins in late September. The number of candidates will then be narrowed down to two, who will be put forward to a vote of all party members.

Duncan Scott and Matt Richards are in the men’s 200 metres freestyle final, while Tom Pidcock sets out to defend his cross-country mountain biking title and Team GB eventers are chasing team and individual medals. Tom Daley (left) and Noah Williams are in action (John Walton/PA)Daley ended his 13-year wait for Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 with Matty Lee in the men’s synchronised 10 metres platform. Tokyo silver medallist Duncan Scott has a central lane in the men’s 200m freestyle, where he is joined by Team GB team-mate Matt Richards (1940BST). Woods’ redemptionKimberley Woods claimed kayak bronze (David Davies/PA)Kimberley Woods claimed her first Olympic medal with kayak bronze at the The Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Picture of the dayFans walked through a mist of water near the Eiffel Tower (John Walton/PA)Tweet of the DayWho won Team GB medals on day two of the Paris Olympics?

North Korea Intensifies Military Activities At Border With South Korea Rebuilding guard posts and stationing weapons raise alarm amid rising tensions after recent satellite launchA New Era of Tensions: North Korea's Military Escalation towards South KoreaThe past few weeks have seen a troubling shift in the dynamics between North and South Korea, as North Korea has increased its military presence along the border. Seoul's defense ministry has reported that North Korea is not only repairing guard posts but also positioning heavy weaponry close to the demilitarized zone (DMZ). This move comes after both North and South Korea have appeared ready to abandon a crucial confidence-building military agreement. South Korea's defense ministry remains vigilant and has vowed to monitor North Korea's military activities, maintaining an operational readiness for any provocation. While the region grapples with the implications of North Korea's activities, there is a growing demand for renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation.

Peter Dutton has not distanced himself from it. He has not condemned it, he has not taken any action against Barnaby Joyce, so I am not sure what Barnaby Joyce has to do to lose his job. Peter Dutton has had four reshuffles already. And Peter Dutton’s responses, oh well, the apology is a sort of OK and that should be the end of it. Well, Barnaby Joyce, on top of the other activity that he has been involved in, and other incidents, I mean, what does this guy have to do?

Of course, there is lot more to the Harris campaigns than painting trump and vance with simple but accurate words. Let’s spread the message “trump is weird.”The words used to describe J.D. Vance are “weird and creepy” for his creepy take on women’s health rights. Also significant is the 59-year-old Harris’s numbers within the swing group of “double haters” – voters who liked neither Biden nor Trump. For others, there are a variety of message from the Harris campaign.

The first RedBridge Group federal poll since April gives the Coalition its first two-party lead from the pollster out of its seven published results this term. While they are yet to chalk one up in Newspoll, Coalition two-party poll leads are seemingly becoming less uncommon, as the BludgerTrack poll trend measure (see sidebar) maintains its long slow trajectory in their favour:• RedBridge Group has a federal poll that credits the Coalition with a two-party preferred lead of 51.5-48.5, compared with a Labor lead of 52-48 at the last such poll in April, and the first lead for the Coalition out of the seven such polls RedBridge has conducted this term. The primary votes are Labor 32% (down one), Coalition 41% (up four) and Greens 11% (down one). The primary votes were Labor 31.5% (up half), Coalition 39.5% (up two), Greens 13% (up half) and One Nation 5% (steady). Norberger held the state seat of Joondalup for the Liberals from 2013 to 2017.

Anthony Albanese has cleared out the home affairs ministry, replacing both Clare O’Neil and Andrew Giles with Tony Burke as he resets ahead of the coming election. In making his announcement, the prime minister said he was making the changes after 'the most stable period' of government in 'living memory'

Yesterday, DOJ settled the Privacy Act lawsuits of both Strzok and Lisa Page. It delegates from the FBI Director to the FBI Deputy Director the power to impose summary dismissals and to overrule disciplinary decisions issued by the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility (“OPR”). Mr. Strzok has further argued that even if the Deputy Director could have had that power, he did not have it in 2018. Today’s production appears to confirm Mr. Strzok’s argument. [T]here is a significant dispute of material fact as to Deputy Director Bowdich’s rationale and motive for terminating Mr. Strzok’s employment.

Andy Burnham says people should not rush to judgment after CCTV footage obtained by the Manchester Evening News showed the run-up to an incident in which a police officer allegedly stamped on the head of a man who appeared to be incapacitated on the floor. The footage shows a fight between two officers and two men. Police have suspended an officer and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched a criminal investigation

Masoud Pezeshkian was inaugurated by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a ceremony on Sunday in Tehran. Pezeshkian, a reformist among his peers, is a medical surgeon and former health minister who vowed to respond to the electorate's demand for change. Pezeshkian was elected in early July after his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed in a helicopter crash

The eighth point says: “Big news brings out the fakers.”And so it was in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Saturday 13 July. That Sunday in the newsroom was, as I imagine was the case in most newsrooms, “frenetic”, as one editor put it. There were 14 stories being prepared relating to the shooting alone, which would be accompanied by 23 images. The picture desk, which was handling photos for all the main stories from politics to sport, had thousands of images to consider. The belief was rather that it could prove to have been previously taped by Crooks and posted by persons unknown.

Paris 2024 organisers have apologised to Catholics and Christian groups angered by a kitsch tableau in the Olympic Games opening ceremony that parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting. The segment, which resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before his crucifixion, featured drag queens and a singer made up as the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. This drew dismay from the Catholic church and the religious right in US. The creative director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, said: 'I did not intend to be subversive or to mock or shock … In France we can believe or not believe, in France we have a lot of rights and I wanted to convey those values throughout the ceremony.'

✕ Close Lando Norris reacts to dramatic end to Hungarian Grand PrixGeorge Russell was disqualified from Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix just hours after claiming a thrilling victory on track. However, in an initial post-race check, Russell’s Mercedes car was found to be 1.5 kg under the weight permitted in the regulations, following the obligatory drainage of fuel. The matter was referred to the FIA stewards, who an hour later confirmed that Russell had been disqualified from the race classification. The driver himself, it has been reported, found out about the disqualification whilst on his way home to Monaco. Follow live updates from the Belgian Grand Prix with The Independent

This was when Glasgow began to “cook with gas.” The erection of the first gas works began in 1817. The Glasgow Gas Light Co expanded its enterprise, building the Tradeston Gas Works in 1835 to supply the south side as well as works in Partick. Dawsholm Gas Works (Image: Glasgow City Archives)The Partick, Hillhead and Maryhill Company was formed in 1871, but without parliamentary powers, to manufacture and supply gas in Glasgow’s surrounding police burghs. Inside the gas appliances showroom (Image: Glasgow City Archives)In 1895 the previous Gas Commission merged with Glasgow Corporation Gas, becoming one of its departments. The Provan Gas Works gasometers still stand, visible from the M8 and for miles around.

Manchester United are closing in on their third summer signing, with talks progressing over a deal for Bayern Munich's Noussair Mazraoui, and have been tipped for a big week with several other deals in the pipeline. Tottenham, meanwhile, have confirmed the signing of Yang Min-Hyeok, and still hold interest in Eberechi Eze and Jonathan David. Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours live below!