Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Andy Burnham has acknowledged that Britain is facing an energy crisis this winter, but declined to promise further help for households or rule out a rise in fuel duty at the Budget. The warning came as energy bills were forecast to increase by a further 16 per cent in January, while motorists face record pump prices amid disruption linked to the situation in the Middle East. Mr Burnham said a warning from the boss of EDF that the country was heading towards a crisis was not an “overstatement”, describing the outlook as “challenging”. However, he stopped short of committing to…

The Iran war is likely to continue through the US congressional midterm elections in November and potentially beyond, analysts have warned, as peace talks repeatedly falter and both sides remain unwilling to make concessions. Iranian officials are divided between public-facing politicians and the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while the government seeks to preserve leverage and inflict political damage on President Donald Trump during the election cycle. With negotiations at an impasse and more oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz under US escort, Iran is losing influence and faces a choice between maintaining the current standoff and…

Silverchair will not reunite for a special performance at Sunday’s NRL grand final between the Newcastle Knights and Sydney Roosters, despite appeals from fans and former players. Daniel Johns, the band’s former frontman, said he, bassist Chris Joannou and drummer Ben Gillies were united in backing Newcastle from the stands rather than taking to the stage. “For the first time in ages, the three of us actually agree wholeheartedly about something. GO KNIGHTS,” Johns said in a social media statement. He added: “It’s all about the Knights this weekend. We love how footy brings this community together and it’s pretty…

Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City should be stripped of their titles as part of the punishment after being found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of financial rules. The former footballer and Sky Sports pundit said removing the club’s honours should form part of the sanctions imposed on Manchester City.

Donald Trump’s envoy has begun his posting in Canberra by paying tribute to Australian soldiers and praising the military alliance between the United States and Australia. The tribute marked the envoy’s first official act since starting work in the Australian capital. His arrival comes as the new US representative begins his diplomatic posting, with the alliance and the service of Australian soldiers at the centre of his opening engagement.

Iran has received US feedback on a proposed seven-day ceasefire, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expected to discuss the response in Tehran on Wednesday. The plan, put forward by Iran last week, would also involve the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and is intended to build trust between the two sides. Officials said the main disagreement currently concerns the order in which the measures would be implemented. Iran’s proposal was made conditional on the US meeting terms set out in a memorandum of understanding agreed in mid-June, which later broke down after several weeks. Donald Trump has publicly…

Cristiano Ronaldo is due to hold an emergency meeting with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca after being left on the bench for the 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway. The 41-year-old captain did not play any part in Sunday’s match, the first time in 18 years he has failed to feature for Portugal when not absent through injury or suspension. Ronaldo went straight down the tunnel at the final whistle and did not join his team-mates in thanking the travelling supporters. Jesus had initially planned to give him a 30-minute appearance before deciding to…

Donald Trump has secured a voluntary accord with leading artificial intelligence companies for internal controls and independent reviews, as he urged the industry to regulate itself rather than face immediate government restrictions. The agreement was announced after Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson met technology executives at the White House, including Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Elon Musk, the founder of xAI. “I think I’m seeing tremendous self-policing. And they understand that they have to self-police,” Mr Trump told reporters outside…

Instinct, an AI assistant startup founded by 23-year-old Noah Shinn, has reached a valuation of $10 billion after raising a further $1 billion in a Series C funding round. The company, which was founded last year, had raised $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation in August, taking its total funding at the time to $350 million. Despite being available only to a limited number of invitees, Instinct is approaching $1 billion in annual transaction volume, Shinn said in an interview published on Monday. The service has reportedly grown through word of mouth rather than conventional advertising. Shinn said Instinct…

Chantel Jeffries has turned 34, with a gallery of birthday photos highlighting the DJ’s latest glamorous looks. Jeffries, who has been sharing sensual selfies and photographs on social media, was celebrated with a selection of images released to mark the occasion. The birthday gallery features the model and DJ posing for the camera in a series of stylish shots.