UK warned over ballooning debt costs and slower growth ahead of Budget

The UK has been warned over ballooning debt costs and slower economic growth ahead of Chancellor John Healey's first Budget next month.

The UK was among countries facing downgraded growth forecasts in a report by the influential Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday.

Off sick? You need to phone your boss, back-to-work adviser says

People off sick from work should keep in phone contact with their boss, government-appointed back-to-work expert Sir Charlie Mayfield has said.

Getting bosses and workers to have a conversation, rather than simply exchanging emails and sicknotes, could help get people back into work, Sir Charlie, who is leading the Keep Britain Working taskforce, said.

UK to review Chagos Islands deal over lack of US support, Streeting tells BBC

The UK is reviewing its deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the defence secretary has said.

Wes Streeting confirmed the deal was being looked at again after US President Donald Trump called it "terrible" at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Top South African police officer charged with raping woman, 18, and grooming 16-year-old girl

One of South Africa’s most senior police officers has been charged with raping an 18-year-old woman and grooming a 16-year-old girl, as the country’s police face allegations of corruption and failing to tackle violence against women and girls.

Gus Lamont’s parents make emotional plea as $1m reward offered for information about disappearance

The parents of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont have made an emotional plea for any information about their “unique little boy” as authorities offered a $1m reward over the disappearance.

No trace of Gus has been found since he went missing from his family’s enormous sheep farm in the South Australian outback almost a year ago.

Trump follows in Hugo Chavez’s footsteps to launch his own TV channel

United States President Donald Trump launched a round-the-clock YouTube channel run by the White House on Monday.

The move follows his banning of CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and Politico from reporting from the White House on Friday, prompting five major television networks to suspend coverage on Monday morning in protest.

AOC refuses to rule out run against Senate leader Chuck Schumer

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive Democratic congresswoman, has refused to rule out a potential run against the party’s Senate leader Chuck Schumer amid mounting speculation around her political ambitions.

When asked by the New York Times whether she would challenge Schumer in 2028, when his current term is up, Ocasio-Cortez declined to exclude the possibility – even if Democrats win back the Senate majority.

Juvenile murder sentence rule doesn't breach human rights, says Supreme Court

What’s behind French protests against a new police bill?

France was rocked by protests on Sunday against proposed legislation that would grant additional protections to law enforcement officials using firearms in the line of duty.

The new law, which critics say will grant police officers a “licence to kill”, comes amid mounting allegations of police brutality in recent years, particularly against immigrant communities in the banlieues – outlying suburbs – of Paris and other major cities.

Call of Duty's Activision to make next Halo game as Xbox cuts more jobs

Xbox is cutting hundreds of jobs and making sweeping changes to the production of its flagship Halo franchise, as its company-wide "reset" continues.

Its latest reductions, forming part of a wave of ongoing layoffs, will impact staff at the studio which currently makes Halo - with Call of Duty publisher Activision to take on development of any future games.