Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Keir Starmer is wavering in his insistence that a national inquiry into grooming gangs is not necessary.

US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said yesterday.

Jimmy Carter, a US president who served only one term but was widely admired for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House, was remembered during his state funeral yesterday as a man who put honesty and kindness above partisan politics.

A pair of massive wildfires menacing Los Angeles from the east and west were still burning uncontained yesterday, two days after they ignited, but fire fighters managed to beat back another blaze scorching the Hollywood Hills.