UK House Speaker says no one above the law as gov’t accused of blackmail

The first asylum seekers to be held on the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge have been removed after the discovery. The government had already faced criticism over plans to hold up to 500 people on the vessel.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday his government was looking to change the law following reports British nurse Lucy Letby was refusing to leave her cell for sentencing. Letby was convicted on Friday (August 18) of murdering seven babies and trying to kill another six at the hospital where she worked in northwest England, making her one of the country's worst serial child killers.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣

The German government has approved a law of self-determination allowing people to change their gender and name more easily.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣

The controversial law cracks down on criticism and bans anonymous internet pathways. Activists fear that this will affect the LGBTQ minority.

The maker of weight-loss drug Wegovy has become Europe's most valuable firm, dethroning the French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Shares rose after the Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, launched the popular drug in the UK. At the close of trading on Monday, the firm had a stock market valuation of $428bn (£339bn).

Blacklisting the Wagner Group would put it on the terror list with al-Qaida, meaning that it would be a criminal offense to be a member of or support the mercenary outfit under UK laws.

Nigeria's presidential election tribunal on Wednesday rejected challenges by opposition rivals to Bola Tinubu's win in February's disputed vote, following a pattern seen in previous election years in Africa's most populous country.

Forced exile, grief, pressures of assimilation and generational trauma are recurring themes for many, if not most narratives about the refugee experience. They're at the heart of author Cecile Pin's first book, “Wandering Souls”, which recounts the lesser known stories of Vietnamese boat people who fled to the United Kingdom. She joined us for Perspective.

Talking Europe hosts Pascal Lamy, co-ordinator of the Jacques Delors institutes, and a distinguished former head of the World Trade Organization and former EU Trade Commissioner. We discuss great power competition in today's world; the EU’s influence when it comes to global trade and regulation; the critical importance of Africa to Europe; and climate adaptation in the light of Lamy’s role as a member of the Climate Overshoot Commission.

The UK has announced it's rejoining the European Union's flagship science funding programme, Horizon. In the wake of Brexit, London had been blocked from re-associating with the scheme, which is the world's biggest civil research and innovation programme. The UK government says the new deal gives local scientists "unrivalled opportunities" at a good price for taxpayers. We take a closer look.