Andy Burnham has refused to rule out tax rises in the upcoming autumn Budget, saying he won't be unrealistic about the challenging state of public finances. The prime minister said he would take a careful approach to the economy, and defended his previously announced cost of living pledges as funded spending commitments. Burnham became prime minister in July promising to give people breathing space and help with the cost of living, but questions remain over how major policies such as social care reforms will be funded. Experts have previously warned that he and Chancellor John Healey will have little financial room to manoeuvre in their first Budget on 28 October. Speaking during his first visit to Ukraine, Burnham said the policies announced so far including capping bus fares at £2 and cutting VAT on household electricity bills were the first steps that I've felt able to make, and were doable because he was able to reprioritise funding from elsewhere.

Songs created by AI banned from Australia's music charts Image caption, Songs must be substantially human made to be included in Australia's charts Songs that are largely or wholly created by AI have been banned from Australia's music charts. From this week, all releases must be substantially human made to be eligible. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) said the new code would help promote the human nature of artistry. It follows a controversy around a cover of Madonna's Like A Prayer by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz which recently topped the ARIA dance singles chart and peaked at number 2 on the country's overall chart. The song has become a staple of commercial radio station playlists and been streamed more than 48 million times on Spotify alone.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he plans to travel to the US next month with European leaders to lobby US President Trump on Ukraine's defence needs. In an interview with Bloomberg, Burnham said, I'm looking forward to going to New York in September, when the UN General Assembly will meet. He said that while the details were not fully confirmed, it is likely he will go. The trip would be his first to the US since becoming prime minister in July. Leaving today, I'm quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks, he said following his official visit to Ukraine on Monday, during which he promised to continue pressuring Russia.

A French tourist has died in California's Death Valley after becoming stranded on the side of the road during 46.6C (116F) heat. Police found 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa recently following a brief search, with the National Park service saying he died while trying to seek help in the blistering heat when his car got stuck in mud. This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions here can turn dangerous, Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement. Soaring temperatures across the United States have caused millions of people to sweat through record heatwaves, leading to dozens of heat-related deaths. Formosa was driving through Death Valley with his French travelling companion last Monday when their vehicle became stuck in mud on West Side Road.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A tornado has torn through the French village of Pomas in the country's south-west, injuring 41 people and damaging hundreds of homes. Local authorities said 15 people were taken to hospital, including a pregnant woman who was injured after her house collapsed on her, according to AFP news agency. More than 120 emergency workers were deployed to the scene after winds reaching 117km/h (73mph) ripped roofs off houses and damaged an estimated 300 homes on Monday. French authorities issued an orange alert for thunderstorms in large parts of the country's south-west, which have already been hit by power outages and transport disruptions.

The US has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after 47 years, lifting what it said was the final major barriers for private sector investment in the country and its reintegration into the global economy. US Secretary Of State Marco Rubio said the move was in recognition of the Syrian government's positive actions to fully distance itself from acts of international terrorism. The Trump administration has embraced Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former militant who once had an American bounty on his head as the leader of an al-Qaeda off-shoot. His Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was also removed from the US list of global terrorist organisations. HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, was al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until Sharaa severed ties with the jihadist network in 2016.

Women who have missed a cervical screening appointment in England are to be offered HPV self-testing kits by the NHS. Over the next year, nearly 4 million will receive invites on the NHS App or via text message, email or letter to order a free kit to use at home. Figures show around a third of women who are eligible cervical cancer screening have not taken up the offer recently. The self-testing kits are designed to get more women checked for high-risk HPV virus, which causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Gem Sofianos-Boorman, 39, said her experience shows how important the screening is.

'What you see is what you pay' - why some US restaurants are banning tips Wine waiter Caroline Kraetzer earns $40 (£30) an hour, double what most service staff in San Francisco are paid but then it costs a lot to eat at her restaurant. At a set price of $140 (£100) per person, La Cigale is one of a small number of restaurants charging higher prices so it can pay high salaries - and it doesn't allow tips. It tells customers: What you see is what you pay. We do not accept tips, your kind words and return visits will suffice. Kraetzer says it is good to no longer be reliant on the generosity of strangers to pay the bills.

New 10p coin enters circulation - will you spot one? Something new might appear in your change when you pay in cash from now on: a 10p coin featuring the portrait of King Charles and the world's largest grouse. Sufficient demand for the coins mean newly-minted 10p pieces are entering circulation for the first time for about four years, this time with a new design. The Royal Mint says shoppers and collectors should discover the coins, which were minted and dated in 2023 and 2026, across the country. The reverse side of the coin depicts an image of the capercaillie which is found in a small part of Scotland and threatened with extinction.

Beyond China's humanoid robots, a quieter machine revolution is unfolding To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. I take a nap and the world changes, says Chen Tianyu. The 28-year-old keeps up with the latest technology by spending his spare time in factories that are switching to automation. That way he knows what to prioritise when teaching his class about artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. In front of him, around 30 college students are studying code.