Exclusive: Workers say £500k contract with US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces raises ‘serious ethical questions’

Public sector workers have voiced “deep concern” after Coventry city council signed a £500,000-a-year artificial intelligence contract with the US data technology company Palantir.

The deal is the first of its kind between a UK local authority and the Denver-based company, which supplies technology to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and to help Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

Fossil fuel wealth has helped transform the South American country into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies – which could be good news for the incumbent in the election

Jubilation was in the air as thousands of horn-tooting, flag-waving, red-shirt-clad supporters of Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, made their way to a recent rally.

Their party is predicted to easily win Monday’s general election on the back of an oil boom, which has helped transform the country into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

With the new school year starting next week, parents’ WhatsApp groups are pinging back into action. Here are the rules you must follow to avoid disaster

Becoming a parent can be one of the richest, most rewarding things you can ever experience. That said, it’s a qualified reward, because to be a parent is often to be forced into joining the school WhatsApp group. In theory, it’s a community of like-minded peers who understand that it takes a village to raise a child. In reality, the school WhatsApp group is a vortex of petty drama, pointless competition and outright hostility.

Navigating a mess like this can often leave a parent feeling bruised and overwhelmed. It is a task that requires diplomacy, patience and – sometimes, because everyone’s human – locking your phone away in a drawer until your blood pressure recovers. With that in mind, using real-life stories collected from friends and acquaintances, here are the top 10 rules of school WhatsApp group engagement.

One of the stars of Hollywood’s golden era, 92-year-old says prize as much about her refusal to be controlled as her on-screen performances

She was the No 1 box office star in the late 50s, but for decades Kim Novak, the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Vertigo, has lived a life of quiet seclusion. Now, at the age of 92, the last of the great, glamorous movie stars of Hollywood’s golden era is back in the spotlight. She is being honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Venice film festival, where a documentary about her life and career, Kim Novak’s Vertigo, is premiering.

For Novak, it is a tribute not just to her acting but to her lifelong refusal to be controlled and manipulated by Hollywood, or anyone else.

Charlie Falconer says government was right to challenge Epping hotel ruling but now has to ‘move forward’

A former Labour justice secretary has warned that Reform UK will continue to rise in opinion polls unless the government moves faster to close hotels housing people seeking asylum.

On Friday, the government won a court of appeal challenge against an injunction by Epping Forest district council that would have resulted in 130 asylum seekers being moved out of the Bell hotel. In recent weeks the hotel has become the focus of repeated protests, some of which have been orchestrated by far-right extremists and have turned violent.

• German club have £56m option to buy

• Milan will pay £36m for Nkunku

Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign Nicolas Jackson on loan from Chelsea. Bayern are paying a €15m (£13m) loan fee for the striker with a €65m (£56m) option to buy, while there is a sell-on clause. Chelsea have also announced the sale of Christopher Nkunku for £36m to Milan.

The 24-year-old Jackson is out of favour at Chelsea after the arrivals of Liam Delap and João Pedro. He joined from Villarreal in 2023 for £32m and scored 24 goals in 65 Premier League appearances.