BORIS JOHNSON HOSTS MEETINGS ON HURRICANE RESPONSE AND NORTH KOREA THREAT

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is hosting top level international meetings on Thursday to discuss issues ranging from the response to Hurricane Irma to North Korea's nuclear programme.

Fresh from a visit to British overseas territories that were hit by the natural disaster, Mr Johnson is holding talks with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and French political director Nicolas de Riviere about the aftermath of the hurricane.

In separate talks, the trio will discuss fresh ways to respond to North Korea's latest nuclear test after the UN security council approved new sanctions against Pyongyang.

FLORENCE TO HOST THERESA MAY FOR PM'S HIGH-PROFILE BREXIT SPEECH

Theresa May is to travel to a historic European city to unveil further details of her vision for Britain's future outside the EU.

The Prime Minister's high-profile Brexit speech in the Italian city of Florence on September 22 is likely to be seen as a bid to break the deadlock in withdrawal negotiations, which resume in Brussels three days later.

It comes amid warnings that progress in talks on the UK's divorce deal has been too slow for discussions to move on to the question of a future trading relationship as Britain desires.

GRENFELL TOWER FIRE INQUIRY TO BEGIN WITH OPENING STATEMENT

The chairman of the public inquiry into the causes of the Grenfell Tower fire will deliver his opening statement in the first public hearing of the contentious probe.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the retired judge chosen by Prime Minister Theresa May to lead the inquiry, will give his address at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London.

The former Court of Appeal judge will not take questions following the hearing, which is expected to last around 45 minutes.

PAY CAP ON ARMED FORCES MUST BE SCRAPPED, SAYS LABOUR

The public sector pay cap imposed on the armed forces must be abandoned, Labour has insisted.

The party said the starting salary of an army private has dropped by £1,000 in real terms since 2010 because of Government policies.

The pay cap has become a key political battleground after the Government signalled public sector wage review bodies would have more flexibility in future after the police and prison officers were granted settlements above the 1% limit.

NHS CAP ON TRAINEE DOCTORS SHOULD BE SCRAPPED, THINK TANK SAYS

The NHS cap on the number of trainee doctors should be scrapped to reduce dependency on agency staff, according to an influential think tank.

The Government limit on the annual intake of medics in England has resulted in "an inadequate pool of labour, difficult working conditions and a powerful staff body", Reform said.

The group criticised measures such as the £1.3 billion yearly spend on agency staff as "short term fixes" and said Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will not deliver on his pledge to build an NHS "self-sufficient in doctors" by the end of the next Parliament.

AMAZON AND EBAY CRITICISED BY MPS FOR 'TURNING BLIND EYE' TO TAX FRAUD ON SITES

Online retailers Amazon and eBay have been accused of profiting from a multibillion-pound tax fraud and "turning a blind eye" to the problem.

MPs grilled senior representatives of the companies at a meeting of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, and criticised them for not doing enough to tackle the problem.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates that taxpayers have lost £1.5 billion from overseas sellers illegally selling goods into the UK without paying VAT.

T UC URGES NATIONAL LIVING WAGE EXTENSION TO YOUNGER WORKERS

The national living wage should be extended to younger workers, otherwise they will be "left behind", says the TUC.

In evidence to the Low Pay Commission, the union organisation said the top rate of the wage should apply to all workers aged 21 and over.

General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Minimum wage pay rates aren't increasing fast enough and the Government's target of £9 an hour by 2020 now seems a fantasy.

MPS TO QUESTION G4S BOSSES OVER IMMIGRATION CENTRE ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

Accusations of abuse at a G4S-run immigration centre are being probed by MPs on Thursday.

The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee will hear evidence from senior figures at the security firm after claims of "incompetence and chaos" at the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, near Gatwick Airport, in West Sussex.

Committee chairwoman and Labour MP Yvette Cooper said: "There are serious questions for G4S to answer about both the grave reports of bullying and abuse at Brook House and also the scale of profit they were making at the time."

DEMOCRATS AGREE DEAL WITH DONALD TRUMP ON YOUNG IMMIGRANTS

The US top House and Senate Democrats have reached an agreement with President Donald Trump to protect thousands of younger immigrants from deportation and fund some border security enhancements - but not including Mr Trump's long-sought border wall.

The agreement, the latest instance of Mr Trump ditching his own party to make common cause with the opposition, was announced by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi following a White House dinner that Republican politicians were not invited to attend.

It would enshrine protections for the nearly 800,000 immigrants brought illegally to this country as children who had benefited from former president Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which provided temporary work permits and shielded recipients from deportation.

TEENAGERS AMONG 24 KILLED IN FIRE AT SCHOOL IN KUALA LUMPUR

A fire has killed 24 people, mostly teenagers, trapped behind barred windows and a blocked exit in an Islamic school dormitory on the outskirts of Malaysia's capital, officials said.

Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 5.41am local time and took an hour to put out the blaze, which started on the top floor of the three-story building, Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh said. He said there were at least 24 bodies, 22 of them boys between 13 and 17, and two teachers.

Mr Singh said 14 other students and four teachers were rescued, with six of them take to hospital in critical condition. "We believe (they died of) suffocation...the bodies were totally burnt," he said.