Lords' report faces criticism from lobby groups after suggesting ban would be most effective' way to reduce public harmsThe UK should introduce a ban on almost all gambling advertising to protect public health, a cross-party group of peers has urged, prompting fury from the lobby group for bookmakers and casinos.In a 173-page report, the House of Lords liaison committee said the government had been too passive" in response to an explosion of digital advertising and social media influencers promoting the gambling sector. Continue reading...
Research finds many in England lack proximity to green and blue spaces as Labour urged to speed up manifesto pledgeNearly half of all parliamentary constituencies in England have low access to nature despite a government target to ensure everyone is within a 15-minute walk from a green or blue space, new research reveals.The analysis by the Wildlife Trusts comes as the charity presents a green paper to ministers in an attempt to speed up Labour's manifesto promise to improve access to nature and promote biodiversity.Make it more affordable for local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers for land purchase.Establish a community right to buy land for nature access.Treat nature as essential infrastructure, and free up capital funds to pay for the ongoing maintenance of natural spaces.Make it mandatory for developers to create climate- and nature-friendly housing estates.Make access to major rivers, especially those in urban areas, a statutory right. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast raised fears for global trade and energy supplies, while more than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the fightingGood morning. The lightning advance of Houthi militants along the west coast of Yemen over the past week has prompted fears of a spiralling conflict in the region and a new oil supply crisis.For families living in the Middle East's poorest country, the most significant fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in years is a crisis upon a catastrophe, with escalating civilian casualties and at least 100,000 displaced in recent days.UK politics | Key allies of Andy Burnham have warned the prime minister not to back down over his promises to put water companies under public control, after details emerged about the prime minister's plan to give mayors more oversight of the industry.Environment | Climate breakdown probably weakened the glacier that collapsed causing catastrophic floods and killing hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet last month, the first scientific study of the disaster has found.Health | Women with the same medical condition as men are less likely to be offered treatment such as surgery, a stent or a strong painkiller, research has found.Europe | The UK government's EU reset summit will be delayed again unless the bloc agrees to discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU industry, government sources have said.UK news | Police searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a playground on the Suffolk-Essex border have found a body. Continue reading...
Thousands with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will have access to Enhertu after ministers strike deal on priceThousands of women in England with incurable breast cancer will get access to a life-extending drug on the NHS after negotiations over its cost proved successful.About 1,000 women a year with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will be able to obtain Enhertu from Thursday after ministers and the drug's makers struck a deal on its price. Continue reading...
by Patrick Greenfield. Photographs by Scott Creel on (#78ER2)
As three siblings came of age and had to leave their pack, scientists tracked the dogs' perilous 2,500-mile odyssey to find their own territoryIt sounds like a Disney movie: three wild dogs, all brothers, on an epic journey to find a home of their own after their family tells them to leave. They dodge cars and hunters in search of a new life, navigating bushmeat snares and the hostility of a human-dominated landscape until they find a new haven on the African savannah.But this is exactly what happened in Zambia last year, when three endangered African wild dogs made the longest-ever recorded single journey of any mammal from the continent. The brothers travelled more than 2,500 miles (4,100km) over eight months in their dispersal" - when a young dog comes of age and must establish new territory to find a mate and start a family of their own. Continue reading...
Initiative aims to keep alive age-old skill, and at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset improve habitat for rare shrill carder beeIt sounds like something out of a Thomas Hardy novel: a merry band of men and women roaming the West Country cutting meadows by hand in exchange for hunks of bread and cheese.But the conservation charity English Heritage is recruiting a team of volunteer scythers to maintain 21st-century meadowland in the old-fashioned way. Continue reading...
Protesters teargassed as minister claims widespread raids and arrests under obscenity laws were to protect families'Turkish authorities have used accusations of obscenity to justify a wave of raids and arrests targeting the LGBTQ+ community, which has grown to include journalists as well as more than 150 arrested during protests against the raids.Starting in the early hours of Sunday, Turkish police carried out simultaneous raids on the offices of LGBTQ+ rights organisations and HIV-advocacy groups in the cities of Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of zmir, as well as the cities of Aydn and Mersin. Continue reading...
Government estimates that one in 60 adults in Fiji now living with HIV, as escalating use of methamphetamine fuels epidemic'Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency amid a spike in infections as the Pacific nation grapples with a correlating rise in methamphetamine use.The country's health and medical services minister, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, said in a statement on social media that an outbreak-level response was no longer sufficient to address what he described an epidemic". Continue reading...
The US president call the move a hostile act', as Canada seeks to move closer to the EU and diversify its defence tiesDonald Trump has threatened the European Union with serious tariffs" and a cut to trade after the bloc proposed to make Canada its first ever associate member, calling the idea laughable".Suggesting the move was a hostile act", the US president told reporters he could put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe". He added: If it's a good intention, that's fine. If it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe." Continue reading...
Scientists say global heating was a destabilising factor in collapse of 200,000 sq metre glacier in AugustClimate breakdown probably weakened the glacier that collapsed causing catastrophic floods and killing hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet last month, the first scientific study of the disaster has found.Researchers identified unusually warm conditions before the glacier's collapse, which sent an avalanche of 110m cubic metres (3,885 cu ft) of snow and ice into the valley below. This triggered flash floods on an almost unprecedented scale, hitting communities downstream without warning. Continue reading...
Rapper, who was dropped from tour after his speech in support of Palestine, challenges Robert Kraft to do the sameMacklemore has announced that he will donate the $1m salary he was paid as an opening act for Ed Sheeran's Loop tour to organizations working with Palestinian people and relief in Gaza, after being dropped from the tour following backlash to his onstage comments in support of Palestine.The rapper also challenged Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and prominent donor to Israel who refused to let Macklemore play at his Gillette Stadium outside Boston, to match his donation. Continue reading...
String of reckless decisions' by Utah Valley University officials left him exposed to sniper, attorneys sayCharlie Kirk's family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative political activist's fatal shooting at a state university, according to a wrongful death notice announced on Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.Attorneys for the family said Kirk's death resulted from a string of reckless decisions" by officials at Utah Valley University (UVU) that left him exposed to a rooftop sniper, who fired a fatal shot from more than 400 feet (122 meters) away on 10 September 2025. UVU has faced harsh criticism for a lack of key safety measures on the day of the shooting. Continue reading...
NBC4 colleagues Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw were working to report on a collision between a bus and an SUVMore details are emerging after a local news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday evening, killing two people onboard and one person on the ground.Eliana Moreno, an aerial photojournalist, and pilot George Marciniw have been identified as the two victims on the helicopter. A third individual, Edy Gutierrez Mejia, a pedestrian near the crash site, was also killed. Continue reading...
Government sources say legislation aimed at China poses a risk to British businesses and must be addressedThe UK government's EU reset summit will be delayed again unless the bloc agrees to discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU industry, government sources have said.The Made in Europe" legislation - formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act - is designed to curb China's increasing presence in European industry, but was not on the reset plan agreed by the former prime minister Keir Starmer and the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, in London in May 2025. Continue reading...
by Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent on (#78EEC)
Ursula von der Leyen has opened door for Canada to become associate member to deepen links in openly hostile world'Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has been advocating closer alignment with middle powers" since January in the face of recklessness in Washington.But what should worry another middle power, the UK, is that it was Brussels that came up with Wednesday's big reveal in Strasbourg. Continue reading...
Ivan Jennings, 46, sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to encouraging terrorism on social mediaA rightwing extremist who discussed poisoning Jews and Muslims and called for the killing of migrants and minority communities has been jailed.Ivan Jennings, 46, called for the murder of hundreds of people he labelled subhumans", saying it was justified and actually needed", in extreme far-right groups over a period of three months in 2024. Continue reading...
Mark Rutte asked UK and Europe to provide the hard power Nato needs' in face of geopolitical uncertaintyNato needs more UK and more Europe in the alliance" to deal with the most dangerous security environment faced by the west in a generation, the secretary general of the 32-country military alliance said this afternoon on a visit to the UK.Mark Rutte praised Britain for promising to increase defence spending in line with US demands after a meeting with prime minister Andy Burnham - but argued that the military and financial effort must continue into the future. Continue reading...
MSPs bring in strict environmental impact assessments and will delay decisions until national strategy is developedHolyrood has voted to pause planning applications for all new AI datacentres for up to a year until the Scottish government has developed a national strategy.On Wednesday, MSPs backed a Scottish Labour motion to halt new schemes for up to 12 months while rules on hyperscale datacentres are developed in what could be a blow to the British government's AI strategy. Continue reading...
by Shrai Popat, David Smith, Alice Speri, Joseph Gede on (#78DQ3)
Who are the Democrats running in the midterms, and where do they stand? Our US political reporters are live now to discuss the state of the Democrats, the party's moderate and leftwing candidates and key races to watch
Family of Jaysley Beck, 19, voice concern after two officers acquitted over handling of sexual assault before she killed herselfThe family of a teenage soldier who killed herself after she was sexually assaulted fear the collapse of the trial of two officers accused of failing to investigate her case properly could discourage other young members of the armed forces from reporting attacks.Relatives of Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, said it felt like the end of a long and sad" journey and expressed concern that during the trial a military witness described the assault as not being out of the ordinary. Continue reading...
Body found in pond in Suffolk village of Brantham, where Noah was last seen on Tuesday afternoonPolice searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a playground on the Suffolk-Essex border have found a body.Noah Woods was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday in Merriam Close, Brantham, near Manningtree, before becoming separated from a relative. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#78EBK)
National Education Union welcomes news that schools will not have to partly fund increase from their own budgetsThe UK's biggest education union is claiming a significant victory after the government bowed to pressure and agreed to fully fund a forthcoming pay increase for teachers in England in a sudden U-turn.Members of the National Education Union (NEU) were due to vote in a ballot for strike action next month over the government's recent pay offer which provided for a 3.5% increase from this month, with an additional 3% from next September. Continue reading...
PM responds to criticism from former Bank of England chief economistWes Streeting, the defence secretary, has posted this on social media ahead of Andy Burnham's meeting with the Nato secretary general Mark Rutte later.Today I am reminded of the words of my Labour predecessor Denis Healey:Once we cut defence expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools. We have a heap of cinders."[Britain] is leading, along with Nato allies, the push back against Russia's dangerous and reckless campaign against us.Collectively we will continue to strengthen our ability to deter and defend all allies, against any threat. Nato will not be intimidated by Russia's campaign of hostile actions. Russia wants to stop us helping Ukraine - but their actions will only lead us to do more for Ukraine. Russia's actions are a sign of weakness, and a symptom of Putin's failure in Ukraine.To stay transatlantic, Nato is becoming more European. A Nato with Europe, and Canada, spending more, producing more, and doing more for their security. This is the idea of Nato 3.0.Building for the future. A stronger Europe, in a stronger Nato. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#78E8P)
PM rejects claim he leads a tax-and-spend' government, as Bank of England prepares for interest rates decisionAndy Burnham has said difficult decisions" will need to be taken in next month's budget after a rise in energy prices triggered by the Iran war drove UK inflation above 3%.In a fresh blow for living standards amid the worsening damage to the global economy from the Middle East conflict, official figures showed soaring fuel prices pushed inflation from 2.9% in July to 3.1% in August. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now and earlier) and Taz Ali (earlier on (#78DY1)
Thaci held criminally responsible for war crimes during the violent break from Serbia in the 1990sVon der Leyen says kickstarting Europe's economy is our number one priority," as Europe needs to tap into its huge market, world class industries and services.She says its single market remains too fragmented and needs to reform further, with the aim of completing it by the end of next year.Do we want to rally around our European idea that together we can decide our own destiny? Or do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?Whether it is the ultra nationalist or the anti-European, whether it's Russian interference or disinformation, the names may be different, but their goal is the same. Continue reading...
String of female murder victims found near Johannesburg's international airport, including five in the past weekThe discovery of the bodies of eight women around Johannesburg's international airport, including five in the past week, has prompted an outpouring of fear, grief and anger over a lack of progress in tackling femicide.When Elizabeth Tsontso" Moselakgomo did not return after going for a run on 9 September, her eight-year-old daughter alerted relatives, who contacted police. The 38-year-old's body was found on Saturday and identified by relatives on Monday. The news of her disappearance had gone viral. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#78E69)
Centre for a Better Britain will urge abolishing inheritance tax and phasing out capital gains tax, report saysA thinktank linked to Nigel Farage's Reform UK is preparing an influential policy plan that is reportedly going to call for substantial tax cuts for the rich.The Centre for a Better Britain (CFABB) is due to publish the 200-page document next week, giving insight into the economic and financial policies that are likely to form part of Reform UK's platform before the next election. Continue reading...
Hundreds of volunteers join hunt for three-year-old who went missing on Tuesday afternoonA massive search operation is under way in and around a Suffolk village for a missing three-year-old boy with autism, supported by hundreds of volunteers.Suffolk police have said the hunt for Noah Woods remains a missing persons investigation with no indication anything sinister has happened. Continue reading...
Claims that dismantling pollution rules will lower energy bills and have little climate impact are far from convincingIn allowing US power plants to emit any amount of planet-heating pollution they wish to, the Trump administration made two striking claims - that this will cut Americans' electricity bills and that the pollution itself doesn't really matter anyway. Both claims struggle to stand up to even basic scrutiny.On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would erase any limits on emissions from coal and gas plants that are dangerously heating up our planet. This move, which follows a similar dismantling of pollution limits from cars ands trucks, is part of a broader push to eliminate the longstanding legal authority of this, or any future, US administration to deal with the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Plastic surfaces form hotspots with an increase of antibiotic-resistant genes, study findsMicroplastics act like a Trojan horse" delivering pollutants, pesticides and bacteria through the soil, a five-year multinational research project has found.The EU-funded project, which has so far resulted in 22 peer-reviewed studies, found microplastics in the soil of all 227 agricultural fields it tested across 11 European countries. The researchers said this poses a global threat, with healthy soils essential for life on Earth. Continue reading...
by Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louis on (#78DZT)
Archdiocese knew of allegations against Gerard Joseph Jerry' Howell for 40 years but continued to support himA New Orleans Catholic priest whose prolific sexual abuse of children in the local deaf community was known for at least four decades by the city's archdiocese without meaningful consequence has died after evidently falling in his Texas apartment.Gerard Joseph Jerry" Howell, 87, was found dead at about 5pm on 8 September by Austin police department officers who were responding to a welfare check on the block listed for the senior living community where he had been residing, the agency said in a statement. The statement - which didn't name Howell but was provided when police were asked about his death specifically - said first responders had gone to the block to investigate a report that an 87-year-old individual had fallen. Continue reading...
Entain, which also owns Coral and BetMGM, starts consultation process over customer care rolesThe Ladbrokes owner, Entain, has said it is preparing to cut 400 jobs, only weeks after the FTSE 100 business reported better than expected profit in its first half of the year.The gambling group, which also owns Coral and BetMGM, has started a consultation process that could remove one in five of its 2,000 customer care jobs. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent on (#78DX2)
Rotherham has 46 online vacancies for every 1,000 young people but there are 288 in Cotswold district council areaYoung people in Rotherham face a local jobs market with the fewest suitable opportunities in Britain, according to a report that warns stark regional divisions are fuelling a crisis in youth work.As ministers push to combat rising youth unemployment, the analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) showed young people faced a tougher challenge in some parts of the country to find work than in others. Continue reading...
Prosecutors sought jail term for chief executive of Evett after insects not approved for consumption were on menuA South Korean court has fined the operator of one of Seoul's most celebrated restaurants and its chief executive for serving a dessert topped with ants, an insect not approved for consumption under local food safety law.The operator of Evett, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in the affluent Gangnam district, was fined 10m won (5,400) and its chief executive 15m won, Newsis reported. Continue reading...
Leaked documents and testimony reveal extent of regime's crackdown in 2022 and how it paved the way for more brutal killings of protesters this yearIranian security forces coordinated" the killing, torture and sexual abuse of hundreds of people who took part in the women-led nationwide protests in September 2022, according to leaked state documents and interviews.Tens of thousands of people, including children, took to the streets of towns and cities across Iran after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, after her arrest by the morality" police for allegedly not complying with the country's hijab regulations. Continue reading...
Study finds more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence and nearly half sexual violenceIn their lifetime, more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence - and nearly half have experienced sexual violence, according to a startling new national study.The study, led by researchers from Tulane University's Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego, examined experiences of physical, sexual and intimate partner violence, along with how they intersect with behavioral health, economic hardship, neighborhood safety and substance use, among other factors. Continue reading...