President-elect refuses to invite Spanish king to her inauguration after lack of apology for crimes of conquestA festering diplomatic row between Mexico and Spain has been reopened after the Latin American country's leftwing president-elect refused to invite King Felipe to her inauguration because of his failure to apologise for crimes committed against Mexico's Indigenous people during the conquest 500 years ago.In 2019, Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wrote to King Felipe and Pope Francis, calling for them to apologise for the abuses" of the conquest and the colonial period. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6R0S5)
Closure of hundreds of outlets hitting rural areas, older people and deprived communities hardest, according to Healthwatch EnglandHigh street pharmacies are closing at such an alarming rate that it threatens the drive to use them instead of GPs to care for millions of people, the NHS's patient champion warns today.A total of 436 community pharmacies in England shut permanently last year and there were also 13,863 temporary closures, which stopped patients from obtaining health advice and medication.Cheshire and Merseyside ICB saw the most permanent closures last year - 51The North East and North Cumbria ICB had the highest number of temporary closures - 1,438The same area also saw the highest number of hours lost to temporary closures - 4,054And pharmacies in the Norfolk and Waveney ICB area shut temporarily for the longest number of hours on average - 17.48 Continue reading...
Main political rival of Canada's prime minister fails to gather enough support to end nine years of Liberal ruleJustin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, has easily survived a vote of confidence after his main political rival failed to muster enough support to end nine years of Liberal party rule.Legislators in the House of Commons voted 211-120 to defeat a motion by the official opposition Conservative party declaring a lack of confidence in Trudeau's minority Liberal government. Continue reading...
Scottish standup posts video saying she is getting palliative care and will be going into a hospiceThe comedian Janey Godley has revealed she is receiving end-of-life care after her terminal cancer spread.The 63-year-old announced she would be getting palliative care and going into a hospice in a video shared on social media on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Some ministers have rallied around chief of staff while others accuse her of control freakery'Keir Starmer has become exasperated about in-fighting across government involving Sue Gray, with the prime minister under pressure from senior aides and cabinet ministers to resolve the row.Sources said the situation would come to a head after he returned from his trip to the UN in New York, where he was joined by his chief of staff. Starmer is said to be dismayed at tensions inside the No 10 machine. Continue reading...
Courthouse and some city buildings closed after suspect reportedly throws bag that exploded into courtroomA man has been detained after an explosion at a courthouse in Santa Maria, California, injured two people, authorities have said.The explosion came from an intentionally set improvised explosive device", wrote Raquel Zick, the Santa Barbara county sheriff public information officer, on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Comments are strongest yet against allowing Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russian territoryVladimir Putin has escalated his nuclear rhetoric, telling a group of senior officials that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state with conventional weapons.His remarks on Wednesday came during a meeting with Russia's powerful security council where he also announced changes to the country's nuclear doctrine. Continue reading...
Alleged poisoning follows last year's killing of human rights lawyer and 2021's pro-democracy protestsEswatini's main opposition party has alleged that its leader was poisoned in an assassination attempt, putting renewed scrutiny on the southern African country that is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies, where authorities have for years moved to quash pro-democracy movements.The People's United Democratic Movement party (Pudemo) said its president, Mlungisi Makhanya, was hospitalised after being poisoned in neighbouring South Africa on Tuesday. It said he was under security protection but gave no detail on his condition or the circumstances of the alleged poisoning. Makhanya had recently said there would be new pro-democracy protests in Eswatini next month. The Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo denied any involvement. Continue reading...
Former Tory minister to take reins at magazine bought recently by Paul Marshall, with Charles Moore as chairThe former cabinet minister Michael Gove has been named as the new editor of the Spectator magazine, weeks after the GB News backer Paul Marshall completed a 100m takeover of the rightwing magazine.Gove, who will take over from Fraser Nelson on 4 October, will be joined by the former Daily Telegraph and Spectator editor Charles Moore, who has been named as chair. Continue reading...
Ukraine president made forceful call for just peace' at UN, but winning more US support and fending off Russia are both uphill battlesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has come to the US with a mission: to sell his vision for a Ukrainian victory despite the growing odds against Kyiv in its war with Russia.The Ukrainan president spoke out forcefully on Tuesday and Wednesday in the security council and then at the general assembly of the United Nations, calling on other countries to back Ukraine's proposal for a just peace" and refrain from holding alternative talks with Vladimir Putin. Continue reading...
A land incursion would be a far more complex undertaking than the intelligence-led strikes pursued so farNo two wars are alike, even those fought between the same two combatants on the same terrain. But many of the challenges remain the same.Israel's most senior military commander has told troops that airstrikes will continue inside Lebanon as the Israeli military prepares for a possible ground operation. If its forces do cross the northern border they are likely to face obstacles they have seen before. Continue reading...
Bill by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government comes down hard on climate activists and migrantsDemonstrations are being held across Italy on Wednesday evening against a new security bill described as repressive" and dangerous for the country's democracy".The raft of 24 laws contained in the bill, which passed its first hurdle in the lower house of parliament last week and now needs approval in the senate, is the latest attempt by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government to get tough on law and order. It comes down especially hard on climate activists and migrants. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6R0EX)
Greater Manchester police's Andrew Talbot used police systems to look up potential drug dealers to give drugs toA detective who stole almost 4kg cocaine from the police evidence store at work and supplied it on the streets of Manchester has been convicted of multiple offences.Andrew Talbot, who worked within Greater Manchester police's (GMP's) serious crime division, conducted multiple searches of the force's confidential computer systems for known or suspected drug dealers to help him sell the drugs, which he supplied between February 2018 and January 2020. Continue reading...
Footage taken by Animal Equality UK before MSPs' visit was a daily procedure, says Scottish Sea FarmsThe removal of tonnes of dead fish from a salmon farm before a Scottish parliament fact-finding mission there gave a misleading impression of conditions, an animal rights charity says.Footage secretly filmed by Animal Equality UK shows salmon being disposed of on Monday morning before a visit to Dunstaffnage salmon farm, near Oban, later that day by committee members carrying out an inquiry into the industry. The committee said the footage raised questions about fish mortality. Continue reading...
Masoud Pezeshkian calls for new era of cooperation' in UN speech while hemmed in by escalating tensions and critics at homeOn his first visit to the US, Iran's new president has spoken of a new era of cooperation" with the west. It is an offer that intrigued diplomats, but left them struck by the constraints - ideological, internal and geopolitical - standing in the way of a substantive change in relations.Masoud Pezeshkian came to New York for his first UN general assembly since his election asking the west to look at Iran again - largely by challenging the double standards that led to its silence about the massacres in Gaza. He has insisted Israel and the US, not Tehran, were the region's troublemakers. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say Moroccan suspect had previously been convicted of rape and ordered to leave FranceFrance's new rightwing interior minister has said there will be consequences after a Moroccan man suspected of murdering a 19-year-old university student and leaving her body in a forest was arrested in Switzerland.A source close to the case said the alleged attacker was a 22-year-old man of Moroccan nationality. Prosecutors have said the suspect had been previously convicted of rape and had been the subject of an order to leave France. Continue reading...
Lebanese minister says only Washington can help end the fighting. Plus, Missouri executes Marcellus Khaliifah' WilliamsGood morning.Israel began a third day of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Lebanon's foreign minister said only Washington could help end the fighting.The conflict is growing out of control: Up to half a million people are estimated to have been displaced by Israel's attacks, according to Lebanese officials, as displaced families slept in makeshift shelters, cars, parks or along the seaside. Israel said attacks would continue.World leaders are pleading for restraint: The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said: Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon - the people of Israel - and the people of the world - cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza." President Joe Biden said a diplomatic solution was still possible.But Lebanon's foreign minister said only the US could pressure Israel into de-escalation: Abdallah Bou Habib said the US - Israel's strongest ally and biggest arms supplier - was the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East".Follow our live blog here. Continue reading...
Former ITV presenter will appear in Channel 5 show Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded off MadagascarPhillip Schofield is returning to television 16 months after quitting This Morning over what he called an unwise, but not illegal" affair.The 62-year-old, who stepped down from presenting the ITV daytime show in May 2023 after 21 years, will appear in a Channel 5 special called Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded on an island off the coast of Madagascar for nearly two weeks. Continue reading...
Australian company says it is frustrated that UK property website has refused to engage over a dealRightmove has rejected a third bid from Rupert Murdoch's REA Group and said the offer was unattractive" and under values the UK's largest online property portal.On Wednesday Rightmove confirmed that its board had unanimously rejected" the non-binding cash-and-shares offer put forward on Monday, which valued the company at 6.1bn. Continue reading...
Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential government thinktank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChatA leading Chinese economist at a government thinktank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticising Xi Jinping in a private chat group.Zhu Hengpeng, 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China's economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal which cited anonymous sources. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6QZXM)
Exclusive: Education secretary to launch callout for empty classrooms to be converted as part of free childcare planThree hundred new state nurseries will open in England's schools by next September, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has promised, as the government hurries to find places before the introduction of free childcare.Phillipson's department is under extraordinary pressure before next September, when 30 hours of free childcare begins for eligible parents of children from the age of nine months. Labour has said it would fulfil the promise by the previous government, despite warnings about the demands on staff and nursery places. Continue reading...
Daytime service will take about eight hours and will complement the night route that launched last yearA new high-speed train linking Paris and Berlin is to launch in December, operators have announced.The daytime service will complement a popular night train route between the two capital cities that relaunched last year to much fanfare but has since been beset by technical problems. Continue reading...
Whiteness', low youth engagement and lukewarm pro-Europeanism in some states risks eroding bloc's founding values, expert saysVoting patterns and polling data from the past year suggest the EU is moving towards a more ethnic, closed-minded and xenophobic understanding of Europeanness" that could ultimately challenge the European project, according to a major report.The report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), identifies three key blind spots" across the bloc and argues their intersection risks eroding or radically altering EU sentiment. Continue reading...
The narrow-nosed spookfish is also found in Australian waters and is distinctive for its elongated snout and whip-like tailA new species of ghost shark, with an unusually long nose and a whip-like tail, has been discovered in the inky depths of New Zealand waters.Scientists at New Zealand's National Institute for Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) initially believed the creature was part of an existing species found around the world, but further investigation revealed it was new, genetically distinct, species. Continue reading...
by Helen Livingstone (now), Léonie Chao-Fong, Joanna on (#6QZ1P)
This blog is now closing. You can read our full report on Israel's attack on Lebanon here. We'll be back soon with the latest live updates.Charbel Massaad, an independent Maronite MP in Lebanon, has described Israel's airstrikes as an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations."In a message to the Lebanese people carried by the state National News Agency, Massaad said:In these difficult times that our beloved country Lebanon is going through, and with the continued brutal Israeli aggression on our land, I find myself compelled to address you. The Israeli aggression that brutally targets our people, our homes, our villages and our cities is an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.But we, as a people accustomed to steadfastness and we will steadfastly face all challenges. This critical moment requires all of us, regardless of any political or sectarian affiliation, to stand as one. Our unity is our strength. Israel seeks to sow fear and division among us, but we know very well how to confront such conspiracies. Just as we were victorious in the past, we will be victorious today, because we are right, and right always triumphs, and the will to live among the Lebanese is stronger than any aggression or conspiracy. Continue reading...
Leading health figures in UK blame misconception that the number one killer of women is a man's disease'Thousands of women are dying from heart disease worldwide because of the misconception that it is a man's disease", doctors and scientists say.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the number one killer" of women but, despite significant progress in its medical management, many were dying unnecessarily" because they were underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials, the experts said. Continue reading...
PM to give speech on international issues as team hopes to set up talks with both presidential candidatesKeir Starmer is heading to the US for his third trip in three months, with aides pressing for meetings with the presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Fresh from his speech at the Labour conference, the prime minister headed to the United Nations general assembly in New York where the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will be pushing for a deal on the use of Storm Shadow missiles against Russia. Continue reading...
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