Outrage as Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals from public spaces

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Conservative People’s party in Jumilla votes to stop civic centres and gyms being used for activities ‘alien to our identity’

A local authority in south-east Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha.

The ban in Jumilla, in Murcia, is a first in Spain. It was introduced by the conservative People’s party (PP) and passed with the abstention of the far-right Vox party and the opposition of local leftwing parties.

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Starmer declines to rule out election pledge-breaking tax rises in budget after claim Treasury must fill £40bn deficit – as it happened

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Prime minister defends government’s handling of economy but will not give assurances over not raising income tax, employee NI or VAT

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has urged Keir Starmer to call Donald Trump to encourage him to use his influence to block Israel’s plans for a “full occupation” of Gaza.

In a statement, Davey said:

[Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu’s latest proposals for the occupation of all of Gaza are utterly horrifying.

If realised, they will only wreak yet more destruction on Gazans - while gravely endangering the lives of the hostages still held in Hamas’ captivity.

I see NIESR is talking today about a £41.2bn hole in the UK public finances

Two things are newsworthy:

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US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says

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Incineration of $9.7m of contraceptives to lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions, IPPF says

A decision by the US government to incinerate more than $9.7m (£7.3m) of contraceptives is projected to result in 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions in five African countries.

More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an NGO global healthcare provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive rights.

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Shares in European drug companies hit four-month low as Trump tariffs loom

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President repeats threat to bring in levies ‘within next week or so’ in attempt to get companies to move production to US

Shares in European pharmaceutical companies have sunk to a four-month low, after Donald Trump repeated his threats to introduce tariffs on drug imports “within the next week or so”.

Europe’s Stoxx Health Care index slid by 2.8% on Wednesday, falling to its lowest level since mid-April, shortly after the US president’s initial “liberation day” tariff announcements.

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Ukrainian Drone Battalion Forms Fire Wall Against Russian Advance – Kyiv Post

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  1. Ukrainian Drone Battalion Forms Fire Wall Against Russian Advance  Kyiv Post
  2. On Ukraine’s front lines the kill zone is getting deeper  The Economist
  3. Fibre-optic drones reshape Ukraine’s technological war  Lowy Institute
  4. Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield  Reuters
  5. Ukraine’s killer interceptors take aim at Russia’s Shahed drones  politico.eu
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Four rare Barbary lion cubs born at Czech zoo

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Lion that once roamed northern Africa has been extinct in the wild since 1960s

Four Barbary lion cubs were born recently in a Czech zoo, a vital contribution for the small surviving population of a rare lion that is extinct in the wild.

The three females and one male were seen playing in their outdoor enclosure at Dvůr Králové safari park on Wednesday under the watchful eye of their parents, Khalila and Bart.

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Labour accused of using Jimmy Savile’s name to ‘bait’ Nigel Farage

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Lawyer for abuse survivors criticises ministers for using late TV presenter’s ‘toxic’ name for political point scoring

Labour’s use of Jimmy Savile’s “toxic” name appeared to be an attempt to “deliberately bait” Nigel Farage and would distress survivors of child sexual abuse, lawyers for victims of the late TV presenter has said.

Alan Collins, the head of the abuse team at Hugh James solicitors, said it was “concerning” to see Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, and others use Savile’s name to try to “score points over political opponents”.

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Ghana’s defence, environment ministers among 8 killed in helicopter crash – Al Jazeera

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  1. Ghana’s defence, environment ministers among 8 killed in helicopter crash  Al Jazeera
  2. Two Ghana government ministers among 8 killed in helicopter crash  CNN
  3. Ghana helicopter crash kills ministers of defence and environment  BBC
  4. Ghana Defense, Environment Ministers Die in Helicopter Crash  Bloomberg
  5. Helicopter crash in Ghana: 8 killed; defence, environment ministers among dead  Times of India
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Japan closes in on biggest ever defense export with frigate selection – Defense News

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  1. Japan closes in on biggest ever defense export with frigate selection  Defense News
  2. Japan's new stealth warship just won over a big buyer, in a historic first for its post-WWII weapons industry  Business Insider
  3. Japanese defense minister welcomes Australian frigate decision, but analysts warn risks remain  Breaking Defense
  4. Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival  The Japan Times
  5. Australia Selects Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy to Build Frigates  The Wall Street Journal
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Birmingham airport closes runway after emergency landing by light aircraft

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All flights temporarily grounded as three people are treated at the scene, one with minor injuries

Birmingham airport has temporarily closed its runway and grounded all flights after a light aircraft made an emergency landing.

Three people from the aircraft were treated at the scene, one of whom suffered minor injuries in the incident, which occurred at about 1.40pm on Wednesday, West Midlands police said. West Midlands ambulance service also attended the scene.

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