Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz sign UK-Germany friendship and cooperation treaty – UK politics live

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UK PM and German chancellor sign first bilateral agreement between the UK and Germany since the second world war

While Rushanara Ali is answering the urgent question in the Commons, Keir Starmer is speaking at the event where he is announcing a “civil society covenant”.

There is a live feed here.

Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket or an alcoholic drink, marry or go to war, or even stand in the elections they’re voting? It isn’t the government’s position on the age of maturity just hopelessly confused?

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Mark Latham’s alleged behaviour in parliament is a sign of a toxic political culture for women – and that’s a much bigger problem to fix

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Chris Minns and his opposition counterpart are the only ones who can drive broader change and improve workplace culture

Over the past few years, political leaders around Australia have been called out for tolerating poor behaviour – mostly by male politicians and staff directed at their female colleagues.

This time, the focus is on New South Wales MP Mark Latham.

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Children under seven should not drink slushies containing glycerol, says regulator

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Food Standards Agency warns that the drinks can cause decreased consciousness and low blood sugar

Children under seven should not drink slushies containing glycerol because of the serious health risks they can cause, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said.

Glycerol is a naturally occurring alcohol and sugar substitute that helps slushies maintain their texture by preventing liquid from freezing solid.

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Russia must be ready to strike West if it escalates Ukraine war, Medvedev says – Reuters

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  1. Russia must be ready to strike West if it escalates Ukraine war, Medvedev says  Reuters
  2. Russia threatens West with ‘preemptive strikes’ as NATO looks to deliver Patriots 'as quickly as possible'  Fox News
  3. Russia's Medvedev says preemptive strikes against the West could be needed, TASS reports  Yahoo
  4. Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky and Trump consider drone ‘mega-deal’ as Russia steps up attacks  The Independent
  5. Russia must be ready to strike the West if it escalates the war in Ukraine, Kremlin says  New York Post
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UK unemployment rises and wage growth slows as jobs market ‘weakens’

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ONS data shows jobless rate climbing to highest rate since June 2021 with growth in average earnings slowing to 5%.

Unemployment climbed and wage growth slowed in the three months to May, according to official figures that will pressure the Bank of England to cut interest rates next month.

Data from the Office for National Statistics, released on Thursday, showed that Britain’s official unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in the three months to May, up 0.1% from April to reach the highest level since June 2021.

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Brazil passes ‘devastation bill’ that drastically weakens environmental law

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President has 15 days to approve or veto legislation that critics say will lead to vast deforestation and destruction of Indigenous communities

Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that drastically weakens the country’s environmental safeguards and is seen by many activists as the most significant setback for the country’s environmental legislation in the past 40 years.

The new law – widely referred to as the “devastation bill” and already approved by the senate in May – passed in congress in the early hours of Thursday by 267 votes to 116, despite opposition from more than 350 organisations and social movements.

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Israeli strike on Gaza church kills two and injures priest Pope Francis called daily – The Guardian

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  1. Israeli strike on Gaza church kills two and injures priest Pope Francis called daily  The Guardian
  2. Pope expresses sadness after Israeli strike on Gaza church kills three  BBC
  3. Israel hits a Gaza church, killing 3 and wounding a priest who spoke to Pope Francis  NPR
  4. Israeli forces strike Catholic Parish in Gaza  Vatican News
  5. 2 dead, Holy Family Gaza pastor injured after mid-morning Israeli attack  National Catholic Reporter
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Rescission package heads to final vote. And, Trump floats firing the Fed chairman – NPR

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  1. Rescission package heads to final vote. And, Trump floats firing the Fed chairman  NPR
  2. Live updates: Trump, Epstein files controversy and latest administration news | CNN Politics  CNN
  3. Trump live updates: White House to brief reporters as Epstein controversy swirls  The Washington Post
  4. Trump floats firing the Federal Reserve chair as White House criticism boils  NPR
  5. Daily Briefing: Broadcasting services squeezed  USA Today
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Tens of thousands in US set to join ‘Good Trouble’ protests honoring John Lewis

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Rallies at more than 1,500 sites nationwide planned for Thursday to protest against Trump administration

Tens of thousands of people are expected to march and rally at more than 1,500 sites across all 50 US states on Thursday to protest against the Trump administration and honor the legacy of the late congressman John Lewis, an advocate for voting rights and civil disobedience.

The “Good Trouble Lives On” day of action coincides with the fifth anniversary of Lewis’s death. Lewis was a longtime congressman from Georgia who participated in iconic civil rights actions, including the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 when police attacked Lewis and other protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

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Will Mike Waltz lead a ‘full-frontal assault’ on the UN?

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Some fear Donald Trump’s nominee for UN ambassador will damage global development in a bid to rehabilitate his image after the Signal chat scandal

When and if Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, takes up the post, many are concerned that in his pursuit of the rehabilitation of his image, global development will not be a priority.

Diplomats work for decades to be considered for the coveted position of ambassador, but in this case the role is a consolation prize for the 51-year-old former army colonel from Florida, says Richard Gowan, UN director of International Crisis Group. Gowan believes Waltz will be “very performative” as he attempts to rebuild his political brand after the scandal of reportedly adding a journalist to a Signal chat that contained sensitive information on planned military strikes in Yemen.

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With So Many Lives on the Line, What Did the EU Actually Get Out of Its Gaza Aid Deal With Israel? – Haaretz

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  1. With So Many Lives on the Line, What Did the EU Actually Get Out of Its Gaza Aid Deal With Israel?  Haaretz
  2. EU-Israel: Refusal to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement is a ‘cruel and unlawful betrayal’  Amnesty International
  3. EU ministers request more detail and action from Israel on aid deal for Gaza  AP News
  4. Israel welcomes EU no response to Gaza, Palestinians are 'shocked'  Euronews
  5. EU foreign ministers set to weigh sanctions against Israel over Gaza war  The Times of Israel
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