Mystery surrounds Russian mum and children found in Indian cave
There is little clarity on how they came to be in a forest infested with snakes and wild animals.
Nicotine pouches sold to children mimic sweets, says UK trading standards body
Children can buy pouches legally as they are not regulated as a specific tobacco or nicotine product
Nicotine pouches are being legally sold to children and are being made appealing to them with special flavours and packaging mimicking sweets, a trading standards body has said.
In June, it became illegal for single-use vapes to be sold in England to tackle their widespread use by children. However, there is currently no legislation that restricts the age at which you can buy nicotine pouches.
Continue reading...Ministers urged to overhaul and raise carer’s allowance
Resolution Foundation says unpaid carers on low incomes pay ‘very heavy price’ for looking after loved ones
The carer’s allowance benefit should be overhauled and the basic rate of payment increased to lift more unpaid carers and disabled people out of financial hardship, according to a living standards thinktank.
The Resolution Foundation said unpaid carers on low incomes were paying a “very heavy price” – a typical penalty of 10% or as much as £7,000 a year compared with non-carers – for looking after loved ones full-time.
Continue reading...MPs to tighten laws allowing foreign donations to influence UK elections
Exclusive: changes will end illegitimate funding via shell firms and subject donors to enhanced tests, backed by stronger fines
Ministers are planning to close loopholes that could allow foreign money to influence UK elections, with a crackdown on illegitimate donations through shell companies and new tests on political donors.
As part of a push to tighten up electoral law, the government will on Thursday announce a series of measures to ensure donations come from allowable UK sources.
Continue reading...Exclusive | New Details in Air India Crash Probe Shift Focus to Senior Pilot – The Wall Street Journal
- Exclusive | New Details in Air India Crash Probe Shift Focus to Senior Pilot The Wall Street Journal
- Air India Junior Pilot Asked Captain Why He Turned Off Fuel Switches Bloomberg
- Air India crash report raises questions about mental health care for pilots PBS
- Doomed Air India pilot’s medical records probed amid reports of depression, other mental health struggles New York Post
- Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane's captain, Wall Street Journal reports Reuters
Watch: ‘She took me back’ – Obamas joke about divorce rumours
The former US president appeared on the IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson podcast and video show.
France’s premier wants to ax two holidays to boost growth. Non, people say. – The Washington Post
- France’s premier wants to ax two holidays to boost growth. Non, people say. The Washington Post
- Could axing two national holidays save France from its mountain of debt? BBC
- The method to François Bayrou’s madness politico.eu
- France Proposes Cutting Two Public Holidays to Avert Budget Crisis The New York Times
- French PM's plan to scrap two holidays stirs outcry, and memories of a toppled predecessor NBC News
Starmer and Merz find their happy place: War – politico.eu
- Starmer and Merz find their happy place: War politico.eu
- Germany to tighten people-smuggling law by end of year BBC
- Merz visits UK as Europe closes ranks in face of threats Reuters
- Starmer and Merz to sign UK–Germany treaty targeting smuggling gangs and boosting defence ties The Guardian
- UK and Germany join forces in push for lucrative sales of military jets and hardware Financial Times
At least two killed in ‘horrific’ Russian attack on Ukraine’s Dobropillia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as 'simply horrific, stupid Russian terror'.
Fire engulfs main stage of Tomorrowland festival, two days before opening
Footage on social media shows flames ravaging the Belgian festival's main stage, just two days before it opens.
Largest Mars rock ever found on Earth sells for $4.3m at auction
The meteorite was discovered in Niger in November 2023 and is 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars recovered on Earth.
USAID food for nearly 30,000 hungry kids to be destroyed: Official
Senior US official calls destruction of 500 tonnes of biscuits a 'casualty' of the USAID shutdown.
US says ‘specific steps’ agreed to end Syria violence after Israeli strikes hit Damascus
Israel says it is "working to save our Druze brothers", but Syria accuses it of "treacherous aggression".
Trump promised Patriots for Ukraine. Now Europe has to provide them – Reuters
- Trump promised Patriots for Ukraine. Now Europe has to provide them Reuters
- Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe’s support to Ukraine – not Trump’s, Kallas suggests The Guardian
- France, Italy reportedly opt out of US-NATO arms deal for Ukraine The Kyiv Independent
- EU backs Trump Ukraine U-turn but wants US to 'share burden' DW
- EU tells Trump to ‘share the burden’ of sending Patriots to Ukraine politico.eu
Bangladeshi forces clash with supporters of ousted leader Hasina, leaving at least 4 dead – AP News
- Bangladeshi forces clash with supporters of ousted leader Hasina, leaving at least 4 dead AP News
- Violence erupts at Bangladesh youth rally, media report four killed Reuters
- Bangladesh police clash with pro-Hasina activists, at least three dead Al Jazeera
- NCP leaders leave Gopalganj in APC Prothom Alo English
- NCP leaders arrive in Khulna Dhaka Tribune
Two dead and many injured in Russian strike on Ukrainian shopping centre
President Zelensky called the strike in Dobropillia "horrific", accusing Russia of "trying to take as many lives as possible".
Germany to tighten people-smuggling law as chancellor visits UK
It comes as Friedrich Merz makes his first official visit to the UK as German chancellor.
Watch: How a day of bombing unfolded in Damascus
Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Syria, including near the presidential palace and on the defence ministry headquarters in central Damascus.
‘There’s a bit of a queue forming’: how UK firms are enticing buyers for the next generation of fighter jets
Inside the hangars where robots are poised to keep the UK a top-tier military nation and continue more than a century of building military aircraft
In a factory on the banks of the River Ribble in Lancashire, robot arms stand on a floor striped with glowing lights. They will hold the tail fin for a test model for the UK’s next generation fighter jet, which is intended to fly for the first time in 2027. The jet, known as Tempest, will act as a symbol of Britain’s hopes to remain a top-tier military nation and keep alive more than a century of building military aircraft.
Yet things are markedly different in another hangar at the Warton site, run by British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. There, production of the Typhoon jet, a mainstay of the Royal Air Force (RAF) for two decades, has – for now at least – ground to a halt.
Continue reading...Ministers to enshrine UK charities’ right to peaceful protest in new ‘covenant’
Agreement between government and voluntary sector aims to reset relations after erosion of trust under Tories
The right to engage in political activity and protest peacefully is to be enshrined in a new agreement between the government and UK charities and campaigners aimed in part at ending years of damaging “culture wars”.
The agreement is intended to reset relations between government and the voluntary sector after years of mutual distrust during which Conservative ministers limited public rights to protest, froze out campaigners, and targeted “woke” charities.
Continue reading...