Category Archives: UK news

More than half of England’s army veterans have health problems – report

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Survey finds many ex-military personnel fear being misunderstood and are reluctant to seek professional help

More than half of England’s army veterans have experienced mental or physical health issues since returning to civilian life, and some are reluctant to share their experiences, a survey has revealed.

The survey of 4,910 veterans, commissioned jointly by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), found that 55% have experienced a health issue potentially related to their service since leaving the armed forces. Over 80% of respondents said their condition had got worse since returning to civilian life.

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US-style executive pay packets in UK would ‘risk higher inequality’

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Leading social scientists issue warning after call by business leaders and London Stock Exchange

More than 20 leading social scientists have warned the UK’s biggest investment companies and pension funds that allowing US-style executive pay packages could “create a significant risk of higher inequality” and “much worse lower levels of happiness, health and wellbeing across society”.

The academics said they had decided to speak out as an increasing number of British business leaders and the London Stock Exchange have argued for much higher pay awards to improve the UK’s competitiveness.

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Chinese EV battery maker in talks to invest £1bn in new UK gigafactory

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Plant on outskirts of Coventry could create up to 6,000 jobs and will be part of planned Centre for Electrification

A Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries is in talks to invest more than £1bn to build a giant new factory on the outskirts of Coventry.

EVE Energy, which says it employs 28,000 staff worldwide, is understood to be in talks to construct a 5.7m sq ft gigafactory, which will form one of the main parts of the planned UK Centre for Electrification, an investment zone in the West Midlands.

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Sadiq Khan rules out London Ulez expansion if he wins mayoral election

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In letter to TfL boss, Khan says plans ‘will not include new pay-per-mile road user charging scheme’

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has pledged not to expand the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scheme if he returns to the role after May’s election.

In a letter to London’s transport commissioner, Andy Lord, Khan wrote that he had “categorically” ruled out the introduction of a pay-per-mile scheme as well as any tightening of Ulez emissions standards.

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Banish creases with £4,000 ironing board from Harrods that comes with crystal keychain

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Swiss brand Laurastar collaborated with fashion designer Germanier on gadget said to half ironing time

What do you buy for someone who has everything? The answer, one suspects, is not an ironing board.

But for the big spender who, let’s face it, almost certainly never folds their own laundry, there is a new bougie appliance: a £3,999 ironing board.

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Part of billionaire family’s empire named on London’s rogue landlord list

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Subsidiary of Lazari Investments fined £67,000 for breaches of HMO licence conditions on Camden flats

A family-owned property empire whose holdings include the former Fenwick department store building on London’s Bond Street has seen one of its subsidiaries named on the city’s rogue landlords register and hit with fines totalling £67,000.

The Lazari family have an estimated fortune of £2.5bn, placing them 72nd on the Sunday Times rich list. It is based on a property portfolio that includes some of the most luxurious addresses in central London as well as rental flats in the north of the city.

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Labour says it will stick with workers’ rights plans despite Mandelson remarks

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Party says it is committed to policies such as zero-hours ban after peer warned against ‘rushing’ changes

Labour has said it will keep its ban on zero-hours jobs and improvements to workers’ rights after the party peer Peter Mandelson warned against “rushing” through changes championed by trade unions.

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour chair, said the party was committed to the package to “make work pay” and get more money into people’s pockets, but that it would “continue to discuss” the plans with business and unions.

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Former CPS chief says clampdown on protests risks creating ‘thought crimes’

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Exclusive: Max Hill KC says it is imperative to protect free speech when setting limits on protesting

The former director of public prosecutions for England and Wales has warned against the risk of creating “thought crimes” amid the recent clampdown on protesters and demonisation of demonstrators by politicians.

In an interview with the Guardian, Max Hill KC, who was head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2018 until November last year, said it was imperative to protect free speech when setting limits on protest.

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Driver dies in collision after driving wrong way on M62 motorway

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West Yorkshire police appeal for witnesses after Vauxhall Corsa involved in fatal crash in early hours of Saturday

Police are appealing for information following a fatal collision involving a car driving in the wrong direction on the M62.

West Yorkshire police received a report at 2.06am on Saturday of a Vauxhall Corsa travelling westbound on the eastbound carriageway of the motorway.

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Apologies for Kategate – but will the spirit of restraint on social media last?

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The Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis has put a stop to the internet’s wilder conspiracy theories, but it could be temporary

After Friday’s filmed statement from the Princess of Wales, it is now TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, who are in the dock. This weekend thousands of individual users have expressed contrition over the conspiracy theories they aired and the boss of X herself tried to reposition her platform by urging compassion.

“A brave message delivered by Princess Kate with her signature grace,” CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, posted, adding, “Her request for privacy, to protect her children and allow her to move forward (without endless speculation) seems like a reasonable request to respect.”

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Britain’s slimmed-down monarchy has been left vulnerable in wake of cancer diagnoses

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Fewer engagements are being conducted, and possible role of Harry as regent could raise constitutional issues

A decade ago, the royal family notched up more than 4,000 engagements in a year, travelling across the UK and criss-crossing the globe.

The then Prince of Wales travelled to Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Colombia; Prince Harry went to Brazil and Chile and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh carried out more than 660 engagements between them, including trips to France and Italy.

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Changing Tory leader could result in even larger Labour landslide, new poll shows

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Labour lead would soar to 24 points if Kemi Badenoch or Suella Braverman became leader, according to Opinium poll

Three out of the four Tory MPs seen as the most likely replacements for Rishi Sunak would fare even worse than the current prime minister in a general election battle against Keir Starmer, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.

The Conservatives have been involved in a fresh bout of leadership speculation over the past week, after rumours surfaced of a plot to dump Sunak and replace him with Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House, before the next election.

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David Cameron, the ‘prime minister for external affairs’, gets tough on Israel

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Drawing on his years at No 10, the UK foreign secretary is happy to ruffle feathers on the international stage while setting the agenda

It is only four months since Rishi Sunak brought him back into government as foreign secretary but already, having felt the pace quicken around them, officials and diplomats have given David Cameron their own title: prime minister for external affairs.

“Cameron is on a whole other level,” said one diplomat on the inside. “Before, we had [Boris] Johnson, we had [Dominic] Raab, we had [Liz]Truss and then [James] Cleverly. Cameron can read a room – he immediately sees the elephant in it, if there is one. He constantly comes back on summonses and wants to know: ‘When can I get more on this? When can I get an update on that?’”

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Revealed: UK-funded French forces putting migrants’ lives at risk with small-boat tactics

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Exclusive: newly obtained footage and leaked documents show how a ‘mass casualty event’ could arise from aggressive tactics employed by border forces

French police funded by the UK government have endangered the lives of vulnerable migrants by intercepting small boats in the Channel, using tactics that search and rescue experts say could cause a “mass casualty event”.

Shocking new evidence obtained by the Observer, Lighthouse Reports, Le Monde and Der Spiegel reveals for the first time that the French maritime police have tried physically to force small boats to turn around – manoeuvres known as “pullbacks” – in an attempt to prevent them reaching British shores.

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Blake Lively ‘mortified’ over Catherine joke after princess’s cancer news

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The US actor apologized for post poking fun at Princess of Wales while other celebs face criticism for mocking the royal

After the Princess of Wales announced on Friday that she is undergoing treatment for cancer, the US actor Blake Lively apologized to Catherine for joking about a manipulated family photograph that the latter recently published as speculation about her whereabouts ran rampant.

“I’m sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this. I made a silly post around the ‘Photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today,” Lively wrote on Instagram. The star of Gossip Girl and A Simple Favor added: “I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.”

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Cancer charities praise ‘brave’ Princess of Wales for speaking about her diagnosis

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Cancer Research UK’s chief executive says high-profile cancer cases such as Catherine’s can help others to seek help early

Cancer charities have praised the Princess of Wales for her “brave” decision to speak out about her cancer diagnosis as a way to encourage others to get their symptoms checked.

In a video message released on Friday, Catherine, 42, spoke of how her condition was discovered after she underwent abdominal surgery in January. In the weeks that followed her procedure, wild rumours flew around her absence and silence – but she said she and her husband, Prince William, had needed time to explain the situation to their three children, George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.

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UK genetics project looks for lost apple varieties to protect fruit in climate crisis

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Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded ‘survivor’ cultivars

Gardeners are searching for lost apple varieties by sequencing the genetics of trees in ancient orchards, in the hope they hold traits that can help the fruit survive climate breakdown.

Heritage apple trees at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden Rosemoor will be sampled this spring with the aim of finding species of apple enjoyed by people hundreds of years ago.

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Out of control media left Kate with little choice over opening up about health

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The Princess of Wales’s video was intended to calm the fevered speculation about her but may just spark yet more incessant coverage

When she met Prince William, the heir to the British throne, more than 20 years ago at St Andrews University, Catherine, the Princess of Wales had her first taste of the appetite for news about her life and her budding romantic involvement with the young prince.

Since their marriage in 2011, the desire for news, any news, about Catherine has only grown. Her every movement has been tracked, every outfit remarked upon, every decision – around her work, her children, the way she spends her free time, the way she moves – has been endlessly analysed, assessed, lauded or judged.

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