Hospitals in England reducing staff and services as part of NHS ‘financial reset’

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Trusts having to ‘think the previously unthinkable’ to make savings demanded by new NHS England boss

Hospitals in England are cutting staff, closing services and planning to ration care in order to make “eye-watering” savings demanded by NHS bosses.

Rehabilitation centres face being shut, talking therapies services cut and beds for end-of-life care reduced as part of efforts by England’s 215 NHS trusts to comply with a “financial reset”.

47% were cutting services and another 43% were considering doing so.

37% were cutting clinical posts and a further 40% may follow suit.

26% were closing some services and 55% more may do so.

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Vance says US won’t intervene in India-Pakistan conflict: ‘None of our business’

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Vice-president says US will seek to de-escalate but cannot force either nuclear power to ‘lay down their arms’

JD Vance has said that the US will not intervene in the conflict between Pakistan and India, calling fighting between the two nuclear powers “fundamentally none of our business”.

The remarks came during an interview with Fox News, where the US vice-president said that the US would seek to de-escalate the conflict but could force neither side to “lay down their arms”.

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Huckabee says US ‘not required to get permission’ from Israel to cut deal with Houthis – The Times of Israel

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  1. Huckabee says US ‘not required to get permission’ from Israel to cut deal with Houthis  The Times of Israel
  2. Trump operation against Houthis cost more than $1 billion  NBC News
  3. Iran welcomes end of US attacks on Yemen, foreign ministry says  Reuters
  4. Houthis say US 'backed down' and Israel not covered by ceasefire  BBC
  5. Shippers Are Skeptical of Trump’s Truce With the Houthis  WSJ
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‘The pope is Peruvian’: elation in country where pontiff served as bishop

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Leo XIV celebrated as second Latin American pope having spent many years in Peru’s church

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been celebrated across Latin America, where many hailed him as the second pontiff from the region, after his Argentinian predecessor, Francis.

The news prompted particular elation in Peru, where he lived and worked for more than 20 years and was granted citizenship in 2015. In the capital, Lima, the bells of the cathedral rang in celebration.

In his first appearance from the Vatican balcony, Leo XIV briefly switched from Italian to Spanish to address the faithful “from my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru”, where he served as bishop for more than a decade.

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King calls for renewed ‘commitment to peace’ in VE Day message

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Charles says sacrifice of second world war heroes must not be in vain

King Charles called for a renewal of “global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy and to the prevention of conflict”, as the UK marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

Westminster Abbey was the focal point for national commemorations with a service of thanksgiving weaving poignant reminders of wartime deprivation and loss with the hopes for the future that historic day had promised.

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India and Pakistan trade attacks amid risk of war between nuclear states – NPR

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  1. India and Pakistan trade attacks amid risk of war between nuclear states  NPR
  2. India reports strikes on military bases, Pakistan denies any role  BBC
  3. Indian border cities sound blackout sirens  dw.com
  4. India Says It Intercepted Missiles and Drones Launched by Pakistan  WSJ
  5. Pakistan and India accuse each other of drone attacks as tensions mount  The Washington Post
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‘Deep dish eucharist’: internet reacts to US pope with jokes and Chicago pride

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Some users wonder whether new pope has had Chicago’s favorite liqueur Malört while others reference The Bear

The internet exploded with humor and Chicago pride on Thursday following the historic announcement that Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old American clergyman from Chicago, has been named the new pope.

Now known as Pope Leo XIV, Prevost has become the first clergyman from the United States to lead the Roman Catholic church, ending the Vatican’s longstanding opposition to the idea of a US pontiff.

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James Foley, director of Fifty Shades sequels and Glengarry Glen Ross, dies aged 71

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The film-maker, whose credits also included many Madonna music videos, died of brain cancer

Director James Foley, whose credits included Glengarry Glen Ross and the Fifty Shades sequels, has died aged 71.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, his death was confirmed by his representative who said he died “peacefully in his sleep earlier this week following a years-long struggle with brain cancer”.

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Noaa to stop tracking cost of climate crisis-fueled disasters: ‘Major loss’

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US agency will no longer update major weather database in latest showing of Trump’s influence on climate resources

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) will no longer track the cost of climate crisis-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heatwaves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change.

Noaa falls under the US Department of Commerce and is tasked with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring. It is also parent to the National Weather Service.

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Forgive and forget? Both sides must be accountable after a family fallout

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Prince Harry and King Charles will need to put past grievances to one side if they are to move on from their estrangement, experts say

For most families, fallouts and squabbles are a regular occurrence. But what happens when those rifts deepen to an estrangement, such as appears to have beset the royal family and the Beckhams, and how can relationships be rebuilt?

According to the following psychologists and psychotherapists, family reconciliation requires both sides taking accountability for their behaviour and not letting past grievances and trauma block efforts to meaningfully re-engage with estranged relatives.

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Federal prosecutors open criminal investigation into New York attorney general

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Exclusive: Prosecutors impanel federal grand jury in Virginia to hear evidence after Trump official’s referral against Letitia James

Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, after the Trump administration alleged last month in a referral that she may have falsified paperwork for properties she owns in Virginia and New York, according to people familiar with the matter.

The investigation marks a swift and notable escalation against James, a major political enemy of Donald Trump, who was ordered to pay more than $450m in penalties as a result of a lawsuit brought by James’s office that accused him of inflating his net worth to secure financial benefits.

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Trump hails trade deal with ‘oldest ally’ UK – but what about the details?

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President’s announcement receives favorable political reaction but experts warn much remains unresolved

There was plenty of congratulatory backslapping in the Oval Office as Donald Trump unveiled his “major” trade deal with the United Kingdom on Thursday, but many of the details of that agreement have been left to later discussions.

Trump’s rush to claim a win for his controversial tariffs policy left many grasping just what to call this: a deal, an agreement, a framework? Observers predict that the coming negotiations could take months.

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Stockholm rejects ‘bizarre’ US letter urging city to scrap diversity initiatives

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City official says it will not comply with request seeking to impose Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity measures

A city official in Stockholm has said the municipality has no plans to comply after one of its offices received a letter seeking to impose Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity measures, in what is believed to be the first such missive sent to a foreign government.

“It’s so bizarre,” said Jan Valeskog, Stockholm’s vice-mayor for planning. “It’s our political priorities that count, not the ones from this embassy or any other embassies.”

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The United States Must Retaliate Against Whatever Aquatic Demon Is Dragging Its Fancy Fighter Planes to the Watery Depths – Slate Magazine

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  1. The United States Must Retaliate Against Whatever Aquatic Demon Is Dragging Its Fancy Fighter Planes to the Watery Depths  Slate Magazine
  2. A US Navy aircraft carrier in the Red Sea fight just lost a third Super Hornet. The $60 million jet went overboard on landing.  Yahoo
  3. Second US Navy jet is lost at sea from Truman aircraft carrier  CNN
  4. Second fighter jet crashes into the sea after landing failure on USS Harry S. Truman  NBC News
  5. More Troops Injured as U.S. Planes Keep Plunging Into Red Sea  The Intercept
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