Grooming gang survivors tell MPs to stop ‘tug-of-war with vulnerable women’ – UK politics live

Two survivors urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation

Campaigners from trade unions, voluntary organisations and the Church of Scotland have announced plans for an anti-poverty march to “demand better” from politicians in Scotland, reports the PA news agency.

The campaign, Scotland Demands Better, will culminate in a march in Edinburgh on 25 October, walking from the Scottish parliament, up the Royal Mile and along George IV Bridge to The Meadows.

Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. Scotland desperately needs that change.

Too many of us are being cut off from life’s essentials. Too many are frightened of what the future will bring. Too many of us are feeling tired, angry, isolated, and disillusioned.

Air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to health, with impacts throughout the life course.

It is an area of health where the UK has made substantial progress in the last three decades, with concentrations of many of the main pollutants falling rapidly, but it remains a major cause of chronic ill health as well as premature mortality.

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‘True model of humility’: hundreds pay tribute to victims of Minnesota killings

Candlelight vigil honoring Melissa Hortman and husband at state capitol was attended by Tim Walz and couple’s son

Hundreds gathered at the Minnesota capitol on Wednesday night to honor state Democratic representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed at their home on Saturday night in what authorities have described as a “political assassination”.

Some mourners reportedly brought flowers to place in front of this memorial, while others held candles. Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, grew teary at the vigil, and consoled attendees, as a brass band from the Minnesota Orchestra performed, according to the Associated Press.

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Spanish PM rejects Nato’s ‘unreasonable’ 5% GDP target for defence spending – as it happened

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our European news coverage here

Earlier today, I cheekily suggested that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is probably wondering how to persuade US president Donald Trump to stay at the Nato summit in The Hague next week long enough to get to discussions on Ukraine and Russia – and not leave early, as he did at the G7 summit.

Well, looks like this issue may have actually influenced the planning.

“Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on 28 June as a city event. Period.”

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Amber heat alert issued across England with warning of ‘rise in deaths’

UKHSA warns of risk to people aged 65 and over as temperatures of up to 33C expected until Monday

Amber heat alerts have been issued in England as the UK experiences its hottest day of the year so far, with a temperature of 30.8C recorded at Wisley in Surrey.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the warningd on Thursday, and stated there could be “a rise in deaths” across all nine English regions, with “those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions” particularly at risk as the temperature is expected to rise sharply.

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Israel’s airstrikes aim to break foundations of Khamenei’s rule in Iran – Reuters

  1. Israel's airstrikes aim to break foundations of Khamenei's rule in Iran  Reuters
  2. Iran Has Its Back Against the Wall  The New York Times
  3. How Israel and Iran’s conflict went from covert to all-out fighting  The Washington Post
  4. The Three Dramatic Consequences of Israel’s Attack on Iran  The Atlantic
  5. Where will the Iran-Israel war end?  The Economist
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Ringo Starr labels Roger Daltrey ‘that little man’ after son’s sacking from the Who

Zak Starkey says his father made the comment after he was fired over a disagreement about his performance

Ringo Starr has reportedly criticised the way “that little man” Roger Daltrey runs the Who after Starr’s son was sacked from the band.

Zak Starkey, 59, who was sacked as the Who’s drummer over a disagreement about his performance, said he was proud that his father had come to his defence.

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Deadly US listeria outbreak linked to chicken dishes at Kroger and Walmart

Food poisoning outbreak has killed three and resulted in one pregnancy loss across 13 states over past year

A listeria food poisoning outbreak that has killed three people and led to one pregnancy loss is linked to newly recalled heat-and-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo products sold at Kroger and Walmart stores, federal health officials said late on Tuesday.

The outbreak, which includes at least 17 people in 13 states, began last July, officials said. At least 16 people have been hospitalized.

32.8oz trays of Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken and Shaved Parmesan Cheese with best-by dates of 27 June or earlier.

12.3oz trays of Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Broccoli and Shaved Parmesan Cheese with best-by dates of 26 June or earlier.

12.5oz trays of Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Pasta, Grilled White Meat Chicken and Parmesan Cheese, with best-by dates of 19 June or earlier.

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Finland Votes to Exit Treaty Ending Land Mines – Newser

  1. Finland Votes to Exit Treaty Ending Land Mines  Newser
  2. Finnish parliament votes to exit landmines treaty due to Russia threat  Reuters
  3. Finland's lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia  AP News
  4. Finland votes to withdraw from landmine treaty, citing Russian threat  The Kyiv Independent
  5. Finnish Lawmakers Approve Exit From Treaty Banning Landmines  Bloomberg
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Serial rapist Zhenhao Zou jailed for minimum of 24 years

London student drugged and filmed himself raping at least 60 victims between 2019 and 2024

A PhD student feared to be one of the worst sexual offenders in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for drugging and raping 10 women.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, drugged and filmed himself raping at least 60 victims between 2019 and 2024 after luring them into his flat with invitations to study or have drinks. Since his conviction more than 20 women have come forward to police, and still more remain unidentified.

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What are the legal issues around Britain helping Trump bomb Iran?

Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to back the US and – as a lawyer – will be aware of the legal landscape

As Keir Starmer considers whether Britain should support the US if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, the attorney general, Richard Hermer, has reportedly warned him that UK involvement could be illegal. The prime minister was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war when he was a human rights lawyer in 2003 and will be well aware of the thorny legal issues around engagement in strikes against Iran.

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Remove decisions on lone child asylum seekers from Home Office, report says

Call for root-and-branch reform of treatment of children, many of whom are wrongly classified as adults

Decisions relating to lone child asylum seekers should be removed from Home Office officials because of fundamental problems with the way they treat this vulnerable group, a report has found.

The report calls for root-and-branch reform of the treatment of thousands of children who have fled persecution in their home countries and made hazardous journeys in search of safety, often crossing the Channel in a dinghy or concealing themselves in the back of a lorry.

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This Oregon Native Went to Kyiv as a Volunteer. He Died in a Russian Attack. – The New York Times

  1. This Oregon Native Went to Kyiv as a Volunteer. He Died in a Russian Attack.  The New York Times
  2. Zelenskyy calls for more pressure on Russia after deadly missile strike in Ukrainian capital Kyiv  AP News
  3. 15 dead in massive overnight Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine says  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  4. After a night of terror in Kyiv, the search for dead goes on  BBC
  5. Kyiv mourns as death toll from Russian strike climbs to 28  Reuters
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