Wild co-founders ‘land £100m’ from sale of natural deodorant maker

Childhood friends sell upmarket brand to Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, Axe deodorant and Marmite

A pair of UK entrepreneurs selling refillable deodorant cases and manuka honey lip balms made from natural ingredients have reportedly landed a near-£100m payday from the sale of their brand to the global consumer goods group Unilever.

Wild, founded by childhood friends Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon, has been bought by Unilever, the maker of Dove soap, Axe deodorant and Marmite.

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Trump cuts to Noaa disrupt staffing and weather forecasts: ‘Incompetent chaos’

US climate agency upended as Doge efforts to slash federal government compromise email security

A sense of chaos has gripped the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), one of the world’s premier research agencies, with key staff hastily fired and then rehired, cuts to vital weather forecasting operations and even a new, unsecured server that led to staff being deluged by obscene spam emails.

Noaa is currently being upended by Donald Trump’s desire to slash the federal government workforce, with more than 1,000 people already fired or resigning from the agency and 1,000 more staffers are expected to be removed as the purge continues. In total, this represents around 20% of the Noaa’s workforce.

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Markets brace for trade war as Trump prepares reciprocal tariffs | First Thing

President promises to be ‘very kind’, but critics warn his strategy risks triggering chain reaction and global trade war. Plus, Nasa astronauts reject claims of neglect

Good morning.

As Donald Trump prepared to unveil a swathe of reciprocal tariffs, global markets braced themselves and some Republican senators voiced their opposition to a strategy that critics warn risks a global trade war, provoking retaliation by major trading partners such as China, Canada and the EU.

What do Europeans think of the plans? A large majority of western Europeans support retaliatory tariffs against the US, a survey has shown, if Trump introduces sweeping import duties for major trading partners as expected this week.

What did the memo say? The memo, reviewed by the Times, stated that “such elevated access to critical high-value asset systems is rare with respect to individual systems and no single [Department of Interior] official presently has access to all HR, payroll and credentialing systems”.

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Asylum system risks ‘damaging social cohesion’, Glasgow city council warns

Council says cost running into tens of millions, as homeless refugees granted asylum across UK come to city for support

The asylum system risks “damaging social cohesion” with homeless refugees putting “unprecedented pressure” on Glasgow services, the city council has warned.

Glasgow city council, the largest asylum dispersal area outside London, had welcomed asylum seekers for decades, said the city convener for homelessness, Allan Casey.

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Rightwing groups across US push new bans to limit ‘obscene’ books in libraries

Critics say bans would hinder rights as proponents would impose their beliefs on others who don’t share their views

Rightwing groups around the US are pushing legislation that would place new limits on what books are allowed in school libraries in a move that critics decry as censorship often focused on LGBTQ+ issues or race or imposing conservative social values.

Caught up in the attempts at suppressing books are classics like The Color Purple and Slaughterhouse Five.

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Chinese military launches large-scale drills around Taiwan – AP News

  1. Chinese military launches large-scale drills around Taiwan  AP News
  2. China launches military drills from ‘multiple directions’ around Taiwan, testing US resolve  CNN
  3. China launches military drills around Taiwan, calls Taiwan president a 'parasite'  Reuters
  4. China holds major war games around Taiwan as U.S. boosts ties with Japan to deter "Chinese military aggression"  CBS News
  5. China practices attacks and blockades in fresh military exercises around Taiwan  NPR
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Germany launches permanent troop deployment on NATO’s eastern flank – politico.eu

  1. Germany launches permanent troop deployment on NATO’s eastern flank  politico.eu
  2. Germany Deploys Troops on Russia's Doorstep for First Time Since World War II  Newsweek
  3. Die Panzerbrigade 45 offiziell in Dienst  SPARTANAT.com
  4. WW3 fears as Germany sends 5,000 troops to Lithuania to 'protect' NATO's eastern flank  Daily Star
  5. German Army Deploys Brigade in Lithuania to Strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank  Odessa Journal
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UK housebuilders ‘very bad’ at building houses, says wildlife charity CEO

Land speculation to blame for lack of progress amid Labour drive to build 1.5m new homes, says Wildlife Trusts head

Housebuilders in the UK are failing to supply much-needed new homes not because of restrictive planning laws, but because they are “very bad” at building houses, the head of one of the UK’s biggest nature charities has warned.

“There’s planning permission today for a million new houses,” said Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts. “So why aren’t they being built? Why is it that volume housebuilders in this country are actually very bad at building houses, even when they’ve got planning permission?”

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Pope Francis remains in stable condition – Vatican News

  1. Pope Francis remains in stable condition  Vatican News
  2. Pope's willingness to show his frailty provides an example to young and old alike in aging world  AP News
  3. Pope Francis Came Near Death in Hospital, His Doctor Says  The New York Times
  4. God's mercy is for everyone; everyone needs healing, pope writes  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  5. Pope Francis’ Health Continues to Improve, Vatican Says  The New York Times
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Haiti gangs storm town of Mirebalais and release 500 prisoners – BBC

  1. Haiti gangs storm town of Mirebalais and release 500 prisoners  BBC
  2. Haiti Doesn’t Make Guns. So How Are Gangs Awash in Them?  The New York Times
  3. Gangs attack police station, prison in central Haiti town, more than 500 inmates escape  Miami Herald
  4. UN warns of ‘severe’ human rights abuses in Haiti as illegal weapons proliferate  AP News
  5. More than 4,000 killed in Haiti since arrival of Kenya police  Nation
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Palestinian teenager dies in Israeli jail after being held six months without charge – The Guardian

  1. Palestinian teenager dies in Israeli jail after being held six months without charge  The Guardian
  2. A Palestinian from the West Bank is first detainee under 18 to die in Israeli prison, officials say  AP News
  3. Government shakeup continues; Ohtani leads MLB jersey sales | Hot off the Wire podcast  Channel 3000
  4. 17-Year-Old Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmad Dies in Notorious Israeli Prison  Democracy Now!
  5. 17-year-old Palestinian child dies in Israeli prison in unclear circumstances  Defense for Children Palestine
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Wisconsin and Florida voters head to polls in test of Trump’s popularity

Conservatives bid to overturn liberal majority on Wisconsin supreme court while Florida votes to replace Mike Waltz

US voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday in Wisconsin and Florida in elections that some see as a test of Donald Trump’s popularity and the political clout of his billionaire ally Elon Musk.

The most closely watched contest is a battle for a seat on Wisconsin’s seven-member supreme court. Conservatives are trying to flip ideological control of the court, which currently has a 4-3 liberal majority. The contest, which features liberal judge Susan Crawford facing off against conservative Brad Schimel, will have huge consequences in the state.

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