Restructuring plan involves writing off debts to suppliers and cutting rent for many landlords
Up to 150 former WH Smith high street stores are to close after the high court approved a swingeing restructure that could affect thousands of jobs.
The retailer, which has 450 stores and employs about 5,000 staff, was bought last year by the private equity firm Modella Capital, which also owns Hobbycraft, and rebranded as TG Jones.
Continue reading...Minister and MPs have raised concerns that his ‘poisoned chalice’ plan will take cash from much-needed road projects
Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor.
Andy Burnham is a “true patriot” who will provide the money needed to maintain Britain’s security when he becomes prime minister, the new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, said on a visit to a factory in Cambridge today.
I’ve known Andy Burnham for more than 15 years, he is a true patriot, and I absolutely believe that he will make sure that we have the resources that we need to field the kind of capabilities that are required given the nature of the world that we’re operating in.
I know what we need to do to keep Britain safe, and I’m absolutely confident that Andy Burnham, as the next prime minister, knows that as well, and we’ll make sure in the context of the next spending review that we’ve got the resources we need to keep the country safe.
Continue reading...Theodore Roosevelt protected swathes of land, while Trump has lifted them from more than 86m acres
Donald Trump will attend a ribbon cutting for the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on Wednesday, touting the legacy of a president his own administration is attempting to destroy, critics say.
While in office from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt established five new national parks, protected swaths of land and passed legislation enabling himself and future presidents to proclaim historic landmarks and other objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments.
Continue reading...Three-year-old remains in hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries but is now in a stable condition
The family of a three-year-old boy who was seriously injured in a crocodile attack at a zoo have thanked staff at the attraction in a new statement released through the police.
Last month, officers were called to Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo in Huntingdonshire over “reports of an incident involving a three-year-old boy, during which he ended up in the crocodile enclosure”.
Continue reading...Report accuses paramilitary force of crimes including ethnic cleansing in systemic campaign against civilians
The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its seizure of El Fasher last year, Amnesty International has alleged.
Many of the crimes, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, were carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians and amounted to crimes against humanity, the human rights organisation said in a report released on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Three people have died from suffocation
More than a million people gathered in Mexico City
Three people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital’s health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deaths occurred near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the last 32.
Continue reading...Group confirms it will stop opening new accounts under the name and move existing ones to Lloyds
Lloyds Banking Group has announced it is axing the Halifax brand, scrubbing the 173-year-old former building society’s name from UK high streets.
The group will stop opening new accounts under the Halifax brand and kickstart a process of shifting existing accounts to Lloyds branding over the coming days.
Continue reading...Supporters of the method say it’s foolproof – but forensic experts say it can be ‘excruciating’ amid allegations it’s been intentionally botched
The tangled path of US capital punishment takes a new turn on Wednesday as Idaho becomes the first state to adopt the firing squad as its primary form of execution, embracing the brutal killing technique even as concerns grow that it can inflict excruciating pain and suffering.
The state’s department of corrections (IDOC) says it has met its deadline, set by the legislature, to have its death chamber at a maximum security prison south of Boise retrofitted and open for business by 1 July. It has spent more than $1m in the venture, including $24,000 on a rack of AR-style, .308-caliber, scoped rifles that will be wielded by volunteer marksmen.
Continue reading...Airlines and airports say passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours for biometric checks
Airlines and airports have called for the new EU biometric border check system to be suspended during the peak summer holiday period,saying some flights are leaving half full and passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours.
In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, airlines and airports asked for an option to suspend checks under the system over fears the situation will get much worse during the busy summer season.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Fears that US companies may withdraw more medicines as global markets react to policy changes by the Trump administration
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A “life-saving” drug heavily subsidised for Australians living with opioid dependency will be pulled from the market by the end of the year, causing alarm among doctors and pharmacists.
US pharmaceutical company Indivior confirmed the marketing and sale of the long-acting injectable prescription opioid Sublocade would end from 31 December, with a company spokesperson describing it as a “commercial decision”.
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