19 h. ago The Guardian view on the rising risk from flooding: uninsurable buildings should focus minds on climate adaptation | Editorial

The bleak future faced by one small town offers a cautionary tale about the threat from global heatingThe bleak prospect facing the market town of Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, due to rising flood risks, is first and foremost a problem for locals. After seven floods in four years, and with plans for new flood defences around the town abandoned after costs rose to £30m, the town council announced this month that three buildings it owns, including a theatre and historic pump rooms, no longer have insurance. Independent retailers are in a similar situation, and some are packing up as a result. The number of empty properties is growing.Tenbury is at higher risk than most places from floods, due to its low-lying position between the River Teme and Kyre Brook. But the threat it faces is not unique, and will become more common in future. Last year UK insurers paid out a record £585m for weather-related damage to homes and possessions, after unusually s...

Events

38 h. ago Flood defence funding pledge for deprived communities in new Government approach

Government reforms aim to allow more natural flood management schemes and speed up building of defences.

Events

9 d. ago ‘A club nobody wanted to be a part of’: Families of Americans killed by Israel face uphill climb to justice

Dozens of American citizens have been killed by Hamas and Israel – but the US government has taken a very different approach to the latterWithin hours after they were told that Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi had been killed by an Israeli sniper while at a protest in the West Bank last year, her family was on a phone call with the parents of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza more than two decades ago.The families were introduced by a mutual contact in Washington state, where both Corrie and 26-year-old Eygi had lived. There were other parallels in their stories: Corrie was protesting against the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in Rafah when a soldier drove over her; Eygi was at a protest against settlement expansion near Nablus. Both had traveled to the region with the International Solidarity Movement, a group that for years has brought foreign activists to stand with Palestinians against Israel’s occupation. An Israeli ...

Society

1 week ago SNP Government urged to release cancer data for Scotland's most deprived communities

Ministers have not published promised data on numbers affected by cancer in country's poorest areas amid fears of a growing health divide.

Politics

1 week ago Readers' letters: Labour's funding pledges for Scotland are Trumpian fake news

Anas Sarwar’s call for a “new directionr “ for Scottish Labour fails to convince a reader

Politics

2 w. ago New negotiating body comprised of trade unions and employers will help end 'poverty pay and zero hours exploitation' for care workers

The health and social care secretary today pledged £500million of funding to boost pay and conditions in the sector and described it as 'just the start'.

Economics

2 w. ago Keir Starmer backs UK's 'true patriots' with investment for 264 areas

Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled plans to pour £5billion into rebuilding deprived communities across the country that have been scarred by years of austerity

Politics

2 w. ago Labour Government unveils £292m funding boost for Scottish high streets and deprived communities

The cash will provided directly to communities from the Scotland Office.

Economics

2 w. ago More than 78,000 north west families saving up to £7,500 after major childcare changes

The news comes after the government pledged at the start of September to fund 30 hours of free childcare a week for eligible parents

Economics

3 w. ago How Trump’s assault on US wind industry threatens jobs and power for nearly 5m homes

US president’s offshore wind crackdown targets nine projects, threatening jobs, homes and the clean energy transitionDonald Trump has jettisoned Republicans’ long-standing “all of the above” approach to energy by using the US government to aggressively stamp out clean energy projects – particularly offshore wind turbines.The scale of the intervention is remarkable – a total of nine already permitted offshore wind projects that were set to provide electricity to nearly 5m households and create around 9,000 jobs in the US are under investigation or have already been paused by the Trump administration. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Reeves urged to reverse ‘rash’ tax commitments and reform system by think tank

The Institute for Government said Labour’s ‘unrealistic’ approach to tax has left the Chancellor reaching for ‘piecemeal changes’.

Events

4 w. ago Finland is ready for the next crisis, with stockpiled food and 72

The next pandemic or geopolitical shock could be close at hand. To look after our people, we’re looking after our supply chains, agriculture and fuel reservesMiika Ilomäki is chief preparedness specialist for Finland’s National Emergency Supply AgencyIn times of crisis, food is more than sustenance. It is a pillar of national stability. Finland has long understood this, not just because of policy, but because of who we are and where we live. Geography, a mild continental climate and our history have shaped a mindset where preparedness is essential. In a country with vast territory, a sparse population and long distances between communities, resilience must be built into everything we do.This understanding is deeply rooted in our society, in individual households as much as government institutions. Today, Finland’s approach to preparedness is rightly seen as a model for Europe. But it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. What works for Finland, such as our high levels of food self-su...

Events