5 h. ago New West Lothian flats agreed despite objections as housing crisis continues

The proposals for a vacant site in Stewart Avenue did attract seven objections including one from the village community council voicing concern about potential parking issues.

Events

6 h. ago Gunman fatally shot at Michigan church had attended services in past year

Gunman, identified as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, may have bee suffering mental health crisis, police sayThe man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers before he was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff had attended services there a couple of times in the last year and his mother is a member, police said.The gunman, identified as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, did not have any previous contacts with local police or a criminal history, but may have been suffering a mental health crisis, the Wayne police department said in a news release. Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago IMF chief warns of broader risks from US strikes on Iran, after oil hits five

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsPrice of oil could spike after Iran’s parliament votes to close key shipping routeThe UK stock market has dropped at the start of trading, as traders weigh up the situation in the Middle East.Airline shares are down, with easyJet (-2.1%) and British Airways parent company IAG (-2.2%) leading the fallers on the FTSE 100 share index. Higher oil prices push up their costs, and the crisis could also force airlines to cancel flights to the region. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Iran says US ‘must receive a response’ after Trump’s strikes on nuclear sites

Pentagon claims major damage inflicted, world leaders call for restraint and Israel continues to strike Iranian targetsMiddle East crisis – latest updatesIran has warned the US to brace for retaliation after Donald Trump’s administration joined Israel in its war against Tehran, tearing up his isolationist foreign policy and launching the most consequential intervention in a conflict in a generation.Almost a day after US strikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told France’s Emmanuel Macron: “The Americans must receive a response to their aggression,” signalling a potential Iranian reprisal that could drag the US into a new, protracted conflict in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The Guardian view on Our Story With David Attenborough and The Herds: a new theatre of the Anthropocene | Editorial

A cinematic immersive experience and stampeding animal puppets are bringing the climate emergency into the cityAs parts of the UK swelter, this week brought yet more alarming reports of increasing temperatures, extreme weather events and dwindling chances of meeting the global 1.5C target. It was the UK’s warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years.Communicating the urgency of our predicament without provoking despair and hopelessness is an intractable challenge, especially when it comes to children. But two trail-blazing theatre experiences are bringing the breakdown of the natural world into urban metropolises, and raising the alarm with such immediacy that even those of us fortunate enough to live in places that have so far been relatively unaffected by the climate crisis must pay attention. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Cancer is just everywhere’: could farming be behind Iowa’s unfolding health crisis?

A new study probes possible ties to pesticides, nitrates and other farm-related risksSix months ago, Alex Hammer was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 37. Dianne Chambers endured surgery, chemotherapy and dozens of rounds of radiation to fight aggressive breast cancer, and Janan Haugen spends most days helping care for her 16-year-old grandson, who is still being treated for brain cancer he developed at the age of 7.The three were among a group of about two dozen people who came together last week in a small town in central Iowa to share their experiences of cancer. They are part of a new research project investigating potential environmental causes for what the American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm calls a cancer “crisis.” Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Sales of illegal and dangerous ebikes must be stopped, say MPs and peers

All-party group concerned about hazards caused by bikes, with focus on use by delivery drivers and risk of fire Ministers must urgently act to stop the sale of illegal and potentially lethal electric bikes, with a particular focus on their use by gig economy delivery riders, a committee of MPs and peers has said.The rapid spread of highly powered bikes or conversion kits causes hazards on the roads and can lead to fires because of cheaply made batteries, the report by the all-party parliamentary group for cycling and walking said, calling it “a crisis hiding in plain sight”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Assassination attempt in Colombia sparks fears of return to bloody past: ‘It’s a devastating moment’

Attack on presidential candidate is reminiscent of some of the darkest chapters of the country’s historyThe attempted assassination of a Colombian presidential hopeful has reignited fears of a return to a bloody past when organized crime and rebel groups murdered candidates, journalists, judges with impunity.The shooting of Miguel Uribe Turbay was one of the most serious attacks against a high-ranking politician in Colombia this century, and comes as a deteriorating security crisis grips the Andean nation. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to GazaActivists accuse Israel of ‘forcibly intercepting’ ship – liveIsraeli forces have taken command of a vessel that tried to challenge its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, with the boat and its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday.The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel Katz threatens to use ‘all necessary measures’ to stop Gaza

Israel’s defence minister says he’d instructed IDF to block humanitarian flotilla carrying climate activist Greta ThunbergThe Israeli defence minister has threatened to “take all necessary measures” to prevent a humanitarian ship carrying climate campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza.The ‘Madleen’, a boat operated by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), says it is attempting to reach the shores of the territory to bring in a symbolic amount of aid and raise international awareness of the continuing humanitarian crisis. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The one change that worked: I was born with brown hair. But becoming Ginger Rachel brought me true happiness

I tried bleaching my hair; I tried dyeing it pink, blue and purple. Then, at the age of 18, I finally discovered the real meMy hair has always been my pride and joy. Hairdressers would fawn over how long and thick it was. It was glossy, healthy and an unremarkable shade of light brown. But it never really felt like “me”. As a teen I dyed it purple, pink, red, blue or all four, trying to find the magic shade that would make sense.Until disaster struck. When I was 18, I damaged my hair so badly with bleach that no colour would stick to it. After I spent two weeks as peroxide Barbie, my hairdresser saved what she could of my hair by dyeing it back to its natural mousy brown colour and chopping a good 14 inches off into a blunt bob. Much to her dismay, again bored with brown I bleached it a week later. It seemed I was in a permanent identity crisis that only a box of bleach could fix. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Defence review to say UK must be ready to fight a war in Europe or Atlantic

Review will call for ‘war-fighting readiness’ to deal with new threats, though army will not grow before next electionAnalysis: Labour pushes ‘military Keynesianism’ to win support for defence spendingBritain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, a strategic defence review will conclude, though it is not expected to promise immediate increases in the size of the armed forces to deal with the threat.The 130-page document will call for a move to “war-fighting readiness” to deter Russian aggression in Europe and increases in stockpiles of arms and support equipment, some of which may only last days in a crisis. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago British Gas, EDF, EON, Ovo, Octopus customers urged to press switch for £100 saving

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, energy experts are urging UK households to take action now to minimise their energy bills ahead of the colder months

Economics