52 h. ago ‘It means death’: Afghan women’s rights activists face deportation from Pakistan

Police go door-to-door arresting Afghans as government pledges to send millions back home to Taliban ruleMore than 50 prominent female Afghan women’s rights activists sheltering in Pakistan are facing deportation home, where they fear they will be imprisoned or killed under Taliban rule.Under a draconian policy, the Pakistan government has pledged to deport millions of Afghan nationals, after relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan severely deteriorated and attacks by militants in the border areas surged. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Vaccines group Gavi says U.S. has not confirmed it will end funding

The head of leading vaccines group Gavi alliance says it has not received confirmation from the U.S. government that it might be losing more than $1 billion in pledged funding as part of a reported proposal by U.S. authorities to cut support for international aid groups

Economics

6 d. ago Chancellor's £2bn housebuilding boost welcomed as charities urge for majority to be social homes

The investment is aimed at helping to fulfil the Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years.

Society

7 d. ago Reeves offers £2bn affordable housing boost ahead of sweeping cuts to public services

Investment is aimed at helping to fulfill government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years

Economics

7 d. ago Rachel Reeves is all about growth. So why won’t she admit that Brexit is its worst enemy? | Polly Toynbee

Our exit from the EU won’t be a focus of the spring statement, but it should be. Most now accept the need for closer ties As the chancellor ekes out every last billion this week, it’s worth stepping back and remembering one key reason why Britain fares worse than its neighbours: Brexit. On Monday, MPs debated whether to rejoin the EU following the success of a public petition that gained 134,000 signatures. Don’t hold your breath. The government replied by quoting its not-until-hell-freezes-over manifesto pledge: “there will be no return to EU membership”. But the global Trumpquake has shaken all certainties, upended all that seemed solid. The European defence emergency has made talk of Brexit and its future less taboo on both sides of the Channel. Close observers note the ice breaking. “Things are moving in the right direction,” says Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform (CER).Nonetheless, Labour is so paralysed by Brexit that despite its hunt for growth, it has said noth...

Politics

7 d. ago Housebuilding boost welcomed but charities urge majority must be for social rent

The investment is aimed at helping to fulfill the Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years.

Society

7 d. ago Shipping emissions to be cut by 30% by 2030, Government pledges

Larger vessels such as tankers and cruises, which cause the most pollution, will be expected to decarbonise first under the plan.

Politics

8 d. ago Moment Rachel Reeves reveals how many civil service jobs will be cut

Rachel Reeves has pledged to cut the running costs of government by 15% and to reduce civil service jobs by 10,000 by the end of this parliament.

Politics

1 week ago Use of pesticides on UK farms to be cut by 10% by 2030 to protect bees

Campaigners welcome long-delayed proposals to reduce pesticide-related harms to pollinatorsThe use of pesticides on UK farms is to be reduced by 10% by 2030 under government plans to protect bees and other pollinators.Campaigners welcomed the news, but said they were disappointed that the target applied only to arable farms and not to urban areas and parks. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Chancellor summons regulators to Downing Street in war on red tape

The Government has pledged to cut the number of quangos and slash the cost of regulation by 25%.

Events

3 w. ago ‘I’ve been compared to Donald Trump’: how neighbour turned on neighbour over Scotland’s new national park

An ugly fight has ripped through Galloway in south-west Scotland, with rival campaigns complaining of dirty tricks and murky finances. How could the mere possibility of a new national park stir up so much ill will?As soon as the green fields of Galloway, in south-west Scotland, were selected as the preferred site for Britain’s first new national park in 15 years, Denise Brownlee sprang into action. The 64-year-old retired civil servant had served two seasons as a park ranger in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and knew a thing or two about the chaos brought by thoughtless day-trippers and campers. “The detritus!” she says. “I’ve seen a two-man tent used as a human litter tray. You think dog poo on the pavement is bad? Try wandering up any remote little area in a national park. Your faith in humankind gets lost.”In July, Galloway was chosen as the frontrunner from a shortlist of five areas as part of the Scottish government’s pledge to designate at least one new national park – the cou...

Politics

3 w. ago UK government vows to clean up Lake Windemere after beauty spot clogged with sewage

The U.K. government is pledging to clean up Lake Windermere, a sewage-clogged beauty spot that has come to symbolize the filthy state of Britain’s waterways

Politics

3 w. ago Government will clean up Windermere, Environment Secretary Steve Reed to pledge

Mr Reed said: “Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution.”

Politics

4 w. ago O’Neill pledges transparency around programme for government targets

The First Minister said the publication of the first agreed PFG for a Stormont executive since 2011 marked a ‘significant day’ for powersharing.

Politics

4 w. ago More governments pledge to join U.K. and France in sending peacekeepers to Ukraine

More governments pledge to join U.K. and France in sending peacekeepers to Ukraine  POLITICO Europe

Politics