9 h. ago UN watchdog finds uranium traces at suspected Syrian former nuclear site

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog reports finding traces of uranium at a site in Syria

Events

5 d. ago Liz Truss backs Trump attacks on Fed and says ‘reckoning’ on way for central banks

Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister also critical of Bank of England and European Central BankBusiness live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s assault on the independence of the US Federal Reserve has been backed by Liz Truss, the shortest-serving British prime minister in history, who was ousted after a meltdown in the financial markets.The former Conservative leader, who during her 49 days in power in late 2022 railed against the “deep state” and the Bank of England for undermining her before she was ejected from office by her own party, said a “reckoning” was coming for the world’s most powerful central banks. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump’s assault on US nuclear watchdog raises safety concerns

Staff ‘forced out’ and independence curtailed at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Events

6 d. ago 'Public safety' fears as 22 police custody suites have closed in last two years

“Public safety” concerns have been raised after the scale of the closure of custody suites in Scotland has been revealed.

Events

9 d. ago It’s the great grandparent revolt – and it shows we parents aren’t the only ones burnt out by family life | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Politicians are scrabbling to raise birthrates, but when the older generation is the only childcare safety net, that’s a problem ‘Enslaved grandparent syndrome” – sounds extreme, doesn’t it? But that’s what some psychologists in Spain are calling the childcare burden faced by older people in that country, where 35% of people over the age of 65 take care of their grandchildren several days a week. In my London neighbourhood, the sight of a grandparent pushing a baby in a buggy, or a toddler in a swing, is fairly common, but in Madrid, even more so. The latest Europe-wide survey, in 2016, found the proportion of over 65s undertaking childcare at least several days a week in southern European countries – Spain especially, but also in Italy and Greece – is much higher than in France (13%) and Germany (15%) or the UK (18%).This is the result of historical cultural norms of shared care between generations, but now some Spanish grandparents are fighting back. After working all their lives,...

Society

1 week ago ‘Everyone is coming into fire’: students return to US campuses bruised and changed by Trump’s assault

The effects of a rightwing campaign to remake American higher education are fueling fear and anxiety, but advocates say they have plans to fight backStudents and faculty heading back to US colleges and universities from summer break are returning to bruised institutions reeling from the Trump administration’s unprecedented campaign to bend higher education to its ideological will, and are bracing for more uncertainty ahead.At the University of Utah, the Black student union has lost its funding and campus space – one of many student groups to face the brunt of Donald Trump’s anti-diversity measures. Indiana’s public universities have cut or merged more than 400 degree programs, about one-fifth of their academic offerings, while scores of other universities have made similar cuts as their budgets are on the line. At Harvard and Columbia, certain forms of criticism of Israel will now be punishable as antisemitism. And across the country, schools will see their international student pop...

Events

1 week ago US Justice department calls on Fed to sack governor Lisa Cook

Letter to central bank chair Jay Powell is latest escalation in Trump administration’s assault on the institution

Society

1 week ago 'South Park' targets federal takeover of Washington, DC, police in latest episode

The team at “South Park” is continuing its comic assault on the Trump administration

Events

2 w. ago Russian troops taunt Zelensky by flying US flag on captured American armoured vehicle during frontline assault ahead of Ukrainian leader's crunch talks with Trump today

They were filmed flying the US flag alongside the Russian tricolour in a captured American M113 armoured personnel carrier captured from Volodymyr Zelensky's forces.

Politics

2 w. ago Could Labour ban VPNs after users dodge online protection laws?

Some internet users have raised concerns that stricter online safety laws could include VPNs in the future

Politics

2 w. ago Welsh town to get bigger and better Aldi after safety concerns raised

'Access to the Aldi we have now is horrendous, I'm surprised no-one has been killed' said one councillor

Politics

2 w. ago 'Frustrating' delay kept police from entering teen's flat before tragedy

Beauty student Alex Duce, 18, died in her flat after family raised concerns for her safety

Events

3 w. ago MAGA commentator pleads for Trump to give ‘Big Balls’ the Medal of Freedom after DC assault

Benny Johnson has drawn ridicule online after describing the actions of Edward Coristine as ‘heroic’

Politics

3 w. ago Trump promised to be a dictator on day one. We’re now past day 200

Donald Trump’s second term has seen a sustained assault on democratic institutions – political, judicial, media, cultural, academic – that appears to be only accelerating The anger was raw and resolute. Speaking at the Republican congressman Mike Flood’s town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska, a woman pointed to the estimated $450m cost of “Alligator Alcatraz”, an immigration detention facility in Florida. “How much does it cost for fascism?” she demanded. “How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”The crowd erupted in applause and whoops. In the week that Donald Trump marked his 200th day in office, few mainstream political commentators are bandying around terms such as “fascist”. But many are warning of a societal march towards authoritarianism that, far from losing momentum, appears to be gathering pace. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Fort Stewart army base shooting raises questions about military gun policies

A shooting at Fort Stewart on Wednesday has injured five people and raised concerns about safety on military bases

Events

4 w. ago Spike Lee, Adam McKay and over 2,000 writers decry Trump’s ‘un

Screenwriters from Writers Guild of America, also including David Simon and Celine Song, call out president’s ‘authoritarian assault’ on free speechMore than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America, including Spike Lee and Adam McKay, have signed an open letter decrying the actions of Donald Trump’s administration that represent “an unprecedented, authoritarian assault” on free speech.The letter, a combined effort from the WGA East and West branches, cites the US president’s “baseless lawsuits” against news organizations that have “published stories he does not like and leveraged them into payoffs”. It specifically references Paramount’s decision to pay Trump $16m to settle a “meritless lawsuit” about a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The letter notes that Trump “retaliated against publications reporting factually on the White House and threatened broadcasters’ licenses”, and has repeatedly called for the cancellation of programs that criticize him. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago I’m a perinatal psychiatrist. The US is promoting misinformation on SSRIs and pregnancy | Sunny Patel

A recent FDA advisory panel discussion contained falsehoods and overstated risks. That’s dangerous for mothers-to-beLate last month, the FDA advisory panel – on the heels of the president’s “make America healthy again” executive order scrutinizing psychotropic medications – raised debate around the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in pregnancy. Commonly called antidepressants, these medications are used to treat a range of disorders, and earlier this year a consortium of major mental health organizations pushed back on the administration’s stance.As a perinatal psychiatrist who sees pregnant and postpartum people struggling with conditions such as depression and anxiety every week, I’m deeply concerned that this public discussion – chaired by the controversial FDA commissioner Marty Makary – shared significant misinformation about mental illness and the treatment modalities (with overly simplified statements denouncing “chemicals” during pregnancy). Continue...

Politics

4 w. ago Loch Ken Trust organising family fun day to raise water safety awareness

There will be lots to do for all ages including rescue demonstrations, water safety and nature activities and kids funfair rides.

Events