Politics — Pete

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Former WH Smith’s small suppliers to lose at least half of debts in rescue plan

If TG Jones’s aggressive restructuring is voted through, the charity Help for Heroes and other creditors will be out of pocket Small suppliers including the charity Help for Heroes are to lose at least half the money owed to them by the former WH Smith high street chain if a planned restructure is voted through this week. The books to paperclips retailer, which has 450 stores, was bought by the private equity firm Modella Capital last year and rebranded TG Jones. It has said it is likely that it will have to call in administrators if creditors, including shop landlords, do not approve an amended restructuring plan, seen by the Guardian, designed to cut costs in a vote on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Wednesday briefing: How can the UK protect its landscape in an increasingly hot world?

In today’s newsletter: As heatwaves intensify, Britain’s ecosystems are being pushed beyond their evolutionary limits Our green and pleasant land is sizzling. This week, millions of us across the UK are baking in unprecedented heat. The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning from 9am today in parts of southern Wales, and central and southern England. The temperature record for June of 35.6C is almost certain to be broken; Bristol is forecast to hit an alarming 39C tomorrow. In the heat, the country’s infrastructure is straining: millions of homes are overheating, rail operators have warned against all but essential travel, and hospital admissions are set to surge. The Climate Change Committee concluded last month the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists – and warned today on the country’s policies towards achieving net zero. UK news | Searing heat has swept the UK with schools, hospitals, transport networks and water companies struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures caused by climate breakdown. UK politics | Keir Starmer has met Andy Burnham for the first time since the Makerfield byelection in what sources said was a “frosty” meeting to thrash out a transition of power. US news | Marco Rubio is to meet Gulf allies in an attempt to reassure them that the US remains committed to their security and the 60-day ceasefire deal struck with Iran last week will not embolden Tehran. Europe news | Forty people have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas across France in recent days, as people across the country sought respite from a record-breaking heatwave. UK politics | Nigel Farage has said his £5m gift from a crypto billionaire is “not any of your business” as it was given unconditionally to be spent on anything from Ferraris to gambling on horses. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Gay students extorted with threat of being ‘outed’ in home countries, Victorian hate crime inquiry hears

LGBTQ+ support service says men from countries where homosexuality is illegal are targeted for attacks via dating apps Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast International students from countries where homosexuality is illegal are being lured into meetings via gay dating apps before being assaulted and extorted with threats of being outed, a Victorian inquiry into hate crimes has heard. Since June 2024, police identified 95 attacks targeting gay and bisexual men across Victoria, resulting in 42 arrests, Thorne Harbour Health’s chief executive, Chad Hughes, told a hate crimes inquiry on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Jun 24

Keir Starmer couldn’t beat the curse of Brexit – a politics poisoned by nationalism | Rafael Behr

The outgoing prime minister’s efforts to mobilise a healthier kind of patriotism fell flat. Andy Burnham may stand a better chance Britain is not ungovernable, but the chalice of high office has been spiked with unusually fast-acting poison. Six prime ministers down in a decade. The spectacle of the lectern planted outside No 10 for a resignation speech has acquired the familiarity of ritual. Since the Brexit referendum, the average tenure in Downing Street has been less than two years. That ballot isn’t directly responsible for ending Keir Starmer’s reign . He brought deficiencies to the job that have nothing to do with the EU. He took power without a clear sense of what he wanted it for and resented the expectation that he explain himself better. But those weaknesses were more cruelly exposed in our parched post-Brexit climate, a decade into the goodwill drought. Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

‘The soul’s been ripped out of it’: Birmingham community housing scheme on brink over costs dispute

Row over ‘landmark’ development in Stirchley has left people homeless and put businesses at risk, say locals A housing development in Birmingham, touted as a model for community-owned housing in the UK, is at “serious risk of collapse” due to a dispute over construction costs. The Stirchley Cooperative Development (SCD), which was founded by local residents and businesses in Birmingham in 2016, was meant to provide 39 affordable and landlord-free homes owned and run by the people who live and work there by 2024. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Jun 24

Progressive economists reject Unite leader’s criticism of Ed Miliband

Sharon Graham is urged to withdraw her claim that the energy secretary would cost jobs if he became chancellor More than 40 progressive economists have written to Sharon Graham, the leader of Unite, rejecting her claim that Ed Miliband would destroy jobs if he becomes the next chancellor. With Andy Burnham almost certain to be prime minister within weeks, there is a fierce debate within Labour about who should succeed Rachel Reeves at the Treasury, with Miliband considered a frontrunner. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Failure to plan for rising temperatures has left UK’s schools sweltering

Many buildings are in use past their predicted lifespans, but even newer designs lack measures to beat heat To see the UK’s failure to plan for the impacts of climate crisis, look no further than Beaconsfield primary school in west London – where a building more than 100 years old copes with extreme temperatures better than its neighbour, built less than 10 years ago. “I’ve got two buildings on my site – the older building is a Victorian-Edwardian-style building. It’s roughly 130 years old. That building is constructed with solid brickwork, very thick walls. It stays warm in winter and in summer it tends to keep the heat out so it is cooler inside. Even this week it’s starting to get uncomfortable but it’s still tolerable,” said Dave Woods, Beaconsfield’s headteacher. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Europe heatwave live: UK braces for record-breaking temperatures; Italy issues red alert for 16 cities

Temperatures expected to hit 40C in parts of the UK, as extreme heatwave spreads slowly eastwards, sparking warnings in Italy and the Netherlands France records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across country Tell us: how is the heatwave in the UK and across Europe affecting you? Europe is braced for another day of an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed records in many countries. Italy’s health ministry has declared a red heatwave alert in 16 cities for Wednesday, including Milan and Rome, and in the UK, temperatures are expected to reach 40C in some areas. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Politics Jun 24

Britain is still stuck on its ex – but after 10 long, lonely years, does the EU feel the same way? | Katy Lee

As a podcast host, I speak daily to people on both sides of the breakup. A decade after the referendum, it’s clear who’s moved on Let’s imagine you’ve been dumped by someone you were expecting to stay with for the rest of your life. The breakup is bitter. The logistics, exhausting. The two of you spend an eternity negotiating who gets to keep the dog, the flat, the friends; it’s hard to imagine that things will ever feel normal again. But the years have a way of softening these things. Some years later, a photo of your ex flashes up on your social media feed. And suddenly, you realise you feel no grudge. In fact, you barely feel anything at all. This is how it feels to be an EU citizen a decade after Brexit. As the host of a podcast called The Europeans, I talk to people across Europe on a daily basis. Nobody I speak to bears the United Kingdom – the country I called home until my late 20s – any ill will. They enjoy our films and our pop music (even though it’s harder to actually see British artists live ); sometimes they go on weekend trips to London and come back complaining about how expensive it was. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Different sperm whale ‘dialects’ detected on separate sides of the Mediterranean

Matriarchal groups in east and west exhibit distinct click patterns, used to form social structures From “Howdy” to “G’day”, English – like other languages – is rich in dialects. Now researchers have found sperm whales on different sides of the Mediterranean show similar variations in their vocalisations. Sperm whales communicate vocally using sequences of short clicks called codas. However, the rhythmic pattern of these clicks, known as the dialect, can differ between different matriarchal groups. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Trafalgar Square’s St Martin-in-the-Fields gives up secrets of its stones

Church marks 300 years with exhibition and online archive telling of UK’s first Black voters, and history of compassion and protest From a family of chimney sweeps including one of Britain’s two earliest documented Black voters, to the mystery of a 19-year-old youth believed enslaved, St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square still has secrets to share as it marks its 300th anniversary. Standing at the heart of London’s political and cultural life for three centuries, its ranks of engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe are yielding glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners. Continue reading...

The Guardian — World Jun 24

Play puts spotlight on Kenya’s crisis of gender-based violence

Autobiographical work Free Me aims to encourage victims to speak out in country where violence against women is rising There are audible gasps in the auditorium in Nairobi as a husband launches a volley of blows and slaps on his wife and pushes her to the floor. “I wish I could spare you this,” the wife tells the audience. “My husband beat me up as if we were in a bar fight. Except, in a bar someone fights back.” The scene comes from Free Me, an autobiographical play by Gathoni Kimuyu, a Kenyan theatre and TV producer who lived through an abusive marriage. Continue reading...