Author: News Desk

Thursday’s front pages are dominated by the final report from the Grenfell fire inquiry which lays out the multiple failures that led to the 2017 tragedy.

The report of the six-year public inquiry found that the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people in 20217 was the result of a chain of failures by governments, “dishonest” companies and a lack of strategy by the fire service, the final report of the six-year public inquiry has concluded.

Elsewhere, there’s a little showbiz and sports news on the front pages and a handful of other domestic stories.

The back pages are dominated by the England National team – who face Ireland at the weekend, the latest happenings from the Premier League and Jack Draper sailing through to the last-4 of the US Open.

Volvo gives up plan to sell only EVs by 2030 Volvo has scrapped its goal of producing only fully electric cars by 2030, now planning to include hybrid models in its lineup by that date. The company cited changing market conditions, including a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and uncertainty from trade tariffs on EVs made in China, as reasons for the shift. Volvo joins other automakers like General Motors and Ford in scaling back their EV targets. Despite the change, Volvo still aims for at least 90% of its production to be a mix of electric cars…

Haiti expands state of emergency to whole country Haiti has extended a state of emergency nationwide as the government struggles to regain control from violent gangs that have seized large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are expanding into other regions. This comes ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will meet Prime Minister Garry Conille to discuss Haiti’s path toward democratic stability. Since the new government was formed three months ago, efforts to restore order have been ongoing. The United Nations reports nearly 580,000 people have been displaced, with almost five million facing severe…

Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies after petrol attack Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died after being set on fire by her ex-boyfriend, according to Ugandan officials. The 33-year-old athlete, who competed in Paris, suffered severe burns in the attack, which took place after she returned home from church in north-west Kenya, where she lived and trained. Local reports suggest the attack was related to a land dispute between Cheptegei and her former partner. An investigation is ongoing. Cheptegei’s death highlights rising concerns about violence against female athletes in Kenya, with several cases ending in tragedy. Uganda’s athletics federation…

New Māori queen crowned as her father is buried A new Māori queen has been crowned in New Zealand following the death of her father, Kiingi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. Ngā Wai hono i te pō, 27, was selected as the eighth Māori monarch by a council of chiefs during a traditional ceremony in the North Island. She becomes the second Māori queen, following her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Ngā Wai hono i te pō, the youngest daughter of the late king, was anointed with the same Bible used for the first Māori king in 1858. Sitting…

US school shooting suspect, 14, quizzed about threats last year A 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, had been questioned by police last year about online threats, according to the FBI. In May 2023, Colt Gray denied being behind anonymous posts that featured images of guns and hinted at a school shooting. On Wednesday, Gray allegedly opened fire at the school, killing two teachers, Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, and two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Eight students and a teacher were also injured. He was arrested on-site and will…

Canada’s NDP pulls support for Trudeau’s Liberals Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has ended its agreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced the decision via social media, criticising the Liberals as being “too weak, too selfish” to fight for Canadians. The agreement, known as a “supply and confidence” deal, had allowed the Liberals to maintain their minority government with NDP support in key votes. While the move doesn’t immediately trigger an election, it raises the possibility of an early vote before the scheduled October 2025 election. Singh mentioned that a non-confidence vote is now…

Labour eager for progress on special tribunal to try Russia over Ukraine Exclusive: Lord chancellor says she wants to ‘inject energy’ into stalling efforts to set up Nuremberg-style trialThe new Labour government wants to inject renewed energy into the two-year-long international effort to set up a special tribunal with the authority to try Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression, the lord chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, has said. Discussions have been dogged by disputes over the appropriate body to set up the special tribunal, and fears in the US that if an organisation were empowered to strip the Russian leadership of…

A Democratic state politician in Texas is flipping to the Republican Party for her final four months in office. According to US News State Rep. Shawn Thierry published a statement to social media on Friday decrying the Democratic Party’s march into the “progressive abyss” after she lost her primary for supporting a GOP-led bill protecting minors from gender transition procedures. “The Democratic Party has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support — policies like promoting sex changes for children during a vulnerable stage of their…

New York Gov ex-aide accused of working for China but Gov Kathy Hochul said she remains “confident” in the state’s employee vetting program after her former aide was recently arrested and accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Hochul addressed reporters Wednesday, a day after Linda Sun, 40, and her husband, Chris Hu, 41, were arrested. Sun was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. Sun had touted “equity” policies in her position, a newly-resurfaced video from 2021 shows. The resurfaced video, which…