Author: News Desk

Paula Vennells: key questions the ex-Post Office boss must answer | Post Office Horizon scandal There is no bias in the title provided. It is a moment wrongly convicted post office operators have waited years for. From Wednesday the former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells will appear before the long-running inquiry into how hundreds were pursued in the courts, fined and jailed over accounting shortfalls that were actually the fault of the Horizon IT system. Vennells, who held the top job between 2012 and 2019, has become the highest-profile face of the scandal since the ITV drama Mr Bates…

Harry to skip Hugh Grosvenor wedding to avoid William as he celebrates with Meghan in LA – latest news There is no bias in the title provided. The Duke of Sussex is set to swerve the Duke of Westminster’s wedding next month to avoid clashing with his brother the Prince of Wales, who is serving as an usher. Hugh Grosvenor, 33, will marry 31-year-old Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on 7 June in a 400-strong guestlist celebration. One of Britain’s youngest billionaires, Grosvenor is a godfather to Harry’s first-born child, Archie, who turned five earlier this month. However, according to…

NHS trusts across England say cost of living crisis has worsened health | NHS Almost every NHS trust across England surveyed has seen health worsen in their area as a result of poverty and the cost of living crisis, research has found. The survey, conducted between February and March 2024, spoke to leaders at 72 NHS trusts, accounting for a third of all trusts in England. The trusts surveyed included acute, mental health, ambulance and community. Ninety-six per cent of NHS trusts surveyed said the cost of living crisis had worsened health in their local area, with more than half…

Gove’s extremism warning as antisemitism incidents rise by 147 per cent Michael Gove will today warn that the rise of antisemitism in Britain is a sign that the country is “descending into darkness”. The community secretary is set to speak to the Jewish community in London amid huge concerns at the way there has been a 147 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents since 2022. The number has risen from 1,662 in 2022 to 2,699 incidents in the UK during the period on or after 7 October 2023 – the day when Hamas terrorists slaughtered and kidnapped hundreds of Jews…

Wales's 20mph default limit to be debated in Senedd this week after mammoth petition There is no bias in the title provided. The petition collected more than 450,000 signatures – the most in Senedd history The article discusses the impact of climate change on global food security. Researchers warn that rising temperatures and extreme weather events are threatening crop yields and food production worldwide. The changing climate is also leading to increased food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in vulnerable communities. Urgent action is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture and ensure a sustainable food supply for…

UK risks ‘descending into darkness’ of antisemitism, Michael Gove to say | Antisemitism Michael Gove is to warn that Britain risks “descending into the darkness” if it fails to tackle growing antisemitism in the wake of the 7 October attacks. In a major speech, the communities secretary will say the safety of the Jewish community in the UK is the “canary in the mine” for the health of the whole political system. “When Jewish people are under threat, all our freedoms are threatened,” he will say on Tuesday. “The safety of the Jewish community is the canary in the mine.…

World leaders need to ‘get serious’ about AI, experts warn as summit opens Some of the world’s leading AI scientists have called for stronger action on AI risk from world leaders, as the AI Seoul Summit begins on Tuesday, warning that progress has been insufficient since the first AI Safety Summit in the UK six months ago. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will co-host a virtual meeting of world leaders with South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday to open the summit, where he will say that managing the risks posed by artificial intelligence is “one of the most profound…

‘Real-life Martha’ from Baby Reindeer allegedly ‘sent Keir Starmer nearly 300 abusive emails’ Baby Reindeer’s “real-life Martha” reportedly sent Sir Keir Starmer nearly 300 abusive emails while living in his constituency. Fiona Harvey allegedly sent the Labour leader abusive messages over an eight-month period which described him as a “stupid little boy” and used a disabled slur to insult his wife, according to The Sun. The 58-year-old is accused of sending 276 emails to his parliament address between January and August 2020 while she was living in Kilburn, which neighbours Sir Keir’s Holborn and St Pancras ward. Each of the…

Brexit row as Cameron admits EU could soon be policing Gibraltar border David Cameron has admitted that the plan is for EU Frontex border guards to police the entry into Gibraltar in a deal to allow “a fluid border” between the Rock and Spain. The foreign secretary was giving evidence to the European Scrutiny Committee which has raised serious concerns over the impact on UK sovereignty with the proposed treaty. The row has broken out because of a need for Gibraltar to come to a longer border solution with the EU as a result of Brexit. Had the UK voted…

Labour MP Stella Creasy targeted with graphic and ‘misleading’ anti-abortion leaflets An MP’s constituency has been targeted by an anti-abortion organisation with graphic leaflets, The Independent has learned. The Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform UK, which has compared abortion to the holocaust, is behind the campaign in Walthamstow – and the Advertising Standards Agency says there is nothing it can do about it. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Labour MP Stella Creasy said the leaflets “shocked” and “distressed” her constituents. She has raised concerns that the leaflets showing an image of an embryo are misleading. “Children and women who experienced miscarriage picked…