Questions about potential conflict of interest as council’s cabinet member for social care owns private care company Lancashire’s Reform-run council has been accused of “selling off the family silver” through its plans to save £4m a year by closing five council-run care homes and five day centres and moving residents into the private sector. One … Read more
ONS data, which includes emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect, suggests 13.6 million people affected Nearly a third of women in England and Wales were abused as a child, along with just over a quarter of men, according to new figures which for the first time include emotional, physical or sexual abuse … Read more
Northern provinces of Balkh and Samangan worst hit by magnitude 6.3 quake, which also damaged Mazar-i-Sharif’s Blue Mosque A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, 25 critically, a disaster management official said. Health officials said the numbers could rise. … Read more
Bad weather hampering rescue efforts after avalanche that swept through Mount Yalung Ri base camp on Monday An avalanche has swept through a camp on Mount Yalung Ri in Nepal, killing five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, officials said. Shailendra Thapa, an armed police force spokesperson, said five other people had been hurt at … Read more
Hamas hands remains of three soldiers to Israel and bodies of 45 Palestinians are returned to Gaza amid fragile ceasefire Israel has announced that the remains of three soldiers killed by Hamas during its raid into Israel on 7 October 2023 have been handed over by the militant group. The transfer is the latest since … Read more
Resolution may be delayed without agreement over the force’s mandate and a timetable for Israeli withdrawal A UN security council resolution mandating the introduction of an international stabilisation force into Gaza is likely to be ready within two weeks, but may be delayed if disputes cannot be resolved over the force’s mandate, including the question … Read more
Plan to cut journey times between major cities could reduce Berlin-Copenhagen trip from seven to four hours Breakfast in Berlin, lunch in Copenhagen, with a fast and easy train journey to pass the morning? Or a midday meal in Sofia, then taking the high-speed line to arrive in Athens just in time for an evening … Read more
Allowing three-storey townhouses and apartments to be built across all residential land would unlock more than 1m homes in Sydney alone, according to modelling Homes could be $100,000 cheaper over a decade if Australia’s capital cities dramatically overhaul their zoning rules to allow three-storey townhouses and apartments to be built on all residential land, according … Read more
Investigation launched after discovery that Chinese supplier had remote access to vehicles’ control systems Authorities in Denmark are urgently studying how to close an apparent security loophole in hundreds of Chinese-made electric buses that enables them to be remotely deactivated. The investigation comes after transport authorities in Norway, where the Yutong buses are also in … Read more
After mass killings in El Fasher and four years on from a coup, UAE now admits its Sudan policy has gone wrong The United Arab Emirates’ diplomatic machine is for the first time admitting to mistakes in its Sudan policy after suffering reputational damage over its support for the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese paramilitary … Read more