Energy minister Michael Shanks reassures drivers ahead of chancellor’s statement to MPsGood morning. At lunchtime Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, will give a statement to MPs that will cover what the government is doing, and (more tentatively) might do, in response to the soaring global energy prices caused by the Iran war. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, also creating a global energy shortage, the Conservative government ended up spending £40bn supporting families and firms with energy bills over the following winter. Reeves’s problem is that she has not got £40bn spare. As Chris Mason explains in a good preview, Reeves is expected to cover three points.
She is expected to confirm that the government wants to give the Competition and Markets Authority new powers to deal with any potention profiteering by oil companies. [Drivers] should do everything as absolutely normal because there is no shortage of fuel anywhere in the country at the moment. We monitor this every single day, I look at the numbers personally. There’s no issue at all with that …People should go about their business as normal. That’s what the RAC and the AA have said.
It’s really important people do that. Look genuinely, people shouldn’t change their behaviour or their habits in the slightest. Continue reading...
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• A rare convergence of voices, including India’s RSS leadership, Kashmiri figures, and over 100 eminent citizens, has created a potential opening to reset India–Pakistan relations. • The article argues that current Track II talks must evolve into a structured dialogue to move beyond temporary diplomatic pauses.
Read original · kashmirtimes.com
Kashmir Times• Sudan is currently experiencing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, which some observers describe as the gravest of recent times. • The crisis is characterized by widespread mass starvation, with 825,000 children specifically facing severe acute starvation.
Read original · countercurrents.org
Countercurrents• The White House has appointed Harvard astronomer and cosmologist Avi Loeb to lead a new scientific advisory council investigating the national security risks posed by UFOs. • Loeb, a former head of Harvard’s astronomy department known for his controversial theories on alien visits, will lead the study into mysterious orbs reported by military personnel.
Read original · morningstaronline.co.uk• Col. Saikat K. Bose argues that the United Nations' value is often underestimated because critics focus on its failure to prevent major wars. • The author highlights that the UN's true strength lies in its routine, less visible functions, such as providing global coordination, legal frameworks, and trust to prevent smaller crises from escalating.
Read original · theweek.in
The Week• A growing number of "UN Sceptics" are questioning the continued relevance of the United Nations due to its perceived inability to stop global violence. • The organization's helplessness is highlighted by the ongoing bloodshed and instability in Gaza, Lebanon, and the invasion-shattered regions of Ukraine.
Read original · island.lk
The Island• The UN Secretary-General introduced the preliminary report from the Independent Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and welcomed the General Assembly's decision to reform the organization's financial rules. • In Lebanon, thousands of displaced people continue to rely on humanitarian aid, with UN agencies and first responders providing food, water, emergency shelter, and psychological support.
Read original · un.org• The UK government is facing accusations of failing to prevent the UAE from supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. • Evidence including satellite imagery, leaked documents, and on-the-ground footage has been used to trace the movement of arms into the region.
Read original · theguardian.com• UN relief chief Martin Griffiths has sounded an alarm regarding the escalation of violence in Sudan's North Kordofan region. • He emphasized that humanitarian workers must be granted safe, unimpeded access to reach vulnerable populations affected by the conflict.
Read original · english.news.cnMemo calls for ‘surge’ of analysts after agents in January seized hundreds of boxes containing Fulton county ballotsThe FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton county.A memo obtained Thursday by the Associated Press calls for the FBI to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a “priority investigation.” Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comScandal has engulfed the state party as Deeming resists calls to apologise to fellow MP Matthew Guy over an assault allegationA Liberal MP has launched an 11th-hour court challenge against her own party before a meeting to decide her fate after she made an assault allegation against a former leader.Moira Deeming has lodged a legal action against Victorian Liberal party state president, Brian Loughnane, which is listed to be heard in the Victorian supreme court on Friday morning. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comOne of 11 surviving copies of ‘Exeter printing’ and only one known outside US was taken from American privateer shipFor Michael Scurr, a volunteer at the National Archives in Kew, west London, it was “just a boring old Thursday morning” when he sat down in late May to catalogue a collection of documents from the British national collection that had never previously been recorded in detail.As he opened a volume of 18th-century Royal Navy correspondence, however, Scurr unfolded a document whose opening words he recognised. “In Congress, July 4, 1776. A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America …” Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comPresident, in latest AI-generated social media post, targets prominent celebrities who have spoken out against himDonald Trump on Thursday posted an AI-generated social media video portraying himself as a doctor who claims to have cured some of his most prominent celebrity critics – including Rosie O’Donnell – of the fictional condition “Trump derangement syndrome”.Outside the AI fantasy, O’Donnell said her assessment of the president remained unchanged. In a statement, she offered her own diagnosis: “He’s quite ill-and getting worse daily. The 25th amendment exists for exactly this reason. Remove. Impeach. Convict.” Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.com