US curbs on travelers exposed to deadly viruses may infringe rights and deter volunteers

Labour has launched an urgent review into the deaths, which one expert described as ‘unspeakably tragic’More than 100 young people have died after leaving the care of social services in England in the past year, according to data released by the government.In the year to April 2026 there were 106 reported deaths of care leavers, with 91 deaths reported in the 12 months before. The majority of those who died were aged 16 to 21.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Disability rights campaigner Robin Millar reveals he is taking owners of music business he founded to a tribunalThe head of one of the UK’s biggest disability charities is planning a legal challenge against the owners of the music business he founded in a dispute over its alleged failure to provide him with proper workplace support after a major illness.The pop producer Robin Millar, who is blind, said he had been denied a request for a support worker to assist him in his work after he faced mobility challenges following cancer surgery. Continue reading...

Charges filed against Raúl Castro for allegedly shooting down planes in 1996. Plus, US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year to fight labor unionsGood morning.On Wednesday, the US issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others, in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s communist regime.What are the details? Castro, 94, was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft related to an incident in 1996 – in which four men were killed by the Cuban military, when two small planes were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida Straits.How has Cuba reacted? Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban president, condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba”.What does the video show? Images of dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back. Ben-Gvir posted it on his social media account. He appears waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees.What are global leaders saying? The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the country’s staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable” and said the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation”. Others criticizing the video were Italy, Spain, the European Council, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and others. The Spanish foreign minister called the treatment “monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane”. Continue reading...

Verdict is latest legal milestone over France’s worst ever air disasterA Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash that killed 228 passengers and crew in France’s worst air disaster.The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and families of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims. Continue reading...

Chancellor says she will raise tax on global oil giants to help meet costs of plans and confirms freeze on fuel duty increasesBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves will cut VAT to 5% on summer attractions such as theme parks and softplay centres during the school holidays, as she aims to ease the impact of the war in Iran on cash-strapped households.The chancellor told MPs on Thursday she would also raise more tax from global oil firms operating in the UK, to help meet the costs of her plans. Continue reading...

Israel widely criticised after security minister’s video shows humiliating treatment of people on flotilla headed for Gaza The UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.The global outcry continued as Israel began releasing hundreds of the activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organisation working with the flotilla. Continue reading...

Investment banker Lorna Hajdini says ex-colleague Chirayu Rana’s ‘malicious’ allegations ‘wreaked havoc’The JPMorgan Chase investment banker accused of sexual assault in an explosive lawsuit that went viral countersued her accuser, saying his malicious lies destroyed her reputation and “wreaked havoc” on her life.In papers filed on Tuesday night in a New York state court in Manhattan, Lorna Hajdini said her former colleague Chirayu Rana fabricated allegations that she raped and drugged him, in order to attract maximum press coverage, cause her pain and extract millions of dollars from her and JPMorgan. Continue reading...

Weirs, culverts and sluices among 602 barriers demolished in year in attempt to restore 15,500 miles of rivers by 2030A few miles downstream from a lava field in western Iceland, the gargle of free-flowing water is unbroken for the first time in decades after hydraulic peckers chipped away at a dilapidated dam that once powered a farm. The structure, on the River Melsá, continued to block fish migration long after falling into disrepair.“It wasn’t providing any electricity; the old power house had sheep living in it,” said Hamish Moir, a river engineer from CBEC, a Scottish firm that provided technical support for the demolition in December. To see the river restored to its natural state, he said, “was really rewarding”. Continue reading...

Documents released by government also show queen was ‘very keen’ for former prince to have prominent roleUK politics live – latest updatesFormal security vetting and due diligence appears not to have been carried out before the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy, the government has said, as it emerged that that the late queen was “very keen” for her son to take up a prominent role in promoting Britain’s interests.The first batch of documents relating to the appointment of the former prince as trade envoy in 2001 by Tony Blair have revealed a memo addressed to Robin Cook dated 25 February 2000, in which the then chief executive of British Trade International, David Wright, said Queen Elizabeth II’s “wish” had been for Mountbatten-Windsor, then the Duke of York, to take on the role. Continue reading...

Nottingham university hospitals trust says 11 members of staff dismissed and 14 others given written warningsAn NHS trust has sacked 11 staff members who illegally accessed the medical records of the victims of the Nottingham attacks.Valdo Calocane killed two 19-year-old students, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. Continue reading...

Firms hit by ‘perfect storm’ of uncertainty about Labour leadership and impact of Iran warBusiness live – latest updatesCompanies in the UK’s dominant services sector have reported one of the sharpest declines in business activity in a decade, according to a closely watched index.Businesses are grappling with a “perfect storm” of domestic political uncertainty around Keir Starmer’s leadership as prime minister and the growing impact of the Iran war, leading to soaring costs, supply shortages and job cuts, the report said. Continue reading...