Former health secretary says he unsuccessfully argued for tougher action when in cabinetGood morning. 59pm tonight. Keir Starmer is expected to announce the government’s response soon afterwards. He has already said that there will be action of some sort. This morning Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who is running what is in effect a leadership campaign, has intervened.
Streeting restated his claim that social media is like the tobacco industry and suggested that, just as tobacco bosses did in the mid-20th century, social media executives have been suppressing evidence about the full extent of the harm caused by their products. He claimed governmments around the world had been “asleep at the wheel” on this issue. He suggested that Keir Starmer had been “behind the curve” on this issue. While he was not overly criticial of the PM on this issue, suggesting that governments around the world have been slow to confront social media companies on this issue, he made it clear that he thought the Starmer government could have acted more quickly. He said that he was speaking out now because he was “liberated from the obligations of collective responsibility”.
He said the arguments he was making in public today were the ones he was making privately in government, “in a number of cabinet committees and meetings”, and that he “pushed as hard as I could”. To be fair to Liz Kendall, the science and technology secretary, she came into office [in September last year], she’s gripped this, she’s chosen to run a rapid consultation with the principle of how to implement restrictions, rather than whether. That’s all positive. And we must, because, as I say, we’re behind the curve. Continue reading...
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• China has reached a milestone with its reusable Long March 10B rocket, while the People's Liberation Army recently released a video featuring a diamond-shaped sixth-generation stealth aircraft. • The footage, which shows the aircraft's shadow and airmen discussing a refueling mission, leaves the exact stage of the jet's development and testing unclear.
Read original · business-standard.comCongresswoman demands answers after a DHS agent was apparently stationed outside her Minnesota town hallDonald Trump’s administration is facing questions over whether it is using Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “surveil political opponents” after after an investigative agent was apparently stationed outside Democratic representative Ilhan Omar’s monthly town hall meeting in Richfield, Minnesota.After the incident, Omar demanded the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarify whether Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents have been used to monitor “any other activity” involving “local, state, or federal officials” in the state. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comSara Sanchez, 27, and her daughter died after a speedboat capsized in the New York Harbor over the weekendThe driver of a speedboat that capsized in New York Harbor over the weekend, killing a 27-year-old woman and her infant daughter, was charged on Monday with causing their deaths through misconduct or neglect.Manuel Hernandez, 46, wiped his eyes with his hand as he arrived for his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court. He was not required to enter a plea and was released on bail. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comVape shops in England and Wales to be subject to planning permission while betting shop law change will also apply in ScotlandCouncils are to be given powers to stop betting and vape shops taking over their high streets under new plans announced by Andy Burnham.Local authorities will be able to reject new betting shops and adult gaming centres, while vape shops will be subject to planning permission under plans Downing Street says could be in place from the start of next year. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comIncidents of damaged trees at Burnt Cedar beach have been reported since 2022 and seem to be linked, officials sayPine trees near Lake Tahoe are being poisoned in what authorities believe are a series of interconnected incidents in the popular tourist community on border of Nevada and California.The incidents have damaged nearly 30 trees, some reportedly more than a century old, and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comLabor looks to negotiate with the Coalition to get several pieces of legislation through parliament. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGovernment listening to ‘money and power’ on gambling says independent MPKate Chaney, who was on the inquiry with the late Labor MP Peta Murphy that handed down the landmark ‘you win some, you lose more’ report on gambling harm, says so far it seems the talks between the Coalition and Labor on a gambling reform package are “disappointing”.In 2017, when the last round of partial restrictions came in, the money just moved around. And for example, gambling ads after 8:30 more than doubled, increased 131%. And I suspect that that’s what we’re going to see here too: is the money moving around.I think it is about the government listening to the money and the power, not the people. The gambling companies make big political donations. They are present lobbyists in this building. We’re hearing their talking points coming out of the Prime Minister’s mouth. And the media companies and the sports codes make a lot of money out of gambling too. Unfortunately, Australians pay the cost for that. And the average Australian household loses more in gambling than they pay for in electricity. So this is our blind spot.I think that that whole interview was pretty cringe. Let’s face it, the Prime Minister didn’t really cover himself with glory with that And it’s disturbing to hear that the the Japanese government has expressed some concerns about it.We’re talking about a a really special gift that the Japanese state has given to the country. And if I was the PM, I’d pick up the phone to the Japanese Prime Minister and apologise to her on on this one.When the the Prime Minister’s crude and dirty podcast banter is formally raised by the Japanese government. Anthony Albanese just has an embarrassed himself. He’s embarrassed Australia. This is now a a diplomatic incident because of the the appalling behaviour of the Prime Minister. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comUS president’s statement is latest sign that negotations to end war and reopen strait of Hormuz have stalledDonald Trump has said he will demand that Iran pay compensation for the deaths of thousands of US soldiers and Iran’s own civilians killed in recent decades in the latest sign his negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz have reached an impasse.The US president is trying to end conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, and his additional demands of Iran are likely to provoke anger in Tehran at the same time as Israel has rejected Trump’s terms for a 15-point roadmap to end the war in Gaza. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comOrder also recommends all shots be given at separate medical visits though cost of doing them together is lowerDonald Trump has signed an executive order with plans for sweeping changes to the childhood vaccination schedule that attempts to override the authority of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It’s an attempt to undergird the changes made earlier this year to CDC vaccination recommendations, which were halted by a federal judge. The CDC is the federal agency tasked with recommending vaccines, not the White House. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comExclusive: FBU calls for more funding as ‘unprecedented summer’ puts rising demands on already stretched crewsFirefighters in the UK are under increased pressure as a result of an “unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires”, the Fire Brigades Union has said, as many parts of the country brace for a fifth heatwave of the year.As authorities declared almost three-quarters of England was now in drought, Steve Wright, the FBU general secretary, said the unpredictable environmental challenges the UK was now confronted with meant it was a “national priority” to have enough properly equipped firefighters to “face these threats”. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comLoyalist sworn in after Senate voted narrowly in favor of his confirmation Saturday morningTodd Blanche has been sworn as US attorney general, cementing Donald Trump’s installation of his former personal attorney in charge of the Department of Justice.Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general since April, was confirmed in his new position during a ceremony at the White House on Monday. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comPolice looking into whether Joshua Kerry linked to alleged attempted burglary last year at Reform leader’s then homePolice are investigating whether Joshua Kerry, the man charged with the murder of the former Reform UK and Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, had any role in an attempted burglary last year at the then London home of Nigel Farage.Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, was charged with the murder of Widdecombe, 78, who was killed at her Devon home in July, after an investigation by counter-terrorism police. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comScientists have made clear that the elevated heat in the US was being amplified by the human-caused climate crisisJuly was the hottest month ever recorded in the US, with repeated, scorching heatwaves across much of the country helping shatter all previous monthly temperature records stretching back over the full 132 years of reliable measurements.Last month’s average temperature was 3.3F (1.8C) higher than the 20th century average for the contiguous United States, which excludes Alaska and Hawaii, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Continue reading...
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