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Email bomb hoax disrupts hundreds of schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Schools across Northern Ireland and Scotland received an emailed bomb threat believed by police and education officials to be a hoax, prompting closures and some evacuations. Authorities said they did not consider it a viable threat, but the message caused alarm and disrupted pupils’ education. The PSNI said up to 300 schools had reported receiving…
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European Producers Must Get Bigger to Compete, Says EU Policy Chief: “We Must Invest in Companies”
European Union media policy officials say European production companies need stronger, more reliable financing to compete with US studios, streaming services and digital platforms. At a conference in Rome, they argued that investing in companies, rather than only individual productions, could help European producers grow while keeping control of the intellectual property they create. The…
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Burnham faces Labour revolt over push to ditch first-past-the-post: Party grandee warns minorities with ‘outlandish views’ would call the shots under altered voting system
Andy Burnham’s proposal to replace first-past-the-post with proportional representation has prompted divisions within Labour, despite the party planning to put electoral reform in its next general election manifesto. Burnham says a new national commission will examine how to make votes count and voices heard. Former home secretary Lord Blunkett warns that proportional representation could give…
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Football club president who built 24ft ‘eyesore man cave’ in garden faces £100,000 court battle with neighbour who wants it demolished
Justin Salmon, president of non-league Sutton Common Rovers, is in a court dispute with his neighbour, Andrianna Neophytou, over a 24ft garden structure in Coulsdon, south London. Neophytou wants it demolished, arguing it breaches the lease and remains an eyesore despite changes Salmon made after an earlier tribunal ruling. Salmon first received permission to build…
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The types of extreme pornography that will be banned from November
The government has announced that pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, incest, or adults pretending to be children under 16 will be illegal from 6 November. The change follows cross-party pressure over concerns that extreme porn can normalise violence and affect ideas about healthy relationships, particularly among young people. The ban will make possessing or publishing…
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Epstein-linked billionaire pours $500K into super PAC backing Kentucky Democrat: ‘Dirty Epstein-class money’
Billionaire Reid Hoffman gave $500,000 to an independent super PAC supporting Kentucky Democrat Zach Dembo, prompting Republican opponent Ralph Alvarado to call on Dembo to disavow the money. The dispute highlights tension between Dembo’s campaign pledges to curb wealthy donors’ influence and the support his allies receive from a donor criticised over links to Jeffrey…
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Labour faces backlash after scrapping 24 road schemes amid welfare spending row
The government has cancelled around two dozen planned highway projects, prompting accusations from Conservatives that money for roads is being diverted to cover rising welfare costs. The cuts have angered some Labour MPs and could sharpen concerns that the party is seen as hostile to motorists, particularly in areas where cars are essential for commuting…
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Milburn urges welfare spending shift to support young people into work
Labour adviser Alan Milburn has urged the Government to shift some spending from welfare benefits towards employment support for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The proposal comes as Andy Burnham calls the scale of youth disengagement an “economic catastrophe and a moral failure”, while promising early support and work…
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Burnham: UK must end ‘moral failure’ of Neets crisis
Andy Burnham has called the number of young people not in employment, education or training an “economic catastrophe and a moral failure”. He says the UK should invest in support and job opportunities for young people, arguing that the current benefits system often provides payments without helping them find work. Almost one million young people…