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Swinney rejects calls to apologise over pension triple lock claims
First Minister John Swinney has dismissed calls to apologise for claims that Scottish pensioners will lose their pensions following the UK Government’s announcement to remove the pensions triple lock from 2030. Opposition parties have accused him of misleading Holyrood and the public, but Swinney insists he “has nothing to explain”, stating that he is simply…
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Djibouti football leadership ousted in disputed assembly amid police presence
Police occupied the Djibouti Football Federation’s headquarters as 16 club presidents held a disputed assembly to remove president Souleiman Waberi and his executive committee. The federation says the meeting was improperly called and its decisions are invalid; the episode raises concerns about state interference in football governance and possible international sanctions. Opponents say enough delegates…
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British RAF officer is killed and his wife injured in parasailing accident during Maltese holiday
Former RAF officer Daryl “Daz” Mayhew, 59, died in a parasailing accident off Saint Julian’s, Malta, while on holiday with his wife Dawn, who was injured. The incident has prompted a criminal investigation led by a Maltese magistrate, and raises questions about the circumstances in which the couple were taken into the sea. The couple,…
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Badenoch’s rightward shift risks losing the Tory voters needed to regain power
Polly Toynbee argues that Kemi Badenoch’s effort to win back Reform UK voters by moving the Conservatives further right risks alienating the moderate voters the party needs to regain. She says the party has little chance of returning to power without winning back the “blue wall” across southern England, and that its conference presents little…
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BT’s purchase of TalkTalk is cosy – but probably politically sensible | Nils Pratley
BT’s hurried purchase of TalkTalk through a pre-pack administration has prompted claims that it is a cosy deal favouring the dominant broadband group. The article argues that ministers had few practical alternatives: an uncontrolled collapse could have disrupted customers, while no credible buyer had emerged after months of efforts. TalkTalk had about £1.5bn in borrowings,…
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We love Badenoch’s Kemistry but not the Tories: Leader’s challenge laid bare as poll shows just a third of her fans also back ‘M&S’ Conservatives
A More in Common poll suggests Kemi Badenoch’s growing personal appeal has yet to translate into broad Conservative support: only about a third of people who say they like her would vote for the party. The findings point to a challenge for the Conservatives in expanding beyond a base concentrated among affluent older voters, although…
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Glasgow council deal protects staff pay and averts mass rehiring plan
Glasgow City Council has reached a revised pay and grading agreement with Unison, removing the immediate threat of a large fire-and-rehire exercise. The deal matters because the proposed system aims to address historic equal pay issues, but the original offer would have cut wages for some staff. The council had warned all 23,000 non-teaching employees…
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Preppers used to be ridiculed – but we’re all stockpiling now | Zoe Williams
The UK government is asking households to keep three days’ worth of food and water for emergencies, advice the writer sees as reasonable given how often wars and other shocks disrupt supplies. But she questions whether household stockpiles can offer meaningful protection without a wider public plan for emergencies. The article notes that Britain has…
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Former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert dies aged 84 in Illinois home
Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert has died aged 84 at his Illinois home. The county coroner said he died of natural causes over the weekend; his death brings renewed attention to a political career that ended in prison after he admitted abusing teenage boys he coached before entering politics. Hastert represented Illinois in Congress…
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Saudi aircraft support Yemen government offensive against Houthi-held territory
Yemen’s government has launched an offensive to retake territory held by the Houthis, with support from Saudi-led coalition air strikes. The campaign matters beyond Yemen because recent Houthi advances near the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab shipping route, alongside disruption to Saudi oil infrastructure, have added pressure to energy supplies during the wider Middle East…