Posts by Kim browne
Good weather and Women’s Euros helps UK net surprise boost to retail sales
Retail sales rose a surprising amount in July, as good weather and the Women’s Euros led people to part with their cash, official figures show. The amount of spending rose 0.6% in July, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), far above the 0.2% rise anticipated by economists polled by Reuters. In…
Read MoreUK suffers worst ever year for wildfires – with total set to eclipse 1,000
Fire services in England and Wales have dealt with a record 996 wildfires so far this year. The previous high was 994 in 2022, according to the National Resilience programme. Nineteen of those were in the final three months, so this year’s total is expected to top 1,000. Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire…
Read MoreJoe Biden has skin cancer surgery – months after ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer diagnosis
Former US president Joe Biden has had surgery for skin cancer, his spokesperson has said. It’s unclear when he had the procedure, but video from late August showed him leaving church in Delaware with a large, fresh scar on his head. The spokesperson told Sky’s US partner, NBC News, that he was recovering well. Mr…
Read MoreAnger over Israeli president’s planned visit to UK – as ministers urged not to meet him
Ministers are being urged not to meet the Israeli president during an expected visit next week, as the government continues to condemn his country’s expanded military offensive in Gaza. Isaac Herzog will be in Britain on Wednesday and Thursday, according to The Guardian. Downing Street has declined to comment, only saying it would set out…
Read MoreTrump to rebrand the Pentagon as the ‘Department of War’
Donald Trump is to rebrand the US Department of Defense as the “Department of War”, according to the White House. The president will today sign an executive order allowing it to be used as a secondary title for the US government’s biggest organisation. It also means defence secretary Pete Hegseth will be able to refer…
Read MoreD-Day for Rayner? PM’s adviser prepares pivotal verdict – as her lawyers deny giving tax advice
Sir Keir Starmer could be forced into a decision over Angela Rayner’s future as early as today, as the prime minister’s ethics adviser prepares his verdict on the Labour deputy’s tax affairs. Ms Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, has been under mounting pressure since she admitted not paying the correct amount of stamp…
Read MoreThe proxy war that will redefine public health in America
It is much more than a battle over vaccines in the United States. It has become a proxy war about trust, freedom, and the role of government in public health. The debate about childhood immunisations, once a matter of bipartisan consensus, is now a defining clash between federal government, state leadership and the medical community.…
Read MoreCalls for tougher sentencing guidelines in Northern Ireland to tackle ‘epidemic’ of violence
Victims are calling for stiffer sentencing guidelines for those convicted of violence against women in Northern Ireland as it grapples with a femicide record described as an “epidemic”. Twenty-eight women and a girl have been violently killed in Northern Ireland since 2020, the worst rate in the UK and Ireland, and one of the worst…
Read MoreNadine Dorries’ defection might not be the boon Nigel Farage wants
Nadine Dorries has never forgiven the Conservative Party for ousting her hero Boris Johnson, on whom she continues to lavish praise. Now she’s taken her revenge on the Tories by declaring her support for another charismatic political leader: Reform UK’s Nigel Farage. Of course, the ex-MP dubbed “Mad Nad” by Labour MPs when she was…
Read MoreBoris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries latest Tory to defect to Reform UK
Former Conservative culture secretary Nadine Dorries has become the latest high-profile defection to Reform UK. Boris Johnson loyalist Ms Dorries, who resigned from the House of Commons in 2023, said she was joining Nigel Farage’s party, said she made the decision because her former party was now “dead”. Politics latest: Home Office bid to delay Epping hotel…
Read MoreFormer Russian president warns Moscow may seize ‘valuables of the British Crown’
Dmitry Medvedev has warned Moscow may seize “valuables of the British Crown” in revenge for the UK using frozen Russian assets to fund military support for Ukraine. The former Russian president, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, issued the warning after Britain announced a package of around £1bn for Kyiv’s war effort on Wednesday. UK…
Read MoreDaniel Levy steps down as executive chairman of Tottenham Hotspur
The executive chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy, has stepped down after nearly 25 years in the role. In a statement, the Premier League club said his departure was part of Spurs’ “ambition to ensure that it is set up to deliver long-term sporting success”. Mr Levy said: “I am incredibly proud of the work…
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