The contest was triggered when ex-PM Keir Starmer announced last month he would be standing down from the Commons.

Our sanctions aren’t about the Israeli people, but about the unacceptable policies of the Israeli government, and the suffering they cause Palestinians, says the UK prime minister Andy Burnham

Environmental activists lock themselves to pesticide barrels in protest outside Syngenta headquarters

Statement follows speculation party would not field candidate in Makerfield or barely fight seat

With England now a five-party system, first past the post feels less and less democratic

CARE International's microfinance lending initiative

‘Precious ocean life is being pushed to the brink’ say campaigners, arguing that overfished marine areas are ‘protected only on paper’

Crufts 2026 winner Lee Cox was convicted of animal cruelty in 2001.

Look Mum No Computer Eins, Zwei, Drei - Eurovision : Suitably European and delightfully quirky

Young adults and teenagers prevalent in ‘skyrocketing’ admissions linked to class B drug, say doctors in northern England Experts have warned that urology departments across the UK could be close to breaking point as ketamine-related hospital admissions have “skyrocketed” in the past few years. Ketamine, a class B dissociative drug used for pain relief and sedation, is increasingly used recreationally in the UK. It is one of only three drugs, alongside magic mushrooms and hallucinogens, to have become used more regularly since 2015. Continue reading...

A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors As Esau Lopez was asphyxiated for the first 17 minutes of his life on Earth, the atmosphere in the room remained serene, even ecstatic. Acoustic music crooned from a speaker in a modest two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Pennsylvania. “You are a queen,” murmured one of three friends in the room. Only Esau’s mother, Gabrielle Lopez, felt something was wrong. She was pushing hard, but her son would not be born. “Can you help [him] out?” she asked, as Esau crowned. “Baby is coming,” the friend replied. Four minutes later, Lopez asked again, “Can you grab [him]?” Another friend murmured, “Baby is safe.” Six minutes passed. Again, Lopez asked, “Can you grab [him]?” Continue reading...

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The organic veg pioneer talks to the Guardian about being unemployable, his unconventional father and his recent autism diagnosis

Our obligations to each other are ill served if laws focus unduly on those who want assisted dying. The priority should be the best palliative care, says former prime minister Gordon Brown

Les Passagers du vide ont relié mercredi 11 et jeudi 12 juin la Dent du Géant au Mont Mallet, dans le massif du Mont Blanc, sur une sangle de 800 m de long et 2 cm de large, et à 700 m au-dessus du glacier des Périades. Les images sont à couper le souffle.

Best-selling author Isabel Allende on her new novel, My Name Is Emilia Del Valle.

College says it is neutral on assisted dying, but ‘many, many factors’ need addressing in proposal for England and Wales The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) has voiced its opposition to the assisted dying bill in England and Wales over “many, many factors”. The college says it is neutral on the principle of assisted dying but it has listed nine substantial reasons it cannot back the bill – which returns to parliament on Friday – in its current form. Continue reading...