PROUD MEDIA NEWS CENTRE

Sir Keir Starmer will chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to discuss the security situation in the Middle East. The high-level meeting follows the Prime Minister’s return from the G7 summit in Canada at which he and other world leaders reiterated their “commitment to peace and stability” but stopped short of calling for a truce between Israel and Iran. But reports have also suggested US President Donald Trump is considering joining Israeli action against Iran after he left the G7 summit a day early to meet with military chiefs. Wednesday’s Cobra meeting comes amid confusion over whether British nationals should remain in Israel after the Foreign Office withdrew family members of embassy staff from the country. The Foreign Office said the withdrawal was temporary and a “precautionary measure”, with staff remaining at both the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “Our embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem re...

  A person has died in Yorkshire from rabies after becoming infected while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said. The person, which the Barnsley Chronicle reports is a woman from the area who was diagnosed at Barnsley Hospital, had contact with a stray dog during their visit to the North African country. The UKHSA said there is no risk to the wider public because there is no evidence rabies can be passed between people. However, as a precautionary measure it is assessing health workers and close contacts to offer vaccination where necessary. Rabies is a deadly virus spread through the saliva of infected animals, and people usually get it after being bitten by an infected animal. Animals such as cows, cats and foxes can carry the virus but, in developing countries, stray dogs are the most likely to spread rabies to people. Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal. The first symptoms of rabies can be...

  A minister has pledged to “sort out” the “appalling mess” of HS2 and confirmed the railway’s opening will be further delayed. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the Commons there is “no route” to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033. The project has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs despite being scaled back. Ms Alexander said: “It’s an appalling mess, but it’s one we will sort out. “We need to set targets which we can confidently deliver, that the public can trust, and that will take time. “But rest assured, where there are inefficiencies, we will root them out.” The Cabinet minister said an interim report by Mark Wild, the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, who was appointed late last year, “lays bare the shocking mismanagement of the project under previous governments”. She added: “He stated, in no uncertain terms, the overall project with respect of cost, schedule and scope is unsustainable. “Based on his advice, I see no route by which trains c...

  The families of British diplomatic staff in Israel have been “temporarily withdrawn” as Tel Aviv and Tehran continue to exchange fire. The Foreign Office said on Wednesday that family members of staff at the embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem had been “temporarily withdrawn as a precautionary measure”. Britons have already been advised against all travel to Israel, and those already in the country have been urged to register their presence with the embassy. Earlier in the week, Downing Street said the UK had no plans to evacuate British nationals stranded in Israel but had increased support in Jordan and Egypt for people making their own way out of the country overland. The decision to withdraw family members comes as Israel’s air campaign against Iran entered its sixth day, with jets striking the Iranian capital Tehran overnight. Israeli military chiefs said the air strikes targeted a facility used to make uranium centrifuges, part of Iran’s nuclear programme, and a ...

  A member of rap group Kneecap faces criminal charges for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation and not his support for the people of Palestine, a court heard. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the 27-year-old is “well within his rights” to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London is a “wholly different thing”. The defendant exited the court building to a festival-like atmosphere, with fans waving flags, playing drums and one supporter setting a smoke canister off. As he left the court with the other Kneecap members, Naoise O Caireallain, and J J O Dochartaigh, loud cheers could be heard as well as chants of “Free Palestine” from hundreds of their supporters. During the hearing, the allegations against O hAnnaidh were summarised by prosecutor Mich...

  A disgraced ex-chief constable had a “detrimental” impact on the investigation into the death of Harry Dunn A disgraced ex-chief constable had a “detrimental” impact on the investigation into the death of Harry Dunn – including making erroneous media statements and causing a breakdown in relations with his family, a review has concluded. The report said Nick Adderley, who was sacked in June last year after lying about serving in the Falklands War, was reprimanded by the Foreign Office for making inaccurate comments about suspect Anne Sacoolas’s immunity status after she had left the UK. Sacoolas eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link at the Old Bailey following three years of the Dunn family campaigning for justice, after she was able to leave the UK when diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf. The independent review, published on Wednesday, concluded that there was a “lack of co-ordination and adherence to APP (professional standard...

  US tariffs and higher costs for firms mean the UK economy is set to grow at a slower rate than previously predicted, according to new forecasts. US tariffs and higher costs for firms mean the UK economy is set to grow at a slower rate than previously predicted, according to new forecasts. Rising costs are set to cause “weak” business investment and weigh on the Government’s ambitions to accelerate growth in the UK economy, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said. The influential trade body’s latest economic forecast indicated that the UK economy is on track to grow by 1.2% this year. It had previously predicted a rise of 1.6%. It also downgraded its growth forecast for 2026 from 1.5% to 1% for the year. The CBI highlighted that the UK has seen strong growth over the start of the year, rising by 0.7% in the first three months of 2025. But it suggested underlying activity “remains sluggish” due to persistently weak demand and gloomy sentiment among businesses. It added tha...

  The number of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK has “decelerated” due to a “significant slowdown” in international recruitment, according to a new review. The number of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK has “decelerated” due to a “significant slowdown” in international recruitment, according to a new review. Over the past year, 20,671 nurses and midwives who were educated outside the UK joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register for the first time – 30% fewer than the previous year, according to a new review of nursing numbers in Britain. Officials said that changes to visa rules may have played a part, as well as a drive to recruit locally. But the regulator warned that domestic recruitment is not enough to offset international slowdown. “The number of UK-educated professionals joining our register for the first time has continued to grow but at a slower rate and not by enough to offset the fall in international recruitment – hence the ...