Two men were arrested last night and weapons seized following investigations into a robbery at Craigmore.
About 5am on Tuesday 22 July, two men threatened the occupant of a house in Craigmore with a sawn-off firearm and machete. The victim was assaulted and had money and cigarettes stolen.
The victim, a 49-year-old man, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
Patrols spotted one of the suspects at an Elizabeth Downs service station about 9.20pm on Thursday 24 July and arrested the 31-year-old Craigmore man without incident.
A second suspect was pulled over while driving disqualified in Elizabeth Downs. A search of the 28-year-old’s Elizabeth Downs address allegedly revealed a sawn-off firearm and a machete, believed to have been used in the Craigmore robbery.
The arrested men have both been charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated unlawful threats and firearms offences. They were refused police bail and will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court later today.
Police wish to reassure the community that this was not a random incident, and the people involved are known to each other.
Anyone with information about illegal weapons in the community is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au
The Scottish Government is to distribute £5 million of funding in 2025-26 to support independent hospices with pay parity for clinical staff with their NHS counterparts.
Hospices have now had their funding allocations confirmed and the investment, set out in the 2025-26 Budget, will ensure that frontline staff providing essential palliative and end-of-life care in independent hospices are fairly paid in line with NHS pay scales.
The funding aims to help hospices recruit and retain skilled healthcare professionals during a time of rising workforce pressures and increasing demand for palliative care services.
Health Secretary Neil Gray, said:
“Independent hospices provide vital care and support to people and families across Scotland at the most difficult times in their lives. I am pleased we are able to support these organisations in supporting pay parity for their clinical staff.
“This funding recognises the skilled, compassionate care that hospice staff deliver every day, and helps ensure their pay reflects the immense value of their work.”
Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group Jacki Smart, said:
“This is a welcome first step in recognising the needs of the hospice sector, which plays a key role in delivering specialist palliative care for Scotland. It is right for patients and staff that hospices can pay skilled professionals fairly and in line with NHS colleagues, and we need to keep pace on this.”
Background
Independent hospices across Scotland are independent charitable organisations providing care tailored to local needs. Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of independent hospices to meet the needs of their local population. Hospices work closely with a wide variety of health and social care services, including NHS Boards, to deliver high quality care and support.
The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new national framework to support more effective planning and commissioning between hospices and IJBs. This work will continue alongside discussions about long-term pay parity and funding arrangements.
First Minister says United States remains one of Scotland’s closest partners.
Scotland will have “a platform to make its voice heard” during the visit of the President of the United States, First Minister John Swinney has said.
Speaking ahead of President Trump’s arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland’s tourism sector and economic investment potential.
First Minister John Swinney said:
“Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links – including of course, with the President himself.
“As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy.
“It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country.
“As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.
“We are a proud democratic nation, a country that stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world. The right to peaceful demonstration is something we cherish, and everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner. That is right and proper.
“I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully. I am also confident that Scotland’s police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires.
“This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.”
GLP1 agonist drugs, commonly known by brand names such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, reduce asthma symptoms in obese people according to a new study from the University of Aberdeen and The Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI), Singapore.
This is the latest reported benefit of GLP1s, originally prescribed for diabetes management and now prescribed widely for obesity.
An international team of scientists led by University of Aberdeen Chair in Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, Professor David Price, analysed the medical records of more than 60,000 patients. Using the OPCRD database – a primary care patient database containing over 28 million patients, they compared measures of asthma severity between those who had been prescribed GLP1s and those who hadn’t over an entire year.
They found that as well as the expected weight loss in people who were taking GLP1s, the asthma measures such as steroid and medication prescriptions, were also reduced.
GLP1s, mimic the naturally occurring hormone GLP1 and help regulate blood sugar, insulin and control appetite. The drug is also known to reduce inflammatory cells through multiple signalling pathways, and it is this mechanism that may be instigating this beneficial effect on the airway disease.
The author suggests that their findings mean that GLP1s should be considered as a potential treatment for respiratory diseases.
Professor David Price explains: “People with obesity and asthma are unique in that they are often resistant to steroid treatments.
We found compelling evidence that GLP1s, as well as increasing weight loss, also improved asthma symptoms.” Professor David Price
“We know that GLP1s work on inflammatory responses in the airways in a different way to traditionally used steroids.
“We found compelling evidence that GLP1s, as well as increasing weight loss, also improved asthma symptoms.
“In addition, it is important to note that the benefits to asthma symptoms occurred despite fairly modest weight loss of around 0.9kg over the course of the year.
“Our findings suggest that GLP1s may have beneficial effects on asthma control for people with obesity and this should be explored further.”
Professor Alan Kaplan, Chairperson of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, added: “Our findings suggest that GLP1-RAs have benefits on asthma control in people with obesity, and this information should contribute to the discussions around the decision to use these drugs.”
The full paper is published in Advances in Therapy
Sadly, a man has died following a crash at Merseylea overnight. Police and emergency services were called to the scene about 3am, after a cement truck crashed while travelling along Railton Road. Initial inquiries indicate the prime mover was travelling in a north westerly direction, approaching a slight bend, when it has veered off the road and crashed into a bank. Members of the public stopped and contacted emergency services. Medical attention was provided to the truck driver and his passenger, but sadly the passenger died at the scene. The driver was taken to the Launceston General Hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening. The crash is under investigation and anyone with information or relevant dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 131 444 and quote ESCAD 21-25072025. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of both men. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Development Minister sets out new UK approach to development at G20 meeting in South Africa
The UK is resetting its relationship with countries in the Global South and helping countries exit the need for aid, as Baroness Chapman attends the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting in South Africa.
Development Minister Baroness Chapman will reset the UK’s approach to international development at the G20 Development Meeting in South Africa today (Friday, 25 July).
Economic development underpins the UK’s new approach, as the Minister visits a South African food producer supported by the FCDO’s development arm BII.
The UK is supporting countries to transition from traditional aid to innovative financing for development, as the Minister visits a centre for survivors of gender-based violence funded by both the UK and the private sector.
The UK is resetting its relationship with countries in the Global South and helping countries exit the need for aid, as Baroness Chapman attends the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting in South Africa today (Friday 25 July 2025).
This follows the publication of ODA allocations earlier this week (Tuesday 22 July 2025), which indicate how the UK is going to spend its aid budget for the next year.
The UK will move from being a donor to a genuine partner and investor, ensuring every pound spent on aid delivers for the UK taxpayer and the people we support.
Economic development underpins the UK’s new approach, to help countries grow fairer, more resilient economies and ultimately exit the need for aid, in support of the government’s Plan for Change.
The Minister saw this in action yesterday (Thursday 24 July 2025) as she visited an Agristar farm which produces macadamia nuts in Mbombela, eastern South Africa. British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, is supporting Agristar to expand – supporting jobs and growth and helping to stock British supermarket shelves.
The Minister also visited a UK supported care centre for survivors of gender-based violence in Mbombela, alongside South African Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disability, Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga. The centre is supported by a multi-donor fund which has seen increased backing from South African and international private investors. The innovative funding approach has supported over 200 community-based organisations in South Africa working to prevent violence in schools and communities and provide response services for survivors of gender-based violence. This demonstrates the UK and South Africa’s shared commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
By mobilising private finance and empowering partners to take charge of their own development, the UK is moving away from a paternalistic approach to aid.
Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman said:
We want to help countries move beyond aid. In South Africa, I’ve seen the impact we can have with genuine partnerships, rather than paternalism. Our work is supporting jobs and generating global economic growth – and bringing high quality South African produce to UK shops.
At the G20 in South Africa, I have one simple message: the world has changed and so must we. The UK is taking a new approach to development, responding to the needs of our partners and delivering real impact and value for money for UK taxpayers.
At the G20, the Minister is due to discuss the UK’s new approach to international development with counterparts from Egypt, India and Germany.
The Agristar farm in Mbombela, which the Minister visited yesterday, has benefitted from UK investment as part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). BII support has enabled the macadamia nut producer to expand its operations across Africa, invest in measures to mitigate climate risks, and support nearly 400 jobs. BII is also supporting Agristar’s expansion into Malawi.
BII, which aims to make a return on its investments, has so far supported 92 companies in South Africa and over 35,000 jobs.
Its success highlights how the UK’s investment in international development is driving green growth and jobs, boosting global prosperity and stability to help create the conditions to deliver the government’s Plan for Change at home.
The Minister will also announce today a new £2 million commitment to support local agribusiness projects by partnering with South African investment funds to drive more private finance for the farming sector.
In G20 talks on tackling illicit financial flows, the Minister will highlight how money and assets siphoned away as part of criminal activity deprive lower-income countries of vital resources which could otherwise support growth and development. The Foreign Secretary is leading a campaign against illicit finance, mobilising the best UK expertise and international partnerships, so dirty money has nowhere to hide. This is also vital to deterring threats to the safety and security of Britain, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A systematic review and meta analysis published in Lancet Planetary Health looks at long-term air pollution exposure and dementia incidence.
Dr Mark Dallas, Associate Professor in Cellular Neuroscience, University of Reading, said:
“While air pollution joined dementia’s 14 modifiable risk factors in 2024, the specific culprits remain unclear. This new research examined existing data and identified three main culprits: tiny particles from car exhaust, nitrogen dioxide from vehicles and power plants, and black carbon from diesel engines. These findings strengthen the evidence that we can protect brain health through cleaner policies targeting diesel pollution and better city planning. However, we still need to understand exactly how these pollutants damage the brain and increase the diversity in dementia research participants. This will help us learn more about how air pollution affects different types of dementia and whether some communities face higher risks than others.”
Dr Tom Russ, Reader in Old Age Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh,said:
“This high quality article summarises the evidence in this rapidly-expanding area up to October 2023. This article improves on many previous reviews but is subject to similar limitations because of the way this research is often conducted; this reflects the quality of the studies it summarises rather than any shortcomings of this specific article. The review includes articles which examine the association of exposure to air pollution for at least one year (described as ‘long-term’ exposure) with the emergence of dementia diagnosed by a doctor. It includes more studies than any previous article and because of the large number of studies included, the authors can be more accurate in their estimate of the size of the effect of dementia – for instance, their data suggest that the risk of dementia resulting from exposure to air pollution would be 9% lower in Edinburgh compared to London.
“It is helpful to see the effects of different pollutants examined – though the authors acknowledges that these pollutants may, in fact, interact with each other in having their harmful effects. This speaks to an area this article cannot deal with – if exposure to air pollution does indeed increase the risk of someone developing dementia, what is the mechanism by which this happens? This question has not yet been addressed – in contrast to air pollution and the cardiovascular system where we have a clear mechanistic understanding of the effects of air pollution exposure on the body through experiments where people are exposed to controlled levels of air pollution. We need a similar body of research focused on the brain.
“The authors try to examine air pollution in relation to different subtypes of dementia – an important area – but because this is often poorly recorded in medical records, they were not able to really tackle this. Most of the time, dementia is simply recorded as ‘dementia’ rather than the specific diagnosis (e.g., Alzheimer dementia, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies). A further complication is that around half of people with dementia never receive a diagnosis and so don’t appear in medical records.
“One limitation of all the studies included in the review is that they estimate the amount of air pollution exposure based on someone’s home address. This is not the most accurate measure of air pollution exposure but I am not aware of any studies which have done this any other way, though a better approach is sorely needed.
“Finally, since we know that many conditions which result in dementia have their origins decades before the emergence of symptoms, studies really need to look at truly long-term air pollution exposure – much longer than one year. Researching this is challenging because few long-term studies have people’s home addresses from their whole lives and measurement or modelling of air pollution levels is rare before the 1990s.
“This article answers the question of whether air pollution exposure is associated with dementia better than previous work, but we still need better research to clarify how and why air pollution might be bad for the brain. Dementia remains a public health priority but air pollution is just one of several important risk factors and stopping smoking, controlling diabetes, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol in mid-life (amongst other things) are crucial for individuals who want to reduce their own risk of dementia, as well as minimising exposure to air pollution.”
Dr Ian Mudway, Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Visiting Professor for Environmental Health, Gresham College, Imperial College London, said:
“This aligns very closely with previous attempts to examine the association between air pollution and dementia. I worked on this back in 2019, and at that time, given the available evidence, we concluded it was too premature to perform a meta-analysis. There were simply too many inconsistencies between studies, particularly concerning exposure assessment.
“While I believe the evidence base has improved since then, inherent challenges remain in linking long-term air pollution changes to dementia incidence due to the decades-long prodromal period of the disease. It raises the crucial question: “How far back must we look to capture the relevant long-term exposures impacting brain health?”
“Additionally, as the authors acknowledge, distinguishing between vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease purely from medical records remains quite difficult, despite their efforts.
“The robust associations observed for NO2, black carbon/PM2.5 absorbance, and PM2.5 itself suggest that the effect is related to both local-scale traffic emissions and more regional particulate matter sources. Overall, this paper strongly supports the contention outlined in the Lancet Commission’s dementia reviews that air pollution is a significant and modifiable risk factor for dementia, and addressing it would substantially improve brain health.”
Prof Roy Harrison FRS, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Birmingham, said:
“This combined analysis of 51 previously conducted independent studies gives a clear signal that the risk of developing dementia is strongly influenced by air pollution exposure. This finding is consistent with other research showing associations between a number of measures of brain function and air pollution, and is particularly important given the devastating impacts of dementia both upon individuals and their families, and society as a whole. It adds to our ever-increasing knowledge of the many diverse harmful effects of air pollution upon health and strengthens the case for firm action to further improve air quality.
Dr Samuel Cai, Lecturer in Environmental Epidemiology, University of Leicester, said:
“The press release is accurate, although it could also be mentioned that studies included in this meta-analysis are quite heterogeneous.
“This is a comprehensive and timely review, including latest primary studies published over the last few years. The conclusion was generally backed by the data presented.
“Air pollution was only recently identified as a new risk factor for dementia in a Lancet-commissioned research. At the time, evidence for the harmful effects of PM2.5 on dementia seems to be more certain, but evidence for other pollutants is less conclusive. This review has significantly strengthened the current knowledge base, reporting that PM2.5, NO2 and soot are all adversely linked to dementia development, based on some of most recent publications.
“This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, and therefore consideration of confounders are usually not applicable in this type of articles. There are two more limitations which may worth further investigation. First, in the studies included in this review, did the effects of air pollution on dementia incidence have been adjusted for other environmental exposures such as greenspace and traffic noise? These two exposures may interact with air pollution in a complex way, and therefore may affect the risk posed by air pollution leading to dementia onset?
“Second, it is not very clear, at which life stage that air pollution exposure is relatively more important in triggering dementia? There is some evidence that late-life air pollution exposures seem to be more relevant to dementia incidence, as compared to mid-life or early-life. I think the current evidence pool is still weak on this question, but certainly a direction warranting more research.
“The implications mentioned by the authors are correct. Air pollution needs to be formally recognised as a risk factor for dementia in clinical practices, and that societal-wide policy actions are needed to tackle air pollution, particularly that from traffic in UK cities and towns, to protect brain health as UK population is ageing.”
Prof Barbara Maher FRS, Professor of Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster University, said:
“This is another meticulous and large study (~30 million people over 4 continents), which reviews and analyses other painstaking studies, attesting to the damage being done to our brains by breathing in air pollution particles. While this study links outdoor PM2.5 (fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres diameter) with increased dementia incidence, this might represent just the tip of the iceberg. Air pollution contains huge numbers of ultrafine particles (
“It’s now 9 years since our discovery of huge numbers of traffic-derived, metal-rich nanoparticles inside the frontal cortex of human brains…anywhere between 900 million and 40 billion particles in a gramme of brain tissue. Similar particles have been found directly associated with the amyloid plaques typical of Alzheimer’s disease. And the likely health impacts of exposure to such small, toxic particles don’t end with the brain. They have now been found in human blood, heart, placenta, kidney, bone joints…the body has no effective defense against the ultrafine particle cocktails we generate outdoors, especially from traffic, and indoors, for example, in heating our homes using stoves.
“What’s more, of course, the nanoparticle ‘mix’ varies from place to place and city to city, so the full scale of the dementia/air pollution pandemic will only become more obvious when epidemiological studies take particle composition, as well as ultrafine size, into account.”
Dr Isolde Radford, Senior Policy Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Air pollution is not just an environmental issue – it’s a serious and growing threat to our brain health. If no one were exposed to air pollution, there would be three fewer cases of dementia for every 100 people who develop it now. This rigorous review adds to mounting evidence that exposure to air pollution – from traffic fumes to wood burners – increases the risk of developing dementia.
“But poor air quality doesn’t affect all communities equally. As this analysis highlights, marginalised groups are often exposed to higher levels of pollution, yet remain underrepresented in research. Future studies must reflect the full diversity of society – because those most at risk could stand to benefit the most from action.
“What’s still unclear is exactly how air pollution affects the brain. There are several biological pathways that could explain the link, and to prevent dementia in the future, we need to deepen our understanding of these mechanisms.
“Air pollution is one of the major modifiable risk factors for dementia – but it’s not something individuals can solve alone. That’s where government leadership is vital. While the 10-Year Health Plan acknowledges the health harms of air pollution, far more needs to be done to tackle this invisible threat. Alzheimer’s Research UK is calling for a bold, cross-government approach to health prevention — one that brings together departments beyond health, including DEFRA, to take coordinated action on the drivers of dementia risk.
“The UK is still working to meet the World Health Organization’s air pollution limits by 2040 – but that timeline simply isn’t good enough. We have the evidence and the means to reach these targets by 2030. Doing so could help prevent thousands more people from developing dementia. The Government must act now to set stronger, health-based air quality targets – ones that protect our brains as well as our lungs.”
‘Long-term air pollution exposure and incident dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis’ byClare B Best Rogowskiet al.was published in The Lancet Planetary Health at 23:30 UK time on Thursday 24th July.
Dr Mark Dallas: Dr Dallas receives research funding from the Medical Research Council and Carbon Monoxide Research Trust.
Dr Tom Russ: I don’t have any conflicts as such but am active in research in this area.
Prof Roy Harrison: Roy Harrison is a member of the Defra Air Quality Expert Group and the DHSC Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. He has research funding from UKRI, Defra and the European Union Horizon Programme.
Dr Samuel Cai: I do not have any conflict of interest to declare.
Prof Barbara Maher: None to declare
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
AUKUS treaty deepens UK-Australia defence partnership to generate £20 billion in trade and create 7,000 new jobs
Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary in Australia alongside UK’s Carrier Strike Group – demonstrating government’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Signing of new UK-Australia AUKUS treaty protects our seas, supports over 21,000 UK jobs and underpins up to £20 billion exports potential.
Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary in Australia alongside UK’s Carrier Strike Group – demonstrating government’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
New treaty unlocks greater economic cooperation and delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change.
A new 50 year AUKUS treaty will underpin the UK and Australian submarine programmes, support tens of thousands of jobs in the UK and Australia, enhance both nations’ industrial capacity, and deliver the submarines that keep the UK and our allies safe.
The deal demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver both security and prosperity, safeguarding jobs across the UK and boosting our defence industry, with new submarine exports amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Expected to be worth up to £20 billion to the UK in exports over the next 25 years, this decades-long programme will create over 7,000 new jobs in UK shipyards and across the supply chain, building on the billions of pounds already invested in Barrow, Derby and beyond.
There will be over 21,000 people working on the conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered AUKUS submarine programme (known as SSN-AUKUS) in the UK at its peak, contributing to opportunities and economic growth in local communities across the UK.
Defence Secretary, John Healey, said:
AUKUS is one of Britain’s most important defence partnerships, strengthening global security while driving growth at home.
This historic Treaty confirms our AUKUS commitment for the next half century. Through the Treaty, we are supporting high-skilled, well-paid jobs for tens of thousands of people in both the UK and Australia, delivering on our Plan for Change today and for the generations to come. There are people not yet born who will benefit from the jobs secured through this defence deal.
Our deep defence relationship with Australia – from our work together to support Ukraine, share vital intelligence, and develop innovative technology – makes us secure at home and strong abroad.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:
The UK-Australia relationship is like no other, and in our increasingly volatile and dangerous world, our anchoring friendship has real impact in the protection of global peace and prosperity.
Our new bilateral AUKUS treaty is an embodiment of that – safeguarding a free and open Indo Pacific whilst catalysing growth for both our countries.
This is how our government delivers the Plan for Change – protecting our national security and stability whilst generating jobs for Brits.
This is the latest milestone reached under the AUKUS partnership – our most strategically significant new defence partnership in a generation.
The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will travel to Australia as the Carrier Strike Group and more than 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted. Their visit follows the exercise’s success where the AUKUS nations worked with Japan on advancing how we use robotics and autonomous systems in our defence systems.
Both ministers will meet their counterparts at the annual “Australia-UK Ministerial”, known as AUKMIN, to drive forward collaboration across the board – generating further trade and investment to our £23 billion per year annual trade relationship with Australia.
Travelling onto Melbourne, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet with businesses at the forefront of AUKUS – delivering the defence industrial strength needed to protect British, Australian and American interests.
The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will visit Darwin to see our commitment to the Indo-Pacific first hand as the Carrier Strike Group docks in the Northern Territory.
This deployment – one of the UK’s largest this century – sends a clear message that the UK alongside our partners stands ready to protect the Indo-Pacific’s vital trade routes and will deter those who undermine global security.
On HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of the group, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet the service personnel who have participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre, one of the largest military exercises in the world this year. Bringing together over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, this exercise strengthens and tests how key partners can work together to safeguard global trade routes and maintain regional stability.
The Carrier Strike Group deployment this year reinforces the Government’s Plan for Change by strengthening the international partnerships that underpin economic growth and national security, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad. It takes place against the backdrop of the Government’s landmark commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027.
This historic investment underpins the Government’s mission-led approach to securing Britain’s future, providing the economic stability necessary for growth whilst ensuring the UK maintains cutting-edge capabilities such as to meet emerging global threats.
The Port River Expressway has reopened after an overnight crash.
The single vehicle collision occurred on the Port River Expressway at Wingfield about 2.45am on Friday 25 July.
A car hit a light pole on the median strip and ended up in a ditch.
The driver, a 32-year-old Elizabeth North man, was extricated from the wrecked car by emergency services and taken to hospital with serious injuries.
His passenger, a 21-year-old Elizabeth Downs woman, also sustained injuries and was taken to hospital.
The road was closed until 5am but has since reopened.
The car was towed from the scene.
Investigations into the crash are continuing.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has any dashcam footage is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au
The Highland Council would like to reassure road users that the C114 road from the A87 at Loch Garry, through Glen Garry, to Tomdoun and along the eastern section of the Loch Quoich Road remains open and has no closures restriction on it at all.
Where the C114 road meets the start of the U1207- Quoich Bridge – Loch Hourn Road it is then closed from 1 July 2025 to Sunday 1 March 2026 under the prescribed days and times below.
Commencing at the Quoich Bridge and extending in a westerly and north westerly direction to the jetty at the head of Loch Hourn the U1207- Quoich Bridge – Loch Hourn Road is closed for a distance of around 6 miles 563 yards.
This section of the U1207- Quoich Bridge – Loch Hourn Road is closed Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:30. Monday to Friday there will be no amnesty opening times due to major construction works.
A major project to create a visitor hub on the Isle of Canna is now complete and open to visitors.
The £771,000 project, operated and managed by the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust and led by the National Trust for Scotland, was funded by the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the Trust.
Facilities include toilets and showers, public laundry facilities, a room for NHS health workers and other professionals, and a base for the Trust Ranger.
The Isle of Canna Community Development Trust (IoCCDT) has celebrated the opening of the new Canna Visitor Hub, where a range of facilities are now available for visitors.
The need for accessible visitor facilities was recognised as the island continues to welcome an increasing number of visitors each year. The Canna Visitor Hub now boasts a range of amenities, including toilets and showers, public laundry facilities, a base for the National Trust for Scotland Ranger, as well as a dedicated room for NHS health workers and other professionals for community use.
The building was designed with its surrounding landscape in mind and was constructed using environmentally conscious materials. It runs on the island’s renewable energy infrastructure, utilising solar panels, to align with the island’s vision for environmental sustainability. Through archaeological surveys, the project was approached sensitively, and the Canna Visitor Hub now sits naturally within its surroundings and serves as a focal point for visitors as they arrive at the harbour.
Spey Building & Joinery Ltd, which was responsible for building the Canna Visitor Hub, was also awarded the Scotland Commercial or Public Sector Project award by the Federation of Master Builders this year for its team’s exceptional work on the Canna Visitor Hub. The project was delivered by the Canna Partnership, through which the IoCCDT and the National Trust for Scotland work together to preserve the landscape and culture for future generations.
Isebail MacKinnon, Director of the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust, said: “The new Canna Visitor Hub supports our vision for the sustainability of the island and community-owned tourism, and to provide a good experience for visitors. By providing facilities at the visitor hub, we hope to encourage people to stay on the island for longer, moving away from short visits and towards longer stays, and more engaged visitors.
“We are very grateful for the support and funding received from those who made this project happen and are very excited for the Canna Visitor Hub to be part of the island infrastructure for many years to come. Thank you to Scottish Government, VisitScotland, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the National Trust for Scotland for their support.”
Managed by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) was created to improve the quality of the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that have faced pressure on their infrastructure due to an increase in visitor numbers. In Highland mainland and islands (excluding Shetland and Orkney) there have been a total of 36 RTIF-supported approved projects with a total RTIF investment of £7,937,883.
Chris Taylor, Destination Development Manager at Visit Scotland, said: “The fantastic new visitor facilities on Canna are a core part of the tourism offer on the island.
“Along with investment by the National Trust for Scotland in Canna House, proposals for a new high-quality bunkhouse by the community and ongoing hard work of small island businesses, this makes for a unique visitor experience and promises a very exciting future.
“A healthy visitor economy is crucial and is at the heart of the community’s plan in Canna for a thriving, sustainable island – it attracts and retains people and generates jobs and incomes.”
Chair of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: “The Highland Council is proud to have supported the Isle of Canna Visitor Facilities through VisitScotland’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, the Place Based Investment Programme, and the Islands Infrastructure Fund. This project represents a vital investment in sustainable tourism and community resilience on one of Highland’s unique and remote islands.
“By delivering modern, accessible welfare facilities and a dedicated visitor hub, the project is not only enhancing the visitor experience but also helping to protect Canna’s fragile environment and support its long-term regeneration. This development will enable the local community to manage tourism more effectively, create new opportunities, and ensure that Canna remains a welcoming and sustainable destination for generations to come.”
The £771,000 project is operated and managed by the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust and led by the National Trust for Scotland, and was funded by the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the Trust. An official opening event for the Canna Visitor Hub was hosted by the IoCCDT this month to celebrate this new milestone for the community and its visitors.
The Canna Visitor Hub runs on an honesty basis, and donations from visitors are welcome for the use of the facilities. For more information about the Canna Visitor Hub and all that the Isle of Canna has to offer, visit the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust website.
England wrested control of the fourth Test at Old Trafford as Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (84) powered a strong reply after captain Ben Stokes picked up his first five-wicket haul in eight years to bowl out India for 358.
At stumps on Day 2, England were 225/2 in just 46 overs, trailing by 133 runs with Joe Root (11*) and Ollie Pope (20*) at the crease.
Earlier, Stokes returned figures of 5/72 — his first five-for since 2016 — to lead England’s fightback with the ball. The highlight of India’s innings was Rishabh Pant’s valiant 54, scored despite a fractured right foot. Gritting through visible discomfort, Pant’s knock drew applause for both courage and craft.
England’s openers then came out all guns blazing. Duckett and Crawley stitched a 166-run stand off just 195 balls, neutralising India’s total with aggressive strokeplay. Crawley brought up his half-century in 73 balls, while Duckett got there in just 46.
India’s first breakthrough came when Ravindra Jadeja induced an edge from Crawley on 84, with KL Rahul taking a low catch at slip. Duckett continued the charge, taking on Mohammed Siraj with three boundaries in one over, but fell agonisingly short of a century — nicking behind to give debutant Anshul Kamboj his first Test scalp.
With Root and Pope seeing off the remaining overs, England walked off in command, eyeing a crucial first-innings lead on a pitch that has already started turning.
Brief scores:
India 358 in 114.1 overs (B Sai Sudharsan 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 58; Ben Stokes 5/72, Jofra Archer 3/73)
England 225/2 in 46 overs (Ben Duckett 94, Zak Crawley 84; Ravindra Jadeja 1/37, Anshul Kamboj 1/48)
England trail by 133 runs
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Speech
The United Kingdom welcomes the efforts of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to strengthen its role in conflict prevention: UK statement at the UN Security Council
Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council open debate on maintaining international peace and security.
I welcome the opportunity today to discuss the OIC’s important cooperation with the UN on the resolution of conflicts and securing lasting peace and prosperity.
I will make three points, President.
First, the United Kingdom welcomes the efforts of the OIC to strengthen its role in conflict prevention, confidence-building, peacekeeping and mediation.
In particular, we thank OIC members for their invaluable commitment of troops to UN Peacekeeping Operations.
Effective cooperation and sharing of information between the UN and the OIC is important for developing coherent strategies for conflict prevention to support national prevention efforts.
Second, the United Kingdom values the role of the OIC and its Member States as a key partner in our shared fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
This requires a multi-dimensional approach with the support of all relevant UN agencies, regional organisations, governments and civil society partners.
We encourage the UN and the OIC to maintain close coordination to ensure the protection of human rights while countering terrorism.
Third, the United Kingdom welcomes its broadening and deepening relationship with the OIC and its members, including this week hosting the OIC’s International Academy of Jurisprudence to strengthen collaboration on key issues and interfaith dialogue.
We value this collaboration not least because inclusive governance and respect for human rights are fundamental underpinnings of peace and prosperity. And the United Kingdom firmly believes the right to freedom of religion or belief has a crucial role to play in this regard.
Religious intolerance and persecution fuel instability, impeding both conflict prevention and resolution, as we sadly see in a number of the conflicts on this Council’s agenda.
That is why the United Kingdom was proud to co-pen Security Council resolution 2686 with the United Arab Emirates in 2023. This was the first time a Security Council resolution had directly addressed the persecution of religious minorities in conflict settings. We remain committed to the full implementation of resolution 2686.
In conclusion, President, when freedom of religion or belief is respected for all, and interreligious dialogue is promoted, we can build trust and understanding between communities, helping to secure sustainable peace.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
PM statement on Gaza: 24 July 2025
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement on Gaza.
The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.
I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.
It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this.
We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Travis Van Isacker, Senior Research Associate, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, University of Bristol
On a cold, wet November evening, Issa Mohamed Omar and more than 30 other men, women and children set off from their informal camp near the northern French port city of Dunkirk. They walked through the darkness in near-silence for around two hours, until they reached the beach from where they hoped to start a new and better life.
As they arrived, five men were busy pumping up an inflatable dinghy and attaching an outboard engine. These people smugglers had charged each of their customers more than a thousand euros for a trip that costs someone with the right passport less than a hundred.
The travellers were given life-vests, arranged into rows and counted. “There are 33 of you,” one of the smugglers said. For many on board, this was not their first attempt at reaching England.
Most came from Iraqi Kurdistan, including Kazhal Ahmed Khidir Al-Jammoor from Erbil, who was travelling with her three children: Hadiya, Mubin and Hasti Rizghar Hussein, respectively aged 22, 16 and seven.
A father and son from Egypt were shown how the engine worked and provided a GPS device and directions to Dover, around 35 miles (60km) to the west across the Channel. Mohamed Omar would later recall:
The Egyptian man was put in charge of steering the boat by the smugglers. He was travelling with his son, who looked like he was in his late teens or maybe early 20s. I do not know how they came to be the driver and navigator.
There were also at least three Ethiopian nationals – one of whom, father-of-two Fikiru Shiferaw from Addis Ababa, sent his wife Emebet at home in Ethiopia a final WhatsApp voice message:
We have already boarded the boat. We are on the way. I will turn off my phone now. Goodnight, I will call you tomorrow morning.
These were the last words she would ever receive from her husband.
What happened to Fikiru Shiferaw and the other passengers on the night of November 23-24 2021 has been the subject of the UK’s Cranston Inquiry which, during March 2025, heard from 22 witnesses to the disaster, including officers involved in the UK’s search-and-rescue (SAR) response. Chaired by former High Court judge Sir Ross Cranston, the independent inquiry also heard from Mohamed Omar from Somalia – one of only two survivors – as well as family members of many of the dead and missing.
These hearings not only shed light on the actions of UK Border Force and His Majesty’s Coastguard officers during the failed rescue operation – designated Incident Charlie – in the early hours of November 24, but the agencies’ approach to “small boat crossings” in general dating back to 2017.
According to the testimonies, officers had been operating under extreme pressure in the months leading up to the disaster. Kevin Toy, master of the Border Force ship Valiant which was sent out to search for the missing dinghy that night, explained that in the run-up to the incident, “night after night” he could see his crew were “utterly exhausted” by the end of their shifts.
The evidence shows the British government was aware of the growing risk that Border Force and HM Coastguard could be overwhelmed by the rising number of small boat crossings – and that people might die as a result. In May 2020, a document produced by the Department for Transport acknowledged that “SAR resources can be overwhelmed if current incident numbers persist”. At least three senior HM Coastguard officers identified the same risk in August 2021.
Multiple communication failures have also been exposed by the inquiry – among British officers, with their opposite numbers in France, and between both countries’ emergency services and the increasingly desperate people aboard the sinking dinghy.
Despite numerous distress calls and GPS coordinates being shared via WhatsApp, a rescue boat failed to reach the travellers in time. Amid the confusion, when their calls stopped, the coastguard assumed Charlie’s passengers had been picked up and were safe. In fact, they were perishing in the cold waters of the Channel over more than ten hours.
The Insights section is committed to high-quality longform journalism. Our editors work with academics from many different backgrounds who are tackling a wide range of societal and scientific challenges.
As part of my research into the digital transformation of the UK-France border, I attended the inquiry and have studied the many statements, call transcripts, operational logs, emails and meeting minutes it has made public. Initially, I wanted to understand how the November 2021 disaster became a watershed moment in the UK government’s response to people trying to cross the Channel by small boat or dinghy, catalysing the transformation of the UK’s maritime border into the hyper-surveilled space it is today.
But, after speaking to representatives for Mohamed Omar and the bereaved families as well as migrant rights organisations, larger questions have emerged. In particular, given the inquiry’s singular focus on this one catastrophic event in November 2021, those I spoke to are concerned that its recommendations will be unable to prevent further deaths from occurring in the Channel, which have risen dramatically over the last 18 months.
How ‘small boat crossings’ began
Since the UK and France began operating “juxtaposed” border controls in the early 1990s (meaning border checks occur before departure), asylum seekers trying to reach England have had to make irregular journeys across the Channel. Until 2018, these were typically aboard trains and ferries – after sneaking on to a lorry or through a French port’s perimeter security.
At the time of the “Jungle” camp near Calais in 2015-16, media coverage of collective attempts by its residents to enter French ports spiked UK government investment in the border. Between 2014 and 2018, it gave its French counterpart at least £123 million to “strengthen the border and maintain juxtaposed controls”. These funds paid for French police to patrol the ports and border cities, regularly evict migrants’ living sites, and finance detention and relocation centres.
As admitted by then-home secretary Sajid Javid in 2019, this increased security led people to find other ways across the Channel. Beginning in the winter of 2018, smugglers organised journeys in small, seaworthy vessels they had stolen from marinas along the French coast. These “small boats” continue to lend their name to this migration phenomenon – yet the unseaworthy inflatable dinghies used today, with no keel or rigid hull, are not worthy of the name.
Even in the context of the usual sensationalism surrounding irregular migration to the UK, small boat journeys were met with an especially intense response, both politically and in the media.
When 101 people crossed between Christmas and New Year in 2018, Javid declared it a major incident. Ever since, “stopping the boats” has been one of the UK government’s highest priorities. Despite small boat arrivals making up only 29% of UK asylum claimants in 2018-24, billions of pounds have been spent to try and control the route.
Frosty relations and the ‘pushback’ plan
As Channel crossings rose sharply over 2020-21, worsening relations between France and the UK due to Brexit complicated how the two governments worked together to respond. In his testimony, former clandestine Channel threat commander Dan O’Mahoney – appointed by Javid’s successor, Priti Patel, to “make small boat crossings unviable” – described relations between the two countries as already “very frosty” when he began in August 2020.
After France’s then-interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, axed a plan for UK vessels to take rescued migrants back to Dunkirk, O’Mahoney was tasked by senior ministers to come up with an alternative. The resulting “pushback” plan, called Operation Sommen, involved Border Force officers on jet skis driving into migrant dinghies to turn them back as they crossed the border line into UK waters. When France learned of the plan, O’Mahoney recalled:
They thought it went counter to their and our obligations around safety of life at sea … They objected to it very strongly, and it affected our already quite strained relationship with them further.
Operation Sommen was abandoned in April 2022 before having ever been used in anger. However, preparations were said to have taken up “a very considerable amount of time and resource” at both the Home Office and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency – and had “a detrimental effect” on the UK’s overall SAR response to small boat crossings.
At a meeting of senior officials in June 2021 to discuss Operation Sommen, ministers had made clear that the “numbers of people crossing [was] a political problem” – and that improving SAR capabilities did not “fit with [the] narrative of taking back control of borders”.
Although senior HM Coastguard officers recognised “it is extremely difficult to locate small boats or communicate with those onboard”, the inquiry heard that officers did not recall receiving “any small boat training before November 2021”, other than in the procedure to allow Border Force to push them back to French waters.
The head of Border Force’s Maritime Command, Stephen Whitton, told the inquiry he was under “a huge amount of pressure” to prevent small boat crossings, while also “providing the bulk of the support to search and rescue”. Despite carrying out 90% of all small boat rescues in the Channel and “regularly being overwhelmed”, Border Force Maritime Command received “no additional assets to manage the search and rescue response” before November 2021.
‘The pressure we were under’
When the decision was taken for Border Force – a law enforcement rather than search-and-rescue organisation – to be the primary responders to small boat crossings in 2018, only around 100 people were crossing each month. Yet by the time of the disaster three years later, according to an internal Home Office document, the total for 2021 was “already more than 25,000”.
At the inquiry, O’Mahoney stated: “As 2021 went on, it became much clearer that … frankly, we just needed more [rescue] boats.” Whitton admitted that before the disaster, Border Force, HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and other support organisations were all “on our knees in terms of the pressure we were under, and it was getting hugely challenging”.
The evidence shows this pressure was acutely felt inside Dover’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, which sits atop the port’s famous white cliffs offering a commanding view of the Channel. Inside, Coastguard officers coordinate SAR operations and control vessel traffic in the Dover Strait – one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
On the night of November 23-24, three coastguard officers were on search-and-rescue duty: team leader Neal Gibson, maritime operations officer Stuart Downs, and a trainee – unnamed by the inquiry – who was officially only present as an observer.
HM Coastguard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Dover overlooking the Channel. Travis Van Isacker, CC BY-NC-SA
Staffing appears to have been a longstanding issue at the Dover coastguard station where, according to divisional commander Mike Bill, there was “poor retention of staff” and “experience and competence weren’t the best”. Only the day before the disaster, during a migrant red days meeting – convened when, due to good weather, the probability of Channel crossers is considered “highly likely” – chief coastguard Peter Mizen had warned that only having two qualified officers at Dover on nights “isn’t enough”.
Over recent months, as the station had become busier responding to small boat crossings and in the wake of an unsuccessful recruitment drive, staff were having to work flat-out throughout their shifts, and were being asked to come in on scheduled days off.
On the night of November 23-24, owing to staff shortages, team leader Gibson told the inquiry he had to cover traffic control duties for three hours from 10.30pm. This meant he was away from the SAR desk at 00.41am, when a message arrived from the national rescue coordination centre along the coast in Fareham, stating that the Coastguard’s scheduled surveillance aeroplanes would not be flying over the Channel that night due to fog.
The officers were told they would be “effectively blind” – and should not allow themselves “to be drawn into relaxing and expecting a normal migrant crossing night”. The message warned: “This has the potential to be very dangerous.”
‘Their boat – there’s nothing left’
According to Mohamed Omar, the sea was calm when he and the other passengers departed the French beach around 9pm UK time. Giving his evidence to the Cranston Inquiry from Paris – he still cannot travel to the UK – a ship approached them around an hour into their voyage:
They came up to us to see what we were doing, and shone a light on us. I remember seeing a French flag on the boat. It was a big boat and I am certain it was the French coastguard. I had heard from people I met in the camp in Dunkirk that this happened sometimes, and that the French boat would follow until you reached English waters.
In fact, Mohamed Omar said, the French ship left the travellers again after about an hour. Shortly after this, the problems began.
A French warship patrols the shore of Mardyck in northern France, close to where Charlie is thought to have departed. Travis Van Isacker, CC BY-NC-SA
Around 1am, seawater began entering the dinghy. By now, it was in the vicinity of the Sandettie lightvessel, around 20 miles north-east of Dover. At first, passengers managed to bail out the 13°C water – but soon the flooding became uncontrollable. The dinghy’s inflatable tube began losing pressure, and a couple of the Kurdish men used air pumps to try to keep it inflated. Others tried to prevent panic spreading among the passengers.
Many onboard began to make frantic calls for rescue. What were reported to be leaked transcripts of some of these calls were published by French newspaper Le Monde a year after the sinking. They showed the first distress call from the dinghy was received by the French coastguard at 12.48am. Speaking in English, the caller said there were 33 people on board a “broken” boat.
According to Le Monde, three minutes later, another call was transferred to the French maritime rescue coordination centre at Cap Gris-Nez by an emergency operator who reported: “Apparently their boat – there’s nothing left.” Following procedure, the French coastguard officer asked the caller to send a GPS position by WhatsApp so she could “send a rescue boat as soon as possible”. At 1.05am UK time, the GPS position arrived.
Rather than send a French boat, Le Monde reported that the officer phoned her counterparts in Dover to warn them a dinghy 0.6 nautical miles from the border line would soon be crossing into UK waters. On the other end of the line was the trainee officer, who was handling routine calls that night despite officially only being an observer.
After the call finished, according to Downs’s evidence to the inquiry, the trainee mistakenly told him the dinghy was thought to be “in good condition” – information he recorded in the log for Incident Charlie. This miscommunication may have affected the urgency of the UK’s SAR response, preventing HM Coastguard and Border Force from appreciating the severe distress the “broken” dinghy was in.
Just before 1am, the French coastguard had sent its migrant tracker spreadsheet, containing information on all small boat crossings that night, to HM Coastguard for the first time. It showed four migrant dinghies at sea – which Gris-Nez had been aware of “for many hours”, according to Gibson.
The issue of the French coastguard appearing to withhold information about active small boat crossings had been raised by HM Coastguard’s clandestine operations liaison officer during a July 2021 review. And earlier that very evening, Gibson told one of his colleagues:
Sometimes they just seem to keep it quiet. Like we’ll not get anything – then we’ll get a tracker at three in the morning with 15 incidents, and they go: ‘Mostly these are in your search-and-rescue region.’ Wonderful.
At 1.20am, Downs phoned Border Force Maritime Command in Portsmouth to request a Border Force vessel search for the dinghy Charlie. He provided the GPS position received from his French counterpart and the number of people onboard – but also the incorrect information that “they think it’s in good condition”.
Ten minutes later, the Valiant, Border Force’s 42-metre patrol ship stationed at Dover, was tasked to proceed towards the Sandettie lightvessel. At the same time, the first direct call to the Dover rescue coordination centre came in from Charlie. The distressed caller said they were “in the water” and that “everything [was] finished”.
Around 15 minutes later, at 1.48am, Gibson took a call from 16-year-old Mubin Rizghar Hussein, who spoke good English. Despite the noise and commotion, he managed to provide Gibson with a WhatsApp number – in order to share their GPS position. The transcript of this call records voices shouting in the background: “It’s finished. Finished. Brother, it’s finished.”
A ‘grave and imminent threat to life’
Gibson told the inquiry that after his call with Rizghar Hussein, he had a “gut feeling that this doesn’t feel quite as usual”. By “usual” he meant what was, according to maritime operations officer Downs, a commonly held belief at the Dover coastguard station that with “nine out of ten”“ callers from small boats: “It would generally be overstated that the boat … was sinking, people were drowning … Whatever was going on would be overstated.”
Acting on his gut feeling, at 2.27am Gibson took the unprecedented decision to broadcast a Mayday Relay – denoting a “grave and imminent threat to life”. By maritime law, this alert required other vessels to offer their assistance.
Gibson told the inquiry he did this to get the French warship Flamant to respond. He could see on his radar screen that Flamant was closest to Charlie’s position and was the best vessel to rescue the people if the dinghy really was sinking.
Why the Flamant did not respond is at the centre of an ongoing criminal investigation in France into two of the warship’s officers and five coastguards from Gris-Nez, for “non-assistance of persons in distress”. This investigation’s strict confidentiality obligation means the inquiry was unable to access any information from the French side about their operations that night.
At 2.01 and again at 2.14am, HM Coastguard had received new GPS positions via WhatsApp showing the dinghy to be more than a mile inside UK waters.
Valiant, having been tasked at 1.30am, only exited the port of Dover at 2.22am and would need at least another hour to reach the Sandettie. Despite this, no other vessel was sent to join the search. At 3.11am, when asked during a call by Border Force Maritime Command whether Charlie was “still a Mayday situation”, Gibson replied: “Well, they’ve told me it’s full of water.”
With a total of four small boats being shown in the Channel that night by the French tracker spreadsheet, Gibson suggested there could be as many as 110 people on board these dinghies – beyond Valiant’s capacity for taking on survivors. Nevertheless, Border Force and HM Coastguard opted to “wait and see what the numbers are, and whether Valiant can deal with that … We don’t want to call any other assets out just yet.”
In a call with Christopher Trubshaw, captain of the Coastguard rescue helicopter stationed at Lydd on the Kent coast, aviation tactical commander Dominic Golden explained that Border Force was “not prepared to bring in their crews who are pretty knackered” unless “we can convince them there are people in real danger”. He then asked Trubshaw to search the Channel for the small boats shown in the French tracker, as the surveillance aeroplanes had been unable to take off.
In her closing submission to the inquiry, Sonali Naik, a legal representative of the survivors and bereaved families, highlighted Golden’s “dismissive attitude” towards Charlie’s distress when he gave Trubshaw the reason for the request, which included the following:
As usual, the catalogue of phone calls is beginning to trickle in … You know, the classic ‘I am lost, I am sinking, my mother’s wheelchair is falling over the side’ etc. ‘Sharks with lasers surrounding boat’ and ‘we are all dying’ type of thing.
Nevertheless, Golden asked the helicopter crew to pack a liferaft. “I can’t imagine we’re going to need it but … potentially you get to play with one of your new toys.”
While Golden described his words as “unwise” or “flippant”, Naik said they were “more than that” – suggesting they revealed rescuers’ general perceptions of the occupants of small boats and the widely held scepticism towards their distress calls.
‘We are dying. Where is the boat?’
With the water inside rising fast and their dinghy collapsing, Charlie’s increasingly desperate passengers kept trying to get rescuers to appreciate how dire their situation was.
At 2.31am in the Dover rescue coordination centre, Gibson received a second call from Mubin Rizghar Hussein, who pleaded: “We are dying, where is the boat?”
Gibson replied: “The boat is on its way but it has to get …” only to be interrupted by Rizghar Hussein saying: “We all die. We all die.”
“I get that,” Gibson told the terrified teenager, “but unfortunately, you’re going to be patient and all stay together, because I can’t make the boat come any quicker.” He ended the call saying:
You need to stop making calls because every time you make a call, we think there’s another boat out there – and we don’t want to accidentally go chasing for another boat when it’s actually your boat we’re looking for.
Gibson broke down briefly when recounting this second call during his evidence to the inquiry, explaining:
If you don’t understand what’s fully going on and you’re getting ‘we’re all going to die’, it’s quite a distressing situation to find yourself in, sitting at the end of a phone – effectively helpless. You know where they are, you want to get a boat to them, and you can’t.
Call records also show that coastguards on both sides of the Channel passed responsibility for rescuing the sinking dinghy off to one another. According to Le Monde, during one call a passenger told the French coastguard officer he was “in the water” – to which she replied: “Yes, but you are in English waters.”
The transcript of the last call before Charlie capsized, made at 3.12am, reveals that Downs asked “where are you?” 17 times – despite the caller being unable to answer anything beyond “English waters”. The maritime operations officer finished by instructing the caller to hang up and dial 999: “If it won’t connect on 999, then you’re probably still in French waters.”
In her closing submission, Naik pointed to “discriminatory stereotypes and attitudes towards migrants on small boats which fatally affected the SAR response” for Charlie – as rescuers, in her words, “jumped to premature conclusions”. According to survivor Mohamed Omar:
Because we have been seen as refugees … that’s the reason why I believe the rescue, they did not come at all. We feel like we were … treated like animals.
Fatal assumptions
At 3.27am, Border Force’s ship Valiant arrived at Charlie’s last recorded GPS position (from 2.14am) – but found nothing. Its master, Kevin Toy, decided to head north-easterly towards the Sandettie lightvessel, the way the tide was flowing.
En route, Valiant spotted two other dinghies in the darkness using its night vision – one still making its way towards the English coast, the other stopped in the water. The stationary dinghy was in greater danger from the Channel’s shipping traffic, so Valiant went to it and began rescuing those onboard – radioing back that it had “engaged unlit migrant crafts stopped in the water” with approximately 40 people onboard.
In the Dover rescue coordination centre, Gibson assumed this dinghy could be Charlie and gave Mubin Rizghar Hussein’s name and telephone number so Valiant’s crew could verify whether he was on board. At 4.16am, Gibson himself tried calling the WhatsApp number that Rizghar Hussein had shared, but the call failed.
At 4.20am, Valiant completed its first rescue of the morning. Two more followed after the Coastguard helicopter spotted two other dinghies in the Sandettie area – but nobody in the water. A near-capacity Valiant then returned to Dover just after 8am with 98 survivors on board.
None of the three rescued dinghies matched the description of Charlie. All were in good condition, differently coloured, and with disparate numbers of people onboard – yet the misplaced assumption Charlie had been rescued persisted amid the night’s murky information environment. Gibson stated that, while he had soon received additional information matching Valiant’s first rescue to a different dinghy, he was still “fairly certain Charlie had been picked up”.
“Once Valiant had picked up these [three] boats,” he explained, “we no longer received calls from Charlie, and a call to a known phone number on Charlie failed.” As a result, neither Valiant nor the Coastguard helicopter were sent back out to continue searching for the stricken dinghy.
In fact, Gibson’s call to Rizghar Hussein’s WhatsApp number did not fail because Charlie’s passengers had been rescued – nor because they had thrown their phones into the sea when Border Force arrived. Rather, it was because the dinghy had capsized and everyone had fallen into the Channel’s freezing waters.
‘No one came to our rescue’
In harrowing evidence to the inquiry, Mohamed Omar explained how, as one side of the dinghy deflated, the passengers – “hysterical and crying” – panicked and moved to the opposite side. This shift in weight caused the dinghy to capsize:
The screaming when the boat tipped and people fell in the water was deafening. I have never heard anything as desperate as this. I was not thinking about whether we were going to be rescued any more; it was all about how to stay alive.
As the passengers were thrown into the water, the dinghy flipped on top of them. Mohamed Omar described having to swim out from underneath to catch a breath: “It was dark and I could not really see. It was extremely cold and the sea was rough.”
As he surfaced, he saw Halima Mohammed Shikh, a mother of three also from Somalia and travelling alone, struggling as she couldn’t swim. She screamed his name for help, and he tried to get her back to what was left of the dinghy – but couldn’t. “I think she was one of the first people to drown,” he told the inquiry.
Others managed to cling to the broken inflatable, hoping rescue was on its way – but “no one came to our rescue”. Pushed and pulled by the waves, some lost their grip and drifted away before dawn. Mohamed Omar recalled:
All night, I was holding on to what remained of the boat. In the morning, I could hear the people were screaming and everything. It’s something I cannot forget in my mind.
By the time the sun finally rose at 7.26am, he estimated that no more than 15 people were left clinging to the broken dinghy – adrift on the tide in a busy shipping lane:
I do not recall speaking with anyone in the water. Those who were alive were half-dead. There was nothing we could do any more. I could see bodies floating all around us in the water. I presume most people were either already dead or were unconscious.
Shortly afterwards, Mohamed Omar said he let go of the dinghy and began to swim, thinking to himself: “I am going to die [but] I don’t want to die here. At least if I die whilst swimming, I won’t feel it.”
He swam towards a boat he could see in the distance and, as he got closer, began to wave his life jacket for attention. A French woman, out fishing with her family, saw him and jumped in the water to save him.
As he finished telling his story, Mohamed Omar told the inquiry: “I’m a voice for those people who passed away.”
Bodies are found
Around 1pm on the afternoon of November 24, 12 hours after the first distress calls from Charlie, a French commercial fishing vessel began finding bodies in the sea nine miles north-west of Calais. But as the news came in, no one at HM Coastguard or Border Force appears to have made the connection with Incident Charlie.
Days later, when the accounts of Mohamed Omar’s fellow survivor, Mohammed Shekha Ahmad from Iraqi Kurdistan, and a relative of two of the deceased emerged, the Home Office refuted their claims that the dinghy had sunk in UK waters as “completely untrue”.
However, five days after the disaster, Gibson contacted the small boats tactical commander to share his concerns that the reported deaths could be from Charlie. He had read a news article in which “the survivor states a male called Mubin called the emergency services, which could possibly be the ‘Moomin’ [sic] I spoke to”.
On December 1, clandestine Channel threat commander O’Mahoney responded to a question from the UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, as to whether the migrants whose bodies had been found in French waters had made distress calls to the UK authorities. O’Mahoney told the committee:
We are looking into that. To manage your expectation, though, it may never be possible to say with absolute accuracy whether that boat was in UK waters [and] I cannot tell you with any certainty that the people on that particular boat called the UK authorities.
Thanks largely to their grieving families tireless pursuit of the truth, however, it is now possible to say definitively that Charlie had been in UK waters – and that a number of its passengers spoke to HM Coastguard officers.
It was only after these families raised concerns that the disaster had involved the UK authorities that the Department for Transport commissioned a safety investigation into the incident in January 2022. A lawyer for the bereaved families suggested to me that without the threat of legal action, the Department for Transport “would likely not have done anything” – despite this being Britain’s worst maritime disaster for decades. Meanwhile, according to inquiry evidence, the Home Office is understood not to have conducted an internal review or investigation into its role in the disaster.
After a frustrating two years of waiting for the survivors and bereaved families, the Marine Accidents Investigations Branch published its report – which both confirmed most of their accounts and substantiated their criticisms of the SAR response.
Soon afterwards, the Cranston Inquiry was announced. Despite no bodies having been recovered in UK waters, it has been run almost like an inquest. In his final report – to be published by the end of 2025 – Sir Ross Cranston has promised to “consider what lessons can be learned and, if appropriate, make recommendations to reduce the risk of a similar event occurring”.
A ‘crucial and unique opportunity’
HM Coastguard and Border Force officers have repeatedly told the inquiry how the UK’s approach to small boat search-and-rescue has changed since the November 2021 disaster. More officers have been hired, Border Force has contracted additional boats to conduct rescues, information sharing has improved, and cooperation with French colleagues is better. Today, there are significantly more rescue ships on both sides of the Channel which can intervene faster when dinghies come to be in distress, and have undoubtedly saved many lives.
There has also been massive investment in drones, aeroplanes and powerful shore-based cameras to reduce the risk that HM Coastguard loses “maritime domain awareness” again if some of its surveillance aircraft are unable to fly. New technology automatically translates coastguard officers’ messages into different languages and extracts live GPS locations and images from travellers’ mobile devices.
Such investments make it unlikely that another dinghy could be lost in the middle of the Channel after its passengers call for help, in the way Charlie so catastrophically was.
Nevertheless, people continue dying while attempting to cross the Channel – with 2024 having been by far the deadliest year yet. At least 69 people lost their lives, according to the Refugee Council. So far in 2025, 24 people are documented as dead or missing at the UK-France border by Calais Migrant Solidarity, amid a record number of attempted crossings for the first half of the year.
Some migrants’ rights NGOs have suggested the UK’s “stop the boats” policies, and European efforts to disrupt the supply chain of dinghies and other equipment used in crossings, has driven such deadly overcrowding.
But it is also unlikely that the circumstances surrounding more recent deaths in the Channel will ever be investigated as thoroughly as Incident Charlie, if at all. Lawyers for the bereaved families have therefore been keen to highlight the Cranston Inquiry’s “crucial and unique opportunity” not only to look back and offer answers about one of Britain’s worst maritime disasters in recent decades – but to look forwards and “prevent the further loss of life at sea”.
The survivors, families and migrants’ rights organisations who contributed their evidence thus hope the inquiry’s recommendations go beyond purely operational and administrative improvements to search-and-rescue, to address the fundamental role that UK, France and European border policies play in why more people are dying in the Channel, despite the improvements to search-and-rescue strategies and resources.
Above all, they ask why only some people are able to travel to the UK in comfort and safety while others must make the journey in precarious, overcrowded inflatable dinghies – and thus entrust their lives to the search-and-rescue services whose success can never be guaranteed. As Halima Mohammed Shikh’s cousin, Ali Areef, told the inquiry:
It makes me feel sick to think about crossing the Channel in a ferry where others including a member of my family lost their lives because there was no other way to cross. I will never take a ferry across the Channel again.
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Travis Van Isacker gratefully acknowledges the support of the Economic and Social Research Council
(UK) (Grant Ref: ES/W002639/1).
The programme has been announced for Manchester’s role as Guest City at this year’s iconic La Mercè festival in Barcelona – which each year attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors into the city for a 6-day cultural festival that sets the very highest of bars for festivals everywhere, showcasing the very best of traditional Catalan culture, outdoor arts, and music.
Manchester was chosen last year by its Catalan counterparts to be the first-ever English guest city at this year’s event which takes place from 23 – 28 September.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed between Manchester and Barcelona last year, noted that the two cities share both a very similar industrial past with histories that are linked to workers’ movements, as well as a present and future with great cultural wealth linked to the creative industries.
The Memorandum kicked off a cultural collaboration between the two cities, providing a working framework for artists, organisations, and other partners, focusing initially on music and street arts events for this year’s La Mercè festival.
Since then the two cities have been working closely to put together a spectacular programme of Mancunian grown talent in outdoor arts and music for audiences in Barcelona to enjoy.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader, Manchester City Council, said: “Guest City status for Manchester at this year’s La Mercè festival is a huge honour for us and we’re enormously grateful to our partners, colleagues and friends in Barcelona for the opportunity to collaborate and play a part in their iconic festival.
“Culture and diversity are big deals for us in Manchester and play a vital part in helping strengthen and shape our communities, pride and prosperity. Thanks to our wonderfully diverse artists, venues, festivals, and creative workforce, culture has had a transformative effect on our city.
“The Manchester programme for La Mercè showcases the very best of our fantastically diverse cultural scene and our hugely talented artists and creators.
“We hope it gives a flavour of the vibrant and thriving cultural scene we have here in Manchester and look forward to further strengthening our ties with the great city of Barcelona and welcoming new visitors and audiences to our city off the back of this.”
The resulting programme is a celebration of fantastic outdoor work created by Manchester artists and organisations.
Highlights in the special cultural exchange include two unique new commissions from Manchester-based creators working with Barcelona-based performers, alongside new work created to celebrate Manchester and its people at La Mercè.
The programme for Manchester as Guest City has been led by XTRAX and Without Walls. It showcases the diverse cultural communities of Manchester and the rich diversity of the UK outdoor arts scene – including parades, dance, music, poetry, fire and installations.
Maggie Clarke, Director at XTRAX, said: “I’m delighted that Manchester will be Guest City at La Mercè 2025, which is the result of many years of collaboration between XTRAX and colleagues in Barcelona City Council and the Catalan arts scene. La Mercè is recognised as one of the greatest festivals of outdoor arts in the world, and it is an honour to present some of the fantastic work from Manchester at this prestigious event.
“XTRAX firmly believes in the importance of outdoor festivals, and their valuable role in bringing people and communities together. Our programme at La Mercè celebrates the diversity and quality of work from our region and we hope will inspire other global cities to seek collaborations with Manchester and the great artists from our city.
“I’m thrilled to have secured a great opportunity for UK artists in Barcelona and we look forward to continuing this exchange by hosting Barcelona artists in Manchester in 2026, and ongoing collaboration in years to come.”
Manchester at La Mercè has been produced by XTRAX, and co-curated by Without Walls.
Ralph Kennedy, Chief Executive at Without Walls, said: “We’re honoured to have collaborated with XTRAX as a strategic partner for Mercè Arts de Carrer (MAC), the La Mercè outdoor programme. Without Walls has been proudly based in Manchester since its founding, and we’re absolutely thrilled to be part of this exciting city to city partnership.
“Manchester is a vibrant hub for some of the best outdoor art being created in the UK today. The programme of shows curated by XTRAX and Without Walls for Barcelona, in partnership with the artistic director of MAC, stands as a testament to the city’s incredible creative energy.”
The Manchester at La Mercè programme features several major collaboration projects between Manchester and Barcelona artists, as well as new work created especially for this unique event.
Here are some of the highlights:
Bee for Barcelona
Carnival arts specialists Global Grooves (Manchester) team up with renowned Catalan artists Pau Reig and Dolors Sans (Barcelona) to create Bee for Barcelona– a striking new collaboration to create two Giant Bees, celebrating shared industrial heritage, cultural pride, and artistic exchange. These Giants will perform in front of thousands of people as part of La Mercè world famous Parades of Giants and Beasts.
Queen Bee Gigante, wears a costume reflecting Greater Manchester’s communities and cotton legacy. She transforms into a maypole, surrounded by 30 community dancers and musicians in a fusion of Morris and Classical Indian dance—re-imagining May Day and Carnival traditions.
Alongside her,Worker Bee, a 4-metre kinetic sculpture, shimmers with hand-painted silks encased in fibreglass, evoking stained glass. Copper legs and cog motifs nod to the textile mills and industrial histories of Manchester and Barcelona and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.
Blending Mancunian, Catalan, Pan-African, and South Asian influences, the project features 30 diverse performers from groups including Saddleworth Women’s Morris and Clog, and The Indian Association Oldham’s Dancing Diyas.
Leon Patel, CEO, Carnival arts organisation Global Grooves, said: “Queen Bee and Worker Bee tell a powerful story of how they earned their stripes.
“Queen Bee represents the evolution of that labour into opportunity, progress, culture, and celebration. She is not born of royal blood, but is Queen for a day, like the Cotton Queens of Greater Manchester’s mill towns, the Carnival Queens of the Afro-Brazilian tradition, and the flower-crowned May Queen. Work Bee honours the sweat and toil of workers wo build Manchester’s global industrial might.
“Both bees will be animated in parades and performances at La Mercè accompanied by an original musical score blending Mancunian, Catalan, Pan-African, and South Asian sounds.”
Both bees will be brought to life in parades and performances with an original multicultural musical score.
Global Grooves producers visited Barcelona in March 2025, with Pau Reig and Dolors Sans joining a Manchester residency from 21–27 July 2025.
Bee for Barcelonais commissioned by XTRAX for MCRxLaMerce2025. Supported by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and XTRAX. Funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), GM Arts, Oldham Council, and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.
Following its premiere at La Mercè 2025, Queen Bee Gigante and Worker Bee will return for Manchester Day in July 2026.
The Ultimate Player’s Handbook
Manchester’s leading contemporary dance companyCompany Chameleon has been commissioned to create a new dance performance, The Ultimate Player’s Handbook, for La Mercè with Barcelona dance duo Clémentine & Lisard
In the heart of a town’s square, a living handbook unfolds — one written not on paper, but in movement, strategy, and play.
The Ultimate Player’s Handbook is a vibrant street performance that explores the games we play every day – where rules are made and broken, roles shift between winner and loser, and cooperation is as vital as competition.
Co-directed by Company Chameleon (UK) and Clémentine & Lisard (CAT), the piece transforms public space into a playground where teams form, alliances shift, and every move asks us to reflect on the parts we play.
With music, dance, and celebration, this handbook in motion invites us to question: how do we navigate rules – and how do we bring a sense of playfulness in our everyday lives?
Barcelona-based Clémentine & Lisard have spent the last two weeks in Manchester (14-25 July) to create this new choreographed performance with two of Company Chameleon’s dancers and Artistic Director Kevin Turner, MBE, at Company Chameleon’s studios in Gorton.
Kevin Turner, MBE, Artistic Director of Company Chameleon said: “International collaboration has always been at the heart of Chameleon’s work, and we’re delighted to be working with Clémentine & Lisard. The commission allows us to work with a really exciting and innovative Barcelona based dance company and create something new and interesting. The collaboration gives us the chance to learn from each other, explore commonalities in our practice, and share and benefit from each other’s touring networks.”
Blending the athletic and emotionally rich movement styles of both groups, the work will debut at La Mercè in Barcelona on 24, 27, and 28 September 2025 and return for Manchester Day 2026.
The Ultimate Players’ Handbook is commissioned by XTRAX and the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and funded by Arts Council England and Manchester City Council.
Barcelona Bee Hive
Another World Premiere, Barcelona Bee Hive will also be created especially for Manchester at La Mercè.
Artizani is a UK-based arts company specialising in spectacular theatre performed in unconventional spaces. One of Europe’s most stylish and striking street theatre acts, their work is accessible and thought-provoking, featuring high production values and a surreal twist.
The bee is the symbol of Manchester – historically representing its hard-working, unified community, and more recently serving as a powerful emblem of unity and resilience.
Audiences are invited to wander among the honey-perfumed colony, tended by ethereal beekeepers, and peer into surreal miniature worlds of ‘working’ wonder. In a specially commissioned new bee hive, created to celebrate Manchester at La Mercè, visitors can see Mancunian bees enjoying scenes from traditional Catalan festivities.
Barcelona Bee Hive is commissioned by XTRAX and funded by Arts Council England and Manchester City Council.
OUR CITY SPEAKS – poetry films from Manchester
Another unique project developed especially for Manchester’s programme at La Mercè that celebrates Manchester’s wealth of poets and spoken word artists working in a wide range of diverse styles and languages.
A captivating curated selection of short films featuring some of the city’s current leading poetry performers will take viewers on a journey through poetry that talks about identity, unity, resistance, and resilience.
Jo Flynn, Director of External Affairs, Manchester City of Literature said: “Barcelona and Manchester already share cultural ties as sister UNESCO Cities of Literature, and in many ways their dynamic cultural identity and literary boldness align too. We’re thrilled at Manchester City of Literature to be part of La Mercè programme celebrating this partnership with Manchester poetry films on stage for the festival in September. We can’t wait to see where the partnership between the cities will take us next, across all artforms.”
Manchester UNESCO City of Literature has curated this collection to share with Catalan audiences in Manchester’s sister UNESCO City of Literature during La Mercè.
The project builds on Manchester City of Literature’s strong relationship with Barcelona City of Literature which has seen a number of artistic exchanges. The partnership between the two UNESCO Cities of Literature has seen Manchester novelists, poets and performers featured at Barcelona Literary festivals throughout 2025, in celebration of La Mercè. Barcelona poets will be commissioned to help translate the work of the Manchester poets into Catalan, so the works can be understood by local audiences and a number of Catalan poets will be invited to share work about Barcelona in Manchester in 2026.
The project has been commissioned by XTRAX, funded by Manchester City Council and Arts Council England, and is delivered in partnership with Manchester City of Literature and Barcelona City of Literature.
Fire Garden by Walk The Plank
Walk the Plank, one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts specialists, will bring their acclaimed Fire Garden installation to Trinitat Park for La Mercè 2025. Known for creating ambitious public celebrations and immersive outdoor spectacles for over thirty years, the company will transform the park into a glowing landscape of metal, fire and music created by local musicians in Barcelona.
Liz Pugh, Creative Producer for the Fire Garden, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing some Mancunian magic to La Mercè, and particularly excited to see how our installation of kinetic fire sculptures animate Parc de la Trinitat in a new and different way. To be invited to bring UK work to the heart of the Catalan cultural festival is an honour indeed.”
Walk the Plank will be working with students recruited from local colleges, offering the opportunity for young people from Barcelona and elsewhere to work alongside the company’s professional fire technicians.
Liz added: “Investing in the talent of the next generation is important to us, and we seek to provide opportunities for young people to gain experience. The chance to work alongside international artists is valuable for young people: they can gain new skills and expand their ideas of what is possible through culture. We look forward to welcoming some of the Catalan artists, the musicians and the students to Manchester next year too – let’s find a way to repay the warm invitation which the city of Barcelona and MAC festival are offering to us.”
The Manchester Guest City music programme at La Mercè is presented by Manchester Music City, led by Brighter Sound.
Kate Lowes, Director, Brighter Sound (sector lead Manchester Music City) said: “We’re thrilled to announce such an exciting group of artists representing Manchester at La Mercè 2025 – Children of Zeus, Chloe Slater, Clara la San, Porij, Ríoghnach Connolly and Honeyfeet, and Space Afrika – a powerful showcase of the city’s rich and genre-defying music scene. We’re also proud to be supporting a brand-new musical collaboration between Manchester’s Werkha and Catalan artist Queralt Lahoz, which will premiere at the festival. As a member of the Music Cities Network, Manchester is proudly international in its musical outlook. This is a fantastic opportunity to deepen creative exchange between Manchester and Barcelona, and to celebrate our shared love of music on an international stage.”
International SpeakersPanel Discussions and Professional Networking Events
Alongside the outdoor performance programme at La Mercè there will also be a number of panel discussions and networking events exploring the importance of outdoor festivals in giving visibility to cultural communities and bringing people together.
These discussions will include international speakers and policy makers and will be attended by festival organisers, local authorities, artists and producers from across Europe. These events are a prelude to Mondiacult, the world’s biggest cultural policy conference for the member states of UNESCO taking place in Barcelona from 29 September – 1 October 2025.
This programme has been organised by XTRAX, Without Walls, La Mercè, ICEC Catalan Arts and Unlimited, with support from British Council and the British Embassy in Spain.
The Manchester guest city programme at La Mercè is being supported by Arts Council England through a grant to producers XTRAX.
Jen Cleary, Director North West, Arts Council England said: “We’re proud to be supporting Manchester’s Guest City programme at La Mercè in Barcelona this September. Not only will it create opportunities for talented Mancunian artists to showcase their work on an international stage, but it is a shining example of how arts and culture can support greater connections and dialogue between cities and communities across the world. La Mercè is a major event in the European outdoor arts calendar and we can’t wait to see Manchester take pride of place as the Festival’s Guest City.”
Two women have today appeared before Jersey’s Royal Court and been sentenced for attempting to import cocaine into the Island, with a street value of £21,000.
Stephanie Louise Dean, aged 42 from Tipton, was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment, and Jaye Eleanor Henry, aged 28, from Stourbridge, was given a 384-hour community service order.
They arrived in the Island on Wednesday 16 April 2025 having travelled from Portsmouth on the Stena Vinga ferry. When questioned by Jersey Customs and Immigration Officers, the women explained that they were in Jersey for one night, having booked their travel the day before and would be staying at the Savoy Hotel. Dean and Henry stated that they had been driven from Birmingham to Portsmouth to catch the ferry.
During a search of their baggage several swabs were taken which gave positive indications for cocaine with both women admitting to cocaine use the previous weekend. Officers became suspicious that the women were importing drugs internally and they were subsequently arrested. Dean then stated to officers: “I have to come clean; I have got something on me”. She later produced a condom-wrapped package containing 83.74 grams of cocaine with a purity of 84%.
During interview Dean said she was unaware what the package actually contained, thinking it was cannabis, but agreed to import the drugs into Jersey to clear her drugs debt of between £800 and £900, that she owed to a man named “Bubba”.
Henry was found not to be carrying any drugs but stated that the individual who had driven them to Portsmouth had tried to pass her the package which she refused and was given to Dean. She stated that Dean was getting paid £2,000 to import the drugs and that she would receive spending money for travelling with her. Phone messaging indicated that Henry was aware of the package and was to be paid for the importation.
Paul Le Monnier, Senior Manager at Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, said: “Our officers continue to disrupt the importation of controlled drugs at our borders and whilst these two women were clearly not the organisers of the importation, Dean was the courier of the drugs and Henry a willing accomplice with both women being paid for their roles.”
Anyone with information on drug smuggling can report it anonymously via 0800 735 5555.
YOUNG people can learn to become storytellers as part of a fun four-week summer holiday project at Leicester’s Central Library.
The Young Storytellers Club is free to attend and will run on Tuesdays 29 July and 5, 12 and 19 August, from 3-5pm.
Leicester City Council has teamed up with Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling to run the club, which is aimed at young people aged 11-16 and will focus on the ancient art of oral storytelling.
Matthew Vaughan, who works for Leicester Libraries and is secretary of the Guild, said: “From the dawn of time and at the heart of every culture, people have told each other stories. Long before the first word was ever written, stories were passed down by word of mouth.
“What’s more, those stories have travelled far and wide. Everyone has heard of Cinderella. Well, it’s not that surprising when you consider that some scholars estimate there are over 3,000 different versions of that story.
“This summer, we’re offering this pilot project with a view to setting up an ongoing storytelling club in the city. It’s perfect for young people from any background and any confidence level. No writing or reading is required, it’s just a chance to take part in some fun games and exercises that will fire the imagination and get the words flowing.”
Cllr Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for libraries and community centres, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to offer lots of free reading-themed activities throughout the summer.
“More than 6,000 children took part in our summer reading challenge last year, so it’s clear that stories are a big part of the summer holidays for lots of our young people.”
Lots of events and activities are taking place in libraries throughout the summer holidays as a part of Story Garden, the summer reading challenge. To find out more, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/summerreadingchallenge
People in Leeds are being asked to take note of the traffic and travel arrangements that have formed a key part of the planning for a major new sporting event.
The inaugural IRONMAN Leeds triathlon is being held this Sunday, July 27, with around 2,500 athletes set to push themselves to the limit as they tackle a 2.4-mile swim in Roundhay Park’s Waterloo Lake followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a 26-mile run.
A wide-ranging programme of temporary road closures will be in place in and around north Leeds to ensure that the event – which is being organised by the IRONMAN Group with support from Leeds City Council – passes off safely and smoothly.
And, with the final countdown to the big day now under way, residents are being encouraged to take a few minutes to acquaint themselves with the closure timings and locations.
Significant traffic disruption is expected, with the epic nature of the event – and the lengthy race times that come with it – meaning restrictions will be in force for much of Sunday.
The IRONMAN team has been working hard to publicise the plans for the day, with a total of 60,000 information leaflets being distributed to local properties.
More than 100 businesses in affected areas have also received direct e-mails with details about the event that they can share with their staff and customers.
Vehicle crossing locations will be dotted along the cycling and running routes, while full emergency service road access will be maintained throughout. Pedestrians will be able to cross the routes at any point, provided it is safe to do so.
People with enquiries regarding road access – including carers who need to carry out home visits – are asked to contact the IRONMAN team via leeds@ironmanroadaccess.com or 03330 116600.
Enquiries about other IRONMAN-related matters should be e-mailed to leeds@ironman.com.
Leeds is one of only two places in the UK hosting a full IRONMAN challenge in 2025, with previous events in locations such as Bolton and Pembrokeshire generating millions of pounds for their local economies.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:
“IRONMAN Leeds promises to be a fantastic occasion, and one that will further strengthen our city’s reputation as a respected host of high-profile sporting events.
“The exploits of local triathletes such as the Brownlee brothers have given Leeds a real interest in this sport, so hopefully people will be turning out in numbers on Sunday to support the competitors in Roundhay Park and along the rest of the course.
“The road closures that are needed for the safe operation of the event will inevitably cause some disruption and we thank the public in advance for their patience and understanding.
“Please do take the time, if you haven’t already, to familiarise yourself with all the relevant traffic and travel arrangements and how they might affect your plans.”
IRONMAN Leeds will have a staggered start, with the first swimmers venturing into Waterloo Lake from 6am on Sunday.
The event’s second discipline, the bike race, begins and ends in Roundhay Park and will cover three loops of a circular route that runs through or near communities such as Shadwell, Thorner, Bardsey, Wike, Harewood, Eccup, Arthington, Adel and Alwoodley.
Roads that will be affected by the closure programme needed for this part of the day include:
Carr Lane between Shadwell and Thorner (closed 6am to 3.30pm)
Bramham Road and part of Thorner Road, both to the east of Thorner (closed 6am to 3.30pm)
The A61 Harrogate Road between the A659 at Harewood and Wike Lane (closed 7am to 4.30pm)
The A61 Harrogate Road between Wike Lane and Wigton Approach, near the Grammar School at Leeds (closed 7am to 5.30pm)
Alwoodley Lane between its junctions with King Lane and the A61 Harrogate Road (closed eastbound 7.30am to 5.30pm)
IRONMAN Leeds’s third and final discipline, the run, will follow a looped course that takes in the western side of Roundhay Park and a host of residential streets in the wider Roundhay area.
Athletes are expected to start crossing the finishing line – which will be located near the park’s cricket pavilion – from around 2pm.
Spectators heading to this area to cheer the runners home can look forward to a party atmosphere as well as food stalls, music and other attractions.
Roads in Roundhay that will be closed for much of Sunday to facilitate both the run and general event access include North Park Grove, Gledhow Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Old Park Road and the stretch of Street Lane between Devonshire Avenue and Princes Avenue. Park Avenue will be closed near the Lakeside Cafe from 6am on Saturday until 5pm on Monday (July 28).
Tropical World will be open as normal throughout the event.
Lewis Peacock, race director for IRONMAN Leeds, said:
“We can’t wait to welcome thousands of athletes to the home of triathlon as the very first IRONMAN Leeds heads to town.
“It’s set to be an incredible day of racing and a great moment to have a full distance IRONMAN race return to England for the first time since 2023.
“The spectator support in Roundhay Park is expected to be massive, so make sure you head down to soak up the atmosphere!”
Further information about road closures along the cycling and running routes – together with suggested diversions for people wanting to drive to Harewood House on Sunday – can be found here.
Consultation opens on Angus Fire permit application
Angus Fire Limited has applied to the Environment Agency to vary its environmental permit to reduce chemical contamination on its site at High Bentham.
The operator has applied to vary the permit to introduce an effluent treatment plant.
Previously, Angus Fire manufactured and tested firefighting foam. This foam is known to have contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These PFAS chemicals are transferred into rainwater when it falls on to key areas of the site.
Angus Fire has been collecting this rainwater so it can be treated to reduce the PFAS substances.
The application is for an effluent treatment plant to reduce the PFAS in both the collected rainwater and the future rainwater that falls onto the site.
The operator no longer manufacturers firefighting foam at its High Bentham site. The application is for treating rainwater to reduce PFAS chemicals from the site’s previous manufacturing processes.
The Environment Agency is now seeking views from the local community and interested groups on the application.
The consultation will run from Thursday 24 July until Thursday 21 August 2025.
The website explains what the Environment Agency can and can’t take into account when deciding on the application.
Agency ‘welcomes comments from the public’
John Neville, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
Our regulatory controls are in place to protect people and the environment and we will carry out a detailed and robust assessment of Angus Fire’s permit variation application.
We welcome comments from the public and interested groups on local environmental factors that people feel are important.
Once treated at the effluent plant, the rainwater would be discharged to the River Wenning.
The proposed level of PFAS remaining in the treated rainwater discharged into the river would be in line with levels currently accepted as best practice for PFAS treatment processes.
The Environment Agency may only refuse a permit application if it does not meet one or more of the legal requirements under environmental legislation.
If the application shows that the site can operate in a way that meets all current environmental regulations and will provide a high level of protection of the environment and human health, the Environment Agency is legally obliged to issue a permit.
Responses to the consultation can be made electronically. To access the relevant documentation, visit our consultation website
Information on the website explains how you can view the consultation documents and how you can make your comments. We also explain what we can and can’t take into account when deciding on the application.
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposals is urged to read the documentation online before responding directly on the website or by email to pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk
Those unable to make representation via the consultation website or by email should contact the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.
Environmental permits
Environmental permits set out strict legal conditions by which an operator must comply in order to protect people and the environment. Should an environmental permit be issued, the Environment Agency has responsibility for enforcing its conditions.
Our powers include enforcement notices, suspension and revocation of permits, fines and ultimately criminal sanctions, including prosecution.
We may only refuse a permit if it does not meet one or more of the legal requirements under environmental legislation, including if it will have a significant impact on the environment or harm human health. If all the requirements are met, we are legally required to issue a permit.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
PM call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine: 24 July 2025
Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy today.
The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy today.
The President began by thanking the Prime Minister for the UK’s continued support for Ukraine, including the sanctions announced earlier this week targeting Russia’s energy revenues, which play a vital part in stopping Putin’s war machine. They agreed international partners must continue to ramp up the pressure on Russia.
The Prime Minister underlined the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine, and the leaders agreed on the importance of the role of independent anti-corruption institutions at the heart of Ukraine’s democracy.
Both leaders underscored that Putin must come to the negotiation table and agree an unconditional ceasefire to see a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Peak District Ravine Woodlands Restored with 84,000 Trees
Over 84,000 native trees have been planted across the Peak District Dales to combat ash dieback disease.
Credit Mark Newton. LIFE in the Ravines tree planting site.
Precious ravine woodlands across the Peak District are being brought back to life through the largest restoration project of its kind, with 84,000 native trees now planted to replace those lost to ash dieback disease.
The 5 year LIFE in the Ravines project has successfully restored up to 25% of the region’s most severely damaged woodlands. It creates resilient habitats that will protect this rare ecosystem for future generations.
Natural England’s partnership project has focused on the Peak District Dales Special Area of Conservation, where ash dieback has devastated ancient woodlands. Teams have replanted a diverse mix of species, including the foundation species large-leaved lime, small-leaved lime, and wych elm trees that historically thrived in these unique limestone ravines.
Credit Nate Evans. LIFE in the Ravines restoration team on site.
Martin Evans, Woodland Restoration Manager for Natural England said:
“The success of the LIFE in the Ravines project shows what can be achieved when we work with nature rather than against it. By planting 84,000 trees, we’re not just replacing what was lost to ash dieback, we’re creating more diverse and resilient woodlands that will thrive for generations to come.
“These restored ravine woodlands are truly unique habitats, and this project demonstrates Natural England’s commitment to protecting and enhancing our most precious natural environments whilst supporting the government’s environmental priorities.”
The restoration work tackles a critical environmental challenge. Without intervention, entire woodlands would have been lost to the fungal disease that kills ash trees. The project has prevented this ecological disaster whilst creating more diverse, resilient habitats.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has seen remarkable success across their managed sites with 16,000 trees planted in the Wye Valley including Cramside, Cheedale, and Millers Dale. The new plantings form the foundation for naturally expanding woodlands that will colonise surrounding areas over time.
Kyle Winney, Living Landscape Officer for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Although it’s devasting to see the effects of ash dieback, it has provided us an opportunity to restore the ravine woodlands that would have been much more diverse before human impacts. The native trees we’ve planted form the foundation of a more diverse woodland that will be more resilient to future challenges such as weather extremes and disease.”
Seeds collected directly from existing trees within the ravines are being grown by specialist nurseries and community groups. This local approach ensures planted trees can thrive in the challenging conditions of steep, rocky limestone terrain.
The project represents 16% of the UK’s ravine woodland – a European Priority Habitat. As tree planting targets are met, teams are preparing for their final restoration season in autumn 2025, including work in the Via Gellia woodlands.
Credit Mark Newton. LIFE in the Ravines woodland site.
This restoration directly supports the government’s environmental mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower by strengthening natural ecosystems that store carbon and support biodiversity. The project demonstrates how targeted intervention can reverse environmental damage whilst building climate resilience.
Notes to editors:
The £5 million LIFE in the Ravines project is led by Natural England with partners including Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, and Chatsworth Estate.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Speech
Joint Statement on the Invocation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism
UK and 40 other countries invoke the Moscow Mechanism to address ill treatment of prisoners of war by the Russian Federation
Thank you, Chair. I will deliver an abridged version of this statement this afternoon. The full statement will be circulated in writing and I request that it be attached to the Journal of the Day.
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the following participating States: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Today, our delegations will send the following letter to ODIHR Director Maria Telalian, invoking the Moscow Mechanism, with the support of Ukraine, as we continue to have concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, including with regard to ill treatment of Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POW).
Director Telalian,
With Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in its fourth year and as Russia’s illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine has entered its eleventh year, we continue to witness large scale human suffering and alarming reports of violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and of international human rights law (IHRL), many of which may amount to the most serious international crimes.
Against the backdrop of the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, launched by the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022, a number of credible sources, including the Moscow Mechanism expert missions, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, as well as civil society organizations, have reported that the Russian Federation has consistently violated the rights of prisoners of war (POWs) throughout their detention and at multiple detention facilities within the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. There have been credible reports that the extensive and routine torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian POWs throughout their detention constitutes a continued systematic pattern of state policy and practice by the Russian Federation. Torture follows common patterns across different locations, indicating it is a coordinated, deliberate, and systematic practice.
In 2022, 2023 and 2024, 45 OSCE Delegations, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, invoked Paragraph 8 of the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism. The reports of the independent missions of experts, received by OSCE participating States, confirmed our shared concerns about the impact of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war, its violations and abuses of IHRL, and violations of IHL in Ukraine.
We remain particularly alarmed by the findings of the expert missions that some of the violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as the identification of patterns of reported violations of IHL and IHRL regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.
The prohibition against torture in international law is absolute. Parties to an armed conflict are obliged to ensure the rights of POWs as set out in the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. Prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity. No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kin Torture and inhuman treatment of POWs are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and likewise war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
ODIHR’s Ukraine Monitoring Initiative has continued to identify patterns of reported IHL and IHRL violations related to the treatment of Ukrainian POWs including in their Sixth Interim Report of 13 December 2024 and their Seventh Interim Report of 15 July 2025. Interviews with survivors and witnesses attested to a continued practice of systematic torture and other IHL and IHRL violations perpetrated against Ukrainian POWs prompting serious concerns about the Russian Federation’s failure to comply with the fundamental principles that govern the treatment of POWs.
In equal measure, the OHCHR and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) have reported on the systematic and widespread use of torture of Ukrainian POWs by Russian authorities. In its March 2023 report, the HRMMU documented violations of IHRL and IHL in 32 of 48 detention facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, related to torture and other ill-treatment, dire conditions of internment including inadequate quarters, food, hygiene, and medical care, along with restricted communication, forced labor, and a lack of access of independent monitors. . Many were held incommunicado deprived of the possibility to communicate with family or the outside world. Russian authorities subjected Ukrainian POWs to unlawful prosecutions for mere participation in hostilities; using torture to extract confessions; and denying fair trials.
According to witness testimonies, there were numerous incidents whereby POWs died in captivity due to execution, torture, ill-treatment and/or inadequate medical attention as well as inhumane conditions during their captivity.
The OHCHR’s October 2024 Report on the Treatment of Prisoners of War further documented detailed and consistent accounts of torture or ill treatment in Russian Federation custody.
Survivors have described the wide-ranging methods of torture or ill-treatment of Ukrainian POWs including: severe physical beatings; electrocution (including the targeting of genitalia); excessively intense physical exercise; stress positions; dog attacks; mock executions (including simulated hangings); threats of physical violence and death; sexual violence, including rape; threats of rape and castration; threats of coerced sexual acts; and other forms of humiliation.
Since the end of August 2024, OHCHR also has recorded a significant increase in credible allegations of executions of Ukrainian servicepersons captured by Russian armed forces, involving at least 97 individuals.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (UN COI) stated on 23 September 2024 that it has evidence of widespread and systematic torture by Russian authorities against Ukrainian civilians and POWs in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia. They concluded that torture follows common patterns across different locations, indicating it is a coordinated practice. In their March 2025 report, the UN COI again called on the Russian Federation to immediately end the widespread and systematic use of torture and other forms of ill-treatment committed against civilian detainees and prisoners of war
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is investigating the reported execution of 273 Ukrainian POWs, including 208 who were reportedly executed on the battlefield and 59 in the ‘‘Olenivka’’ colony. However, the real number of those executed is likely much higher.
We are deeply concerned about the severity and frequency of these violations and abuses. We are particularly appalled by reported executions of Ukrainian POWs and Ukrainian soldiers rendered hors de combat upon their surrender and by the desecration/mutilation of bodies. We are also deeply concerned with the practice of filming and distributing images of these abhorrent incidents.
Following grave concerns over the ill-treatment of Ukrainian POWs, highlighted, inter alia, by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the OSCE, we call on all parties to the armed conflict ensure that POWs are treated in full compliance with IHL.
We recall that OSCE participating States have committed themselves to respect IHL, including the Third Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 1949, bearing in mind that the willful killing, torture, inhuman treatment, causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health of persons protected under the Geneva Conventions, including prisoners of war, constitutes a war crime. No prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest. Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.
We also recall that the prohibition of torture is a peremptory norm of international law without territorial limitation, which applies at all times and in all places. Measures of reprisal against POWs are prohibited.
We call on the Russia Federation to end the torture and ill-treatment of all detainees and ensure adequate conditions of detention including the provision of basic needs such as food, water, clothing, and medical care. We further call for providing timely and accurate information on detainees’ whereabouts and legal status, and for granting international humanitarian organizations, like the International Committee of the Red Cross, unfettered access to such persons.
Gravely concerned by the continuing impacts of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, and gravely concerned by credible allegations of the torture, ill-treatment and executions of Ukrainian POWs, and soldiers hors de combat, the delegations of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna Mechanism, invoke the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document.
We request that ODIHR inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to build upon previous findings, and:
To establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments; violations and abuses of human rights; and violations of IHL, including possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, related to the treatment of Ukrainian POWs by the Russian Federation ;
To collect, consolidate, and analyse this information including to determine if there is a pattern of widespread and systematic torture, ill-treatment and execution of Ukrainian POWs and soldiers hors de combat and/or at detention facilities by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia and
To offer recommendations on relevant accountability mechanisms.
We also invite ODIHR to provide any relevant information or documentation derived from any new expert mission to other appropriate accountability mechanisms, including the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine or the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.
Pedicab riders and illegal street traders have been given fines, costs and victim surcharges totalling £20,202.50 following the latest round of prosecutions at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday 9th July.
Prosecutions for five unlicensed street traders operating on Westminster Bridge selling peanuts and balloons saw £11,127.50 in convictions handed down Another three cases adjourned.
Given the bridge’s location, Westminster City Council regularly partner with Lambeth Council and the Met Police to provide evidence for prosecutions and conduct enforcement operations on the bridge. Thanks to the joint intelligence, one of the vendors was convicted for the second time in two months for previously selling hotdogs.
A shop on Charing Cross Road was hit with the largest fine of £3,382 had previously received multiple warnings for selling a multitude of souvenir goods on the street, and while the company was dissolved in the lead up to court, the director was still held personally liable and convicted.
Additionally, nine pedicabs operators- several repeat offenders- have been hit with some the biggest individual fines totalling £9075.00 following the latest round of pedicab prosecutions.
The riders were found guilty thanks to the work of City Inspectors from Westminster City Council with fines, costs, and victim surcharges ranging from £750 to £1460 under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Ahead of TfL’s licensing regime which is set to come into effect in early 2026 teams from the central London local Authority continue to patrol hotspot areas educating visitors against the dangers of using pedicabs and work with the Metropolitan Police to prosecute those in breach of current legislation. Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection Cllr Aicha Less said:
This is Westminster, not the Wild West. These fines send a clear message: if you break the rules in our city you will end up out of pocket and out of excuses.”
“Whilst we work with TfL to finalise a structured the licensing scheme is being finalised, our City Inspectors continue to prosecute pedicab drivers and partner with our neighbours in Lambeth and in the Metropolitan Police to ensure unsuspecting tourists are not ripped off.”
While on-site activity paused over the winter break, the iconic Tram Bridge project has continued to move forward at pace behind the scenes.
Off-site construction of the new bridge is well underway, and key design decisions have now been made, including the final colour palette for the bridge and its decking.
The steelwork will feature a bold Black Grey, chosen for its sleek, contemporary look and ability to complement the natural surroundings. This will be paired with a Light Buff Brown Polydeck finish for the bridge decking, offering both durability and a warm, inviting appearance underfoot.
These carefully selected colours reflect the bridge’s modern engineering while nodding to the heritage and landscape of Avenham Park, ensuring the new Tram Bridge will be as visually striking as it is functional.
The replacement of the Bridge, announced in Spring 2024, is being delivered by Preston City Council using part of its £20 million grant awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with an additional £1 million from Lancashire County Council.
The bridge project is being delivered by contractor Eric Wright Civil Engineering and since construction resumed in spring, visible changes can already be seen along the River Ribble, including the completion of the land-based piers, modification of the abutments, and preparation for the second in-river pier. Meanwhile, off-site fabrication of the bridge is progressing in preparation for its scheduled installation and lift in Autumn 2025.
Councillor Valerie Wise, Cabinet Member for Community Wealth Building at Preston City Council said:
“I’m delighted at the progress of this historic project. The newly released imagery and designs are really bringing it to life and, I hope, will generate excitement across the city.
“I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment and dedication to delivering a bridge that can be used and enjoyed for generations to come.
“I encourage everyone to visit the Pavilion Café, take a look at the exhibition, and see the progress for themselves.”
County Councillor Warren Goldsworthy, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, Lancashire County Council, said:
“It’s fantastic to see the Preston Tram Bridge project making such strong progress.
“This isn’t just about rebuilding a bridge – it’s about reconnecting communities, opening up greener travel, and giving people a healthier, more active way to move between South Ribble and Preston.
“I’d like to thank residents for their patience while work continues, your support is helping deliver a lasting improvement for the whole area.”
Antony Mulligan, Contracts Manager at Eric Wright Civil Engineering commented:
“We are delighted to be moving forward with the replacement of the historic Tram Bridge for our clients, Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council.
“The project continues to move at pace with us already completing the first in river pier and the two land abutments. We are currently constructing the second, and final, in river pier which will see us complete the substructure. The steel superstructure of the bridge is currently being fabricated off site ready to be installed later this year.”
Public Exhibition and New CGIs
With key design elements now confirmed, a refreshed public exhibition is currently on display at the Pavilion Café in Avenham Park. The exhibition features brand-new CGI visuals, developed by local architect John Bridge, showcasing the updated colour scheme and key structural features of the bridge.
Visitors can also explore early proposals and design concepts for additional elements including seating, art sculptures, and the proposed ‘goalpost’ barrier, which offers a visual nod to the original bridge’s timber trestles.
About Eric Wright Civil Engineering
Eric Wright Civil Engineering have been delivering exceptional infrastructure for over 25 years. Bringing expertise, precisions and innovations to a wide range of projects from cutting-edge nuclear, chemical, and aerospace facilities to bridges, transport infrastructure, and environmental enhancements.
Part of the Eric Wright Group a long-established property and construction business comprising eight specialist divisions (Construction, Civil Engineering, Water, Partnerships, Facilities Management, Maple Grove Developments and Investments, Applethwaite Homes, and Wrightcare). Working closely together across the divisions ensures a collaborative and seamless approach for public and private sector partners.
Founded in 1923, as Brown and Jackson in Fleetwood, Lancashire, the company became Eric Wright Construction in 1979 after Mr. Wright purchased it and later became the Eric Wright Group.
Owned by the Eric Wright Charitable Trust, all profits are reinvested in the Group’s growth or directed towards charitable activities, operating as a social enterprise that continuously gives back while striving for a more sustainable future.
Professor Shahina Pardhan and Wes Streeting MP at the Muslim News Awards
A vision-loss expert at Anglia Ruskin University has won a prestigious award for her contribution to healthcare in the UK and globally.
Professor Shahina Pardhan, Director of the Vision and Eye Research Institute (VERI) at ARU, received the prestigious Ibn Sina award for Excellence in Health at the Muslim News Awards.
The award was presented by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, in recognition of Professor Pardhan’s groundbreaking work in eyecare and her dedication to reducing blindness in high-risk and underserved communities.
Professor Pardhan is the UK’s first female professor of optometry and a globally respected researcher. She has authored 255 peer-reviewed papers and led numerous international projects focusing on improving eye health outcomes.
Her initiatives, which promote eye care literacy and increasing the uptake of vision screening in different languages, are estimated to have helped more than 163,000 people at high risk of blindness.
The Muslim News Awards for Excellence celebrate the achievements of individuals who have made significant contributions to British society.
In her acceptance speech, Professor Pardhan said: “To be recognised in connection with Ibn Sina, the founder of early modern medicine, is both an honour and humbling. The award is a reminder of the novel purpose that binds us all in healthcare – to heal, to serve, and to reach those in greatest need.
“I stand here today committing the rest of my professional life to advancing eye health for those most at risk of blindness, especially in vulnerable communities where simple interventions can change a life or save one.”
Historic Telegraph Tower Officially Opens as Visitor Attraction in Alderney
The much-anticipated opening of Telegraph Tower took place yesterday, 23 July, in Alderney, marking a significant moment in the island’s cultural and historical preservation. The opening ceremony was led by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, Lieutenant General Sir Richard Cripwell KBE CB CBE, who formally inaugurated the restored landmark in the presence of over 70 attendees.
Originally part of a network of Channel Island communication towers in the early 19th century, Telegraph Tower has undergone careful restoration and now stands as a beacon of Alderney’s rich heritage. Guests at the opening were the first to enter the tower and explore its history and importance in maritime and military communication.
The Tower is now open daily from 10am to 4pm, with free admission for all visitors. It offers a unique opportunity to discover one of Alderney’s most iconic sites and learn about its historical significance through newly installed displays and exhibits.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the public to Telegraph Tower,”said Caroline Gauvain of Visit Alderney.“Its opening is not only a celebration of our past but also a great addition to Alderney’s growing appeal as a destination for heritage tourism.”
Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the free entry and, on a clear day, enjoy one of the best panoramic views of the island from the top floor of the tower.
Two foster carers from Sunderland have become Members of Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of more than two decades of life-changing service to local children and young people.
Jayne and Graham Carlisle, who have opened their home and hearts to more than 70 children over the past 20+ years, received the honour during a special ceremony conducted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Ms Lucy Winskell, OBE. The ceremony took place at Sunderland City Hall on Wednesday 23 July, with their children David and Holly, friends, family and the team from Together for Children fostering in attendance.
Since 2003, the couple has offered a supportive home to children of diverse backgrounds for various durations, ranging from emergencies and holidays to short-term care arrangements and permanent care, even helping young people transition to independent living.
“We are honoured and humbled to receive this MBE on behalf of all foster carers,” said Jayne and Graham Carlisle. “We are deeply grateful to Together for Children Sunderland, health professionals, schools, our family, and fellow foster carers – their unwavering support over 22 years has meant everything to us.
“Fostering has been a life-changing and truly rewarding journey. We have shared countless special moments; from listening to a child sing at a school concert, watching them open presents during the holidays, and celebrating their achievements at school. Each experience reminds us of the privilege it is to be part of their lives.
“This award really belongs to all the children and young people who have touched our hearts, to our family, and to the dedicated carers who also walk this path alongside us. Thank you for making this possible and for your shared commitment to changing lives.”
Commenting on the award, the Lord-Lieutenant said: “I am absolutely delighted, on behalf of His Majesty the King, to present Jayne and Graham with their MBE medals in recognition of their services to foster care.
Their unwavering commitment to providing a safe, nurturing, and loving environment for so many children is truly inspiring. Jayne and Graham embody the very best of our community spirit here in Tyne and Wear, and it is a privilege to honour their service and dedication in this way.”
As His Majesty’s representative in Tyne and Wear, the Lord-Lieutenant plays a key role in recognising outstanding service and achievements within the community. One of the most rewarding duties is presenting honours and awards on behalf of the King, celebrating individuals like Jayne and Graham who make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
The title of MBE is awarded for achievement or service in and to the community, which is outstanding in its field and has delivered sustained and real impact which stands out as an example to others.
The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Ehthesham Haque said: “Jayne and Graham have given over 20 years to supporting children and young people in Sunderland during the most formative years of their lives. Seeing them receive their MBE was an honour – and testament to the difference foster carers can make. Spending time with them, their extended team, and hearing about the supportive fostering community around Sunderland was genuinely heartwarming and inspiring. Jayne and Graham’s story is a powerful reminder of the real, lasting difference foster carers can make in the lives of children and young people.”
Foster with North East, established in September 2023, represents the first regional fostering recruitment and support hub of its kind in England. The hub was created to address the national shortage of foster carers. It encompasses all 12 local authorities across the North East and is led by Together for Children, the Children’s Services partner of Sunderland City Council.
Foster with North East welcomes enquiries from individuals, couples, and families from all backgrounds who are interested in providing a safe and nurturing home environment for babies, children, and young people. The service accommodates a wide range of fostering options – including weekend, holiday, short-term, and long-term care – and offers comprehensive guidance to help prospective carers understand how fostering with a local council can complement their lives. The application and approval process is streamlined and can be completed within four months, ensuring that those committed to making a positive impact in the community can do so efficiently and with the support of their local fostering community.
For further information about fostering opportunities, please call 0800 917 7771 or visit www.fosterwithnortheast.org.uk.
Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet has backed a plan which seeks to address the current health challenges in the city.
Four years on from its launch, Cabinet Members have endorsed Sunderland Health and Wellbeing Board’s refreshed Healthy City Plan 2020-2035.
The updated plan, which is the statutory Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Sunderland, recognises the role everyone can play in strengthening the building blocks of health, as well as showcasing a number of achievements since it was approved in 2021.
The “building blocks of health” are the essential conditions that shape our ability to live healthy lives.
These include factors such as our income, education, employment, housing, social connections, the food we eat and the physical environment.
The plan sets out how strengthening these building blocks through coordinated action will help address disparities where they exist across the city and improve health. This means thinking about health in everything we do – from schools and employers, to housing, transport, and community spaces.
Councillor Kelly Chequer, Sunderland City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities, said: “Since the Healthy City Plan was launched in 2021, we’ve made real progress. Smoking rates have fallen. Breastfeeding rates are up. Fewer older people are being admitted to hospital due to falls. And alcohol-related hospital admissions for under-18s have more than halved.
“We’re working better together. Family Hubs are supporting children and families, and Links for Life Sunderland is connecting people in communities with services, activities, and each other, including walking groups, money advice or just someone to talk to.
“But challenges remain. Too many people in Sunderland are still being held back from good health.
“Experiencing poverty, discrimination or having a disability are some of the things that can make accessing the key building blocks of health even harder, shaping how long and how well we live. Together, we must address the key health challenges where they exist across the city.
“We are making improvements, but there’s more to do. We all have a role to play in making Sunderland a healthy, thriving city.
“The people of Sunderland must be at the heart of everything we do, guiding and shaping where we prioritise our efforts.”
The refreshed Healthy City Plan has twelve new priorities, under the themes of Healthy Places, Healthy Communities and Healthy People:
Healthy Places
An accessible and friendly city
A green and healthy city
Healthy homes for all
Leading by example
Healthy Communities
Financial wellbeing
Good work for all
Stronger and connected communities
Neighbourhood support and services
Healthy People
Best start in life
Engagement in education and training
Living well all stages of life
Access to health and social care when we need it
Cllr Chequer added: “We need to support people who face the greatest barriers to good health and wellbeing and tailor our work to meet their needs. The Health and Wellbeing Board is committed to leading and influencing action across the city to improve health and reduce inequalities.”
