Starmer responds to damning report on NHS
12 Sep 2024
A major report by Lord Darzi, a widely respected surgeon and former health minister, has highlighted serious issues facing the NHS. The rapid review, completed in nine weeks, reveals that the nation's health has worsened, with rising demand for healthcare driven by poor housing, low income, and insecure jobs. Waiting targets for surgery, cancer care, A&E, and mental health services are persistently missed. GP services are overwhelmed, cancer survival rates lag behind other countries, and progress in heart disease treatment has stalled. The budget is inefficiently spent, with too much focused on hospitals and not enough on community care. Workforce challenges include a 5% drop in community nurses and nearly 20% fewer health visitors. The NHS is struggling with outdated equipment, crumbling infrastructure, and disengaged staff. Sir Keir Starmer has responded to the report by saying that the NHS is ‘broken but not beaten’ and announcing a ten-year plan to reform the service drastically. See
Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch have emerged as the frontrunners in the Conservative Party leadership race following the second round of MP voting. Jenrick led with 33 votes, followed by Badenoch with 28. James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat were tied in third with 21 votes, while Mel Stride was eliminated. Badenoch's team celebrated her momentum, noting she gained the most new votes. Jenrick’s camp touted his steady support, positioning him as a strong contender for the final two. Despite their trailing positions, Cleverly and Tugendhat remain hopeful, looking to attract Stride’s moderate supporters. Both will aim to boost their profiles at the upcoming party conference in Birmingham. A poll showed Badenoch with 24% support among Tory members, ahead of Tugendhat (16%), Cleverly (14%), and Jenrick (12%). Two more MP ballots in early October will determine the final two candidates, who will then face an online vote by party members, with results announced on 2 November.
France, Germany, and the UK have introduced new sanctions on Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, which US secretary of state Antony Blinken said will be used against Ukraine. The sanctions include restrictions on Iran Air and travel bans on military officials. UK foreign secretary David Lammy described Iran's actions as ‘a dangerous escalation’. Several individuals and organisations involved in the supply of the missiles face sanctions, and Russian cargo ships transporting these supplies have also been targeted. The Western nations have demanded that Iran halt its missile deliveries, citing security threats to Europe. Blinken and Lammy also flew to Ukraine to ‘hear directly from the leadership’ about their objectives. Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for authorisation to use Western-supplied missiles to strike targets inside Russia - a move the USA has so far resisted. Russia continues to make advances in eastern Ukraine.
Spain: plans to transform La Rambla
12 Sep 2024
It is one of the most iconic boulevards in Europe, but in recent years Barcelona’s La Rambla has been plagued by souvenir shops, pickpockets, and prostitutes. The city plans to transform the street, aiming to reduce the effects of mass tourism and restore the street to local citizens. The ambitious plan, expected to be completed by 2027, includes reducing traffic, adding arts centres, and replacing souvenir shops with authentic local businesses. Planners hope to make La Rambla more attractive to both locals and tourists by offering a more genuine cultural experience. Activists argue that the street has become a tourist monoculture, losing its diversity and charm. The city council wishes to attract tourists with respectful behaviour, not just those with money. Changes include widening the central boulevard, improving street lighting, and adding three new squares.
There have been very few opportunities in the last three years for women to escape from the bleakness of life under Taliban rule, with teenage girls having been barred from formal education. Now a new law has been passed which restricts their freedoms even further. The law enhances the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ministry’s control over Afghan citizens, worsening the already severe limitations on women’s rights. Many women are scared to speak or even leave their homes; activists like Nausheen, who previously protested and was once arrested and beaten, now refrain from public dissent due to the fear of violent retaliation. Some women are rebelling quietly, running secret schools and sharing their resistance through masked online videos. The international community, including the EU, has condemned the new restrictions as ‘systematic and systemic abuses, which may amount to gender persecution’. However, a government spokesman said the values laid out in the law are in line with Islamic traditions.
USA: Harris v Trump presidential debate
12 Sep 2024
Kamala Harris faced Donald Trump in a high-stakes debate ahead of the 2024 election. Harris, making her debate debut against Trump, focused on attacking his leadership, highlighting his shifting positions on abortion and crowd sizes. Trump attempted to play up his immigration policies but struggled under Harris’s sharp retorts. Harris emphasised her vision for change, positioning herself as the candidate to move beyond Trump’s ‘tired playbook’ of grievances. Despite Trump’s attempts to paint her as a continuation of Joe Biden, she stayed on message, especially on economic and climate issues. The debate moderators fact-checked Trump, leading to complaints from him and his supporters about unfair treatment. Harris ended the debate on a high note, made even better when pop star Taylor Swift publicly endorsed her. Though polls show mixed views on who represents ‘change’, Harris’s performance has solidified her status as a strong contender in the extremely tight race for the White House.
Gaza: six UN workers killed
12 Sep 2024
On 11 September the UN agency for refugees (UNRWA) reported that six of its employees had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on al-Jaouni school in central Gaza, which was sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians. Altogether, eighteen were killed in the attack. Israel's military stated that the strike targeted terrorists planning attacks from the school, adding that measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties. The UN condemned the attack as a violation of international humanitarian law. The incident marks the fifth strike on the school in eleven months and the highest death toll among UN staff in the current conflict. Israel defended the airstrike, asserting that Hamas uses civilian buildings for military operations - a claim which Hamas denies. Meanwhile, there is evidence that Israel has been laying tarmac on a crucial border road: see
On Brazil’s independence day, former president Jair Bolsonaro led thousands in a protest in Sao Paulo against the country's ban on the social media platform X. The ban was ordered by supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes after X, owned by Elon Musk, failed to appoint a legal representative in Brazil as required. De Moraes has also had ongoing disputes with Musk over misinformation. The supreme court unanimously upheld the ban, sparking anger from far-right supporters who viewed it as an infringement on free speech. Bolsonaro, a key figure in Brazil’s far-right, called for the protest, describing it as a fight for democracy and free expression. Bolsonaro has a history of clashes with De Moraes, especially after the 2022 elections when he spread misinformation about electoral fraud, leading to protests and a violent assault on government buildings. De Moraes eventually banned Bolsonaro from office until 2030 for his role in spreading false information.