Wes Streeting revealed his proposal to remove "private equity sharks" from social care was excluded from Labour's manifesto due to concerns it appeared "anti-business." He criticized the government's "overcautiousness" and "Downing Street delay" in reforming the sector, suggesting major changes are unlikely before the next general election.
Narendra Modi is set to become the longest-serving Indian head of government on June 10, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru's record. Modi's tenure, starting May 26, 2014, will reach 4,399 days, exceeding Nehru's 4,398 days. The article contrasts their political styles and legacies.
A military expert claims Kiev intensified information operations last week, using media to justify actions and distort the Starobelsk college tragedy where 21 children died and 65 were injured. The expert also noted continued Ukrainian counterattacks but stated the front line remains favorable for Russian forces.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that pumping oil and gas through Ukraine to Central Europe using Slovakia's transport network is in his country's national interests. He plans to raise this topic with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting in Yerevan on May 4. Fico noted he has opposite views from Zelensky on many issues, including the war in Ukraine, the gas transit halt to Slovakia, and the EU's military loan to Kiev.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that pumping oil and gas to Central Europe via Ukraine using Slovakia's transport network is in his country's national interests. He plans to raise this topic with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during a meeting in Yerevan on May 4. Fico emphasized that while he and Zelensky have opposite views on the war, gas transit halt, and EU military loans, Slovakia and Ukraine as neighboring countries should engage in dialogue. He confirmed Slovakia will not participate in further loans to Ukraine and warned that Ukraine's EU accession will be opposed by countries currently supporting it most in the war with Russia.
Cyber-attacks, disinformation and blockading of supplies. This is what living in a war zone can look like nowWe are at war. Four words that sound ludicrously melodramatic on a sunny spring day, when all may not be exactly right with the world – but when you can still shut your eyes to a lot of it just by switching off the news and cracking on with life. No bombs are falling, no bullets flying, no sirens sounding. Though the idea that Britain is already under a form of hybrid attack is commonplace in defence circles, politicians still mostly skirt around it; and it was jolting at first to hear the Labour MP (and former RAF wing commander) Calvin Bailey make the case for conflict being our new reality at a conference hosted by the Good Growth Foundation thinktank last week in London. But then he started to unpack his reasoning for why war is no longer what you think it is.If war can be considered an assault on five fronts – against a country’s political leadership, critical infrastructure, essentials such as food or fuel supplies, civilian population and armed forces – then Britain is arguably now being attacked on the first four without a shot being fired. Think of rampant, Russian-generated political disinformation on social media and attempts to bribe British politicians; of Russian submarine surveillance of the British undersea cables carrying most of our internet traffic, or the four “nationally significant” cyber-attacks recorded every week; of the blockading of food and fuel supplies through the strait of Hormuz. Think, too, of Keir Starmer’s warning in the Sunday Times last week of conflict with Iran coming home to British civilians via “the use of proxies in this country”. He didn’t elaborate, but counter-terrorism police say they are investigating whether a spate of arson attacks on synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses and Iranians living in Britain may have been sponsored by Tehran – a thugs-for-hire tactic familiar from the Russian playbook for sowing division and hate.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistGuardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink? On Thursday 30 April, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss how much of a threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK – and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader. Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue reading...
The Russian Security Council has criticized Lithuania's ongoing military expansion, specifically the formation of a new division, claiming it creates instability near the Kaliningrad border under the guise of NATO defense.
