Posts by Kim browne
How is Starmer’s government doing? Here’s what ‘end-of-term’ report from voters says
One year on, how’s Keir Starmer’s government going? We’ve put together an end-of-term report with the help of pollster YouGov. First, here are the government’s approval ratings – drifting downwards. It didn’t start particularly high. There has never been a honeymoon. But here is the big change. Last year’s Labour voters now disapprove of their…
Read MoreTrump claims Epstein ‘stole’ Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort
Donald Trump has claimed billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “stole” prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre and other young women from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Ms Giuffre became a household name after she sued Prince Andrew for sexual abuse in August 2021 – saying he had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked…
Read MorePowerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake causes tsunami in Russia’s Far East – with warnings issued for Japan, Hawaii and Alaska
A powerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, causing a tsunami. A tsunami of up to four metres (13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka Peninsula, leading to evacuations and damaging buildings, officials said. Tsunami warnings have been issued for Japan, Hawaii and parts of Alaska in the US. The Honolulu Department…
Read MoreStarmer’s plan to recognise Palestinian state labelled ‘appeasement towards jihadist terrorists’ by Netanyahu
Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to recognise Palestine as a state has been attacked as “appeasement towards jihadist terrorists” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end the situation in Gaza, Israel agrees to a ceasefire, commits to…
Read MoreFather and son named as victims in central London stabbing
Two men stabbed to death at a business premises in central London were father and son, say police. Terry McMillan, 58, from Chislehurst, Bromley, was pronounced dead at the scene and Brendan McMillan, 27, died in hospital. Three other men were taken to hospital. The attack happened around 1pm on Monday at a property in…
Read More‘Simmering’ division in town where hotel for asylum seekers is beacon for unrest
In Altrincham near Manchester, two opposing groups have gathered to throw insults at each other across the A56. “Fascists! Racists!” shouts one lot. On the opposing verge, they shout back: “Shame on you!” Then both sides chant: “Whose streets? Our streets!” Cars flash between them, some adding hoots to the noise. It’s 5pm on Sunday…
Read MoreParents of boy who died from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ say they are ‘terrified it will happen to someone else’
The parents of a 12-year-old boy who died from due to a “brain-eating amoeba” say they are “terrified it will happen to someone else”. Jaysen Carr died two weeks after swimming in one of South Carolina’s most popular lakes, when the single-celled organism naegleria fowleri entered his body through his nose. His parents say they…
Read MoreWhat does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
The UK is making a major policy shift to recognise Palestine as a state. Sir Keir Starmer has been under pressure after more than 250 MPs – over a third of the Commons – signed a cross-party letter demanding he take the step. The prime minister had initially resisted calls, saying recognition needs to be…
Read MoreSir Keir Starmer’s significant breakthrough on Gaza won’t please everyone
At the weekend, Downing Street said recognition of Palestine was “a matter of when, not if”. So why now? “We will recognise the state of Palestine in September before the United Nations General Assembly”, Sir Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday, in what looks like another U-turn. Politics latest: PM’s Palestine plan ‘absurd’ Was it pressure…
Read MoreMinister ‘weaponising’ Savile will make Labour MPs queasy – but there’s a bigger risk
Sometimes governments blindly idle into political fights and sometimes they go windmilling in with purpose. The extraordinary row picked by Peter Kyle on Sky News on Tuesday is most definitely the latter of these two. The science secretary’s reference to Jimmy Savile was no slip of the tongue. Ministers seem to believe Reform UK has…
Read MoreEnglish cricket goes into bat with bulk of £520m Hundred windfall
English cricket’s governing body will on Wednesday hail a landmark moment for the sport when it announces that three-quarters of the deals to bring in new investors to The Hundred have been completed. Sky News understands that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to issue a statement confirming that it has received proceeds…
Read MoreLesotho: In the country that Trump claims ‘nobody has ever heard of’, his name evokes fear and panic
A blanket of thick fog covers Lesotho’s capital, Maseru. Winter in the southern African country feels colder than ever. Thousands of garment workers have lost their jobs as the threat of US tariffs brings the textile industry to the edge. Hundreds of thousands have been cut off from critical healthcare after the USAID withdrawal. Unemployed…
Read More