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Scottish Sun
20 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Labour's plan to recognise Palestine even if Hamas does not release hostages SLAMMED by families of captives
A statement issued by the families' lawyers said the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed in late-September DEAL SHOCK Labour's plan to recognise Palestine even if Hamas does not release hostages SLAMMED by families of captives Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOSTAGE families blasted Labour's plan to recognise Palestine — after being told failure to release loved-ones will not stop the move. At a Foreign Office meeting, the relatives of four British-linked captives were told the UK would press ahead with state recognition even if Hamas terrorists refuse to free any of the 50 it still holds. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up A statement issued by their lawyers Adam Rose and Adam Wagner KC said the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed in late-September. But it added: 'It was made obvious to us at the meeting that, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.' They warned the UK's new position would not help 'and could even hurt' hostages. They said PM Sir Keir Starmer's plan 'appears to be to put pressure on the Israelis only to reach a deal'. It abandons efforts to press both sides, they add. Sir Keir outlined the route to recognising a Palestinian state this week. He was met with outrage by hostage families and concern from Jewish community leaders. Emily Damari, 29, who was held in Gaza and released in January, called it a 'moral failure'. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump vowed to 'get people fed' in Gaza after sending envoy Steve Witkoff to tour a US-backed aid site in Rafah. Hamas agrees to release 10 hostages as terror group issues ceasefire red lines after Trump pressured Israel to end war


The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to close after US funding cut
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced on Friday it will shut down operations after losing federal funding, delivering a blow to America's public media system and the more than 1,500 local stations that have relied on its support for nearly six decades. The closure follows the Republican-controlled House's decision last month to eliminate $1.1bn in CPB funding over two years, part of a $9bn reduction to public media and foreign aid programs. 'Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,' said Patricia Harrison, the corporation's president and chief executive. The 57-year-old corporation distributed more than $500m annually to PBS, NPR and 1,500 local stations nationwide. Despite the federal support, stations mostly rely on viewer donations, corporate sponsorships and local government support for the remainder. Rural communities face the biggest impact, as 245 of the 544 grantee organizations are considered rural and many may close without federal support which could impact educational programming, children's shows and local news coverage. These rural stations also employ nearly 6,000 people, according to the CPB. Public broadcasting has historically served areas underserved by commercial media, providing emergency information during disasters and cultural programming not available elsewhere. Rural communities are already hard hit by a lack of community journalism, as one in three US counties don't have a full-time local journalist, according to a July report from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News. Most CPB staff will be terminated by September's end, with a small transition team remaining through January 2026 to wind down operations. Donald Trump and Republican allies have long argued that taxpayer funding for public media represents unnecessary government spending, while claiming that PBS and NPR programming exhibits anti-conservative bias. The Trump administration has also filed a lawsuit against three CPB board members who refused to leave their positions despite the president's attempts to remove them. The closure ends nearly six decades of federal commitment to public broadcasting. The corporation was established by Congress in 1967 to ensure educational and cultural programming remained accessible to all Americans.


Glasgow Times
38 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report
Mr Trump, in a post on his social media platform, alleged that the figures were manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden, should be fired. He provided no evidence for the charge. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Mr Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' Mr Trump later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' The charge that the data was faked threatens to undercut the political legitimacy of the US government's economic data, which has long been seen as the 'gold standard' of economic measurement globally. Economists and Wall Street investors have long accepted the data as free from political bias. After Mr Trump's initial post, labour secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that Ms McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Ms Chavez-DeRemer said. Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report suggested that the economy has sharply weakened during Mr Trump's tenure, a pattern consistent with a slowdown in economic growth during the first half of the year and an increase in inflation during June that appeared to reflect the price pressures created by the president's tariffs. 'What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger,' Democratic senate leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a Friday speech. Ms McEntarfer was nominated by Mr Biden in 2023 and became the commissioner of the Bureau of Labour Statistics in January 2024. Commissioners typically serve four-year terms but since they are political appointees can be fired. The commissioner is the only political appointee of the agency, which has hundreds of career civil servants. The Senate confirmed Ms McEntarfer to her post 86-8, with now vice president JD Vance among the yea votes. Mr Trump focused much of his ire on the revisions the agency made to previous hiring data. Job gains in May were revised down to just 19,000 from a previously revised 125,000, and for June they were cut to 14,000 from 147,000. In July, only 73,000 positions were added. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1%. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers,' Mr Trump wrote. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' Mr Trump has not always been so suspicious of the monthly jobs report and responded enthusiastically after the initial May figures came out on June 6 when it was initially reported that the economy added 139,000 jobs. 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' Mr Trump posted at the time. That estimate was later revised down to 125,000 jobs, prior to the most-recent revision down to just 19,000. The monthly employment report is one of the most closely-watched pieces of government economic data and can cause sharp swings in financial markets. The disappointing figure sent US market indexes about 1.5% lower Friday.