
Report says lack of provision is harmful to health and damaging for high streets The number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in a decade, harming public health and creating vast swathes of lavatory “deserts” and unpleasant environments, a report says. The analysis by the Royal Society for Public Health found a “significant shortfall” in provision, with 15,481 people for each public toilet in England. That contrasts sharply with Scotland, where there are 8,500 people for each toilet

Vulnerable children placed in caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, with children’s commissioner saying practice must stop Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a shocking new report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years. Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs

Social workers in England say they often have no choice but to place children in unregistered settings because no one else will take them The sinking feeling is familiar now, says Anna*. It’s Friday, the clock is ticking, and there is a vulnerable child in her care for whom – despite hitting the phones for days – she cannot find a place. Once the foster carers have been exhausted, and the registered private children’s homes begged, there is nothing for it but to look elsewhere. “It always seems
8 children killed, 2 women wounded in Louisiana shooting

Iran’s top negotiator says both sides remain far apart after Tehran again closed strait of Hormuz after US said it would not end its blockade Full report: Iran closes strait of Hormuz again ‘until US lifts blockade’ Welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Saturday that the recent talks with the US had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the strait of Hormuz. “We have had progress but there is still a

Guardian - World · Oct 8
Blaze struck a ‘water village’ that is home to some of Malaysia’s poorest residents A huge fire destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, many of them built on stilts over water, and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Sunday, authorities said. The blaze broke out early on Sunday morning in a “water village” in Sandakan district in Sabah’s northeast, where some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities, live in closel

Guardian - World · Oct 8
FC Basel and Polish stadium stop US rapper’s upcoming shows, after similar cancellations in France and UK over antisemitic comments Kanye West’s upcoming concerts in Poland and Switzerland have been cancelled, as a growing number of European countries have stopped or postponed the US rapper’s performances amid a furore over his past antisemitic comments. Swiss football club FC Basel, which is responsible for concerts and events that take place at its St Jakob-Park ground, told Reuters on Saturda
NBC News · Oct 8
Trump says U.S. seized Iranian ship amid rising tensions

NBC News · Oct 8
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Two embassy staffers, as well as two Mexican law enforcement officials, died in an accident during an operation in the state of Chihuahua, officials said Sunday.