Wednesday briefing: Why was the UK so poorly prepared for extreme flooding?

27/11/2024 06:42 The Guardian

In today’s newsletter: Our environment reporter on what went wrong following Storm Bert and whether widespread flooding might make the government to face up to the country’s leaky defences• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Storm Bert brought heavy rain, gale-force winds and snow across the country last weekend, overwhelming flood defences already described as being in disrepair. Parts of south Wales and south-west England, where a month of rain pummelled sodden towns and villages, fared particularly badly.Middle East | A highly anticipated ceasefire aimed at ending the 14-month-old war between Israel and Hezbollah officially came into effect early on Wednesday morning, hours after Joe Biden hailed the “historic” agreement. The ceasefire officially began at 4am in Lebanon after the heaviest day of raids on Beirut by Israel including a series of strikes in the city centre.Health | Plans to end the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care are failing, leaving patients unable to get treatment, according to a warning from the National Audit Office. A pledge to provide an extra 1.5m treatments in England this year is in disarray amid falls in both the number of dentists doing NHS work and people receiving help from them.Russia | Russia said it was expelling a British diplomat for alleged spying as tensions between London and Moscow rose after Ukraine starting using British weapons to strike deeper into Russia. The Kremlin has also banned cabinet ministers including Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves from entering the country under sanctions announced by Moscow’s foreign affairs ministry.World | Keir Starmer’s national security adviser is to travel to Washington as the UK government tries to persuade Donald Trump not to rip up the Chagos Islands agreement.Business | The owner of Vauxhall has plans to close its van factory at Luton, in a decision that will put 1,100 jobs at risk of cuts or moving location. Stellantis will shift van production to another factory at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, blaming the UK’s economic conditions and the government’s zero-emission vehicle mandate. Continue reading...

Continua a leggere su "The Guardian"
Altre notizie da "The Guardian"
BREAKING NEWS
10/04 14:41 - Middle East crisis live: Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ US as he heads to Pakistan for talks 10/04 14:33 - Starmer implies he didn’t tell Trump he was ‘fed up’ about his impact on rising UK energy bills – UK politics live 10/04 14:15 - Hungary election campaigns enter final stretch as Orbán fights to remain in power – Europe live 10/04 13:53 - Vance Faces Test of His Negotiating Skills With Iran Talks 10/04 13:49 - Epstein survivors criticise Melania Trump after surprise statement – US politics live 10/04 13:39 - Iran War Drives Deeper Oil Shock Than Prices Reveal 10/04 13:24 - Dutch police urge victims of 'international sextortion campaign' to come forward 10/04 13:19 - Russia suffers ‘record’ soldier casualties as Ukraine ups drone production 10/04 13:19 - Russia suffers ‘record’ soldier casualties as Ukraine ups drone production 10/04 13:17 - ‘Neither war nor peace’: What Gaza looks like six months into ‘ceasefire’ 10/04 13:17 - ‘Neither war nor peace’: What Gaza looks like six months into ‘ceasefire’ 10/04 13:13 - Under the fog of ceasefire: Competing narratives over the peace talks 10/04 13:11 - EU could cut funding to Russia-friendly candidate state – Politico 10/04 12:51 - ‘For Trump, this is seen as an unmitigated failure, this war’ 10/04 12:51 - ‘For Trump, this is seen as an unmitigated failure, this war’ 10/04 12:50 - Israel desperate to wreck US-Iran ceasefire – professor 10/04 12:37 - US inflation soars in March as war on Iran drives economy into uncertainty 10/04 11:56 - Russia and Ukraine agree to Orthodox Easter truce 10/04 11:44 - ‘Closer to a break than ever’: Can NATO survive if Trump pulls the US out? 10/04 11:44 - ‘Closer to a break than ever’: Can NATO survive if Trump pulls the US out? 10/04 11:35 - Markets Waver Ahead of Cease-Fire Talks and U.S. Inflation Report 10/04 11:20 - The Iran War Has Prompted Some Companies to Raise Prices 10/04 11:06 - Gaza families still unable to bury dead six months into ‘ceasefire’ 10/04 11:06 - Gaza families still unable to bury dead six months into ‘ceasefire’ 10/04 11:00 - Canadian mother held by ICE with daughter, 7, speaks out on families ‘suffering greatly’ in detention 10/04 10:54 - Not just about Gaza: the Muslim voters turning from Labour to the Greens 10/04 10:53 - The Civilization Trump Destroys May Be Our Own 10/04 10:51 - War has given Iran new leverage for nuclear programme, say US former envoys 10/04 10:00 - ‘Illegal’ forest service overhaul risks causing ‘chaos’ across US public lands, union claims 10/04 10:00 - ’He’s mentally unstable’: Iranian American in Congress condemns Trump’s war and pushes for his removal 10/04 09:47 - Is Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth waging a holy war against Iran? 10/04 09:16 - Gladio: NATO’s secret cold war operation in Italy 10/04 09:08 - Confusion over Melania Trump's bizarrely-timed Jeffrey Epstein disavowal 10/04 09:05 - See You in Pyongyang: Russia Pushes Its People to Embrace North Korea 10/04 09:02 - Masked Men in San Francisco Offer Cash for Signatures on Ballot Initiatives 10/04 09:01 - Where Mail Voting Began, Worries Spread Over Trump’s Attacks 10/04 09:00 - China helped broker Iran truce, but it’s wary of deeper involvement 10/04 08:57 - Gulf states significantly weakened by US war on Iran – Jeffrey Sachs 10/04 08:50 - News24 | Republicans block bid to rein in Trump’s war powers, Democrats vow to force a vote 10/04 08:27 - Iran ceasefire: Not an off-ramp for the US but a life-saving ejection seat 10/04 08:27 - Iran ceasefire: Not an off-ramp for the US but a life-saving ejection seat 10/04 08:16 - Cutting fuel to Australia ‘won’t happen’, says Singapore PM, as Albanese secures pledge from our largest petrol source 10/04 08:13 - Russia and Ukraine to hold 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter 10/04 07:55 - Starmer says he is ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s impact on UK energy costs 10/04 07:54 - Russia and Ukraine agree to 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire 10/04 07:54 - Russia and Ukraine agree to 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire 10/04 07:02 - Australian War Memorial updates Ben Roberts-Smith museum display – as it happened 10/04 07:01 - Australian War Memorial amends Ben Roberts-Smith display after former soldier charged with war crimes 10/04 06:50 - News24 | Furious Trump slams former MAGA commentators as ‘nut jobs’ over Iran war criticism 10/04 06:48 - LeBron and Bronny James record first son-to-father assist in NBA history 10/04 06:44 - Gulf states rethink security in light of US-Israel war on Iran 10/04 06:31 - 35 Personal Care Products That’ll Be Extra Handy Now That It’s Warm Out Again 10/04 06:15 - Tyson Fury insists he’s ‘still got it’ ahead of Makhmudov comeback fight 10/04 06:15 - Tyson Fury insists he’s ‘still got it’ ahead of Makhmudov comeback fight 10/04 06:14 - Iran war: What is happening on day 42 of US-Israeli attacks? 10/04 06:14 - Iran war: What is happening on day 42 of US-Israeli attacks? 10/04 06:00 - ‘Irresponsible failure’: Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft slam EU over child sexual abuse law lapse 10/04 06:00 - Welcome to Y’all Street: bullish Dallas aims to steal New York’s financial crown 10/04 05:32 - Putin Announces Orthodox Easter Cease-Fire, but Ukraine Is Skeptical 10/04 05:00 - Take down bird feeders this summer to cut spread of avian disease, says RSPB 10/04 05:00 - Gaza’s Rubble Is the Grave of Its Future 10/04 05:00 - For Putin, Iran Is Something Close to Irreplaceable 10/04 04:51 - Trump posts graphic video of woman’s killing in Florida 10/04 03:00 - Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US 10/04 02:43 - Greens say Australia should step up pressure on Israel over ‘disastrous, illegal, immoral war’ on Lebanon 10/04 02:35 - Middle East war live: Israel says it ‘dismantled’ 4,300 Hezbollah sites since start of war 10/04 02:34 - Middle East crisis live: Iran war ceasefire does not cover Lebanon, Netanyahu says; Hezbollah launches rockets at Israel 10/04 00:59 - Want to help garden birds? Don't feed them in warmer months, says RSPB 10/04 00:20 - Iran’s Battered Leaders Emerge From War Confident — and With New Cards 10/04 00:00 - Iran war live: Vance departs for talks in Pakistan, as Israel bombs Lebanon 10/04 00:00 - Simple guide: How the Iran war is affecting the cost of holidays, food and clothes 10/04 00:00 - Iran war live: Vance departs for talks in Pakistan, as Israel bombs Lebanon 09/04 23:16 - Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says ‘we seek compensation, not war’ 09/04 23:16 - Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says ‘we seek compensation, not war’ 09/04 23:11 - Amid Trump’s Threats, NATO Labors to Survive the Iran War 09/04 23:01 - Ceasefire or no ceasefire, the Middle East's reshuffling is not yet done 09/04 22:57 - 3 Russian Submarines Detected Near Britain Were Spying, U.K. Says 09/04 22:48 - US-Iran ceasefire: Uncertainty over what’s next 09/04 22:48 - US-Iran ceasefire: Uncertainty over what’s next 09/04 22:17 - Melania says her piece about Epstein – doth the lady protest too much? 09/04 22:06 - Who Was Most Weakened by This War? Trump? Iran? 3 Opinion Writers Debate. 09/04 22:02 - Democrats in US slam Pam Bondi for refusing to appear for Epstein hearing 09/04 22:02 - Democrats in US slam Pam Bondi for refusing to appear for Epstein hearing 09/04 21:46 - Zelensky Sees Small Window for Peace 09/04 21:36 - Hospitals in Beirut struggle to deal with casualties after Israeli attacks 09/04 21:36 - Hospitals in Beirut struggle to deal with casualties after Israeli attacks 09/04 21:29 - Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes 09/04 21:16 - Rafah crossing restrictions derail Palestinian student’s academic dreams 09/04 21:16 - Rafah crossing restrictions derail Palestinian student’s academic dreams 09/04 20:41 - Gaza journalists mourn Al Jazeera’s Wishah, killed by Israel 09/04 20:41 - Gaza journalists mourn Al Jazeera’s Wishah, killed by Israel 09/04 20:28 - US agency proposes rolling back rules for safe disposal of toxic coal ash 09/04 20:23 - Vladimir Putin announces Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine 09/04 20:16 - Khamenei says Tehran ‘astonished the world’ during US-Israeli war on Iran 09/04 20:16 - Khamenei says Tehran ‘astonished the world’ during US-Israeli war on Iran 09/04 20:07 - Petrol and diesel prices rise again as concerns grow over ceasefire 09/04 20:02 - High fuel prices spur interest in electric vehicles 09/04 19:40 - "The Liberals Were Right": These MAJOR MAGA Voices Have Had A LOT Of Feelings Over Trump's War With Iran, And Even I'm Surprised By Some Of These Comments 09/04 19:37 - Melania Trump says she did not have relationship with Jeffrey Epstein 09/04 19:22 - Putin announces Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine after Kyiv proposes same