‘Straight out of Trumpland’: LGBTQ+ members fight for Pride after Essex library ban 14. June 2026 (14:00) Rochford LGBTQ+ community say Reform council’s ban on flying pride flags or holding events states they’re not welcomeBefore Reform gained control of Essex county council in the May elections, Chris Taylor and members of the Rochford LGBTQ+ community already felt they were witnessing a growing tide of political rhetoric around identity.But they were still shocked when the county’s new leadership moved to ban Pride events in 74 libraries, scaling back events of “any particular groups or themes”, a decision they said was “straight out of Trumpland”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Antidepressants and antipsychotics could serve as alternatives to opioids, study finds 14. June 2026 (14:00) Medications that target depression, anxiety and poor sleep could help treat pain without opioids’ addictive propertiesA range of other medications could serve as alternatives to powerful opioids for pain relief in emergency departments, according to a new study.The review paper examined non-opioid medications available in the emergency department at San Francisco general hospital and examined existing medical literature to figure out which ones might provide pain relief. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wes Streeting plans to increase high-skilled immigration if he becomes PM 14. June 2026 (13:42) Leadership hopeful to also say tax revenues from new North Sea oil and gasfields should be used to cut energy billsWes Streeting’s pitch to be the next Labour leader will include a plan to increase high-skilled immigration to the UK, arguing that Donald Trump is telling scientists and AI experts they are not welcome in the US.In a speech this coming week, the former health secretary will also say that tax revenues from new North Sea oil and gasfields should be used to cut energy bills. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Deadly Philippines earthquake found to have raised seabed by up to 2 metres 14. June 2026 (13:07) ‘Coastal uplift’ exposes coral and kills marine life, as residents say shorelines extended by up to 200 metresA powerful earthquake that killed at least 61 people in the Philippines this week raised the seabed by as much as 2 metres (6.6ft), exposing coral and harming marine life, the country’s environment department has said.At least 40 people are still missing after the 7.8-magnitude quake off southern Mindanao island on Monday, according to updated tolls from the disaster agency. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jamaican beach access campaigners go to court to fight privatisation of coast 14. June 2026 (13:00) Activists are challenging colonial-era law and demanding ‘free, legal, unfettered, forever rights’ to use beachesJamaica’s beach access crisis: ‘We shouldn’t be forced to fight for what is already ours’Campaigners in Jamaica are heading to court next week to try to prevent the government from cutting off access to more of their beaches.They argue that ceding their shorelines to big hotel chains enriches private investors and benefits tourists and outsiders while depriving Jamaicans who depend on the sea for their livelihoods, leisure and health. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jamaica’s beach access crisis: ‘We shouldn’t be forced to fight for what is already ours’ 14. June 2026 (13:00) Activists argue business model is ‘plantation tourism’ designed to benefit elite and disadvantage most JamaicansCampaigners go to court to fight privatisation of Jamaican coastDevon Taylor remembers when the Mammee Bay shoreline in St Ann, Jamaica, was filled with children frolicking in the ocean after school, fishers haggling with locals over the price of their daily catch and craft vendors carving souvenirs under almond trees.“I grew up on Mammee Bay,” Taylor says. He recalls fetching seawater in bottles for his grandmother when she was no longer able to go to the beach, learning to swim in the shallows, and watching generations of fishers cast their nets. “That beach raised us. It fed us.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Farage vows to ban foreign nationals from social housing as byelection looms 14. June 2026 (12:58) Reform leader claims ‘anti-whiteness is institutionalised’ in UK as polls suggest Labour have lead in MakerfieldUK politics live – latest updatesNigel Farage said he would ban foreign nationals from social housing and then deport them if they could not find private sector homes, in a hardening of anti-immigration rhetoric before the Makerfield byelection.Two recent polls in Makerfield have suggested Farage’s Reform UK is continuing to leak potentially crucial support to its far-right rival Restore Britain, which is led by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
