‘Total class act’: Marie-France van Heel is poised to be a very different PM’s wife 01. October 2026 (19:56) The former marketing executive is expected to play a big role in promoting the UK and could be the most influential spouse in No 10 in yearsSarah Brown called Gordon her hero, Samantha Cameron insisted David was “incredibly funny”, while Akshata Murty said Rishi was her best friend. When Marie-France van Heel spoke about her husband, Andy Burnham, in a rare public interview a decade ago, she joked that she had noticed his “good looks … and monobrow”.The spousal humanising of a party leader is a well-worn political tool, but van Heel is likely to be a very different prime ministerial partner. The former senior marketing executive is poised to play a more significant role in promoting Britain than any other spouse in the last two decades, stepping up her political engagements after stepping back from her own corporate career. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France school protests escalate into ‘urban violence’ as PM calls crisis cabinet meeting 01. October 2026 (19:52) About 900 demonstrations, blockades and related incidents under way outside high schools around the countryA fast-growing protest by high-school students over long hours, teacher shortages and decaying facilities has escalated into “urban violence”, the French government has warned, as it said many schools would switch to online classes to protect teachers and pupils.The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, called a crisis cabinet meeting on Thursday and told ministers to cancel travel plans to deal with the demonstrations, which erupted in the Paris region last week but have snowballed across the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NAZA film-makers say they spoke to more than 100 sources about Israeli actions in Gaza 01. October 2026 (19:45) Team behind documentary push back against IDF attempt to discredit its exposure of military systemsThe team behind the award-winning film NAZA, which details the Israeli military’s targeting policies in Gaza and its alleged acceptance of high numbers of civilian deaths, have revealed they spoke to more than 100 sources with knowledge of the military systems used in the war.The disclosure came in response to an Israel Defense Forces statement seeking to discredit the documentary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
