Israel kills at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza overnight
At least two people were killed and others injured on Friday night into Saturday morning in an Israeli bombing which targeted a house in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.
Another five people were killed, and others were wounded, in an Israeli attack on al-Shafi School, in the south east of Gaza City.
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In the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, medical sources reported that seven Palestinians were killed and more than 10 injured after Israeli forces targeted tents sheltering displaced people.
East of Khan Younis, in the town of Bani Suhaila, at least four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike, according to sources from the Nasser Medical Complex.
Seperately, two people were killed in an Israeli attack on a house in al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
It comes as a new report in the Guardian has found that babies in Gaza are facing death due to critical shortages in baby milk.
Dr Ahmad al-Farra, the head of paediatrics at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said his ward only had a week's worth of baby milk left, which he is also forced to use for premature babies as specialised formula has run out.
al-Farra told the Guardian: "I can't begin to describe how bad things are. Right now, we have enough formula for about one week.
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"But we also have infants outside the hospital without any access to milk. It's catastrophic."
Infant formula has almost disappeared in Gaza due to Israel blocking most aid from entering the enclave.
Israel has denied restricting the entry of baby food, including formula.
The Guardian said that at least 66 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza since October 2023, citing local health authorities.
According to a recent report from a UN-backed group of experts, 500,000 people face catastrophic hunger in Gaza, while the rest of the population is experiencing acute food insecurity.
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Why must they insist on this needless humiliation of trans people
Such a change would humiliate trans staff and reveal their trans status to colleagues and other users. It would also likely make other users uncomfortable. Trans staff may have the option of using a gender-neutral toilet, but it seems that not all government buildings have those. And where they are available, they may be a long way across the building. Again, switching to using those may reveal staff's trans status to their colleagues. If this does go to the legal action threatened by Sex Matters, we will see how the Scottish courts decide between the privacy and dignity of trans employees and the insistence by Sex Matters that everyone has to always be treated as the sex on their original birth certificate – effectively an insistence that trans people, as such, do not exist. Of course trans people do exist, and this action by Sex Matters will only serve to make their lives more difficult, without benefiting other users of Scottish Government facilities. Tim Hopkins, Edinburgh. Read more letters We sorely need another McCrone Report on education Zealots who want CCA to cut Israeli links are part of the problem What have they done? We'll all rue the cost of Labour rebels' actions It's not all doom and gloom Reading your front page lead headline today ("Ambulance waiting times rise for critically-ill Scots", The Herald, July 7) I would like to reassure your readers it is not all like this. Three months ago I took a heart attack while using the leisure facilities in a hotel near Glencoe. The hotel staff, the two ambulance crews that appeared – the first in 10 minutes – and the receiving crew at Raigmore were a combined chain of life-saving training and professionalism. Four and a half hours after my incident I was wheeled out of the coronary care unit 80 miles away with two stents fitted. Spirited driving up the A82 and use of modern tech sending my ECG readings direct to the consultant's phone allowed me to bypass the hospital front end and be taken straight for an angiogram. This was not chance. This was thought-through procedures of cardiac professionals working in concert with ambulance crews. I will be forever grateful to the paramedic who worked with me over that two-hour journey keeping me engaged and conscious. John Collins, Port Appin, Argyll. Elle Duffy: Fidelma MKII? Last week and this, the erstwhile sharp and witty Fidelma Cook's columns came to mind when I was reading The Herald Magazine. Why? Because Fidelma uniquely and intimately invited her readers into her life. We felt we were there with her in La France Profonde. Latterly, we journeyed with her through her last months of life, which was an intensely moving and courageous journey. With large glass of the ruby red stuff in hand, Fidelma incisively held forth in her unmistakeable voice on the felicities and infelicities of life. Irreplaceable – that's what she was. We missed her terribly when she left us. I suspect, however, that The Herald has finally found a new and distinctive voice – a very different voice from Fidelma's cutting edge. This is a much gentler voice, a warm and very genuine voice which, week by week, is drawing us ever closer into the writer's life and experiences. I refer to Elle Duffy's down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is columns from the Isle of Rum which have become a 'must read' every weekend. We are constantly drawn into the exigencies and joys of life on Rum, and we can only admire the very practical and philosophical way that Elle and Coinneach have adjusted to their massively-changed lifestyles. They've done what most of us only ever dream of doing. And now we learn that there is a third tiny life interwoven in this unfolding story ("There's no maternity ward on the island...", Herald Magazine, July 5). Congratulations, Elle and Coinneach. A whole new set of challenges to face. We, your readers, look forward to the journey – yet another bumpy challenge on Rum. Thank you for taking us on the ride. Katie Allstaff, Aberfeldy. Columnist Elle Duffy writes in The Herald Magazine about her life on the Isle of Rum (Image: Newsquest) What a racket Why does the BBC employ Martina Navratilova as a commentator? Every year we have to suffer her incoherent ramblings bearing little or no constructive commentary. For such an important occasion as Wimbledon the BBC should have pulled out all the stops and employed its best tennis commentators. Neil Stewart, Balfron. Once is enough Why do players get two serves in tennis? Surely one is enough to get the game started? Alistair Johnston, Hamilton. Brighter outlook Your Shakespearean scholar correspondent Derrick McClure (Letters, July 5) might have brought a glimmer of hope to the general doom and gloom by quoting the whole of the first line of Richard III: " Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious by this sun of York." David Miller, Milngavie. Off the menu Cameron Munro (Letter, July 7) reminds us that not getting a menu in a restaurant is far from being a new thing. I remember being in a restaurant in Paris several years ago. After being shown to my seat I seemed to be waiting an inordinate amount of time to be shown the bill of fayre. When I asked, very politely I may add, if I could see it, the maitre d' replied in the most curt of fashions: "Did sir come here to eat or did he come here to read?" I don't know what it was I had but, to be fair, I do remember it was rather tasty. Gordon Fisher, Stewarton.
ITV News
5 hours ago
- ITV News
Ministers fail to rule out scrapping school plans for Send pupils despite campaigners' concerns
MPs have voiced alarm at the prospect of ending educational plans for children with special educational needs, as Political Reporter Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe explains Ministers have not ruled out scrapping education plans for children with special educational needs, sparking further worry among campaigners, parents and MPs. Education Minister Stephen Morgan attempted to quell concerns by saying the government will work to "build confidence with parents to make sure they trust the system and children get the right support in the right place." However, he could not guarantee that education, health and care plans (EHCPs) - which are currently issued to give children specialist classroom support - would remain in place. It comes after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson failed to rule out scrapping EHCPs over the weekend. In a letter shared with the Guardian newspaper, campaigners say that without EHCPs in mainstream schools, 'many thousands of children risk being denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether'. The education minister sidestepped the question when asked on Monday if the support plans will be abandoned. He told ITV News: "We're working really hard listening to experts, to MPs, and others to get this system right for the future. "It's really clear from the conversations I have when I visit schools and nurseries that early identification and intervention on Send makes a big difference." When pressed again on the EHCP rumours, he replied: "I'm not going to get into the metrics today, obviously a review is underway. We'll be publishing a white paper later this year." He added that the government has put £1 billion extra into Send support, as well as additional support for places in mainstream settings, as the government announced its new Early Years Strategy on Monday. An EHCP is a legally binding document that must be followed by local authorities and schools, which outlines the required support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. A spokesperson for the Save Our Children's Rights campaign, who contributed to the letter, called on the government for transparency around the EHCP plans and said the rumours of them being scrapped are "really worrying". Catriona Moore pointed to the government's plans to have more children with special educational needs attending mainstream schools. "The only way that's going to work is if they have very clearly defined support and obviously the resources to make that happen," Ms Moore told ITV News. "The fact that ministers have allowed rumours and speculation to dominate this conversation is really upsetting for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities who already have to fight so hard to get what their children need." From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below... On Sunday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson would also not be drawn on whether the plans will be retained. 'What I can say very clearly is that we will strengthen and put in place better support for children,' she told the BBC. Requests for Send support have risen year-on-year. In total, there were 638,745 EHCPs in place in January 2025 - up 10.8% on the same point last year. The number of new plans which started during 2024 also grew by 15.8% on the previous year, to 97,747. Requests for children to be assessed for EHCPs rose by 11.8% to 154,489 in 2024. The concerns come amid mounting pressure and another potential rebellion from backbenchers - following the staunch opposition from Labour MPs against the welfare reforms - to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which critics argue is one of the main drivers for keeping children in poverty. Director of Policy at Child Poverty Action Group, Sara Ogilvie, told ITV News that the government must consider the impact these plans could have on families already struggling to make ends meet. "There is a huge intersection between families who have got someone living in the household with a disability, families where there's a child with a special educational needs, and families in poverty," she said. "The government needs to think about all these issues in the round. If there's an approach that sees these as competing priorities rather than all things working towards the same ambition to give every child the best start in life, then it's not going to make kind of progress it wants." Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: 'The Send system urgently needs fixing, but ministers mustn't use that as an excuse to balance the books on the backs of disabled children. 'The government is ignoring the concerns of special needs families and campaigners, and is in serious danger of sleepwalking into another crisis – just like they did with the welfare Bill. 'Bridget Phillipson must listen to those concerns and come up with a proper solution that protects the most vulnerable in our communities, rather than throwing their support out the window.'
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year
Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge is spread on farmland across the UK every year despite containing forever chemicals, microplastics and toxic waste, and experts say the outdated current regulations are not fit for purpose. An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed has identified England's sludge-spreading hotspots and shown where the practice could be damaging rivers. Sludge – the solid matter left over after sewage treatment – is laden with Pfas 'forever chemicals', flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and toxic waste from homes and industry. Water companies rebrand it as biosolids and give or sell it to farmers as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. It is spread over vast areas under light-touch regulation and minimal scrutiny, unmonitored for toxic substances. 'On the outside it appears to be 'black gold' – containing nitrogen and phosphates valuable for soil,' a water industry expert said. 'But hidden within it are microplastics, Pfas forever chemicals, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals.' About 87% of the UK's 3.6m tonnes of sewage sludge is applied to farmland. An Environment Agency (EA) officer, speaking anonymously, said: 'People have seen the sewage in rivers … they need to know about the sludge, where it goes and what's in it.' The water industry's own chemicals investigation programme found hormone-damaging nonylphenols and phthalates, the banned carcinogen PFOS, antibiotics, antimicrobials and anti-corrosion chemicals in every sample tested from 11 treatment works. Scientists from Cardiff and Manchester universities estimate that 31,000 to 42,000 tonnes of microplastics are spread on European farmland annually via sludge, with the UK possibly facing the worst contamination. Rules set in 1989 require testing only for a few heavy metals, and EA insiders say they are 'not fit for purpose'. The investigation identified about 34,000 registered sites in England where sludge is stored, usually before being spread at the same site or on a field nearby, although it can sometimes be transported long distances. Of these, about 33,000 sites are defined as being agricultural land. In 2023 alone, more than 768,000 tonnes of dry solids were spread across 152,000 hectares. Figures from the past decade consistently fall between 715,000 and 800,000 tonnes. Some counties are more affected than others: Hampshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and Essex have the highest number of sites, with 6,371 between them. Sludge-spreading is governed by waste exemptions, allowing companies to store or apply waste on land without an environmental permit, provided certain conditions are met such as avoiding significant risk to water, soil, air or wildlife. But enforcement is weak. 'No one checks. No one cares,' said one EA insider. An EA officer explained that sludge toxicity depends on local sources: 'Anywhere with an industrial estate will likely produce more contaminated sludge than a rural area.' Industrial waste, such as landfill leachate, is often tankered into sewage works, mixed with domestic waste, and the resulting sludge is spread under the same rules as any biosolid. Contaminated fields become silent sources of pollution. Even uncontaminated sludge can be a problem if mismanaged. When too many nutrients reach rivers, they fuel algal blooms that block sunlight and starve aquatic life of oxygen – a process called eutrophication. The investigation found that one in 20 sludge storage sites in England are within 100 metres of a river, and 1,277 sites are within 500 metres of waters already classed as eutrophic by the EA. The investigation found that 73% of all sludge sites – 23,844 – are within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs), where strict rules apply due to pollution risks. In England, no rivers meet chemical standards and just 14% meet ecological ones. Sludge-spreading occurs in Wales and Scotland, too. Almost a quarter of sludge storage sites in Scottish locations that could be identified are within NVZs. A study from the James Hutton Institute found microplastic levels rose by 1,450% after four years of sludge-spreading in North Lanarkshire and remained elevated 22 years later. In Northern Ireland, most sludge is incinerated. Richard Benwell, Wildlife and Countryside Link's chief executive, said: 'Though sludge could be a beneficial fertiliser, it is mixed with the dregs of chemical pollutants. Damaging Pfas, BPA and glyphosate are prevalent in sludge. Regulation must be strengthened to protect public health and the environment.' Prof Rupert Hough, of the James Hutton Institute, said: 'At the moment, sludge will only be checked for metals and the receiving environment is checked for metals but I don't think it gets checked rigorously. 'We all put chemicals down the drain, take medicines – these end up in the sludge and on land, and can enter the food chain.' He said the alternative options – landfilling and incineration – had capacity limits and high costs. 'The cost of removing chemicals from sludge is also prohibitively expensive … the industry has few options,' he said. A water industry source said: 'Colleagues in the industry are not out to commit evil in their public service of water management. They're just constrained by a lack of research and development.' A spokesperson for Water UK said water companies were backing research and trialling new uses for bioresources, including as aviation fuel. 'The UK has banned some products with microplastics – we need the same for Pfas, plus a national cleanup plan funded by polluting manufacturers. Contaminants cross borders, which is why we're calling for coordinated action across Europe.' Shubhi Sharma, of the charity Chem Trust, said the government used lack of funding as an excuse for 'failing to prevent our farmlands from being poisoned'. She called for tighter chemical restrictions and a 'polluter pays' model. 'France has already introduced taxes for Pfas polluters. The UK should follow,' she said. The EA said sludge must not harm soil or water, and that it enforced strict rules, including through more than 4,500 farm inspections last year, resulting in more than 6,000 pollution-reducing actions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it wanted safe, sustainable sludge use and it has launched an independent water commission to review the regulatory framework in collaboration with the EA, farmers and water companies.
