#safeguarding-minister

#safeguarding-minister

The United Nations last month described Afghanistan as a graveyard for human rights that enforces gender apartheid using torture and corporal punishment. Women and girls aged over 11 are excluded from education and banned from most forms of paid employment.

"The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain - it's inevitable," said Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, after the bill's approval.

We are aware of the arrest of an individual under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, but as this is a live police investigation we are unable to comment further.

The U.K. government aims to create a smoke-free generation by gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country and breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage.

Statistics show that between April 2019 and March 2025, 104 children died with temporary accommodation recorded as a contributing factor to their vulnerability, ill-health or death.

This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain. Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm.

Witnessing pugnacious questioning resulted in her breaking down, sobbing and struggling to breathe. The committee chair failed to prevent the tone from escalating.

The Taoiseach stated that it is not acceptable for public representatives to give character references in criminal cases of a sexual nature, highlighting the need to prioritize the victim's experience.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

More than 300,000 children living in the UK could be left "in limbo" if the Home Office proceeds with its shake-up of legal migration rules, a think tank has warned. The Home Secretary outlined proposals in November to end automatic settlement status after five years. This means 1.35 million legal migrants already in the country nearly a quarter of them children, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) would be forced to wait longer for settled status. Under the proposed changes, migrants would apply for settled status after 10 years, though this could be fast-tracked or extended based on their "contributions" to the UK.

After a stream of policy announcements over several months, Shabana Mahmood has unveiled a white paper outlining reforms that will affect every police force across England and Wales and could well abolish most of them. The home secretary's department has described it as the biggest overhaul of policing since the service was founded two centuries ago. The white paper, entitled From Local to National: a New Model for Policing, outlines policies that will include:

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.