Tag: News Story

STORY

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on targeted changes to the Eurovignette directive, which governs road tolls and user charges for heavy-duty vehicles.

The Council said the agreement clarified parts of the charging regime and formed part of wider transport policy work. The measure still needs formal confirmation by the institutions before it can become law.

The proposal sits within broader EU efforts to manage road transport costs, infrastructure charging and environmental policy. The final rules are expected to affect how member states apply tolls and user charges to certain heavy vehicles.

STORY

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the European Union is determined to help resolve the deadlock over the appointment of a new international peace envoy for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The role became vacant after German diplomat Christian Schmidt resigned in May. Reuters reported that EU countries and the United States have backed different candidates, creating an impasse over the future High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kallas said during a visit to Bosnia that the role remained important for stability and for the country’s EU accession path. She also warned that delays to reforms could put further EU funding at risk.

STORY

The Council of the EU has moved to reinstate an interim measure allowing online service providers voluntarily to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material from their services.

The measure is a derogation from electronic communications data protection rules. The Council said voluntary detection and reporting by providers played a role in identifying offenders, supporting investigations, rescuing victims and reducing the spread of abusive material online.

The proposal is part of continuing EU work on child protection and online safety. It comes while institutions continue to debate longer-term rules on the detection and reporting of online child sexual abuse material.

STORY

The Prime Minister met Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik Al Said of Oman in Downing Street on 2 July, with discussions focused on regional security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister reiterated solidarity with Oman and other regional partners. He also thanked Oman for its mediation efforts, which the Government said had contributed to a deal between the United States and Iran.

The two leaders discussed efforts to give shipping greater reassurance when transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Downing Street said they agreed to continue working closely and to remain in contact.

STORY

The UK and Greece have signed a memorandum of understanding intended to strengthen tourism cooperation, with ministers saying the agreement will support sustainable growth and closer links between the two visitor economies.

The five-year agreement covers institutional cooperation, tourism promotion, sustainability, investment, digitalisation and vocational training. It also includes work on special interest tourism, including film, culture, gastronomy, wine, rural tourism, mountain tourism and hiking.

Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock said the UK and Greece shared strong tourism links and a long history of visitors travelling between the two countries. Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said the agreement established a modern framework for cooperation beyond promotion alone.

STORY

Attorney General Richard Hermer has launched free rule of law lesson plans for schools in England and Wales, produced with Oak National Academy and the Association for Citizenship Teaching.

The Attorney General and Advocate General for Scotland Catherine Smith visited Ark Blake Academy in Croydon on 2 July to mark the launch. The Government said the resources were intended to help pupils understand the legal protections, rights and responsibilities that shape civic life.

Oak National Academy is used by around three-quarters of schools in England. The Attorney General said the lessons would give teachers resources to explain the rule of law, which is identified by the Department for Education as a Fundamental British Value.

STORY

The Government has said almost 19,000 homes in areas served by Anglian Water are closer to being delivered after intervention by the Water Delivery Taskforce to resolve wastewater capacity issues.

Ministers said Anglian Water had previously objected to several large-scale developments because of concerns about wastewater treatment capacity. The taskforce brought together local planning authorities, regulators and the company to agree earlier engagement with developers and a phased approach to infrastructure upgrades.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the taskforce had now helped unblock more than 55,000 homes across different areas. The Government said the approach was intended to support housebuilding while maintaining protection for water supplies and environmental standards.

STORY

The Cabinet Office has appointed Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein as the independent reviewer of the use of non-corporate communications channels in Government, including personal messaging apps and email accounts used for official business.

The Government said the review would look at the human, organisational, legal and technical factors involved when ministers, advisers and officials use non-corporate channels. It will also consider disappearing messages, auto-deletion features, security risks and record-keeping.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones said the review was part of work to maintain public trust in Government decision-making. The Cabinet Office said the review would seek to balance transparency, accountability, operational efficiency and information security.

STORY

Nearly 200 workplaces have signed up as vanguards under the Keep Britain Working programme, which is intended to stop more people leaving employment because of illness, disability or poor workplace support.

The Department for Work and Pensions said more than 250 employers, providers and organisations had worked with Sir Charlie Mayfield’s review into workplace health and disability support. The programme includes plans for a Workplace Health Intelligence Unit to collect more consistent data on sickness absence and return-to-work outcomes.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said employers had shown strong interest in improving support for their workforce. Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said the Government wanted to help people stay in work or return safely, rather than focusing only on signing people off.

STORY

Ofsted has served a Welfare Requirements Notice on Bright Horizons after safeguarding concerns across parts of the nursery group, following inspections, visits and engagement with senior leaders at the provider.

The regulator said it had looked at 172 of the group’s 247 nurseries after serious concerns came to light in September 2025. It said breaches of requirements were identified in 69 settings, with the group required to address welfare and safeguarding failures by 1 August 2026.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said Ofsted would continue to monitor progress closely. He said parents should read the most recent report for their own nursery, while noting that most Bright Horizons settings continued to meet requirements.