Jonathan Freedland on what Keir Starmer said – and didn’t say – to the House of Commons about the Mandelson vetting failure

“I think the whole Mandelson story, in a way, is an example of how much the Trump presidency has sort of wobbled and shaken the Starmer premiership,” Jonathan Freedland tells Helen Pidd. “And may in the end be responsible for the decision which ultimately costs this prime minister his job.”

On Monday, Keir Starmer addressed the Commons on revelations in the Guardian that Peter Mandelson had failed the UK security vetting process before taking up the role as US ambassador – but the foreign office had overturned the decision.

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Christopher Luxon says caucus meeting ‘clearly’ proves he has party support ahead of November national election

The New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, has survived a tense leadership vote six months out from the election as he battles an ongoing slump in opinion polls.

Luxon, who has served as prime minister since November 2023, said he had called for the vote at a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning.

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Hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating company will continue strategy that has led to record profits

Apple has announced longtime company veteran John Ternus as the next CEO of the company, succeeding current CEO Tim Cook, who is set to transition to executive chair of Apple’s board of directors later this year.

Ternus’s term as CEO will begin on 1 September. The hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating the company will stay the course that has led to record profits under Cook’s leadership. Apple’s yearly profit now tops $100bn, and in January it announced record revenue from its iPhones, boosted by renewed demand in China.

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

49eme Festival International du Film Cannes 96

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: A ban on mobile phones in schools in England is to be introduced by the government to ensure that "critical safeguarding legislation" is passed. The government will table an amendment to the children's wellbeing and schools bill in the House of Lords after the bill was held up by peers on opposition benches. It will make existing guidance on mobile phone bans in schools statutory, a move that ministers have resisted until now.

The government had consistently argued that the vast majority of schools had already banned mobile phones, and that there was no need to add a legal requirement. They finally capitulated, however, describing it as "a pragmatic measure" to get the bill through. [...] The bill is regarded by many as the biggest piece of child protection legislation in decades and includes proposals for a compulsory register for children who are not in school, a crackdown on profiteering in children's social care, and a "single unique identifier" to help agencies track a child's welfare.

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