By SOPHIE GABLE, US REPORTER

Published: 05:35 BST, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 12:50 BST, 9 August 2026

A woman and five-month-old baby have died after a boat capsized near the State of Liberty in New York City on Saturday night.

Passengers on board a boat in New York Harbor plunged into the water after the ship turned over at around 10.30pm. 

A 27-year-old woman and a five-month-old girl were airlifted to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn in critical condition, police said.

Both the woman and girl were later declared to have died, ABC News reported. 

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It remains unclear if the two victims who died were related and exactly how many passengers were aboard. 

A large search and rescue operation was launched after the incident, as 12 people were rescued with minor injuries and transported to hospital.

Multiple units from the FDNY, Harbor, Scuba and Aviation, responded to the scene. 

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Multiple emergency response units were seen in the water on Saturday night after reports that a boat overturned 

Police sources told multiple outlets that a woman and child were airlifted to the hospital in critical condition and dozens were rescued. The woman and child were later pronounced dead 

Divers with the New York Police Department were also seen in the water rescuing passengers.

Footage from the scene showed multiple emergency vessels in the water flashing lights. 

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Harrowing cries from loved ones of the victims could be heard at the hospital, the New York Post reported.

‘No. Why? Why? No,’ a relative reportedly screamed in horror.

People at the hospital were also reportedly still holding their life jackets.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYPD, FDNY and Coast Guard for more information.  

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Blurry footage captured multiple emergency response crews in the water late on Saturday night 

Emergency responders rushed to Liberty Island on Saturday night after a boat overturned. A woman and child were rushed to a hospital in Brooklyn 

It is unclear what led to the incident and how many people were on board. Police crews were seen rushing to the scene 

Take a look at five farm shops and cafés worth paying a visit to across the region this summer.

Five Houses Farm Shop, Yarm

Five Houses Farm Shop in Yarm. (Image: Provided)

This family-run favourite is loved for its quality local produce and well-stocked butchery counter on the outskirts of Yarm.

Shoppers can pick up fresh meat, fruit, vegetables, baked goods and deli items, with many products sourced from local suppliers.

Complete with a café, this should be a regular stop for anyone wanting to support local while stocking up for summer barbecues and gatherings.

Hutchinson Hobbs Farm Shop, Yarm

Hutchinson Hobbs in Yarm. (Image: GOOGLE)

In the countryside on the outskirts of Yarm, Hutchinson Hobbs blends a traditional farm shop with a modern café.

Enjoy browsing local produce and artisan foods before settling down for breakfast, lunch or coffee. Its rural setting draws visitors looking for a peaceful escape.

Fletchers Farm, Great Ayton

Fletchers Farm in Great Ayton. (Image: Provided)

Fletchers Farm is a top spot for families, set with views across the North York Moors.

The farm shop sits alongside a café, bakery and ice cream parlour, making it popular for a day out for families with children.

Its mix of food, drink and beautiful countryside keeps visitors returning.

Crathorne Farm Dairy

Crathorne Farm Dairy. (Image: Crathorne Farm Diary)

Crathorne Farm Dairy is known for ‘award-winning dairy products’ and offers some of the region’s finest milk, cream and cheese.

The business has become renowned for championing local produce and sustainability while maintaining its family farming roots.

For those wanting to try food produced just a short distance from where it was made, it provides a true farm-to-table experience.

The Farm Shop and Café at Wynyard Hall and Gardens, Wynyard

Wynyard Hall and Gardens. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Set on the Wynyard Hall estate, the Farm Shop and Café champions local foods, gifts and seasonal ingredients.

The café’s menu uses regional produce, and visitors often combine shopping with strolls in the gardens – a perfect summer outing.

With a growing appetite for local food and supporting independent businesses, farm shops have become much more than places to pick up supplies.

Whether you’re searching for fresh produce, a hearty lunch or ingredients for your next barbecue, these destinations offer a chance to discover some of the best food and drink Teesside and North Yorkshire has to offer.

IF you have been to the supermarket recently, you will probably have noticed the word protein everywhere.

There are protein yoghurts, protein cereals, protein bars, protein drinks and even protein chocolate. It seems like every week there is another product promising to help you get more protein into your diet.

Protein is one of the most important nutrients our bodies need. It helps repair muscles, supports our immune system and keeps our bodies working properly. It also becomes even more important as we get older.

As we age, we naturally lose muscle. This is completely normal, but losing too much muscle can make everyday life more difficult. Climbing stairs, carrying shopping or even getting out of a chair can become harder if we do not look after our muscles.

That is why eating enough protein and doing some regular strength training go hand in hand.

Protein also helps your body recover after exercise. Whether you have been walking, gardening, swimming or lifting weights, your muscles need protein to repair themselves and become stronger.

Another reason protein has become so popular is because it helps keep you feeling full. A meal that includes a good source of protein is often much more satisfying than one that is mostly made up of refined carbohydrates. This can help reduce snacking and make it easier to manage your weight.

One question I get asked a lot is whether people need all these new protein products. For most people, the answer is no.

You can get plenty of protein from everyday foods without spending extra money.

Chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, lean beef, milk, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, beans, lentils and chickpeas are all excellent sources of protein.

The aim is to include some protein with each meal rather than eating most of it at the end of the day.

For breakfast, try eggs on wholemeal toast or Greek yoghurt with fruit.

For lunch, choose chicken, tuna or cottage cheese in a sandwich or salad.

For your evening meal, include lean meat, fish or beans alongside plenty of vegetables and some potatoes, rice or pasta.

A good guide for most adults is to aim for around 20 to 30 grams of protein with each main meal. You do not need to count every gram, but having a rough target helps build balanced meals.

With regular movement and strength training, it can help you stay stronger, recover better and continue doing the things you enjoy for many years to come.

Of all the side-effects of weight-loss jabs, this might just be the strangest one yet: Welcome to the rise of ‘Ozempic feet’.

For some, the weight loss of dropping down a dress size also sees them develop painful foot conditions.

Jatender Chaggar, senior foot health practitioner at the Foot-Map clinic, says he’s seen a 4 per cent increase in ‘patients experiencing rapid “foot fat” loss due to GLP-1 weight-loss medications’.

The fat loss on the sole of the foot is like an inflatable being slowly let down, resulting in more pressure on the ball and toes.

Although there is no strong evidence that GLP-1 medications directly cause foot problems, the physical changes associated with major weight loss, including reduction of naturally cushioning fat pads, changes in muscle mass, gait and pressure distribution, may result in stress and pain on certain areas of the foot.

So if you’ve lost weight on the jabs and are struggling in your mules this summer, that might be why.

This loss of padding can also be exacerbated by hormonal shifts in menopause and reduced collagen from ageing. Leading podiatrist and brand founder Margaret Dabbs warns: ‘As we age, the fat pads in our feet can migrate and become thinner and GLP-1s may potentially reduce soft tissue support further. This natural cushioning normally helps absorb impact when walking and supports the foot structure.’

Which is why many of us – particularly when wearing high heels – find it more tiring being on our feet as we get older.

So, what is the best way to ease Mounjaro or Meno Foot without resigning yourself to a life of slippers? Here’s what our experts advise…

1. Get support

Dabbs says, ‘There is not just one cause of heel or metatarsal pain [a burning or tingling on the ball of the foot] and your first point of call should be to book a podiatrist appointment for a full diagnostic assessment (available from £85 at margaretdabbs.co.uk).’

Leading podiatrist and brand founder Margaret Dabbs says the natural cushioning in our feet becomes thinner with ageing, but custom shoe inserts or foot creams can help

Moulded orthotics, custom-made shoe inserts to support the foot and provide shock absorption, are also worth investing in (assessments from £90, prescription orthotics from £400).

2. Fill your feet

‘The plantar fat pads act as shock absorbers,’ says Dr Manav Bawa, Medical Director of Time Clinic. ‘So when that cushioning reduces, patients may experience increased pressure in the heel and forefoot, tenderness on hard surfaces, or a sensation that their feet tire more quickly. 

‘In some cases, it can even unmask or worsen underlying issues such as metatarsalgia [pain on the ball of the foot] or plantar fasciitis [stabbing pain on the bottom of the heel linked to repetitive strain].’

Dermal filler, such as Juvéderm, can replace cushioning. Often known as a ‘Loub Job’ – a phrase inspired by Christian Louboutin heels – filler is placed into the heel and ball of the foot to improve shock absorption (from £400). The results can last 6-12 months with maintenance treatments once or twice a year. 

Filler in the feet must be administered conservatively by an injector with strong anatomical knowledge, says aesthetician Dr Sophie Shotter, ‘Because the tissues are thinner and there are important blood vessels and structures that can be at risk if product is placed incorrectly.’ She adds: ‘It’s also important to understand that addressing volume loss doesn’t change the underlying cause, so maintaining stable weight and wearing supportive footwear is just as important.’

Chaggar, whose clinic is linked to Altimus sportswear in Kensington, recommends trainers such as Asics Metaspeed or Asics Kayano (£180, altimusoutdoor.com).

3. Keep fit

To ease ‘Ozempic feet’, Dabbs recommends foot exercises twice a day. These reduce stiffness, improve circulation, maintain joint flexibility and strength. Try ten reps for each foot, which only takes three to five minutes.

Foot exercises, including using a resistance band, can reduce stiffness and increase strength

• Toe raises/heel raises: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Slowly lift your heels off the ground, balancing on your toes for three seconds, then lower.
• Toe curls: Sit on a chair, place a towel on the floor, and try to scrunch it toward you with your toes. Hold the position for three seconds then relax.
• Ankle circles: Sit or lie down. Lift one foot and slowly rotate the ankle clockwise, then counterclockwise.
• Heel-to-toe walking: Walk in a straight line, placing your heel directly in front of the toes of the other foot each step.
• Resistance band exercises: Loop a resistance band around the ball of your foot. Push your foot away (plantarflexion) or pull it toward you (dorsiflexion).
• Calf stretch/Achilles stretch: Stand facing a wall, one foot behind the other, heel on the ground. Lean forward to stretch the back leg. Hold for five seconds and then alternate.

4. Cream matters

‘Skin on our feet is 15 times thicker than other parts of the body, which is why foot lotion is advised,’ says Dabbs. 

‘Applying with a short massage helps circulation, bringing nutrients to the area and relieving muscle tension.’

Pedicurist Bastien Gonzalez (pedicure £145, mandarinoriental.com) says fat pads can be plumped with massage.

Try Margaret Dabbs Miracle Foot Cream (£24, margaretdabbs.co.uk), The Body Shop Peppermint Invigorating Foot Cream (£12, thebodyshop.com) and Reverence de Bastien Le Baum (£95, niche-beauty.com).

5. Audit your socks

‘When fat pads thin out, the nerves on top of the foot become hypersensitive,’ points out Chaggar.

‘Switch to seamless, moisture-wicking socks to reduce friction and prevent the burning sensations (paresthesia) often triggered by fabric rubbing against the skin.’

Try Bamboo Ankle Socks from Panda Food (£18.71, pandafood.co.uk).

Former Harry Potter child star Jessie Cave has spoken about turning to OnlyFans after her acting career slowed down. 

The 39-year-old played Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films as a teenager and went on to land roles in Call the Midwife and on the West End.

But the mother-of-four has now detailed how work started to slow down last year and she didn’t know where to turn.

In a new interview, Cave said she couldn’t afford to do a new degree and couldn’t get a job in a supermarket, because of childcare costs and fears of customers ‘shouting Harry Potter spells’ at her.

Describing it as a ‘point of complete desperation,’ Cave told The Times she had a ‘breakdown’.

In March 2025, she joined the mostly-explicit content sharing platform OnlyFans, with a viral first post that got her 3,500 subscribers. 

Cave posts fully clothed ‘hair content’, in which she brushes her hair, which falls to her pelvis, while dressed as characters including Lavender Brown.

‘I thought I’d make five grand, be on it for a few months and it would buy me time to work out what we’re going to do,’ she told the publication. ‘But it’s now been over a year and a half and it’s genuinely saved our lives.’

She added: ‘My rule is the hair is the main character. That’s how I justify it. It’s literally about hair: the texture of hair. The fetish. It’s very, very niche.’

Cave said her subscribers pay $6 a month, with additional revenue coming from paid-for messages. She said that in one day, she made £15,000 and that in one year, she’s earned more than during her entire acting career.

Earlier this year, she underwent breast enlargement surgery, which she said her subscribers paid for and something she did in part because her hair ‘can only do so much’.

While Cave does not do explicit content, she said she does routinely get asked to do ‘gross stuff’ on the platform, which she admitted gets to her. 

The actress also told the publication she suspects she will only have a limited time on the platform, given that performing explicit content is a line she will not cross.

However, said that she anticipates more artists will sign up to OnlyFans in the future. Kate Nash and Lily Allen have both previously admitted to turning to the platform to subsidise their music careers.

MORE: Outraged Harry Potter fans force diversion of £430,000,000 energy project

MORE: Lego Harry Potter The Ministry of Magic set includes its own tube stop

MORE: Seagull returns lost £10 note to staff member on Harry Potter train

EXCLUSIVE: The family of Linda Razzell will this week appeal to the High Court to keep a mum’s killer behind bars as he has refused to tell them where her body is located

The daughter of a murder victim will urge the High Court this week not to release the killer from prison until he reveals where her mum’s body has been hidden.

Mum-of-four Linda Razzell, 41, vanished without trace on her way to work in Swindon, in May 2002 and was last seen parking her car. Her estranged husband Glyn Razzell, now 67, was arrested when traces of her blood were found in the car he was using. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum tariff of 16 years.

Now, the eldest of their four children, Cat, 38, will tell a High Court hearing that her father is not safe to be released. She believes Razzell “still clearly poses a risk to the public” and “demonstrates continuing cruelty” to his children by not telling them where he hid their mum’s body.

In a statement on behalf of the family she said: “We still do not know where our mother’s body is. Our father continues to deny he killed her, has done nothing to address his abusive behaviour, and refuses to tell us what he did with her remains.

“We do not believe a convicted murderer should progress through the prison system while denying the offence, showing no remorse, and withholding the only information that could bring our family any measure of peace or closure.”

She adds: “I don’t have a wish for my dad to die in prison. This is about giving us information that we need and it’s about us, as a society, saying ‘this is unacceptable and there will be repercussions’. Because, currently, failing to disclose a body doesn’t carry meaningful or effective consequences.”

Following their mother’s murder, the four children, all under 14, were lovingly raised by close members of Linda’s family.

Linda and Razzell, originally from Somerset, had been in the middle of divorce proceedings when she went missing. She had visited a local bank with a court order to freeze his bank accounts the week before she vanished.

At first he made a public appeal for her return, before being arrested and charged with her murder.He was found guilty after a trial and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 16 years, which expired in 2019.

Razzell applied for parole and was refused three times – including in 2021 when he became the first prisoner to be denied parole under Helen’s Law.

Helen’s Law made it a legal requirement for parole judges to consider non-disclosure by a killer of a body’s remains. It was established after a long campaign by Marie McCourt – mother of missing murder victim Helen, who was killed in 1988.

But on the fourth hearing in January 2026, the Parole Board decided to release him, ruling: “…the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”

However, this decision will now be reviewed by the High Court for a second judicial check, after the Secretary of State for Justice used the new parole referral power, established in December last year. It is a discretionary power that can only be used if it is believed that release would undermine public confidence in the Parole Board. This is the first time a referral has resulted in a High Court hearing.

Cat and other family members will attend the two-day hearing in person to read their Victim Impact Statements. Until now, they have endured their grief in private. But finding themselves in the ‘last chance saloon’ has compelled them to speak out.

Cat said: “Having to do this publicly, just in the hopes of getting some kind of justice is very difficult. But I don’t believe the Parole Board has properly taken into consideration the spirit of Helen’s Law in deciding to grant parole to a man who has done nothing to help his victims grieve the whole time he has been detained?’

“It’s a case of ‘You killed your wife. You took away four children’s mother, you’re not going to say what you did. Here’s 16 years, we’ll keep you in prison for a further five or so, and then you’re free to go.’ That’s not alright, is it?

“There is no evidence that my father is any less dangerous now than on the day he committed that crime. So why is it that he is eligible for parole and he’s been provisionally granted it? That’s something that I think represents a real failure.”

Linda, she said, experienced abuse that was physical, emotional and financial after the couple separated. “When you’re 12 years old, you don’t really understand the fullness of what’s happening in this adult scenario that’s really toxic. But what I could understand is that my dad was hurting my mum.

“Twice, she took my dad to court for assault – but he was acquitted, leaving him free to kill her in the ultimate act of control.”

The family were stunned that the Parole Board recommended release – while acknowledging that Razzell has information about where and how his wife’s remains were disposed of which he has not disclosed, had used significant violence against her on several occasions and could reduce the family’s pain ‘in a moment’ by saying what he did after the murder.

Campaigner Marie McCourt, now 83, is also urging the decision to be reversed. In a statement issued by the family, she said: “I was appalled to learn of the decision and urged ministers to challenge it. My daughter’s killer was released, just before Helen’s Law was adopted, despite hiding her body. It almost destroyed me.

“Human rights laws ruled out No Body No Parole that I had originally fought for. I was advised that a legal requirement to consider non-disclosure was the next best thing – and, once in place, could be tightened. Over six years, I have called for set questions to be asked of killers in hearings and the involvement of an independent forensic psychologist – but to no avail.”

Marie is now calling on Westminster to follow the lead of Northern Ireland which is introducing a ‘stronger’ version of Helen’s Law where hiding a body will result in a longer sentence.

Cat told how they have not been able to grieve properly, explaining: “It is a ritual – both to honour who that person was and for the living to remember the dead. Taking that away takes away a piece of the humanity of the person that died and the ability to grieve for the people that remain. And to do that to your own kids… I just can’t fathom how someone can live with the guilt.

“It might have been really difficult and extremely painful to know what happened at the time but it might have meant less suffering in the long term. Because I couldn’t properly grieve, I couldn’t properly think about what happened for a really long time until I was much older.

“The continuing impact of the decision not to tell us what happened has meant that my family’s suffering has been just extended. So aside from the need to lay somebody to rest, which is just fundamental, there’s also this greater harm that continues to ripple out.”

Prior to the time of abuse which left Linda ‘a frightened, anxious’ person, Cat has fond memories of her ‘amazing’ mum. She said: “I remember her being just an amazing, amazing, mother – thinking always of other people, being generous with her time and money. She was a fantastic cook and really emotionally intelligent.

“She understood what it was like to lose a parent. She lost her own mum when she was eight and, I think, wanted to show us how much she loved us. And that’s abundantly clear in the fact that, we’ve worked hard to make successes of our lives, despite the challenges. I think there’s no greater testament to her.”

The summer window continues to ramp up as the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham work on deals to improve their squads. The Gunners are on the lookout for attacking targets, and could reignite their interest in Julian Alvarez, amid interest in Bradley Barcola and lliman Ndiaye, while Ezri Konsa and Tottenham captain Cristian Romero are of interest in defence.

Maresca’s team will be out soon, so let’s see how it differs from the XI that he used in training. That was: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Reis, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Reijnders, Foden, Savinho, Semenyo, Marmoush

They were working meticulously and it feels like Maresca will want to see what he saw yesterday on the ball. That is a strong team that wouldn’t look out of place starting the Community Shield given the absences City have got.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — On opening day at the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma’s new Harrah’s-branded casino, the tribe’s chairman watched customers pack the gambling floor while a queue of cars spilled out of the parking lot.

“We couldn’t let them in because we were so full,” Chairman Jacob Keyes said. “That’s a direct impact from the Harrah’s name.”

But a vacancy in Washington is preventing the tribe’s partnership with the gambling giant from moving beyond branding. Plans for Harrah’s parent company to take over day-to-day management of the casino in Chandler, Oklahoma, stalled after it opened in April, because no one is at the helm of the federal commission that oversees tribal gambling.

The last chairperson of the National Indian Gaming Commission stepped down from the role in January. President Donald Trump has not nominated anyone to fill the vacancy. Absent a chair, the commission is unable to perform some key responsibilities, like enforcing legal and safety violations, approving new tribal gambling laws and certifying management agreements between tribes and casino operators.

Industry leaders say the agency’s inertia risks delaying business deals, weakening oversight and leaving tribes without a key advocate in Washington as they grapple with an emerging threat posed by online prediction markets.

“At this crucial time, the (National Indian Gaming Commission) is operating with one arm tied behind its back,” said Jonodev Chaudhuri, a former NIGC chair from 2013 to 2019 and a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. “That’s a very precarious position for tribes and Indian gaming.”

There’s a lot at stake for tribes that rely heavily on casino revenue to fund healthcare, housing, education and other vital services. Tribal gambling brought in a record $46 billion in 2025, nearly triple the annual casino revenue of gambling powerhouse Nevada.

The commission’s core powers are vested in its chair

With its Harrah’s contract stuck in limbo, the Iowa Tribe’s small government staff finds itself managing the 175,000-square-foot (16,258 square-meter) casino, a mammoth task it had intended to outsource.

“It’s discouraging. We’re paying a fee and not getting the full value,” Keyes said.

The decision to outsource management was strategic: Harrah’s branding would bring in more business than existing staff could accommodate. Instead, staff has to balance management with other priorities like preparing tribal budgets and overseeing social programs, Keyes said.

The three-member gaming commission was formed in 1988 to regulate casino-style gambling and promote economic development on tribal lands. Some 250 tribal governments across 29 states now operate 545 gambling facilities, the commission said.

Under federal law, its enforcement powers are vested solely in the chairperson. Industry leaders say its inability to cite casinos for violating federal law or force the emergency closure of unsafe facilities is particularly troubling.

In a typical year, the commission issues several citations to tribes for operating casinos on unauthorized lands, failing to submit required financial statements, misusing revenues and other violations. The commission’s last enforcement action was issued on Jan. 12 — the same day acting chairperson Sharon Avery’s term expired. She remains on the commission.

The commission vacancy comes as the popularity of online prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket explodes. Tribal leaders fear those platforms, which allow users to wager on the outcome of virtually any event, could violate their sovereignty and take a bite out of gambling revenue.

“Every dollar generated by Indian gaming goes to fund healthcare for our people, education for our children, housing for our elders,” said David Bean, chairman of the Indian Gaming Association and a citizen of the Puyallup Tribe.

At least eight tribes have sued prediction market platforms, alleging they accept bets from tribal lands and in states where tribes have exclusive gambling rights in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which the gaming commission is tasked with enforcing.

Prediction markets argue their users are engaging in futures trading, not gambling, and dispute claims that they are circumventing regulation.

The commission chairperson typically serves as an advocate for the tribal gambling industry in Washington, according to former commissioners and staffers. Yet it’s been conspicuously silent while the federal government weighs how to regulate prediction markets, said Joe Valandra, the commission’s chief of staff from 2005 to 2007 and a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

James Siva, who leads the California Nations Indian Gaming Association and is vice chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said the Trump administration’s support of and business ties to the prediction markets industry could explain why it hasn’t filled the vacancy.

“These things are happening in conjunction with each other,” Siva said in April at a news conference with the Indian Gaming Association. “It is not a coincidence by any means.”

The leadership gap spans two administrations

The commission’s last Senate-confirmed chairperson termed out under former President Joe Biden without a successor in place.

A White House spokesperson called the commission a “valued board” but did not say when a new nomination will be made.

In April, Trump appointed Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, to the commission. That’s raised questions about potential executive branch influence over an agency designed to be independent.

“This crosses that threshold in an uncomfortable way,” said Shannon O’Loughlin, the commission’s chief of staff from 2015 to 2017 and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Keyes said a crucial opportunity to develop his tribe’s economy hangs in the balance. He doesn’t see the commission vacancy as partisan play.

“I don’t want to sound like sour grapes, but when have Native American issues ever been prioritized by the federal government?” he said.

At a time when the debate over migration is drawing a great deal of heat, Spain has stood out in Europe for its liberal stance. Six months ago, the government of Pedro Sánchez opened up a pathway to legal residency for hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. So, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 30, the uproar was not confined to Spain.

This came days after Spain’s supreme court had ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave on the coast of Africa, could not simply be returned from whence they came. While many commentators blamed this ruling for the sudden dash for Ceuta, more than 95% of the migrants who entered on July 30 have since returned to Morocco via the land border.

Nonetheless, the events of July 30 stirred up a hornets’ nest in Spain, where the Sanchez government, which has a minority of seats in the Spanish parliament, is under severe pressure from conservative and far-right parties. Spain’s far-right Vox party, led by Santiago Abascal, has been running hot on the subject ever since.

As Deniz Torcu, an expert in globalisation at Spain’s IE university, notes, the footage of migrants surging past, or swimming around, barriers into Ceuta immediately changed the tone of the migration debate in Spain – and elsewhere in Europe. “The optics are a gift for Europe’s far right, and they know precisely what to do with it. They can lose every argument about the real numbers and still come out ahead, because their aim is to make the story of a welcoming Spain look foolish.”

À lire aussi :
How the Ceuta border crossing incident immediately played into the hands of Spain’s far right

Spain has held Melilla and Ceuta since the 15th and 16th centuries respectively, despite being pushed out of the rest of north Africa over the years. Francisco Franco launched the Spanish civil war from Ceuta in 1936, having flown there from the Canary Islands where he was Spain’s military commander.

The two enclaves remain an open sore in relations between Spain and Morocco, explains Parvati Nair, a professor of Hispanic, cultural and migration studies at Queen Mary University of London. And the events of July 30 will not have made things any easier – Ceuta’s authorities have already accused its neighbour of deliberately loosening border controls on its side, something Morocco denies.

Nair charts the controversial history of Ceuta and Melilla as colonial hangovers which now play a key – and contested – role in the enforcement of Europe’s southern border.

À lire aussi :
Ceuta and Melilla: how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

This role, and the ability of the European Union generally to control its borders, are now the subject of intense debate for the EU’s 27 member states. An emergency video conference was held on August 4, prompted by a letter signed by 22 members including Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Denmark, which made a number of claims about shortcomings in EU border controls.

One was that domestic policies of countries such as Spain acted as “pull factors” for irregular migrants. Another was that the movement of such migrants through EU countries is being facilitated by the Schengen agreement, which provides for free movement of people through member countries. Karla Zeravcic and Marco Mauer, researchers at the European University Institute, point to problems with these assumptions as they relate to EU law.

À lire aussi :
Ceuta migrant crossings: are calls for stronger border controls from 22 member states in line with EU law?

West Bank violence, Gaza famine

The UN has reported that in the 300 days since the ceasefire in Gaza came into force last October, at least 300 children have been killed. It’s a shocking statistic which gives urgency to the latest roadmap to peace unveiled by the US president, Donald Trump, at the end of July.

But that deal now looks to be dead in the water after Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country would not withdraw its troops from the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is completely disarmed. Hamas has already said it will not disarm until Israel withdraws its military. So it’s stalemate – once again.

This was not unexpected, writes Julie Norman, whose book Gaza: The Dream and the Nightmare – co-authored with American political scientist Maia Carter Hallward – charts the enclave’s history and chronicles the devastation of the past three years of war. Norman has just returned from a month of fieldwork in the West Bank, where settler violence and land seizures are spiralling.

She believes that events in Gaza and the West Bank are “inextricably linked” – and that the likelihood of any peace deal in Gaza is far outweighed by the very real prospect of out-and-out conflict in the other, much larger Palestinian territory.

À lire aussi :
How Israeli conduct in the West Bank could derail Donald Trump’s latest peace plan for Gaza

Stolen childhood

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and the Russian president’s commissioner for children’s rights, for the crime of unlawful deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.

Now, a disturbing report prepared for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has revealed the forcible indoctrination and militarisation of these children, and also children in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

The report’s authors, Stefan Wolff, Elīna Šteinerte and Hervé Ascensio, found detailed and distressing evidence of children being force-fed propaganda and given military-style training in schools which were deliberately preparing them to fight against their own country. This, they stress, is a crime under the Geneva Convention.

À lire aussi :
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Donald Trump’s midas touch

It was revealed at the end of June that Donald Trump made US$2.2 billion (£1.63 billion) in the first year of his second presidential term. Much of this reportedly came through his investments in cryptocurrency, including the $TRUMP meme coin he launched days before his inauguration, which has since lost much of its value.

The revelations prompted much discussion about the rights and wrongs of a president doing business while in office. Historian Benjamin Quail, of Queen’s University Belfast, gives us a rundown of the financial fortunes of previous inhabitants of the White House, and finds that while it’s not unusual for a president to make a fortune after leaving office, Trump’s amassing of such a fortune as president is without precedent.

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Donald Trump has made US$2.2 billion in his second term. How does that stack up against other US presidents?

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