Quality of migraine care dependent on ethnicity, UK survey finds

The UK Parliament's security committee has criticized the handling of a high-profile China spying case, labeling it as 'shambolic' due to systemic failures that led to the trial's collapse. The report highlighted confusion and inadequate communication between the government and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which ultimately resulted in the withdrawal of charges against two men accused of espionage for Beijing.

Mortuary workers in the UK have been found to be exposed to dangerously high levels of toxic substances from preserved bodies repatriated following the Air India plane crash, according to a coroner's report. This alarming revelation raises serious concerns about the safety protocols in place for handling such remains.

The UK is considering scaling back jury trials due to severe court backlogs, which has raised concerns about the implications for the British justice system. The right to a jury trial is traditionally viewed as a fundamental aspect of justice in the UK, making any proposed changes particularly contentious.

UK ministers are advancing plans to ban political donations made using cryptocurrency, citing concerns over the potential risks to electoral integrity due to the difficulty in verifying the sources of such funds. This crackdown is expected to impact Nigel Farage's Reform party, although the legislation may not be ready in time for the upcoming elections bill in the new year.

The Bank of England (BoE) has announced a reduction in capital requirements for high street banks, lowering the reserve ratio for risk-weighted assets from 14% to 13%. This marks the first easing of capital rules since the 2008 financial crisis, as stated by Governor Andrew Bailey, who emphasized that the lessons from that period remain relevant.

A U.S. delegation, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss potential peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has expressed openness to negotiations but insists that its war objectives must be met, raising concerns about the sincerity of its commitment to peace. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is engaged in discussions with leaders from the UK and France, emphasizing the international dimension of the conflict.

The OECD has cautioned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' strategy of higher taxes and spending restraint will hinder consumer expenditure in the UK, despite forecasts indicating that the UK economy will grow faster than France, Germany, and Italy next year. This fiscal consolidation is expected to limit household disposable income and slow consumption.

Justice Secretary David Lammy is expected to revise his proposal to eliminate jury trials for all but the most serious offenses, such as murder, manslaughter, and rape, following feedback from the cabinet. He indicated a preference for adhering to a recommendation by Sir Brian Leveson, which suggests that offenses likely to result in a sentence of three years or less should be handled by magistrates' courts.