A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

November 25: Sturgess inquiry hears evidence on Russian state involvement; Preliminary hearing in Birmingham council equal pay tribunal; CBI Annual Conference. 

November 26: MPs debate Tobacco and Vapes Bill; Trial begins for six accused of spying for Russia in UK; Supreme Court hears Scottish women’s challenge to gender recognition certificate guidance.

November 27: MPs debate Finance Bill; Tusk Conservation Awards; European Parliament votes on new College of Commissioners.

November 28: Statistics on migration and irregular migration; Vladimir Putin attends CSTO leaders’ summit; New Zealand Covid inquiry phase one report. 

November 29: First debate on assisted dying bill; Republic of Ireland holds parliamentary elections; Bank of England financial stability report.

November 30: Alex Salmond memorial service; Early parliamentary elections in Iceland.

December 1: Kuwait hosts Gulf Cooperation Council summit; South Africa assumes G20 presidency.

Also look out for…

November 25

Prince of Wales launches Jewel of Arabia expedition

G7 foreign ministers meet in Italy

Hearing in Menendez brothers case

Joe Biden pardons Thanksgiving turkeys 

November 26

European Parliament debates support for Ukraine 

Ofwat chief at EFRA committee meeting

UEFA Champions League

November 27

David Lammy grilled by Foreign Affairs Committee

ECJ ruling in Nord Stream 2 case

Sweden hosts summit of Nordic and Baltic leaders

General election in Namibia

November 28

Sixth form college teachers strike

VLV Autumn Conference

New Zealand’s Covid-19 inquiry publishes first report

England v New Zealand first test

November 29

Black Friday

Emmanuel Macron visits Notre Dame Cathedral ahead of re-opening

Moana 2 released

Five years ago: Fishmonger Hall terror attack

November 30

150 years ago: Winston Churchill was born

December 1

Parliamentary elections in Romania

Ursula von der Leyen begins second term as European Commission President

Premier League: Liverpool v Manchester City

Qatar Grand Prix

Key statistics, reports and results:

November 25

UNODC report on femicides

RSPCA stats on animal abandonment

Nigeria Q3 GDP

Results from: Kingfisher

November 26

BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index

Ofsted stats on school inspections

Annual figures on births in Scotland

NHS Scotland waiting time stats

Results from: CrowdStrike, HP, Co-operative Bank, Compass Group

November 27

Figures on domestic abuse in England and Wales

Working and workless households

Quarterly figures on crime in Scotland

US Q3 GDP

Results from: Nationwide Building Society, easyJet

November 28

ILO Global Wage Report

NHS workforce and GP appointment statistics

ORR statistics on rail finances

Statutory homelessness figures

Housing supply 2021/22

Annual figures on road casualties

November 29

Moody’s sovereign review of the UK

Canada, India and Turkey Q3 GDP

Euro area inflation

November 30

China manufacturing PMI

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 25 November – 1 December: Parliament debates assisted dying and tobacco and vapes bill appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week:

Monday (November 18): Brazil hosts G20 summit; David Lammy chairs UNSC debates on the Middle East and Ukraine; High Court hearing on weapons sales to Israel. 

Tuesday (November 19): Farmers’ protests in London; Andrew Bailey quizzed by Treasury Committee; Volodymyr Zelenskyy address to European Parliament to mark 1,000 days of war.

Wednesday (November 20): CPI inflation data; ICC sentencing for Mali militant leader guilty of war crimes.

Thursday (November 21): COP29 closing plenary begins; Matt Hancock gives evidence to Covid-19 inquiry; Royal Mail Group annual results. 

Friday (November 22): Inquest opens into death of Savannah Bentham; Royal Variety Performance.

Saturday (November 23): UK snooker championships; Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Sunday (November 24): Ruben Amorim takes charge of first Manchester United match; Presidential election in Romania; Presidential election run-off in Uruguay.

Also look out for…

November 18

Class action case against Mastercard begins at the Competition Appeal Tribunal

New sentencing powers for magistrates take effect

Ofcom’s annual BBC report 

SpaceX Starship sixth orbital test flight

November 19

Humza Yousaf gives evidence to Covid-19 Inquiry

Anders Behring Breivik parole hearing

GQ Men of the Year Awards 

November 20

PMQs

Eluned Morgan evidence to Covid-19 inquiry

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Xi Jinping talks in Brasilia

UK Music annual report

November 21

CMA chief executive speech to Chatham House competition policy conference

EU ministerial meeting on trade relations with the US

Lloyd Austin attends ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus

50 years ago: Birmingham pub bombings

November 22

The National St. Andrew’s Awards Dinner

Halifax International Security Forum

November 24

Autumn Nations Series: England v Japan

Rio de Janeiro pride parade

Key statistics, reports and results:

November 18

OECD Health at a Glance report

Greenpeace report on oil and gas taxation

Rightmove House Price Index

November 19

OEUK Decommissioning Insight report

US-China Economic and Security Review Commission annual report

OECD Digital Economy Outlook

Results from: Walmart, ThyssenKrupp, Imperial Tobacco

November 20

Private rent and house price statistics

Annual Ofsted figures on childcare providers and inspections

Landmine Monitor Report

China Loan Prime Rate announcement

Indonesia interest rate decision

Results from: Nvidia, Severn Trent, British Land

November 21

Public sector finances

Resolution Foundation Intergenerational Audit

ORR station usage statistics

Quarterly knife crime and criminal justice figures

OECD quarterly national accounts

Turkey and South Africa interest rate decisions

November 22

Retail sales figures

UK flash PMI

Germany Q3 GDP (final)

The post News diary 18 – 24 November: 1,000 days since invasion of Ukraine, Hancock at Covid inquiry appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

Monday (November 11): COP29 opens in Azerbaijan; Keir Starmer attends Armistice Day service in France; Jonathan Reynolds and Kemi Badenoch give evidence at the Post Office Horizon inquiry. 

Tuesday (November 12): World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP29; Ruling in Shell appeal against landmark Dutch climate judgment; Court of Session hearing on Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas field.

Wednesday (November 13): PMQs; Court hearing for Axel Rudakubana over Southport attacks; World Leaders Climate Action Summit continues.

Thursday (November 14): Rachel Reeves delivers Chancellor’s Mansion House speech; Climate finance ministerial at COP29; England v Greece in UEFA Nations League.

Friday (November 15): First estimate of UK Q3 GDP; Welsh Labour Party conference; BBC Children in Need appeal. 

Saturday (November 16): England v South Africa in Autumn Nations Series.

Sunday (November 17): England v Ireland in UEFA Nations League; New series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! starts. 

Also look out for:

November 11

WMO releases provisional statement on state of the climate in 2024

Hungary hosts Budapest Process conference on migration

ITV airs Queen Camilla documentary on domestic abuse 

Extraordinary Diet session to vote on Japanese prime minister

November 12

Michael Gove and Lord Timpson address IfG public services conference 

US deadline for Israel to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza 

New Zealand prime minister apology over abuse in state and religious care

Booker Prize winner announced

November 13

Wes Streeting addresses NHS Providers conference

Jonathan Reynolds speech to economic summit in Berlin

US House and Senate Republicans’ leadership votes

Presidential election in Somaliland

November 14

Defra Qs in the Commons amid farm inheritance tax row

OECD International Migration Outlook

Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka

King Charles turns 76 

November 15

APEC CEO Summit

Jake Paul v Mike Tyson

Supermoon

November 16

Scottish Liberal Democrat conference 

November 17

Snap parliamentary elections in Senegal

Uranus closest to Earth

Key statistics, reports and results:

November 11

ONS analysis on characteristics of hybrid workers

Amnesty report on Saudi World Cup bid 

November 12

Labour market (employment and wages) statistics

Annual figures on wild bird populations in the UK

Forbes America’s Largest Private Companies 

Results from: Spotify, Vodafone, AstraZeneca, SoftBank 

November 13

ONS analysis of attitudes to the environment and climate change

NOAA monthly global climate change report

ONS release on UK inclusive income (2005-2022)

Resolution Foundation report on low- to middle-income families

Results from: Scottish & Southern Energy, RWE, Fuller, Smith and Turner, OXY

November 14

Climate Action Tracker annual update

NHS key services performance data

ONS measures of national well-being

Flash EU and euro area GDP

Results from: E.ON, Disney, United Utilities, WHSmith, Siemens, Swiss Re, Burberry

November 15

European Commission autumn economic forecast

UK indices of production and services

China monthly economic data

Japan Q3 GDP

November 17

Israel Q3 GDP

The post News diary 11 – 17 November: COP29, ruling due on Shell’s Dutch climate judgment appeal appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the Week

Monday (November 4): Budget debate begins in the Commons

Tuesday (November 5): US presidential election; Alan Bates at Business and Trade Committee session on Horizon redress; OBR at Treasury Committee session on the Budget

Wednesday (November 6): First PMQs for new Conservative leader; Chancellor Rachel Reeves at Treasury Committee session on the Budget; Prince William attends Earthshot Prize ceremony in Cape Town

Thursday (November 7): UK MPC interest rate decision; Keir Starmer attends European Political Community summit in Hungary; London Underground expected to shut down if planned Aslef strike goes ahead

Friday (November 8): Reform UK conference in Wales; GRAMMY nominees announced

Saturday (November 9): Two-day Tour de France Criterium in Singapore, expected to be Mark Cavendish’s final race

Sunday (November 10): King Charles leads Cenotaph Remembrance Sunday service

Also look out for…

November 4

NAO report on dangerous cladding

Kamala Harris campaigns in Pennsylvania

Trial begins in Paris for eight charged over Samuel Paty murder

SpaceX launches resupply mission to the ISS

November 5

Guy Fawkes Day

Turkic leaders meet in Kyrgyzstan

November 6

Kevin Hollinrake gives evidence at Post Office Horizon Inquiry

Sentencing for GP who attempted murder with fake Covid jab

US Supreme Court hears Facebook case over Cambridge Analytica scandal

November 7

US Federal Reserve interest rate decision

Alex Chisolm gives evidence at Post Office Horizon Inquiry

King Charles hosts reception for Paris Olympic and Paralympic athletes

Irish parliament could be dissolved to trigger early election

November 8

EU leaders hold informal summit in Hungary

November 9

Reform UK conference in Exeter

England v Australia in the Autumn Nations Series

Lord Mayor’s Show

November 10

Parliamentary elections in Mauritius

Final series of Wolf Hall airs

Key reports, statistics and results

November 4

UNCTAD Least Developed Countries report

Employees in the UK (2022/2023 estimates)

Results from: BioNTech, Ryanair, Fox, New York Times

November 5

National child measurement programme figures

UK services PMI

OECD report on well-being and resilience

Results from: Associated British Foods, Audi, Devon Energy

November 6

NIESR quarterly economic forecast

UK construction PMI

OECD Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2024

Forbes China Rich List

Brazil interest rate decision

Results from: Novo Nordisk, Credit Agricole, Commerzbank, Lyft, BMW, Persimmon

November 7

Bank of England Monetary Policy report

Halifax House Price Index

UNEP Adaptation Gap report

Results from: Sainsbury’s, BT Group, National Grid, Expedia, Taylor Wimpey, ArcelorMittal, Halliburton, News Corp, Air France-KLM

November 8

UK natural capital accounts

Moody’s sovereign review of the Israeli economy

FAO Food Price Index

Results from: IAG, Sony, Paramount

November 9

China consumer price index

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 4-10 November: US presidential election, new Tory leader makes PMQs debut appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week:

October 28: Dawn Sturgess Inquiry hears evidence on Skripals poisoning; Tommy Robinson in court on contempt charges; Ballon d’Or ceremony.

October 29: Alex Salmond funeral; Kamala Harris ‘closing argument’ speech; Results from Alphabet and BP. 

October 30: UK Budget; OBR fiscal and economic forecast; Results from Microsoft and Meta. 

October 31: Conservative Party leadership election members’ ballot closes; First day of Budget debate in the Commons; Results from Apple, Amazon and Shell. 

November 1: RMT members begin series of strikes on the London Underground.

November 2: New Conservative Party leader announced.

November 3: Presidential election runoff in Moldova.

Also look out for:

October 28

• Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen at Harris campaign event in Philadelphia 
• Knesset readings of controversial UNRWA bills
• Gérard Depardieu sexual assault trial in Paris
• WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin

October 29

• COP-16 high-level segment
• One week until US presidential election
• England Lionesses v South Africa

October 30

• UK spending review launch
• OBR review of March’s departmental expenditure limits forecast
• Rishi Sunak’s final PMQs as Leader of the Opposition

October 31

• Rachel Reeves post-Budget broadcast round
• Sergey Lavrov at Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security
• Halloween

November 1

• Energy Profits Levy rate increase takes effect
• FA Cup first round
• Diwali

November 2

• England v New Zealand in Autumn Nations Series 

November 3

• Brazilian Grand Prix
• New York City Marathon

Key statistics, reports and results:

October 28

• Births in England and Wales in 2023
• Private rental affordability in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species update
• Oxfam report on climate inequality
• Results from: Ford Motor Company

October 29

• Employee earnings in the UK
• Homicide in Scotland 2023/24
• BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index
• UNCTAD Trade and Development report
• Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebrities
• Results from: Santander, HSBC, McDonald’s, Lufthansa, Liberty Global (Virgin Media)

October 30

• Preliminary estimate of the tax gap
• CBI Service Sector Survey and Monthly Growth Indicator
• US and EU Q3 GDP
• Results from: Standard Chartered, NEXT, Starbucks, eBay, Eli Lilly, Volkswagen

October 31

• Blue Book (national accounts) and Pink Book (balance of payments)
• Statistics on children in need 2023/24
• WWA report on weather disasters
• Hong Kong Q3 GDP
• Results from: Repsol, TotalEnergies, ABInBev, Samsung, Intel, Banco Sabadell (TSB)

November 1

• Equal Pay Day
• UK manufacturing PMI
• Nationwide House Price Index
• Results from: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Nomura 

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 28 October – 3 November: New Tory leader, Labour unveils budget appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Editor’s Note from Foresight News: Hello readers! Due to staff commitments as we work on our 2025 calendars over the coming weeks, we’re paring down the Advance newsletter for the rest of 2024. We hope you enjoy the slimmed-down version while we turn our attention to next year, but if you need more in-depth planning, contact us on enquiries@foresightnews.com. 

Leading the week:

Monday (October 21): New Employment Rights Bill debated for the first time in the Commons; UN Biodiversity Conference (COP-16) opens; Mariana Dam disaster High Court trial begins.

Tuesday (October 22): World Economic Outlook published; Prisoner early release scheme changes come into effect; Russia hosts BRICS Summit.

Wednesday (October 23): Inquest into the death of Brianna Ghey; IMF Fiscal Monitor published.

Thursday (October 24): Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles in Samoa for CHOGM; Kamala Harris and Barack Obama campaign together in Georgia; France hosts ministerial conference on Lebanon. 

Friday (October 25): Lionesses play Germany.

Saturday (October 26): Tommy Robinson leads supporters’ protest at Downing Street; Elections in Georgia; General Synod votes on final document on Catholic Church reform.

Sunday (October 27): Donald Trump event at Madison Square Garden; Israel holds National Remembrance Day for October 7 attacks; Snap election in Japan. 

Also look out for:

October 21

• David Lammy visits South Korea
• Satya Nadella addresses Microsoft AI Tour London 
• IMF/World Bank annual meetings begin

October 22

• Andrew Bailey addresses Bloomberg Global Regulatory Forum 
• European Parliament vote on €35 billion loan to Ukraine 
• Inquests open into deaths of Ian Paterson victims
• Donald Trump addresses NRA event; Barack Obama campaigns in Wisconsin and Michigan

October 23

• King Charles begins visit to Samoa ahead of CHOGM
• Andrew Bailey addresses IIF Annual Membership Meeting
• Kamala Harris CNN town hall; Donald Trump rally in Georgia 
• Hearing in Harvey Weinstein case

October 24

• Angela Rayner addresses the LGA annual meeting
• New legislation on sexual harassment against workers takes effect
• G20 finance ministers meet in DC
• UNEP Emissions Gap report published
• Simchat Torah holiday begins

October 25

• Inquest review hearing in Costessey deaths
• Teen in court over Southport stabbings
• Messi makes MLS playoffs debut
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 released

October 26

• Andrew Bailey addresses G30 Banking Seminar
• JAXA H3 rocket launch

October 27

• Elections in Bulgaria and Uruguay
• Johnnie Walker presents final BBC Radio 2 show
• F1 Mexico Grand Prix
• Clocks go back as British Summer Time ends

Key statistics, reports and results:

October 21

• Rightmove House Price Index
• China Loan Prime Rate announcement
• Results from: Metro AG

October 22

• Public Sector Finances
• Global Financial Stability Report
• Ireland Q2 GDP
• Results from: Verizon, 3M Company, InterContinental Hotels Group, Lockheed Martin, L’Oreal, General Motors

October 23

• NAO report on Sellafield and nuclear legacy
• UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2024
• Lonely Planet Best in Travel
• Results from: Tesla, Boeing, Heathrow, IBM, Lloyds Banking Group, Deutsche Bank, Iberdrola, Reckitt Benckiser, Coca-Cola, Heineken

October 24

• Quarterly update on crime in England and Wales
• NAO report on progress in improving SEND
• Secondary school performance 2023-24
• SMMT automotive production
• UK flash PMI
• South Korea Q3 GDP
• Results from: Barclays, Renault, Unilever, American Airlines, Unicredit, Fujitsu

October 25

• Final OBR pre-Budget forecast round
• Moody’s sovereign review of France
• Results from: NatWest Group, Colgate-Palmolive, Eni

October 27

• NAO report on the government’s planning and spending framework 

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 21 – 27 October: King and Starmer in Samoa, Tommy Robinson protests outside Downing Street appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

Keir Starmer will be hoping to turn attention away from the Labour Party’s recent dramas and on to his priorities for government when he hosts a major investment summit in London on Monday (October 14). The summit comes after the unveiling of Labour’s new employment rights bill (and the timely appointment of a new minister for investment), and will mark an attempt by the party to tout its pro-business credentials after a less than enthusiastic response in some quarters to its plans to improve workers’ rights, all with one eye on the prime minister’s mission to deliver higher living standards by boosting growth.

With the backing of big UK banks and an impressive roster of attendees, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the summit is an opportunity for the government to garner some positive headlines: a few post-summit announcements on investments from big-name firms will be a welcome antidote to the cycle of bad news in recent weeks. And the blow of missing out on some of Elon Musk’s on-stage antics will reportedly be softened by the presence of former England manager and quarter-zip icon Gareth Southgate, who could also offer some tips on how to achieve longevity in the toughest job in the country.

The long-awaited inquiry into the Novichok poisoning death of Dawn Sturgess opens on Monday (October 14) in Salisbury. Sturgess, 44, came into contact with the poison after mistaking it for a bottle of perfume in July 2018. The first week of the inquiry hears from Sturgess’ family, as well as members of the emergency response team who treated her in Amesbury. Previous hearings have described ‘astonishing observations’ that will be heard during the inquiry, with its broadcast being delayed by 15 minutes in case anyone accidentally compromises national security.

Two people who will not be appearing at the inquiry, though, are Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The pair were targeted in a Novichok poisoning months earlier, when the nerve agent was smeared on their door handle in what is widely believed to be a Russian assassination attempt, but both survived. Though Sturgess’ death is believed to be linked to the attack on the Skripals, inquiry chair Lord Hughes ruled that there was an ‘overwhelming risk’ of a second attack on the family if the Skripals or their location could be identified. Evidence related to the Skripals’ poisoning is scheduled to be heard later this month.

King Charles undertakes his most significant trip since beginning treatment for cancer when he travels to Australia on Friday (October 18) for a tour that runs through to October 23 and is followed by a State Visit to Samoa and a first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting as monarch. The King is reportedly due to pause his treatment for the duration of the visit, which begins in Canberra with a welcome from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House and features a busy schedule of solo engagements and high-profile joint events with Queen Camilla.

Highlights for the trip include a wreath laying at the Australian War Memorial, a visit to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial and a review of Royal Australian Navy in Sydney Harbour. The King will also get to engage with issues close to his heart with climate and sustainability-related visits, but the most significant part of the trip may be a meeting with Australian cancer experts Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer to hear about the pair’s work on melanoma treatment.

Looking abroad

David Lammy has spent the first months of his tenure as Foreign Secretary putting in an impressive amount of shoe-leather diplomacy, with trips to the United States and European capitals taking place in between travel to conflict hotspots in Ukraine and the Middle East. But Lammy’s most difficult visit yet could come during next week’s planned jaunt to China, which will be closely watched for indications of how the new Labour government plans to handle its relationship with Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership.

In opposition Lammy held strong views about Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and there will be many in Parliament – not least those MPs who remain sanctioned by the Chinese government – who will be keen to see the foreign secretary maintain a tough approach during his visit. A July meeting with top diplomat Wang Yi produced only a tepid call for stability and closer communication, meaning Lammy is under pressure to raise the thornier issues (human rights, the release of British citizen Jimmy Lai, and ties with Russia and Iran, to name a few) in his latest diplomatic expedition.

Before heading to Beijing, Lammy will be in Luxembourg on Monday (October 14) to join EU foreign ministers as part of the latest step in resetting UK-EU relations. The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are both on the agenda as the wars look set to once again dominate the international news agenda next week. Ukraine’s new foreign minister Andrii Sybiha will also take part in the meeting, though in his case his participation will be virtual. On Wednesday (October 16), the first-ever EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit will be held in Brussels, which will see leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE join European counterparts for talks likely to be overshadowed by Israeli military action in the Middle East, including its anticipated response to Iran’s decision to fire a barrage of missiles over Israel on October 1. A two-day EU summit then follows on Thursday and Friday (October 17-18).

New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will oversee his first ministerial meeting of alliance counterparts when defence ministers travel to Brussels on Thursday and Friday (October 17-18) joined, for the first time, by ministers from South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The gathering will likely also include a meeting of the US-chaired Ukraine Contact Group after the leaders’ summit planned for this weekend was cancelled was cancelled when US President Joe Biden opted to stay home to deal with Hurricane Milton. Defence Secretary John Healey is then scheduled to head to Naples where, on Saturday (October 19), Italy is hosting the first-ever G7 defence ministers’ meeting, where the agenda – you guessed it – includes the situation in the Middle East and conflict in Ukraine. On Sunday (October 20), Healey is set to participate in a trilateral session with his Italian and Japanese counterparts, Guido Crosetto and Gen Nakatani.

Also look out for…

October 14

• MOD Qs and terrorism protection bill in the Commons
• EAT hearing in Benjamin Mendy case against Man City over unpaid wages
• Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel)
• UN Security Council discusses Lebanon
• Kamala Harris holds rally in Pennsylvania
• Nancy Pelosi in conversation at Chatham House
• Shia LaBeouf trial opens over FKA twigs abuse allegations

October 15

• Horizon IT director at Post Office inquiry
• UK labour market statistics
• Hereditary Peers Bill in the Commons
• Energy Crisis Commission publishes findings
• Andrew Tate appeal court hearing in Romania
• Pakistan hosts Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit
• Bob Woodward’s book War published
• Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) opens

October 16

• PMQs
• Assisted dying bill introduced in the Commons
• September inflation figures (uprating increases)
• Porthmadog crash inquests
• Stormzy on trial charged with using phone while driving
• Donald Trump’s Univision town hall airs
• EU Enlargement Package presented
• Hong Kong Chief Executive delivers annual policy address
• RIBA Stirling Prize Awards
• Jewish holiday of Sukkot begins

October 17

• Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch participate in GB News debate
• FCA and PRA chiefs address City Banquet
• David Carrick in court charged with sex offences
• Premier League holds official clubs meeting
• Donald Trump speaks at Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner
• Opening statements expected in Delphi double murder trial
• Kristalina Georgieva makes IMF annual meetings curtain-raiser speech

October 18

• UK retail sales figures
• Sentencing of teen found guilty of Blundell’s school attack
• First bids deadline for The Hundred

October 19

• Elections in British Columbia (Canada) and Australian Capital Territory
• QIPCO British Champions Series Champions Day
• Francis Ngannou returns at PFL Saudi Arabia
• Paul Mescal and Quentin Tarantino honoured at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala

October 20

• Moldova presidential election and EU referendum
• Parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan
• Final report due from Kolkata rape case task force
• Formula One: United States Grand Prix
• NFL London Fixture: Patriots v Jaguars

Statistics, reports and results

October 14

• OPEC monthly oil markets report
• OBR Budget forecast round
• Savanta UK grocery trends survey

October 15

• Universal Credit statistics
• Register of Political Donations
• IEA monthly oil market report
• Amnesty report on human rights in the EV industry
• Greenpeace report on National Renewal Tax
• Results from: Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, Johnson & Johnson, Ericsson, UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Reach

October 16

• IEA World Energy Outlook
• NAO report on achieving Net Zero
• Private rent and house price statistics
• UK Producer Price Inflation
• Freedom on the Net 2024
• Chatham House paper on the war in Ukraine
• Bayes Business School report on commercial real estate lending
• Results from: ASML, Whitbread, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Alcoa, Morgan Stanley

October 17

• Family Food Survey 2023
• Smoking, drinking and drug use in young people in England (2023)
• Quarterly CPS performance stats
• EU inflation
• UNCTAD Trade and Development Report
• Savanta European consumer confidence survey
• Results from: Netflix, TSMC and Nokia

October 18

• China GDP and economic data press conference
• Overseas Travel & Tourism Survey
• Results from: Procter and Gamble, American Express

Anniversaries and awareness days

October 14

• Columbus Day
• Canadian Thanksgiving
• National Dessert Day
• UK Coffee Week (to October 20)
• Recycle Week (to October 20)
• European Local Democracy Week (to October 20)
• 30 years ago: Rabin and Arafat awarded Nobel Peace Prize

October 15

• Three years ago: Sir David Amess MP killed
• Global Handwashing Day

October 16

• World Food Day
• Restart a Heart Day
• National Dictionary Day
• Boss’s Day
• Seven years ago: Daphne Caruana Galizia killed

October 17

• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• Harry Potter Book Day
• National Pasta Day
• International Credit Union Day

October 18

• Wear It Pink Day
• World Menopause Day
• EU Anti-Trafficking Day
• Anti-Slavery Day

October 19

• National Album Day

October 20

• World Mission Sunday
• World Osteoporosis Day

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 18-20 October: UK investment summit, Lammy visits China, Novichok inquiry begins appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

Parliament returns next week after a conference season which saw the UK’s main parties trying to cement their post-election identities: the Lib Dems and Reform vying for the role of alternative opposition, the Conservatives waiting to discover who’ll lead them into the next election, and Labour struggling to focus on the business of governing amid the background noise of scandals, policy disputes, and unhappy MPs. But party politics may need to take a back seat when MPs return to Westminster on Monday (October 7) as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten to overshadow the scheduled business.

Monday’s agenda in the House of Commons (DWP questions and a debate on Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS) is likely to be superseded by post-recess ministerial statements, with Keir Starmer’s relationship reset in Brussels, David Lammy’s diplomatic discussions on Ukraine and the Middle East, and efforts to remove British citizens from Lebanon likely to merit an update to MPs.

Starmer will be hoping to tout his early achievements ahead of Labour’s 100^th day in office on Saturday (October 12), so we may be treated to some orchestrated cheering from the backbenches during PMQs on Wednesday (October 9) as the prime minister talks up policy work on energy and business investment. The party’s most significant 100-day pledge, an overhaul of employment rights, is still pending, so look out for details on those plans before the week is out.

The identity of Starmer’s future PMQs sparring partner will be a little clearer next week after votes on Wednesday and Thursday (October 10) to whittle down the four Tory contenders to a final two.

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Robert Jenrick spent conference attempting to woo the Conservative faithful, and will spend the next few days trying to secure the backing of enough MPs to make it through to the membership vote which will decide the winner of the contest. Helpfully for the final pair, members will get a reminder of what they could have won with the release of Boris Johnson’s memoirs on Thursday. Extracts from the former prime minister’s modestly-titled Unleashed have already revealed some surprising anecdotes from his time in office – a mooted invasion of the Netherlands foremost among them – but the former journalist in Johnson will surely have kept back the choicest morsels for publication day.

Looking abroad

Amid a series of recent developments ratcheting up already sky-high tensions in the Middle East, Israel and the world will on Monday (October 7) mark the anniversary of Hamas’s devastating attack, which saw some 1,200 people killed and 250 people kidnapped and taken to Gaza, with over 100 still held hostage.

Events marking the anniversary, which falls just days ahead of the start of Yom Kippur on Friday (October 11), include an event organized by victims’ families in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park that aims to honour victims in a depoliticised fashion, as well a broadcast of a pre-recorded state-organised event in the southern town of Ofakim, which was attacked on October 7. A state memorial is scheduled to take place at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on October 27, though at least one of the Kibbutz communities attacked last year, Yad Mordechai, is planning to commemorate the Jewish calendar anniversary of the attacks on Tishrei 22 (October 24), coinciding with the start of the holiday of Simchat Torah.

The anniversary also means it’s the one year mark for Israel’s operations in Gaza, with protests planned this weekend to commemorate the over 40,000 Palestinians believed to have been killed since the war began. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza began in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack, and the Israeli government formally declared war on October 8. Sunday (October 13) marks the anniversary of the first evacuation warning, which saw tens of thousands of Gazans flee south amid rumours of an impending Israeli ground invasion.

US President Joe Biden heads to Germany on Thursday (October 10) as part of a trip that will also see him visit Angola. In addition to bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, likely to take place on Friday (October 11), the conflict in Ukraine is set to be a major focus of the visit.

On Saturday (October 12), Biden hosts a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Force Base, with some 50 leaders expected to attend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who attended a defence ministers’ gathering of the grouping last month, is likely to take part as he seeks to ensure support for his country’s fight against Russia regardless of the outcome of the US election in November. The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is announced on Friday (October 11) to round off Nobel Week, which sees daily announcements of the big prizes in science, economics and literature.

The deliberative process is extremely secretive, though we do know that there are 285 candidates for this year’s peace prize, of which 196 are individuals and 89 are organisations – slightly down on last year’s numbers. Henrik Urdal, the head of the Peace Research Institute Oslo who puts together an annual list of potential winners, has this year included UNRWA and its Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. If this does turn out to be the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s pick, it would provoke quite the reaction from leaders in Israel.

Also look out for…

October 7

• Trial begins for family charged with Sara Sharif murder
• Judgment in Andrew and Tristan Tate tax evasion case
• APP fraud reimbursement requirement takes effect
• Donald Trump speaks at October 7 remembrance event
• Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview
• North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly session opens
• Nobel Physiology/Medicine Prize announced
• ESA launches Hera mission

October 8

• National Grid publishes Winter Outlook
• Post Office interim chair appears at Horizon IT system inquiry
• Michael Gove becomes editor of The Spectator
• Donald Trump Univision town hall airs
• Joe Biden visits Pennsylvania
• European Parliament debate on the Middle East
• Laos hosts ASEAN Summit
• Nobel Physics Prize winner announced

October 9

• Renters’ Rights Bill in the Commons
• Post Office CEO appears at Horizon IT system inquiry
• Court hearing in Diddy sex trafficking case
• Victor Orban addresses European Parliament
• Nobel Chemistry Prize winner announced
• General election in Mozambique

October 10

• England v Greece Nations League match
• Tesla 10/10 event
• Nobel Literature Prize winner announced
• Sentencing for woman who murdered her parents
• Kamala Harris Univision town hall airs
• French Budget announcement expected
• Taiwanese President makes National Day speech
• NASA launches Europa Clipper mission

October 11

• Monthly GDP estimate
• Jay Blades in court on controlling behaviour charges
• Plaid Cymru Annual Conference
• Cyprus hosts MED9 leaders’ summit

October 12

• Lisa Nandy and Jim McMahon speak at Co-operative Party conference
• Newly-discovered comet makes closest passage to Earth
• Bivol v Beterbiev undisputed title fight

October 13

• 100 days ago: new UK government formed
• Joe Biden visits Angola
• Finland v England Nations League match
• Olaf Scholz speaks at World Health Summit
• Legislative elections in Lithuania
• NFL London: Jaguars v Bears

Statistics, reports and results

October 7

• JRF report on poverty in Scotland
• Halifax house price index
• IHS Markit/REC Report on Jobs

October 8

• Population estimates for the UK (mid-2023)
• OBR Budget forecast round
• BRC retail sales monitor
• Forbes World’s Best Employers
• Results from: PepsiCo

October 9

• Times Higher Education World Rankings 2025
• Transport Focus strategic roads users survey
• IEA Renewables 2024
• India interest rate decision
• US Federal Reserve minutes of interest rate decision meeting

October 10

• OBR forecast evaluation report
• OBR welfare trends
• Estimated take-up of income related benefits (2022/23)
• NHS key services performance data
• Hate crime in England and Wales (2023/24)
• PEEL report on police response to antisocial behaviour
• IFS Green Budget
• WWF Living Planet Report 2024
• Bank of England credit conditions survey
• US consumer price index
• Results from: TATA Consultancy Services, Delta Airlines, Fast Retailing

October 11

• UK indices of production and services
• UK overseas trade statistics
• Fitch Ratings sovereign review of France
• South Korea interest rate decision
• Results from: JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon, Blackrock, Hays

October 13

• China consumer price index

Anniversaries and awareness days: Asher

October 7

• Vladimir Putin turns 72
• World Day for Decent Work
• World Habitat Day
• National Work-Life Week (to October 11)
• Dyslexia Awareness Week (to October 13)
• Kinship Care Week (to October 13)
• Hospice Care Week (to October 13)

October 8

• Fat Bear Tuesday
• Ada Lovelace Day

October 9

• Stem Cell Awareness Day

October 10

• North Korea Party Foundation Day
• World Mental Health Day
• World Day Against the Death Penalty
• World Sight Day
• World Homeless Day

October 11

• International Day of the Girl Child
• National Coming Out Day

October 12

• National Bookshop Day
• World Arthritis Day
• World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
• World Migratory Bird Day
• Fiesta de la Hispanidad (Spain)
• Día de la Raza (Latin America)
• National Hate Crime Awareness Week (to October 17)
• Five years ago: Atatiana Jefferson killed by police officer

October 13

• International Day for Disaster Reduction
• World Thrombosis Day
• Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day
• No Bra Day
• International Infection Prevention Week (to October 19)
• Prisons Week (to October 19)

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 7-13 October: Tory leadership contest down to two, 7 October anniversary appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

After making trips to Paris, Washington and New York in recent weeks, Keir Starmer is off to Brussels on Wednesday (October 2) for talks with Ursula von der Leyen on resetting the UK-EU relationship. The prime minister ruled out the UK rejoining the European single market during this year’s election campaign, but earlier this month said he would be ‘ambitious’ about what could be achieved in a reset of relations despite initially resisting an EU proposal to introduce a youth mobility scheme – though the bloc is reportedly hoping to reach a compromise on the idea. Since entering No.10, Starmer’s met the leaders of Germany, France and Italy to boost bilateral relations with the major European powers, and now attention turns to the head of the European Commission for a meeting which will be closely studied by those on both sides of the Brexit argument.

A Conservative Party in transition will arrive in Birmingham this weekend for its first conference in opposition for 15 years and with its new leader still to be decided. It’s set to be a more muted affair this year: there’s no leader’s address, no Boris Johnson, and the Shadow Cabinet are delivering speeches in the knowledge they may soon be out of a job when the new regime begins next month. The contest to replace Rishi Sunak will overshadow much of the activity at conference as the four remaining candidates jostle to convince members and fellow MPs they deserve to be in the final two later this month.

The agenda has been set up to give Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick a couple of opportunities to impress the crowds from the conference stage, but rumours of dark arts and gladhanding among the four suggest the off-stage activity may be more important in the scramble for votes. Each leadership hopeful will take questions from the audience, with Tugendhat and Badenoch first up on Monday (September 30) and Jenrick and Cleverly following on Tuesday (October 1). This is where the pack is likely to be asked about the issues closest to Tory members’ hearts: think economy, illegal migration, border controls, UK membership of the ECHR, and freedom of speech.

Then, as conference comes to a close on Wednesday (October 2), the contenders will each deliver an address from the main stage in a final public pitch before two are eliminated. These speeches will be revealing in terms of whether the candidates aim their pitch squarely at party members or start to look beyond the home crowd with a future election in mind. Elsewhere at conference, Shadow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the only survivor of the ancien regíme to get a prime speaking slot, delivers what may be his last major address in the role on Monday. Ahead of the October 30 Budget, he’s likely to have thoughts on the now-notorious public finance black hole and new Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ reported plans to change fiscal rules to open up more public spending.

Britain becomes the first G7 nation to phase out coal power on Monday (September 30) when the country’s last coal-fired power plant ceases operations, bringing an end to an industry that dates back to the late 19^th century and employed over a million people at its peak in the 1920s. The 125 staff working at the power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire will stay on to decommission the site for the next two years, with plans to turn it into a green energy hub once the iconic cooling towers are demolished. While the UK’s plans for Net Zero have been the subject of heated political debate – former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was criticised for stalling on Britain’s climate change commitments while Labour’s pledge to have the country running on clean power by 2030 has been criticised by both Conservatives and the GMB union – the coal phase-out is a remarkable success story. As recently as 2012, nearly coal generated nearly 40% of power in the UK, but that had fallen to 2% by 2019 as renewable energy became a cheaper alternative and wind and solar power generation grew. The Paris Climate Agreement calls on all OECD countries to phase out coal by 2030, with non-OECD countries following by 2040.

Looking abroad

Following his dramatic release from British custody and return to his native Australia after pleading guilty to one count of violating the Espionage Act in a Saipan courtroom, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to appear on Tuesday (October 1) before a Council of Europe panel in Strasbourg. Assange’s testimony at the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs will mark his first public appearance since his release in June, when his wife Stella told reporters that he would need time to recuperate with his family before discussing his years-long ordeal.

His evidence on ‘his detention and conviction and their chilling effect on human rights’ comes ahead of a vote on Wednesday (October 2) by CoE parliamentarians on a draft resolution from the committee which calls on the US, a CoE observer state, to investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights violations disclosed by WikiLeaks and ‘urgently’ reform 1917 Espionage Act to exclude its application to publishers, journalists and whistleblowers aiming to raise public awareness about serious crimes. Assange is expected to observe the session from the gallery.

Claudia Sheinbaum becomes Mexico’s first-ever female president when she takes office on Tuesday (October 1) after storming to victory in June’s elections. A protégé of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum has promised political continuity but inherits significant challenges, including high levels of violence as well as opposition to the controversial judicial reforms passed earlier this month. A number of leaders from the region will attend Sheinbaum’s swearing-in, including Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da and Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel, though big names from elsewhere around the world are conspicuously absent. First Lady Jill Biden is leading the US delegation.

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will formally succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General at a ceremony in Brussels on Tuesday (October 1). Rutte’s years of experience holding together coalition governments will stand him in good stead in his new job, with tensions over the war in Ukraine likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Stoltenberg, for his part, is reportedly set to become chair of the Munich Security Conference, the annual security conference sometimes described as ‘Davos for defence’.

Also look out for…

September 30

• UK GDP National Accounts (third estimate)
• NEU snap ballot on the Government’s pay offer for teachers closes
• Philip Schofield returns to TV in Channel 5’s Cast Away
• Prince Harry attends the WellChild Awards in London
• Hearing for Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh
• US hosts Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS ministerial
• UNRWA head briefs media on the situation in Palestine
• Vladimir Kara-Murza addresses PACE session

October 1

• Vice presidential debate in the US presidential election
• New law on public sexual harassment comes into effect
• Energy price cap changes come into effect
• Michel Barnier delivers policy address at the French National Assembly
• UN Human Rights Council debates human rights situation in Palestine
• Louisiana law classifying abortion polls as controlled substances takes effect
• Jimmy Carter turns 100

October 2

• Pope Francis hosts General Assembly of the Synod
• Emmanuel Macron visits Germany
• Rory Stewart delivers LSE lecture
• Court hearing for six accused of spying for Russia in the UK
• Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) begins
• Annular solar eclipse in South America

October 3

• Laura Kuenssberg interview with Boris Johnson airs
• Yvette Cooper attends G7 interior ministers meeting
• Sentencing for man convicted in FGM case
• BBC documentary The Search for Nicola Bulley airs
• ICC Women’s T20 World Cup begins

October 4

• Emmanuel Macron hosts the Francophonie Summit
• ECJ judgment in Max Shrems case against Meta
• ECJ judgement in case over Taliban treatment of Afghan women
• Coldplay releases new album
• Joker: Folie à Deux released

October 5

• Donald Trump returns to Butler, PA for rally after assassination attempt
• Palestine Solidarity Campaign holds national demonstration
• Colum Eastwood steps down at SDLP Annual Conference

October 6

• Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz speak at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism World Summit
• Presidential election in Tunisia
• Kazakhstan referendum on nuclear power plant project
• Thames Barrier annual closure

Statistics, reports and results

September 30

• Nationwide House Price Index
• OECD report on tax policy reforms
• Fortune Most Powerful Women in Business
• CBI Monthly Growth Indicator
• Bank of England Money and Credit

October 1

• Met Office climate stats for September
• Adult smoking habits in the UK
• Estimates of the very old: 2002 to 2023
• BRC Shop Price Index
• UK manufacturing PMI
• Euro area inflation
• Forbes 400
• Results from: Greggs

October 2

• IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2024

October 3

• Statutory homelessness statistics (2023/24)
• Waterwise/BSI Water Scarcity Index
• ORR stats on rail usage
• OECD consumer price indices
• Results from: Tesco

October 4

• FAO food price index
• SMMT car sales figures
• BRC footfall monitor
• BRC economic briefing report
• Results from: JD Wetherspoon

Anniversaries and awareness days

September 30

• Two years ago: Vladimir Putin signed accession treaties for Ukrainian regions
• Martyrs’ Day (China)
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Canada)
• International Translation Day
• International Podcast Day
• Good Money Week (to October 6)

October 1

• 75 years ago: People’s Republic of China founded
• Defenders Day (Ukraine)
• Armed Forces Day (South Korea)
• Independence Day (Cyprus)
• International Day of Older Persons
• International Coffee Day
• World Vegetarian Day
• Black History Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Stoptober

October 2

• Fat Bear Week begins
• World Farm Animals Day
• International Day of Non-Violence

October 3

• German Day of Unity
• London Cocktail Week
• National Poetry Day

October 4

• National Vodka Day
• World Animal Day
• World Smile Day
• World Space Week (to October 10)

October 5

• 25 years ago: Ladbroke Grove rail crash
• Global James Bond Day
• World Teachers’ Day

October 6

• Grandparents Day
• World Cerebral Palsy Day

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.

The post News diary 30 Sept – 6 Oct: UK-EU talks, Conservative Party conference, Julian Assange gives testimony appeared first on Press Gazette.

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week

Instead of basking in the glow of a generational election victory, Labour approaches conference season facing up to the reality that governing is much less fun than being in opposition. Embroiled in a series of rows over its pensioner-bashing economic policies, gloomy messaging and – with a little nod to previous administrations – political donations that benefit the prime minister’s spouse, the party will arrive in Liverpool this weekend knowing that the honeymoon period is now well and truly over: so what can we expect from Keir Starmer’s top team over the next few days?

Given the party’s desire to keep blaming the Conservatives for the dire state of the economy and public services, expectation management may be the watchword for ministers’ speeches next week. Deputy leader Angela Rayner delivers the first big speech of the event on Sunday (September 22), and she may need to resort to some cheerleading as the warm-up act for Starmer and Rachel Reeves; she can at least point to the introduction of the renters’ reform bill as proof that she’s getting down to business in her housing brief.

This time last year Reeves was vowing to be an ‘iron chancellor’, and we may get a taste of how she intends to live up to that promise when she steps up to the ACC stage on Monday (September 23). Despite the purse strings being loosened in recent weeks to deliver union-friendly public sector pay increases, it’s unlikely the chancellor will be announcing any member-pleasing spending commitments or shiny new projects ahead of the Budget, though she may be in a position to drop some hints about whether there is, in fact, any fiscal headroom to take advantage of October 30.

Keir Starmer may not arrive at conference on a jet ski, but he could be forgiven for looking for a way to distract from his recent woes. With his favourability rating falling steadily, headlines about his wife’s wardrobe and his chief of staff’s salary are the last things Starmer wants to be focusing on in the lead up to his conference speech on Tuesday (September 24). The prime minister now faces the tough task of shifting the narrative away from sideline rows and back onto his missions for government and delivering the positive change that was promised during July’s election campaign. It is, as they say in football, too early to talk of crisis, but Starmer definitely needs a big performance in front of his home crowd next week.

Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is up in front of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan on Monday (September 23) after hearings back in February raised questions about his handling of allegations that British special forces units, particularly in Helmand province, killed unarmed boys and men detained during night raids between 2010 and 2013. Wallace commissioned the inquiry in December 2022 after a BBC Panorama investigation claimed dozens of detainees may have been executed by the SAS.

Former Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, who lost his seat at the general election, previously criticised Wallace after Mercer gave statements to the Commons that claims of ‘death squads’ were untrue, only for emails to emerge in The Sunday Times in 2020 that showed that UK special forces officers knew that serious concerns had been raised about 33 deaths in 2011. Mercer also accused Wallace and special forces director general Roly Walker of failing to investigate the allegations of war crimes properly. The inquiry used a court injunction to force Mercer to provide ‘further information’ on the source of the allegations that unarmed Afghan men had been shot by SAS troops, though Mercer insists he did not name those who confided in him. Following Wallace’s testimony, the inquiry is set to hear evidence in ‘restricted closed hearings’ which involve ‘grave allegations of war crimes’.

Looking abroad

World leaders descend on New York next week for the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, sometimes referred to as the Super Bowl of diplomacy. While the conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan loom large over this year’s gathering, a host of other issues of global concern are also set to be discussed.

The centrepiece as ever is the General Debate, which opens on Tuesday (September 24), when world leaders and ministers deliver what are supposed to be 15-minute interventions, though they frequently overrun. In keeping with tradition, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers the first address, followed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US President Joe Biden, in what will be his final address before the November election. Other speakers on Tuesday include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentina’s Javier Milei and, in what is likely to be another closely-watched address, Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.

On Wednesday (September 25) all eyes will be on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is likely to once again make the case that his country’s fight against Russia is central to upholding the rules-based international order. Then on Thursday (September 26) we’ll get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, his first since the Hamas attack last October that sparked the ongoing war that threatens to engulf the region. Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes his first big international address on Friday (September 27), looking to make his mark after his predecessor Rishi Sunak last year became the first UK premier in a decade to skip the gathering. Neither Chinese President Xi Jinping nor Russian President Vladimir Putin are attending, but their representatives will speak on the Saturday (September 28).

Beyond the General Debate, the UN Security Council meets on Tuesday (September 24) for a high-level briefing on Ukraine, followed by an open debate on ‘leadership for peace’ on Wednesday (September 25), chaired by Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and likely to feature interventions from a variety of world leaders. On Thursday (September 26), the Council holds an informal session on the threat of regional escalation in the Middle East that is likely to garner attention after Israel’s interventions in Lebanon this week.

Other highlights to look out for – notwithstanding last-minute bilateral and multilateral encounters – include the second day of the UN Summit of the Future on Monday, when both Zelenskyy and Pezeshkian are due to speak, a summit Biden’s hosting on synthetic drug threats, and a leaders’ event on defending democracy hosted by Lula, both on Tuesday. On Wednesday, G20 foreign ministers hold their first-ever meeting on the margins of UNGA, and the US, EU and Saudi Arabia co-host a high-level ministerial meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. And as things begin to wind down in New York, Biden will host Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday. Watch out, too, for celebrities – Prince Harry, Matt Damon and Meryl Streep are among those in town to support the charities and NGOs they work with.

Also look out for…

September 23

• Phil Shiner’s legal aid fraud trial begins
• Inquest into Bournemouth beach deaths
• Prince Harry speaks at Concordia Summit in New York
• Joe Biden hosts UAE President at the White House
• Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania
• Hearing for Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh
• Commonwealth foreign ministers hold pre-CHOGM meeting

September 24

• Zombie-style knives ban takes effect
• Sentencing for ex Spandau Ballet singer charged with rape
• England v Australia 3^rd ODI
• Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit

September 25

• Sadiq Khan speaks at the Concordia Summit
• Trial begins for police officer charged with multiple sex offences
• International Distribution Services AGM votes on proposed Royal Mail takeover
• Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Meta Connect
• OECD Interim Economic Outlook
• US Senate hearing on FAA oversight of Boeing
• UNGA high-level meeting on sea level rise
• Launch of NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission

September 26

• Chris Whitty appears at Covid-19 Inquiry Module 3 hearing
• Sentencing for two 12-year-olds found guilty of murder
• Graham Brady’s memoir Kingmaker is released
• Oral arguments in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud case appeal
• House task force on Trump assassination attempt holds first hearing
• UNGA high-level meetings on antimicrobial resistance and nuclear weapons
• Vladimir Putin expected to address Russian Energy week
• Pope Francis visits Luxembourg

September 27

• New Scottish Conservative Party leader announced
• Further bids due in the sale of The Telegraph
• Sentencing for trans woman guilty of rape
• Sentencing for JSO activists who threw soup at Van Gogh work
• New US tariffs on Chinese EVs come into effect
• Japan’s LDP chooses new leader to replace Fumio Kishida as PM
• Pope Francis visits Belgium
• Francis Ford Coppola’s new film Megalopolis is released

September 28

• Expected closure of second blast furnace at Port Talbot steelworks
• National Rejoin March III
• Planned ‘Unite the Kingdom’ far-right protest and counter-protest
• Ulster Unionist Party Conference

September 29

• Conservative Party Conference opens
• Parliamentary elections in Austria
• Pope Francis concludes Belgium visit
• England v Australia 5th ODI

Statistics, results and reports

September 23

• UK flash PMI
• CBI industrial trends survey
• China loan prime rate announcement

September 24

• Planning applications in England
• Cancer waiting times in Scotland
• NRS release on life expectancy in Scotland 2021-2023
• NCHS report on prevalence of obesity in the United States
• Global Financial Centres Index
• ILO World Social Protection Report 2024-26
• Results from: Smiths Group

September 25

• PAMCo figures on audience measurement for publishers

September 26

• Hospital accident and emergency activity (2023/24)
• Annual stats on the nature of violent crime in England and Wales
• Road casualties in Great Britain (2023)
• Key rail safety figures (2022/23)
• Quarterly court statistics
• Quarterly NEET statistics
• Energy trends and prices
• Bank of England capital issuance
• SMMT car production figures
• US and Australia Q2 GDP
• NCHS report on suicide mortality rates in the US
• EBRD growth forecasts for emerging economies
• Results from: Costco, H&M

September 27

• Workless households by region in the UK (2023)
• Property transactions in the UK
• CBI survey of distributive trades
• Italy economic and financial update due

Anniversaries and awareness days:

September 23

• Two years ago: Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘mini-budget’
• Bi Visibility Day
• Saudi Arabia National Day
• National Inclusion Week (to September 29)
• Organ Donation Week (to September 29)
• National Eye Health Week (to September 29)
• World Reflexology Week (to September 29)

September 24

• Familial Hypercholesterolemia Awareness Day
• National Punctuation Day

September 25

• International Ataxia Awareness Day

September 26

• Two years ago: Nord Stream pipelines sabotaged
• International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
• World Contraception Day
• European Day of Languages
• World Maritime Day

September 27

• World Tourism Day
• World’s Biggest Coffee Morning
• National Doodle Day

September 28

• 10 years ago: mass protests in Hong Kong began
• 100 years ago: first aerial circumnavigation of the globe
• International Safe Abortion Day
• Visit My Mosque Day
• World Rabies Day

September 29

• National Police Memorial Day
• World Day of Migrants and Refugees
• Back to Church Sunday
• International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
• World Heart Day

The post News diary 23 – 29 September: Labour conference, UN high-level meetings appeared first on Press Gazette.