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Neil Basu, former head of UK counter-terrorism, condemned the weekend's rioters as bullies and cowards'

Premier Steven Miles will announce the policy on Tuesday as he tries to win votes for October election

Former young offender institution repurposed and abandoned cells made safe, while early release scheme continuesMinisters are preparing an additional 500 prison places to cope with an influx of people expected to be held on remand over the next month, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday.From next week, cells will be used at the newly repurposed HMP Cookham Wood, a former young offender institution in the village of Borstal in Kent, that was closed in March after it was called inhumane" by a prison watchdog. Continue reading...

Wayne Bond, 44, appears at hearing via videolink after Staffordshire police responded to reports of a deathA man has been charged with murder after a woman's body was found in a flat in Stafford.Officers from Staffordshire police were called to Eagle House, a temporary accommodation property on Newport Road, at about 10.30am on 29 July to reports that a woman had died. Continue reading...

Emergency services operator was aware of police in trouble' incident but did not access more information, Queensland coroner told

US is attempting to turn the temperature down' after assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week escalate tensions

Ukrainian city of 1 million people hit by number of deadly aerial attacks seemingly aimed at terrorising the populationAt 5pm on 28 June, Lana Yefimova left work as usual, walking from her office in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Minutes later a Russian rocket hit the nine-storey apartment block opposite her workplace and crashed through the upper floors, ripping through ceilings. I ran back to find a fire. It was huge. My colleague Yulia was hurt. She broke her pelvis. I was in shock," Yefimova said.Four people were killed inside the residential building at 24a Vikonkomivska Street and 12 injured, including a pregnant woman and a baby. The attack was seemingly random - another erratic death-bringing moment in Russia's bloody war. They want to frighten us so we leave," Yefimova said. It's politics. And terror." Continue reading...

Samira Shackle and Jeff Goodell explain the dangers resulting from extreme heat, and what society can do to mitigate themDavid Azevedo died because of the heat. A construction worker living in a small city in central France, he had recently started a new job when a heatwave struck in the summer of 2022. He would not even see out his first week.The journalist Samira Shackle interviews his sister Anne-Marie about what happened, and how her family have feared every heatwave since. Continue reading...

Maduro told troops he is willing to do anything' to protect his revolution' amid growing criticism of crackdown on oppositionThe Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro has vowed to pulverise" the latest challenge to his rule and told troops he is willing to do anything" to protect his revolution" amid growing criticism of the crackdown that followed last week's disputed election.Maduro says more than 2,000 people have been arrested in the days since the 28 July vote while human rights groups say at least 22 people have been killed. Continue reading...

Chair of Institute of Regulation says open letters could publicly highlight worries about ministerial integrityCivil servants could be given a way to publicly flag concerns about integrity if ministers are in danger of asking them to breach ethical codes, a report has suggested.The paper, by Marcial Boo, a former head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, said civil servants could write open letters, known as ministerial directions, to highlight their worries about matters of integrity. Continue reading...

Leadership contender says the Conservatives need to recover to ensure Britain does not lurch into negativity and division'Progressive voters who oppose the Conservatives should still want the party to recover to ensure British politics does not lurch towards populism based on negativity and division", a Tory leadership contender has said.Mel Stride, the former cabinet minister who emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Rishi Sunak, warned that attempting to jump to a magical ideological square" after the party's disastrous general election result would fail to solve its problems. Continue reading...

Operators not predicting a large influx of new customers right away, with patronage still well below pre-Covid levels

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Singer, 43, arrested in June, has license suspended in New York state as judge threatens attorney with gag orderJustin Timberlake made a virtual court appearance on Friday in his drunken driving case on Long Island, saying little during the brief proceeding as a judge accepted his not-guilty plea and suspended his right to drive in New York.Police in the seaside village of Sag Harbor arrested Timberlake on 18 June after they say he ran a stop sign, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol. Continue reading...

Kerry-Ann Knight hoped to pave way for Black women but was instead subjected to 12 years of abuseA former soldier who appeared on recruitment posters for the British army has received a settlement and an apology after taking it to an employment tribunal over the racist and sexist abuse she was subjected to during her career.While still in training, Kerry-Ann Knight was pictured on a recruitment poster above the words Your army needs you and your self-belief", confidently looking over her shoulder. Continue reading...

Site in Pembrokeshire suggests area was more militarised than previously thought, says expert who made discoveryA previously unknown Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire in Wales overturns assumptions that the area's indigenous Celtic tribe was on peaceful terms with the Roman invaders.The site, which has excited archaeologists, had been hidden until now beneath an enormous, overgrown field. It explains why the land had been unsuccessful for farming: the farmer kept hitting stone. Continue reading...

Rescue team members tell inquest how they devised a code to guide Const Keely Brough to safety, drawing gunfire as they blocked property entrance

The actors will star in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot from award-winning British director Jamie LloydThe Bill & Ted co-stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are set to head up a new take on Waiting for Godot on Broadway.The production is set to open in New York City in fall 2025 from the acclaimed British director Jamie Lloyd, who has won four Olivier awards and has been nominated for two Tonys. His most recent Broadway credit saw him directing Jessica Chastain in a stripped-back version of A Doll's House. Continue reading...

Teenager from Banks in Lancashire charged after three children killed and eight injured during dance classA 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder and attempted murder after 13 people, including 11 children, were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, police said.Merseyside police said they charged the suspect, who is from the village of Banks, Lancashire, with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of an offensive weapon. He will appear at Liverpool city magistrates court on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

Arrests come after far right staged violent protests following deaths of three children in knife attackMore than 50 police officers were injured and five men arrested after far-right riots in Southport, which broke out as the town reeled from a knife attack that killed three children.The Merseyside chief constable, Serena Kennedy, said the five were arrested in connection with riots in which 53 police officers were injured - 49 from Merseyside police and four from Lancashire. Three police dogs, Zoe, Ike and Quga, were also hurt. Continue reading...

Jordan Goudreau, 48, was charged in New York for smuggling and conspiracy alongside partner Yacsy AlvarezA former US Green Beret who, in 2020, organized a failed crossborder raid of Venezuelan army deserters to remove President Nicolas Maduro has been arrested in New York on federal arms smuggling charges.A federal indictment unsealed this week in Tampa, Florida, accuses Jordan Goudreau and a Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Alvarez, of violating US arms control laws when they allegedly assembled and sent to Colombia AR-styled weapons, ammo, night vision goggles and other defense equipment requiring a US export license. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Scotland Yard move on complaint by ex-PM Gordon Brown, who accuses Will Lewis of phone hacking cover-up' in 2011

Use of NDAs in cases of harassment and sexual misconduct will also be banned under measures introduced by regulatorUniversities in England will be fined if they fail to take adequate steps to protect students from harassment and sexual misconduct under measures that will also ban the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in such cases.Higher education institutions will have to take steps to prevent abuse of power" where there are personal relationships between staff and students, the universities watchdog said.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Neil Basu says Reform UK leader is creating conspiracy theories' by questioning whether truth is being withheld'A former counter-terrorism police chief has accused Nigel Farage of helping incite violence that broke out in Southport after the killing of three children in a knife attack this week.Farage drew criticism from across the political spectrum for remarks he made in a video on Tuesday in which he questioned whether the truth is being withheld from us" after the attack on Monday. Continue reading...

City officials say they have reversed the tide of history' thanks to completion of 1.4bn sewerage systemFrench city officials have hailed a historic day" after the Olympic triathlon competitions were held in the River Seine just a day after it was deemed unsafe for swimming.Tests on the water showed the men's and women's competitions could go ahead on Wednesday morning, resulting in victory - against all odds - for the city as well as for French athletes who took medals in the women's and men's events. Continue reading...

Digital ad revenues return to growth, driven in part by articles about pop superstar, Euro 2024 and electionTaylor Swift's Eras tour, the Euro 2024 football tournament and the UK general election - as well as a deep round of cost-cutting and job losses - helped the publisher of the Mirror and Express newspapers to its best quarterly performance in almost two years.Reach reported a 23% increase in operating profit to 44.5m in the first half and recorded a return to growth in digital revenues, which it is banking on to secure a future for its newspaper titles, for the first time since the third quarter of 2022. Continue reading...

Government announces $371m package but says the call for a new disability rights act is still under consideration

Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and co-founder of Greenpeace, has been arrested on an international warrant and is facing charges including accomplice to assault and ship trespassAnti-whaling activist Paul Watson could face up to 15 years in prison in Japan, after the founder of US-based group Sea Shepherd was arrested on an international warrant in Greenland earlier this month.According to the Japan Coast Guard, Watson, who is also a co-founder of Greenpeace, is facing charges including accomplice to assault and ship trespass, after he was arrested on an international warrant in Greenland. Continue reading...

Far-right protesters threw bricks at officers, set vehicles on fire and attacked mosqueKeir Starmer has said those who rioted in Southport on Tuesday night will feel the full force of the law" after police vehicles were set alight and missiles hurled at officers.It came after far-right protesters pelted police with glass bottles and bricks and attacked a mosque following a knife attack that killed three children. Continue reading...

Limit on welfare support, introduced in 2013, leaves some with just 4 a day for each family memberLow-income families affected by the benefit cap are living on as little as 4 for each person a day, often in overcrowded, rat-infested and damp homes with little prospect of escape, according to a new study.The cap puts a ceiling on the amount a working-age family can receive in welfare support if no one in the household is working or they are on very low wages. Families affected by it in many parts of the country are, in effect, trapped in poor quality, private rented properties they cannot afford, even though these are often already the cheapest homes available in their local area, the London School of Economics study said. Continue reading...

Violent clashes at street protest, hours after police released names of three children who were killed

Lebanon foreign minister says attack came as shock after assurances of limited response' from IsraelIsrael has claimed it killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Fuad Shukur, in an airstrike on a south Beirut suburb launched in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed 12 children at the weekend.Shukur, also known as Hajj Mohsin, served as right hand man to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel's military spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari said in a late night briefing. Continue reading...

Investigation ordered by US interior secretary found graves at schools established to force Indigenous kids to assimilateAt least 973 Native American children died in the US government's abusive boarding school system, according to the results of an investigation released Tuesday by officials who called on the government to apologize for the schools.The investigation commissioned by the US interior secretary, Deb Haaland, found marked and unmarked graves at 65 of the more than 400 US boarding schools that were established to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white society. The findings don't specify how each child died, but the causes of death included sickness and abuse during a 150-year period that ended in 1969, officials said. Continue reading...

PC Christopher Gudgeon charged after a report of sexual assault alleged to have taken place off-dutyA serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with sexual assault.PC Christopher Gudgeon, who is attached to the Met's Central South Basic Command Unit, was charged by postal requisition on 9 July, the force said. Continue reading...

People say the community has been shaken to the core after three children were killed at a dance workshop

Officials have mixed accounts around arrest of Sinaloa co-founder El Mayo after Guzman Lopez turned himself inJoaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquin El Chapo" Guzman Loera, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in Chicago, days after his arrest in a dramatic operation in which he may have delivered his father's former business partner to US authorities.Guzman Lopez, 38, was detained on Thursday alongside Ismael El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the other co-founder of one of Mexico's most powerful organised crime groups, after touching down in a small plane in El Paso, Texas. Continue reading...

Indictment comes as nine other soldiers appear in Israeli military court over allegations of sexual abuse of detaineeIsrael's military has charged a reservist with aggravated abuse of Palestinian prisoners, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as nine other soldiers appeared in military court for an initial hearing over allegations they had sexually abused a detainee from Gaza.The new indictment alleges that the unnamed soldier, assigned to escort handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinians, used a baton and his assault rifle to attack prisoners on multiple occasions. Continue reading...

Good Vibes Festival organizer seeks $2.4m after band's violation of behavior code led to a shutdown last JulyThe organizer of Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival has sued the 1975 and all of the British pop-rock band's members individually, following lead singer Matty Healy's purported protest against the country's anti-LGBTQ+ law on stage.Future Sound Asia, the music festival's organizers, are seeking $2.4m (1.9m after the band's violation of the event's behavior code resulted in the festival being shut down last July. Continue reading...

Coroner's court told that Hannah Hunt, 28, messaged a friend to say she had been tied up' before calling 999Hannah Hunt, a daughter of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt, who died after an attack at her home, was still alive and had a crossbow bolt in her chest when police arrived, the opening of an inquest has heard.Hannah, 28, was able to text someone pleading for help, telling them she had been tied up" at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on 9 July. Continue reading...

Chancellor rules out raising national insurance, VAT or income tax but says difficult decisions to come' amid 22bn public finance shortfallTaxes are likely to rise in the Labour government's first budget, the chancellor Rachel Reeves, has said.Speaking on the News Agent podcast, Reeves declined to rule out increases in inheritance tax, capital gains tax or pensions changes. Continue reading...

Rico Krieger, 30, had been found guilty on terrorism charges in case held behind closed doorsA German man sentenced to death in Belarus has been pardoned by the country's president, just a few days after news of the case became public. Rico Krieger, 30, was found guilty on terrorism charges in a case that was held behind closed doors and only became public last week.Krieger, who formerly worked for the German Red Cross, was accused of placing explosives on a rail track in the country on the orders of Ukrainian intelligence. Nobody was killed or injured in the explosion that supposedly ensued. Earlier this week, Krieger appeared, handcuffed, in a staged television interview broadcast on Belarusian state media. Crying, he begged the German authorities to intervene in his case. Continue reading...

Police address falsehoods including incorrect' name as far-right activists and conspiracy theorists share contentA flood of misinformation about the Southport attack is being spread on numerous social media platforms by sources ranging from far-right activists to fake news websites and conspiracy theorists.Such was the impact in the last 24 hours of some of that misinformation that Merseyside police on Tuesday directly addressed the sharing of a name on social media in connection with the suspect. Continue reading...

Rayner says housing target system will raise number of homes planned to 370,000 and confirmed targets will be mandatoryBalls, who, of course, is a former Labour cabinet minister, and a former shadow chancellor, questions whether Reeves is right to suggest that Jeremy Hunt is wholly to blame for the black hole. He says that other cabinet ministers and departments drew up the spending plans that she says were unfunded.Reeves repeats the point she has been making all morning about how the public were misled. (See 8.06am.) Continue reading...

Inquiry into 1998 attack will ask whether state authorities' could have acted to prevent mass killingThe chair of the public inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing by the Real IRA, the single worst atrocity in Northern Ireland's Troubles, has said on its first day that its task would be undertaken rigorously and fearlessly".Twenty-nine people including a woman expecting twins were killed in the dissident republican attack and more than 200 were injured. Continue reading...

Five children and two adults remain in critical condition in hospital, as police question 17-year-old over stabbings

Authorities allege members of two different gangs were involved in the killing, with one suspect still at largePolice investigating the June shooting death of Julio Foolio have arrested four suspects in the popular Florida rapper's slaying and are searching for a fifth, according to investigators.Authorities said on Monday that members of two different gangs - ATK and 1200 - carried out the ambush which killed the 26-year-old musician, whose legal name was Charles Jones, while he was out celebrating his birthday in Tampa. Continue reading...

Versailles banquet among lavish spending in 2023 that has plunged president's office 8m into redThe French president's office spent nearly 475,000 (400,100) on a dinner for King Charles last year, the country's top audit court said in a report cautioning about high spending.In September 2023, King Charles attended a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles attended by more than 150 people, part of a soft power" visit aimed at improving ties between London and Paris. Continue reading...

An Israeli civilian has been killed by rocket fired from Lebanon, Israel's N12 news channel is reporting.David Lammy has reiterated a warning to British citizens in Lebanon.My message to British nationals in Lebanon is clear - leave," he said. Continue reading...

US diplomatic efforts to constrain Israel's reaction continue as Benjamin Netanyahu vows a harsh' response

Author's long-running high school book series sold more than 200m copies and led to a hit TV showFrancine Pascal, creator of the long-running Sweet Valley High book series, has died at the age of 92.According to the New York Times, the author died in New York City as as result of lymphoma. The news was confirmed by her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal. Continue reading...