Gardai believe boy had been radicalised online and bore grudge about Irish peacekeepers in Middle EastIrish police suspect a possible terror motive in a stabbing attack outside an army barracks in Galway that inflicted serious injuries on a military chaplain.Police have detained a 16-year-old boy who was reportedly radicalised online and had a grievance about Irish peacekeepers in the Middle East. Continue reading...
Shadow home secretary criticises Labour handling of pay dispute as Aslef announces new strikesTwo men have been charged in Sunderland with offences relating to far-right led disorder that spread across England and Northern Ireland in recent weeks. A 32-year-old has been charged with riot, while a 58-year-old has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. Over 390 people have now been charged with offences taking pace during the disorder.Conservative leadership candidate Mel Stride is continuing the Tory strategy of using recent economic data to suggest that the country was doing well under Rishi Sunak's government. He has posted to social media to say:Our growth remains the strongest in the G7. Yet Rachel Reeves continues to lay the ground for damaging tax rises. Labour cannot keep concocting excuses - the facts speak for themselves. If they raise taxes it is not out of necessity, it's because they always planned to do it. Continue reading...
by Edward Siddons, Billie Gay Jackson and Damien Gayl on (#6Q12P)
DLA Piper seeking to recover costs in relation to injunctions it secured for National Highways and HS2, records showBritain's biggest law firm has sought more than 1m from climate protesters to cover the cost of court orders banning them from protesting, an investigation has found.The multibillion-pound City law firm DLA Piper has been trying to recover costs from activists for work done on behalf of National Highways Limited (NHL) and HS2 Ltd - both public bodies - obtaining injunctions banning protests on their sites. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay Global health correspondent on (#6Q12Q)
The move comes amid reports of disappointing results from trials for a treatment against the variant behind the current outbreakSurveillance efforts against mpox are being ramped up globally, as trials for a new treatment showed disappointing results against the variant driving the current outbreak.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday raised its risk level assessment for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, from low to moderate. The decision came after Sweden reported the first case of clade Ib outside Africa. Continue reading...
Union says its members at LNER will stay off work every weekend from 1 September to 10 NovemberPassengers travelling between London and Edinburgh face months of disruption after LNER drivers announced 22 days of strike action from the start of September to early November.The train drivers' union Aslef said its members working for LNER would take strike action every weekend between just after midnight on 1 September and 10 November after what it called a complete breakdown in industrial relations, bullying by management, and persistent breaking of agreements by the company". Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6Q12T)
East Renfrewshire venue cancels upcoming show after Fringe audience booed people who objected to Israel jokeA theatre has cancelled an upcoming show by the comedian Reginald D Hunter following reports that Israeli audience members were heckled during his Edinburgh Fringe show after they objected to one of his jokes.The Eastwood Theatre, where Hunter had been booked to perform in September and which is based in East Renfrewshire, home to Scotland's largest Jewish community, cancelled his show due to controversial comments". Continue reading...
Decision making and use of lethal force will be scrutinised by independent body after tragic incident' on SundayA 29-year-old man who was shot by a Surrey police firearms officer and taken to hospital in a critical condition has died, and the police watchdog is investigating the circumstances.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the man died on Thursday after he was shot in the village of Knaphill, near Woking, in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6Q10B)
Beijing court rejects lawsuit brought by Xu Zaozao, who was seeking to widen access to fertility treatment in ChinaA Chinese woman who filed a groundbreaking lawsuit to win the right to freeze her eggs has lost her final appeal, exhausting the legal avenues in her fight to widen access to fertility treatment in China.Beijing No 3 intermediate people's court ruled that Xu Zaozao's rights had not been violated when Beijing obstetrics and gynaecology hospital refused to freeze her eggs in 2018. Chinese regulations stipulate that assisted reproductive technology is only for married couples with fertility issues. Xu, now 36, said the doctor gave her some friendly advice instead: hurry up, get married and have children now. Continue reading...
Duke spoke at summit on digital responsibility while on visit with Duchess of Sussex to ColombiaThe Duke of Sussex has hit out at online disinformation during a four-day visit to Colombia, warning: What happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets."Speaking in Bogota at a summit on digital responsibility, Harry said of the spread of false information via AI and social media: People are acting on information that isn't true." Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6Q0ZX)
Staff in line for $500m windfall, with company now worth more than market valuations of big high street banksRevolut has clinched a $45bn (35bn) valuation through a share sale that is expected to net staff a $500m windfall, cementing its position as the most valuable private tech company in Europe.It is a boost for the London-headquartered firm, which was last valued at $33bn in 2021. It is now worth more than the market valuations of big high street banks, including NatWest and Barclays, which are worth 29bn and 33.5bn, respectively. Continue reading...
Data shows continued surge in wind and solar power amid hopes Chinese greenhouse gas emissions may have peakedChina produced as much clean electricity in the first half of this year as the UK generated from all sources in the same period last year, data shows, as wind and solar power generation continued to surge in the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.Electricity generation from coal and gas dropped by 5% in China in July, year on year, according to an update from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) thinktank, basing its analysis on data released by the Chinese government on Thursday. Continue reading...
Investigation shows restrictions on makers from promoting price reductions softens competitionStrict rules on the advertising of baby formula are pushing up costs for parents in the UK, the competition watchdog has found, as it attempts to tackle historically high" prices for the products.Baby formula makers are restricted from promoting price reductions, which has the effect of softening competition on price", the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6Q0VW)
Exclusive: Centre for Cities analysis shows more new towns would have to be built than ever before to dent 1.5m targetAngela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England.The deputy prime minister announced plans last month for the largest housebuilding programme since the postwar period", kickstarted by the construction of a generation of new towns. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Israel's reluctance to compromise is under mounting pressure - will Tehran's intentions change the prospect of peace? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Ten months after Israel's invasion of Gaza began, the death toll compiled by health officials there has reached 40,000 - one in 50 of the territory's prewar population. There are thousands more killed by Israeli forces whose bodies have not yet been recovered. Among those known to have died recently are Ayssel and Asser, four-day-old twins killed in an Israeli airstrike along with their mother and grandmother while their father, Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan, was out registering their births.While a ceasefire is catastrophically overdue for Palestinians in Gaza, there is still no sign that one will soon be agreed. A new round of talks yesterday in Doha with Israel and mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar were said to have got off to a promising start". They are expected to continue today. But Hamas is not participating.Contaminated blood | Victims of the contaminated blood scandal will begin receiving compensation before the end of the year, with some entitled to more than 2.5m, the government has confirmed. About 3,000 people who contracted HIV or hepatitis C as a result of the infusions have already registered as potential recipients.Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed Kyiv's troops have full control over the Russian town of Sudzha, which had a prewar population of 5,000 people and contains infrastructure pumping Russian gas towards Europe. Both Ukraine and Russia claimed advances elsewhere in Kursk region on Thursday.Education | Pupils achieved the best A-level results in a generation on Thursday, with marks that highlighted the growing gap between the strongest and weakest-performing parts of the country.Mpox | Sweden confirmed its first case of the more contagious variant of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, marking the first time it has been found outside Africa. The person was infected while in a part of Africa where there was a large outbreak of the disease.US news | Five people have been arrested and charged over the death of Matthew Perry, prosecutors said, including the actor's personal assistant and two doctors. The doctors supplied the Friends actor, who died at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with a large amount of ketamine, the US attorney Martin Estrada said, and took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves". Continue reading...
Arrests in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire are in relation to alleged extreme rightwing activity but not connected to Southport riots, says MetTwo teenagers have been charged with terrorism offences in relation to suspected extreme rightwing activity, the Metropolitan police has said.
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#6Q0V0)
Paetongtarn was selected as a candidate after a court ruling ousted Srettha Thavisin last weekPaetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of the billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been approved as Thailand's next prime minister, after securing enough support from lawmakers.Paetongtarn, 37, will be the youngest prime minister to lead the country. Her appointment on Friday followed 24 hours of frantic negotiations triggered by a court ruling that ousted the former prime minister Srettha Thavisin. Continue reading...
Aaron Govendir originally told police his Dover Heights home had been broken into and he was knocked unconscious, but police have new allegations on wife's cold-case killing
ABM, owned by the billionaire Coates family, was also named and shamed for not paying staff the minimum wageA catering company owned by the billionaire Coates family has reported a return to profit, after it emerged that the company had served food from a mouse-infested kitchen to primary school children and failed to pay staff the minimum wage.ABM Catering Solutions is owned by the Labour donor Peter Coates and his family, including his daughter Denise, who is known for her record-breaking pay deals for running the family's Bet365 gambling empire. Continue reading...
Two women and two MPs under the age of 50 are on potential list of candidates after current PM Fumio Kishida decided to step downAfter a week in which Japan's citizens braced themselves for a possible megaquake, the biggest seismic shift came from its political epicentre, as the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, announced his decision to step down next month.His three years in office will end in late September when his ruling Liberal Democratic party [LDP] selects a new president, who is assured of being approved as Japan's next prime minister in the LDP-controlled parliament. Continue reading...
Individuals could get up to 2.6m in compensation over blood products that caused HIV and hepatitis CVictims of the contaminated blood scandal will begin receiving compensation before the end of the year, and some people will be entitled to more than 2.5m, the government has confirmed.An outline of the long-awaited compensation scheme was set out in May, after the final report of the infected blood inquiry laid bare what Rishi Sunak, the then UK prime minister, called a decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life". Continue reading...
In letter to Ilham Aliyev, campaigners urge release of Gubad Ibadoghlu after pre-trial process halted indefinitelyA group of British MPs have called on the Azerbaijan government to free an academic from the London School of Economics and Political Science who was detained after writing articles critical of the country's environmental policies.Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, who is based in the UK, was arrested and held by Azerbaijan authorities while visiting members of his family in July 2023. He has been a prominent critic of the ruling elite in the Eurasian nation, which is preparing to host the Cop29 Climate Summit in November. Continue reading...
Workers in adult gender clinics allege chaotic' administration and out of control' waiting listsThe NHS has set out plans for a review into the safety of adult gender services, in response to detailed concerns raised by the author of the Cass report on gender care for children and young people.Dr Hilary Cass, the leading consultant paediatrician, listed 16 separate points of concern about the quality of treatment being offered to adults with gender dysphoria in a strongly worded letter to NHS England. Continue reading...
Fans in sequins and cowboy hats arrive undeterred at first of five Taylor Swift concerts in LondonThousands of fans have arrived at Wembley stadium in London to see Taylor Swift perform for the first time since her shows in Vienna were cancelled after a foiled terror attack.Despite heightened security concerns, fans have arrived unfazed, wearing sequins, cowboy hats and friendship bracelets. Angelina Morris, 20, said her mum had spent more than 50 hours hand-sewing her outfit and had not thought twice about attending the concert after the attack plot. Continue reading...
Pupils in England delivered strong A-level results this summer, with 42% of entrants getting A* or As in maths. Here are three questions to ponderThe class of 2024 proved exceptional at maths - but are you? Here are some questions pupils faced in last year's A-level exams. The answers are at the bottom.Turn over your exam paper and begin! Continue reading...
by Pamela Duncan and Carmen Aguilar García with grap on (#6Q0J4)
Stem subjects most popular among this year's students, who secured higher proportion of A*s than pre-Covid yearsAnother year, another cohort of A-level students in England experiencing the unique, nerve-racking experience of results day. Yes, the results are in. And for many more students than expected, the news is good.Here is what we have learned in the course of this year's A-levels ... and be grateful that there will be no exam on it at the end.Additional contribution by Chris Watson and Tural Ahmedzade Continue reading...
US, Qatar, Egypt and Israel meet in Doha in effort to prevent fighting spiralling into region-wide Middle East conflictA new round of negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and preventing the fighting from escalating into a region-wide conflict has begun, as the death toll in the Palestinian territory reached a grim milestone of 40,000 people, according to local health authorities.Mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt met an Israeli delegation in the Qatari capital of Doha on Thursday afternoon, with talks expected to continue into the next day. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, is not directly participating in the talks, meaning expectations of a breakthrough are low. Continue reading...
Agency says long-running investigation into company run by Tory peer Michelle Mone's husband will be concluded as quickly as possibleThe National Crime Agency has said it is not scared" of lawyers acting for PPE Medpro, the company led by the Conservative peer Michelle Mone's husband, Doug Barrowman, and is progressing an investigation into it as fast as we can".The NCA is conducting a long-running investigation into suspected criminal offences committed in the procurement by PPE Medpro of 203m of government contracts to supply personal protective equipment during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...
Personal assistant and two doctors among those indicted after Friends star died last October of acute effects of ketamine'Multiple people have been arrested and charged over the death of Matthew Perry, prosecutors said, including the actor's personal assistant and two doctors.The doctors supplied the Friends actor, who died at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with a large amount of ketamine, the US attorney Martin Estrada said, and took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves". Continue reading...
by Shaun Walker Central and eastern Europe correspond on (#6Q0E2)
Military commandant's office is being established in city, says president as discussions over prisoner exchanges restartUkraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed Kyiv's troops have full control over the Russian town of Sudzha, which had a prewar population of 5,000 people and contains infrastructure pumping Russian gas towards Europe.Sudzha, roughly six miles inside Russian territory, is the biggest of 80 settlements that Ukraine claims to have taken during the ten days since its surprise incursion into Russia began. Continue reading...
Brazilian president suggests fresh elections or coalition government as potential solutions to political crisisThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has made clear he does not yet accept Nicolas Maduro's claim to have been re-elected as Venezuela's president, and has suggested fresh elections or a coalition government as potential solutions to the country's intensifying political crisis.Maduro's claim to have won Venezuela's 28 July vote - despite compelling evidence that he was heavily beaten - has plunged the South American country into uncertainty and spooked regional governments who fear possible conflict and the consolidation of a dictatorship on their doorstep. Continue reading...
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