Ex-mafia associate Fotios Freddy' Geas convicted of fatally bludgeoning notorious Boston gangster in 2018A former mafia hitman already serving life in prison was sentenced to 25 years on Friday in the 2018 fatal prison bludgeoning of notorious Boston gangster James Whitey" Bulger.Prosecutors said Fotios Freddy" Geas used a lock attached to a belt to repeatedly hit the 89-year-old Bulger in the head hours after he arrived at Hazelton, a troubled US penitentiary, from another lockup in Florida in October 2018. Defense attorneys disputed that characterization on Friday, saying Geas hit Bulger with his fist. Continue reading...
Both creator and fan accounts on the platform grew 30% during strong year' in which its users spent more than 5bnThe owner of the subscription platform OnlyFans was paid a $472m (359m) dividend last year, taking his payouts from the business since 2020 to more than $1bn.Leonid Radvinsky has received a total of just under $1.3bn over the past four years from the site, which offers users subscriptions to material provided by creators and is synonymous with adult content. Continue reading...
Thomas Birley added fuel to bin fire and threw objects at police during unrest outside hotel housing asylum seekersA Rotherham man has been handed the longest prison sentence so far over the rioting in early August as he was jailed for nine years for his role in violence outside a hotel housing hundreds of asylum seekers.A judge told Thomas Birley, 27, that his case was unquestionably" one of the most serious of the dozens he had dealt with in the last month in relation to rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on 4 August. Continue reading...
by Natricia Duncan Caribbean correspondent on (#6QH4P)
Funds will help communities living on the Codrington estate, which was home to two sugar plantationsAn Anglican church group is to launch a 7m reconciliation project in Barbados to atone for the atrocities of transatlantic slavery and compensate descendants of enslaved people.United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG), a UK-based missionary organisation created in 1701 to convert people in the colonies to Christianity, will work with local and regional partners in the Caribbean to allocate money to education and entrepreneurial grants and historical research. It will also support land ownership among descendants of enslaved people. Continue reading...
Amazon says the device's pro-Harris answers were due to software errors, but conservatives allege a liberal biasAmazon's Alexa voice assistant has caused an uproar among conservatives after viral videos showed the device giving supportive answers about voting for Kamala Harris, while refusing to respond to similar questions about Donald Trump.The issue was due to a software update intended to improve the quality of Alexa's functions and its artificial intelligence operations, according to leaked documents obtained by the Washington Post. Continue reading...
Justice ministry had reportedly been considering sending criminals in England and Wales to Baltic stateMinisters have dismissed claims that Labour is considering sending criminals convicted in England and Wales to Estonia to serve their prison sentences.The Telegraph reported that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was investigating all viable options" to increase capacity after the Baltic state said it had offered to rent out spare capacity to other countries. Continue reading...
Chris Harris says he warned BBC three months before crash that someone would die unless safety procedures changedThe former Top Gear presenter Chris Harris has said he expressed safety concerns to the BBC three months before the car crash that left Andrew Flintoff with facial injuries and broken ribs.The former England cricketer, 46, was driving an open-topped three-wheel vehicle when it flipped and slid along the track at Dunsfold aerodrome, Surrey, in December 2022. Continue reading...
Prime minister held a summit attended by National Crime Agency, Border Force and senior ministersKeir Starmer has pledged to break up people-smuggling gangs in the same manner used to apprehend and jail hundreds of rioters this summer.After a meeting with law enforcement agencies and cabinet ministers to discuss plans to stop small boats crossing the Channel on Friday, the prime minister said that the high-level summit" mirrored the approach taken after disturbances fuelled by far-right activists. Continue reading...
Several dead after blaze engulfs dormitory housing more than 150 children aged 10 to 14At least 18 boys have been killed and 27 more were taken to hospital after a fire raged through the dormitory of a boarding school in central Kenya in the early hours of Friday.Kenya's vice-president, Rigathi Gachagua, gave the toll at the scene at the Hillside Endarasha academy, a primary school in the town of Endarasha, where the fire broke out at about midnight engulfing rooms where more than 150 children were sleeping. Continue reading...
Witnesses say Ayenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fired at by Israel Defense Forces soldiers positioned in nearby fieldAn American-Turkish dual national has been shot dead - reportedly by Israeli troops - while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.Ayenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old volunteer with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement, died in hospital on Friday after being shot in the head during a protest in Beita, near Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Continue reading...
Then education secretary faced repeated calls to resign over school and exam procedures during pandemicA former education secretary widely derided for his leadership of the department during the pandemic will face a grilling by the UK Covid-19 inquiry on the impact of school closures on children.Gavin Williamson, who faced repeated calls to resign over his handling of school closures, the cancellation of exams and a controversial U-turn on the grading of GCSE and A-level results, will be questioned about his two years in the job when the inquiry looks at the impact the pandemic had on children in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Continue reading...
Home Office has paid more than 430,000 extra compensation after watchdog investigations of complaintsThe Home Office has wrongly denied compensation to numerous Windrush victims, a watchdog report has found, concluding that further harm and injustice" has been caused as a result of systemic problems with the scheme.More than 430,000 of extra compensation has been awarded to people affected by the scandal as a result of investigations by the parliamentary and health service ombudsman. Continue reading...
Students say that Richard Aspinwall left his classroom after the shooting started to try protect themRichard Aspinwall, the mathematics teacher and football coach who was one of two teachers killed in Wednesday's high school shooting in Georgia, was trying to protect the children in his classroom when he was killed.His attempt to protect the teens in his care was one of the new details that have emerged about the four victims killed in the gun rampage by a student at Apalachee high school, in the small city of Winder. Continue reading...
Campaigners call for apology after inquiry report makes several criticisms of decisions made during Blair's tenureGrenfell campaigners have called on Tony Blair to apologise and take responsibility for decisions made by his government that contributed to the fire that killed 72 people.The former prime minister said on Thursday that tragedies such as the west London fire, which came after years of missed opportunities to regulate combustible cladding, were a result of unavoidable mistakes. Continue reading...
Disasters Emergency Committee sources say corporation fears backlash from those supportive of ground invasionThe launch of a major humanitarian appeal for Gaza by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is being delayed by the BBC, it has emerged.The corporation said the appeal did not meet all the established criteria for a national appeal, but the possibility of broadcasting an appeal was under review". Other channels have agreed to broadcast an appeal. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6QHB1)
Ukrainian president says such use of long-range weapons would motivate Moscow to seek peaceVolodymyr Zelenskiy called upon the west on Friday to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles deep inside Russia and complained that a lack of supplies and cooperation prevented them being used effectively where they were permitted.The Ukrainian president flew to Germany to lobby western defence leaders amid growing concern in Kyiv that assistance from key allies - the US, UK and France - is deteriorating, as the war approaches a third winter. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6QHD5)
People involved in some of the UK's highest-profile recent inquiries discuss what they achieved and what was left undoneAfter the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: We did not ask for this inquiry ... It's delayed the justice my family deserves."Although he thanked the inquiry for its findings, Choucair was devastated that the police had put the criminal investigation on the back burner until it had concluded. A decision on prosecutions is now not expected to happen until the end of 2026 at the earliest. Continue reading...
Anas Al Mustafa, 43, sentenced to 10 years after seven people were hidden in a concealed space in his vanA people smuggler who was discovered after stowaways were heard screaming for help as they struggled for oxygen in a hidden compartment of his van has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was convicted of assisting unlawful migration by trafficking seven people in February in a specially adapted van via a cross-Channel ferry between Dieppe in France and Newhaven. Continue reading...
German chancellor says country will support Ukraine for as long as it takes' as he meets Volodymyr ZelenskiyUkraine's defence minister outlined the country's priorities today.Speaking at Ramstein airbase, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy raised concerns about western partners' policies and the pace of deliveries.Long-range capability. I'm glad that the US, the UK, and France are represented here. Thanks to our joint courage, we have implemented very important operations, in particular in Crimea.These operations allowed us to return security to the Black Sea and our food exports. Now we hear that your long-range policy has not changed, but we see changes in the Atacms, Storm Shadows and Scalps -a shortage of missiles and cooperation. Continue reading...
Downing Street says plan to relocate prisoners from England and Wales was from previous Conservative administrationFormer chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick appeared on the media this morning, and said that recently visiting prisons for the first time he felt concerned about his own personal security.He told listeners of the BBC Today programme:I've been in a lot of prisons, what I've noticed in some I've visited recently is for the first time I've felt concerned for my own personal security - they're dangerous and frightening places, and staff are struggling to keep control.That will remove the immediate pressure, I don't think the government had any alternative in the short-term other than to do these releases.But it's a bit like squeezing a balloon - you release the pressure in one place but the bulge goes somewhere else - and the real problem now is, first of all, some of those released will re-offend for certain, and some of those released, a lot of those released, I fear will end up homeless because there simply isn't the accommodation for them. Continue reading...
Dominique Pelicot has admitted drugging his wife Gisele and inviting strangers to abuse her over a decadeThe daughter of a French man on trial for enlisting strangers to rape his drugged wife has described him as probably one of the worst sexual criminals in past 20 years".Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old retiree, has admitted to abusing his wife without her knowledge between 2011 and 2020, drugging her with sleeping pills and then recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her in her own home. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Napo says officers do not feel protected as 2,000 offenders to be let out early to try to ease prison crisisProbation officers have been given as little as a week's notice to prepare for serious offenders to be freed in England and Wales under the government's early-release scheme, the Guardian has been told.About 2,000 prisoners are expected to be let out on Tuesday 10 September amid warnings of a coming spike in crime. But members of the probation officers' union Napo were only informed on 3 September that this would include some serious offenders being released into their supervision. Continue reading...
Public choosing Shakespeare over invasion' and becoming more discerning about Britain's history, says Alan LesterA striking fall in pride in Britain's history, but widespread support for the arts, shows the public are choosing Shakespeare over invasion, exploitation and occupation", a leading historian has said.The findings from the British Social Attitudes survey, published this week, show that while levels of pride in Britain's achievements in sport and the arts remained high over the past decade, there was a 22-point fall in the proportion of people saying they were proud of Britain's history. Continue reading...
Plans for brutalist Richard Dunn building would turn it into versatile space for recently added Olympic sportsAn abandoned sports centre that escaped demolition after being turned into a backup Covid morgue could be in line for a new role as the UK's first national skateboarding park.Andy McDonald, a skateboarder who was called Rad Dad" after competing in the Paris Olympics at the age of 51, is among those backing the proposals to reinvent Bradford's boarded-up brutalist Richard Dunn sports centre. Continue reading...
Fadi Aldeeb, who had a month to train in his old event, was sole Gaza-born athlete at either Paris GamesFadi Aldeeb got the call just a month before the Paralympics began asking him to return to the shot put, an event in which he hadn't competed in years, to be the sole Palestinian representative at the Paris Games.When they asked me, of course I said yes because this is my country," said the 38-year-old wheelchair basketball player from Gaza. This experience isn't about me, I am the voice of millions of people, to show their goals, their hopes and their successes. This is my opportunity to show the world who we are." Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6QH78)
Decision affects services such as Citymapper, while TfL says incident not believed to be ransomware attackTransport for London has cut some live data feeds serving travel apps such as Citymapper and TfL Go, as it deals with the cyber-attack that began last Sunday.TfL said that while public transport services were running as normal and not directly affected, it was restricting access to live travel data and some other customer services including journey history and photocard registration as part of measures to tackle the breach. Continue reading...
Co-founder of British cybersecurity company says now is the right time to hand over the reins', to Jill PopelkaPoppy Gustafsson, the co-founder and chief executive of the British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, is to leave the company after its $5.3bn (4.2bn) sale to the US private equity business Thoma Bravo.Gustafsson, one of the most well-known figures in the UK tech industry, founded Darktrace in Cambridge in 2013 with backing from the late billionaire Mike Lynch's Invoke Capital. Continue reading...
Designer rolls out signature styles and western-inspired pieces for show opening New York fashion weekAs a broke sales assistant in his early 20s, Ralph Lauren would drive to the eastern end of Long Island just to breathe the affluent air. The son of Jewish immigrants grew up in the Bronx and now has a net worth of $7bn (5.3bn). For many, his story is the epitome of the American dream.So it felt fitting that Thursday night's show of his latest collection, which kicked off New York fashion week, stuck to the classics, including Lauren's polo player logo which has become the symbol of American style. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6QH1X)
Fringe festival for leftwing politics will not take place at party's conference in Liverpool for first time since 2016Senior leftwing Labour figures have said the left will have a greatly diminished presence at this year's party conference, where the Jeremy Corbyn-era fringe festival will not take place for the first time since 2016.The conference in Liverpool is likely to be dominated by delegates from the party's centrist wing, though there will be moves to force votes on issues such as the two-child benefit cap and the winter fuel allowance. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Record numbers of pupils are being removed from class, with dire consequences for their attainment levels in later life. But is the pandemic solely to blame for this increase in bad behaviour? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.School suspensions have been steadily rising since 2015, but in the last few years there has been a particularly sharp increase in the suspension and exclusion rate in England and it is getting worse. Using the most recent data available, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found that up to the Easter holidays 2024 there was a 20% rise in exclusions compared with the same period the previous year.Grenfell Tower | Grenfell families have criticised the final inquiry report on the disaster for failing to fully address the disproportionate impact the tragedy had on diverse and marginalised communities. The damning report on the Grenfell Tower fire was published on Wednesday and found decades of failings by central government and corporations. It concluded that all 72 deaths in the 2017 blaze were avoidable.Economy | The UK needs 1tn of fresh investment over the next decade if the government is to hit its economic growth targets, a City taskforce has said. The report said the challenge was to make the UK a competitive market in which to invest".Welfare | The Labour government has confirmed there will be a binding vote on whether to scrap the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners, as unease grows within the party about backing the plans.France | Emmanuel Macron has appointed the EU's former Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, as prime minister of France, as he seeks to put an end to two months of political paralysis after a snap election. The French president said he had tasked Barnier with forming a unifying government in the service of the country".Music | The Leeds indie band English Teacher have won the Mercury prize for their debut album, This Could Be Texas. Formed in 2020, the four-piece formed at Leeds Conservatoire and signed to Island records to release their first album. Continue reading...
Maria Corina Machado wants struggle against Maduro's criminal tyranny' to mirror anti-apartheid movementThe Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has called for a global movement, similar to the international campaign against apartheid in South Africa, to help rescue her country from Nicolas Maduro's criminal tyranny".Speaking to foreign journalists as Maduro stepped up his post-election crackdown, Machado said she hoped Venezuela's struggle for democracy would become a world cause" just as South Africa's did in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Continue reading...
Which? crowns Asda Everyday winner of best cuppa 2024 after blind tasting by 79 experienced and committed' tea drinkersThe battle for the nation's best brew is usually a face-off between the usual big-brand suspects. But this year, a supermarket own-brand teabag has come out on top.Asda's Everyday teabags were crowned the best cuppa of 2024 by the consumer group Which?. The budget brew, which costs 1.20 for 80 bags, achieved the top score of 72% in a blind tasting by 79 experienced and committed" tea drinkers. Continue reading...
Known for its wineries and Roman temples, and as the home of Hezbollah, the Beqaa has become a theatre of war againOn a recent morning near the town of Nabi Chit in Lebanon's eastern Beqaa region, a dozen men were clearing away debris. Israeli jets had thundered through the valley a week earlier, the second such raid in three days. The explosions turned the night sky red, yellow and orange, and filled the air with the smell of dust and gunpowder.They hit Nabi Chit because our village is the mother of the resistance," said Mohammed al-Moussawi, an ardent supporter of Hezbollah, the Shia militant group, political party and social movement known here as the resistance. He stood on the ground-floor terrace of his house in front of a pile of rubble and a twisted metal awning. The windows were blown out, the facade pockmarked with shrapnel. Continue reading...
Parents and campaigners have called on education and health authorities to end the practice of requiring children to strip off for school health checksMy chest was completely exposed and I felt embarrassed," writes a Japanese girl after undergoing an annual health checkup at her middle school. Another says: Before the exam our teacher told us we would have to lift up our tops and bra ... I didn't want to do it but I couldn't say no."The testimony from two 13-year-olds, seen by the Guardian, is typical of the discomfort - and in some cases trauma - felt by children attending schools in Japan that can require boys and girls as young as five - and as old as 18 - to strip to the waist during health examinations. Continue reading...
US families have adopted 82,674 children from China, the most of any country, with diplomats seeking clarity for hundreds of families in the process of international adoptionThe Chinese government is ending its international adoption program, and the US is seeking clarification on how the decision will affect hundreds of American families with pending applications.At a daily briefing on Thursday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said China was no longer allowing intercountry adoptions of the country's children, with the only exception for blood relatives to adopt a child or a stepchild. Continue reading...
Earlier release of killers and rapists on licence among the options suggested to potentially ease overcrowdingFive of the most senior former judges in England and Wales have warned that radical solutions" such as the earlier release of killers and rapists on licence should be considered to ease the prison overcrowding crisis.The four surviving former lord chief justices - Lord Woolf, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and Lord Burnett of Maldon - and Sir Brian Leveson, the only surviving president of the queen's bench division, have recommended a review at the halfway stage of the determinate sentences of all prisoners serving longer than 10 years.The release of all IPP [imprisonment for public protection] prisoners and two-strike prisoners who are over tariff, with support in the community.A review of the needs and risk levels of older prisoners upon reaching a certain age, followed by a move to a more appropriate secure location if required.Reinstating the provision that releases those prisoners who must serve two-thirds of their sentences to one-half.Regular review of minimum terms" for people serving indeterminate sentences.An increase in the size and number of the open (category D) prison estate to help inmates return to work, education and family for those serving long sentences.Life-sentenced prisoners should be allowed to apply to move to open prison years earlier than the current three years before release. Continue reading...
Maj Gen James Roddis admitted indecent behaviour after drunkenly touching and kissing woman against her willA major general who drunkenly touched and kissed a woman in a karaoke bar after she indicated she wanted him to stop has been dismissed from the army and given a six-month suspended prison sentence by a court martial board for his indecent behaviour.Maj Gen James Roddis, 53, was leading a military delegation overseas when he made his unwanted advances, with the early part of the incident captured on camera with a mobile phone. Continue reading...
TV presenter, explorer and naturalist is the first person of colour to lead organisationThe Scouts have announced Dwayne Fields, the first black Briton to reach the north pole, as the UK's new chief scout.Fields, a TV presenter, explorer and naturalist, is the first person of colour to lead the organisation, which has half a million young members and adult volunteers. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian