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Proposal for mega-resort on Lomond Banks turned down over concerns including loss of ancient woodlandProposals by the theme park operator Flamingo Land to build a mega-resort on one of Scotland's best-loved shorelines, on Loch Lomond, have been rejected, prompting celebrations among local people at the conclusion of a David and Goliath" planning battle.The Lomond Banks development, which would have included two hotels, more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and a monorail, had encountered fierce opposition, first from the village of Balloch, on the south-west shore of the loch, and then across Scotland, since it was first proposed in 2018. Continue reading...

Nathan Simpson had been released from prison a week before Rachel Simpson, 43, was killedA 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering his mother in Northern Ireland a week after his release from prison.Nathan Simpson of east Belfast appeared at Belfast magistrates court on Monday charged with the murder of Rachel Simpson, 43, on 13 September. No plea was entered. Continue reading...

It is unclear when Simon Case will resign, with senior No 10 staff alleged to have made informal complaintsThe head of the civil service is facing pressure from ministers and No 10 insiders to bring forward his departure date, amid anger over a series of damaging leaks and briefings.In a sign of how low relations between ministers and Simon Case have sunk, the cabinet secretary has been privately accused of failing to get a handle on leaks about donations funding clothes for Keir Starmer and his wife, and rows involving his chief of staff Sue Gray. Continue reading...

Former BBC newsreader admitted offences involving photographs of children as young as sevenThe former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence, completing an extraordinary fall from grace, after admitting accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven.Edwards, 63, who spent four decades at the BBC, looked pale and tired in the dock at Westminster magistrates court as the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, handed down the sentence. Continue reading...

Social media and a perception of Oxbridge elitism at the BBC also featured in experts' reportsHuw Edwards's downfall was of his own making, the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, concluded in his sentencing remarks, but that was not the entire picture painted by the BBC star in his interviews with forensic medical experts.The consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist Michael Isaac wrote two reports in which the broadcaster's father, the Welsh academic Hywel Teifi Edwards, who died in 2010, was pinpointed as the source of some of the mental anguish that led to the criminal behaviour of 2020 to 2021. Continue reading...

Trial of retired electrician, 71, and 50 other men had been adjourned while he was taken to hospitals for testsThe trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men accused of rape will resume on Tuesday after he was deemed well enough to attend court.The hearing was adjourned last week after the 71-year-old retired electrician, who has admitted drugging his wife, Gisele, and inviting up to 90 men to rape her while she was unconscious and he filmed the attacks, was reportedly diagnosed with a urine infection and prostate problems and taken to hospital for tests. Continue reading...

The six finalists include five books by women - the highest number of female writers shortlisted in the prize's 55-year history Justine Jordan: Each of the six shortlisted novels does something uniquePercival Everett, Rachel Kushner and Anne Michaels are among the writers whose novels have been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker prize. The list of six includes five books by female authors, the highest number of women shortlisted in the prize's 55-year history.Novels by Samantha Harvey, Charlotte Wood and Yael van der Wouden feature on the shortlist, which was announced at an event held at Somerset House in London on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Deveca Rose is on trial for alleged manslaughter of her sons, who died after the blaze in south London in 2021Four young boys living in a house strewn with rubbish and human excrement died hiding under a bed as their home went up in flames after their mother left them home alone to visit a supermarket, a court has heard.Deveca Rose, 29, is on trial for the manslaughter of her two sets of twins, Leyton and Logan Hoath, aged three, and Kyson and Bryson Hoath, aged four, and child cruelty. Continue reading...

UK to contribute 4m to Italian project on irregular migration, PM announcesHere are some pictures from Keir Starmer's meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, at the Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome. They seem to be geting on pretty well.Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has been urged by leading economists to loosen the government's fiscal rules to allow more public investment.The challenge of renewing Britain requires the rebuilding of crumbling public services while also investing in the clean infrastructure needed to meet our climate targets and create an economy that is more resilient in the future. This challenge cannot be met by the private sector alone, it requires a step change in levels of public investment.Yet the government has inherited spending plans that imply substantial real-terms cuts in public investment over the current parliament. We do not see how the planned decade of national renewal" can take place if these cuts are delivered. To follow through on these plans would be to repeat the mistakes of the past, where investment cuts made in the name of fiscal prudence have damaged the foundations of the economy and undermined the UK's long-term fiscal sustainability. Continue reading...

Move comes amid concerns from suppliers that checks on goods coming from EU could lead to higher pricesPlanned post-Brexit checks on fruit and vegetables brought into Britain from the EU have been delayed for the third time, amid concerns from suppliers that they could lead to higher prices for shoppers.The government said plans to introduce checks on some fruit and vegetables, such as celery and tomatoes, from 1 January would now be postponed by six months, in a move that would give it more time to understand the impact on businesses. Continue reading...

US planemaker says strike of about 33,000 workers, which began last week, jeopardizes recovery in a significant way'Boeing is freezing recruitment and drawing up plans to furlough many" employees as the aerospace giant scrambles to curb spending after tens of thousands of its workers went out on strike.Warning that the industrial action jeopardizes our recovery in a significant way", the US planemaker said it would pause most employee travel and suspend non-essential capital expenditures. Continue reading...

Department says it has reconsidered case of Tajwer Siddiqui, whose autistic adult daughter was refused visaA doctor from Pakistan who feared he would have to leave his job at a GP surgery in east London is celebrating after a Home Office U-turn over a decision that would have separated him from his family.On Monday morning the Guardian reported on the case of Tajwer Siddiqui, 59, and his wife, Shehlar Tajwer, 50, who had been granted visas to come to the UK while their daughter, Alina Tajwer Siddiqui, 19, had not. Continue reading...

Leaseholders of building in which Emin owns a flat want to replace windows but opponents say it will ruin block's authenticityThe 18-storey Arlington House in Margate has long been considered a brutalist masterpiece. It inspired the English rock band Hawkwind's song High Rise and recently featured in Sam Mendes' Bafta-nominated film Empire of Light.But now, the building, which sits on Margate seafront next to the railway station and the amusement park Dreamland, has become the cause of a bitter dispute among local people. Continue reading...

Osama Hamdan rejects claim by Israeli defence minister that Hamas no longer exists' as a military formation

Revelations come amid federal government push for additional scrutiny of sector through counter-terror financing and money-laundering laws

Regulator says dynamic pricing is legal if consumers are not misled as fans considering giving the Saviors tour a miss

According to the research, the first of its kind in Australia, 1.2% of people born in the state were responsible for more than 50% of recorded offences

Labor faces mixed results in what premier Chris Minns calls a massive wake up call for the major parties', and Liverpool mayor returns amid corruption inquiry

The third of nine Jackson children and last to release a solo project, Tito was an incredible man who cared about everyone'Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the pop group the Jackson 5, has died at the age of 70.Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, including global superstars Michael and Janet. Continue reading...

Former Tesco boss will hope to speed turnaround at parent company of retailer and Waitrose chainThe John Lewis Partnership's new chair, Jason Tarry, faces a full in-tray as he starts work on Monday, after his predecessor Sharon White signed over control on Friday.The former Tesco executive will be hoping to accelerate a nascent turnaround at the business, which owns the Waitrose supermarket chain and 34 department stores, sufficient to announce the first annual staff bonus in three years in March next year. Continue reading...

Five women and four children among dead as Hamas spokesperson says the group has a high ability to continue'

Deaths reported in Romania, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic where police say seven people are also missingWatch footage from Central Europe, which has been hit with torrential rain and flooding.Hungary's Viktor Orban, who was scheduled to speak at the European parliament this week, said he is postponing all my international obligations" due to the ongoing floods. Continue reading...

Blow to UK shipbuilding hopes as Harland & Wolff declares itself insolvent

Nicholas Prosper charged over deaths of Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13An 18-year-old has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman and two teenagers in Luton.The bodies of 48-year-old Juliana Prosper, 13-year-old Giselle Prosper and 16-year-old Kyle Prosper were found at a flat in the north-west of the town on Friday. Continue reading...

Experts unsurprised at intensity of extreme weather but say damage wreaked shows how unprepared world is

Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia among worst affected as extreme rainfall and floods result in number of deathsA deep area of low pressure over central and eastern Europe has resulted in extreme rainfall and catastrophic flooding over the past few days. Named Storm Boris, the severe weather has particularly affected Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Alpine regions of southern Germany, Austria and into Hungary.As well as the torrential rain and flooding, which has resulted in significant loss of life, exceptional snowfalls have blanketed upland regions of the Alps, with strong winds aiding huge snowdrift formation. The unsettled weather is expected to last through Monday and Tuesday but, gradually, high pressure will build from the north, allowing conditions to settle down, although it will take several days for river levels to subside. As high temperatures this week cause snow to melt in Alpine regions, some rivers may remain elevated. Continue reading...

Flow of foreign artists to China has slowed to a trickle, but economic pressures could be forcing authorities to rethinkWhen Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, took to the stage in Haikou on Sunday, his Chinese fans could barely believe it. One of the biggest and most controversial foreign acts in the world had been allowed in by China's notoriously censorious regime.Ye's only China show - all the more shocking for skipping big cities in lieu of the holiday island of Hainan - was announced just days earlier, and more than 42,000 tickets sold out within minutes. It was his first time back in the country for 16 years. In that time the Chinese government's tolerance for western musicians has diminished, while Ye's reputation for controversy has grown. Continue reading...

Hope Rowe, 32, charged with murder of 31-year-old woman named by police as Charlotte LawlerA woman has been charged with murder after another woman was stabbed to death in east London, police have said.Hope Rowe, 32, from the Tower Hamlets area of the capital, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article, and is due to appear at Thames magistrates court on Monday morning, Scotland Yard has said. Continue reading...

Period epic is first non-English language series to win for best drama as breakout hit takes home four awardsShgun has made Emmys history as the first ever non-English language series to win for best drama.The historical epic, based on the 1975 novel, picked up four awards during the evening, including Emmys for lead stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, the first Japanese actors to win their respective awards. Continue reading...

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Six student teams named as finalists in pattern book contest to develop pre-approved designs and cut red tape

Martin Hewitt's appointment to tackle small boat crossings comes as PM heads to Italy to learn about its immigration policiesThe appointment of a former police chief to head the new border security command shows ministers are making serious attempts to stop unofficial Channel crossings rather than the gimmicks" of the last government, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said.Ahead of talks centred on migration between Keir Starmer and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, in Rome, Cooper said such international cooperation was the only way to make progress - but declined to say when the pace of arrivals might drop. Continue reading...

Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to act with seditious intent' for displaying slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times'A man in Hong Kong has pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person to be convicted under the city's controversial national security law known as Article 23, passed in March.Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of doing acts with seditious intent". Continue reading...

Police allege William Swale drove SUV into families having lunch outside Royal Daylesford hotel, killing two children and three adults

Rapid assembly of structure for 1851 Great Exhibition in London was possible thanks to nut-and-bolt revolutionIt was built at unprecedented speed to exhibit the British empire's greatest treasures and manufacturing achievements to the world. Now, the mystery of how the Victorians managed to erect the Crystal Palace so quickly in 1851 has finally been solved.Experts have discovered that the answer to this 173-year-old riddle lies in the first known use of standardised nuts and bolts in construction - a humble engineering innovation that would power the British empire and revolutionise the industrial world. Continue reading...

London-based doctor Tajwer Siddiqui says Home Office rules are separating him from his wife and Alina, 19An experienced and highly regarded doctor who is working at a GP surgery in east London says he has no choice but to walk away from his job because the Home Office is separating him from his wife and autistic daughter.Tajwer Siddiqui says he has found himself in this situation at a time when the number of full-time GPs in the UK is falling. Continue reading...

Capital's weather falls to -6.9C on Monday while parts of inland NSW drop below zero and SA town has coldest September morning in more than 62 years

Historic moment celebrated despite LNP vow to abolish process should the party win government

Olaf Scholz's government says acute dangers' led to decision but some EU criticise unacceptable' decisionGermany will reintroduce temporary checks at all nine of its land borders on Monday in a move that has drawn criticism from several of its European partners but praise from the far right.The embattled coalition government in Berlin said last week that checks already being carried out on its borders with Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland would be extended to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Continue reading...

Committee says major overhaul required to restore public confidence among victims and survivorsPublic inquiries should be shortened and the progress of their recommendations tracked, according to a House of Lords committee, which says a major overhaul is required to restore public confidence among victims and survivors.The committee's report, published in the wake of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, which took almost seven years, warns there is a perception that inquiries are frequently too long and expensive", undermining their credibility and prolonging trauma for those affected. Continue reading...

The three men have pleaded not guilty, with one saying he was copying the British comedian after watching him on Netflix

Liberal leader had attempted to force Deeming's resignation and falsely portrayed her as a Nazi sympathiser, court hears

Government says NSWEduChat, developed after ChatGPT was banned in schools, saved some teachers more than an hour a week

Violence was an accepted part of the culture, and threats of violence were a substitute for reasoned negotiations', says interim report

Family members of Haigh, who was 19 when she disappeared, were seen in tears outside the court after the not guilty verdict was handed down

At least 320,000 people have been displaced and 64 were still missing after the strongest storm to hit Asia this yearMyanmar's death toll from floods rose to at least 113, the country's military government said, following heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi that has caused havoc across parts of Southeast Asia.At least 320,000 people have been displaced and 64 were still missing, government spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said, according to a late-night bulletin on state-run MRTV. Continue reading...

Jonathan Noakes also suggests training teachers to encourage discussion, as government focuses on oracyState schools in England should set up debating clubs and train teachers in the art of encouraging classroom discussions in order to improve children's oracy and help them develop speaking skills for life, a senior leader at Eton college has said.While private schools have greater resources to work on enrichment and life skills outside the demands of the GCSE and A-level curriculum, teachers in state schools, who often work with disadvantaged children with additional needs, say they do not have sufficient time or training to focus on oracy. Continue reading...

Backbenchers and NGOs criticise decision to explore how country has cut migrant numbers at Rome talksKeir Starmer is under pressure from Labour backbenchers and NGOs to distance his government from Giorgia Meloni's hard-right immigration policies on the eve of bilateral talks in Rome.After the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said the UK would consider copying Italy's plans to process asylum applicants in a third country such as Albania, one backbencher questioned why a Labour administration was seeking to learn lessons from a neo-fascist government". Continue reading...

Bedfordshire police believe Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle, 16, and Giselle, 13, were victims found in flatTributes have been paid after the devastating" loss of a mother and two of her teenage children who were found dead at a flat in Luton.Bedfordshire police said it believed the victims to be Juliana Prosper, 48, Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13, all of Leabank, although formal identification has yet to take place. Continue reading...

Workers voted overwhelmingly to reject wage proposal from aviation giant last weekTalks between Boeing and striking US factory workers will resume on Tuesday under a federal mediator, the union said, after workers voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal from the embattled aviation giant.On Tuesday, the Union will meet with federal mediators assigned through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and Boeing to begin discussions," a chapter of the machinists union called IAM-District 751, which represents more than 33,000 union members in the Seattle region, said late on Saturday on its website. Continue reading...