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Prime minister insists he offers more than doom and gloom' in an interview with the Observer, but admits that leaks and squabbles are damaging the Downing Street operation

The former Conservative justice secretary is on a shortlist to lead a policy review that could herald radical reformsKeir Starmer is considering appointing former Tory justice secretary David Gauke to head a review into sentencing policy in a move that could signal a radical change in approach towards short prison sentences.Government sources confirmed on Saturday night that Gauke was a strong contender", despite being a member of the Conservative party, and that he was on a shortlist of names that also included former Labour home secretary David Blunkett. Continue reading...

The London football club's former owner had been held in high affection. At its ground, supporters are changing their tuneThe common word on the lips of the Fulham fans outside Craven Cottage stadium yesterday was shocking". No one, young or old, male or female, hesitated to express their horror at the news that the club's former owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, who died last year, has been accused of being a serial rapist and sexual abuser.Yet as Anna Davies, attending the game with her son Evan, put it: I was shocked when I watched [the BBC investigation, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods] but equally I wasn't surprised." Continue reading...

The country was divided before, unsure about its approach to Hezbollah, but now people are thinking as oneThe smell of burnt rubber hung heavy over the rescue workers as they dug, painstakingly removing rubble, their shadows long and movements harsh under the burning floodlights. Onlookers watched the progress in silence, waiting for any sign of life under the building levelled by four Israeli missiles in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, just a few hours before on Friday afternoon.Broken glass stained with blood had been swept to the side and the area cordoned off, members of Hezbollah and the Lebanese civil defence barking orders to make sure emergency vehicles could access the area. Men with freshly bandaged hands, the product of booby-trapped pagers a few days before, milled about as women sobbed. Continue reading...

Widow and sons of Alistair Wilson speak to media after trust in officers' ability to identify shooter eroded'The family of a banker who was shot on his doorstep say they have lost confidence in Police Scotland as his murder remains unsolved almost 20 years on.Relatives of Alistair Wilson labelled the police incompetent" and said they had lost trust in their ability to secure justice. Continue reading...

The last time the Israeli PM spoke at the UN, he was touting his vision of a new Middle East. Now he is on the brink of catastropheOne year ago, Benjamin Netanyahu came to the UN with a vision of a new Middle East" anchored by Israel's growing ties with its Arab partners in the region. Now he is on the brink of launching a major escalation against Hezbollah, ignoring calls for restraint from his allies over the Gaza war and defying criticism that he is prevaricating in negotiations over a temporary ceasefire.The Israeli PM remains scheduled to speak on Friday at the UN general assembly in an appearance that is sure to lead to walkouts and protests on the streets of midtown Manhattan. Continue reading...

Senior law officers urged to intervene over potential wrongful acquittals when Crown Prosecution Service offers no evidence Dame Vera Baird: An empty apology from the CPS? That's no justice for rape victimsA draconian" practice that stops crime victims challenging last-minute decisions to drop their cases is leading to miscarriages of justice and must urgently be reformed, campaigners say.Under the Victims' Right to Review (VRR) scheme, victims can challenge decisions not to charge a suspect or to halt a prosecution. Successful appeals can lead to cases being reopened and may result in a conviction. Continue reading...

Body found in Jesmond Dene area of Newcastle believed to be that of ex-army officer and mother-of-twoPolice searching for Katherine Watson, a missing hospital chaplain who appeared in the Channel 4 documentary series Geordie Hospital, have found a body they believe to be hers.The 50-year-old ex-army officer and mother-of-two was reported missing on Thursday afternoon and police mounted an extensive search to locate her. Continue reading...

Women and children confirmed among dead, as US and UN officials warn against further escalationThree children and seven women were among 37 people killed by an Israeli strike on Beirut that targeted a top Hezbollah leader in a densely populated neighbourhood, Lebanese authorities have said, as US and UN officials warned against further escalation.On Saturday, Israel closed its northern airspace as it awaited Hezbollah retaliation for the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, a veteran commander of the elite Radwan unit, along with more than a dozen other militants. On Saturday afternoon, fires broke out after a barrage of rockets from Lebanon. Continue reading...

Restaurateur and Master Chef star did much to popularise Middle Eastern cooking and adapt it to modern tastesThe Australian celebrity chef Greg Malouf, known for his innovative Middle Eastern cuisine, has died aged 64.Malouf, of Master Chef fame, was affectionately known as Australia's godfather of Middle Eastern cuisine due to his unique takes on Arabic dishes. Continue reading...

Furore over freebies like tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and football games has led to calls for reform to MPs' gift declarations and an overhaul of the ministerial codeMore than 700,000 worth of free gifts and hospitality has been received by MPs in the past year for everything from Taylor Swift tickets to helicopter rides, new analysis reveals.The figures, based on data from the MPs' register of interests between September 2023 and August 2024, comes during a growing furore around the acceptance of gifts by the prime minister and his inner circle. Continue reading...

Overnight attacks apparently show growing capability to strike targets deep inside RussiaUkraine said it hit two Russian munition depots overnight, in attacks that illustrated its growing capability to strike targets deep inside Russia.A statement by Ukraine's military general staff said the munitions depots were at Tikhoretsk in southern Russia and Oktyabrsky in the western region of Tver. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereReuters reports that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that Israel is committing shameless crimes" against children, not combatants.His comments came a day after an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killed 31 people, including three children and seven women, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Continue reading...

In Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, residents have clung on to hope until the bitter end. Now many are saying goodbye to their homesValeria Tanashchuk packed up a few last belongings from her home. Going in the evacuation van waiting outside: her daughter Nicole's favourite bear, clothes, items of furniture and a microwave oven. Staying behind: her mother Marina's collection of detective novels, a wall poster with the Ukrainian alphabet written on it, and a pair of furry slippers.We don't want to leave. But would choice do we have?" Tanashchuk asked, as a thunderous boom echoed nearby. The explosions get worse every day. They are louder and more frequent." What would she do next? I don't have a concrete plan," she said. I will try and find work somewhere. We had hoped until the end that everything would be OK." Continue reading...

Culture secretary says PM and others will stop accepting gifted clothes as they don't want voters to believe they are living very different lives'The prime minister and Labour ministers will stop accepting clothing donations because they don't want voters to believe they are living very different lives" to people who are really struggling" in the country, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said.Speaking before the opening of the Labour conference tomorrow, Nandy told the BBC the government wants to demonstrate that its priorities are the country's priorities", after it emerged Keir Starmer, his wife Victoria, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner have all decided to stop accepting free gifts of clothes from Labour party donors. Continue reading...

Ex-director of public prosecutions in England and Wales says that of 27 cases he considered for potential charges only one met the thresholdThe former director of public prosecutions Sir Max Hill has said a review of assisted dying laws should consider how bereaved suspects are forced to endure long waits before being told whether they face prosecution.During his time as DPP for England and Wales, from 2018 to 2023, Hill said he considered 27 cases for potential charges involving assisted suicide. He considered only one met the evidential and public interest threshold for a prosecution. Continue reading...

Steven Wilson was attacked after risk assessment failed to stop convicted murderer working in kitchen with access to knivesA career burglar has been awarded more than 5m in damages by a high court judge because of life-changing" injuries he sustained after being stabbed in prison.Steven Wilson, 36, sued the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) after a convicted murderer stabbed him several times with a 22cm (9in) knife in July 2018 while working in the canteen at HMP Chelmsford. Continue reading...

The horrifying details of the case that shook the country, and the local mayor's reaction, show a refusal to confront abuseAs the horror of how Dominique Pelicot drugged his wife, Gisele, and allowed at least 83 men to rape her continued to unfold in a French courtroom last week, it was hard to see how the case could have been worse" as one local official suggested.Louis Bonnet, mayor of Mazan, the southern French town of 6,000 people where the Pelicots and a number of the alleged rapists lived, who added that no one was killed", later apologised and admitted his words were not entirely appropriate". Continue reading...

Gloomy segmented head of famed playwright fails to convey his wit and brilliance, says Merlin HollandA huge sculpture of Oscar Wilde's head lying on its side, his face sliced into segments, has been condemned as absolutely hideous" by the playwright's grandson.Merlin Holland, an expert on Wilde's life and works, has criticised a 2ft-high black bronze sculpture by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi that is to be unveiled in a public garden in Chelsea, south-west London, near Wilde's former home. Continue reading...

Anxiety is the most common reason why parents choose to take pupils out of schoolSteve Bladon has been a headteacher for a decade. Yet when he found himself temporarily home educating his 11-year-old daughter, who had such severe anxiety that she couldn't leave the house, he admits he felt absolutely lost".Initially we had no idea what to do," he said. All we knew was that she needed time and space, so we weren't compounding her anxiety." Continue reading...

Mick Jagger leads tributes to first black actor to land leading role at National Theatre, who sang with the Rolling StonesThe trailblazing" actor Cleo Sylvestre has died at the age of 79, her agent has confirmed.Sylvestre, also known as Cleopatra Palmer, had been a feature of film, stage, television and music since the 1960s, and played Melanie Harper, Meg Richardson's adopted daughter, in ITV's Crossroads - making her the first black actor to have a regular leading role in a UK soap opera. She was also the first black actor to land a leading role at the National Theatre. Continue reading...

The Rev Sue Parfitt has lost right to conduct religious ceremonies after her arrest at a Just Stop Oil demonstrationAn 82-year-old retired priest has spoken of her pain at losing her right to conduct religious ceremonies because of her participation in Just Stop Oil protests.The Rev Sue Parfitt was arrested in May after causing damage to the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library in London as part of a protest with the climate action group. She is still awaiting trial. Continue reading...

Football club became aware of billionaire owner's interest in young, blond girls', says Gaute HaugenesThe former manager of Fulham women's team has said female players were protected" from the club's late owner, after staff became aware" the billionaire had a predilection for young, blond girls".Five women have alleged in recent days that they were raped by Fayed, and a number of others have alleged sexual misconduct took place while they worked at Harrods, the luxury department store that was previously owned by Fayed. Continue reading...

Commemorations of 45 people experimentally' gassed reveal dark moments in the Netherlands' historyThey call them stumbling stones - little brass plaques in the pavement marking addresses where Holocaust victims once lived.As the Netherlands marks 80 years of liberation, a row has sprung up about placing Stolpersteine for 45 Dutch political prisoners - Jewish activists, communists, critical Christians - who were experimentally" gassed by the Nazis at the Bernburg psychiatric clinic in Germany in 1942. Continue reading...

After another shocking week, latest Guardian 10-day polling averages survey shows vice-president ahead by 2.6 pointsThe US presidential election remains on a knife edge 45 days before voters go to the polls, despite Kamala Harris enjoying one of her most encouraging spells of opinion polling since becoming the Democrats' nominee nearly two months ago.During yet another momentous week that began with a suspected second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, the latest Guardian 10-day polling averages survey shows Harris increasing her lead to 2.6 points, 48.5% to 45.9%. Continue reading...

Zelenskyy will present victory plan' to US president during trip to Washington next week, when he is also likely to hold talks with TrumpVolodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia with US-supplied weapons, and to earn a place in history" by strengthening Ukraine" before he leaves office.Speaking before a crucial trip next week to Washington, where he will meet Biden and the US vice-president and presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, and address the UN, Zelenskyy said he would present a victory plan" to end the war. Continue reading...

No injuries reported after mile-long tornado sweeps over residential area of Hampshire townA mile-long tornado swept through Aldershot damaging properties and felling trees.The extreme weather event caused no injuries as it twisted through the Hampshire town at 12pm on Friday, according to the local council. Continue reading...

Designer Harry Beck's famous transport diagram, first published in 1933, has spawned imitators around the worldHarry Beck may not have a London Underground line named after him as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth have, but there is a plaque on a platform at Finchley Central, once his local stop, that marks his legacy: the design of the tube map.And this autumn, as a new play about him called The Truth about Harry Beck entertains London audiences, an exhibition will allow the public to see some rare and valuable original examples of his work. Continue reading...

Daring breakout by 25kg rodent, found in nearby woods, had made headlines around the worldCinnamon, the missing capybara, is back in captivity in a Shropshire zoo after spending a week on the run in some nearby woods.After a huge search operation - involving 20 people and a thermal drone - the 25kg (55lb) rodent was found just 250 metres from her paddock at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford on Friday. Continue reading...

Republican and Democrat officials relieved as court allows 98,000 people to vote in state and local racesNearly 98,000 people whose citizenship documents had not been confirmed can vote in state and local races, the Arizona supreme court has ruled.Officials had uncovered a database error that for two decades mistakenly designated the voters as having access to the full ballot. Continue reading...

Key figures seek to bring about winner-takes-all allocation that would give Trump all five electoral college votesCongressional Republicans are demanding an 11th-hour change to Nebraska's presidential voting system in a move that could transform the electoral calculus and tip the race to Donald Trump in the event of a photo finish.With polls showing Trump neck-and-neck with Kamala Harris both nationally and in battleground states, senior GOP congressional figures are pressing the Nebraska legislature to replace a system that splits the allocation of its electoral college votes with the straightforward winner-takes-all distribution that operates in most US states. Continue reading...

Experts criticize Michael Chitwood's shaming' tactic of uploading videos and mugshot of teens to deter gun crimeA Florida sheriff's novel approach to countering school shooting threats by exposing online the identities of children who make them is drawing ire from juvenile justice advocates as well as others who say the tactic is counterproductive and morally wrong.Michael Chitwood, sheriff of Volusia county, raised eyebrows recently by posting to his Facebook page the name and mugshot of an 11-year-old boy accused of calling in a threat to a local middle school. He followed up with a video clip of the minor's perp walk" into jail in shackles. Continue reading...

Voicing aquanaut Gordon Tracy and scientist Brains to Daleks and Grandpa Pig, Graham was generous with his time and his talent'David Graham, who was the voice of characters in Thunderbirds and Peppa Pig, has died aged 99, it has been confirmed.The London-born star also voiced the evil Daleks in Doctor Who, and brought to life the Thunderbirds puppet characters aquanaut Gordon Tracy, scientist Brains, and Lady Penelope's driver, Aloysius Nosey" Parker, in the series in which a secret organisation tried to save the world. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Speakers and attendees pull out of Economist Impact event over ties to Philip Morris and Japan TobaccoA division of the publisher of the Economist has been forced to cancel a high-profile cancer conference at the last minute amid a backlash from speakers and attendees over its association with the tobacco companies behind brands including Marlboro and Benson & Hedges.Economist Impact, part of the Economist Group, which owns the eponymous weekly business magazine, was due to hold its 10th annual world cancer series in Brussels at the end of the month. Continue reading...

Campaigners say data will give greater oversight on 11-plus admissions exams and expose them to scrutinyGrammar schools in England have been ordered to publish details about their admissions tests, which campaigners say will expose them to greater scrutiny and potential legal challenges.The ruling by a first-tier tribunal required the Lincolnshire consortium of grammar schools to release anonymised results for children who sat its 11-plus entrance tests, including raw scores and results adjusted by their dates of birth. Continue reading...

NSW Rural Fire Service said 80-hectare fire was now under a watch and act' warning

Victoria police seeking an extradition order for the 65-year-old over the 1977 deaths known as the Easey Street murders

Which? study of 42 popular items such as pasta and milk revealed price difference even greater for loyalty card membersShopping at a local convenience store can cost you up to a fifth more than buying the same items at larger branches of the supermarket chains who own them, according to a new study - with the difference even greater for loyalty scheme members.Which? compared the cost of 42 popular grocery items - from cheese and pasta to blueberries and ice-cream - on three occasions in June and July at the largest supermarket-branded convenience chains - Morrisons Daily, Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express - against prices at their full-sized supermarkets. Continue reading...

Deputy PM also says people will have a better life' within five years in interview with the Guardian

Local Government Association says cost to taxpayer for last-resort ceremonies has climbed to 6m a yearA rising number of people are being buried or cremated by councils in England because they have no one to organise or pay for a funeral, a survey of town halls has found.There was a 13% rise in a year in the number of public health funerals" in the 2022-23 financial year, the Local Government Association (LGA) estimated, as costs to the taxpayer for the last-resort ceremonies rose to almost 6m a year. Continue reading...

About 300m added to deal for UK's biggest online real-estate portal after first proposal unanimously rejectedThe Rupert Murdoch-controlled Australian property group REA has upped its proposed offer for Rightmove, the UK's biggest online property portal, to 5.9bn.REA, in which Murdoch's News Corporation has a 61% stake, has sweetened its initial proposal by about 300m after Rightmove's board last week unanimously rejected the first offer as fundamentally undervaluing" the company. Continue reading...

ICC requested arrest warrants for Israeli PM and his defence minister in May for alleged war crimes in GazaIsrael has submitted an official challenge" to a request from the international criminal court prosecutor for an arrest warrant against its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.In May the ICC's prosecutor, Karim Khan, requested the court issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Continue reading...

IDF airstrike on Beirut that killed at least 14 causes fears of escalation into even more devastating conflictFurther violence between Israel and Iran's allies Hezbollah and Hamas could ignite a devastating regional conflict, the United Nations has warned, after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed at least 14 people including a senior Hezbollah leader and wounded 66.The strike killed Ibrahim Aqil, a figure on the group's top military council who was wanted by the US for his alleged connection with the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut. Continue reading...

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Jamar Powell says PC Connor Jones should be sacked rather than receiving written warning over traumatising actionA Metropolitan police officer who put a Taser to the neck of an innocent black child after he had been forced to kneel in the street has been found guilty of gross misconduct but allowed to keep his job.Jamar Powell told the Guardian he had feared he might die during the incident in September 2020, was left traumatised and would struggle to ever trust the police again, having been stopped and searched more than 30 times with nothing ever being found. Continue reading...

Protesters in Liverpool to call on government to implement full arms embargo against Israel over Gaza warThe UK's first pro-Palestine national march to be staged outside London is expected by organisers to attract tens of thousands of people on the periphery of the Labour party conference in Liverpool.The 19th national march for Palestine" will start at midday on Saturday near Lime Street railway station and end near King's Dock, where Keir Starmer's party is gathering this weekend. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner will also not accept donations for work outfits after row over Waheed Ali giftsKeir Starmer and his top team will no longer accept free gifts of clothes from Labour donors, as it emerged that Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner also received donations for work outfits.After the row over the Labour peer Waheed Alli funding Starmer's work wardrobe, the prime minister is understood to have decided he will not take donations to pay for clothes in future. Continue reading...

Sexual abuse survivors say working for late former Harrods owner involved deceit, lies and humiliation'A survivor of Mohamed Al Fayed's sexual abuse has given a harrowing account of her suffering at his hands. Speaking at a press conference in London, the woman - named as Natacha - told reporters she walked into a lion's den" when she accepted a job with the former owner of Harrods department store in London.She said working for him had involved a layer of cover-ups, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliation and gross sexual misconduct". Continue reading...

He acquired prestigious assets but got into plenty of fights, and is now accused of sexual assault by former employeesMohamed Al Fayed, who female former employees accused of sexual assault in a BBC investigation this week, was flamboyant, extrovert and a thorn in the side of the royal family.That today, a year after his death at the age of 94, he is still making headlines reflects a life much mired in controversy. Continue reading...

Ticketmaster and Ticketek claim demand-driven prices mitigate the problem of scalping, when tickets are bought - often by AI bots - and resold at inflated prices