Exclusive: Young people and their families lack support, while social workers are overwhelmed, according to Amerdeep SomalThe system set up to support children in England who have special educational needs and disabilities (Send) is in utter disarray" and requires a complete overhaul, the local government ombudsman (LGO) has said.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Amerdeep Somal, whose role is to investigate complaints about council services including Send, said: The system is simply not working for children, families or local authorities. Continue reading...
Woman nicknamed KitKat' struck up relationship with presenter online and made two complaints about himThe BBC is paying for therapy of a vulnerable woman Huw Edwards met online and whom he nicknamed KitKat" who made two complaints about him to the corporation, the Sunday Times has reported.The woman, a member of the public named Rachel then in her 40s, complained in May 2021 and January 2022, but retracted her complaints on both occasions. The BBC warned Edwards about his online conduct and told him to cease contact, which he did not, the paper said. Continue reading...
President confirms long-awaited arrival of US-made fighter jets as Ukrainian pilots fly overheadUkrainian pilots have started flying F-16s, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the US-made fighter jets more than 29 months since Russia's invasion.The Ukrainian leader announced the use of F-16s, which Kyiv has long lobbied for, as he met military pilots at an airbase flanked by two of the jets, with two more flying overhead. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6PQG4)
The challenger bank has often taken chances but a new business model positions it as more the opportunist rather than the rebelMetro Bank bosses are breathing a sigh of relief. Less than a year after the bank was forced into the arms of a Colombian billionaire as part of a 925m rescue deal, it is coming back from the brink.A forecast by the bank last week that it would return to profitability by the end of the year sent shares up more than 35% to 55p, marking their strongest weekly gain since the bank's IPO in 2016. Continue reading...
Henry Orlik withdrew from art world after early success but his surrealist-influenced paintings are now to go on displayA reclusive artist whose work hung alongside masters such as Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali has agreed to the first major exhibition of his dream-like paintings half a century after he withdrew from the art world.Henry Orlik, now 77 and living near Marlborough in Wiltshire, was in his 20s when his talent was recognised as exceptional. In the 1970s, he showed at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and had a sold-out one-man show at the Acoris surrealist art centre in London, also taking part in its mixed Surrealist Masters exhibitions with some of the world's greatest names. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Monitoring organisation Tell Mama reveals surge in threats, including of rape and deathThe surge in extreme rightwing activity in the past week has led to a fivefold increase in threats to Muslims, such as of rape and death, and a threefold increase in hate crime incidents, a national monitoring group said on Sunday.Muslims in Britain have been left terrorised" by the increase in extreme rightwing activity since Monday, which is directly linked to a large increase in anti-Islamic hate crimes, according to initial analysis from Tell Mama. Continue reading...
Producers insist they have enough milk despite culling of thousands of animals due to livestock virusGreek farmers have denied that production of feta cheese is likely to be hit hard by the outbreak of a deadly virus among goats and sheep that has led to the culling of thousands of animals.Livestock industry officials sought to dispel fears that the cheese, a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, could be imperilled because of the rate at which the highly infectious disease has spread. Continue reading...
Email allegedly warned actor would die on stage' if she did not withdraw complaint about ex-Strictly dancerPolice are investigating an alleged death threat sent to Amanda Abbington, demanding the actor withdraw her complaint about the dancer Giovanni Pernice.In recent weeks Abbington has spoken out about her experience on the last series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with the Italian before quitting in week five of the competition. Continue reading...
Blue wall' states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could decide the outcome of November's electionOf all the lessons Kamala Harris's campaign will have learned from Hillary Clinton's botched run for president eight years ago, among the most important is that it's better to talk about jobs than guns in the three rust belt states that hold the key to the White House.The peculiarities of the US's electoral college will almost certainly see November's presidential election decided by voters in just seven states. Four - Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia - lie in the southern sun belt. Continue reading...
An antenna park has divided the community living beside a world heritage site in the Scottish HighlandsOn a small croft in the shadow of Ben Tongue, a 302-metre high mountain in the Scottish Highlands, Ian and Rachel Broughton lead a quiet life, growing produce and relishing the calm of their rural haven. But changes are afoot.The retired couple are horrified by plans for a radar station for the Sutherland Spaceport, one of the UK's first spaceports, on the summit of the mountain, with a new service road that will skirt within metres of their 170-year-old stone cottage. Continue reading...
Campaigners say vulnerable people receiving care are being deprived of their freedom in order to save moneyGrowing numbers of vulnerable people receiving care are challenging deprivation of liberty (Dol) orders that can mean they are locked up or kept under restrictive supervision.Dol orders are meant as a last resort but campaigners say the increase shows that too often people's freedoms are restricted as a cheaper option. Continue reading...
by Michael Savage and Jon Ungoed-Thomas on (#6PQCV)
New analysis shows tens of thousands of older people may end up worse off than those who retain energy benefitTens of thousands of pensioners are on a financial cliff edge because of the government's decision to radically restrict winter fuel payments, a new analysis has revealed. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, opted to introduce a means test for the payments, with only those on pension credit qualifying, stating it was one of the difficult decisions" she had to make, as she accused the Tories of leaving 22bn in unfunded commitments.The decision removes the payments from about 10 million pensioners in England and Wales. Officials said this weekend the policy would be among a package of measures to fix the foundations of the economy". Continue reading...
by Tharanika Ahillan and Jon Ungoed-Thomas on (#6PQBT)
Recent GMC figures reveal young medics are struggling with unsustainable workloads and inadequate supportTrainee doctors are at higher risk of burnout now than during the pandemic, with some describing how they have struggled with unsustainable workloads and inadequate support.The most recent figures published by the General Medical Council (GMC) in its national training survey of junior doctors and their trainers reveal the proportion of trainees feeling at a high or moderate risk" of burnout is 63%. Continue reading...
All eight main detention centres in the UK have been found to have the most serious categories of failingsThe chief inspector of prisons has warned that the safety of immigration removal centres across the country is deteriorating and that the government's use of them is potentially traumatising vulnerable migrants.Charlie Taylor said the worrying deterioration in safety" at sites like Harmondsworth and Yarl's Wood was a major cause for concern". Continue reading...
The assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran humiliated Iran's leaders, dashed hopes of a ceasefire and left the heavily armed nations of the Middle East moving inexorably closer to an all-out war they all claim not to wantIf Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was hoping for a honeymoon period after his inauguration last week, he must be sadly disappointed. Less than 12 hours after Pezeshkian was sworn in, an explosion, reportedly caused by a remotely controlled bomb, shook an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound in central Tehran. The target: Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political leader, an honoured guest at the inauguration, and one of the Middle East's most wanted. The bomb under the bed killed Haniyeh instantly. Honeymoon over.Pezeshkian was the surprise winner of last month's presidential election. Edging out a conservative hardliner favoured by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, he promised to repair tattered ties with the US and Europe. Many hoped his victory would herald a more open, more progressive era and defuse social tensions, especially over the enforced wearing of the hijab, which triggered huge unrest under his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah, Alasdair Shaw, Amy Sedghi, Geneva on (#6PPVA)
This liveblog is now closed. Read the Observer's full report on today's rioting: Government warns that rioters will pay the price' as wave of violence sweeps UKTory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has criticised Nigel Farage's remarks about the Southport stabbings, saying they did not make the situation better".Asked for his view on the remarks from the Reform UK leader, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:I don't follow all the comments that Nigel Farage says but I don't think any of us should be doing anything to make the job of the police more difficult at this time."I don't think they made the situation better did they?So I think we should all be choosing our words carefully, backing the police to the hilt and doing everything we can to ensure our streets are safe and this violence, which I'm worried is escalating, comes to an end as swiftly as possible."I have spoken this morning to the chief constable of Northumbria police and I'm very grateful to them. What they had to put up with was real sustained violence.We have seen police injured, we've seen 10 people so far arrested but I very much hope that we'll see more of that throughout the day."You can see there's really significant damage, they've set fire to a police station, to cars, they've looted shops, they've abused people in the street, they've attacked police officers and Sunderland will be feeling the effect of that."Things like this really affect the way that local people feel but the clean up overnight from Sunderland council has clearly been absolutely massive.And what I'm really heartened by, alongside the thousands of people contacting me saying this is not what we're about, we're about that love and that compassion' is the fact that people in Sunderland are going to come together this morning and help with that clean up.We saw that these far-right groups were advertising what they called a peaceful protest yesterday in Sunderland.That was anything but peaceful. It was out and out crime and violence and the police response was strong, protecting a mosque and really having to stand up to very sustained crime and violence from these thugs." Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips and Patricia Torres in Caracas on (#6PQ8Y)
Tens of thousands gather in Caracas defying crackdown by president to hear speech by Maria Corina MachadoHuge crowds have gone back on to the streets of Venezuela's cities to continue their campaign against President Nicolas Maduro's alleged attempt to steal last week's election and denounce his intensifying crackdown on opposition supporters.Maduro said 2,000 people had been arrested and would face maximum punishment". Continue reading...
Social media such as X are fuelling the growth of extremism by allowing its figureheads a platform to direct violenceThe resurgence of far-right violence in the UK is in part due to Elon Musk's decision to allow figures such as Tommy Robinson back on to the social media platform X, researcherssay.Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and those of his ilk are not leaders in the traditional sense and the far right has no central organisation capable of directing the disorder and violence that has been seen, experts say. Continue reading...
At least 50 press arrested on Saturday in Abuja and almost 700 demonstrators detained since unrest beganNigerian security forces on Saturday fired bullets and teargas at protesters and journalists during demonstrations against the country's economic crisis in the capital city, Abuja, according to journalists at the scene and videos reviewed by the Associated Press news agency.It was not immediately confirmed whether the projectiles fired at journalists were rubber or live rounds. But the AP witnessed the aftermath of the attack, including bullet holes in a car belonging to one of the journalists as well as live bullets at the scene of the protests. Continue reading...
by Marta Bellingreri, Sinjar province, Iraq on (#6PQ6D)
A decade after thousands were killed or displaced, many in the remaining community are still living in refugee campsSaturday marked exactly 10 years since Islamic State (IS) entered Iraq's Sinjar province, displacing, killing and enslaving hundreds of thousands of Yazidis. On Saturday morning, crowds gathered for a ceremony to remember victims of the genocide at the grave of the mothers", where 111 elderly women were shot dead or buried alive after being separated from their family members.The ceremony at the mass grave near the Yazidi genocide memorial in Solagh began at 10am, when a minute's silence was observed across the country. Traditional Yazidi songs were sung, and poems and witness testimonies were recited on the stage. Continue reading...
Ukrainian army reports several hits on sites including Russian airfields, oil refineries and logisticsThe Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, praised his forces on Saturday for hitting military targets inside Russia, after his army reported several strikes including on an airfield and an oil depot.I would like to thank each of our soldiers and all those who work in our defence industry for striking Russian airfields, oil refineries and logistics," he said in his daily statement. Continue reading...
by Faisal Ali and Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu on (#6PPXK)
More than 200 wounded after suicide bomber and gunmen target busy beachfront in Somali capitalAt least 37 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in a suicide bombing and gun attack at the popular Lido beach in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, police said. The attack happened on Friday night, when residents of the city typically gather at cafes near the seaside.Agence France-Presse reported that police and witnesses said the bomber detonated his device late on Friday on the beach before gunmen stormed the area. State media said government forces neutralised" the attackers after a gunfight. Continue reading...
A demonstration against the president about the cost of living crisis has spread, after youth groups saw protests across the continent force a change in the lawA protest organised by unions and youth groups about the cost of living crisis on Nigeria's Democracy Day in June passed off quietly, drawing just a few hundred people in the country's biggest city, Lagos, and the capital, Abuja.Then things started to kick off in Kenya. Young Kenyans angry at the prospect of increased levies on essential foodstuffs occupied parliament in Nairobi amid violence that claimed more than 20 lives. Kenya's president, William Ruto, was forced to withdraw his finance bill and dissolved his cabinet. Continue reading...
The national park had an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5F that month, beating its previous record in 2018Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth, recorded its hottest month ever on record in July, the National Park Service (NPS) announced.In a statement released on Friday, the NPS revealed that the park had an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5F (42.5C), in turn beating out its previous record of 108.1F (42.3C) set in 2018. Continue reading...
As many as 20 Americans have been left behind after the multi-country swap with western alliesAs many as 20 US citizens were left out of Thursday's complex, multi-country prisoner swap with western American allies and Russia, leading those excluded from the deal and their families to express deep disappointment.Among those left behind are Marc Fogel, a US high school teacher from Pennsylvania convicted of smuggling 17 grams of marijuana into Russia and sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2022. Continue reading...
Axel Rudakubana appeared, aged 11, as Doctor Who character in 2018 advert for BBC Children in NeedThe BBC has removed a 2018 Children in Need campaign video from its websites after it emerged that it featured a teenager accused of murdering three girls in Southport. It is understood that he was contracted by the BBC for the campaign video through a casting agency.In the now-deleted clip based on the Doctor Who TV series, Axel Rudakubana is seen leaving the Tardis dressed as the Doctor, wearing a trenchcoat and tie in the style of the show's former star David Tennant. Continue reading...
Unions calls for urgent reform of TRA amid reports of serious and concerning' allegations of misconductThe organisation responsible for regulating teachers in England is being investigated by the Department for Education after allegations of misconduct by staff, and teachers left in distress after lengthy inquiries.A former employee of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) told the Observer that the regulator had forgotten it was investigating real people", and that the agency was blindly" putting cases through and assuming guilt from the start". Continue reading...
Businessman calls father best president' US has ever seen during visit to Trump International golf resort in ScotlandDonald Trump is doing great" after last month's assassination attempt last month, his son said.Eric Trump, 40, arrived at the Trump International golf resort in Aberdeenshire by helicopter on Saturday to view a half-finished new course on the North Sea coast, which will open next year. Continue reading...
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThousands of pro-Palestine protesters are marching through central London, UK.Protesters waved banners reading stop arming Israel", ceasefire now" and from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".This terrorist operation was carried out by firing a short-range projectile with a warhead of about 7 kilograms - causing a strong explosion - from outside the accommodation area. Continue reading...
Man who killed activists in 2020 questioned Trump's gun rights bona fides before backing down in face of hate tweetsAcquitted killer Kyle Rittenhouse announced he would not be supporting Donald Trump's attempt to return to the White House - but ultimately ended up endorsing him anyway after he was inundated with vitriolic messages from the former president's supporters.The flip-flop by Rittenhouse - who has fashioned himself as a gun rights activist after shooting two people to death in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during racial justice protests in 2020 - followed an initial pledge to write in former congressman Ron Paul as his choice on November's presidential election ballot. Continue reading...
Ministers may face hefty bill in more than 100 cases related to Manston processing centreAsylum seekers are urging the Home Office to settle more than 100 claims for detaining them unlawfully at Manston, the controversial processing centre in Kent for people crossing the Channel on small boats.If the mass claim is settled ministers will have to foot a hefty bill for the failures of the previous government, which could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. One mass claim involves 96 people, both adults and children. Other similar claims have also been lodged with the Home Office. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6PPWH)
Kim McGuinness says rioters do not define city and praises residents clearing the streets after riots Police brace for more disorder - latest updatesAppalling far-right" violence on the streets of Sunderland does not represent the region or its people, the north-east mayor has said as hundreds gathered in the city to help clean up.Kim McGuinness said she was shocked and horrified" by the violence of rioters on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Some say the dig on childless women is disheartening' but that there are more pressing issues' demanding attentionJD Vance's history of derogatory comments about childless cat ladies" has fueled condemnation from Democrats, celebrities and even a Republican host of The View. But while many have pointed out how callous the remarks might feel for women dealing with infertility, conservative women who have struggled to have children are not necessarily pulling away from Vance or his running mate, Donald Trump.Since being tapped to serve as Donald Trump's vice-presidential nominee last month, Vance has faced a barrage of criticism for his comments about the role that childfree people should play in US society - people who, he has said, are more sociopathic" than those with children and have made the United States less mentally stable". In particular, Vance has targeted America's leadership class", Democrats and journalists for not having children. Continue reading...
Person who admitted sending BBC presenter explicit messages and videos when teenager felt taken advantage of'The person at the heart of the Huw Edwards allegations has said he felt groomed" by the newsreader.The man, who says he was paid for explicit images when he was a teenager, told the Daily Mirror he felt sick" after learning the BBC presenter now faces a possible prison sentence after this week admitting accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven. Continue reading...
In Chico, where the arson-sparked Park fire has raged for days, residents are back in the harrowing routineThere is a rhythm, even a routine, to the disastrous wildfires that unfold in northern California year after year.High temperatures, strong winds and low humidity - and then an ignition in a dry landscape, a plume of smoke and an unsettling orange sky. Continue reading...
Woman named locally as Daena Walsh died shortly after being found with serious injuries in Midleton flatIrish police are questioning a man in his 30s about the death of a woman in County Cork.The woman was found with serious injuries at a flat in the town of Midleton at about 4.15pm on Friday. Continue reading...
Young people in distress who are treated by paramedics or A&E staff are not being recorded in England's health statisticsThousands of patients are being omitted from official health statistics because they are not seen by hospitals or GPs, according to a groundbreaking study of ambulance data in England.More than a third of people who made calls attended by Yorkshire ambulance service (YAS) last year - 288,000 of about 800,000 - did not go to hospital. Many of these patients had mental health issues. Continue reading...
Running mate decision likely to come down to who can have the hard conversations', a former Harris aide saysKamala Harris faces one of the biggest decisions of her political life over the weekend, as she enters the crucial last stages of picking a running mate who can help her win the White House and defeat the looming authoritarian threat of Donald Trump.Just two weeks after being suddenly thrust into the political spotlight and on to the top of the Democratic ticket after Joe Biden decided to step aside amid concerns over his age, Harris's campaign has triggered a burst of enthusiasm among Democrats. Polls show her recovering much of the ground on Trump that Biden had lost. Continue reading...
IDF soldiers have shared scores of videos of their conduct in Gaza. The American-Israeli soldier says his videos were taken out of context'An American-Israeli man deployed in Gaza with a combat engineering unit of Israel's armed forces posted videos online that show indiscriminate fire at a destroyed building and the detonation of homes and a mosque.One video posted by the man, Bram Settenbrino, and filmed from the shooter's viewpoint, shows dozens of rounds being fired into the ruins of a building. Another video shows what appears to be an armored vehicle's fire-control system trained on a mosque before it is razed to the ground. Others depict the detonation of several homes as soldiers cheer. Continue reading...
Boys aged 14 to 18 face charges including attempted murder after disorder earlier in weekPolice have charged seven people following violence and disorder on the Southend seafront earlier this week.Officers were called to reports of people carrying weapons on the seafront on Tuesday evening, Essex police said.A 16-year-old boy from Canning Town, charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause serious injury, possession of a prohibited weapon in a public place, and violent disorder.A 14-year-old boy from Pitsea charged with violent disorder, wounding with intent, and possession of an offensive weapon.A 16-year-old boy from Shadwell charged with violent disorder, wounding with intent, and possession of an offensive weapon.Mekai Brown, 18, of Woodford, charged with violent disorder and wounding with intent.Tyler Omo-Irogho, 18, of Watford, charged with two counts of violent disorder, wounding with intent, possession of an offensive weapon, and assaulting an emergency worker.Michael King, 18, of South Woodford, charged with violent disorder and wounding with intent.A 17-year-old boy from Stratford charged with violent disorder, wounding with intent, and possession of an offensive weapon. Continue reading...
After a difficult period on the high street, base rates are falling, temperatures are rising and things are looking upIt's been a second cruel summer in a row for retailers and the hospitality business, but a more prolonged spell of warmth - and the first cut in interest rates in more than four years - may finally heat up the market, if it's not too late.From Argos paddling pools and outdoor furniture at garden centres to Heineken beer and Unilever's ice-cream brands, sales have been dampened by poor weather, which has added to the pressure from high interest rates and energy bills. Sales volumes were down in June and July in the UK, according to the latest CBI distributive trades survey, with retailers expecting more falls in August. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Gotta Get Thru This singer argues that neo-luddites' risk being left behind as technology developsThe growing use of artificial intelligence in the creative industries has been described as an existential threat to jobs and artistic integrity. Earlier this year artists including Billie Eilish and Katy Perry signed an open letter urging tech companies not to sabotage creativity", while Nick Cave has called lyrics written by ChatGPT a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human". But according to the musician Daniel Bedingfield, AI is music's future, and anyone who fights against it faces being left behind.AI is now here for ever," he told the Guardian. And so I think that there will be two paths: there'll be the neo-luddite path, and then there'll be everyone else, most of the planet, who thinks the music's really good and enjoys it." Continue reading...
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