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Activists say they never agreed to leave their homeland and vow to continue fighting for democracy in RussiaRussian dissidents freed as part of a prisoner swap between Moscow and the west have shared their mixed feelings about the deal and vowed to continue their political activity from abroad.The exchange represented a difficult dilemma", said the Russian liberal opposition politician Ilya Yashin at an emotional press conference in Bonn. Continue reading...

Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund says Harris has shown more sympathy towards the people of Gaza' than Biden or TrumpKamala Harris has won the backing for her presidential bid of a key US Muslim organization that had declined to endorse Joe Biden before he withdrew from his re-election campaign.The switch to Harris was a sign that those who voted uncommitted" instead of actively voting for Biden in the primary, because of their objections to his response to Israel's war on Gaza, may have found an ally in his vice-president. Continue reading...

Christopher Rodriguez, 45, also admitted to bombing sculpture of Lenin and Mao in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022A Florida attorney pleaded guilty on Friday to using a rifle to try to detonate explosives he placed outside the Chinese embassy last year in Washington DC.Christopher Rodriguez also bombed a sculpture of the communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in a courtyard outside the Texas Public Radio building in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022, according to a court filing accompanying his guilty plea. Continue reading...

Acting director Ronald Rowe says this was a failure' and admits errors in communications and surveillanceThe US Secret Service takes full responsibility" for the events that led up to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last month, the acting director of the agency said on Friday.In a press conference in Washington, Ronald Rowe, who replaced Kimberly Cheatle after she stood down from her position as director of the service after Trump was shot, said: This was a failure." Continue reading...

Negotiations, which began months earlier, originally included release of late opposition leaderAt Cologne airport on Thursday evening, a group of associates of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gathered waiting for a plane to arrive from Ankara. On board were 13 people who, until that morning, had been incarcerated in Russian prisons, including three people who had worked as Navalny's regional coordinators in various Russian cities and been jailed for extremism".After a swap in Turkey, they were now free, along with the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans, who were heading back home on a separate plane. Continue reading...

Vice-president's fundraising haul dwarfed Trump's $138.7m with polls indicating a tight contest in battleground states

At least 25 rallies thought to be planned as religious leaders condemn attempts to sow hatred after Southport killingsRiot police will be on standby in every force in England and Wales to tackle planned far-right protests across the country this weekend, as religious leaders condemned shameful" attempts to sow hatred after the Southport murders.Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian leaders were among those calling for calm at any demonstrations, amid warnings of potential escalation of violent disorder. Continue reading...

Former Home Office minister says he is open to capping immigration and wants to reimpose Rwanda schemeRobert Jenrick has said he would hope to detain and deport people who arrive in the UK on small boats within days" if he wins the Conservative leadership race and the next general election.The former immigration minister said he was open" to a cap restricting immigration to fewer than 10,000 people a year and shared his hopes of reimposing the Rwanda scheme. Continue reading...

Staff feel disillusioned with senior management and bitter that his pay had become an unstoppable snowballFor Huw Edwards, once the most trusted newsreader in Britain, now a convicted user of images of the most serious child sexual abuse, the disgrace is total - and nowhere more than in his home country of Wales.Hours after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children as young as seven, a plaque on a building at Cardiff castle commemorating its unveiling by Edwards had already been wrenched off; his voice was also deleted from its guide. He is likely to be stripped of honorary titles at Bangor and Cardiff universities. A mural of the newsreader's face in his home village of Llangennech, Carmarthenshire has already been painted over by the artist. Continue reading...

Neville Lawrence says he learned of plans to return remains to UK after he saw video of damaged grave in JamaicaStephen Lawrence's father has said he was not informed of the decision to exhume his son's body in Jamaica and return it to the UK, and that he is appalled" at the condition his grave was left in.It comes after Stephen's mother, Doreen Lawrence, said her family had decided to bring Stephen home to be closer to us" after originally burying him on the Caribbean island because they felt he would not be at peace in this country". Continue reading...

David Hanson, a Home Office minister, says there is potential' for further violence but warns agitators to be prepared to face full force of law'Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has said she will be speaking with sporting bodies about inclusion, fairness and safety" after what she described as an incredibly uncomfortable watch" when asked about the Olympic boxing controversy.But Nandy said the biological facts are far more complicated than is being presented on social media" as she spoke about Italian fighter Angela Carini having abandoned her bout against Algeria's Imane Khelif this week.It was an incredibly uncomfortable watch for the 46 seconds that it lasted. I know that there's a lot of concern about women competitors, about whether we're getting the balance right in not just boxing but other sports as well.The decision that successive governments have made is that these are complex decisions that should be made by sporting bodies. In this case, for example, I understand that the biological facts are far more complicated than is being presented on social media and in some of the speculation.Following the disorder on Tuesday evening, we have now made seven arrests and further arrests will be made over the coming weeks.Extensive work is ongoing to identify all those responsible for the despicable actions and we are determined to find everyone involved in this incident. Continue reading...

Ali Xhaferri was driving at between 70mph and 92 mph in a 40mph zone in north London when he killed Ahmed MoneerA motorist has been jailed for 10 years after killing a pedestrian and seriously injuring his passenger after driving at up to 92mph (148kph) on a north London road.Ali Xhaferri, 43, lost control of his BMW on the A406 North Circular Road at Stonebridge on 11 March 2022 and struck Ahmed Moneer, 37, a pedestrian who was walking along the pavement. Continue reading...

US launches major vaccination campaign in a bid to prevent healthcare strain and potential mutations of H5N1 virusIn the face of serious concerns over the spreading bird flu virus in US agriculture, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is pushing a major flu vaccination campaign among farm workers in a bid to prevent healthcare strain and combat potential mutations from the highly pathogenic bird virus.Part of the campaign will seek to combat disinformation about vaccines, which has hampered previous efforts. Continue reading...

Trevor Morris is first in public inquiry to defend police who formed intimate relationships under false identitiesA former undercover police officer has criticised the Metropolitan police commissioner for apologising to the women who were deceived into sexual relationships by undercover officers.The criticism was made at a public inquiry on Friday by Trevor Morris, who deceived two women into sexual relations while he infiltrated leftwing and anti-racism campaign groups. Continue reading...

National Pensioners Convention tells chancellor decision means many older people may not survive to see the spring'Rachel Reeves has been urged to reverse her ill-advised" decision to strip most pensioners of their winter fuel payments, or risk millions of people being forced to choose between turning on the heating or preparing a hot meal.The chancellor has faced fury from backbenchers, who have questioned how many older people will die of cold as a result of denying about 10 million pensioners the payments. Continue reading...

Ella Milman pressed world leaders and researched the scheme that would eventually lead to the release of her sonMuch has been made of the public diplomacy behind the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the US since the cold war, with officials from at least seven countries spending years making calls and holding secret meetings in far-flung capitals.But since Evan Gershkovich, the formerly imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter, and others stepped off the plane in Maryland on Thursday, new details have emerged about the role of a crucial player in that effort: his mother. Continue reading...

Iran has vowed revenge for death of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which came hours after killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr

Moscow says Krasikov, returned by Germany as part of prisoner swap, served in Alpha Group, the FSB's special forces unitFor a few seconds, no one even noticed that Evan Gershkovich had taken his first steps back on US soil as a free man.All eyes were on Paul Whelan, the ex-marine who had spent more than 2,000 days in a Russian prison, mostly in obscurity as his family implored the White House to bring him home. Now Joe Biden was holding him by the elbow, while the vice-president, Kamala Harris, looked on. Continue reading...

Misty Roberts left post days before being jailed for third-degree rape and contributing to delinquency of minorsThe mayor of a Louisiana city near the state's border with Texas abruptly resigned from her post days before authorities jailed her on suspicion of raping a boy while she served in office.Misty Roberts became the first woman to be elected as mayor of DeRidder in 2018, and she was well into her second term in the position when she handed in her resignation - with immediate effect - to the local city council on Saturday. Continue reading...

Yusuf Deen Kargbo was roomate of Leonard Farruku and almost certainly last person to have seen him aliveThe Home Office threatened to forcibly remove a man from the UK who is likely to be a key witness in the inquest of the asylum seeker who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge.Leonard Farruku, 26, an asylum seeker from Albania, was found dead on the Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset, used by the Home Office to accommodate hundreds of asylum seekers, on 12 December last year. An inquest is scheduled to open into his death in September 2025. Continue reading...

Federal agency's radio and drone detection system malfunctioned due to lack of proper technologyThe technology flaws of the US Secret Service helped the gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month evade detection.An officer broadcast long gun!" over the local law enforcement radio system, according to congressional testimony from the Secret Service this week, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...

The disease, spread by midges and mosquitoes, has been linked to two deaths as cases surge in previously unaffected areasThe deaths of two young women, miscarriages and birth defects in Brazil have been linked to Oropouche virus, a little-known disease spread by midges and mosquitoes.A surge in cases has been recorded in the country this year - 7,284, up from 832 in 2023. Many have been recorded in areas that have not previously seen the virus. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Muyiwa Oki, president of RIBA, says new estates must be high quality and have access to shops, schools, transport and green spaceLabour's plans to boost housebuilding by allowing the construction of thousands of homes on green belt land could have the unintended consequence of producing isolated communities, the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects has warned.Muyiwa Oki said the government should avoid making the mistakes of the past, which have led to housing estates being built without proper access to transport, schools or shops. This would require more architects and design experts to be hired and retained in local authority planning departments, he said. Continue reading...

Emotional scenes at Andrews air force base as Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva step onto American soil

Insecure work is widely acknowledged as a key cause but high workloads and management culture also play a roleFor a nation that Rishi Sunak has accused of having a sicknote culture", and one previously derided by Conservative ministers as being filled with shirkers, Britons really do go into work a lot when under the weather.Forget the stereotype of the sickie taken to sit in front of the TV or enjoy the sun, the much more accurate tableau is that of someone sneezing and coughing in the workplace. Continue reading...

Aircraft engine maker's share price hits record high as it restores dividend for first time in five years

Misinformation and disinformation played major part in riots after stabbings involving childrenAnyone in Ireland sitting in front of their television screen or checking their mobile phone about events unfolding in Southport this week could not help but be struck by the similarities to what happened in Dublin in November last year.On both occasions young children were repeatedly stabbed. Continue reading...

Reynolds is suing former staffer over social media posts she alleges damaged her reputation

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris meet Wall Street Journal reporter as he steps off the plane in Washington. Plus, Simone Biles wins sixth Olympic goldGood morning.Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have met the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other freed American prisoners after Washington and Moscow completed their largest prisoner exchange since the cold war.Who were the freed prisoners? There were 16 American, Russian dissident and German prisoners freed by Russia, in exchange for eight Russians freed by the US, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. Those returning to Russia included a number of undercover spies and a convicted FSB assassin whom Vladimir Putin had sought to free from German prison for years.How did the deal come about? The complex deal had involved months of negotiations between countries and came together in extreme secrecy. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was meant to be a part of the deal before his death in February. Continue reading...

Critics say representatives Elise Stefanik and Virginia Foxx shield for-profit colleges from accountabilityAs antisemitism hearings on college campuses ignited late last year, US representatives Elise Stefanik and Virginia Foxx seized the spotlight, relentlessly attacking Harvard, Columbia and other top universities, portraying them as unsafe and incompetent.We must DEFUND the rot in America's higher education," Stefanik insisted in December, while co-authoring a bill that would withdraw federal funding from universities that do not participate in plans to curb campus protests. Foxx made similar calls. Continue reading...

Chief health officer Clare Looker says woman in her 90s died after becoming ill on Tuesday as others in intensive care battle severe pneumonia

Response from chair criticised after more than 200 staff, contributors and suppliers called for inquiryThe BBC has been accused of gaslighting" a group of more than 200 of its Jewish staff, contributors and suppliers over the handling of detailed complaints about antisemitism at the corporation.The group's complaints included a letter to the BBC chair, Samir Shah, calling for an investigation into what it warned could amount to a serious institutional racism problem". Continue reading...

Kevin Burrowes received additional salary from the firm's international arm but did not initially reveal it to parliamentary inquiry into company

Commission proposes Mark Irving, of the Victorian bar, after allegations of criminal misconduct and bikie links against union's construction arm

Almost 200 killed as deluge sweeps northern India, while showers give way to high humidity at Paris OlympicsBetween Wednesday and Thursday morning, 147mm of rain was recorded in eastern parts of Delhi and its suburbs by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), breaking a 14-year record for the highest single day total in July.Delhi received more than half its monthly rainfall on Wednesday, which damaged infrastructure in northern India as widespread waterlogging of drains led to flash floods. Continue reading...

Armed gangs control much of Caribbean country's capital with reports of 40 rape victims a day in areas, UN reportsThe UN has called for the deployment of international security forces in Haiti to be accelerated after a report that at least 1,379 people were killed or wounded in gang warfare and 428 people kidnapped in the country between April and June this year.Service providers report receiving an average of 40 rape victims a day in some areas of the capital," warns the new report from the UN's office in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Continue reading...

The cat had lived through thunderstorms, hail and icy cold in Adelaide but it only took him a moment to warm back up to his relieved owner

Exclusive: A&Es and mental health services face dangerous' surge that could continue into 2025, say bosses

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Police car was set on fire during Wednesday's violent disorder, for which 12 people were arrested, in wake of stabbing attack in SouthportAn 11-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a police vehicle was set alight, while seven men have been charged, all in connection with the violent disorder in Hartlepool that followed the Southport stabbings.On Friday morning, Cleveland police said all seven men were charged with violent disorder. Among them, a 42-year-old was additionally charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker; and a 28-year-old man was additionally charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. Continue reading...

Faith leaders have been seeking security advice, while asylum seekers have decried the ideology of hate and blame' after the Southport attacksIt was about 6pm on Wednesday when faith leaders at the Nasir mosque in Hartlepool were told by police to close its doors due to a protest by far-right activists in the town.The police came and said we need to block the gate because there is trouble on the way," recalled Muhammad Ali Ahmad, general secretary of the mosque. Continue reading...

John Hayes was stabbed in leg as he tried to stop attacker who killed three girlsA man who was stabbed in the leg while trying to stop the Southport attacker has said he is lucky the knife just missed an artery, as he praised the police and paramedics for being the real heroes".John Hayes, 63, was speaking from his hospital bed after he was stabbed in the leg as he tried to stop the attacker, who entered a dance and yoga class on Monday and stabbed several children. Continue reading...

This week, Paul Dans, the leader of the controversial Project 2025, resigned and signalled in a company email that work on it was winding down'. The project had become a manifesto of rightwing policies that would serve as a guide for the next Republican president. However, there is a significant stumbling block: Donald Trump wants nothing to do with it.Joan E Greve and Rachel Leingang discuss whether this marks the beginning of the end of Project 2025Archive: CNN, PBS Newshour, CSPAN, Tik Tok: heathergtv Continue reading...

Federal police charge 31-year-old man after drugs allegedly found in shipping container from US at Port Botany

US secretary of state Antony Blinken says there is overwhelming evidence' Gonzalez beat Nicolas Maduro in last weekend's presidential electionThe US government has recognised Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of Venezuela's presidential election, discrediting the results announced by government-controlled electoral authorities who declared Nicolas Maduro the victor.Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela's 28 July presidential election," US secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday night. Continue reading...

New law comes into force stopping most serious offenders getting married or entering into civil partnerships behind barsThe serial killer Levi Bellfield has been blocked from having a civil partnership, after a new law came into force stopping the most serious offenders getting married behind bars.Bellfield is serving two whole-life orders for killing Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. Continue reading...

Several foreigners and Russian political prisoners released as Germany frees hitman Vadim Krasikov as part of deal

Corporation explores possible legal action to recover salary from broadcaster who was paid for five months after arrestThe BBC's director general, Tim Davie, has said the corporation will look at all options" for recovering pay from the disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards.Davie said the corporation was exploring the possibility of legal action to claw back some of its payments to Edwards, who continued to be paid for five months after his arrest. He admitted this week to accessing indecent images of children. Continue reading...

White House, WSJ and politicians praise Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan's release in a likely political coup for Biden