Legal action after fire that killed man at overcrowded flat in Shadwell thought to be the first of its kind involving ebikesTwelve survivors of an ebike battery fire that killed a man have launched legal action against their landlords and the battery's manufacturer.The 12 managed to escape in the early hours of 5 March 2023, after an overcrowded flat they were living in - in Maddocks House in Shadwell, east London - caught fire due to an explosion found by a coroner to have been caused by a faulty ebike battery. Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two, died in the fire. Continue reading...
by Rachel Savage Southern Africa correspondent on (#6RQ97)
Frelimo presidential candidate Daniel Chapo is said to have received 70% of vote, after claims of riggingThe candidate of Mozambique's ruling party has won the presidential election with a thumping majority, after two opposition figures were killed by unknown gunmen and amid allegations that the results were rigged.Daniel Chapo, the candidate of Frelimo, received 70.7% of the vote, the election commission said on Thursday, comfortably clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a second round. Continue reading...
John Burke-Monerville and Richard Adams give evidence at undercover policing inquiry about impact of intrusionTwo grieving fathers have criticised police for using undercover officers to spy on their campaigns to secure justice for their sons.At the undercover policing inquiry on Thursday, they accused the police of racism for spying on them instead of helping them find out what happened to their sons. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#6RPVR)
Police say specialists headhunted for lucrative missions, sometimes delivering several kilograms at a timeGangs are headhunting highly skilled drone pilots to make Amazon Prime-style deliveries of drugs, weapons and even condiments such as tomato ketchup to prison cell windows.Police said organised crime groups were recruiting specialist aircraft operators to fly the highly lucrative missions, sometimes transporting several kilograms of contraband at a time. Continue reading...
Chris Taylor, the chief of policy at Australia Banking Association, says reducing 3% serviceability buffer could help first home buyers enter property market
by Jonathan Yerushalmy (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Maya on (#6RP0H)
This live blog is now closed. You can read the latest report from our correspondent in the region here.In a statement on its official Telegram channel, Israel's military has claimed that overnight it struck at weapons storage facilities in Beirut in Lebanon.In the message, the IDF said the targets were manufacturing facilities and command centres belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization which were located within civilian infrastructure." Continue reading...
Disgruntled members of Liberal party give Canadian leader deadline of 28 October to step down before likely electoral drubbingDisgruntled members of Canada's Liberal party have given Justin Trudeau an ultimatum: decide early next week if you want to stay on as leader, or face the prospects of a caucus revolt.The prime minister met with Liberal lawmakers in a closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday where 20 MPs - none of them cabinet members - called on their leader to resign before a likely electoral drubbing in the next election. Continue reading...
Recep Tayyip Erdoan condemns heinous' attack after large explosion and reports of gunfire at Tusa HQ near AnkaraTurkey's interior minister has blamed a terrorist attack" for an explosion and assault at the headquarters of the national aerospace company, Tusa, outside Ankara that has killed four people and wounded 14 others.The large blast happened outside the building at 4pm on Wednesday, and there were reports that gunfire was also heard in the vicinity. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6RPC4)
Airport says operations returning to normal' after flights grounded and passengers told to stay awayBirmingham airport is returning to normal" after flights were grounded and the site evacuated while police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle.In a statement, the airport said: Following a police investigation, operations are now returning to normal. Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience and disruption, the safety and security of everyone at the airport was our No 1 priority as we worked through this incident with police partners." Continue reading...
London concerts drive travellers to airport, which may reinstate dividend for first time in four yearsTaylor Swift fans and Olympic visitors helped push record-breaking numbers of passengers to travel through Heathrow between June and September, prompting the airport to consider reinstating its dividend for the first time in four years.The UK's biggest airport said there were multiple consecutive weeks with record passenger numbers during the school holidays, with 30.7 million travellers passing through from June to September - bringing the total for the first nine months of the year to 63.1 million. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: With a sentencing review ordered and the crisis in the criminal justice system deepening, the government is tasked with finding solutions to what seems like an intractable problem Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. If the answer is prison works", it now seems that the most likely question is: what is a good example of a demonstrable policy failure where successive governments have nonetheless decided to stick with the status quo?England and Wales lock up more people than any other country in western Europe, with Scotland close behind; thanks largely to longer sentences, the prison population has doubled since 1993. But while crime has dropped considerably over that period, the same effect has been seen in countries that don't lock up nearly so many people - and about 44% of freed prisoners are convicted again within a year.UK news | Police chiefs have asked the government to make it harder to prosecute officers after a sergeant was acquitted of the murder of Chris Kaba, in a move that drew immediate criticism from campaigners as a grant of effective immunity". It meanwhile emerged that Kaba had shot a man a few days before he was killed and was allegedly a core member of a south London gang.Middle East | Israel has confirmed the killing of the presumed next leader of Hezbollah in an airstrike on southern Beirut earlier in October. In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said strikes in the suburb of Dahiyeh had killed Hashem Safieddine three weeks ago. Hezbollah has not yet commented.Water | Water companies in England could be banned from making a profit under plans for a complete overhaul of the system. The idea is one of several under consideration by a new commission amid public fury over sewage in rivers and mismanagement.US elections | Donald Trump has filed an extraordinary complaint against the UK's Labour party, claiming that volunteers joining the Kamala Harris campaign are guilty of blatant foreign interference". Keir Starmer insisted he could maintain a good relationship with Trump despite the claim.Culture | Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus, actor Julianne Moore and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke are among 10,500 signatories of a statement from the creative industries warning artificial intelligence companies that unlicensed use of their work is a major, unjust threat" to artists' livelihoods. Continue reading...
West infuriated as UN secretary general accepts invitation to meeting of countries including China, India and IranVladimir Putin, ostracised by the west and labelled a possible war criminal by the international criminal court, has played host to 36 world leaders from nations including China, India and Iran as part of a summit of the Brics group designed to display Moscow as anything but isolated.One of the main aims of the summit will be to speed up ways to reduce the number of dollar transactions, and so mitigate the US ability to use the threat of sanctions to seek to impose its political will. Continue reading...
Roy Barclay, of no fixed abode, charged after 57-year-old Rose found on track road in Brantham in JulyA 55-year-old man has been charged with murder after the death of a dog walker in Suffolk.Suffolk police said Anita Rose, 57, left her house at about 5am on 24 July to take her springer spaniel dog, Bruce, for a walk and was found critically injured by a member of the public at approximately 6.25am. Continue reading...
IDF says strikes in Dahiyeh in early October killed Hashem Safieddine, as well as the head of the militant group's intelligence branchIsrael has confirmed the killing of the presumed next leader of Hezbollah in an airstrike on southern Beirut earlier in October.In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said strikes in Dahiyeh killed Hashem Safieddine and Ali Hussein Hazima, the head of the militant group's intelligence branch, three weeks ago. Continue reading...
by Steven Morris, Gwyn Topham and Jamie Grierson on (#6RNHH)
A man in his 60s died and 15 others were injured after a head-on collision between Talerddig and LlanbrynmairRail investigators believe a train involved in the first head-on collision in the UK this century, which killed a passenger in his 60s, may have entered into a wheel slide when braking".A further 15 people were treated in hospital after the collision between the Welsh villages of Talerddig and Llanbrynmair on the largely single-track Cambrian line. Continue reading...
Downing Street says government shocked' at inheriting prisons crisis as hundreds of prisoners get early release. This live blog is closedThe funeral of Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister who died suddenly earlier this month after delivering a speech in North Macedonia, will be held on Tuesday 29 October, his family has announced.The funeral will be at Strichen parish church in Aberdeenshire. It will be conducted by Rev Ian McEwan, a friend of the family, and only family and close friends are invited. Salmond will be laid to rest in Strichen cemetery.According to the Eurostat data, England and Wales had 144 prisoners per 100,000 head of population, the 8th highest rate among EU countries and the highest amongst western European jurisdictions. Scotland had the 9th highest with 137 prisoners per 100,000. Northern Ireland had 76 prisoners per 100,000 of population and was ranked 24th. Continue reading...
Former teacher was detained in Budapest for alleged attack on neo-Nazis before being released in JuneHungary has called on the EU to strip parliamentary immunity from the Italian MEP Ilaria Salis, who was detained for 16 months in Budapest after an alleged attack on neo-Nazis.The case of Salis, 39, a teacher from Monza, near Milan, sparked diplomatic protests and anger in Italy after she was brought last January to court in Hungary in chains, her hands cuffed and feet locked together. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6RNDC)
The 34-year-old was last seen at 9am on Monday 30 September in Malton, North YorkshireA body believed to be that of Victoria Taylor has been found in the search for the 34-year-old woman who went missing from her North Yorkshire home three weeks ago.Police searching for the missing woman, known as Vixx, has said there was a significant possibility" she had entered the River Derwent, which runs through the town of Malton, where she lived. Continue reading...
People's party tasked with coalition talks with Social Democrats after winning Freedom party fails to find partnerAustria's president has tasked the incumbent chancellor with forming a new government, after the general election winner, the far-right Freedom party (FPO), failed to find a coalition partner to allow it to take power.Alexander Van der Bellen, the 80-year-old head of state, told reporters he had asked Karl Nehammer, head of the centre-right People's party (OVP), to begin negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPO). Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6RNA4)
Whatever the cause is found to be, a third collision in four years is another blemish on UK's strong safety recordThe fatal collision of two trains between Talerddig and Llanbrynmair in rural Wales on Monday evening is, in many respects, unique in Britain's recent rail experience: no head-on crash had been recorded this century, and only one passenger had died in a UK crash since 2007.Inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), who arrived on the scene in Powys last night and resumed in daylight, are likely to release an early report this week. Continue reading...
Authorities smash drugs gang in North Rhine-Westphalia after learning Dusseldorf pizzeria was delivering narcoticsPizza No 40 was long one of the best-selling dishes at a restaurant in the German city of Dusseldorf, until police discovered the secret ingredient: a side of cocaine.Authorities say uncovering the illicit narcotics delivery scheme allowed them to smash an organised crime ring in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. About 150 officers, including from elite units, last week searched 16 properties in nine cities, arrested three suspects and seized caches of weapons, the news agency DPA reported. Continue reading...
Seoul signals its most proactive position towards arming Ukraine to dateSouth Korea is considering directly supplying weapons to Ukraine as evidence increases that North Korean soldiers are preparing to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.South Korea's spy agency (NIS) said last week that North Korea had shipped 1,500 special forces personnel to Russia's far east for training and acclimatising at local military bases for future combat alongside Moscow's troops in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say criminal enterprise' charged foreign couples $50,000 and denied payments for miscarriagesAn international surrogacy ring exploited impoverished women, denied payments for miscarriages, and commercialised" babies in Argentina, prosecutors have alleged.A team of prosecutors said they had discovered a criminal enterprise" which has been charging foreign couples about $50,000 for a baby born by surrogacy in Argentina. Continue reading...
by Steven Morris, Gwyn Topham and Nadeem Badshah on (#6RMV1)
Crash in Powys occurred on single-track section near passing loop, with one train apparently unable to stopA rail passenger died and 15 people were being treated for injuries in hospital after two trains collided on a rural line in mid-Wales on Monday evening.Witnesses described how people were thrown to the floor of a train and pictures of the scene showed part of one of the carriages crumpled in the impact. Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian