Arrest made after reports that image of deceased young mascot was displayed at football ground to goad Sunderland fansA man has been charged with a public order offence after the image of football mascot Bradley Lowery was displayed during a match.The six-year-old Sunderland fan, who struck up a close friendship with the team's striker Jermain Defoe after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma, died in 2017 having helped raise more than 1m for charity. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Aubrey Allegretti and Aletha Adu on (#6F7FA)
Rishi Sunak's hopes of united front flounder with MPs and even ministers challenging policy and jockeying for positionRishi Sunak is struggling to hold together his fractured party as the first day of the Conservative conference saw attempts at a united front collapse into rival groups battling over tax, culture wars and the fight to be the next Tory leader.In his own carefully planned comments, the prime minister used interviews and a rally in Manchester to portray himself as a figure of change, making difficult but necessary long-term choices above the fray of petty politics. Continue reading...
by Ruth Michaelson in Istanbul and agencies on (#6F755)
Action follows suicide bomb blast outside Turkish government building claimed by Kurdish militantsThe Turkish defence ministry says its warplanes carried out raids on suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq on Sunday after a suicide attack on a government building in the Turkish capital.A ministry statement said 20 targets of the Kurdistan Workers' party, or PKK, were destroyed" in the aerial operation, including caves, shelters and depots. Continue reading...
A row over tax cuts, a car crash start for Onward and the home secretary accused of attention-seekingI don't know what the intention was around that - it might just be get attention ... This side of a general election, I might politely suggest it is about delivery, and the government will be judged on delivery.- Priti Patel on home secretary Suella Braverman's speech in the US this week Continue reading...
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, comedian revealed how she confronted unnamed man she believed to be a perpetrator of sexual assault'The comedian Katherine Ryan has spoken on Desert Island Discs about the moment she decided to confront a male comedian over allegations of predatory behaviour.Last month Deadline reported that Russell Brand, who is facing allegations of sexual assault and rape against him after an investigation by the Times, the Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches first published on 16 September, was dropped from Comedy Central's Roast Battle in 2018 after Brand was reluctant to be roasted when Ryan, repeatedly accused him of being a sexual predator" in comments which were not broadcast. Continue reading...
Rival governments urged to work together to best manage donations for Derna after catastrophic floodingThe government in eastern Libya has been forced to postpone a reconstruction conference for the stricken city of Derna amid concerns about how donations will be spent and a lack of coordination with the west of the country.A large part of Derna was destroyed on the night of 10 September when severe flooding caused two dams above the town to burst. The death toll has been put at more than 10,000, but no official figure is yet deemed accurate. Continue reading...
Prime minister says the best tax cut we can give is to cut inflation' after Michael Gove says taxes should be cut before general electionThe BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg is starting. As well as Rishi Sunak, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, is also being interviewed.Q: Do you still think we've had enough of experts?Economic forecasting was invented to make astrology look respectable. Continue reading...
Four others were injured in the blaze in the Teatre club in Murcia, south-eastern Spain, as rescue workers search for more victimsAt least 13 people have been killed in a fire in adjoining Spanish nightclubs, amid fears the death toll could rise further as rescue workers continued to search for those still unaccounted for.Outside the club, young people hugged each other as they waited for information after the fire, which broke out in the early hours in the two-storey Teatre nightclub, also called Fonda Milagros, on the outskirts of the southern city of Murcia. Continue reading...
Leader of Polish opposition addresses supporters as large parts of the capital come to a standstillHuge crowds have gathered in central Warsaw at a rally organised by opposition leader Donald Tusk, two weeks before a crucial election that will have major implications for the future political course of Poland and its role in Europe.As a closely fought and vicious campaign enters its final straight, Tusk had called on supporters to rally in Warsaw to put on a show of strength and galvanise the opposition. Victory, he claimed, was in sight. Continue reading...
Demand follows part withdrawal after US warning of potential punitive measures against BelgradeKosovo has demanded that Serbia pull its troops back from their common border and warned it was ready to protect its territorial integrity, after the US warned of punitive measures against Belgrade and Serbia's president insisted he does not want war".We call on ... Serbia to immediately withdraw all troops from the border with Kosovo," the Kosovan government said, demanding that Belgrade demilitarise" 48 forward military and police bases, which pose a permanent threat to our country". Continue reading...
Alicia Menendez, a weekend anchor on liberal network, says she has been watching father's case along with all of you as a citizen'The MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez said her colleagues at the network would aggressively" cover the corruption scandal involving her father, the indicted New Jersey senator, Bob Menendez - as they should".Alicia Menendez hosts a weekend show on the liberal-leaning network. Continue reading...
Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and former defence minister agree to pay for 2003 violence in which 60 protesters were killedA former Bolivian president and his defence minister have agreed to pay damages to the families of people killed by the military during their government, in a landmark settlement that sets a precedent by which other foreign leaders could face accountability for human rights abuse in US courts.The settlement concerns events in 2003, when massive protests broke out over then president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada's plan to export Bolivia's natural gas. The army was sent to clear blockades in the largely Indigenous and working-class city of El Alto, killing more than 60 protesters and injuring hundreds. Continue reading...
Robert Fico's Smer party moves ahead of Progressive Slovakia in vote that could fuel fears about future foreign policy stanceThe Smer party, led by the populist former prime minister Robert Fico, was on course to win Slovakia's election on Sunday, garnering more support than its rival Progressive Slovakia in a dramatic knife-edge race.With almost all votes counted, Smer was poised to take nearly 23% of the vote. Michal imeka's Progressive Slovakia (PS) came second with close to 18%, followed by Peter Pellegrini's Hlas with 14%. Continue reading...
Road infrastructure campaign has been launched in honour of designer Emma Burke Newman, who was killed in lorry collisionOn the long and busy stretch of road where Glasgow's riverside meets its city centre, hundreds of commuters and visitors travel into and out of town each day. Since January this year, many will have spotted a new addition to their route: a white ghost bike", adorned with flowers and messages, parked at a busy junction where 22-year-old French-American architecture student and experienced cyclist Emma Burke Newman was killed in a collision with a lorry, just six months after moving to the city.Now, former colleagues at architectural firm New Practice, where she worked as a designer while studying at Glasgow School of Art, have launched a road infrastructure campaign in her honour. Focusing on three specific junctions along the riverside, including the one where Burke Newman lost her life, the Waiting To Happen campaign aims to gather data about road users' experiences of these locations with a view to creating a set of possible improvements. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6F744)
Exclusive: former staff member at equality watchdog says she was vilified, silenced and punished for speaking up on raceA former staff member at the Equality and Human Rights Commission is suing the watchdog, alleging race discrimination and unfair dismissal, at an employment tribunal this week.Preeti Kathreca, a senior associate and race protected-characteristic lead at Britain's equality watchdog until 2021, claims she was vilified, silenced and punished for doing my job" by speaking up about race. Continue reading...
The barrister famous for his work on landmark cases such as Grenfell, Stephen Lawrence and the Birmingham Six has written a book about fighting injusticeThe Birmingham Six. The Guildford Four. The Mangrove Nine. The McLibel Two. The Angry Brigade. Kenneth Noye. Valerio Viccei. Bloody Sunday. The Marchioness disaster. Stephen Lawrence. Hillsborough. Grenfell. The landmark cases in which Michael Mansfield KC has been involved as a barrister add up to a legal panorama of the last half-century. Now in his 80s, he has written what amounts to a call to arms for anyone who feels despair at the state of our justice system, our politics - and our planet.The book, The Power in the People, aims to highlight the achievements of those who have fought injustice, secrecy or bigotry. People are fed up with the fact that we seem to be in a hopeless situation in which we have feckless people in power who pay no real regard to the constituencies they represent," says Mansfield. I don't think we have a parliamentary system that reflects the public any more." Continue reading...
But memories of colonial project to wipe out Tasmania's natives boost yes campaign on islandPatsy Cameron stands in her dining room in Tomahawk - a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Tasmania, Australia. She tells a story - a few decades old - of how she boarded a plane back from Darwin, her hands full of cultural objects she had bought. The man next to her turned and said: They should have shot them all like they did to the Tasmanians." She started crying. He responded by offering her a piece of cake, and an apology.Behind her is a cabinet full of shell necklaces and drawings of her ancestors. The home she shares with her husband, Graham, is filled with cultural artefacts that the historian learned to make by reading diaries and anthologies of colonisers. Piece by piece she has put history back together. Piece by piece she is reviving her culture. Continue reading...
Campaigner Tony Pierre is demanding answers as to why his home was searched by immigration officers without a warrantA prominent refugee campaigner has demanded an explanation from the Home Office and Northumbria police after immigration enforcement officers raided his home without a warrant.Tony Pierre - who has worked with refugees in Newcastle and abroad for the past seven years, making at least 10 trips to bring aid to refugees living on the streets in Calais and Dunkirk - said two immigration officers claiming to be looking for illegal immigrants" searched his house in an isolated hamlet last week, with local police officers in attendance. Continue reading...
Activists say feedback from the doorsteps bodes well for a result that they hope will herald a revival for the party in ScotlandLabour insiders have described the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection this week as the biggest vote since the last election, amid notable confidence they will win the seat from the SNP.The claim has been made in internal discussions before the vote on Thursday, with Keir Starmer's most senior advisers regarding it as by far the most important of three byelection campaigns currently under way. There will now be a deluge" of activists and shadow cabinet ministers visiting the seat before polling day. Continue reading...
Cap in Great Britain is falling to 1,834 a year - here's how it works, and the help you can getSky-high bills have made the price cap set by the energy regulator Ofgem a key number for British households. The good news is that from Sunday the cost of the average annual dual-fuel bill in Britain will drop below 2,000 a year for the first time since April 2022 as a new, lower cap kicks in.The bad news is there is no repeat of the 400 universal bill subsidy this year, and the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says the financial squeeze created by the ongoing cost of living crisis means people will still feel the pain of high energy bills this winter". Continue reading...
by Toby Helm, Political editor and Phillip Inman, Eco on (#6F72A)
Rishi Sunak failure to commit to HS2's northern leg has raised concerns about the future of several large-scale transport projectsThe future of several prestige transport projects, including a planned 9bn road tunnel under the Thames, are in increasing doubt this weekend after prime minister Rishi Sunak failed to commit to building the northern section of the HS2 high-speed rail line to Manchester.MPs and transport industry experts now believe that a number of other schemes, including the Lower Thames Crossing, intended to link Kent and Essex, as well as a new tunnel under the Stonehenge world heritage site, face more delays and may never be built as costs soar and political commitment wanes. Continue reading...
Party loses 40% of 2019 voters in south and Midlands according to exclusive Opinium poll for the ObserverAfter winning the 2019 general election Boris Johnson thanked voters behind the so-called red wall" who had voted Conservative for the first time and helped his party storm to an emphatic victory. You may only have lent us your vote, you may not see yourself as a natural Tory," Johnson said.The then prime minister insisted that the Conservative government's challenge over the coming years would be to earn their trust and repay their faith. By that he meant keep their vote for next time. Continue reading...
With the party riven by factions and differences on policy, the prime minister has a job on his hands trying to find a coherent way forwardBefore what could well be the last Conservative party conference before the next election, more than one MP reflected on the state of the party by invoking the infamous jewellery mogul famed for mocking his own products and torpedoing his brand.It's been like Gerald Ratner saying his products were crap and then wondering why nobody bought them," said one MP, assessing the various criticisms being made of the government by its own MPs. That seems to be what's going on with our offer to voters. It's almost like we've become a sort of protest movement masquerading as a government." Continue reading...
UK business leaders have asked for a meeting with the home secretary to press for a new offence of assaulting or abusing shop staffAlmost 90 retail leaders, including the bosses of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots and WH Smith, have written to the government demanding action on rising retail crime, in which violent criminals are emptying stores".The retailers, who also include the bosses of Aldi, Primark and Superdrug, call for the creation of a new UK-wide aggravated offence of assaulting or abusing a retail worker - as already exists in Scotland - which would carry tougher sentences and require police to record all incidents of retail crime and allow the allocation of more resources. Continue reading...
Donald Tusk says his march of a million hearts' is the last chance to save democracy in the countryPoland's largest opposition coalition hopes to fill the streets of Warsaw with its supporters on Sunday, two weeks before a parliamentary election that polls suggest is too close to call.Donald Tusk, the former European Council president who leads the main opposition coalition, has called on supporters to rally in central Warsaw at midday, in what he has dubbed the march of a million hearts", intended as a show of strength before the vote on 15 October. Continue reading...
Election could decide whether country sticks with liberal, pro-western line or begins to lean more towards RussiaSlovakia's election day in picturesThere is a real concern that after the vote Slovakia could become some sort of Trojan horse of Russia in the EU and NATO," said Andrej Matisak, a journalist at Slovak daily Pravda. Continue reading...
Defence secretary says proposal being discussed would reduce reliance on UK and other Nato members' basesThe new defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said he has held talks with army leaders about deploying British troops within Ukraine for the first time for a training programme.Shapps, who met Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for talks in Kyiv earlier this week, said the proposal being discussed would reduce the reliance on the UK and other Nato members' bases. Continue reading...
Exclusive poll for Observer reveals Conservatives have lost support in their southern England heartlands and the Red WallThe coalition of voters that delivered the Tories a big majority at the last election is crumbling, according to dramatic new evidence that the party is losing support in key battlegrounds across England.The findings, revealed in a special poll of 2019 Tory voters for the Observer, comes as Rishi Sunak faces a series of competing and contradictory demands from warring Tory factions ahead of the party's conference in Manchester. Continue reading...
Kit spotted in Forty Hall Estate, Enfield, as result of reintroducing animals which were extinct in UKThe first baby beaver to be born in London for hundreds of years has been seen. The kit" was spotted for the first time this summer in the grounds of Forty Hall Estate in Enfield, north London.Enfield Council launched London's first beaver reintroduction programme in 2022, with the aim of bringing beavers back to the capital for the first time in 400 years. Their reintroduction is part of a rewilding and natural flood-management project. Beavers were hunted to extinction in England but have been introduced in recent times to some areas across the country. Continue reading...
Two more teenagers suffer life-threatening injuries and two more seriously injured in consecutive nearby incidentsThree teenagers have been arrested after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Luton on Friday.Police were called to Nunnery Lane, Bedfordshire, after reports that three teenagers had been stabbed at about 7pm. Continue reading...
As the website boasts about increased revenue, some partners say they have not been paid for monthsTravel website Booking.com has left many hotel operators and other partners across the globe thousands of dollars out of pocket for months on end, blaming the lack of payment on a technical issue".The issue is widespread in Thailand, Indonesia and Europe among hoteliers who are venting their frustrations in Facebook groups as rumours swirl about the cause of the failure to pay. Continue reading...
US calls for immediate withdrawal of forces as British troops sent to reinforce Nato peacekeeping forceThe White House has said there is an unprecedented" buildup of Serbian troops and armour along the Kosovo border and called on Belgrade to withdraw them immediately.The Nato peacekeeping force in Kosovo, Kfor, has been reinforced with British troops and the Biden administration said it was consulting with allies to ensure Kfor's posture matches the threat". Continue reading...
Appointment to board of banker who ran rightwing social media platform Parler suggests channel will not turn its back on radical libertarianismThe leadership of the rightwing TV channel GB News is trying urgently to avert fresh public censure following the Laurence Fox and Dan Wootton debacle, the Observer has learned.Under scrutiny are a number of incidents, including last week's crude, on-air attack on the journalist Ava Evans by the actor and pundit Fox, and Friday's interview of Suella Braverman, the home secretary, conducted by the deputy chair of her own party, the Conservative MP Lee Anderson. Continue reading...
In an excruciating BBC interview, the transport minister sticks resolutely to the party line on rail link ... and fails to answer the questionMark Harper is not the first cabinet minister to suffer a difficult early-morning interview, but the transport secretary seemed oddly blindsided by a quizzing about the future of HS2. No fewer than 12 times he dismissed the issue as speculation". If only there were a senior figure from the Department for Transport to clear things up? Here is an edited version of his awkward interview with the BBC Today Programme's Mishal Husain:Husain Has something changed on HS2 plans since the last update to parliament in June? Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah (now); Vivian Ho and Adam Fulton (e on (#6F6GH)
UK intelligence says Andrei Troshev's meeting with the Russian president will not be viewed positively by Wagner fightersVolodymyr Zelenskiy announced today the creation of the Defence Industries Alliance at Kyiv's first Defence Industries Forum.Right now, the most powerful military-industrial complexes are being determined, as are their priorities and the global standard of defence. All of this is being determined in Ukraine," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Continue reading...
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