Relatives built makeshift shelter to keep David Wakeley warm after he fell on patio at his home in CornwallThe family of an 87-year-old man who had to wait 15 hours for an ambulance in a makeshift shelter made out of a garden football goal after a fall has said the emergency healthcare system is “broken”.Relatives used umbrellas and pieces of tarpaulin to try to keep retired welder David Wakeley warm and dry when he fell on the patio at his home in Cornwall, suffering broken bones and head wounds. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#62P6M)
Former SNP politician Margaret Ferrier under more pressure after admitting she failed to self-isolateConstituents of the Covid rule-breaking MP Margaret Ferrier are said to be “aghast” that she remains in post, as calls for her to resign gathered pace after she pleaded guilty on Thursday to “culpably and recklessly” exposing the public to the virus.The former Scottish National party politician, who now sits as an independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, faced immediate calls to stand down, including from the leader of her former party, Nicola Sturgeon, in October 2020 when it emerged she had visited a number of venues in her constituency and spoken in the Commons while awaiting the result of a Covid test. Continue reading...
People in Ethiopian region turn to desperate measures after authorities stop 6 million people accessing their own moneyHunger in the besieged region of Tigray is pushing people to increasingly desperate measures as the authorities are systematically blocking and confiscating remittances needed by millions of people.Banking services and all communications have been cut off to the state by the Ethiopian administration since last year, with 6 million people denied access to their own money. Continue reading...
Lee Byer, 44, appears at Willesden magistrates court after being charged with murder of Thomas O’Halloran in GreenfordA man charged with the murder of 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran, who was stabbed in the chest while on his mobility scooter, has been remanded in custody.Lee Byer, 44, appeared at Willesden magistrates court on Friday over the alleged killing of O’Halloran, in Greenford, west London, on Tuesday. Continue reading...
by Vincent Ni China affairs correspondent on (#62P0T)
Chinese-Canadian’s firm fined record 55.03bn yuan on charges including illegally taking funds from publicXiao Jianhua, a Chinese-Canadian billionaire at the centre of an alleged abduction scandal in Hong Kong in 2017, has been sentenced by a Shanghai court to 13 years in prison and his company fined a record 55.03bn yuan (£6.8bn).Xiao, 50, and his Tomorrow Holdings conglomerate were charged with illegally absorbing public deposits, betraying the use of entrusted property, and the illegal use of funds and bribery, the Shanghai first intermediate court said. Continue reading...
Highs of over 40C in Chengdu dry up hydropower reservoirs and raise demand for air conditioningA provincial capital in south-west China has dimmed outdoor advertisements, subway lighting and building signs to save energy as the area struggles with a power crunch triggered by record-high temperatures.Temperatures rose past 40C (104F) in Sichuan province this week, fuelling massive demand for air conditioning and drying up reservoirs in a region reliant on dams for most of its electricity. Continue reading...
23-year-old being questioned over incident in which child was allegedly sexually assaulted in DroylsdenA man has been arrested on suspicion of the abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl in Droylsden, Greater Manchester.The 23-year-old man, who remains in custody for questioning, is the second to be arrested, after a man aged 35 was arrested on Wednesday evening, shortly after the child’s disappearance, and later released with no further investigation. Continue reading...
Torrential rains hit parts of England, Italy, France and Belgium, while in China flooding leaves 18 deadProlonged heat across parts of northern and western Europe ended with torrential showers and thunderstorms this week.On Wednesday, parts of southern England received up to 50-65mm of rainfall within a few hours, causing London’s Gatwick airport to delay and cancel dozens of flights. Continue reading...
Financial Conduct Authority will take action if posts do not inform consumers of debt risksThe city watchdog has informed buy now, pay later firms such as Klarna and Clearpay that it has seen online ads and posts by social media influencers that break rules by not warning of risks such as taking on unaffordable debt.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has written to companies in the multibillion-pound buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector promising to take action over unfair and misleading promotions, with more consumers looking into using such services as the cost of living soars. Continue reading...
PM hopeful co-authored pamphlet that also called for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% and abolition of universal child benefitConservative leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has been accused of showing “her true colours” in an 2009 paper promoting government spending cuts including slashing doctors’ pay.Truss called for patients to be charged to see their GP and for doctors’ pay to be slashed by 10% in a controversial report she co-authored when she was deputy director of the Reform thinktank, TalkTV discovered. Continue reading...
Transport secretary accuses union chiefs of not putting offers to members and says ‘it’s time for union bosses to get out of way’Railway reforms at the heart of some strike action will be imposed by legislation if workers do not agree to new deals, the transport secretary has suggested.The UK is gripped once again by a run of strikes hitting train operators across the country and underground services in London. Continue reading...
by Josh Butler and Johanes Hutabarat in Jakarta on (#62NP6)
Early release of ex-member of terror group linked to al-Qaida will cause distress for bereaved, says Australian PMUmar Patek, the bomb maker who helped assemble the devices used in the 2002 bombing in Bali, could walk free early from prison this year.The Indonesian ministry of law and human rights regional office in East Java has proposed the early release after the ex-member of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian terror group linked to al-Qaida, completed two-thirds of his sentence, plus remissions. Continue reading...
Natural Resources Wales and Welsh government take decision as extended heatwave affects rivers and reservoirsA drought has been officially declared in parts of Wales after an extended period of dry weather and low rainfall caused water levels to plummet.Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said the threshold to trigger drought status in south-west Wales was met on Friday. Continue reading...
Upper house MP says he will not contest March state election after discussions with family and friendsNew South Wales upper house Labor MP Walt Secord will not contest the March 2023 state election, after standing down from the opposition’s shadow ministry amid bullying allegations.Secord announced the decision to quit politics in a statement released Friday. Continue reading...
Hours before Dominic Perrottet sacked his fair trading minister, his chief of staff received a copy of letter now referred to Icac, according to documents released to parliament
Ofgem should stop rises in cap, and energy firms unable to offer lower bills should be nationalised, says Nick ButlerA former executive at the oil company BP has called for increases to the energy price cap to be scrapped and for suppliers that fail to help households struggling with bills to be nationalised.Nick Butler, who worked for BP for almost 30 years and was group vice-president for strategy and development, said that expected rises in the cap should be abandoned by the industry regulator, Ofgem, which he said had been “overwhelmed by events” after turmoil in the global energy markets sent 29 British energy retailers to the wall. Continue reading...
Fears the unit will enforce public order laws limiting women’s rights and freedoms amid crackdown since military coupHuman rights campaigners in Sudan fear the launch of a new police squad will herald the return of “morality policing” in the country.The government has announced the creation of the community police unit to “reaffirm the relationships between people and the police” and ensure security. Continue reading...
Nice guidelines advising against antibiotic use for those at risk of infective endocarditis should be reviewed, researchers sayDentists in the UK should be encouraged to give antibiotics to patients at high risk of life-threatening heart infection before invasive procedures, a study has found.Research suggests bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream during dental treatment could explain 30% to 40% of infective endocarditis cases. The rare but life-threatening condition occurs when the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves become infected. Continue reading...
The competition between swimming powerhouses Australia and the US returned to Sydney after a 15-year absence with a new twist“Iconic” was the word of the day. As Australian and American swim stars gathered at Bondi Icebergs to observe the opening event of the three-day Duel in the Pool – an open water relay – adjectives flowed freely. It was an “iconic” event, said one swimming executive, at the “iconic” Bondi beach. “No more appropriate location than Bondi,” offered the state tourism minister, Ben Franklin. “Iconic.”Sport is prone to hyperbole, but this was probably fair enough. Australia v the United States, the two heavyweight swimming nations, head-to-head. Not at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (that comes this weekend), but at Bondi beach – the spiritual home of Australia’s aquatic culture, the nation’s very own swimming mecca. Not a duel in the pool but a battle from one end of Bondi beach to the other and back, and then out and back again – “four by almost 800 metres,” one event organiser quipped, noting the difficulties of setting up an exact “course” in the middle of the ocean. Continue reading...
by Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies on (#62NRA)
Sister of Kim Jong-un insults South Korean president and says it is his ‘great dream’ to get the North to trade away its nuclear weaponsThe powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has angrily rejected North Korea’s offer of economic assistance in return for denuclearisation as the “height of absurdity” and dismissed the possibility of face-to-face talks.The statement comes days after the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, put forward an “audacious” aid plan that would include food, energy and infrastructure help in return for the North abandoning its nuclear weapons programme. Continue reading...
This will be the first loan from China since the Pacific country switched allegiance from Taiwan in 2019The Solomon Islands government has secured a $66m (A$96m) loan from China to build 161 mobile communication towers, which will be built and supplied by Chinese telco giant Huawei.It is the Pacific country’s first loan from Beijing since it switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019 and is a significant bilateral development between the two countries, which signed a secretive and controversial security deal earlier this year. Continue reading...
Opposition leader says dissolution, staged to prevent a no-confidence vote against Bob Loughman, will be challenged in courtVanuatu’s president dissolved its parliament on Thursday, the state broadcaster VBTC reported, after an attempt by some politicians to oust the prime minister.The PM, Bob Loughman, had been expected to face a no-confidence motion when parliament next sat after a group of lawmakers in his party said they had sided with the opposition in a bid to remove him. Continue reading...
New president has been approached to provide security for predecessor who fled country amid economic crisisSri Lanka’s ruling party has asked the country’s new president to provide security and other assistance for his predecessor, who fled to south-east Asia last month after protests flared amid a crippling economic crisis.Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew to Singapore last month and quit as Sri Lanka’s president, making way for veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe to win a vote in parliament and take the top job. Continue reading...
Users trying to check in for flights were left unable to access proof of their vaccination status for several hours on Thursday nightBritish travellers were left struggling to board flights after the NHS Covid Pass system went down for several hours on Thursday night.Users trying to access proof of their vaccination status via the NHS app and website found that the service was unavailable, with the app telling users: “We are sorry the NHS Covid Pass is currently unavailable. Continue reading...
Letter to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak calls for action to help households before price cap risesLabour has urged Boris Johnson to recall parliament next week so the government can offer more help to struggling households before the announcement of the new energy price cap.The opposition has written to the prime minister and both Tory leadership candidates warning that it is a “crucial deadline” for government action to tackle soaring energy bills, after inflation topped 10% for the first time in 40 years. Continue reading...
The Greater Vancouver Zoo revealed a pack of grey wolves had escaped after ‘suspicious’ damage to the fence of their enclosureConservation officers in Canada are searching for a runaway wolf three days after a mysterious break-in freed a pack of the predators from a popular zoo.The Greater Vancouver Zoo announced on Tuesday morning it would not open to crowds that day, and later acknowledged that a pack of grey wolves had escaped after “suspicious” damage to the fence of their enclosure. The zoo said the incident was probably the result of “malicious intent”. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker, Pippa Crerar and Tom Ambrose on (#62NCQ)
Denial comes as language toughens on both sides and head of RMT again warns of de facto general strikeDowning Street has denied that ministers are deliberately seeking a political fight with rail unions, as both sides toughened their language further and the head of the RMT warned the impasse could continue “indefinitely”.Just 20% of rail services ran on Thursday, in a sixth day of strike action since June involving the RMT and TSSA unions, with further disruption taking place on Saturday, which is likely to affect trains throughout the weekend. Continue reading...
Greater Manchester force issues new images of man in connection with suspected assault of snatched girlPolice in Greater Manchester have issued fresh photographs of a man they are hunting in connection with a child abduction, while urging parents to be “extra vigilant”.Detectives believe a six-year-old girl was taken by a man into a wooded area and sexually assaulted in Droylsden, four miles east of Manchester city centre, on Wednesday afternoon just after 4pm. Continue reading...
DP World called ‘corporate gangster’ after announcing half-year profits of £600mThe Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries has been accused of behaving like “corporate gangsters” after celebrating record-breaking profits just months after sacking 800 of its UK based workers without notice.DP World, which is ultimately owned by the Dubai royal family, said in March that firing 786 P&O seafarers and replacing them with much cheaper agency workers was the only way to ensure the “future viability” of the historic ferry business. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#62MQP)
Ex-business secretary Vince Cable says potential integration of FCA, PRA and PSR, formed after financial crisis, poses systemic risksFormer business secretary Vince Cable has criticised Liz Truss, warning that plans mooted by her campaign team to merge the City’s top regulators would be “dangerous.”His comments came after the frontrunner in the Conservative leadership race was said to be preparing for a sweeping review of the financial regulators’ responsibilities if she succeeds in beating rival Rishi Sunak Continue reading...
Timati and co-owner Anton Pinskiy have rebranded it as Stars Coffee after buying the rights to the chainA pro-Putin rapper has reopened the chain of coffee shops formerly owned by Starbucks under a new name, Stars Coffee, the latest high-profile rebranding of a major western chain after an unprecedented corporate exodus from Russia.On Thursday, the rapper Timati and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy, the duo that acquired the rights to the chain in Russia, attended the opening of the first of the 130 cafes previously owned by Starbucks. During the opening in central Moscow, the pair also revealed the chain’s new logo, which replaces Starbucks’s iconic siren with a woman wearing the traditional Russian kokoshnik headdress, but is otherwise fairly similar. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#62N7P)
Former footballer testifies that Kate Greville was ‘happy’ when he turned up unannounced at her gymRyan Giggs has told a court his ex-girlfriend was “happy” when he sent her repeated messages and turned up unannounced at her gym upon their relationship breaking down.The former Manchester United and Wales footballer said that Kate Greville was “happy that I fought for us and that I persisted” when he pursued her after a fallout. Continue reading...
Loss-making TV channel loses major investor as it faces competition from Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTVUS media group Warner Bros Discovery is to sell its stake in GB News, in a shake-up which has seen the loss-making television channel’s co-founders sell-up and resign as directors, and the remaining backers step forward with a further £60m in cash.The fledgling news channel, which originally said its first £60m fund raising last January would last three years, has tapped Legatum Ventures and hedge fund boss Paul Marshall for more funds after just 18 months. Continue reading...
Beijing says its participation in Vostok exercises ‘unrelated’ to current events and part of ongoing cooperation with MoscowChinese troops will travel to Russia for large military exercises amid heightened tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.The joint exercises in Russia’s far east, which will include India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, are held every four years. But the week-long manoeuvres will be presented by Russia as a symbol of international support despite sanctions and other efforts to isolate the country due to its war with Ukraine. Continue reading...
‘Fearful’ presenter calls for justice system overhaul after neighbour Jonathan Barrett sentenced to community serviceThe television news presenter Isla Traquair has called for the way the justice system handles stalking cases to be overhauled after a neighbour’s harassment forced her to fear for her safety and flee her country home.Traquair had nightmares and panic attacks after being stalked by Jonathan Barrett, who stared into her bedroom window, stood on her wall to watch her and on one occasion suddenly appeared in her Wiltshire home to offer her a sandwich. Continue reading...
Although country reportedly does not have enough stocks of new jab, older vaccines still provide good protectionThe NHS is to start rolling out a new dual-variant Covid-19 vaccine in the first full week of September as part of the autumn booster programme.NHS England said care home residents and people who are housebound would be among the first to be vaccinated as the booster programme begins on 5 September. A wider rollout is due to start on 12 September. Continue reading...
Former student leader among 29 pro-democracy activists entering same plea on subversion charges after more than a year in jailJoshua Wong and a group of 28 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists charged under a controversial national security law have entered guilty pleas, in the largest joint prosecution in the territory in recent years.A total of 47 defendants, aged 23 to 64, were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the sweeping national security law. They were detained in 2021 over their involvement in an unofficial primary election in 2020 that authorities said was a plot to paralyse Hong Kong’s government. At the time, the primary showed strong support for candidates willing to challenge the Beijing-backed local government. Continue reading...
Police believe Davies could still be travelling regularly in south London in a vulnerable state and may attempt to speak to other women who are travelling aloneA nurse who disappeared six weeks ago could still be frequently travelling by train in south London, appearing dazed and confused, police have said.Concerns are growing for the safety of Owami Davies, 24, who has not been seen since shortly after midnight on 7 July, walking on London Road in Croydon.Contact the police on 020 8721 4622 with information or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online. Continue reading...
Three men arrested after bodies including those of children discovered during raid of building in Benin CityPolice in Nigeria have discovered 20 mummified bodies including those of children in a building in Benin City, in a case that has shocked the country.Three suspects were arrested during the raid in southern Nigeria, Jennifer Iwegbu, a police spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday. Armed police officers raided the building in Benin City, the capital of Edo state, acting on intelligence that it was a “suspected ritual shrine”, she said. Continue reading...
Six arrested but ringleader still at large after fraudsters in Bihar charged money to locals and paid others to work thereAn Indian gang operated a fake police station from a hotel for eight months where they dressed up as officers and are believed to have extorted money from hundreds of people, an official has said.Incidents of fraudsters pretending to be police or soldiers are common in India, where there is widespread fear of and respect for those in uniform, but setting up a bogus police station takes the scams up a level. Continue reading...
Hundreds forced to flee homes and at least 200 injured as firefighters battle string of blazes in El Tarf provinceAlgerian firefighters were on Thursday battling a string of blazes, fanned by drought and a blistering heatwave, that have killed at least 38 people and left destruction in their wake.Deadly forest fires have become an annual scourge in the north African country, where the climate crisis is turning large areas into a tinderbox. Continue reading...
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