About 300,000 people celebrated LGBT rights in Brighton during the city’s annual Pride parade
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Secret report reveals government fear of schools chaos after no-deal Brexit
Risk of axed exams and food shortages, while informing the public ‘may cause panic’
Schools may have to close, exams could be disrupted and fresh food for pupils’ meals could run short because of panic buying with prices soaring by up to 20%, according to a secret Department for Education analysis of the risks of a no-deal Brexit obtained by the Observer.
The five-page document – marked “Official Sensitive” and with the instruction “Do Not Circulate” – also raises the possibility of teacher absences caused by travel disruption, citing schools in Kent as particularly at risk.
Continue reading...Joe Longthorne, singer and impressionist, dies aged 64
Entertainer, who came to prominence on Search for a Star in 1981, dies in Blackpool
Joe Longthorne, the singer and impressionist, has died at the age of 64 in his Blackpool home.
A message on his website said: “It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that the nation’s beloved entertainer Joe Longthorne MBE passed away peacefully in the early hours of today at his cherished home in Blackpool.
Continue reading...New wave of terrorist attacks possible before end of year, UN says
UN report warns threat from Islamist extremist groups remains high
The United Nations has warned that a recent pause in international terrorist violence may soon end, with a new wave of attacks possible before the end of the year.
In a report, specialist monitors at the UN security council paint a worrying picture of a global Islamist extremist movement that continues to pose a significant threat despite recent setbacks.
Continue reading...Donald Trump’s ‘go back’ comments were ‘genius’, says Nigel Farage
Brexit leader admits racist remarks about congresswomen made him feel uncomfortable but says they were shrewd
Nigel Farage has described Donald Trump’s “go back” comments aimed at four congresswomen of colour as “genius”.
The US president’s racist remarks were widely condemned after he told the four Democrats known as the Squad to return to the “broken and crime infested places from which they came”.
Continue reading...London commuters ‘stampede’ out of Bank tube station in terror alert
Fire alarm was set off during fight at Bank station, sparking false rumours of terror attack and causing scenes of panic
Commuters stampeded out of an underground station in the City of London on Friday after a fire alarm was set off during a fight and false rumours circulated that somebody had a bomb.
Passengers have described terrifying scenes at Bank station in the heart of the capital’s financial district during the Friday morning rush hour, when hundreds of people ran for their lives and dropped their luggage following an altercation.
Continue reading...Johnson ally Lynton Crosby could be called to give evidence to MPs
Disinformation committee wants CTF Partners chief to detail its propaganda activities
Sir Lynton Crosby could be called to give evidence to a House of Commons select committee on disinformation after the Guardian revealed how his lobbying company, CTF Partners, was involved in running a propaganda network on Facebook on behalf of foreign states and major corporate clients.
MPs told the Guardian they would seek to summon representatives of CTF to discuss their role in running a disinformation network that reached tens of millions of people. It comes as trade groups seek to distance themselves from CTF and its activities.
Continue reading...Trump rattles markets as US economy adds 164,000 jobs in July – as it happened
Markets fell sharply as Trump threatens fresh tariffs; US non-farm payrolls matched economists’ expectations in July, while June figures were revised down
- Global markets take fright as Trump ramps up US-China trade war
- Trump’s threat of new China tariffs sparks backlash from US retailers
- US extends record-breaking growth streak by adding 164,000 jobs in July
The Bank of Finland governor Olli Rehn has confirmed that he has withdrawn from the race to become the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
EU is about to vote on Europe’s candidate for IMF managing director. It is an exceptionally meaningful and motivating job. However, at this stage I withdraw my name from the ballot, so that we can achieve a broad-based consensus for the European candidate, and world-wide support.
Continue reading...Nato and Russia trade barbs after collapse of nuclear arms treaty
US pulls out of cold war-era INF treaty after Moscow’s ‘secret deployment’ of cruise missiles
A key international nuclear disarmament treaty has formally collapsed amid mutual recriminations between the west and Russia, and with Nato pledging to boost Europe’s military defences.
The alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Nato countries were facing a threat from previously banned Russian land-based cruise missiles that could “reach EU cities, with only minutes of warning time”.
Continue reading...Charming but dishonest and duplicitous: Europe’s verdict on Boris Johnson
As the Brexit deadline looms, Europe remains wary of the poker player behind the clown mask
He is clever, cultivated, charming; witty, self-deprecating, wildly entertaining and oh so terribly British. Also dissembling, dishonest, dark, duplicitous, and a danger to his country and to Europe – a poker player whose bluff is about to be called.
As Boris Johnson settles into his new role, vowing, do or die, to take the UK out of the EU without a deal in 90 days unless the 27 nations ditch an accord that took two years to negotiate, European politicians and commentators are both fascinated and appalled.
Continue reading...Lib Dems win Brecon and Radnorshire byelection, cutting Johnson Commons majority to one
Jane Dodds beats Tory incumbent Chris Davies, and says her first act will be to tell prime minister to rule out no-deal Brexit
Boris Johnson has suffered a major blow after the Tories were beaten by the Liberal Democrats in the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.
The victory by Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds means the new prime minister’s working majority in the House of Commons has been cut to just one and will be seized on as a sign voters are concerned by Borish Johnson’s pledge to leave the EU without a deal if necessary.
Continue reading...Alzheimer’s test predicts onset up to 20 years in advance
US scientists say their blood test can be 94% effective in spotting those at risk of the illness
A blood test that can detect signs of Alzheimer’s as much as 20 years before the disease begins to have a debilitating effect has been developed by researchers in the US.
Scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis in Missouri believe the test can identify changes in the brain suggestive of Alzheimer’s with 94% accuracy, while being much cheaper and simpler than a PET brain scan.
Continue reading...Peak District town evacuated as dam threatens to burst
Residents told to leave Whaley Bridge after heavy rains damage reservoir above town
Hundreds of homes were evacuated in a Derbyshire town on Thursday when a dam threatened to burst after being damaged during extreme rainfall.
Around 1,400 people in 400 houses in Whaley Bridge were told to leave their properties with just minutes’ notice due to “an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation” caused by heavy downpours.
Continue reading...UK less able to cope with hard Brexit than it was in spring, say officials
Exclusive: Analysis includes stark assessments of potential problems including panic-buying and civil disorder
The UK is currently less able to cope with a hard Brexit than it was in the spring, with the real risk of panic-buying in the run-up to Christmas and civil disorder if the country leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October, an official document reveals.
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has made Michael Gove responsible for “turbo-charging” Brexit planning, and on Thursday the new chancellor, Sajid Javid, announced an extra £2.1bn of funding to prepare for a no-deal exit.
Continue reading...Mayor of Mogadishu dies as result of al-Shabaab attack
Abdirahman Omar Osman was a naturalised Briton who once worked as a council housing manager in London
The mayor of Mogadishu has died after being badly wounded in an al-Shabaab extremist attack in his office last week, the government of Somalia has announced.
Abdirahman Omar Osman was a naturalised Briton who returned to Somalia to help rebuild the war-torn country. He spent 17 years in the UK including a stint as housing manager at Ealing council in west London.
Continue reading...Madagascar police say Alana Cutland opened door of aircraft herself
British student died following her fall from airplane shortly after takeoff
A British student who died after falling from an airplane flying over Madagascar opened the door of the aircraft herself, according to local police.
Alana Cutland, who was described as a “bright, independent young woman”, was on a research trip on the island. Officers there told the BBC and the Sun newspaper she fell shortly after the Cessna C168 on which she was travelling took off.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson’s UK tour: did he show he could save the union?
PM set out to prove his pledge to the ‘awesome foursome’ but not everything went to plan
Boris Johnson pledged his commitment to the “awesome foursome” of the UK when he was elected Conservative leader, and has since embarked on a whistlestop tour taking in the north of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But how successful were the trips? Visits that involved keeping the prime minister away from booing protesters and, in some cases, journalists? Have they allayed fears that Johnson’s hardline Brexit strategy and the continuation of the union could be mutually exclusive?
Continue reading...Donald Trump’s UK state visit cost Met police £3.5m
Over 6,300 officers deployed for June trip, at time of mounting pressure on police resources
Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK cost the Metropolitan police nearly £3.5m, figures have revealed, at a time of rising pressure on police resources.
Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated against the US president in the capital before he attended a D-day commemoration service in Portsmouth.
Continue reading...BMW boss urges Boris Johnson to abandon no-deal Brexit
German carmaker’s CEO offers to travel to London to deliver message to PM saying ‘listen to business’
The boss of BMW has urged Boris Johnson to respond to calls from business to find a compromise on Brexit – and offered to travel to the UK to deliver the message to the prime minister in person.
Speaking as the German carmaker reported falling profits due to its investment in electric vehicles, BMW chief executive Harald Krüger said it would be a “lose-lose” scenario if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Continue reading...How a conference call sparked America’s abortion obsession – video explainer
White evangelical Christians are on the frontline of the US's anti-abortion movement. But not so long ago this group was not interested in the politics of terminations. Its members are a crucial faction of Donald Trump's base, motivating him to further restrict abortion rights. How did it all change? Leah Green investigates how a group of men turned abortion into a tool that shaped the course of American politics
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