Two children were seriously injured in 2012 incident, inquiry into 80 deaths hears
The SAS shot dead two Afghan adults who were sleeping in an incident in August 2012 in which two children were seriously injured, a public inquiry has heard.
The barrister representing victims’ families in a public inquiry into the killing of 80 civilians by the SAS in Afghanistan said the incident amounted to war crimes committed by British soldiers.
Continue reading...Airlines make decision for safety reasons as MPs and families call on UK to evacuate nationals from Gaza
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have suspended all flights between the UK and Tel Aviv in Israel, as countries around the world scramble to evacuate citizens amid the mounting crisis.
BA earlier had to divert a flight to Tel Aviv back to the UK because of security concerns, and said it took the decision after “the latest assessment of the situation”.
Continue reading...People are ahead of governments, says David Cooper, who blames backtracking on parties seeking ‘wedge issues’ for electoral gain
Government backtracking on environmental promises is being driven by politicians and vested interests, not the public, the acting UN biodiversity chief has said, as he called for greater support for those experiencing short-term costs from green policies.
David Cooper, acting executive secretary for the UN convention on biological diversity (CBD), told the Guardian he believed the public mood was not moving against greater environmental protections, and that vested interests opposed to action on the climate crisis and nature loss were trying to frustrate progress.
Continue reading...Labour leader says his speech was an attempt to give the public hope after ‘13 years of decline’
Good morning. Keir Starmer has been doing an interview round this morning, and he used a striking phrase when he described what he was trying to do with his conference speech yesterday. He said he was trying to reach “the inner soul of the British public”.
He told Radio 5 Live:
What I was trying to do yesterday was not so much lay out layers and layers of detailed policy, we have done quite a lot of policy in the last year or so.
What I was trying to do was to reach, if you like, the inner soul of the British public who have had 13 years of decline, 13 years of hope almost beaten out of them, and to say we can go forward, what is ruined can be rebuilt, wounds do heal and if we set our face to it we can have a decade of national renewal.
Continue reading...Authorities say car park suffered ‘significant structural collapse’ after blaze
Luton airport has been closed after a huge fire ripped through a multi-storey car park, causing it to collapse and forcing all flights to be suspended.
In an update on Wednesday morning, the airport advised people not to travel to the airport and said all flights would be suspended until 3pm. Passengers were also advised to contact their airline for information about flights.
Continue reading...Leader defends lack of new announcements but says ‘another bit of policy wasn’t what was needed’
Keir Starmer has said he is “bomb-proofing” all of his policy pledges to ensure a Labour government does not break promises, as he defended the lack of new announcements in his speech to the party conference.
On a broadcast round the day after his speech in Liverpool appealed to disgruntled Conservative voters to switch support, the Labour leader said his main feeling was defiance when a protester invaded the stage at the start of the address and sprinkled him with glitter.
Continue reading...UK minister calls urgent meeting to discuss coverage as X comes under scrutiny over disinformation claims
The UK technology secretary has summoned social media executives to demand the removal of violent content from their platforms related to the Hamas attack on Israel.
Michelle Donelan called the meeting as the European Union criticised Elon Musk’s X platform about coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict on its platform including fake news and the use of repurposed historical footage.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: With Paris under siege by these tiny, blood-sucking terrors, many on the other side of the Channel are wondering if they’re next – and what can be done
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Good morning. Paris is being overrun by bedbugs, at a time when the country is hosting the Rugby World Cup and preparing to host the 2024 Olympics. The news has alarmed people living in France and those visiting: in a moment of particularly acute panic, the deputy mayor of the French capital declared that “no one is safe”, which certainly intensified the concern.
A bedbug epidemic on the other side of the Channel has unsurprisingly left many people worried that the hordes of insects are about to hop on a direct train to St Pancras International and invade the UK. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said everything is being done to ensure that the problem does not get out of control, though he has acknowledged that it is a “real cause for concern”. Transport for London is disinfecting seats on buses and tubes every day and Khan is also in contact with Eurostar.
Gaza | A massive Israeli military buildup is continuing along Gaza’s border, as the country’s military confirmed the death toll from Saturday’s Hamas attack – the deadliest militant assault in its history – had passed 1,200 and wave after wave of airstrikes hit the territory.
Labour | Keir Starmer has made a direct appeal for “despairing” Conservative voters to back Labour at the next election, telling them he would repair a Britain broken by 13 years of Tory governments.
Bibby Stockholm | The Home Office plans to return asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge next week following a lengthy evacuation after legionella was found there.
Disinformation | The EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel, including fake news and “repurposed old images”, on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
Luton airport | A major incident has been declared at London Luton airport after a huge fire broke out at a car park in the terminal, with all flights being suspended.
Continue reading...Historic England announces scheme to deter would-be criminals from treasures at shipwreck sites
Shipwreck treasures that lie on seabeds around the coast of England are to be given “gamechanging” protection against criminals.
Historic England has announced details of a scheme that will involve, for the first time, forensic marking at some of the 57 most protected wreck sites.
Continue reading...Former Afghan spy chief among those to gain citizenship though investment in Caribbean island
Nestled in a valley formed by an extinct volcano on the Caribbean island of Dominica, the InterContinental Cabrits resort has 101 luxurious rooms overlooking an emerald bay. Its website invites guests to “explore and unwind in paradise while discovering the pristine island”.
But waterfront views and a swim-up rum bar are not the hotel’s only attraction: for the wealthy investors who helped fund the project, it was also a route to another nationality.
Continue reading...Independent report says shortage of staff and resources made effective security ‘very difficult’
HMP Wandsworth was facing 10 assaults on staff every week amid “inhumane” conditions in the year leading up to the alleged escape of a suspected terrorist, a damning report has uncovered.
The prison’s independent monitoring board said the shortage of staff and resources made it “very difficult” to operate a “fully effective security regime” in the year to 1 June.
The prison was not safe, with more than 10 assaults on staff every week. The number of available officers was rarely more than half while attacks on them increased by 25% to 1,048 in a year, the board said.
Staff turnover was high and the experience of many staff limited. The management team had no input over selection and the process to remove unsuitable staff was long and complex.
Prisoners had easy access to contraband, with the confiscation of 1,900 litres of illicitly brewed alcohol – about five litres every day – over the year.
More than 300 mobile telephones were found, with drones used to send goods over the prison walls.
The prison repeatedly had no heating or hot water during the winter months. In two wings, there were only 11 shower stalls for 265 men, who all wanted showers in the very limited time available, the board said.
Regular flooding of cells disrupted whole wings while men often endured several weeks without a full kit change.
A new multimillion pound healthcare centre remained unused, more than a year after its scheduled opening date.
Continue reading...Survey finds less than two-thirds say they enjoy PE in schools, down from 74% in 2016
Girls’ enjoyment of physical education in school has declined over the past six years, with a lack of confidence, concern about periods and anxiety about their appearance holding them back, according to research.
Less than two-thirds of girls and young women (64%) who took part in a survey this year by the UK charity the Youth Sport Trust (YST), said they enjoyed PE, down from 74% when the poll began in 2016.
Continue reading...Scottish first minister says he has made contact with his wife’s parents who are trapped in besieged enclave after Hamas attack
Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, has called on the UK foreign secretary to push for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from Gaza.
Yousaf revealed on Monday that his wife Nadia’s parents, who live in Dundee, are trapped in Gaza and struggling to find safe passage.
Continue reading...In keynote conference speech, party leader sets out vision of Labour undoing damage of 13 years of Conservative rule
Keir Starmer has made a direct appeal for “despairing” Conservative voters to back Labour at the next election, telling them he would repair a Britain broken by 13 years of Tory governments.
In what could be the Labour leader’s final conference speech before the next election, he set out the case for national renewal and why his party should be given the chance to reverse the decline.
Continue reading...The men were all detained over allegedly breaking the country’s laws earlier this year
Four British nationals who were held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan have been released and are to return to the UK on Tuesday.
The Presidium Network, a British not-for-profit organisation that works in conflict zones and has assisted the men, named three of them as Kevin Cornwell, a charity medic; Miles Routledge and Ian Purchase. The other cannot be named for legal reasons.
Continue reading...The group have decided not to defend lawsuit due to financial burden, after easyGroup labelled the Leicester-formed band a ‘brand thief’
British pop group Easy Life have been forced to change their name after easyGroup, the parent company of easyJet, filed a lawsuit claiming their name infringed on a trademark.
The band will not defend the high court lawsuit, saying the financial burden of doing so would be too high. They have not announced a new name.
Continue reading...The presenter did not reference alleged plot to kidnap her in announcement of her exit from the show after 14 years
Holly Willoughby has announced she is quitting ITV’s This Morning after 14 years.
The TV presenter said it was a “difficult goodbye” but that she was making the decision “for me and my family”.
Continue reading...With company chiefs in attendance and an endorsement from Mark Carney, shadow chancellor sought to demonstrate economic competence
At every turn in Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, there are signs of big business on manoeuvres. Exhibition stands for Google, Ineos and Specsavers; slick videos for Amazon and Uber, fringe events sponsored by Deliveroo and Goldman Sachs, while even the parliamentary lounge – a retreat for MPs from the throng of 16,000 delegates – was sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.
Labour was keen to demonstrate economic credibility by basking in the presence of company bosses. For business leaders, it was a chance to check out a potential government in waiting, with many commenting on the marked contrast with the Conservative conference in Manchester.
Continue reading...Labour leader says party has ‘plan to get Britain building again’ after security breach where protester threw glitter on him at start of speech
Labour has published fresh details of how the community policy guarantee (see 9.43am) will work.
On community policing
On Starmer, told that after Reeves’ reassurance over economy, his speech designed to paint a ‘picture of hope’ & it ‘emotive rather than a big policy drop’> the word cloud on what Starmer’s about peppered with don’t know and even ‘nothing’. This his chance to hammer home values
Continue reading...What can be learned from the Labour leader’s keynote address?
In what could be his final conference speech before the next election, Keir Starmer has set out his case for why voters should back Labour to run the country. Here are the key points he made:
Continue reading...