Divided Reform UK reports own MP to police amid bullying claims

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Party chair and chief whip issue statement alleging female employees complained about Rupert Lowe

Reform UK has erupted into open civil war after the party said its MP Rupert Lowe had received complaints about bullying and had made threats against the party chair, a day after Lowe criticised Nigel Farage for being “messianic”.

Lowe responded with anger, saying there was no evidence to back up the bullying claims, and that it was “entirely untrue” that he had made threats. He again criticised Farage, saying Reform was “our party as much as it is Nigel’s”.

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‘Don’t punish the vulnerable’: Labour MPs uneasy over planned welfare cuts

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Ministers say ‘unsustainable’ rise in spending must be tackled but many backbenchers fear changes will not work

Dozens of backbench Labour MPs are unhappy with plans to cut billions from the rising welfare bill, with ministers holding meetings to convince them that the changes to disability benefits are necessary.

Labour MPs told the Guardian there were deep concerns within the parliamentary party that the changes would take money from the poorest, which was not what they had entered government to do.

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MI5 officers lamented lack of guidance in child terrorism cases, emails reveal

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Officer who investigated Rhianan Rudd, who killed herself, tells inquest ‘wider conversation’ needed on such cases

MI5 officers investigating a schoolgirl who went on to kill herself after being charged with far-right terror offences had complained of a lack of guidance on handling the growing number of such cases, according to internal emails heard at an inquest.

A special evidence session in London heard that intelligence agents working on the case of Rhianan Rudd, who died at the age of 16, lamented the lack of national strategy in dealing with a proliferation of vulnerable young people holding violent far-right views.

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Sarah Burton makes fresh but understated debut for Givenchy in Paris

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Former Alexander McQueen protege’s show a major fashion moment as it is first by a new female creative director

The obvious place to start at Givenchy would be with Audrey Hepburn, but Sarah Burton is a more subtle designer than that.

Instead of rewatching Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Alexander McQueen’s protege-turned-successor studied old photographs of Hubert de Givenchy’s first show, in 1952. She was struck by the minimalism of “stripped back, not fussy” clothes, she told Vogue before the show. “It is quite clean, quite pure, obviously postwar,” she said.

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Three UK-based Bulgarians found guilty of spying for Russia

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Jury convicts Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova and Tihomir Ivanchev over alleged plots around Europe

Three Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia have been found guilty of espionage charges in a trial that heard how they were involved in a string of plots around Europe directed by a fugitive based in Moscow.

After more than 32 hours of deliberations, a jury at the Old Bailey reached unanimous verdicts on Katrin Ivanova, 33, a lab technician, Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beautician, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, a painter and decorator, all of whom were living in London before their arrest.

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Evidence of torture found as detention centre and mass grave discovered outside Khartoum – The Guardian

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  1. Evidence of torture found as detention centre and mass grave discovered outside Khartoum  The Guardian
  2. ‘Here you will die’: detainees speak of executions, starvation and beatings at hands of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces  The Guardian
  3. Sudan's Khartoum slammed for 'inhumane' jails  Jacaranda FM
  4. RSF imprisons thousands in Khartoum, hundreds die – UN rights office  Sudan Tribune
  5. Torture, rape, death: UN report highlights widespread violations by both sides in Sudan conflict  Arab News
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Andrew Bailey was accused by Barclays chair of having ‘destroyed’ Jes Staley, court hears

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Nigel Higgins asked if FCA would drop investigation into Staley’s relationship with Epstein if CEO quit

The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, was accused by the Barclays chair of having “destroyed” Jes Staley, a court heard on Friday, after the City watchdog led by Bailey at the time launched an investigation into the banker’s ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Nigel Higgins, who made the accusations and is still the Barclays chair, also asked in 2019 whether the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) would be willing to drop its investigation if Staley resigned.

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Paris: WWII bomb discovery disrupts trains – DW (English)

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  1. Paris: WWII bomb discovery disrupts trains  DW (English)
  2. WWII bomb disposal operation in Paris causes hours of travel chaos and Eurostar line closure  The Associated Press
  3. Unexploded World War II Bomb Found at Gare du Nord in Paris Halts Trains  The New York Times
  4. Paris' Gare du Nord grinds to halt after unexploded World War 2 bomb found  Reuters
  5. Paris Gare du Nord travel chaos draws to a close as police defuse WWII bomb  FRANCE 24 English
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Trump says he wrote to Iran and wants to negotiate nuclear weapons deal

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First step by president to open discussions comes as Iranian government locked in dispute over negotiating with US

Donald Trump has said he wants to negotiate a new deal with Iran to prevent its development of nuclear weapons and sent a letter to its leaders saying he hoped they would open talks.

It is the first practical step taken by the US president to see if new negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme are possible.

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‘Here you will die’: detainees speak of executions, starvation and beatings at hands of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces – The Guardian

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  1. ‘Here you will die’: detainees speak of executions, starvation and beatings at hands of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces  The Guardian
  2. Evidence of torture found as detention centre and mass grave discovered outside Khartoum  The Guardian
  3. Sudan's Khartoum slammed for 'inhumane' jails  Jacaranda FM
  4. RSF imprisons thousands in Khartoum, hundreds die – UN rights office  Sudan Tribune
  5. ‘Don’t ask about him’: Detention facilities and practices in Khartoum State in the context of the conflict in the Sudan [EN/AR]  ReliefWeb
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