title
stringlengths 19
154
| published_date
stringlengths 10
10
| description
stringlengths 0
245
| content
stringlengths 0
74.6k
| link
stringlengths 32
89
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpine guide finds body missing on Austrian glacier since 2001 - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The body was found on one of Austria's fastest melting glaciers in the province of Tyrol. | The man's body was found on the Schlatenkees glacier, one of the fastest-melting glaciers in Austria
The body of a man who is believed to have died more than 20 years ago has been found on a rapidly melting glacier in the Austrian province of Tyrol.
Police say a mountain guide discovered the body last week 2,900m (9,500ft) up the Schlatenkees glacier in East Tyrol.
A rucksack was found close by containing a bank card and a driving licence. Police used a helicopter to help retrieve the body.
Police think the man was from Austria and was 37 years old when he died.
DNA tests are being carried out to establish his identity.
Police spokesman Christian Viehweider told BBC News it would take several weeks before the results of those tests would be known.
The man, who had ski touring equipment with him, is believed to have had an accident in 2001.
The Schlatenkees is thought to be one of the country's fastest-melting glaciers. In its report for 2021/2022, the Austrian Alpine Club said it was the glacier with the biggest recorded loss of 89.5m.
Last April the Austrian Alpine Club said the melting of glaciers in Austria was at a record high. It said that it had never recorded such a large shrinkage of glaciers since its history of measuring began in 1891.
There have been several similar discoveries in rapidly shrinking Alpine glaciers this summer as the melting ice reveals long-held secrets.
In June a climber found human remains and bones on the same glacier in Tyrol, in the Venediger group of mountains. The remains are believed to have been in the Schlatenkees for decades. DNA testing is under way.
"It is rather unusual to have two such discoveries on a glacier within such a short time," Mr Viehweider said.
He said that around 45 people, missing in the Austrian Alps since 1964, are still unaccounted for.
In Switzerland, the body of a German climber - missing since 1986 - was found on a glacier close to the Matterhorn mountain last month. It was discovered by mountaineers crossing the Theodul glacier above Zermatt.
They noticed a hiking boot and crampons emerging from the ice.
DNA analysis showed the body to be that of a German climber, who disappeared 37 years ago. A huge search and rescue operation at the time failed to find any trace of him.
Police did not name the climber but said he was aged 38 when he went missing during a hike.
Switzerland and Austria have been experiencing very hot conditions this summer and there are fears for the future of the Alpine glaciers which are key to Europe's environment.
The winter snow stored by the glaciers fills European rivers such as the Rhine and the Danube, providing water for crops, or for cooling nuclear power stations.
This was the Schlatenkees glacier in 2001, the year the man whose body has been found went missing | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66590918 |
Dolphin spotters shaken by Ceredigion porpoise killing - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | A boatload of passengers see several bottlenose dolphins attack the smaller sea mammal. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A group of dolphin spotters had a shock when they witnessed a pod of the animals killing a porpoise for sport off the coast of Wales.
The tour company, based in New Quay, Ceredigion, said it was "morbidly amazing" to witness something so rare.
It said the "glamorised" bottlenose dolphins people think of were actually "pretty brutal".
The firm believes it could be the best documented case of the behaviour, known as porpicide, ever recorded.
The trip, led by wildlife guides Josh Pedley and Andy Walsh of SeaMôr Dolphin Watching, set out on the company's regular 18:35 session on Monday with nine passengers.
Mr Pedley said they had a seen a group of about eight bottlenose dolphins on their usual route, having a typical 10-minute encounter before carrying on.
As the boat made its way to New Quay headland, the group spotted a porpoise.
"We thought 'this could get interesting' - half joking initially," said Mr Pedley.
"We've talked about porpicide, and we hear about it, but it was almost spoken about mythically."
Porpoise are small, fully aquatic mammals that are classified as toothed whales. There are seven different species, some of which are endangered.
It is unclear why dolphins attack porpoises but experts say it could be an aggressive response to feeding competition or misdirected sexual aggression.
Porpicide is the name given to the deliberate slaying of a harbour porpoise by bottlenose dolphins.
"There was just an eruption of white water and it was evident that the dolphins had picked up on the porpoise's presence basically as soon as it entered the bay," said Mr Pedley.
He explained to the boat passengers that dolphins kill porpoise for sport, not food.
"I said that we were going to see something we've never seen before, and it might not exactly be nice but it is such a rare occurrence that it is worth watching and documenting because you will never see it again," he said.
"I can quite confidently say it is probably the best documentation of this behaviour to ever be recorded."
Mr Pedley said they had "unparalleled views" of the encounter as the porpoise tried to hide under the boat.
"All the passengers were fantastic, we had the right people on," he said.
"We had a couple on board and one of their first questions was about porpicide, so it was amazing timing really."
The porpoise was dragged under and then left to die
Brett Stones, who owns the tour company, described the situation as "exciting but sobering all rolled up into one", adding he had never seen it in more than 27 years of running trips.
"Everyone was just in shock," he said.
"We see dolphins a lot, and we see porpoise a lot, but we don't see dolphins killing porpoise. It might not be a rare occurrence, but it's a rare occurrence to be witnessed by humans."
The team said reaction on social media had been mixed, with some commenters suggesting they should have tried to save the porpoise.
But Mr Stones explained that would not be possible, both because it would have been interfering with nature but also because there would have been no safe or practical way to move the "slippery marine mammal".
"It looked so vulnerable lying there, it shocks you to the core. I'm pretty unshakeable and it was almost too much for me to watch," he said.
"You're almost willing it on-board so you can cwtch (hug) it, but you couldn't do that."
Mr Pedley added: "I'm not Aquaman - I'm not sure what I was expected to do in that situation."
Mr Stones said dolphins were intelligent, but with that came "other traits", with people being fooled by their "permanent smile".
"They are also a lot bigger in the UK than in Florida. When you see behaviour like that - a porpoise is 1.5m (4.9ft) long, a lot of humans aren't much more than that," added Mr Pedley.
"We have people saying they want to swim with these animals. A lot of that is coming from places like Sea World where its a caged, captured animal, not the real beast." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66589355 |
Live at the Clacton Airshow 2023 - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | We were live on day one from the seaside airshow with the Red Arrows and the coveted Twilight Display. | Catch up on our live coverage from day one of the 30th Clacton Airshow on the BBC iPlayer or by pressing play on the video above.
Our stream started at 14:00 BST on Thursday.
Highlights include the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight towards the start of the stream, the Merlin Formation featuring a Spitfire and Mustang at about one hour in, and the Red Arrows took to the air about two hours into our broadcast.
The Twilight Display then started about 19:45 BST on Thursday... scroll to about five hours and 45 minutes in to see the spectacular Firebirds with fireworks and Otto the helicopter.
You can enjoy day two of the Clacton Airshow with BBC Essex. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-essex-66502035 |
Wilko: Jobs to go as attempts to find a buyer fail - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | However, the company's administrator said parts of the business could still be bought. | The administrators of Wilko have said jobs are set to go and stores will close after it failed to find a buyer for the whole business.
However, PwC said parts of the group could still be bought.
Wilko announced earlier this month that it was going into administration, putting 12,500 jobs and its 400 stores at risk.
PwC was tasked with trying to look for a buyer for all or part of the business.
In a statement, PwC said: "While discussions continue with those interested in buying parts of the business, it's clear that the nature of this interest is not focused on the whole group.
"Sadly, it is therefore likely that there will be redundancies and store closures in the future and it has today been necessary to update employee representatives."
PwC said it understood the news would further add to uncertainty felt by workers and said it would be supporting staff.
It said that in the immediate term, all stores remain open and continue to trade, and that staff would continue to be paid.
It added there were "currently no plans to close any stores next week".
Earlier, the union representing workers at Wilko said the majority of stores were to close "within weeks" after a purchase fell through.
The GMB said that some stores might be bought, but "significant job losses" were now expected.
Its national secretary, Andy Prendergast, said the union would seek to ensure its members "receive every penny" they are entitled to.
"We will fight to ensure Wilko bosses are held accountable for the simple reason our members deserve so much better," he added.
The company, which was founded in Leicester in 1930, is well known for its affordable everyday items.
After the collapse of Woolworths in 2008, Wilko - which is still family run - stepped up to fill the gaps left on High Streets.
But it has been struggling with sharp losses and a cash shortage.
Sarah Montano, professor of retail marketing at the University of Birmingham's Business School, said the collapse of Wilko was not particularly surprising.
She told the BBC 5Live's Wake up to Money: "From the consumer point of view, I think it comes back to this reason: why would you go to Wilko?
"They haven't kept up with their competitors," she added. "In retail you could start out as unique and as innovative as you could possibly be, but, over time, gradually your competitors are going to do similar things to what you do."
Many of Wilko's stores are in High Street locations in traditional town centres, which became an expensive liability as customers shifted to bigger retail parks and out-of-town locations.
The company has also faced strong competition from rival chains as the high cost of living has pushed shoppers to seek out bargains.
There has been speculation that some of those rivals, such as B&M, Poundland, The Range and Home Bargains, could be those interested in the firm. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66599804 |
Mary Earps: Nike will sell 'limited quantities' of England World Cup goalkeeper shirts - BBC Sport | 2023-08-24 | England fans will be able to buy Mary Earps replica goalkeeper shirts after Nike say "limited quantities" would go on sale. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
England fans will be able to buy Mary Earps replica goalkeeper shirts after Nike said "limited quantities" would go on sale.
The sportswear brand has faced criticism in recent weeks, with Earps expressing dismay the jerseys would not be made commercially available.
More than 150,000 people signed a petition asking Nike to sell the tops.
In a statement, Nike said it had now "secured limited quantities of goalkeeper jerseys to be sold".
Earps, who helped England reach Sunday's Women's World Cup final and won the Golden Glove award as the tournament's outstanding goalkeeper, made her criticism known last month.
She said it was "hugely disappointing and very hurtful" that fans would be able to buy outfield player shirts but not an England goalkeeper's kit.
On Thursday, Nike confirmed its U-turn and acknowledged it failed to respond quickly enough to public demand during the tournament.
It said: "We've seen and share the unprecedented passion and interest in women's football this year and remain committed to playing our part by offering the best products and services to athletes and fans. We invested more in this year's World Cup than any other global tournament to date.
"Nike has secured limited quantities of goalkeeper jerseys for England, US, France, and the Netherlands to be sold through the federation websites over the coming days, and we are also in conversations with our other federation partners.
"We recognise that during the tournament we didn't serve those fans who wished to show their passion and support to the squad's goalkeepers. We are committed to retailing women's goalkeeping jerseys for major tournaments in the future."
The popular online petition was started on 21 July by 16-year-old football fan Emmy, who said she wanted to be able to "respect" the players who have changed the perspective of women's football.
Nike had said on Sunday it was "working towards solutions for future tournaments".
Earps responded to that statement on Instagram by writing: "Is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?"
England were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final, but Earps saved a penalty, underlining her impressive display across the tournament.
Replicas of Earps' adidas kit with Manchester United, her club in the Women's Super League, sold out last season.
It was reported that producing new women's goalkeeper kits for the public was not part of Nike's commercial strategy.
A replica of the men's England goalkeeper shirt is not available on the England Store but is available with other outlets.
• None Three events that show the gap between men and women's football | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66607749 |
Sinn Féin were Stormont's biggest overspenders in 2022 - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The SDLP was the only main party which recorded an income greater than its expenditure last year. | Sinn Féin spent over £300,000 more than it received last year, making it the largest overspender of Stormont's main political parties.
Latest figures from the Electoral Commission detail spending for the year ending 31 December.
Sinn Féin received £1,186,378 but spent £1,533,335 while the Ulster Unionists overspent by more than £160,000.
It is not unusual for political parties to record an overspend in years in which election campaigns are run.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Alliance Party overspent by £61,793 and £23,109 respectively.
The SDLP was the only main party which recorded an income greater than its expenditure last year.
Sinn Féin also recorded an overspend back in 2020 but in recent years the party has benefitted from millions of pounds in donations from a deceased donor.
Totalling more than £3m since the first donation in 2019, the money came from Billy Hampton, a former market trader who died in Pembrokshire in Wales in 2018.
His father Tim Hampton was a wealthy businessman who had significant commercial interests in the village of Fenstanton in Cambridgeshire in England.
When Billy Hampton's first donation of £1.5m was made it was understood to be the largest ever known donation to a Northern Ireland political party.
It has been reported that a further tranche of money, £100,000, was donated to Sinn Féin in July. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66603962 |
Crooked House: Arson arrests in pub fire probe - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Two men are in police custody on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of arson over a fire that tore through the Crooked House pub.
Once known as "Britain's wonkiest" inn, it was set alight on 5 August, leaving it gutted.
Within 48 hours of the blaze, the pub was demolished by diggers, infuriating many in the local community who treasured the landmark building.
A 66-year-old man from Dudley and a 33-year-old man from Milton Keynes are being questioned over the fire.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and remain in custody, Staffordshire Police said.
The pub, known for its sloping walls and floor, was demolished less than two days after the fire
The force is continuing to appeal for any information that may help the ongoing investigation.
A group of more than 21,000 people has formed on Facebook, with campaigners rallying to preserve the site and calling for the Crooked House to be rebuilt.
Protesters angry at the demolition were also involved in a stand-off with contractors on Wednesday, frustrated at what they described as a lack of communication over work at the site.
In a statement at the time, police said they recognised "the strength of local feeling following the loss of a significant cultural landmark".
The much-loved 18th Century building, known for its sloping walls and floor due to mining subsidence in the area, was sold by Marston's to ATE Farms Limited in July.
South Staffordshire Council has said the foundations and bricks from the pub will stay on site as work to remove hazardous waste is carried out.
The local authority is conducting its own investigation into the demolition.
Dudley North MP Marco Longhi told a public meeting last week that he would "love to see a Crooked House law" put in place to protect other pubs from the same fate.
The building was reduced to rubble on 7 August
Teachers Hayley Mason and Gemma Edwards-Smith have been camping outside the site entrance since Monday to try and make sure the bricks are preserved.
"We want to make sure everything is protected the best way we can - our long-term goal is to have the pub rebuilt," said Mrs Edwards-Smith, who celebrated her wedding at the venue in 2017.
"It's been nice to see how many bricks they have been able to salvage, even in the few days [contractors] have been working and looking forward to the future and how many original bricks will be used for the new build.
"The owners definitely underestimated the strength of feeling behind it, I hope they are aware of how committed we are."
Hayley Mason and Gemma Edwards-Smith are among the campaigners fighting to have the pub rebuilt
Ms Mason, a history fan who visited the pub with her family as a child, says "this was my life".
"I'm confident that it will be rebuilt, no matter how long it takes. Until I've had that confirmation that that is the intention, I'm not going to move.
"It's important that we remain a presence here and it's not forgotten."
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66608279 |
North Korea's second spy satellite launch fails - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | It appears the rocket carrying the satellite flew further than during the previous attempt. | North Korea's second attempt to put a spy satellite into space has failed
North Korea's second attempt to put a spy satellite into space has failed, three months after its first launch crashed into the sea.
The attempt on Thursday morning failed during the third stage of its flight, state media said.
For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a spy satellite is a coveted prize, as it would let him monitor incoming attacks and plot his own more accurately.
Pyongyang's space agency has said it will try again in October.
South Korea said it detected the launch of the rocket at around 03:50 local time (18:50 GMT), and that it had flown through international airspace over the Yellow Sea between mainland China and the Korean peninsula.
The launch prompted an emergency warning in Japan's southernmost Okinawa prefecture minutes later, urging residents to take cover indoors. The alert was lifted after about 20 minutes.
Condemning the launch, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: "Behaviour like this goes against the UN resolutions and we're already firmly protesting."
The US urged North Korea to refrain from "further threatening activity" and called on Pyongyang to engage in serious diplomacy.
But although Thursday's failure will have been disappointing for Pyongyang, it appears they've made progress.
A news report in state-run KCNA blamed the failure on "an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight", and said the problem was "not a big issue".
It seems the rocket carrying the satellite flew further than during the previous attempt. Officials in Pyongyang had described the botched attempt in May as their "gravest failure" while vowing to try again.
And Mr Kim will most likely continue, until he succeeds. Already he is forging ahead with his weapons programme, while refusing all offers to talk to the US.
Thursday's launch comes days after leaders from the US, Japan and South Korea met at a historic summit in Washington. It also follows the start of annual military exercises between Washington and Seoul.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66601760 |
Pakistan cable car: Drone shows people trapped above ravine - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Footage exclusively obtained by the BBC shows people huddling together in the stranded cable car. | Suspended precariously in mid-air, drone footage, exclusively obtained by the BBC, shows the passengers of a stranded cable car in Pakistan.
All of the people inside the cable car, six children and two adults, were saved during a 12 hour rescue operation which included a military helicopter and zip wire experts.
The owner of the cable car company in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was later arrested by police on multiple charges including negligence and endangering valuable lives. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66597447 |
Russia: Video shows plane crash in Russian village - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Online footage appears to show a plane falling from the sky in the Tver region. | Video shared on social media appears to show the moment that a plane crashes in a Russian village.
According to Russian authorities, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed in the area.
BBC Verify has been able to confirm the location as being in the Tver region. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66597449 |
Subway agrees sale to Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins investor Roark Capital - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The sandwich maker has been bought by Roark Capital, ending six decades of family ownership. | Sandwich chain Subway is set to be bought by a private equity firm, ending six decades of family ownership.
The company announced it had agreed a deal with US-based firm Roark Capital, which has brands Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' on its books.
The chain did not reveal the terms of the sale, but Reuters reported it has been valued at more than $9bn (£7.1bn).
Subway has grown rapidly in recent years but has faced soaring costs and increased competition.
It hailed its takeover as a "major milestone" and said it reflected "substantial value of our brand".
The sale will make Roark Capital one of the largest restaurant operators in the world. It already controls US restaurant giant Inspire Brands, which owns chains including Jimmy John's, Arby's, Baskin-Robbins and Buffalo Wild Wings.
"This transaction reflects Subway's long-term growth potential, and the substantial value of our brand and our franchisees around the world," said John Chidsey, chief executive of Subway.
Dunkin' is one of the many brands already under Roark's ownership
Subway was founded in 1965 as Pete's Super Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut, by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family friend Peter Buck.
It went through several name changes before finally being renamed Subway in 1972.
Within two years they had opened 16 sandwich shops in their home state and then started to franchise the brand. It now has nearly 37,000 outlets in more than 100 countries.
Subway restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees, including thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The company noted Roark's "deep expertise in restaurant and franchise business models" and said it had a "bright future" with the private equity firm.
Like many companies, it has faced rising costs of everything from energy to food ingredients.
But in July the company said its global sales had increased 9.8% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2022. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66603109 |
Who is Dmitry Utkin and who else was on the plane? - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Wagner chief Prigozhin's "right hand man" Dmitry Utkin, financier Valeriy Chekalov and fighters. | Dmitry Utkin is one of the figures most associated with the Wagner Group
Nine other people were on the plane alongside Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin when it crashed, according to flight details released by the Russian aviation authorities.
They include Dmitry Utkin, who is believed to have given the mercenary group its name.
Russia also says Valery Chekalov, who is believed to have been crucial to the group's finances, was on board.
Three crew members were on the flight alongside the Wagner members.
Here's what we know about them.
The history of the Wagner Group is murky but follow the trail back far enough and Dmitry Utkin's name will inevitably crop up.
The 53-year-old veteran of Russia's two wars in Chechnya in 1994-2000 is believed to have been involved in the private army since its early days in 2014.
The group itself is named after his call sign Wagner. It is seemingly a reference to composer Richard Wagner, who was Adolf Hitler's favourite composer.
In recent years, Utkin is reported to have been Prigozhin's right-hand man, responsible for overall command and combat training.
There are few photographs of Utkin but one of those in circulation is a selfie which reveals neo-Nazi tattoos on his body.
According to Utkin's online CV, which appears to be from around 2013 and was unearthed by the investigative website Bellingcat, he served in the GRU - Russia's military intelligence division - from 1988 to 2008. It says his involvement in combat operations led to government awards, and lists weapons skills among his professional qualities.
Utkin became a gun for hire after leaving military intelligence and gained influence in Wagner when the group fought on the side of pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
He is also thought to have been involved in the group's operations in Syria and Africa. A BBC investigation in 2021 linked him to documents which exposed Wagner's involvement in the Libyan civil war.
A picture thought to be taken in 2016 shows Utkin alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Kremlin reception, at a time when the Russian government was denying links to Wagner.
Mr Putin has since said the Russian government funded the group to the tune of billions of dollars.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Chekalov is believed to be a close Prigozhin associate with business links to the Wagner leader stretching back to the 2000s.
The 47-year-old appears to have been involved in running Prigozhin's non-military business interests, which Western governments say are used to finance the mercenary group.
Chekalov was linked with Evro Polis, a company associated with Prigozhin, which signed contracts for the production of gas and oil in Syria in 2017.
According to the US Treasury, the company was contracted by President Bashar al-Assad's government "to protect Syrian oil fields in exchange for a 25% share in oil and gas production from the fields".
The finances raised from the deal were used to pay Wagner fighters and procure arms, the US Treasury said.
Chekalov is also believed to have been in charge of Wagner's business projects across Africa.
He had been targeted by US and Ukrainian sanctions over his links with Prigozhin, and Evro Polis has also been sanctioned by a number of governments, including the UK.
The other four men listed as passengers all appear to be Wagner fighters.
Unlike Utkin and Chekalov, they do not appear on international sanctions lists and so have not been deemed to be senior figures by Western governments.
Given that we know Prigozhin was surrounded by close protection - and even more so after his rift with Vladimir Putin deepened - they may have been travelling as bodyguards.
The names of three of the men appear in a database of alleged Wagner fighters which has been compiled by pro-Ukrainian activists: Yevgeny Makaryan, Sergei Propustin and Alexander Totmin.
Another man identified by the Russian authorities as Nikolai Matuseyev does not appear in the database.
One Russian Telegram channel says it could have been Nikolai Matusevich, a member of Wagner's assault unit.
The remaining three people identified as being among the dead by Russian authorities are the pilot Alexei Levshin, co-pilot Rustam Karimov and Kristina Raspopova, a flight attendant and the only woman on board.
Very little confirmed information is available on the trio and it is unclear if they were directly employed by Prigozhin, by a company he owned, or by another firm entirely.
Prigozhin is known to have regularly travelled by private jet, and the aircraft involved in the crash, a Brazilian-made Embraer Legacy 600, is known to have been used by him previously.
The plane was put under US sanctions in 2019 - when it was listed under a different registration - because of its links to Prigozhin via a company, Reuters reported.
The BBC has not independently verified details about the flight crew but reports citing interviews with their relatives are circulating in Russian online media.
Raspopova, 39, is said to have spoken to her family and posted photographs on social media shortly before the flight took off.
Karimov, 29, had only worked for the company for three months, according to a Russian media interview with his father, and reportedly celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary earlier this month.
Levshin, 51, was married with two children and had worked in aviation his entire adult life, Russian outlets reported quoting his family. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66602757 |
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presumed dead after Russia plane crash - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Russian private military company boss was on the passenger list of the jet which came down near Moscow. | Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a jet which crashed in Russia killing all 10 people on board, Russia's civil aviation authority says.
Social media linked to the Wagner mercenary group say his private plane was shot down by Russian air defences.
Prigozhin died "as a result of actions of traitors to Russia", the Grey Zone Telegram channel posted.
Prigozhin led an aborted mutiny against Russia's armed forces in June.
However, some experts in Russia and abroad suggest the revolt was staged, and Prigozhin abandoned his "justice march" on Moscow after direct orders from President Vladimir Putin.
Wednesday's crash in the Tver region, north-west of the capital Moscow, comes on the same day that senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin was reportedly sacked as air force chief.
Gen Surovikin was known to have good relations with Prigozhin and had not been seen in public since the mutiny.
Prigozhin's aircraft - an Embraer-135 (EBM-135BJ) - was flying from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday with seven passengers and three crew, Russia's Rosaviatsia aviation authority said.
Senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin - who founded the group in 2014 - was also on the passenger list, it said.
The plane is reported to have come down near the village of Kuzhenkino, about half-way between Moscow and St Petersburg.
One report said the body of Prigozhin, 62, had been found and identified - this has not been officially confirmed.
All 10 bodies have been recovered, Russia's state-run news agency Interfax said.
Grey Zone said local residents had heard two bangs before the crash and had seen two vapour trails.
Tass news agency said the plane had caught fire on hitting the ground.
The aircraft had been in the air for less than half-an-hour, it added.
An investigation has been launched into the crash and emergency services are searching the scene.
At the same time, Grey Zone reported that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin had landed safely in the Moscow region.
The mercenary group has about 25,000 fighters.
The group has been active in Ukraine, Syria and west Africa, and has gained a reputation for brutality.
Prigozhin headed the mutiny on 23-24 June, moving his troops from Ukraine, seizing the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and threatening to march on Moscow.
The move came after months of tension with Russian military commanders over the invasion of Ukraine launched by President Putin in 2014.
The stand-off seemed to have been settled by a deal which allowed Wagner troops to move to Belarus or join the Russian army.
Prigozhin himself agreed to relocate to Belarus - but has apparently been able to move freely, making public appearances in Russia and releasing a video of him purportedly in Africa.
Unverified pictures appear to show the plane on fire
But several Russia watchers have described him as a "dead man walking" since the mutiny.
President Putin's initial reaction to his challenge to Russia's defence establishment was vitriolic, calling it a betrayal and a stab in the back in a video message on 24 June.
The deal did not mean he was safe.
"Revenge", commented CIA director William Burns, "is a dish Putin prefers served cold" - or words to that effect.
None of this, of course, is proof that Prigozhin and his entourage were deliberately targeted.
But given the circumstances any claims that his demise, if confirmed, was an accident will see a lot of eyebrows raised.
US President Joe Biden said he was "not surprised" by news of Prigozhin's possible death. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66599733 |
Climate change: Emperor penguin 'needs greater protection' - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Antarctic icon could lose more than half its population by 2100, say scientists. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dr Phil Trathan: "Emperors are iconic. I think people can relate to them."
Antarctica's Emperor penguins could be in real difficulty come 2100 if the climate warms as expected.
Experts say the birds raise their young on sea-ice and if this platform is greatly curtailed, as the models project, then it's likely to put the animals' numbers into steep decline.
One forecast is for the population to be halved by the end of the century.
Researchers are calling for the conservation status of Emperors to be upgraded.
At the moment, they are classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organisation that keeps the lists of Earth's endangered animals.
A proposal will be submitted shortly to lift Emperors into the more urgent "Vulnerable" category.
"These are very resilient birds; they experience really tough winters and keep coming back year after year to their breeding sites to raise their chicks," explained Dr Michelle LaRue, who's co-authored a new report on the penguins' situation in the journal Biological Conservation.
"Emperors are fighters, but our concern is how long their resilience will continue into the future," the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, researcher told BBC News.
The penguins' breeding success is critically dependent upon so-called "fast ice". This is the sea-ice that sticks to the edge of the continent or to icebergs.
It's low and flat, and an ideal surface on which to lay an egg, incubate it and then raise the subsequent chick in its first year of life.
But this seasonal ice needs to be long-lived, to stay intact for at least eight or nine months.
If it forms too late or breaks up too early, the young birds will be forced into the sea before they're ready, before they've lost their down and grown water-proof feathers.
Likewise the adults. They undergo a dramatic moult in the summer months of January and February. They too risk drowning if the fast ice melts away and they don't have the right plumage to resume swimming.
Antarctic sea-ice trends in recent decades have been pretty stable, albeit with some big regional shifts. But the climate models foresee significant losses this century even if global warming can be kept within the Paris Agreement "guardrail" of no more than 2C above pre-industrial times.
Such a temperature rise (and it would be amplified at the poles) would put more northerly Emperor breeding sites out of action, pushing the birds poleward.
The assessment is that Emperor numbers - currently at 250,000 breeding pairs - could be cut by 50% or more under such a scenario.
Emperor penguins need a reliable and stable platform of sea-ice
Dr Phil Trathan, who is the lead author on the new paper, says only sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are likely to alter this future. But he calls for efforts to limit the pressure on the birds in other ways in the meantime.
"There are a number of different tools that we can use. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) would enable us to regulate fishing and other human activities in the areas that Emperors use, whether close to their breeding sites or to their foraging sites," the head of conservation biology at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said.
"We could also designate the Emperor penguin as an Antarctic Specially Protected Species. That would allow us to bring in an action plan to help manage impacts that might threaten them even outside MPAs."
UK and American scientists are currently engaged in a 10-year analysis of Emperor numbers. The project, funded by green campaign group WWF, will provide the updated population baseline that the IUCN can then use in its review of the penguins' status next year.
Dr Peter Fretwell is a remote sensing specialist at BAS and has helped pioneer the satellite techniques for counting penguins from space.
He told BBC News: "Everything we know - all the experts, all the models - tells us that Emperors are going to be in real trouble. We need to pull out all the stops to help them. That's going to be hard because we know the one thing that's really going to save them is stabilisation of the global climate."
Some colonies are counted on the ice; others are assessed from space
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49978007 |
Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Pence: Who came out on top at the Republican debate? - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy made a play for top dog - here's who came out ahead. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Candidates reflect on how they did during debate
The first Republican presidential debate was a rowdy affair that saw the eight candidates leap headlong into heated exchanges.
There were some who thought it would be boring without Donald Trump - the ultimate showman - but that was decidedly not the case. The former president may have been the life of the party during primary debates back in 2016, but the eight rivals who travelled to Wisconsin proved they could bring some excitement without his help.
Some candidates stood out from the pack, however - and some seemed to languish on the side-lines.
Here's a rundown of the winners and losers.
Vivek Ramaswamy: The man who never ran for public office - and didn't even vote for a president from 2004 to 2020 - simply dominated this Republican debate.
With a broad smile and a quick tongue, he frequently seemed to be the only candidate on the stage who was enjoying himself. That may partly be because this political novice has exceeded expectations, and is essentially playing with house money while he takes centre stage.
He easily fended off swipes from his fellow candidates, suggesting that Mr Christie was auditioning for a show on left-leaning news channel MSNBC and that Ms Haley was angling for spots on the board of defence contractors with her positions on Ukraine.
"I'm the only person on the stage who isn't bought and paid for," he said during a discussion of climate change - prompting cries of outrage from his rivals.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ramaswamy: 'I was clearly the winner of this thing'
Time and time again, Mr Ramaswamy positioned himself as the outsider against a bunch of political establishment insiders. Many of his views - calling on Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, using military force to secure the US-Mexico border, and banning US companies from doing business with China - are well outside the political mainstream even within the Republican Party. But as Mr Trump demonstrated in 2016, even outlandish, impractical policy proposals can be effective in generating attention.
Mr Ramaswamy may not have the political fuel to challenge Mr Trump for the nomination, and he may not even want to, but the evening's debate ensures that he's going to continue to be a factor in this race in the months ahead.
Mike Pence: The veteran politician, who has served as a congressman, a governor and a vice-president, has a bit of fight left in him.
Although his presidential campaign has been sputtering - hated by Trump supporters and distrusted by Trump critics - his debate-stage experience served him well on Wednesday night.
He went on the attack early, swiping at Mr Ramaswamy's inexperience, saying, "Now is not the time for on-the-job training".
He offered a passionate, religion-based call for nationwide abortion limits. That likely won't play well in next year's general election. But it could help him win over evangelical Republicans, who can tilt the balance in states like Iowa and South Carolina, which play an outsized role in deciding the party nominee.
During the second-half of the debate, when discussion of Mr Trump came up, Mr Pence had the last word, saying he put the Constitution first on January 6, 2021 when he refused to throw out the election results at Mr Trump's behest. Several of his rivals even spoke out in his favour.
The fundamental challenges to Mr Pence's campaign remain, but for at least one night he showed why he was once considered by many conservative Republicans to be presidential material.
Nikki Haley: The former US ambassador to the UN has made a habit of surprising those who underestimate her. She has never lost a race for office, even when she was challenging more established Republican candidates for the South Carolina governorship.
On Wednesday night, she stood out by offering sharp criticism early of both Mr Trump and the Republican Party as a whole.
"Republicans did this to you too," she said when describing the massive US budget deficit. "They need to stop the spending, stop the borrowing."
When the topic turned to the former president, she said Mr Trump was the "most disliked politician in America" - and warned the Republican Party will suffer because of it in the general election.
She also showed will for the fight. She scrapped with Mr Ramaswamy on continuing US aid to Ukraine, which she supports. And she clashed with Mr Pence on abortion, calling his demands for a national abortion ban unrealistic and politically damaging.
Even if she can't pull ahead in the pack this time around, her debate performance could position the 51-year-old for future presidential bids in election years not dominated by a former president.
Tim Scott and Chris Christie: Mr Christie did exactly what many expected him to. He took swipes at Mr Trump, had some choice lines targeting Mr Ramaswamy, and was generally feisty and combative.
He was also roundly booed when he was introduced, when he criticised Mr Trump, and when he took big swings at Mr Ramaswamy.
His choicest line came when he said the political neophyte "sounds like ChatGPT" - but that particular twist did nothing to ingratiate him with the crowd.
As for Tim Scott, his nice-guy attitude meant he frequently stayed above the fray during the most heated debate moments. That won't help him win over many voters, but it could burnish his credentials if he wants to be Mr Trump's vice-presidential pick.
Ron DeSantis: At the beginning of the year, the race for the Republican nomination seemed like it would be a two-man contest between Mr DeSantis and Mr Trump. Since then, the Florida governor has sagged in the polls.
If the rest of the Republican pack hasn't caught up to him yet, it may very well have him after this debate.
It wasn't a terrible performance - he had his moments, particularly when he spoke about his record of military service and his calls for more aggressive government policies to deal with the opioid epidemic.
He was on the side-lines for all the key moments of the debate, however. Mr Ramaswamy ran circles around him. Other candidates, like Mr Pence and Ms Haley, elbowed him out of the way on issues like abortion and US aid to Ukraine. He seemed on uneven footing when the topic turned to Mr Trump and his recent indictments.
This was not the kind of performance needed to close the gap with Mr Trump. The man who was once billed as the future of the Republican Party was simply a non-factor.
Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum: Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was the last candidate to qualify for the Milwaukee debate. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum paid his way onto the stage with a gimmick - offering enough people $20 gift cards if they donated $1 to his campaign.
Both candidates desperately needed to show that they deserved to be there, and both were mostly afterthoughts.
Mr Hutchinson's criticisms of Mr Trump seemed weak sauce compared to Mr Christie's more pointed attacks. And Mr Burgum's awe-shucks small-state conservatism never really stood out.
The qualification standards become more rigorous for next month's primary debate in California, and neither candidate did enough on Wednesday night to build the kind of support they will need to make another appearances on the debate stage likely.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66601291 |
Our bus service was cancelled so we started our own - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Residents of a Perthshire village set up their own bus company after losing their local service. | Drew Smart said the group's drivers go "above and beyond" for their passengers
Faced with the "nightmare" of losing its local bus service, residents of a Perthshire village decided to take over the route themselves.
The 55 Glenfarg to Kinross service was axed earlier this year after its operators Earnside Coaches retired.
But thanks to a group of volunteers and the recruitment of three full-time drivers, the service is back and proving more popular than ever.
It now runs an hourly daily service six days a week, starting at 07:10.
Glenfarg Community Transport Group said the 55 service now enjoys about 300 passenger journeys per week, an increase of 200 on last year.
The group also have a number of volunteers who operate the village's community bus
Group chairman Drew Smart said: "Behind those 300 journeys every week, there are 300 stories.
"It's a great bus to be on, the banter, the number of problems we solve or try to solve.
"It's not about buses, it's really about people."
Douglas Fraser (R) said the group had lots of very enthusiastic volunteers
Drew said running the service themselves gives the route a flexibility it did not have in the past.
He said: "We've got a few people, because of mobility issues, we don't expect them to come to the bus stop, we'll come into the village and pick them up at the door.
"When we get into Kinross we'll drop them at the door of where they're going.
"The drivers are brilliant, they go well above and beyond."
Passenger Kareen Macgregor said the new bus service was much-needed
One of the passengers, Kareen Macgregor, agrees.
She said: "I don't drive so it was a nightmare before. We needed the service. It's great, everybody loves it."
David Keith, one of the full-time drivers, said the passenger numbers have "blown expectations out of the water."
He said: "We have our regulars, but we see more and more people coming on who have never used the service before.
"I love coming into my work and meeting the people, numerous people in the village say it's transformed their lives."
David Keith is one of three full-time drivers operating the new bus service
The buses run from 07:10 until about 18:00, with the first service connecting to the Ember bus at Kinross Park and Ride.
Fellow driver Geoff Christie said: "People from the village that work in Edinburgh, Dundee or Perth, they can get to their work by 09:00.
"We've listened to the villagers and we've put that service on.
"Kinross is also really bad for taxis, so we're providing another service that get people backward and forward - it's provided a social element to a small village."
Driver Geoff Christie said the service provides another social element to the village
Funding for the service comes largely from Perth and Kinross Council, with additional backers including the Smarter Choices Smarter Places charity fund.
Douglas Fraser, treasurer community bus group: "We also liaised with Glasgow Community Transport who have been a big help to us as well.
"It is a daunting prospect, but if you've got a group of people who are dedicated and can see the benefit in the long run, it's well worth doing."
In addition to the 55 service, 15 volunteer drivers operate the community bus that takes local people to social events and outings.
Douglas said: "That's huge, given we only started nine months ago. We've got a lot of enthusiastic people."
The group hope their bus service can be expanded to reach other destinations
Drew Smart said the group now had ambitions to expand its service.
He said: "We do a really good service down to Kinross, and we could really benefit in the village from having a similar service to Perth.
"The Perth service during the day is very limited, we could make life a lot easier for people by extending the service in the opposite direction."
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: "We are pleased that by supporting Glenfarg Community Transport Group, it has empowered them to operate community-led public transport solutions in their area.
"The success, to date, of their Service 55 and other public transport offers, has highlighted the vital role that Community Transport fulfils in delivering a sustainable transport alternative to the car." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-66536184 |
Republican debate sees clashes on abortion, spending and Trump - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | As eight top Republicans debate on stage in Milwaukee, Trump releases a cannily timed interview. | Eight candidates have made their case to be the Republican presidential candidate for 2024.
It was not a calm and civil debate, there were fiery clashes across multiple topics.
Over the coming days, we're likely to see the candidates tout their own performances in the debate, and continue to spar on the key issues including the economy, crime, immigration and the border.
We're also likely to hear more from the party's front-runner - Donald Trump - who was not in attendance.
Instead, he appeared in an interview with Tucker Carlson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Trump's shadow loomed over the debate, but perhaps not as large as many thought it would.
You can read more analysis on the winners and losers of the debate here.
Thanks for joining us. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66594115 |
London Zoo: Annual weigh-in sees thousands of animals on scales - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | As part of London Zoo's annual weigh-in, thousands of animals are checked for health and wellbeing. | London Zoo has more than 14,000 animals in their care
Animals at London Zoo are being checked and measured as part of its annual weigh-in day.
Meerkats, penguins, and tigers were just some of the animals that jumped onto the scales. Recording their vital statistics helps zookeepers monitor animals' health and wellbeing.
Data is then added to the Zoological Information Management System.
It is shared with zoos around the world and helps zookeepers compare information on threatened species.
Making a debut this year was Western lowland gorilla Kiburi - who arrived as part of a global breeding programme for the endangered species last November
Zookeepers take vital statistics of every animal at the zoo, from the tallest giraffe to the tiniest tadpole
A Sumatran tiger, successfully bred as part of a conservation programme at London Zoo
With different personalities to take into account, zookeepers use clever tactics to entice the animals to stand up to be measured
A meerkat being measured for weight at London Zoo
Humboldt penguins gathered around the scales waiting to be weighed
Head of Zoological Operations, Angela Ryan said: "Having this data helps to ensure that every animal we care for is healthy, eating well, and growing at the rate they should - a key indicator of health and wellbeing.
"By sharing information with other zoos and conservationists around the world, we can all use this knowledge to better care for the species we're striving to protect."
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk
• None How do they weigh London Zoo's animals? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66606509 |
Fukushima: China retaliates as Japan releases treated nuclear water - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The controversial discharge of treated nuclear water sparks an outcry and a seafood ban from China. | Protesters in Seoul were arrested as they attempted to enter the Japanese embassy
Japan has begun its controversial discharge of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests in the region and retaliation from Beijing.
China is the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, and on Thursday it said it would block all such imports.
Japan says the water is safe, and many scientists agree. The UN's nuclear watchdog has also approved the plan.
But critics say more studies need to be done and the release should be halted.
More than a million tonnes of water stored at the nuclear plant will be discharged over the next 30 years.
China, which has been the most vocal of opponents since the plan was announced two years ago, called the water discharge an "extremely selfish and irresponsible act" and said Japan was "passing an open wound onto the future generations of humanity".
Shortly afterwards, China's customs office announced that an existing ban on seafood imports from Fukushima and some prefectures would be immediately extended to cover the whole of Japan to "protect the health of Chinese consumers".
The move is calculated to inflict economic damage, and Japan has admitted that businesses will take a "significant" hit. Mainland China and Hong Kong together import more than $1.1bn (£866m) of seafood from Japan every year - making up nearly half of Japan's seafood exports.
But analysts say that the reactions from China in particular, are as much motivated by politics as they are by genuine concerns.
Tokyo's relationship to Beijing has deteriorated in recent years as it draws closer to the US and also shows support to Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China.
"This incident is more of a symptom than a cause of worsening Sino-Japanese relations," said Chinese foreign policy expert Neil Thomas with the Asia Society Policy Institute.
"Beijing may have made less of a fuss about the water release if its relationship with Tokyo was in a better place."
In return, Japan is likely to "reject this criticism, but they are unlikely to do anything provocative," said James DJ Brown, a professor specialising in Japanese foreign policy at Temple University's Japan campus.
"While Japan's government is deeply concerned by what it sees as the aggressive actions of the Chinese Communist Party, they understand that it is in their interests to maintain stable relations with their larger neighbour."
But it may not need to wait for long. Some observers believe that China may not stick with the ban.
"China's growing economic difficulties could mean that any ban is relatively brief and narrow, so as to limit the negative impact on Chinese importers and business sentiment," said Mr Thomas.
The water began discharging into the Pacific Ocean at Fukushima on Thursday via an underground tunnel
South Korea also has a longstanding ban on some Japanese seafood. But on Thursday its government had a more muted reaction.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said "what is important now is whether Japan, as it promised to the international community, strictly follows the scientific standards and transparently provides information".
Seoul and Tokyo have drawn closer despite deep historical grievances, united in their allyship to the US while facing down threats from North Korea and China.
However, most South Koreans are opposed to the water's release, and on Thursday protesters in Seoul attempted to storm the Japanese embassy. Angry demonstrations were also held in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Meanwhile Mark Brown, chair of the Pacific Islands Forum which had previously castigated the plan, said they now believe the plan "meets international safety standards".
Since a tsunami destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, power plant company Tepco has been pumping in water to cool down the reactors' fuel rods. This means every day the plant produces contaminated water, which is treated and stored in massive tanks.
Even after treatment, the water contains unacceptably high levels of radioactive substances tritium and carbon-14 which are difficult to remove. Japan's solution is to dilute it with seawater before releasing it into the ocean.
More than 1,000 tanks have been filled, and Japan says this is not a sustainable long-term solution. It has argued that after treatment and dilution the water is safe to release.
Many scientists have backed the plan, saying it is sound. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has also said the plan complies with international standards and would have a "negligible" impact on the environment.
Authorities have promised to continuously monitor levels of radiation in the ocean and to maintain a high level of transparency.
But there are some who are still sceptical given Tepco's track record - the company has in the past been blamed for a lack of transparency over the disaster, which it has apologised for.
And while disposing treated water in the ocean is common practice for nuclear plants, critics have pointed out that the amount being released from Fukushima is on an unprecedented, far vaster scale.
Some scientists say more studies should be done on how it would affect the ocean bed and marine life. Environmental activist group Greenpeace has also called for the water to stay in the tanks until better processing technology is invented.
The plan has particularly angered coastal communities and fishermen in Japan. They fear it would harm their livelihoods as some worried consumers avoid seafood from the area, which has never fully recovered economically since the 2011 disaster.
The wider Japanese public also remains deeply divided on the issue, with only half supporting the water's discharge according to the latest polls.
"I think there should have been many other methods... instead of releasing it into the ocean," Tokyo protester Keiko Kisei told Reuters on Thursday.
"However, they chose to discharge the water and cause trouble to the world. It's absolutely unacceptable."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66577769 |
Man wins payout over Reading probation office monkey chants - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Lloyd Odain says the Probation Service ignored his complaints about racist abuse from a contractor. | Lloyd Odain said the Probation Service ignored his complaints
A probation worker who quit his job after being subjected to monkey chants and other racist abuse at work has won a financial settlement.
Lloyd Odain, from London, said nothing was done when he complained to managers at the Probation Service in Reading, Berkshire, in 2019.
He said he felt "grossly let down" when his abuser, a fellow contractor, returned to work in the same office.
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.
Mr Odain worked at the Probation Service offices in Reading
Mr Odain said no-one challenged the incidents, which included monkey chants while he was talking to colleagues.
He said the matter was "swept under the carpet" by managers when he lodged a grievance.
The former probation services officer said: "I felt ignored and isolated as nothing appeared to be done.
"I then found out that the person who had behaved so appallingly was back working in the building.
"The thought of dealing with more racism, and having no support, left me with no option but to give up the job I enjoyed and was good at."
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which supported his case, said the Probation Service agreed a payout after a preliminary hearing at Reading Employment Tribunal.
The commission said the service discovered "it may be liable for the racist behaviour of the contractor towards Mr Odain".
EHRC chairwoman Kishwer Falkner said: "Everyone going to work should expect to feel safe from harm and no-one should suffer the shocking racism experienced by Mr Odain.
"Employers, third-party contractors and workers all benefit if any awful incidents like this are addressed quickly and appropriately by management.
"It is disappointing that, in this case, HM Prison and Probation Service chose to defend themselves on the basis of legal technicalities rather than to commit positively to protect and support their own staff."
The value of the settlement has not been disclosed.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-66598290 |
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin latest: Pentagon dismisses missile theory - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Pentagon dismisses reports that a surface-to-air missile brought down the Wagner boss's aircraft. | It's more than a day after a private jet crashed near Moscow - killing ten people, who reportedly included Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Information is still emerging - but here are the key things we do know.
US officials are among those who think it's "likely" the Wagner leader was on board the crashed plane. But there's still been no explicit confirmation of this, as you'll see from our earlier post analysing the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin. We know that Prigozhin was on the passenger list that was released by Russian air officials soon after the incident.
Various theories have emerged as to what brought the plane down. It has been reported that a surface-to-air missile may have struck the plane, but the Pentagon has said it has no indication that one was used. A US official has told the BBC’s US partner network CBS that an explosion on board was a more probable cause - and that it was possible a bomb went off.
Fingers have been pointed at members of the Russian leadership, thought there is no proof that any of them were involved. Breaking his silence on the incident, Putin called it a “tragedy” and reiterated that an investigation was under way. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had nothing to do with the crash.
4. The circumstances of the crash
We know that the aircraft - an Embraer-135 (EBM-135BJ) - was flying from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday. It had seven passengers and three crew, according to Russia's aviation authority. The plane come down near the village of Kuzhenkino, about halfway between Moscow and St Petersburg. All 10 people on board were killed. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-66599774 |
Andrew Malkinson: Government announces inquiry into wrongful rape conviction - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The review will examine the miscarriage of justice that saw an innocent man spend 17 years in jail. | Andrew Malkinson fought for 20 years - 17 of them behind bars - to prove his innocence
An inquiry has been announced into one of the worst miscarriages of justice in modern times.
Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit.
He was declared innocent last month after the Court of Appeal heard allegations of major failures.
The justice secretary said the inquiry would examine the actions of the Crown Prosecution Service, Greater Manchester Police and the Criminal Cases Review Commission over the past 20 years.
Alex Chalk added that it would be a non-statutory investigation, meaning it could not compel witnesses to give evidence, but it would be led by a senior legal figure and all the agencies involved in the case had promised full cooperation.
The chair will be appointed in the coming weeks in the hope that a report can be finished and published by the end of the year.
Mr Malkinson said he welcomed the independent inquiry "because I want full answers and accountability from all those who played a role in the injustice I suffered".
Jailed in 2004 for an attack on a woman in Salford, Mr Malkinson served nearly two decades in prison for a crime he always said he did not commit.
In January, his case was referred to the Court of Appeal after new evidence pointed to another potential suspect.
The first Mr Malkinson knew of the crime was when he was arrested in his hometown of Grimsby, two weeks after the assault and attempted murder in Salford.
He had been in the area at the time, working temporarily as a security guard.
Mr Malkinson was found guilty following a trial in 2003 and sentenced to life with a minimum term of seven years. However, he served a further 10 years in jail after his tariff expired.
He had previously applied twice for his case to be reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) but he was turned down, eventually being released from prison in December 2020.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Following the inquiry announcement, he said his case showed "the police cannot be trusted to investigate impartially or act as faithful gatekeepers to the evidence", adding: "It also shows that the CCRC, which could have spared me years of life behind bars, is not fit for purpose."
Explaining that he "had to take the police to court twice to force them to hand over evidence", Mr Malkinson said the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) had so far "refused to apologise and take accountability".
"So naturally I am concerned that witnesses from these agencies may not cooperate and hand over all the evidence," he added.
Mr Malkinson said he wants to see "serious, profound changes in our justice system coming out of this".
One of his lawyers, Kate Maynard, also welcomed the inquiry into the failings in his case but said "we regret that it is not a full public inquiry held under the Inquiries Act 2005".
She explained: "Only an inquiry held under statute can compel witnesses and disclosure.
"Given his experience fighting for justice, Andy has made clear his concerns that without this power, the individuals and institutions involved may seek to obstruct and evade responsibility. The lessons from other non-statutory inquiries suggest that this fear may become a reality."
Ms Maynard said it was vital that Mr Malkinson be "given a voice in finalising" how the inquiry was carried out.
Andy Malkinson's custody picture two weeks after the rape - and the e-fit of the suspect
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the 57-year-old had "suffered an atrocious miscarriage of justice" and deserved "thorough and honest answers as to how and why it took so long to uncover".
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the force's participation would be "fulsome and reflective of integrity, candour and humility".
He said: "I am very sorry that Mr Malkinson has suffered so grievously over these past many years.
"I acknowledge and regret the very difficult and prolonged journey that Mr Malkinson has had to undertake to prove his innocence. This appalling miscarriage of justice merits the most detailed scrutiny."
Max Hill KC, Director of Public Prosecutions, pledged the full cooperation of Crown Prosecution Service, adding that it was committed to "supporting the fresh investigation and bringing the right offender to justice".
CCRC chair, Helen Pitcher OBE, said every organisation involved in Mr Malkinson's case should "fully embrace" the review and commit to implementing any recommendations it draws.
She added that the inquiry would complement an additional review, being led by Chris Henley KC, specifically into the CCRC's handling of Mr Malkinson's applications.
"We always learn lessons from investigations to help with our future work, and due to the nature of this case it's right that such an exercise is carried out by an independent KC alongside this broader review," Ms Pitcher said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66606328 |
Luis Rubiales: Fifa opens disciplinary proceedings against Spanish football federation president - BBC Sport | 2023-08-24 | World football's governing body opens disciplinary proceedings against Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales. | Last updated on .From the section Women's Football
World football's governing body has opened disciplinary proceedings against Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales for his behaviour at the Women's World Cup final.
Rubiales kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain beat England.
He earlier grabbed his crotch as he celebrated at the final whistle.
According to reports in Spain Rubiales is set to announce his resignation on Friday and has already informed colleagues of his decision.
"Rubiales will resign tomorrow. He had lost the backing of the players, the government, Fifa, and even those local organisations that depend on the federation budget," Spanish football expert Guillem Balague wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"[The] next step is for everyone in Spain to reflect on what has happened and why."
Fifa will look at whether his actions constitute violations of article 13 in its disciplinary code, concerning offensive behaviour and fair play.
"Fifa reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary," it said in a statement.
According to the disciplinary code, officials are among those that must "comply with the principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity".
It says disciplinary measures can be brought against anyone "violating the basic rules of decent conduct", "insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language" or "behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or Fifa into disrepute".
Rubiales' celebration at the final whistle was in the VIP area of Stadium Australia, while he was standing near Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter.
He then kissed Hermoso on the lips after she was presented with her winner's medal on the podium.
Rubiales apologised for the kiss on Monday, but Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that was "not enough" and second deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz joined those calling for him to resign.
Futpro, a union representing Hermoso, said the incident should not go unpunished, and the 33-year-old said the union would "defend my interests" in the matter.
The Pachuca player, who has earned 101 caps, had initially said on Instagram she "didn't like" Rubiales' actions but a statement released later on her behalf defended him.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has called an extraordinary general assembly to be held on Friday "as a matter of urgency".
• None Women playing two games at same time - Rapinoe
• None Three events that show the gap between men and women's football
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup
• None 'They were regarded as the elite of the criminal world': Get onboard the story of The Great Train Robbery, told by a journalist who reported on it in 1963
• None How much water should you drink a day? Dr Michael Mosley looks at the importance of hydration | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66606387 |
US sues Elon Musk's SpaceX over hiring policy - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The US Department of Justice says rocket firm discriminated against refugees and asylum seekers. | SpaceX has been developing a line of Starship prototypes at its facility in South Texas
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has said it is suing Elon Musk's SpaceX, alleging the rocket firm discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring practices.
The DoJ says SpaceX falsely claimed that it was not allowed to hire non-US citizens.
The investigation into SpaceX by the DoJ was prompted after allegations of discrimination from a foreign worker.
The BBC has contacted SpaceX for comment.
The DoJ alleged that SpaceX "routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status" from September 2018 to May 2022.
An asylee is a person who has been granted asylum. They are authorised to work in the US, may apply for a social security card, may request permission to travel overseas, and can apply to bring family members to the country.
Elon Musk's company said it was only allowed to hire citizens and green card holders because of "export control laws," the DOJ said.
However, the DoJ also said that this was not correct and that these laws do not mandate such restrictions.
The jobs from which refugee and asylee applicants were allegedly excluded from were wide ranging - from rocket engineering to dish-washing and cooking.
The DoJ has asked SpaceX to look at providing backpay for those who were wrongly denied work because of this alleged discrimination.
This lawsuit is not the first time one of Mr Musk's companies has been accused of discriminatory behaviour.
A group of former employees of the social media website formerly known as Twitter, now X, filed a lawsuit earlier this month alleging that Mr Musk engaged in gender, age and racial discrimination. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66610725 |
Climate change: Thousands of penguins die in Antarctic ice breakup - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Vast numbers of emperor penguin chicks drown as sea-ice melts and collapses underneath them. | The down feathers on emperor chicks are not waterproof. They must fledge before the ice breaks up
A catastrophic die-off of emperor penguin chicks has been observed in the Antarctic, with up to 10,000 young birds estimated to have been killed.
The sea-ice underneath the chicks melted and broke apart before they could develop the waterproof feathers needed to swim in the ocean.
The birds most likely drowned or froze to death.
The event, in late 2022, occurred in the west of the continent in an area fronting on to the Bellingshausen Sea.
It was recorded by satellites.
Dr Peter Fretwell, from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), said the wipeout was a harbinger of things to come.
Lost ice: Smyley Island would normally expect to produce 3,000 or so chicks
More than 90% of emperor penguin colonies are predicted to be all but extinct by the end of the century, as the continent's seasonal sea-ice withers in an ever-warming world.
"Emperors depend on sea-ice for their breeding cycle; it's the stable platform they use to bring up their young. But if that ice is not as extensive as it should be or breaks up faster, these birds are in trouble," he told BBC News.
"There is hope: we can cut our carbon emissions that are causing the warming. But if we don't we will drive these iconic, beautiful birds to the verge of extinction."
A combination of winds and warm water reduced ice cover in the Bellingshausen
Dr Fretwell and colleagues report the die-off in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
The scientists tracked five colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea sector - at Rothschild Island, Verdi Inlet, Smyley Island, Bryan Peninsula and Pfrogner Point.
Using the EU's Sentinel-2 satellites, they were able to observe the penguins' activity from the excrement, or guano, they left on the white sea-ice.
This brown staining is visible even from space.
Adult birds jump out on to the sea-ice around March as the Southern Hemisphere winter approaches. They court, copulate, lay eggs, brood those eggs, and then feed their nestlings through the following months until it's time for the young to make their own way in the world.
A sea-ice platform needs to be present for eight to nine months for breeding success
This normally occurs around December/January time, when the new birds head out into the ocean.
But the research team watched as sea-ice under emperor rookeries fragmented in November, before thousands of chicks had had time to fledge the slick feathers needed for swimming.
Four of the colonies suffered total breeding failure as a result. Only the most northerly site, at Rothschild Island, had some success.
Antarctic summer sea-ice has been on a sharp downturn since 2016, with the total area of frozen water around the continent diminishing to new record lows.
The two absolute lowest years have occurred in the past two summer seasons, in 2021/22 and in 2022/23, when the Bellingshausen was almost completely devoid of ice cover.
What is more, the slowness of floes to form in recent months means the colonies will probably not be producing chicks for at least another year.
Winter maximum sea-ice extent, normally reached in September, will track far below where it would normally be.
Scientists believe the emperor will see its range greatly restricted as the century progresses
Dr Fretwell and colleagues said the emperors were feeling the impacts of this shift in conditions. Between 2018 and 2022, roughly a third of the more than 60 known emperor penguin colonies were affected in some way by diminished sea-ice extent - whether that's ice forming later in the season or breaking up earlier.
At the other end of the planet, in the Arctic, the sea-ice has been in a decades-long, steady decline. The Antarctic in contrast seemed more robust. Up until 2016, it was becoming slightly more extensive year on year.
BAS colleague Dr Caroline Holmes is an expert on Antarctic sea-ice. She links the causes for the current decline to anomalously warm ocean water around the continent and a particular pattern of winds, which in the case of the Bellingshausen, has pushed ice back towards the coast, making it difficult to spread.
Sea-ice extent is currently far, far below where it should be
These were remarkable times, she said.
"What we're seeing right now is so far outside what we've observed previously. We expected change but I don't think we expected so much change so rapidly," she told BBC News.
"Studies in the Arctic have suggested that if we could reverse climate warming somehow, the sea-ice in the polar north would recover. Whether that might also apply in the Antarctic, we don't know. But there's every reason to think that if it got cold enough, the sea-ice would reform."
Currently, emperors are classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organisation that keeps the lists of Earth's most endangered animals.
A proposal has been made to lift emperors into the more urgent "Vulnerable" category because of the danger posed by climate warming to their way of life. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66492767 |
Ashley Dale: Man charged with murder after woman shot in garden - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, has been charged with the murder of Ashley Dale in Liverpool last August. | Ashley Dale worked as an environmental health officer for Knowsley Council
A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was shot dead in the back garden of her home.
Ashley Dale, 28, was found with a gunshot wound in Old Swan, Liverpool, on 21 August last year.
Merseyside Police said Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, had been extradited from Spain on a trade and co-operation agreement.
He has also been charged with conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison and possession of a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.
Mr Fitzgibbon, from St Helens, is also facing an allegation of conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion sub machine gun, and associated ammunition.
He is due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Friday.
Ms Dale was found in the back garden of her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan last August
Sean Zeisz, 27, Niall Barry, 26, James Witham, 41, and Joseph Peers, 28, who were previously charged with Ms Dale's murder, are due to stand trial on 2 October.
Mr Fitzgibbon was arrested by the Spanish National Police and extradited from Spain, with the support of the National Crime Agency's National Extradition Unit, on Thursday afternoon.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66612093 |
Artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia sees sales more than double - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The California-based company dominates the market for chips used in artificial intelligence systems. | Technology giant Nvidia says its sales have hit a record after more than doubling as demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips soars.
The company says revenue jumped to above $13.5bn (£10.6bn) for the three months to the end of June.
Nvidia also expects sales to soar further in the current quarter and plans to buy back $25bn of its stock.
The firm's shares rose by more than 6.5% in extended trading in New York, adding to their huge gains this year.
Nvidia also said it expects revenue of around $16bn for the three months to the end of September.
That is much higher than Wall Street expectations and would equate to a rise of around 170%, compared to the same time last year.
"A new computing era has begun," Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, said in a statement.
"Companies worldwide are transitioning from general-purpose to accelerated computing and generative AI," he added.
The strong performance was driven by Nvidia's data centre business, which includes AI chips.
Revenue for that unit came in at more $10.3bn, a rise of more than 170% from year ago, as cloud computing service providers and large consumer internet companies snapped up its next-generation processors.
This year, Nvidia's stock market value has jumped to more than $1 trillion as its shares more than tripled in value.
That made it the fifth publicly traded US company to join the so-called "Trillion dollar club", along with Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon.
Sarah Kunst, the managing director of Cleo Capital, which invests in startups, told the BBC's Today programme that she was fascinated by "the almost mania" around Nvidia.
"They've been making chips for a very long time and it's only really been in the last couple of years that the market has sort of caught on to this," she said.
Nvidia was originally known for making the type of computer chips that process graphics, particularly for computer games.
Now its hardware underpins most AI applications, with one report finding it had cornered 95% of the market for machine learning.
ChatGPT - which generates human-like responses to user queries within seconds - was trained using 10,000 of Nvidia's graphics processing units clustered together in a supercomputer belonging to Microsoft.
AI products are expected to dramatically change how we use computers and the role they play in our lives. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66601716 |
World Athletics Championships 2023: Britain's Josh Kerr stuns Jakob Ingebrigtsen to take 1500m gold - BBC Sport | 2023-08-24 | Britain's Josh Kerr stuns Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win 1500m gold at the World Championships in Budapest. | Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Britain's Josh Kerr stunned Norway's Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to take 1500m gold at the World Championships in Budapest.
Kerr, Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo, timed his surge for gold to perfection inside the final 200m.
The 25-year-old clocked a season's best three minutes 29.38 seconds to make his first podium at a World Championships.
It comes one year after Ingebrigtsen suffered defeat by Briton Jake Wightman in similar circumstances in Eugene.
Kerr let out an almighty roar as he crossed the line, celebrating with the crowd and embracing his parents in the stands with a crown on his head and a gold medal proudly hanging from his neck.
"It's been a long time coming," the Scot said.
"It's quite an overwhelming experience but I'm so proud of myself and of my team and my family that got me here.
"I didn't feel like I ran the best race. I just threw my whole 16 years of this sport in that last 200m and didn't give up until the end."
Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, appeared crestfallen as history repeated itself.
The 22-year-old led from the front for much of the race before once again being denied by a gutsy finish from a British athlete, Kerr breaking his rival in the final 50m.
Ingebrigtsen held on for silver in 3:29.65 ahead of compatriot Narve Gilje Nordas (3:29.68), while Britain's Neil Gourley finished ninth in 3:31.10.
Kerr earned GB a fourth medal of the championships, and second gold, following in the footsteps of Katarina Johnson-Thompson's heptathlon triumph.
Kerr emulates Wightman to stand on top of the world
Evidently full of confidence coming in to the championships, Kerr had stated his belief that Ingebrigtsen - unbeaten this season and boasting the fastest time of 2023 - was "very beatable".
And, as 2022 champion Wightman watched on, the Scot emulated his Edinburgh Athletics Club team-mate in spectacular fashion.
Ingebrigtsen had been determined to upgrade last year's silver and took control on the second lap - but once again was powerless to respond as Kerr moved level and then refused to fade away.
The reigning world 5,000m champion came into the championships unbeaten, running the fourth-fastest 1500m of all time in July, and was a heavy favourite for gold.
Kerr had run his two fastest times since Tokyo earlier this season, but Ingebrigtsen was in unrelenting form as he built towards correcting his 2022 loss.
While his talent is undeniable, Norway's versatile star will rightly be concerned about the manner in which world gold was once again ripped from his grasp, with another Briton adding his name to the list of contenders at Paris 2024.
Kerr demonstrated his ability to produce elite level performances on the global stage when he won his Olympic bronze in 2021, becoming the first British man to win a medal over 1500m at a Games since 1988.
Battling illness when he finished fifth at last year's Worlds, he backed up that breakthrough medal here with a superbly managed run.
Men's 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm reclaimed his title with a dominant victory after his 2022 hopes were hindered by injury.
Warholm, who finished seventh last season after struggling with a hamstring injury in the run up to the meeting, had shown signs of a return to his devastating best in 2023 by producing two of the five fastest performances of all time.
The Norwegian clocked 46.89 seconds to clinch his fourth global title ahead of Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands (47.34) and American Rai Benjamin (47.56).
In the women's 400m final, Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic took gold in 48.76 ahead of Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek and Barbadian Sada Williams.
Britain's Molly Caudery also shone in a thrilling women's pole vault final which saw Australian Nina Kennedy and American Katie Moon share gold.
Kennedy and Moon agreed to share the title after both athletes cleared 4.90m but neither could make 4.95m after three attempts.
A delighted Caudery, 23, produced a personal best with a clearance over 4.75m to finish fifth on her first appearance at a global championships.
Team-mate Anna Purchase qualified for the hammer throw final in 11th with a 71.31m best attempt but Charlotte Payne (69.57m) did not.
GB's Cindy Sember was unable to reach the women's 100m hurdles final with a sixth-placed semi-final finish in 12.97 secs, while Megan Keith and Amy Eloise-Markovc failed to qualify from the women's 5,000m heats, which were pushed back from the morning session because of extreme heat with temperatures well above 30C.
Markovc finished 11th in 15:13.66 in her heat - during which Sifan Hassan and 1500m gold medallist Faith Kipyegon engaged in an unnecessary sprint finish - while Keith was 14th in 15:21.94 in her race.
Aimee Pratt missed out on the women's 3,000m steeplechase medal race, finishing seventh in her heat in 9:26.37 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/66595349 |
Nadine Dorries should lose Tory whip - Lib Dem leader Davey - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey visits Mid Bedfordshire as voters wait for their MP to formally resign. | Nadine Dorries has not spoken in the House of Commons for more than a year
The leader of the Liberal Democrats has joined calls for Rishi Sunak to "sack" Nadine Dorries, calling the Mid Bedfordshire MP a "dosser".
Sir Ed Davey made the comments on a visit to Ampthill, where he met constituents angry about her absence.
Ms Dorries said she would stand down "with immediate effect" in June in protest at not receiving a peerage.
She insisted she was "working daily with constituents" and was being targeted by political attacks.
"Myself and my team of four case workers are working daily with constituents," she told the News Agents podcast.
"I understand that political opponents... are choosing the summer and the news hungry outlets in the summer recess to be noticed. However, we are just getting on with the work."
"Nadine is letting down the people of Mid Bedfordshire," Sir Ed said. "She's totally absent."
Ms Dorries - whose claim that Mr Sunak removed her peerage nomination has been denied by Downing Street - has said she was delaying her exit while she investigated why she was refused a seat in the House of Lords.
Sir Ed Davey, on a visit to Ampthill in Bedfordshire, described Ms Dorries as a "dosser"
Although the PM does not have the power to make someone stand down as an MP, Sir Ed said Mr Sunak should remove the Conservative whip from Ms Dorries.
"Rishi Sunak should sack Nadine Dorries today. He should have done it weeks ago," he said.
"Nadine is letting down the people of Mid Bedfordshire. She's totally absent. She said she'd resign and she doesn't. People are pretty angry locally."
Mr Sunak previously said the former culture secretary's voters "aren't being properly represented", but has not moved to expel her, prompting Sir Ed to call him "weak".
Nadine Dorries, pictured in May, has held the Mid Bedfordshire seat since 2005
Ms Dorries, who hosts a weekly chat show on Talk TV, has written a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson, to be published in September.
She has not spoken in the House of Commons since June 2022.
Ms Dorries secured a 24,000 majority at the 2019 general election in the seat, which the Conservative Party has held since 1931.
She will not be able to formally resign and trigger a by-election until MPs return from their summer recess.
Sir Ed indicated the Lib Dems were ready to work cross-party with any other MPs who want to force Ms Dorries to step down once Parliament returns.
Fellow Tory MPs have also voiced their anger at their colleague's failure to follow through on her vow to quit.
The prime minister and Ms Dorries have been contacted for comment.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or get in touch via WhatsApp on 0800 169 1830 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66596718 |
Comic overwhelmed as millions watch slo-mo footballer routine - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Karl Porter's impression of a footballer's celebration has been shared widely on social media. | A comic whose slow-motion impression of a footballer celebrating has been watched by millions online has said the reaction has been "overwhelming".
Karl Porter's routine has been widely shared online, with his Instagram post receiving more than 3.3 million views.
It has also garnered thousands of comments, including one from the Premier League asking who inspired it.
The 30-year-old said it was based on what he saw during his time as a binman at Manchester City's Etihad stadium.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-66611893 |
Wagner defied Putin and now its leader Prigozhin may be dead - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | If Yevgeny Prigozhin's reported death is revenge, it sends a message to Russians, writes Steve Rosenberg. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Yevgeny Prigozhin and the war in Ukraine
When Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner troops launched their insurrection two months ago, Vladimir Putin made his feelings more than clear. He called it "treachery" and a "stab in the back" of Russia. He promised that the perpetrators would be punished.
So there was incredulity in Russia when they were not. When a deal was cut between Mr Prigozhin and the Kremlin to end the mutiny; when all the charges against the Wagner founder and his fighters were dropped, despite the fact that Russian servicemen had been killed during the murky but brief insurrection.
Commenting on the agreed compromise (ending the mutiny in exchange for immunity from prosecution) one Russian newspaper commented: "This kind of compromise is normally made with political opponents. Never with criminals and terrorists. Does that mean we should view Mr Prigozhin now as a political figure?"
Suddenly things look rather different.
Exactly two months on, Mr Prigozhin is presumed dead after his private jet crashed and exploded in a field. Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin was on the same jet.
The Russian elite will shed few tears over Mr Prigozhin's reported demise. That goes for Russia's military leadership, whom Mr Prigozhin had publicly and vocally condemned and whom he demanded be sacked. The Wagner boss claimed that the so-called "March of Justice" (his euphemism for the insurrection) had not targeted the Kremlin but had instead been directed at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov.
In reality, the Wagner mutiny had been a direct challenge to President Putin's authority and a humiliating 24 hours for the Kremlin. Mr Putin himself pointed out that the Russian state had been financing Wagner. Money had clearly not bought loyalty.
If this was an act of revenge by those in power, that sends two clear messages to Mr Prigozhin's loyalists and to anyone else in Russia who may have been contemplating armed resistance:
That means that President Putin could emerge from these dramatic events stronger domestically.
But what if Mr Prigozhin becomes a martyr? What if those who had pledged loyalty to him - and who are well-trained fighters - call for their own acts of revenge?
Wagner supporters turned out in St Petersburg after news of the air crash
It did not clarify who it believed those traitors were and what Wagner's response would be.
If this crash was foul play, that will come as little surprise to many in Russia. Ever since the mutiny there has been feverish speculation about Mr Prigozhin's fate, about whether his actions really would be forgiven.
He must have known that. Yet, in recent weeks, as he jetted around on his private plane he clearly did not view air travel as a danger. Perhaps he believed that he was too powerful, too crucial a figure in today's Russia to be taken out?
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Video shows plane crash in in the Tver region
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66601553 |
Glyn Razzell refuses to reveal where his wife Linda's body is - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Glyn Razzell appears before a parole board hearing after being convicted of his wife's murder in 2003. | Glyn Razzell was found guilty of his wife's murder at a trial in 2003
A man who murdered his wife has refused to reveal where her remains are.
Glyn Razzell, 64, from Somerset, is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife Linda, who vanished on the way to work in Swindon in 2002.
He was refused release at a 2022 parole hearing under Helen's Law, which makes it harder for killers to get parole if they do not say where the victim is.
Razzell has now told a new hearing he could not reveal where his wife is as he "does not know" she is dead.
Razzell did not appear in person at the public hearing, but was connected via a remote link.
Mrs Razzell, a 41-year-old mother-of-four, was living in Highworth, Wiltshire, at the time she disappeared.
More than 20 years on, she has not been seen since, and her body has never been found.
Her husband's trial heard he and his wife were embroiled in divorce proceedings, and he faced a financial settlement he was not prepared to accept.
When questioned by the parole panel about the location of his wife's body, he said: "I don't know where Linda's remains are - I don't know if she's dead for sure - I'm sorry if that upsets people."
Linda Razzell, originally from Carmarthenshire, disappeared in 2002 and her body has never been found
The panel told Razzell the couple's children had been grieving for many years and want to arrange a burial.
"You, and you alone are the barrier to completing this," he was told.
Razzell replied: "I do understand the anguish. I understand the way they feel. If there is anything I could do, I really would."
When questioned by the panel about episodes of arguing at the time of her disappearance, Razzell said: "She wanted attention from me and I didn't want to give it to her."
He was read testimony of alleged violent behaviour towards his wife, but denied it happened.
When questioned over whether he had threatened his wife with violence, or withheld money from her, Razzell said he had not.
Mrs Razzell was last seen alive parking her car on Alvescot Road in Swindon in March 2002
And when asked if he was angry about the fact he had been made redundant from his job, or jealous about his wife's new partner, Razzell said: "I was sad, not angry."
He added: "I went through a period of being depressed when Linda first filed for divorce.
"I was really suffering badly from insomnia. I was worried about my children and not seeing them every day was by far the worst part of the divorce - not money or her infidelity. "
He was asked about Mrs Razzell's blood being found in a car he had borrowed from a friend, which was used for all of Razzell's journeys on the day his wife disappeared.
"I don't think the blood was in the car," Razzell said.
"I think the blood was placed there to incriminate me - it must have been with Linda's help because it was fresh blood."
He was asked three times by the panel why he killed his wife.
"I did not kill Linda," he replied each time.
When challenged further he said: "My children believe I bludgeoned her to death with a hammer and it's just not true.
"I believe she disappeared just to get me in trouble and then I expected her to turn up again with lies that I'd locked her in a shed or something."
Razzell answered all the questions in a calm, clear voice but his composure broke for the first time when he explained why he had chosen not to hear the victim impact statements from his children read out loud. "I knew that it would unbalance me," he said.
"I was upset at the source of those comments and where they had come from. "I carry photos of my children wherever I go and although they are not up to date they are always with me."I had read the statement and know the effect they have on me - it's a heavy burden to know that they feel that way about me."
The hearing is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice in London
The hearing, the third Razzell has been granted, is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, with members of the public able to watch.
His trial in 2003 heard that Mrs Razzell left her home in the village of Highworth, near Swindon, at 08:45 BST on 19 March with her children and boyfriend, Greg Worrall.
She dropped Mr Worrall off in Highworth and her children at school before being seen parking for work in Alvescot Road, as usual.
She is believed to have taken her usual route down an alleyway towards the college and her phone was found in a recess of the alleyway the next day during a police search.
Her boyfriend contacted police on the evening of her disappearance after she failed to pick up her children from their after-school club.
Razzell was convicted of her murder and lost an appeal against his conviction in 2005.
The parole board hearing was told a decision on his possible release will be made in two weeks.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-66603784 |
Rishi Sunak inadvertently failed to declare childcare interest, rules MPs watchdog - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Rishi Sunak apologises for "inadvertent errors" when providing information about financial interests. | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed to declare his wife's financial interest in a childminding agency correctly, the MPs watchdog has ruled.
Daniel Greenberg, parliamentary commissioner for standards, said this arose out of "confusion" about the rules and was "inadvertent".
In a letter to Mr Greenberg, Mr Sunak said he accepted the ruling and apologised.
The inquiry is now closed and the PM will not face further action.
Labour have said Mr Sunak's case is "further evidence" the process around declaring interests needs to be overhauled.
A complaint was submitted to Mr Greenberg following Mr Sunak's appearance before MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee in March.
During the session, the prime minister was questioned about his policy to provide payments to encourage people who became childminders. The cash would be doubled for those who signed up through six private childcare firms listed on the UK government's website, with the money being used to cover the firms' fees.
Mr Sunak's wife Akshata Murty was a shareholder in one of those private firms, Koru Kids but when asked if he had any declarations to make Mr Sunak said "no, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way".
Following an investigation, Mr Greenberg said he had concluded that Ms Murty's shareholding was a relevant interest that should have been declared to MPs.
The commissioner said that, even if Mr Sunak had not been aware of the shareholding at the time of his appearance before the committee, he was aware of it when he later wrote a letter to the Committee chairman Sir Bernard Jenkin to clarify things and should, at that stage, have declared it.
Mr Sunak had recorded the shareholding under arrangements for ministers to declare their interests. That record is not publicly declared but held by civil servants.
Some of these interests are made public on the list of ministers' interests. The independent adviser on ministers' interests advises on which interests need to be included in this publicly-available list.
Mr Sunak said three different independent advisers had told him his wife's shareholdings did not need to be added.
Mr Greenberg said he accepted Mr Sunak believed that, by registering the interest, he had complied with his obligations, and so did not declare it in his letter to Sir Bernard Jenkin.
He added that Mr Sunak "had confused the concept of registration with the concept of declaration" and so the "the failure to declare arose out of this confusion and was accordingly inadvertent on the part of Mr Sunak".
Mr Greenberg said he was concluding his inquiry using what is called the "rectification procedure" - a process used to correct minor failures to declare interests.
It means the commissioner stops short of submitting a full report to MPs on the Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges for them to consider any possible further action.
Replying to Mr Greenberg, Mr Sunak said that during the Liaison Committee hearing he had "no idea" of the connection between Koru Kids and his government's childcare policy.
"It was was only after the hearing that I became aware of the link, as set out in my subsequent letter to Sir Bernard, the Chair of the Liaison Committee.
"I now understand that my letter to Sir Bernard was not sufficiently expansive regarding declaration (as distinct from registration)... On reflection, I accept your opinion that I should have used the letter to declare the interest explicitly... I apologise for these inadvertent errors and confirm acceptance of your proposal for rectification."
Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "This is just further evidence that the system needs a full overhaul."
Labour have promised to set up an Ethics and Integrity Commission with greater powers to launch investigations and determine where parliamentary rules have been broken, if they are elected.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66596319 |
Was Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin a dead man walking? - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Ever since he led a mutinous march on Moscow in late June, some speculated Yevgeny Prigozhin's days were numbered. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Ever since he led a mutinous march on Moscow in late June Yevgeny Prigozhin was described by Russia watchers as "a dead man walking".
Commenting recently on the mercenary boss's life expectancy the CIA Director William Burns even said: "If I were Prigozhin I wouldn't fire my food taster".
If it is ever proven that the mid-air destruction of a plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin was an act of deliberate, cold-blooded revenge by the Kremlin, this will go down in Russian history as the ultimate "special military operation".
Prigozhin, a former convict, chef and hot dog salesman-turned mercenary boss, had a lot of admirers amongst the ranks of his Wagner mercenary army and beyond. Many will have witnessed his warm reception by the public in Rostov-on-Don when he turned up there exactly two months ago in the throes of his aborted one-day rebellion.
But he also had a lot of enemies in Moscow, most notably in the upper ranks of the Russian military whose leaders he frequently and publicly criticised.
What has probably turned out to have been his fatal mistake was crossing President Putin when he launched that march on Moscow on 23 June. Although he did not mention Putin by name at the time, Prigozhin infuriated the Kremlin by very publicly criticising the official reasons given for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He told Russians they had been deceived and that their sons were dying in the Ukraine war due to poor leadership. This was heresy and Putin's video message on that day was sizzling with vitriol. He called Prigozhin's march on Moscow a betrayal and a stab in the back.
Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who became a British citizen, was fatally poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 in 2006
Vladimir Putin does not forgive traitors nor those who challenge him.
The former Russian intelligence officer-turned defector, Alexander Litvinenko, died a slow and agonising death in a London hospital in 2006 after he was poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210.
A subsequent investigation concluded that this assassins brought the lethal substance with them from Russia and that it could only have been sourced from a Russian government laboratory. Moscow denied any involvement but refused to surrender the two suspects for trial.
Then there was Sergei Skripal, a former Russian KGB officer and again a defector to Britain.
In 2018 he and his daughter Yulia narrowly escaped death when GRU Russian military intelligence officers allegedly put Novichok nerve agent on the door handle of his house in Salisbury.
A discarded perfume bottle containing the lethal agent was later found by a local Wiltshire resident, Dawn Sturgess, who died after applying it to her wrists.
Sergei Skripal survived being poisoned with Novichok nerve agent in 2018
Inside Russia there is a long list of people, including both critics and businessmen, who have met with sudden death, in some cases "falling out of upper floor windows". President Putin's most vocal opponent, Alexei Navalny, is now languishing in a penal colony on what are said to be politically-motivated fraud charges. He too survived assassination by Novichok nerve agent poisoning after nearly dying onboard a flight across Siberia in 2020.
But Prigozhin was a very different case, which makes his demise all the more controversial for Russians. Here was a man who was extremely useful to the Kremlin and seen by some Russians as a national hero.
His Wagner group of mercenaries, founded in 2014, was formed from a hard core of former Russian Speznaz (Special Forces) operatives and other soldiers. It has been highly active in eastern Ukraine where it drove the Ukrainian army out of Bakhmut, acquiring a fearsome reputation not shared by the often decrepit and poorly-led regular Russian army. Wagner bolstered its ranks when Prigozhin personally toured Russian penal colonies to recruit thousands of convicts, including rapists and murderers. These were effectively used as cannon fodder in eastern Ukraine where commanders ordered them to advance into withering fire in repeated attempts to overwhelm the enemy lines.
Wagner have also been operating in Syria for years but it is in Africa where they have achieved strategic success for the Kremlin. There they have developed a brutally effective business model that is proving popular with undemocratic regimes. By providing a range of "security services", from VIP protection to influencing elections, silencing critics, they have received in return mineral rights and access to gold and other precious metals in several African states. Money flows back to Moscow and everyone gets rich - except the actual populations of those countries.
Wagner troops have been accused of numerous human rights abuses including the massacre of civilians in Mali and Central African Republic. Yet they have succeeded in supplanting French and other western forces across a huge swathe of the African continent. Only this week Prigozhin popped up on a Telegram channel in a video presumed to have been filmed at a base in Mali, promising an expansion of Wagner's activities in Africa and "freedom" for its people.
Despite all this, there are certainly some back in Moscow, notably in military intelligence, who viewed him as a liability, a loose cannon and a potential future threat to Putin's rule and the system around him. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66601452 |
Clapham stabbing: Two men injured in homophobic attack - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Two men are taken to hospital after being stabbed outside a nightclub in south London. | The attack took place outside Clapham's Two Brewers nightclub
Two men were taken to hospital after being stabbed in a homophobic attack outside a south London nightclub.
The men, in their 20s and 30s, were attacked outside the Two Brewers in Clapham High Street on Sunday night.
The Met Police said it was treating the stabbings as homophobic. The men have since been sent home from hospital.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said there was "no place for hate in London", adding that he stood with LGBTQI+ Londoners.
No arrests have been made in connection to the incident.
Det Insp Gary Castle said he was "aware of the shock this attack will cause members of the LGBT+ community", adding "an urgent investigation is ongoing".
A drag performer at the club praised staff at the venue for their response.
The Two Brewers has boosted its security after the attack
Mary Mac posted: "The team at The Two Brewers were incredible in dealing with this and keeping us inside the venue safe.
"It's shocking and disgusting that in 2023 this is becoming frighteningly more frequent."
A Two Brewers spokesperson said the venue was "fully supporting" the police with their investigation "regarding this unprovoked attack", adding, "our thoughts are with the victims and their families".
"We would like to reassure the LGBTQIA+ community that the safety and security of our guests remains our number one priority," they said.
"Our CCTV has been handed over to the police and enhanced security measures have now been put in place."
Campaign group Stonewall called on the government to set out a plan to deal with hate crime in the wake of the stabbings.
The organisation said there had been no government hate crime strategy in place for the past three years.
In a series of entries on Twitter, now known as X, the LGBT+ charity said: "We are appalled to hear that two men have been stabbed in an apparent homophobic attack outside a LGBTQ+ venue in Clapham.
"It is unacceptable for LGBTQ+ people to live in fear. We call on the UK Govt to set out its plan to deal with rising hate crime."
The attack took place outside the Two Brewers in Clapham
In London, Metropolitan Police figures show a slight decrease in homophobic hate crimes - 3,792 such crimes were recorded in the year to July 2023, compared to 4,131 a year earlier.
Home Office figures for the year ending March 2022 show that sexual orientation hate crimes in England and Wales increased by 41% to 26,152, representing the largest percentage annual increase in these offences since current records began in the year ending March 2012.
Transgender identity hate crimes also rose significantly, by 56% to 4,355, the data shows.
The Home Office said the overall rise could be due to better recording by police, as well as fewer cases having been recorded under Covid restrictions in 2020/21.
However, significant increases of more than 40 and 50% would indicate an upward trend.
A government spokesperson said of the Clapham incident: "These reports are deeply concerning and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
"It's right that we give the police space to investigate this incident and it would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is ongoing."
Sadiq Khan said the incident was "abhorrent" and his thoughts were with the victims of this "appalling attack".
"I have always been clear that there is no place for hate in London. I stand with LGBTQI+ Londoners and will do all I can to end hate crime in the capital," he added.
Mr Khan said his team and the Met Police would invite the LGBTQ+ venues forum and its members to attend an urgent meeting later this week.
Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall, said: "Having spoken to people in the area this afternoon, I know how alarming this shocking attack has been to the LGBTQ+ community in Clapham.
"My thoughts are with the victims, who I hope will be supported to make a full recovery."
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66500712 |
Paddington Bear stamps released by Royal Mail for 65th anniversary - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Peruvian bear was first seen in 1958 after featuring in the book A Bear Called Paddington. | Paddington Bear is to appear on 10 special stamps released by the Royal Mail to mark his 65th anniversary.
Six of the stamps feature images from animator Ivor Wood's comic strip cartoons first published in the London Evening News in the 1970s.
The other four stamps capture moments from the BBC television series that Wood designed and directed from 1976.
The Peruvian bear first appeared in 1958 in Michael Bond's book A Bear Called Paddington.
It is the first time he has been dedicated his own stamp set.
Paddington previously featured on stamps in 2014 to celebrate 60 years of children's television, alongside Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder and Shaun the Sheep.
He was also included in a stamp set released by Royal Mail in 1994.
In the story, Paddington was adopted by the Brown family in London and named after the railway station where he arrived.
He has gone on to star in movies in recent years, with Ben Whishaw voicing the character.
The film version of the bear also appeared with the late Queen Elizabeth II in a sketch marking her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Paddington will be seen alongside the profile of King Charles on the new stamps.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said he hoped the stamps will "brighten up the day of anyone receiving mail with a touch of Paddington's charm".
The stamps will go on general sale on 5 September.
Ivor Wood's designs from the BBC television series of Paddington appear on the stamps
Ivor Wood's original drawings from the strip cartoons of Paddington also feature
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66599836 |
Labour Party spent more than Conservatives in 2022 - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The main opposition party lost more members but raised more money than in the previous year. | The Labour Party significantly outspent the Conservatives last year, financial accounts released by the Electoral Commission show.
Labour's spending totalled £44.45m, with the party's income up 3.5% on 2021, despite lower membership numbers.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives' spending was £33.06m, with income down 3.3%, and money from donors to the party falling by £2.4m.
The Commission is an independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance across the UK. It has published the accounts of parties with income or spending above £250,000, which numbered 18 in 2022.
Labour recorded a £2.7m surplus, raising £47.2m, even as it lost nearly 25,000 more members, the Commission's figures show. In 2021, Sir Keir Starmer's party recorded a £5.2m deficit.
A report from party general secretary David Evans said "difficult decisions" on reducing costs had contributed to returning Labour to surplus, while membership income "exceeded targets" thanks to new members and "an improved rate of retention".
Staff costs fell by around £6m as a number of people were made redundant.
By the end of 2022, Labour had 407,445 members, down from 432,213 in 2021, and nearly 125,000 down on its recent peak in 2019 when it was led by Jeremy Corbyn.
A spokesman for left-wing group Momentum described it as "saddening and worrying" that Labour's membership had declined for a third year in a row.
He accused Sir Keir of turning Labour back "towards corporate donors and interests, rejecting member and union demands for popular, urgent policies like public ownership, while undermining their rights by stitching up parliamentary selections for loyalists".
A party spokeswoman responded that Labour's finances had "gone from strength to strength" under Sir Keir's leadership.
"The Labour Party is a changed party that is serious about getting into government and building a better Britain," she added.
The Conservatives lost £2.3m in 2022 during what the party's annual accounts described as a "turbulent year". Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister in July, to be succeeded by Liz Truss, who herself stepped down in October.
The party raised £30.7m in income, but saw money from donors falling compared with 2021. A report from the party treasurer blamed this partly on "donor pledges moving into 2023".
The Tories do not publish membership figures, but after last year's leadership election, they said 172,000 people had been eligible to vote.
Their income from membership fees fell slightly from £1.99m to £1.97m.
The Liberal Democrats recorded a £754,000 deficit, including a £186,000 loss caused by having to cancel the party's annual conference following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
But they did see a slight increase in membership from 94,706 to 97,493.
The SNP saw its membership fall from 103,884 in 2021 to 82,598 at the end of 2022 and its income fell from £4.51m to £4.25m.
The Green Party of England and Wales raised £3.15m and spent £3.23m.
Plaid Cymru had income of £970,000 and expenditure of £942,000.
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein outspent the Democratic Unionists with expenditure of £1.53m and income of £1.19m. The DUP spent £488,000 and raised £426,000, less than the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland's £522,000.
Reform UK, led by Richard Tice and formerly the Brexit Party, spent £949,000, 37% more than the £692,000 it brought in.
Louise Edwards, director of regulation and digital transformation at the Commission, said: "We are committed to making sure political funding is transparent.
"Larger parties spend and receive considerable sums of money so it's important that information on their finances is accessible to the public. Publishing their accounts allows voters to see how parties are funded and choose to spend their money." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66605159 |
Facts are up against fear ahead of Fukushima water release - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Locals struggle to believe the plant's treated radioactive water is safe to pump into the Pacific Ocean. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Shaimaa Khalil visits the treatment plant to see how it works
In a white coat and gloves, Ai Kimura is cutting up a fish sample at the Tarachine lab, about an hour's drive from the now-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Japan's eastern coast.
Four times a year, Ms Kimura and her team of volunteers collect samples of fish from the waters around the plant. They have been doing this since the lab was founded in 2011, just months after a devastating tsunami flooded the reactors, causing a radiation leak.
Except Ms Kimura is not a scientist - and neither are any of the women who run the non-profit lab, whose name Tarachine is derived from the term for "mother" in old Japanese. Shaken after the tsunami, Ms Kimura says locals started the lab to find out what was safe to feed their children because it was hard to come by information on the risks of radiation. So they asked technical experts to train them on how to test for radioactive substances and log the readings, raised funds and began educating themselves.
It was the decision of a shattered community that never thought an accident at the nuclear power plant was possible. Now, 12 years on, they again find themselves struggling to trust the Japanese government as it insists it's safe to release treated radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier this month, Japan received the green light to start pumping more than a million tonnes - about the same volume as 500 Olympic-size pools - of the treated water that has been used to cool the melted reactors. It has accumulated in more than a 1,000 tanks and now, as they reach capacity, it needs to go somewhere.
Japan's nuclear regulator has given Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco), which runs the plant, the go-ahead. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said the watchdog's two-year review found that the plan complies with international standards and the treated water will have "a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment". Neighbouring South Korea too delivered a similar assessment, despite sticking to a ban on some Japanese food imports. China and Hong Kong have announced similar bans.
But the people who live in and around Fukushima are not convinced.
Volunteers from Tarachine collect samples from the sea around the Fukushima plant
"We still don't know the extent to which the contaminated water has been treated. That's why we oppose the release," Ms Kimura says, adding that many local families are worried about the discharge of the treated water.
Tepco has been filtering the water to remove more than 60 radioactive substances, but the water will not be entirely radiation-free. It will have tritium and carbon-14, radioactive isotopes of hydrogen and carbon respectively that cannot be easily removed from water. But experts say they are not a danger unless consumed in large quantities because they emit very low levels of radiation. That's also why before the filtered water is released it will go through another phase of treatment where it's diluted with seawater to reduce the remaining substances' concentrations.
Japan's government has said that by the end of the filtration and testing process, the treated water will be no different than the water released by nuclear plants around the world.
But the facts are up against fear in Fukushima, where the reminders of the "invisible enemy" - as many here call radiation - are constant.
After the disaster the government declared a 30km (22 miles) exclusion area around the plant, evacuating more than 150,000 people. Although a lot has changed, whole neighbourhoods are still empty and greenery covers the roofs and windows of long-abandoned homes. Signs on storefronts have faded away but metal barriers and yellow tape warning people to keep out remain on the narrow, deserted streets.
Even the Tarachine lab is proof of how much the community fears the "invisible enemy", despite assurances to the contrary.
Ai Kimura tests samples for radiation at the Tarachine lab
In the main lab, one volunteer is chopping cabbage before taking it to be measured for gamma radiation, and another is treating water before the sample is tested. In the hallway there are bags of soil and dust from vacuum cleaners that have been used in homes nearby. At the back of the room, food samples are dried before they're tested for radiation. On the walls, there are charts and maps of the nuclear plant and the sea around it, with markings in various colours to show the degree of radiation and how far it has travelled.
The women collect samples but they also test material sent to them by local people. "Some families brought us acorns [to test]," Ms Kimura said. "In Japan we make spinning tops from acorns with toothpicks. The government wouldn't think to check that. We were asked by some mothers to measure the radiation levels at their local park."
The lab measures all sorts of samples for radioactive substances such as strontium-90, tritium and caesium-134 and 137, tracking their levels over the years.
"We upload all our findings on our website so anybody can find it," Ms Kimura says. "We have been able to confirm that radioactive substances have decreased gradually in the food we measure. If they release the water, it's ultimately undoing the power of nature that brought it to this level."
She sees the contentious plan as a big step backwards. She says there are still "lingering emotional wounds" from the 2011 disaster and this decision is reopening them.
The plan - in the works for two years now - is a necessary step in the lengthy and costly clean-up, experts say. For the plant to be decommissioned, the radioactive debris inside the melted reactors must be removed. And to do that, they must first discharge the water that has been used to cool the reactors since a tsunami crippled the plant in 2011.
The treated radioactive water is being stored in more than 1,000 tanks
In March, Tepco's boss Akira Ono told the Associated Press that they're only now beginning to fully comprehend the damage inside the reactors. The most pressing task, he said, was to safely start releasing the water to clear the area around the plant. They also need to make room for more water because the melted debris needs to be cooled throughout.
"The real problem is not the actual physical effect of the radiation. It's our fear of it," says molecular pathology expert Gerry Thomas, who worked with Japanese scientists on radiation research and advised the IAEA as well.
She says the science was lost among warring nuclear activists soon after the disaster, and to reassure a shocked and terrified population, the government went to great lengths to show they were taking all the necessary precautions.
"The politicians are trying to prove they're cautious and, you know, they're looking after everybody. But actually, the message that people receive is, well, this stuff must be really, really dangerous."
And now the fear - and the lack of trust - is proving hard to shake off.
Worse, it's also affecting livelihoods. Fishermen say that discharging the treated water will tarnish the reputation of their catch, driving prices and already struggling businesses down. They say the industry here never recovered fully since the disaster and is still dependent on government subsidies.
Inside the nuclear plant, Tepco official Kazuo Yamanaka points to two fish tanks - one where flatfish swim in regular sea water, and another where they are in water with the same radiation levels as that which will be pumped into the ocean. He says the fish are closely monitored - while there is a rise in tritium levels inside them at first, it plateaus and then the fish flush it out of their system once they're back in standard sea water.
"I am a radiation expert, so I know that tritium has very little effect on the human body and living organisms," he said. "We are all concerned about the same thing - radiation - and that is why we are so anxious. I hope that these data and images will help to reassure people a little.
Toru Takahashi, whose family has been fishing for three generations, is far from reassured: "We're against it. We're already seeing the negative effects. We've seen contractors who say they won't buy Fukushima products."
Toru Takahashi (left) says the the fear has already hurt business
For him, this is personal. Giving up the family business is not an option, he says, as he supervises port staff who unload buckets of fish to wash and make ready for auction and then the market.
He says it's a fraction of the business they had before the 2011 disaster: "We are still at 300 million yen [a year], including all the small boats. Before, we made around 700 million yen [£3.9m; $5.1m]."
He fears it might get worse once the water is released, given the import bans already announced by China and South Korea.
When asked if sound science is enough to overcome these concerns, Mr Yamanaka admitted that "we cannot control the reputation, no matter how nicely we dress it up", adding that "we believe our efforts will one day settle these arguments".
"I know we've lost the trust of the people - it'll take time to get it back." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66173431 |
Trump's surrender at Georgia jail explained... in 90 seconds - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The former president turning himself in is unlike any of his previous cases. | When the former president surrenders at a Georgia jail on Thursday, it will be unlike any of his previous cases. The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher explains what makes the appearance, and Trump's fourth indictment, so unique. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66601604 |
UK’s £18tn slavery debt is an underestimation, UN judge says - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | A report led by the judge, Patrick Robinson, says the UK should pay £18.8tn for its role in slavery. | Patrick Robinson has been a member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) since 2015
A UN judge says the UK is likely to owe more than £18tn in reparations for its historic role in transatlantic slavery.
A report co-authored by the judge, Patrick Robinson, says the UK should pay $24tn (£18.8tn) for its slavery involvement in 14 countries.
But Mr Robinson said the sum was an "underestimation" of the damage caused by the slave trade.
He said he was amazed some countries responsible for slavery think they can "bury their heads in the sand".
"Once a state has committed a wrongful act, it's obliged to pay reparations," said Mr Robinson, who presided over the trial of Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president.
Mr Robinson spoke to the BBC ahead of his keynote speech at an event to mark Unesco's Day for Remembering the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition at London's City Hall on Wednesday.
He's been a member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) since 2015 and has been researching reparations as part of his honorary presidency of the American Society of International Law.
He brought together a group of economists, lawyers and historians to produce the Brattle Group Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery.
The report, which was released in June, is seen as one of the most comprehensive attempts yet to put figures on the harms caused by slavery, and calculate the reparations due by each country.
In total, the reparations to be paid by 31 former slaveholding states - including Spain, the United States and France - amount to $107.8tn (£87.1tn), the report calculates.
The valuation is based on an assessment of five harms caused by slavery and the wealth accumulated by countries involved in the trade. The report sets out decades-long payment plans but says it is up to governments to negotiate what sums are paid and how.
In his speech at the London mayor's office, Mr Robinson said reparations were "necessary for the completion of emancipation".
He said the "high figures" in the Brattle Report "constitute a clear, unvarnished statement of the grossness" of slavery.
In his own speech, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the transatlantic slave trade "remains the most degrading and prolonged act of human exploitation ever committed".
"There should be no doubt or denial of the scale of Britain's involvement in this depraved experiment," Mr Khan said.
The Brattle Report has generated interest within the reparations movement, but the governments implicated are highly unlikely to accept its recommendations.
Caribbean countries have sought slavery reparations from these governments for years with limited success.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed calls for the UK government to apologise and pay reparations for its role in slavery.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
British authorities and the monarchy were participants in the trade, which saw millions of Africans enslaved and forced to work, especially on plantations in the Caribbean, between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Britain also had a key role in ending the trade through Parliament's passage of a law to abolish slavery in 1833.
The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered to pay reparations.
When asked if he thought Mr Sunak would take the Brattle Report seriously, Mr Robinson said: "I certainly hope he will."
Mr Robinson said he hoped Mr Sunak would change his opinion on reparations and urged him to read the Brattle Report.
But he added: "For me, it goes beyond what the government and the political parties want.
"Of course they should set the tone. But I would like to see the people of the United Kingdom involved in this exercise as a whole."
When asked if the £18.8tn figure could be too little, Mr Robinson said: "You need to bear in mind that these high figures, as high as they appear to be, reflect an underestimation of the reality of the damage caused by transatlantic chattel slavery. That's a comment that cannot be ignored."
He said the sums in the report "accurately reflect the enormity of the damage cause by slavery".
He said: "It amazes me that countries could think, in this day and age, when the consequences of that practice are clear for everyone to see, that they can bury their heads in the sand, and it doesn't concern them. It's as though they are in a kind of la la land."
As to how reparations could be achieved, Mr Robinson said that was up the governments to decide.
"I believe a diplomatic solution recommends itself," he said. "I don't rule out a court approach as well."
The legal status of reparations demands by states is highly contested.
Representatives of Caribbean states have previously stated their intention to bring the issue to the ICJ, but no action has been taken.
Reparations are broadly recognised as compensation given for something that was deemed wrong or unfair, and can take the many forms.
In recent years, Caribbean leaders, activists and the descendants of slave owners have been putting Western government under increasing pressure to engage with the reparations movement.
Some of the descendants of slave owners - such as former BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan, and the family of 19th Century Prime Minister William Gladstone - have attempted to make amends.
In response to the BBC's request for comment, the UK government pointed to comments made by Foreign Minister David Rutley in Parliament earlier this year.
He said: "We acknowledge the role of British authorities in enabling the slave trade for many years before being the first global force to drive the end of the slave trade in the British empire."
He said the government believes "the most effective way for the UK to respond to the cruelty of the past is to ensure that current and future generations do not forget what happened, that we address racism, and that we continue to work together to tackle today's challenges".
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66596790 |
British Museum thefts: Man questioned by police - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The museum announced last week that it had sacked a member of staff over items allegedly going missing. | A man has been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police following alleged thefts at the British Museum.
The London institution announced last week that it had sacked a member of staff after treasures were reported "missing, stolen or damaged".
A Met Police spokesman told BBC News: "A man has been interviewed by investigating officers.
"No arrests have been made. We have worked closely with the British Museum and will continue to do so."
The British Museum would not comment on the man being questioned.
The PA news agency said the items, which include gold jewellery, gems of semi-precious stones and glass, were taken before 2023 and over a "significant" period of time.
Emails seen by BBC News appear to show the museum was alerted by an antiquities dealer to items being sold on eBay in 2021.
Director Hartwig Fischer said earlier this week the museum had taken concerns two years ago about a small number of items "seriously".
The German art historian, who the museum announced in July would step down from his role next year, added: "The investigation concluded that those items were all accounted for."
However, he added: "We now have reason to believe that the individual who raised concerns had many more items in his possession, and it's frustrating that that was not revealed to us as it would have aided our investigations."
Mr Fischer said a "full audit" was launched in 2022, which "revealed a bigger problem", after which they alerted the police and a disciplinary process was launched. This "resulted in a member of staff being dismissed," Mr Fischer said.
In response, the art dealer, Ittai Gradel, said: "The claim that I withheld information from the British Museum is an outright lie.
"I was explicit in my communication with the British Museum that I was entirely at their disposal for any further information or assistance they would require. They never contacted me." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66608285 |
Sara Sharif: Court rules girl's Pakistan family cannot be detained - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | A court in Pakistan says police must not detain relatives of Sara Sharif's father for questioning. | Sara Sharif suffered extensive injuries over an extended period of time, police said
Relatives of the father of Sara Sharif, whose death in the UK sparked an international manhunt, cannot be detained in Pakistan by police for questioning on his whereabouts.
The decision was made at the Lahore high court, Rawalpindi bench.
The body of Sara, 10, was found at her family home in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August, prompting a murder inquiry.
Her father Urfan Sharif, 41, travelled to Pakistan with his partner and one of his brothers before her body was found.
Mr Sharif's family said police had illegally detained two of his brothers who live in Pakistan.
Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool are sought by police over Sara's death
At the Lahore high court, Rawalpindi bench, Jhelum Police officers did not deny they had held the two men for several days but said they had not arrested them.
They told the court they had been instructed by Interpol to question the family about Mr Sharif's location. Both brothers have been released.
The court barred the police from detaining them again but officers said they would continue to question them.
While Pakistan and the UK do not have a formal extradition treaty, Surrey Police officers are working with the authorities in Pakistan to locate Mr Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28.
Floral tributes have been laid at the scene where Sara Sharif was found
The force has made a fresh appeal for information two weeks after launching its murder investigation following the discovery of Sara's body alone in the family home at 02:50 BST on 10 August.
Detectives urged "people in the Woking community and beyond" who had contact with Sara to come forward.
Surrey Police said previously Mr Sharif, 41, made a 999 call from Pakistan shortly after landing in Islamabad with Ms Batool, Mr Malik and five children, aged between one and 13.
That led officers to the house in Woking where they found Sara's body. She had sustained "multiple and extensive injuries" likely to have been caused over a sustained period of time.
A post-mortem examination failed to establish the exact cause of Sara's death, with more tests being carried out.
Det Supt Mark Chapman of Surrey Police also said the force has had "historic" contact with her family that "goes back some years".
Speaking to the BBC outside the court in Pakistan, Mr Sharif's father and one brother repeated their assertion that they were not in touch with him and did not know where he was.
They told the police they believe he came to the city of Jhelum, where the family is from, but then left.
Jhelum Police said it still does not know where Mr Sharif, his partner Ms Batool and his brother Mr Malik are. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66603843 |
Putin breaks silence over Prigozhin's reported death - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Russian president says the Wagner group boss was a "talented person" who made "serious mistakes". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Vladimir Putin has broken his silence over Yevgeny Prigozhin's reported death - some 24 hours after the Wagner chief's private jet crashed.
Russia's president said the head of the mercenary group was a "talented person" who "made serious mistakes in life".
Mr Putin also sent condolences to the families of all 10 people said to be on board the plane that went down north-west of Moscow on Wednesday evening.
However, he stopped short of explicitly confirming Prigozhin's death.
From the moment the plane came down, there has been frenzied speculation about what caused the deadly crash and whether Prigozhin was indeed on board, as stated on the passenger list.
At a briefing on Thursday, a Pentagon spokesperson said the US believed the Wagner chief was likely killed in the crash.
Villagers near the crash site in the Tver region say they heard a loud bang before seeing a plane falling out of the sky.
One of the theories being investigated is whether a bomb was smuggled on board, reports in Russian media suggest.
A US official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that the most likely cause appeared to be an explosion aboard the aircraft.
What caused the explosion was not known, although a bomb was one possibility, the official added.
Another theory, raised by a Prigozhin-linked Telegram channel, suggested that the jet had been shot down by Russian anti-aircraft forces. This has not been confirmed, and on Thursday the Pentagon said there was no information to indicate this.
Ground staff in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport - where the plane took off heading for St Petersburg - are being questioned, and CCTV footage is being checked.
Prigozhin - the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group - was once known as a Putin loyalist.
But after leading a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June, many observers described him as a "dead man walking".
The Kremlin stayed conspicuously silent after the crash. The following morning, President Putin even addressed the Brics summit in South Africa via video-link - but made no mention of the crash that much of the world was talking about.
On Thursday evening, however, that changed.
"I would like to above all express words of the most sincere condolences to the families of all those who have died," he said in a televised meeting at his Kremlin residence.
Initial data, he continued, suggested that "Wagner employees" were on board.
"These are people who have made a significant contribution to our common cause of fighting the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine," Mr Putin said, repeating the Kremlin's false narrative that Ukraine is aligned with Nazism.
He used this accusation to justify his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Turning to Prigozhin himself, Mr Putin said he had known him since the early 90s, and described him as a "man with a complicated life".
The Russian leader also had praise for Prigozhin and his fighters, in particular for their actions in Ukraine.
"He made serious mistakes in life. But he achieved results both for himself, and for the common good when I asked for it - like in the last few months."
Despite speaking about Prigozhin in the past tense and offering his sympathy to the families of the victims, Mr Putin did not confirm the Wagner chief's death.
When Prigozhin and his armed men - including many convicts - launched their insurrection two months ago, Mr Putin described their actions as "treachery" and a "stab in the back of Russia".
He vowed to punish the perpetrators, who called off their march on Moscow only about 200km (125 miles) from the capital.
However a deal was later reached that saw Wagner fighters given a choice - either join the Russian army or move to neighbouring Belarus, and you will face no punishment.
The rollback surprised both ordinary Russians and experts, who were puzzled that the Wagner boss was apparently being allowed to travel freely across Russia and, it seemed, internationally.
The Russian defence ministry has not commented.
Russian forensic experts are now reported to have started the victims' identification, but Mr Putin said DNA tests would take time.
According to Russia's civil aviation authority, Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin and the man who looked after Wagner's finances, Valeriy Chekalov were also on the plane.
All seven passengers and three crew members on board the plane are believed to have died.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66609678 |
Ros Atkins on... Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins takes a look at Yevgeny Prigozhin throughout the years. | Russia's aviation authority says that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was on a plane that crashed in western Russia.
BBC Analysis editor Ros Atkins takes a look at how Prigozhin went from incarceration in the 1980s to the leader of a recent coup. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66601033 |
World Athletics Championships 2023: Matthew Hudson-Smith wins 400m silver behind Antonio Watson - BBC Sport | 2023-08-24 | Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith claims a gutsy 400m World Championships silver, finishing just 0.09 seconds behind Antonio Watson. | Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed a gutsy 400m silver at the World Championships as he finished an agonising 0.09 seconds behind Jamaican champion Antonio Watson.
The 28-year-old led until the closing stages but could not hold off Watson, who clocked victory in 44.22 secs.
Hudson-Smith's preparations were impacted by a foot problem that he said sometimes left him "unable to walk".
"The last two weeks I've been rehabbing every day," he said on BBC TV.
"I've had really bad Achilles tendonitis. Sometimes I can't walk, sometimes I can.
"I've been saying all year I just have to be perfect for three days."
Hudson-Smith went out hard in pursuit of his first global title but could not respond as a measured Watson overhauled him in the push to the end in Budapest.
The Briton had made his gold medal ambitions clear after setting a European record in the semi-finals and initially appeared unsure how to react to his achievement.
Crouching down in a mixture of contemplation and exhaustion after upgrading his 2022 medal, he was able to enjoy the moment after being handed his hard-earned silver.
It is Great Britain's fifth medal of the championships and comes a day after Josh Kerr's stunning 1500m victory.
• None 'I threw 16 years in the sport at the final 200m'
Hudson-Smith had insisted last year's bronze was only the start for him, believing that breakthrough global medal would allow him to unleash his full potential.
The unfortunate injury sustained by Steven Gardiner, the heavy favourite in the absence of reigning champion Michael Norman, in the previous round had left the medal fight wide open.
Hudson-Smith looked set to take full advantage as he emerged from the bend with a marginal advantage. But he ultimately paid for his earlier exertion, unable to maintain the pace to finish in 44.31.
Silver still represents a remarkable achievement for Hudson-Smith, who put three years of "absolute hell" behind him to win world bronze, Commonwealth silver and European gold in a stellar 2022 season.
What has made these successes all the more remarkable is what he has overcome to accomplish them.
Overwhelmed with emotion after crossing the line in Eugene, he revealed he had severely struggled with his mental health in 2021 as he struggled with injury, debt and the coronavirus pandemic.
And while he may feel the title was there for the taking on Thursday night, this medal, earned despite suffering with Achilles tendonitis this year, represents another notable milestone in his career.
There was a delay to the start of the men's 200m semi-finals following a bizarre incident in which two buggies transporting the athletes contesting the first race crashed on route to the stadium.
Men's 100m champion Noah Lyles was one of those caught up in the incident.
One athlete and a volunteer were assessed, with the athlete cleared to participate and the volunteer also unharmed. The World Championships Local Organising Committee said it would investigate the matter.
When those races did eventually get under way, Britain's Zharnel Hughes safely progressed, finishing second to last year's bronze medallist and rising star Erriyon Knighton (19.98).
Hughes, who with bronze on Sunday became the first British man to make a world 100m podium for 20 years, clocked 20.02 to qualify fifth fastest overall.
Reigning champion Lyles, whose semi-final was pushed back to allow the athletes time to recover, won his heat comfortably in 19.76 - the fastest time of the round.
Olympic and world silver medallist Kenny Bednarek also took victory (19.96) ahead of Botswana's 100m runner-up Letsile Tebogo (19.97).
Three days after being disappointed by her eighth place finish in the women's 100m final, Dina Asher-Smith left the track with a smile on her face after securing a place in Friday's 200m medal race.
The 27-year-old, world champion in the distance in 2019, clocked 22.28 on her return to action to finish behind American Gabrielle Thomas (21.97) - ranked fastest this year.
Asher-Smith will be joined by team-mate Daryll Neita, who produced a personal best of 22.21 to reach her first individual final at a World Championships.
Compatriot Bianca Williams also ran a personal best, clocking 22.45, but was unable to qualify from a star-studded semi-final won by reigning champion Shericka Jackson.
The Jamaican won in 22.00 and was followed over the line by newly crowned 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson (22.20).
Elsewhere, Ben Pattison ensured there will be British representation in Saturday's men's 800m final, progressing as a non-automatic qualifier in one minute 44.23 seconds, but Daniel Rowden (1:45.38) and Max Burgin (1:47.60) missed out.
Anna Purchase finished 11th in the women's hammer throw final with a best of 70.29m, with Canadian Camryn Rogers (77.22m) taking gold.
Overwhelming favourite Femke Bol clinched her first world title in the women's 400m hurdles final, crossing the line ahead of American Shamier Little in 51.70.
Her triumph came after the 23-year-old had a dramatic fall as she battled for mixed 4x400m relay gold for the Netherlands on Saturday, with the team disqualified after she dropped the baton.
Greece's Olympic long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou completed his set of major titles with a final round leap of 8.52m, beating Jamaicans Wayne Pinnock (8.50m) and Tajay Gayle (8.27m).
On a successful night for Jamaica, Danielle Williams took women's 100m hurdles gold in 12.43, beating Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.44) and Kendra Harrison (12.46).
Nigeria's 100m hurdles world record holder Tobi Amusan, permitted to compete late on after a suspension for missing three doping tests was lifted, finished sixth.
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen returned to the track following his stunning 1500m final loss to Kerr to safely qualify for the 5,000m final where he will aim to defend his title. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/66611557 |
Nike Mary Earps kit U-turn shocks teen who set up petition - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | More than 150,000 signed a petition started by a teen urging Nike to sell goalie kit. | Football fan Emmy once got to meet her idol Mary Earps and has found the Lionesses' success inspirational
A teenager who campaigned for Nike to sell England women's goalkeeper shirts said it was "amazing" the brand had made a U-turn on its position.
A petition started by 16-year-old Mary Earps fan Emmy, from Northamptonshire, garnered more than 152,000 signatures.
England goalkeeper Earps, who saved a penalty in the World Cup final, also expressed dismay that her shirt was not sold with the rest of the team kit.
In a change of heart, Nike said it had "secured limited quantities" for sale.
Emmy, 16, told the BBC: "Obviously there was that hope that it would happen, I didn't believe it would happen so quickly, and it would be a very quick turn-around.
"But I think we can just be grateful that they have turned around and listened to us."
Emmy's petition was launched on 21 July, with the number of signatures doubling since the Lionesses finished runners-up in the World Cup.
Before the tournament, Lionesses star Earps said she found it "hurtful" that fans could only buy outfield players' shirts - and not hers.
England were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the World Cup final, but Earps saved a penalty and it was the team's best-ever result at the competition.
Earps' efforts at the tournament earned her the Golden Glove award.
The petition, which was started by Emmy in July, has doubled in signatures since Sunday's final
Emmy, who also plays football, said: "Mary's such an inspiring person in my life."
She said an apology form the firm was deserved, given "the upset that they (Nike) caused, Mary having to go into the tournament, not being able to see her fans in the stands wearing her on their shirts.
"Obviously they (Nike) said there would be limited stock, so I hope I can actually get my hands on one."
Mary Earps was named best goalkeeper of the World Cup
The sportswear firm confirmed its U-turn on Thursday and acknowledged it failed to respond quickly enough to public demand during the tournament.
It said: "Nike has secured limited quantities of goalkeeper jerseys for England, US, France, and the Netherlands to be sold through the federation websites over the coming days, and we are also in conversations with our other federation partners.
"We recognise that during the tournament we didn't serve those fans who wished to show their passion and support to the squad's goalkeepers.
"We are committed to retailing women's goalkeeping jerseys for major tournaments in the future."
Recently, an Oxford-based company designed its own version of the goalkeeper top.
Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-66609704 |
Wagner boss Prigozhin's years of living dangerously - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | For decades Russia's Vladimir Putin relied on Yevgeny Prigozhin's services, until he staged a mutiny. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Yevgeny Prigozhin and the war in Ukraine
From the moment Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny in Russia collapsed two months ago there was always a sense that a man who had lived so close to the edge for so long had overplayed his hand.
Assuming he was on board his own private jet when it went down en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, this was a shocking and violent end to a very turbulent life.
For so many years Vladimir Putin was able to call on Prigozhin's services.
But the botched revolt involving thousands of Wagner mercenaries went beyond the pale. President Putin condemned the rebellion as "treason" and it was soon very clear that Prigozhin's prolific role in Russia was over.
This was a man whose first years of adulthood were spent in a St Petersburg jail, but he thrived in the 1990s with catering businesses that brought him wealth and patronage from Mr Putin himself.
It was Prigozhin's mercenary ventures in Africa, Syria and Ukraine that made him a military figure but the dynamic changed when Russia unleashed war in Ukraine and the president's one-time chef found power as well as wealth.
Unconfirmed reports suggest his Embraer Legacy plane was hit by two bursts of fire from military air defences.
If it was brought down deliberately, few will be surprised because Prigozhin had no shortage of enemies. Dmitry Utkin, who was Prigozhin's first Wagner commander, was also on the passenger list.
Prigozhin, 62, appeared to have escaped punishment for his short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin.
Under a deal to end the revolt many of his rebel mercenaries were allowed to go to a camp in Belarus while the Wagner boss himself was able to travel within Russia, showing up in St Petersburg in casual clothes during a Russian summit of African leaders in late July.
His witty but venomous video rants against the failings of the Russian defence establishment came to an end and state-run TV broadcast footage of raids on his luxurious home outside St Petersburg.
A caption posted on a video this week suggested Prigozhin was in an African country
But Prigozhin was never going to slink off quietly to a bolthole in Belarus and it was only this week that his first video address since the botched mutiny surfaced.
The desert background indicated it had been shot in Africa and, clad in combat gear, Prigozhin declared that the temperature was 50C and his Wagner group was recruiting to make Russia "even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free".
Prigozhin appeared to be reverting to the mercenary roots he put down several years ago when he set up the Wagner private military company, which helped prop up Russian allies in the Central African Republic and Syria, and challenged French influence in Mali.
Although he denied it for years, Prigozhin also founded a so-called troll-factory of pro-Kremlin bloggers in a non-descript office in St Petersburg. His Internet Research Agency was blamed by the US for using information warfare to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.
Prigozhin admitted this year to coming up with the whole idea: "It was created to protect the Russian information space from the West's boorish and aggressive anti-Russian propaganda."
He had spent almost a decade in the final years of the Soviet era in jail for robbery and fraud. But as the new Russia shrugged off its Soviet past, Prigozhin went into catering, first as a hotdog-seller and then moving on to more sophisticated dining, opening some of St Petersburg's more chic restaurants.
Mr Putin, then the city's deputy mayor, took notice. "Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk," he said years later.
After he became president, Mr Putin entertained global leaders such as France's Jacques Chirac in Prigozhin's restaurants. The up-and-coming caterer earned the sobriquet "Putin's chef".
If Prigozhin's mercenary business was later to give him military clout and money, his catering business would supply him with a constant stream of wealth right up to this year.
President Putin revealed shortly after the botched Wagner revolt that Prigozhin's private army had been fully funded with $1bn from the state over 12 months, while a further $1bn went to Prigozhin's Concord catering firm for feeding the military.
But that was just over one year, and reports suggest he had received more than $18bn in government contracts since 2014.
Kremlin propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov said big money had made Prigozhin go "off the rails" but it was his men's battlefield exploits that had gained him a sense of impunity.
"He thought he could challenge the defence ministry, the state itself and the president personally."
That all came to a head as Russia's military campaign in Ukraine faltered last year and Prigozhin's Wagner fighters spearheaded a bloody campaign to seize the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Last September Prigozhin toured prisons around Russia offering inmates the chance to commute their sentences in exchange for service with Wagner.
Thousands died in the fight for Bakhmut, many of them inexperienced, badly armed former prisoners.
As the battle reached a climax, Prigozhin appeared in social media videos demanding ammunition, standing among bodies of dead mercenaries.
He reserved his loathing for President Putin's loyal defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov.
"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the... ammunition?... They came here as volunteers and die for you to fatten yourselves in your mahogany offices."
Prigozhin steered clear of directly criticising the president, always blaming his commanders instead.
But when the military chiefs announced plans to bring the Wagner forces and other "voluntary detachments" under the main command structure, Prigozhin appeared to snap.
As he prepared to launch his "march for justice", he called into question the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and accused the defence minister of responsibility for the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers.
The Kremlin denounced as "hysteria" suggestions that Prigozhin's revolt had dented Vladimir Putin's hold on power.
At the very least it was the beginning of the end of Prigozhin's extraordinary and long-lived Russian influence over the Putin leadership. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66590919 |
Sir Michael Parkinson had 'imposter syndrome', son says - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The late presenter was also "very insecure and wracked with self-doubt", Mike Parkinson says. | Sir Michael Parkinson's son has said star broadcaster suffered from "imposter syndrome" and "was wracked with self-doubt".
Mike Parkinson told BBC Radio 4's Last Word that his famous father "didn't have as much self-confidence as he appeared to have on TV".
Sir Michael died earlier this month at the age of 88.
He was known for interviews on his self-titled chat show with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Dame Helen Mirren.
Parkinson grew up on a council estate near Barnsley and his son told the BBC programme that his father was "still very class-ridden" despite his success.
"There were people in positions of authority, at the BBC, that were questioning his talent, questioning his right to be an interviewer," the director said.
"He was always acutely aware that he was with people that he felt were brighter than him, were more educated than him.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
"He went to the BBC, and he felt very much... not inferior, [but] he was very insecure.
"He was a man who was constantly questioning himself and didn't have as much self-confidence as he appeared to have on television."
He added that his confidence grew in the 1990s when his chat show returned to the BBC "because he'd earned his stripes".
Mike Parkinson also said his father, who was a founding member of the Anti Nazi League, had "no interest in politics" and had "an innate distrust of the establishment".
"He never trusted the establishment because he always felt that the establishment treated people like his father [a coal miner] - terribly, and wrongly," he said.
"And he carried that with him all through his life. He always wanted to stand up against what he thought was unfairness.
"What he was was very socially aware, and he was very political in that sense."
Mike Parkinson also said that while his dad had been described as "sexist Parky" by some over interviews such as one with Dame Helen Mirren - "and he'd be the first to admit it was not very well handled... he was against sexism".
Sir Michael Parkinson was made a CBE in 2000 ahead of his knighthood in 2008
His son said that despite his father's anti-establishment stance, he accepted a knighthood from the Queen in 2008 for the sake of his parents as he knew they would be proud.
"And also, you've got to understand that this says a lad who was born in a pit village, went to a grammar school... worked for the local newspaper and all of a sudden, 67 years later, he's kneeling in front of the Queen, being knighted."
Tributes from around the world came in following Sir Michael's death from the likes of Sir Michael Caine and Sir David Attenborough.
But Mike Parkinson said that meant the family's grieving had almost gone on hold.
Becoming emotional, he said: "The difficulty with having a public figure as a father is that you feel you can't grieve until everyone else has.
"It's a silly thing to say, but that's the truth - you feel that everyone else must express what they feel about him because he meant so much to them.
"He meant so much to so many people but, actually, as a family, it's hard because your experience is overshadowed by noise and an outpouring that you feel almost that you have to step back from and allow that to happen, and allow that wave to subside.
"And then you, as a family, can remember him as a father, as a husband."
The full interview with Mike Parkinson can be heard on BBC Radio 4's Last Word with John Wilson and on BBC Sounds.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66605926 |
Brixton: Couple injured in another homophobic attack in south London - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Police are investigating an assault on two men in Brixton who were punched at a bus stop. | The couple were travelling to a friend's house after celebrating Black Pride when they were attacked
Two men were taken to hospital after a homophobic attack in south London, the second such incident publicised within the space of a week.
The couple, in their 30s and 40s, were assaulted on Saturday at about 23:00 BST while waiting for a bus in Brixton, after spending the day at Black Pride.
Both men were treated in hospital and one needed stitches.
No arrests have been made and police, who are treating this as a homophobic attack, are appealing for information.
Michael Smith and his boyfriend Nat Asabere were waiting for a bus on Brixton Road when a man they did not know approached them and then assaulted them as a bus approached.
Nat was punched in the back of the head, while Michael describes being punched in the face "three or four times".
They both ran on to the bus for safety, which is when they began to realise the extent of Michael's injuries.
He told the BBC: "Luckily, my flight mode just set in and we just ran on to that bus.
"That's where I looked down, and I just saw blood all over my T-shirt, and I was thinking 'where's this blood coming from?'. I could taste it in my mouth and I could see it on my hands, and when my tongue went over my lip I could just feel this massive split in my lip."
The attack left Michael needing stitches in his lip
Michael says he has been struggling to process what happened to him, and gets emotional talking about the incident.
He added: "I'm having such a rollercoaster of emotions at the moment. When it's online and someone sends me a message, I'm able to articulate how I'm feeling.
"But when someone asks me how I am in person, a lump gets my throat and that's when I feel like I'm about to break down. It's taken a lot out of me."
The attack happened less than a week after two men were stabbed outside the Two Brewers nightclub, just over a mile away.
Police are keeping an open mind but say they do not think the two attacks are linked.
Michael says he fears hostility against the LGBTQ+ community is increasing, and is now raising money for the charity Stonewall. He says it is important for him to speak out and raise awareness.
He said: "I had to channel all of those emotions and feelings and make it empower me to do something good. That's why I've done a fundraiser and that's why I decided to talk about it. Because I know that if I didn't talk about it, I know it will be eating away at me."
Nat, who is suffering from headaches after the assault, says it was a great day that turned into an "horrific experience" but he wants people to know there is support out there for anyone who has been a victim of abuse.
Both praised their involvement with the police and doctors and are now being supported by charities.
Sexual orientation hate crimes in England and Wales rose by 41% to 26,152, according to Home Office data for the year ending March 2022 - the largest annual percentage increase since records began in 2012.
Transgender identity hate crimes also increased by 56% to 4,355.
Police say both Michael and Nat are being supported by a dedicated LGBT+ Community Liaison Officer.
Any witnesses or anyone with information about the attack are asked to call 101 and quote reference number 8673/22AUG. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66606107 |
Trump live updates - mugshot released after booking at Georgia jail - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The former president surrendered at Fulton County jail and was released on $200,000 bond. | Anticipation is rising outside the jail house, where the atmosphere can only be described as anything but normal.
Police and law enforcement officers have blocked off each end of the half mile street.
The public have not been allowed in at all and those of us inside the security zone are locked down.
No one can enter.
You can leave but then no one can cross back until the former president leaves.
Another half mile up the road, protesters and counter protesters line both sides of the busy road.
Plenty have turned out to support Donald Trump - maybe a few dozen, but they are making their presence known.
Many are convinced that Trump is innocent of all charges but no one has been able to explain why they have reached that conclusion.
We met Lee and Nadine from the self-styled Fani Willis fan club.
Fani Willis is the lead prosecutor who’s pursuing Trump and 18 co-defendants. Nadine said she believes the prosecutor is being targeted because she is a black woman.
Lee said he just wants to be part of history. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66605845 |
Louis Theroux: Anxious TV bosses should stop playing it safe - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The star says broadcasters like the BBC are avoiding difficult subjects for fear of causing offence. | Louis Theroux delivered the keynote speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival
Louis Theroux has said it's harder to get programmes made about risky subjects because broadcasters like the BBC are now "playing it safe".
The presenter said his documentaries had often been about "morally fraught" people whose stories "made me nervous".
But he said broadcasters like the BBC now had "a temptation to lay low" and avoid difficult subjects for fear of causing offence.
There is an "atmosphere of anxiety" in the TV industry, he suggested.
Theroux was giving the annual keynote MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
"I want to take the risk of going out speaking to people I profoundly disagree with and making documentaries about them," he said.
He recalled making his name by "investigating worlds viewed as stigmatised or controversial", including the porn industry, the far right, Nazis, gangs and sexual predators.
"Often the stories made me nervous. They felt risky," he said.
"But it was also true that those shows that had real moral complexity to them were the ones that worked best.
"The less morally fraught episodes - the ones that were safer - haven't aged so well."
Louis Theroux with two inmates on his 2011 documentary Miami Mega Jail
There has been a welcome shift in mindset so broadcasters today are "more thoughtful about representation" and aware of "the need not to wantonly give offence", he said. "I am fully signed up to that agenda.
"But I wonder if there is something else going on as well. That the very laudable aims of not giving offence have created an atmosphere of anxiety that sometimes leads to less confident, less morally complex film-making."
He added: "As a result, programmes about extremists and sex workers and paedophiles might be harder to get commissioned."
From his time working for the BBC, he said he could see "all-too-well the no-win situation it often finds itself in".
The corporation, he said, was "trying to anticipate the latest volleys of criticisms, stampeded by this or that interest group, avoiding offence".
"Often the criticisms come from its own former employees, writing for privately owned newspapers whose proprietors would be all too happy to see their competition eliminated.
"And so there is a temptation to lay low, to play it safe, to avoid the difficult subjects.
"But in avoiding those pinch points, the unresolved areas of culture where our anxieties and our painful dilemmas lie, we aren't just failing to do our jobs, we are missing our greatest opportunities. For feeling. For figuring things out in a benign and thoughtful way. For expanding our thinking. For creating a union of connected souls.
"And what after all is the alternative? Playing it safe? Following a formula? That may be a route to success for some. It never worked for me."
He called for television that is "confrontational, surprising and upsetting", and urged producers: "Take risks. Sail close to the wind."
In response, the BBC's chief content officer Charlotte Moore defended the corporation, saying it does take risks and cover controversial topics.
"We can't shy away from difficult subjects because we think it might offend someone," she said.
"It's [about] how we deal with those subjects responsibly and with integrity, and long may the BBC continue to do so."
Speaking during a follow-up session at the festival, Theroux said the BBC also faced other challenges.
"I think it's possible that the licence fee is on a kind of managed decline and I think there are vested interests lobbying and actively campaigning for a 'Brexit' from the licence fee," he said.
There is still a role for public service broadcasters in the streaming age, though, he said.
"These streamers, as much as I love them, they're not doing news. They're not doing local news. They're not doing carefully calibrated civic content [like] local news coverage, documentary making, [and are not] Britain focused.
"Netflix is amazing, but it's a transnational corporation with a global outlook. It's not telling me much about what's happening in London."
However, he admitted he took his interview podcast from the BBC to Spotify because "I chased the money bags". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66596026 |
Rudy Giuliani and other Trump co-defendants surrender in Georgia election case - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Donald Trump's former lawyer faces 13 charges linked to efforts to overturn Mr Trump's 2020 election defeat. | Rudy Giuliani, who served as Donald Trump's personal lawyer, in a police booking mugshot released by Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Rudy Giuliani, who was Donald Trump's personal lawyer, has surrendered at a jail in Atlanta, Georgia on charges of helping Mr Trump try to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
Mr Giuliani, who was released on a $150,000 (£118,000) bond, faces 13 charges including racketeering.
The former New York mayor is one of 19 people, including Mr Trump, indicted in the election interference case.
Mr Trump has said he will attend jail to be booked on Thursday afternoon.
While yet to enter a plea, he denies wrongdoing and has said the charges are politically motivated.
Leaving the Fulton County jail, Mr Giuliani told reporters he was "honoured" to be involved in the case.
"This case is a fight for our way of life," he said. "This indictment is a travesty."
Mr Giuliani and Mr Trump face the most charges among all those accused.
Before Mr Giuliani, seven of Mr Trump's other co-defendants had arrived in Atlanta to be processed, including lawyer John Eastman, Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall, and Sidney Powell - another lawyer who allegedly took a central role in efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, Cathy Latham, Ray Smith III and Kenneth Chesebro have also been booked at the jail.
Prosecutors in Fulton County have set a deadline of noon local time on Friday for each of the defendants to surrender. They will then appear in court to hear the charges against them at a later date.
Those who were booked on Wednesday had mugshots taken and posted to the Fulton County website within hours. Mr Trump is also expected to get his mugshot taken.
(L-R, top): Former Trump Lawyers Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Jenna Ellis had mugshots taken at Fulton County Jail. (L-R, bottom): Fellow co-defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Cathy Latham and Ray Smith
Like Mr Giuliani, the former president faces 13 charges including racketeering and election meddling. Mr Trump is yet to enter a plea, but he denies wrongdoing and has said the charges are politically motivated.
In a post on Wednesday to his social media site, Truth Social, Mr Trump said he would "proudly be arrested" on Thursday afternoon.
"Nobody has ever fought for election integrity like President Donald J. Trump," he wrote.
Mr Trump has already been granted a $200,000 bond and issued with other release conditions, such as being barred from using social media to directly or indirectly threaten alleged co-conspirators or potential witnesses.
The former president, who Forbes estimates to have a personal wealth of $2.5bn, has drawn criticism for not paying the legal fees of his co-defendants.
One of them, ex-Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "this has became a bigger principle than just one man. So why isn't MAGA, Inc funding everyone's defence?"
Another former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, now a fierce critic of his former boss, told CNN on Tuesday that Mr Trump was not paying Mr Giuliani's fees. The BBC has contacted Mr Giuliani's lawyer for comment.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, another co-defendant, filed court papers asking a judge for an immediate ruling on a bid to move his case from Fulton County to a federal court, or - alternatively - to issue an order shielding him from arrest in Georgia.
The filing came after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis denied a request to delay Mr Meadows' arrest. An email from Ms Willis included in the filing said Mr Meadows "is no different than any other criminal defendant in this jurisdiction".
A similar request was made by former justice department official Jeffrey Clark. Lawyers for both men have argued that their alleged actions should be handled by the federal court system, as they were federal officials at their time of their alleged involvement in the case.
The Georgia case is the latest in a series of criminal indictments filed against Mr Trump.
He faces 78 charges across three other criminal cases, including an investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66585927 |
California shooting: Four killed, six hurt in Cook's Corner bar - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Six others have been wounded in the incident at Cook's Corner, a popular community hangout. | The shooting happened as patrons gathered for spaghetti night at Cook's Corner bar
Four people have been killed and six others hurt in a shooting incident at a biker bar in southern California.
The gunman, identified on Thursday as a retired police officer, was among the four who died at Cook's Corner in Orange County.
Two of the six who were injured are in critical condition, county fire chief Brian Fennessy said.
There have been more than 400 mass shootings in 2023 alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The shooting took place at 19:00 local time (02:00 GMT) as the bar was offering an $8 (£6.30) spaghetti night and a rock music show, which were advertised on the bar's Facebook page.
It is thought the incident may have started as a domestic incident between the gunman and his wife, CBS News reported citing a police source.
On Thursday, authorities named the suspect as John Snowling, a retired sergeant who worked with the Ventura Police Department in California until 2014.
At least one weapon was recovered from the scene, police said.
Orange County supervisor Katrina Foley said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was "heartbroken to hear of another senseless mass shooting, this time in our own backyard".
Senator Dave Min from Orange county said he was "devastated" by the news.
"Our district is one of the safest areas in the country, and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings," he said.
Cook's Corner is a popular stop for bikers driving though the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains.
Its patrons include Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and former California governor, who hosted a reception there in 2006, arriving on a motorcycle.
Gun control is a politically charged subject in the US.
While polls show that a majority of Americans are in favour of stricter gun laws, many Republicans oppose such a move. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66603641 |
Sara Sharif death: Girl seen with injuries at school - neighbour - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | A woman says she learned about Sara Sharif's injuries from her daughter, who was in the same class. | A neighbour has told the BBC Sara Sharif was being home schooled at the time of her death
A 10-year-old girl was seen in school with cuts and bruises to her face months before she was found dead at her home, a neighbour has said.
The woman learned about the injuries to Sara Sharif from her own daughter, who was one of the girl's classmates.
Sara's father, his brother and his partner flew to Pakistan before Sara was found in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August.
The former neighbour, who asked only to be identified as Jessica, told the BBC Sara had been a happy and confident child who always skipped to school.
But after Sara was found dead, Jessica's daughter told her mother that in April Sara had gone to St Mary's primary school in Byfleet with clearly visible injuries.
"Just before the Easter holidays she was in school and had cuts and bruises on her face and her neck," Jessica said.
"My daughter had asked what had happened and she said she'd fallen off a bike and then kind of walked away.
"The next day the teacher announced she had left school and she was being home-schooled."
She said it was about that time that the Sharif family moved to Woking, about a 20-minute drive away.
Jessica said she never saw Sara at the school again and neighbours in Woking also said they did not see the child go to school.
Tributes have been left at the family home in Woking
Earlier, another neighbour said Sara had been removed from school and was being educated at home.
The woman, who did not want to be named, told the BBC that Sara's father's partner, Beinash Batool, had told her the girl was being home schooled after being bullied for wearing a hijab.
"I suggested to Beinash that Sara needed to be with children her own age," said the neighbour. "She replied that she was making friends at the mosque and in her swimming lessons.
"Another time I remarked to Beinash that it must be difficult to home school Sara, especially as she had the baby to look after. She said it was very easy as she used BBC Bitesize."
The neighbour said Sara seemed a "reserved and quiet" child.
"She often carried the baby in her arms, and sometimes I saw her playing with him. I never saw her smile or laugh."
Sara's father Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool are sought by police
Surrey Police officers are working with the authorities in Pakistan to locate Ms Batool, Sara's father Urfan Sharif and his brother Faisal Malik.
Surrey County Council and police have confirmed the authorities had contact with the family, with the police describing their interaction as "limited" and "historic".
A post-mortem examination failed to establish the exact cause of Sara's death, with more tests being carried out.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-66593116 |
Three reasons why Trump's case in Georgia is different - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | When he turned himself in at Fulton County Jail, the process wasn't the same as his last three arrests. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Donald Trump turned himself in as expected on Thursday in Georgia to be charged with an election plot. That process - and the coming arraignment - may follow a script unlike his previous three arrests this year.
During bookings in New York, Florida and Washington DC - where the former president has pleaded not guilty - he got special treatment.
Here's why this time will be different.
The former president has until now been spared a booking photo and having to interact with other criminal defendants.
But Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said the department's "normal practices" will be followed when processing Mr Trump. These practices typically include a medical screening, fingerprinting and a warrants check.
A number of his alleged co-conspirators have already been booked into the Fulton County Jail, which is notorious for hazardous conditions that some inmates endure for months.
Mr Trump was also subjected to his first mugshot on Thursday, as the county's normal steps include photographing all its defendants.
"The Fulton County Jail, amongst jails, is a very disturbingly dysfunctional place," said Rachel Kaufman, an attorney in Atlanta.
Mr Trump and his 18 co-defendants "are going to witness some level of that dysfunction" when processed, she said.
Still, the former president wasn't kept in a holding cell overnight like many other defendants - he was in and out in about 20 minutes.
"He's not going to feel the full force of what an average person experiences in the Fulton County Jail when they've been charged with several felonies," said Ms Kaufman.
"And what they experience is their life being put at risk."
Mr Trump's arraignment in Georgia - where he is expected to plead not guilty - could be the first time the public actually sees him in court.
To date, video cameras have not been allowed during Mr Trump's arraignments in New York, Washington DC and Miami.
That's because New York state and federal courtrooms do not usually allow video and microphone recordings.
But the state of Georgia does.
It's up to the judge to decide whether cameras are allowed, said Ms Kaufman, adding that the judge assigned to Mr Trump's arraignment, Scott McAfee, has often allowed them in the past.
"He's a full transparency judge," she said. "My guess is that whatever happens in front of him is going to be televised."
That could mean cameras in the courtroom for Mr Trump's potential trial, too.
It would not be the first time that one of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' high-profile cases took place on screen.
In 2014 and 2015, an eight-month long trial involving a controversial Atlanta Public School cheating scandal was broadcast on television and radio, capturing the attention of locals.
Mr Trump waves ahead of his arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Court
Mr Trump floated the idea of pardoning himself before leaving the White House in 2021, and some have suggested he might attempt to do so in the criminal cases against him if elected president in 2024.
But experts say that would be much harder for the top Republican candidate to pull off in the state of Georgia.
For one, presidents can only issue pardons for federal crimes, and Mr Trump is facing state charges in Georgia.
Mr Trump would not be able to appeal to Georgia's governor for a pardon either, because unlike many other states, the governor there is not allowed to issue them.
Instead, Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles is responsible for issuing pardons, which it only does five years after a convicted person has completed his or her sentence.
Mr Trump is facing up to 20 years in prison in Georgia if convicted of the most severe charge of racketeering. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66588924 |
Firefighters using treated sewage water after droughts - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The UK-first trial comes as accessing usual water sources becomes less reliable due to droughts. | Fire crews in west and mid Wales are the first in the UK to trial using sewage water to fight flames
Treated sewage water will be used by firefighters to tackle blazes for the first time as droughts threaten their responses to emergencies.
The water, treated and cleaned with ultraviolet light, will be used as an alternative to drinking water and other sources by crews in mid and west Wales.
Current methods are said to put strain on local resources.
Welsh Water said the prospect of future water shortages meant services should be adapting.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is trialling the use of wastewater, after crews encountered "challenging" low water supplies in some areas due to droughts last year.
Natural Resources Wales had moved all parts of Wales to drought status by September 2022, during what was the country's driest spring and summer for more than 150 years.
A hosepipe ban was imposed in Pembrokeshire and parts of Carmarthenshire, but reservoir and river levels later recovered by the start of 2023.
Crew member Luke Jenkins says water supplies are becoming less reliable
Luke Jenkins, a crew manager in Milford Haven, said: "I think what last year taught us is that water supplies are becoming less reliable. With the drought we had last year we found it difficult.
"You always have in the back of your mind that you have an established network of hydrants. But when that network becomes unreliable it just adds to everything."
The average modern fire engine has a 1,800-litre (395.9 gallons) water capacity, and using large amounts of water can occasionally cause issues like low water pressure for smaller communities.
Fires crews found it "challenging" responding to blazes during last year's droughts
Mid and West Wales Fire's deputy chief fire officer, Iwan Cray, said there was interest to extend the initiative from other fire and rescue services across the UK.
"It is something innovative, to be honest, that we're moving in this direction," he said.
"A lot of interest has come from the southern parts of the UK where there's short supply of water, especially in the summer months."
The water will be treated and disinfected with UV light before being used by the fire service
Mark Davies, head of wastewater treatment at Welsh Water, said more services and organisations should be looking at how they use water resources if droughts reoccur over the next few years.
"Wales is a country that gets plenty of rainwater. We need to make sure that we use that water as efficiently as we can," he said.
"We're looking ahead at the next 25 years to see how we can improve our water supplies." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66593156 |
Sir John Eliot Gardiner: Famed conductor pulls out of the Proms after alleged assault - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Sir John Eliot Gardiner allegedly struck a singer in the face after a performance in France. | Sir John was invited to take part in the King's Coronation Service earlier this year
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, one of the world's most prominent conductors, has pulled out of the BBC Proms after being accused of assaulting a singer.
He allegedly punched William Thomas, a bass, because he left the podium in the wrong direction at a concert in France.
In a statement, Sir John said he "deeply regretted" losing his "temper".
He added that he understood "how much this has affected all the participants involved in this major project, which has been so dear to my heart".
"I make no excuses for my behaviour and have apologised personally to Will Thomas, for whom I have the greatest respect. I do so again, and to the other artists, for the distress that this has caused."
A spokesperson for Mr Thomas had earlier confirmed the incident to the BBC, saying: "All musicians deserve the right to practise their art in an environment free from abuse or physical harm."
Sir John, 80, withdrew from his performance at the Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André, south eastern France, on Wednesday night.
In a statement, the BBC said Sir John had also "decided to withdraw from the performance of [Berlioz's] The Trojans at this year's BBC Proms."
Sir John's assistant, Dinis Sousa, will take his place for that concert, and all remaining performances of The Trojans on the Monteverdi Choir's European tour.
A spokesperson for the Monteverdi Orchestra said: "We continue to look into the events that occurred on Tuesday evening.
"Our values of respect and inclusivity are fundamental to us as a company and we take seriously the welfare of all our performers and employees."
News of the alleged altercation first emerged on music website Slipped Disc, which said it had received multiple reports of an incident that took place backstage in France on Tuesday night.
A representative for Sir John told the website that the conductor had been suffering from extreme heat.
Mr Thomas did not appear to be seriously injured, and took to the stage on Wednesday evening in France.
Bruno Messina, the festival's artistic director of the Festival Berlioz, said in a statement that he was "devastated by the incident", but felt it was important that Wednesday's show took place.
The BBC had previously said it was investigating the matter.
"We take allegations about inappropriate behaviour seriously and are currently establishing the facts about the incident," said Proms organisers in a statement.
Sir John, from Fontmell Magna, Dorset, is a leading figure in the period-instrument movement, who is famous for his interpretations of Baroque music, specialising in composers such as Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.
He established prestigious ensembles including the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, and has conducted many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Many of his recordings are considered classics - including his complete Beethoven Symphonies, and a live recording of Bach's St John's Passion - and his 2013 book Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven, was well received by critics.
Earlier this year, Sir John featured at King Charles's Coronation, where he led the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in a pre-service concert at Westminster Abbey.
Concluding his statement on Thursday, Sir John said: "I know that physical violence is never acceptable and that musicians should always feel safe.
"I ask for your patience and understanding as I take time to reflect on my actions." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66604555 |
Lapsus$: Court finds teenagers carried out hacking spree - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The 18 year old leaked clips of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 game while on police bail. | 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj was a key member of the notorious Lapsus cyber crime gang
A court has found an 18-year-old from Oxford was a part of an international cyber-crime gang responsible for a hacking spree against major tech firms.
Arion Kurtaj was a key member of the Lapsus$ group which hacked the likes of Uber, Nvidia and Rockstar Games.
A court heard Kurtaj leaked clips of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 game while on bail in a Travelodge hotel.
The audacious attacks by Lapsus$ in 2021 and 2022 shocked the cyber security world.
Kurtaj is autistic and psychiatrists deemed him not fit to stand trial so he did not appear in court to give evidence.
The jury were asked to determine whether or not he did the acts alleged - not if he did it with criminal intent.
Another 17-year-old who is also autistic was convicted for his involvement in the activities of the Lapsus$ gang but cannot be named because of his age.
The group from the UK, and allegedly Brazil, was described in court as "digital bandits".
The gang - thought to mostly be teenagers - used con-man like tricks as well as computer hacking to gain access to multinational corporations such as Microsoft, the technology giant and digital banking group Revolut.
During their spree the hackers regularly celebrated their crimes publicly and taunted victims on the social network app Telegram in English and Portuguese.
The trial was held in Southwark Crown Court in London for seven weeks.
Jurors heard that the unnamed teenager started hacking with Kurtaj in July 2021 having met online.
Kurtaj aided by Lapsus$ associates, hacked the servers and data files of telecoms company BT and EE, the mobile operator, before demanding a $4m (£3.1m) ransom on 1 August 2021.
The hackers sent out threatening text messages to 26,000 EE customers
No ransom was paid but the court heard that the 17-year-old and Kurtaj used stolen SIM details from five victims to steal a total of nearly £100,000 from their cryptocurrency accounts which were secured by their compromised mobile phone SIM identities.
Both defendants were initially arrested on 22nd January 2022, then released under investigation.
That did not deter the duo who continued hacking with Lapsus$ and successfully breached Nvidia, a Silicon Valley tech giant that makes chips for artificial intelligence chatbots, in February 2022.
They stole and leaked sensitive and valuable data and demanded a ransom payment to stop them releasing more.
The jury were shown Telegram group chats of the gang instructing someone they'd hired to call the Nvidia staff help desk pretending to be an employee in an attempt to get log in details for the firm.
In other hacks the gang spammed employee phones late at night with access approval requests until staff said yes.
Kurtaj and the youth were both re-arrested on March 31st 2022.
Shortly before his arrest, Kurtaj was "doxxed" by rival hackers who posted his and his families contact details online along with pictures and videos of the keen fisherman from social media.
Kurtaj was moved into a Travelodge hotel in Bicester for his safety and given strict bail conditions including a ban from going on the internet.
Prosecutors say he was "caught red handed" when City of London Police searched his hotel room.
In a "flagrant disregard for his bail conditions", jurors were told that police found an Amazon Fire Stick in his hotel TV allowing him to connect to cloud computing services with a newly purchased smart phone, keyboard and mouse.
The court heard he had helped attack Revolut, Uber and Rockstar Games.
His final hack against the game-maker was described as his "most audacious" as Kurtaj posted a message on the company Slack messaging service to all employees, stating: "I am not a Rockstar employee, I am an attacker."
He declared that he had downloaded all data for Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar's hugely popular video game series, adding that "if Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours I will start releasing the source code".
Meanwhile, 90 video clips of unfinished gameplay for the highly-anticipated new game were also published on a fan forum under the username TeaPotUberHacker.
Kurtaj was re-arrested and detained until his trial.
Prosecution lead barrister Kevin Barry said that Kurtaj and his co-conspirators repeatedly showed a "juvenile desire to stick two fingers up to those they are attacking".
Once inside a company's computer network, the hackers often left offensive messages on Slack and Microsoft Teams as they attempted to blackmail staff.
The gang's actions were often erratic with motives apparently swinging from notoriety, financial gain or amusement.
Their hacking spree prompted a major review by US cyber authorities earlier this month which warned that cyber defences needed to be improved to counter the rising threat of teenage hackers.
The report said Lapsus$ "made clear just how easy it was for its members (juveniles, in some instances) to infiltrate well-defended organisations".
It is thought that members of the gang are still at large.
In October, Brazilian police arrested an individual this is alleged to have hacked various Brazilian and Portuguese companies and public bodies with Lapsus$.
It is not clear how much money Lapsus$ has made from its cyber crimes. No companies publicly admitted paying the hackers and the 17-year-old refused to give police access to his cryptocurrency hardware wallet.
Both teenagers will be sentenced at a later date by Her Honour Judge Lees.
Kurtaj is remanded in custody and the 17-year-old defendant continues to have bail. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66549159 |
King Charles to visit France in September after riot disruption - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Élysée Palace says the King's visit is an "honour" after it was initially postponed in March. | The King will travel to France in September, after a scheduled visit in March was cancelled due to protests against pension reforms.
The original three-day trip would have been the King's first overseas state visit since succeeding his late mother, Elizabeth II, as sovereign.
But social unrest prompted by French President Emmanuel Macron's new pension law meant the visit was postponed.
The Élysée Palace said the King's visit was an "honour".
"It will bear witness to the depth of the historical ties that unite our two countries and our two peoples, and will contribute to honouring French excellence and know-how," a statement said.
The King and his wife, Queen Camilla, had been scheduled to tour Paris and Bordeaux, the first leg of a trip that would also take in Germany.
The visit in March had been planned to take place shortly after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's participation in a Paris summit.
However, Mr Macron's use of executive power to push through his proposed legislation to raise the age of retirement without a vote caused uproar in France with people taking to the streets across the country.
The largest protests took place in Paris, with police deploying tear gas against tens of thousands of people who occupied the Place de la Concorde. Clashes also took place in other major cities such as Marseille, Nantes, Amiens and Dijon.
The unrest meant the trip was postponed, with the King and Queen flying straight to Germany instead, where the King made history by becoming the first UK monarch to address the German Bundestag while in session.
The royal couple also visited a Hamburg church destroyed in the Second World War, and the Kindertransport Memorial, a sculpture which commemorates the 1938 rescue and evacuation of about 10,000 Jewish children to Britain.
The rescheduled visit to France takes place between 20 and 22 September. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66606445 |
Lucy Letby: Parents accuse ex-hospital boss of 'total fob off' - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Former medical director Ian Harvey has been accused of a "shameful" failure to address their concerns. | Lucy Letby was handed a whole life order and will never be released from jail
Parents of babies attacked by nurse Lucy Letby received a "total fob off" from a hospital boss when they pleaded for answers, their lawyer has said.
One family said said they received "no proper explanation or clarification" about the collapses of their twins - one of whom was killed.
Former Countess of Chester Hospital medical director Ian Harvey has been accused of a "shameful" failures.
Mr Harvey has apologised for not communicating more fully at the time.
He added: "Having read the heart-rending victim impact statements, I know how desperate the parents are for answers and I will help them as best I can at the public inquiry."
Letby, 33, was ordered to spend the rest of her life in jail on Monday.
Her murder of seven babies and attempts to kill a further six between June 2015 and June 2016 made her the UK's most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
Ian Harvey was medical director at the hospital where Letby carried out her attacks
Richard Scorer, from law firm Slater and Gordon, which is representing two of the families affected, criticised Mr Harvey for not responding more fully to the troubled parents' queries.
He was medical director at the time Letby carried out her killings but retired in August 2018, a month after she was first arrested.
Mr Scorer said: "Our clients received a series of anodyne letters from Harvey containing no proper explanation or clarification.
"The letters invited them to contact Harvey for more explanation and they tried to contact him repeatedly, but despite many attempts to get through to him they never received a return call.
"Our clients have described his response as a 'total fob off'.
"It seems that Harvey had little interest in passing any meaningful information to the parents, responding properly to any of their concerns, or complying with any duty of candour to them."
Lawyer Richard Scorer said his clients were ignored
He added: "In our view this failure to address parental concerns was shameful and another matter which needs to be investigated by a statutory inquiry with the power to compel witnesses and the production of documents."
In a statement issued to the BBC, Mr Harvey said: "I'm sorry they felt fobbed off. I wanted to give detailed and accurate answers, but this was difficult while the reviews and investigations were taking place.
"Once the police were involved, we were advised by them not to say or do anything that might jeopardise their investigation.
"I was told all communication had to go through the police and not come from the hospital. I apologise for not communicating that clearly enough at the time."
According to reports, Mr Harvey was referred to the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2018 following allegations he "misled the public in media statements", encouraged "an atmosphere of secrecy and fear" and failed to act "appropriately or in a timely manner" when consultants raised concerns.
Anthony Omo, director of fitness to practise and general counsel at the GMC, said: "In 2018 we received a complaint about Ian Harvey which we promoted for a full investigation.
"During our investigation, we liaised with the police, obtained an independent expert report and a witness statement, and thoroughly examined all relevant information.
"At the conclusion of our investigation, our senior decision makers considered all of the evidence and decided that the case did not reach the threshold for referral to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service for a hearing."
Mr Scorer said his clients were now "very keen" to see a statutory inquiry set up to "compel people like Harvey to come and give evidence and compel the production of documents".
He said: "Some of this has been looked at in the criminal trial, but the criminal trial focuses on the particular offences that were committed, we now have to move on to looking at the surrounding circumstances and the way in which management dealt with this.
"That's why we need the inquiry, but it has to be an effective inquiry. It has to have teeth, it has to be able to compel people to come and give evidence on oath.
"It has to be able to force the hospital to disclose all the relevant documents all those things are needed to make the inquiry effective."
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66587740 |
Aled Jones: Boy threatened to cut off Welsh singer's arm with machete - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | A court heard a 16-year-old boy robbed the Welsh baritone in front of his son in west London. | Aled Jones waited to give evidence to a court before the defendant pleaded guilty
A machete-wielding teenager threatened to cut off singer Aled Jones's arm while robbing him of his £17,000 watch on a west London street, a court heard.
The Welsh star was walking on Chiswick High Road on the afternoon of 7 July when a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be legally identified, attacked him.
The boy has pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.
He was due to stand trial at Wimbledon Youth Court but admitted the charges after the hearing was under way.
The court was previously told the baritone, 52, was walking with his son when he was approached by a boy dressed wearing a black tracksuit and trainers.
Prosecutor Robert Simpson said the defendant "produced a knife in the form of a machete from his tracksuit bottoms and threatened to cut off his arm and made various other threats in order to obtain the Rolex watch Aled Jones was wearing".
"Aled Jones immediately handed it over and the defendant made off."
CCTV footage was collected from the area and the teenager was later arrested at his west London home, the court heard.
The machete was found in his room and the defendant was picked out by the singer's son in an identity parade, the court was told.
Mr Jones and his son waited on a video link for almost two hours to give evidence before it was turned on for about a minute for the pair to be told the teenager had pleaded guilty.
The boy, who appeared alongside his father, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address and to reply "guilty" when each charge was read out.
District Judge Andrew Sweet told him the offending was "very, very serious" and adjourned the case for reports to be prepared.
He was bailed until his next hearing at Ealing Youth Court on 12 September. However, the judge warned the defendant he could not guarantee the case would not be sent to the crown court from there.
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66604588 |
Prigozhin: Vladimir Putin breaks silence over plane crash - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | The Russian president offered "sincere condolences" to the family of those killed in the crash. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his "sincere condolences" to the family of those killed in a plane crash on Wednesday.
It's reported that on board was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group.
Authorities say all 10 people on the plane were killed when it crashed near Moscow. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66611281 |
GCSE English and maths resits to rise by thousands - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Tens of thousands more 16-year-olds will need to retake their papers in England. | Tens of thousands more 16-year-olds than last year will need to resit their English and maths GCSE exams.
More than 167,000 students in England received grade 3 or lower on their maths paper, about 21,000 more than in 2022, while 38,000 more, 172,000, failed English language - the highest number in a decade.
Head teachers' unions have said this will put more pressure on colleges.
It comes as the overall number of GCSE passes have fallen for a second year.
One parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told BBC News her son performed really well in English, music, art, media and photography, achieving As and Bs, but is devastated as he failed his maths exam despite working incredibly hard and receiving extra tutoring.
Her son, who is autistic and has dyslexia, is a talented musician and film-maker and had planned to take A-levels in film studies and photography and a BTec in music production - but one of these will clash with his maths-resit classes, so he is now having to take different subjects.
"All he can see is the fail - it's torture," she said. "And now he has to spend hours working on a subject he doesn't like and is rubbish at."
In England, students need maths and English GCSEs at grade 4 or above to qualify for further study - although, they can study for resits alongside their new subject choices.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants all pupils in England to study some form of maths until the age of 18 but an education committee earlier this year heard the plan would be challenging to implement.
The Association of Colleges has estimated the extra GCSE resits could mean "additional costs of around £500,000 per week across colleges in England, around £16 million per year".
Senior policy manager Eddie Playfair said grading changes around the Covid pandemic had had a "yo-yo effect" on the numbers of resits, making planning a huge challenge. And colleges needed additional resources to pay for extra teachers and classes.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb told BBC One's Breakfast programme the compulsory-resit policy was "terribly important" but did not say whether more money would be available.
Julie McCulloch, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the extra resits would "put more pressure on sixth forms and colleges" and mean "many students are forced into a series of demoralising retakes where the majority will again fall below the benchmark".
The development of new English and maths qualifications was "badly needed", she added.
Last year, only 20% of those retaking their maths GCSEs passed.
The NAHT school leaders' union also said the current policy needed "urgent change".
There were more students taking GCSEs this year, but the proportion marked as fails has also risen since 2022.
Overall, GCSE passes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen - with 68.2% of all entries marked at grades 4/C and above.
The drop has been steepest in England, where grades were due to be brought back in line with 2019 in this year's results.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, grades were always meant to be a bit higher this year.
More than 225,000 Level 2 BTec results were given out on Thursday, and more than 120,000 students received Cambridge National results.
Last year was the first time students sat exams since the start of the pandemic. Ofqual called it a "transition year", with grades set to reflect a midway point between 2019 and 2021. About 73.2% of GCSEs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were marked at grades 4/C and above.
Now, in the second stage of the plan, grades are more similar to those in 2019, when 67.3% of GCSEs were marked as passes.
Nick Gibb has previously said bringing them back down would ensure results carried "weight and credibility" with employers, universities and colleges, so they know what the different grades mean.
He also said the difference in grades between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils was a "major concern" for the government.
Your device may not support this visualisation
In England, the gap between the regions with the lowest and highest proportion of GCSE passes grew, and state schools had a steeper fall in passes than private schools.
Labour's shadow schools minister Stephen Morgan said the results showed that "the government's levelling up agenda has failed".
Most of this year's GCSE students were in Year 8 when the pandemic hit. They also faced disruption from teacher strikes this year, although unions said they tried to minimise the impact on exam year groups.
Ofqual says there was "protection built into the grading process" so that students should have achieved the grades they would have done if the pandemic had not happened - even if they did not perform as well in their exams.
Some Covid measures also remained in place for this year's exams. GCSE papers in the same subject were spaced apart more than they were before the pandemic, allowing for rest and revision.
Students had formulae and equation sheets in some subjects, and were not tested on unfamiliar vocabulary in modern foreign language exams.
But, unlike in the rest of the UK, GCSE students in England were not given advance information about the topics on which they would be tested.
Students in England have to do some form of study or training until they are 18 - such as A-levels,T-levels, BTecs or apprenticeships.
Last week, the overall percentage of top A-level grades fell close to pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 3,448 people received T-level results - although 5,210 students started them in 2021.
The Department for Education said it was working to "improve retention".
Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66476072 |
How Russia reacted after Prigozhin plane crash - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | After his failed rebellion, most Russians were probably surprised this hadn't happened sooner. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
People here were shocked this summer after drones attacked the centre of Moscow on several occasions, causing explosions and damage to buildings.
Then, the Russian rouble took an unexpected tumble - briefly tipping the dollar rate to over 100 roubles.
Add to that, a failed mission to the Moon: Russia's 'Luna-25' lander was lost in space, destroyed as it collided with the lunar surface last week.
But today, as the news broke that Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane had fallen out of the sky, crashing in a fireball in Russia's Tver Region, most people were far from shocked. In fact, most Russians were probably surprised it hadn't happened sooner.
Speculation had been swirling for weeks in Russia about exactly what fate awaited Yevgeny Prigozhin. Exactly two months ago, the Wagner boss launched his brief mutiny.
His mercenaries seized a major Russian city and even marched on Moscow. After the rebellion was called off, many thought Prigozhin's days were numbered. After all, the mutiny was a significant humiliation for the Kremlin, and President Putin isn't the kind of man to forgive and forget.
About an hour after the crash, the Russian Federal Aviation Agency Rosaviatsiya released a statement confirming that Yevgeny Prigozhin's name was on the passenger manifest.
That is unusually quick for Rosaviatsiya: the agency is usually much slower to respond to such incidents. That raised eyebrows here.
Russian state TV is keeping reporting of the incident to a minimum, quoting government officials with no comment. In its main evening news bulletin, Kremlin-controlled Channel One dedicated just 30 seconds to the story.
It is a well-known fact in Russia that state TV channels often wait until they receive official instructions regarding the tone of reporting.
As for the Wagner group itself, Telegram channels linked to the mercenaries have claimed that Prigozhin "was killed….by traitors of Russia". At the Wagner HQ in the city of St Petersburg, a makeshift shrine has appeared. Images on Russian media show people bringing flowers and candles to the Wagner Centre.
Attention is now turning to what happened on board the flight. According to Russian media, investigators are looking into a number of possible causes, including "external actions".
Commenting on the incident, political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said that the cause of the plane crash is not important - more significant is the message it sends to any other potential mutineers: "Everyone will see this as an act of retaliation and retribution…From Putin's perspective, as well as many among the security and military officials, Prigozhin's death should serve as a lesson."
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66601412 |
Fukushima: Japan begins discharge of treated radioactive water from nuclear plant - BBC News | 2023-08-24 | Scientists say the treated discharge from the nuclear plant is safe but many in Asia are worried. | Twelve years after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan began releasing some of the contaminated water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Despite widespread opposition, the government and plant operators Tepco went ahead with the plan - carefully vetted by the UN atomic regulator.
Japan used water to cool the plant's reactors when it went into meltdown in 2011 - and this highly radioactive water was then treated and collected in tanks every day. But the site was running out of storage space.
How was the water made safe?
It was treated to remove all radioactive elements, except tritium which is very difficult to remove. The water was diluted to reduce radioactivity to 1,500 becquerels per litre, far below the drinking water standard of 10,000 Bq/L.
How did it go down?
There were citizen protests in Japan and South Korea, but China's government came out swinging - labelling Japan as "selfish" and "irresponsible". It also imposed a ban on all seafood from Japan.
What happens next?
Thursday's release was the first of four scheduled between now and the end of March 2024. The entire process will take at least 30 years. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-66599189 |
Fourteen days across the Atlantic, perched on a ship’s rudder - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Four Nigerian stowaways set out for Europe on a tanker rudder. Two weeks later they were in Brazil. | Roman Friday, one of the stowaways, in São Paulo. "I wanted a brighter future," he said (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
Four Nigerian stowaways set out for Europe on the rudder of a tanker. They had no idea they were bound for Brazil, and a two-week ocean voyage that would nearly kill them.
A little after midnight on 27 June, Roman Ebimene Friday gathered up the food he had been collecting for a few months and set out in the dark for the large commercial port in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Earlier that day, Friday had spotted a 620-foot (190m) tanker docked at the port and decided that it would be the ship to deliver him to Europe.
Friday was aiming for the tanker's rudder - the only accessible point on its massive hull for a person who isn't supposed to be aboard. There was no way to bridge the gap from the dock to the rudder, other than convince a fisherman to ferry him across. "He was a holy man, that fisherman," Friday recalled. "He did not ask for money. He could see that I wanted to leave."
The fisherman sidled up to the rudder and Friday, 35, pulled himself up, hauling his food bag behind him on a rope. As he steadied himself he saw, to his surprise, three faces in the dark. He was the last of four men with the same idea. "I was scared, at first," Friday said. "But they were black Africans, my brothers."
Fearful of being caught, the four men perched silently on the rudder for the next 15 hours. At 5pm, they felt the ship's giant engines shudder to life. Over the din, they shouted a few words. They were all aiming for Europe. They expected to be shipmates for as long as a week.
The tanker, called the Ken Wave, pushed out from the port and headed to sea - the beginning of a perilous two-week ocean voyage that would bring the stowaways close to death.
Roman Friday accepts water, perched on the rudder that took him and three other men to Brazil
As Lagos receded behind them, the men tried and failed to find comfortable positions on the rudder, which moved constantly as it steered the ship. There was precious little space to stand, and the only place to lie was in one of two small nets strung precariously over the water, by previous stowaways, Friday assumed.
It can be hard to understand, from the outside, what drives a person to risk their life on a rudder or a rickety boat across the Mediterranean. But the decision comes easy when you have already lost hope, Friday said.
"In Nigeria there are no jobs, no money and no way for me to feed my younger brothers and my mother," he said. "I am the first born son and my father died 20 years ago, so I should take care of my family, but I cannot."
Instead he had spent three years living on and off the street in Lagos, trying to find work. Each day in Nigeria was a gauntlet of "crime and sin," he said. "People fighting, killing each other, terrorists attacking, kidnappers. I want a brighter future than that."
Friday, left, and Thankgod Yeye, right. "We became brothers on the way," Friday said (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
Perched next to Friday on the rudder of the tanker was Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, a Pentecostal minister, businessman and father of two whose peanut and palm oil farm had washed away in the devastating floods that hit Nigeria last year. There had been no fallback or insurance to cover the loss.
"My business was destroyed and my family became homeless. And that was the genesis of my decision to leave," he said.
Yeye's decision became final after the recent presidential election, which was marred by anomalies and allegations of vote rigging. "The election had been our hope," he said. "But we know Nigeria well, we know the system is corrupt." So, without telling his family, he left his sister's home at night and set out for the port, where he knew the Ken Wave was waiting to depart.
Nigeria has seen an exodus of people like Yeye and Friday in recent years, via regular and irregular routes, driven by recessions and record unemployment levels. Many travel across the Sahara and the Mediterranean, where at least 1,200 Nigerians have died already this year, according to the UN.
Roman Friday sitting atop the rudder that carried him across the Atlantic
Some choose to stow away. Last year, three men climbed on a rudder in a similar fashion to Friday and Yeye, and their journey took them 2,500 miles to the Canary islands, an entry point to Spain. Friday and Yeye believed they were following a similar route.
With their two companions, William and Zeze, they passed the first few days on the ship in a mixture of boredom, discomfort, and fear, talking only a little, praying often and trying to stay awake, as the Ken Wave pushed into the vast stretch of the south Atlantic for the 3,500 mile journey to Brazil.
In some ways, ship stowaways are safer than those who cross parts of the Sahara on foot or the Mediterranean on rickety wooden boats. But as day five passed, Friday and Yeye began to reckon with the specific dangers of their situation.
They were already weak from rationing their food and tired from lack of sleep. They tied a rope around their waists when they needed to pee off the side of the rudder. When the water was rough, waves lashed them. "We were all scared of the big waves," Yeye said. "I had never seen the ocean before but I used to watch documentaries about storms and I had seen big ships rocked from side to side by waves." Sleep was virtually impossible. "You try not to even close your eyes," Friday said. "The rudder turns 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you have to constantly be alert."
The nets came loose and had to be inexpertly refastened. They lay in them again but Friday thought only of being awoken by the sudden feeling of falling and the hit of cold below. "If the net breaks, you go straight into the water and you are gone," he said. And you really were gone. There's no chance of rescue at sea when no-one knows you're lost.
Day passed into night and into day again. The men grew weaker and stopped talking entirely. Friday kept track of the time on his wristwatch. He tried to remember the day. The nets came loose again and were refastened. The food was rationed in smaller parcels, the water in smaller sips. Their mouths began to dry out. Their stomachs ached. They tried to remain vigilant and tried not to fall in.
Day 10 brought the moment the four had been quietly dreading. Some time in the morning, they ate the last of their food and drank the last of their water. All four were already painfully hungry from spacing out the meagre rations they had. "This was the hardest moment of all," Yeye said. "My mouth was dry and completely cracked. For the first time in my life I really understood the meaning of water."
There were a few lighter moments. Yeye told his brothers he was praying for rain and they laughed at him. What are you going to do with rain? they cried. How will you collect it? Rain was only dangerous for them, they chided. The laughter subsided. Hour by hour, they became more thirsty. Time seemed to move more slowly.
The next day, Friday managed to attach a torn cellophane biscuit wrapper to a length of rope and lower it into the ocean, he said, and collect small mouthfuls of salty water for them to drink. They licked toothpaste.
On day 12, sick from salty ocean water, one of the other men began to vomit from the side of the rudder block. "He was looking straight down into the water and vomiting," Friday said. "He had no strength to hold himself. He was about to fall. I was the only person who had strength left and I had to grab hold of him."
Roman Friday in his new home in São Paulo (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
The men were entering the phase of hunger and thirst that brings you close to death. In an effort to distract himself, Friday began to sit on the edge of the rudder alone, one leg hanging either side, scanning the ocean in vain for anything to interrupt the long unbroken line of the horizon.
What the ocean gave him, on the 13th day of the voyage, was a whale.
"The first time in my life I have seen such a thing!" he said, laughing at the memory. "If I told anyone at home I had seen a whale they will say I am lying. But I sat on the rudder and I saw a whale. And I forgot I was hungry and thirsty. I watched the whale and it was like watching creation. A holy moment."
As the first light appeared on the horizon on day 14 of the voyage, Friday was back on the edge of the rudder, staring into the distance, when he felt the ship's mighty engines begin to slow. Then, in the dim light, in the distance, he saw what looked like land. Then buildings. Then a boat.
The Ken Wave was stopping off the coast to take on a fresh crew, and the resupply boat spotted the men. "Do you know where you are?" came a shout. Friday tried to shout back that he had no idea, but his throat was too dry. The boat left, then two hours later, in the clearer light, a police dinghy appeared. An officer stretched out a bottle of water to Friday. "You are in Brazil," he said.
Safely back on dry land, the migrants used borrowed phones to call their families. Friday and Yeye's two fellow migrants, William and Zeze, decided to take up an offer of returning directly to Nigeria. Friday and Yeye decided to make Brazil their home. "We are joyful to be here," Yeye said. "It is a new beginning."
They will likely face challenges. Migrants have automatic rights to healthcare and other benefits in Brazil, but African migrants often face racism and struggle to find well-paid work. Friday and Yeye have been taken in by a shelter in São Paulo and are being assisted by a Catholic mission, Missao Paz, with Portuguese lessons and other support. Yeye wants to start a new business and bring his wife and children over.
Friday is focused on the more immediate future. "I am in a new place, I am trying to adapt, I am trying to learn the language," he said. The first journey he had ever made out of Nigeria had nearly killed him, but as the days passed after his rescue, he felt the hopelessness that had dogged him back home begin to ebb, he said. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66450500 |
PSNI data breaches: Officer says he will leave Northern Ireland - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | A police officer says his wife is no longer comfortable in Northern Ireland after the data breaches. | Police officers in Northern Ireland often keep their occupation secret due to fear of attack
A police officer has said he is moving his family out of Northern Ireland after two data breaches revealed the identities of officers and staff.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) accidentally shared details of 10,000 employees this week. It also confirmed an earlier breach from July.
The officer, who is a Catholic, said deciding to go had been "devastating".
Meanwhile, a civilian PSNI worker said it brought back the trauma police staff had experienced during the Troubles.
Both interviewees spoke to the BBC about the effect the data breaches are having on their personal lives, but neither is named for security reasons.
The PSNI officer said he had to calculate the family upset that would be caused by uprooting his children from their home against the safety risks of staying in Northern Ireland.
"My wife feels she is no longer comfortable in Northern Ireland," he told BBC News NI's Evening Extra programme.
"It's just not a place, going forward, that I have confidence or trust in any more - it's been absolutely disastrous."
In the biggest data breach, information appeared online for three hours on Tuesday, leading to the PSNI updating security advice to its officers and staff.
The surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in, including sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence, were included.
Information about the second data breach, involving the theft of a spreadsheet with the names of 200 officers and staff, emerged on Wednesday.
The PSNI said documents, along with a police-issue laptop and radio, were believed to have been stolen from a private vehicle in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, on 6 July.
The police have since confirmed they have wiped both of those devices remotely and are confident that information they contained would not be accessible by a third party.
Almost 2,000 officers are considering taking legal action in the wake of the breaches, according to the Police Federation, a union which represents rank-and-file officers.
More than 1,200 staff have raised concerns about the security breaches with the PSNI.
During the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles, more than 300 police officers from all backgrounds were murdered.
The civilian PSNI worker spoke to the BBC anonymously
They face an ongoing threat from dissident republican paramilitaries - the latest attempt to murder a PSNI officer took place in February when Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot several times.
Catholic officers have often been targeted by dissidents, who want to discourage people from Catholic backgrounds from joining the police.
PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne cut his holiday short to deal with the crisis and he has apologised for the data breaches.
The civilian PSNI employee, who is a member of the Nipsa union, said she had been "going through a gauntlet of emotions" since being made aware of the data breaches.
The woman also worked for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) for many years before it was replaced by the PSNI in 2001.
"I've spent a very long career with a threat over my head - police staff are under the same threat as police officers," she said.
"I've been involved in a few security incidents that could have had severe consequences and I think that, for me personally, the anxiousness and the nervousness of what this data breach is or could do has brought it all back."
She added it had brought back recollections of the Troubles in the 1980s including "security threats, bombings... colleagues who've been murdered" and anxiety associated with those experiences.
The woman said the breach was "highly traumatic" for younger staff who had not experienced working during the Troubles.
"It's probably something that our newer colleagues into the organisation have never dealt with and therefore I think maybe that tension for them is maybe a bit higher than those of us who have worked here longer," she said.
Supt Gerry Murray, chair of the Catholic Police Guild, has met the chief constable over the breaches
The Catholic Police Guild, which represents some Catholic PSNI members, said the PSNI must take account of the "particular sensitivities" of Catholic members.
Its chairman, Supt Gerry Murray, met the chief constable on Friday.
Mr Byrne, who also met representatives from the PSNI's other staff associations, said afterwards he had reassured the guild that he was committed to supporting everyone affected.
Earlier Supt Murray said he had received a call from a young Catholic officer concerned about the data breaches who asked him if he should take his gun to Mass on Sunday.
Asked on BBC NI's Newsline programme if he thought the officer should bring his gun to Mass, Supt Murray responded: "I think, if he feels insecure with regard to going to his place of worship and he feels it necessary - yes."
"It's about the protection of the officer. It's about his wellbeing."
Dissident republicans have claimed they have obtained the data mistakenly shared, but the PSNI said it had not been able to verify this.
An ex-officer whose husband is still in the force told the BBC the breach was a "monumental cock up" which has "floored" her family.
The woman left the police due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from incidents experienced in the course of her job.
She said she could not sleep after news broke about the data breaches, and that her medication had been increased.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne said he had spoken to officers and staff and realised some were anxious, frustrated and angry
"I served for many, many years in some volatile areas and took my personal safety very seriously. Even to this day I still check under my car," she said.
"We were always looking over our shoulder but now even more so. I didn't sleep on Tuesday night. I really wasn't very good at all.
"I had to go back to my doctor - they prescribed me more diazepam.
"It's just the impact - all of a sudden I feel like I'm back in the job again and that really isn't good for me."
Another serving officer told the BBC's Today programme he felt let down by the PSNI, exposed and vulnerable.
The officer, who is originally from England, said that with access to his surname, "it wouldn't take much to track myself or my wife and children down".
"If it gets into the hands of [dissident republicans], then that's where the most damage will be caused," he said.
The officer said he also suffered with PTSD and since news of the data breaches his symptoms, including sleepless nights, paranoia and anxiety, had worsened.
Nipsa representative Tracey Godfrey said members were seeking reassurance from her.
"I am able to give that because processes have been put in place but it's the long-term effect that we are having to look at," she said.
You can hear the interview with the officer in full on Evening Extra on BBC Sounds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66467164 |
Maui fire: Death toll climbs to 80 - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | People try to reach towns devastated by wildfires, as questions mount over whether locals were warned fast enough. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Eighty people have now been confirmed to have been killed by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say.
There are fears the numbers will rise further, as hundreds are still uncontactable.
Firefighters have been trying to contain fires in several areas, including the historic town of Lahaina which has been utterly devastated.
Hawaii's attorney general has announced a "comprehensive review" into how the authorities responded to the wildfires.
It comes as questions mount over whether officials warned residents fast enough.
State officials reopened Lahaina to people with proof of residency on Friday for the first time since flames swept rapidly through early this week, razing much of the coastal town which has a rich history and attracts some two million tourists a year.
On the Honoapiilani Highway - one of the only available routes into Lahaina - cars sat bumper-to-bumper, with families looking tired and worried alongside trucks piled high with supplies, water, fuel, nappies and toilet paper.
But within hours after opening, the road was shut to everyone but emergency services.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Four factors that made Maui wildfires so deadly
Authorities told the BBC that police had been called in to address a "situation" but would not elaborate.
Evacuated Lahaina residents later said they believed their homes had been struck by looting, though this was not confirmed by police.
Still, for hours after the closure, families sat in a mile-long line.
Earlier, Governor Josh Green had warned residents would be greeted by "destruction like they've not ever seen in their lives".
And for many of Lahaina's evacuees, that waiting devastation is still too much to see.
In Paukukalo, a coastal neighbourhood east of Lahaina, 23 stranded members of the Tacderan family gathered with relatives to take stock of the loss.
Bryan Aguiran said he's not ready to return home
One of them, 26-year-old Bryan Aguiran, remained in Lahaina through the worst of the fire, fighting the blaze with large buckets of water and miraculously saving his family home.
But he does not want to go back.
"Every time I close my eyes I see Armageddon," he said, adding he has not been able to sleep.
"Lahaina will never be the same," he said.
He, like many other Maui residents, said he feared how much further the death toll would climb.
These fears were intensified on Friday evening when residents of Kaanapali - north of Lahaina - were ordered to evacuate as a fire flared up in the area where a fuelling station had been set up. It was brought under control some two hours later, Maui officials said.
West Maui, where Lahaina and Kaanapali are located, is still without power and water. Search crews are still in the area looking for wildfire victims.
That includes in the water. The Coast Guard said it had pulled 17 people alive from the water near the town's harbour so far. All were reported to be in a stable condition.
But Gabe Lucy, who owns a tour operator on Maui, told the BBC that he was hearing horrific accounts.
"People were jumping in the water and I think for a lot of them the fire wrapped around so quick that the only way to escape was go down to the water's edge," said Mr Lucy, whose boats were called in to help.
He added that they were "picking up four-year-olds and putting them on surfboards and pulling them out" and that he had heard reports of "bodies on the rocks".
Authorities have warned it will take many years to repair the damage caused by wildfires on the island of Maui. More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in Lahaina alone.
The extensive damage is an added stress for Maui's locals, many of whom rely on the service jobs supplied by the tourism industry.
Governor Josh Green warned Hawaiians on Friday what they found in Lahaina would be difficult.
"Lahaina is a devastated zone. They will see destruction like they've not ever seen in their lives," said the governor, who visited the town on Thursday. "Be very safe, be very careful."
There are six shelters in operation on Maui for those displaced, and officials said they were drafting a plan to house them in hotels and tourist rental properties.
In recent days, donations have been rolling in.
The island is home to many wealthy people, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He and his partner Lauren Sanchez have pledged $100m (£79m) to help the fire victims.
Wildfires on Hawaii's Maui island and Big Island began on Tuesday night. The cause is still not known but once lit, hurricane winds and dry weather helped fuel the flames.
How have you been affected by the fires in Maui? Please share your story by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66481977 |
Mental health: 'Photography saved me from myself' - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Steve Liddiard says taking photos helps him manage anxiety and depression. | Steve credits taking photographs of abandoned buildings with his improved mental health
Five years ago Steve Liddiard's mental health had deteriorated to the point where he was suicidal and felt "bricked up" inside his own mind.
When his GP advised him to take up walking he decided to take a camera - unbeknown to him, that was to be the start of his recovery.
"Photography saved me from myself," said Steve, 36.
The father-of-two from Swansea began experiencing anxiety in his early 20s but it came to a head in his early 30s.
Steve says his family have been a huge support through his recovery
"[I was] balancing trying to be a good father, trying to progress career wise, worrying about money and bills and then I had some serious family issues which pushed me over the top and I felt as if there was no way to overcome everything," said Steve, who lives in Swansea.
"You are your own worst enemy, doubting thoughts, feeling short of breath and the constant worrying."
Steve became depressed, struggled to leave the house, became distant from family and friends and put on a front at work.
"Inside I was crumbling away," he said.
At his lowest point he attempted to take his own life.
Steve won Historical Photographer of the Year 2021 for this image of Whiteford Lighthouse
"It's hard and embarrassing even now to admit that," he said.
"I feel selfish that my actions could have had a major impact on others, children growing up without a dad, a partner to support them alone, but in that moment it's almost like you are in thick fog and tunnel vision takes over, you feel it's the only way to stop the thoughts.
"At that time, I thought this was the only way out."
"Seeing the reaction from my family, I needed some help," he said.
His mother and his partner of 14 years encouraged him to take action.
Steve won Historical Photographer Of the Year again in 2022 with this image of a long lost Welsh woollen mill
"Maybe if they didn't I wouldn't still be here today," admitted Steve.
He went to see his GP, where he was given medication and advice on ways to cope.
"One of the therapies I was advised to try was going for walks alone, whether it be a beach, mountains, just an escape and clear my mind," he said.
For his first walk he visited Whiteford Sands, a vast expanse of beach on the Gower Peninsula.
He walked out to the lighthouse.
"The lighthouse is worn, battered and bruised but still standing tall - I felt a connection to how I was feeling at that time," said Steve.
"I took some photos on my camera phone, shared them online and had positive feedback."
From then on, whenever he was out walking he would take photos.
Steve took this photo of an old church organ in a long-forgotten tin Sunday school in Ceredigion
"Photography I find is almost like meditation, you are focusing on your subject, adjusting for light, clarity, framing, you zone out completely, it was the perfect remedy for me," said Steve.
Since his first shot of the old lighthouse, Steve has found a passion for photographing abandoned and dilapidated mansions, forgotten chapels and industrial buildings that have been left behind to modern technology.
"Anything that has a history behind it," he said.
Steve captured these former quarrymen's cottages on Anglesey at night
"I find it fascinating to see these places. I feel it's important to document them before they crumble away."
Steve's photography remains a hobby - he works in the IT department at Swansea's Morriston Hospital.
In 2021 he was named Historical Photographer of the Year for an image of his favourite Whiteford Lighthouse.
The following year he won the same award again, this time for his photograph of a disused Welsh woollen mill, with "the vibrant colours of the wool still sitting on the spindles, with nature growing all around".
These days, Steve says he is "really good".
"Things in life of course stress us all out but I have ways of coping now," he said.
He said his partner Briony had noticed a huge difference in him.
This dramatic shot was captured inside an underground slate mine
Steve goes out to take photos early in the morning or late at night so he can spend as much time as possible with her and their two children, aged nine and 10.
"I would love in the future to see one of my photos hanging up in their own homes," he said.
He urged anyone struggling with their mental health to speak to someone.
"Whether it's friends and family first. No issue is too big, everyone struggles it's just some struggle more than others. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength to speak out," he said.
Steve lives in Swansea with his partner and their two children
Steve said he was inspired by a quote by Bryce Evans, another photographer who says picking up a camera saved his life.
"If you find yourself stuck in the darkness, the first thing to do is find and start capturing the light."
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story you can find details of where you can get support at BBC Action Line. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66337440 |
Ecuador murder: Fernando Villavicencio's running-mate steps in to contest election - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Andrea Gonzalez replaces anti-corruption crusader shot in the head by suspected Colombian hitmen. | The running-mate of a murdered Ecuadorian politician is to contest the presidential election in his place.
Fernando Villavicencio was shot three times in the head after a campaign rally in Quito. Police say all suspects are Colombian.
His Construye party said it would put Andrea Gonzalez forward as its presidential candidate.
The party added that it was in the process of choosing a vice-presidential candidate for the August 20 election.
Ms Gonzalez, 36, whose career has mainly focused on environmental issues, is due to take part in Sunday's presidential debate in the capital.
The party said on social media that she would "guarantee the legacy" of Mr Villavicencio "and millions of Ecuadorians will accompany her in this purpose".
The candidate for the vice-presidency would come from "the most trusted of those who have shared the struggles of comrade Fernando Villavicencio", the party added.
Mr Villavicencio, 59, a former journalist and member of the country's national assembly, was shot three times in the head as he left a public event in the capital on Wednesday.
One attacker was killed in an exchange of fire with police while several others escaped.
His death has shocked a nation that has largely escaped the decades of drug-gang violence, cartel wars and corruption that has blighted many of its neighbours. Crime has however shot up in recent years, fuelled by the growth of Colombian and Mexican drug cartels.
Mr Villavicencio's campaign focused on corruption and gangs, and was one of only a few candidates to allege links between organised crime and government officials in Ecuador.
On Saturday, his widow, Veronica Sarauz, told a news conference that she held the state responsible for her husband's death.
"The state still has to give many answers about everything that happened, his personal guards did not do their job," she said.
"I do not want to think that they sold my husband to be murdered in this infamous way."
Ms Sarauz also expressed her displeasure that Ms Gonzalez had been named as her husband's replacement to contest the presidential election.
According to Interior Minister Juan Zapata, six Colombians have been arrested, who were members of organised criminal groups.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso has called on the FBI to help investigate Mr Villavicencio's death.
Meanwhile, three men considered highly dangerous by Ecuador's authorities have been moved from a jail in the port city of Guayaquil where they were inmates in a maximum security prison.
They included Jose Adolfo Macias, known as "Fito", the leader of one of Ecuador's main organised crime groups from whom Mr Villavicencio said he had received death threats.
Mr Villavicencio, who was married and had five children, was one of eight candidates in the first round of the election - although he was not the frontrunner and was polling around the middle of the pack.
Patricia Villavicencio, his sister, said "this crime can't go unpunished... We are hurting, with a broken soul, there is no justice, there is no protection". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66489199 |
Data theft: Police officers and staff not informed for month - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Some 200 people have been affected by the theft of documents and a laptop from a car last month. | Two hundred officers and staff of the Police Service of Northern Ireland were not informed of the theft of personal data from a superintendent's car for a month, police have admitted.
Police said news of the security breach in Newtownabbey was relayed to affected individuals on 4 August.
A document containing the names of officers and staff was taken along with a police-issue laptop on 6 July.
The police said the nature of the missing data had to be confirmed.
The senior officer remains in his post while the subject of an investigation into the loss of the items from a car parked outside a retail complex.
This data breach is one of two such leaks affecting data about the employees of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
On Tuesday, the PSNI mistakenly shared details of about 10,000 employees. The chief constable has apologised.
The PSNI's data risk management unit was first informed of the theft incident on 27 July.
However, in response to questions from BBC News NI, it has emerged that individuals were not advised of the data leak, which could have compromised their security, until 4 August.
BBC News NI understands that what happened during the intervening weeks is being urgently reviewed.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne and Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd spoke at a press conference earlier this week
The document contained the full names and work locations of more than 200 officers and support staff. It did not reveal any home addresses.
The laptop is password protected and its contents are believed to have been remotely erased by the PSNI. However, the police have not said on what date this was done.
In a statement on Saturday, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd confirmed the police were investigating the circumstances of the theft.
"Our Information Security Unit were informed on 27th July," he said.
"As there was a delay, our Information Security Unit had to conduct their own enquiries to be clear on what accurate information could be conveyed to the Information Commissioners Office who were then informed on the 31st July.
"The precise nature of the missing data had to be confirmed before we could inform our officers and staff on the 4th August.
"We have worked with our Data Protection Officer and sought legal advice and guidance to ensure the information we provided to our employees was accurate."
The Superintendent Association of Northern Ireland (SANI) confirmed that one of its members was involved, adding that it was giving them "every possible support in this difficult situation".
The information released in the first data breach was accidentally included in a response to a freedom of information (FoI) request.
It included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in, including sensitive areas such as surveillance and intelligence.
It appeared on the internet for a few hours but was later taken down.
Mike Nesbitt, from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and a member of the Policing Board, said the PSNI had multiple opportunities to stop the publication of that information.
"It was my understanding from the police that no one individual or indeed single department was responsible for the leak," he said.
He added that there were "multiple opportunities for a number of individuals to spot that the spreadsheet had a facility on it where with one click you could get behind what was on your computer screen and access all the source data, the names, the ranks, the positions". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66486034 |
Sacha Baron Cohen plans Ali G comeback on tour - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The comedian has been working on a stand-up tour featuring his infamous spoof gangster. | Sacha Baron Cohen is planning to revive Ali G, the infamous spoof wannabe gangster who became a comedy star 25 years ago, for a new stand-up tour.
Ali G became a hit thanks to his prank interviews with unsuspecting experts on his TV show in the early 2000s.
He then starred in his own film, and has made occasional appearances in recent years.
Variety reported that Baron Cohen has been working on a stand-up tour in which Ali G will feature.
BBC News has confirmed the report, but there are no further details of the tour.
In 2021, Baron Cohen brought back Ali G for a sketch at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, and for a one-off routine at a Sydney comedy club.
"I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd," the comedian told GQ afterwards. "It was really good fun."
In the early days, Ali G got laughs by duping an array of interviewees into going along with his persona, while also lampooning white people from the suburbs who posed as the urban youth.
But the act was criticised by some, who saw it as adopting and ridiculing black street culture.
Baron Cohen, now 51, also found success by playing similar pranks as his Kazakh reporter Borat, and played flamboyant Austrian fashionista Bruno. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66480594 |
Incredible photos of 'wee beasties' in Glasgow park - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | How lockdown helped David Hamilton discover his love for macro photography in a local park. | An emerald damselfly - Lestes sponsa, taken at Lambhill stables, Glasgow
Nestled in an unassuming Glasgow Park lies a treasure trove of vibrant colours, intricate details, and tiny creatures waiting to be discovered.
It was during the confinement of the Covid lockdown that David Hamilton found himself captivated by this hidden world.
Now he runs a popular Instagram page "WeeMadBeasties" showcasing macro photography - extreme close-up photos - of all the creepy-crawlies found within Ruchill Park and across Scotland.
Before the restrictions of lockdown, the 43-year-old, from Glasgow's West End, had been a landscape photographer, but the limitations of lockdown led him down a different path.
"I'd seen an article on someone converting their existing equipment to shoot macro stuff on the cheap," he said.
"I said, you know what, why don't I give this a try? There's a park across the road.
"Once I actually started seeing the sort of colours and the vibrancy of the insects, that was me hooked."
This photograph of a hoverfly in the centre of a flower is David's favourite image taken in Ruchill Park
A tiny 1-2mm red spider mite getting very close to an aphid in Ruchill Park
Macro photography typically involves close-up photographs of small subjects, such as bugs and flowers.
David says the people who see his photos are always shocked by what he has found in Scotland.
He has also impressed other macro photographers around the world with his pictures.
"I didn't realise until I went away and met some of the guys from abroad that what I was producing was was of interest to them," he said.
"There's insects that we have here that they don't. They've got spiders that are the size of your hand, whereas we've got tiny different species that they won't see.
"I've had people reach out from various countries in the world saying they'd like to come over to Ruchill Park."
He is best known for his pictures of ladybirds
The detail is intricate on this image of halyzia sedecimguttata, an orange ladybird
Despite his success, David says Scotland can be a hard place for insect macro photography, because of the limited number of insects and the country's climate.
The nation's few insect photographers only have a short window to consistently capture good pictures.
"It didn't used to bother me doing it here until I went to Malaysia," he said.
"I stepped off the plane straight to the hotel, walked outside and looked through the first bush that I came across.
"I couldn't even walk away there was that many things on it. I was like, these guys have it easy!"
This six spotted tiger beetle, from the USA, was David's top bucket list insect - shot in Huntley Meadows
David took this picture of a giraffe weevil while in Malaysia
Despite the challenges, David says he has probably photographed and documented more than 1,000 different species from Scotland - although he admits they are not always the most co-operative photography subjects.
"It's super difficult. You need to approach them practically at a snail's pace.
"They're a very difficult partner to try and work with - they're not going to listen to you," he said.
A damselfly, having a good stare-off down the lens
As the hobby requires you to get up close to the various different creepy-crawlies, it does come with certain risks.
"I was over in France, predominantly to take pictures of one tiny species called a ruby-tailed wasp. They're super small and I had found them and then got too close and got stung," he said.
"I had to run away. I ended up just going to the pub after that because I couldn't move my hand."
People are often shocked at the variety of species in Scotland. This ladybird pupae was captured on film at Ruchill Park
David has now started to look further afield to find insects to photograph.
He feels he has mostly covered what Scotland has to offer and has plans to visit Australia next year.
But there is one bug in the Highlands that has so far eluded him.
"A bumblebee hoverfly is very hard to find. It's super rare and and it's the only place in the whole of the UK that you get that one. I'd love to find it." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-66468444 |
How Pinky's famous truck saved lives in Lahaina fire - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Lynette “Pinky” Iverson drove "at least a dozen" people to safety in the back of her pickup truck. | Lynette "Pinky" Iverson has been a fixture in the Hawaiian town of Lahaina for years. Locals know her for her extravagantly self-decorated pickup truck and her chihuahua named Tiny.
That truck became a lifeline for many as she loaded "at least a dozen" people onto the back of it and fled town on Tuesday as the wildfires spread.
"I got to my truck and it was already engulfed in flames around the tires," she told BBC News from the War Memorial Stadium emergency shelter, recalling how her ordeal began.
"I tried to save people, but for some, I wasn't able to," she adds.
It is the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii's history.
The fire arrived as she was spraying her building with water, in the hopes of preventing falling embers from igniting it. But despite her efforts, she was helpless as she witnessed her own home beginning to catch fire.
"One lady didn't want to come out. Another man was screaming help," she said of the hectic scene.
"By that time we were engulfed in the black, black smoke," she said.
She was only able to grab her car keys and Tiny before fleeing.
Maui has six shelters now in operation
As we spoke, I noticed something crawling around in the bedding only inches away from her dog. Without knowing what it was, I use my notebook to fling it into the ground, where she squashed it with her purple cowboy boot.
It was a centipede, which is venomous, she and other evacuees in the shelter told me. Tiny could have died if stung, she added.
Ms Iverson was rattled by the ordeal and frustrated about the cleanliness of the donated sheets at the shelter.
Without her phone, she says she's hopeful that her brother in Nevada will see that she spoke to the BBC and finally learn that she is safe.
Ms Iverson lived in her locally famous truck for six years before finally being accepted into a housing community in Lahaina for the disabled or elderly.
Now in her 70s, she's hopeful that she'll be able to find a place to live once again.
Steve Strode, a former commercial diver who has lived in Lahaina for 10 years, says he is haunted by the neighbours he was forced to leave behind as he ran for his life.
Speaking from his bed in the same shelter, he says there was one disabled man in his apartment complex who needed assistance from multiple people in order to be able to flee.
But there was no time to gather a group to help, he says. "I had to go around him," he recalls.
He and his neighbour survived by using their bicycles to reach temporary safety at the Safeway. The men, both in their 60s, had to cycle through flames that at times were as tall as 10ft (3 meters) high
Wildfires on Hawaii's Maui island, where the historic town of Lahaina is located, and Big Island began on Tuesday night. Hurricane winds and dry weather helped fuel the flames, causing rapid spread.
Thousands have been left homeless by the disaster and Maui has six shelters now in operation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66483929 |
Fourteen days across the Atlantic, perched on a ship’s rudder - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Four Nigerian stowaways set out for Europe on a tanker rudder. Two weeks later they were in Brazil. | Roman Friday, one of the stowaways, in São Paulo. "I wanted a brighter future," he said (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
Four Nigerian stowaways set out for Europe on the rudder of a tanker. They had no idea they were bound for Brazil, and a two-week ocean voyage that would nearly kill them.
A little after midnight on 27 June, Roman Ebimene Friday gathered up the food he had been collecting for a few months and set out in the dark for the large commercial port in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Earlier that day, Friday had spotted a 620-foot (190m) tanker docked at the port and decided that it would be the ship to deliver him to Europe.
Friday was aiming for the tanker's rudder - the only accessible point on its massive hull for a person who isn't supposed to be aboard. There was no way to bridge the gap from the dock to the rudder, other than convince a fisherman to ferry him across. "He was a holy man, that fisherman," Friday recalled. "He did not ask for money. He could see that I wanted to leave."
The fisherman sidled up to the rudder and Friday, 35, pulled himself up, hauling his food bag behind him on a rope. As he steadied himself he saw, to his surprise, three faces in the dark. He was the last of four men with the same idea. "I was scared, at first," Friday said. "But they were black Africans, my brothers."
Fearful of being caught, the four men perched silently on the rudder for the next 15 hours. At 5pm, they felt the ship's giant engines shudder to life. Over the din, they shouted a few words. They were all aiming for Europe. They expected to be shipmates for as long as a week.
The tanker, called the Ken Wave, pushed out from the port and headed to sea - the beginning of a perilous two-week ocean voyage that would bring the stowaways close to death.
Roman Friday accepts water, perched on the rudder that took him and three other men to Brazil
As Lagos receded behind them, the men tried and failed to find comfortable positions on the rudder, which moved constantly as it steered the ship. There was precious little space to stand, and the only place to lie was in one of two small nets strung precariously over the water, by previous stowaways, Friday assumed.
It can be hard to understand, from the outside, what drives a person to risk their life on a rudder or a rickety boat across the Mediterranean. But the decision comes easy when you have already lost hope, Friday said.
"In Nigeria there are no jobs, no money and no way for me to feed my younger brothers and my mother," he said. "I am the first born son and my father died 20 years ago, so I should take care of my family, but I cannot."
Instead he had spent three years living on and off the street in Lagos, trying to find work. Each day in Nigeria was a gauntlet of "crime and sin," he said. "People fighting, killing each other, terrorists attacking, kidnappers. I want a brighter future than that."
Friday, left, and Thankgod Yeye, right. "We became brothers on the way," Friday said (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
Perched next to Friday on the rudder of the tanker was Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, a Pentecostal minister, businessman and father of two whose peanut and palm oil farm had washed away in the devastating floods that hit Nigeria last year. There had been no fallback or insurance to cover the loss.
"My business was destroyed and my family became homeless. And that was the genesis of my decision to leave," he said.
Yeye's decision became final after the recent presidential election, which was marred by anomalies and allegations of vote rigging. "The election had been our hope," he said. "But we know Nigeria well, we know the system is corrupt." So, without telling his family, he left his sister's home at night and set out for the port, where he knew the Ken Wave was waiting to depart.
Nigeria has seen an exodus of people like Yeye and Friday in recent years, via regular and irregular routes, driven by recessions and record unemployment levels. Many travel across the Sahara and the Mediterranean, where at least 1,200 Nigerians have died already this year, according to the UN.
Roman Friday sitting atop the rudder that carried him across the Atlantic
Some choose to stow away. Last year, three men climbed on a rudder in a similar fashion to Friday and Yeye, and their journey took them 2,500 miles to the Canary islands, an entry point to Spain. Friday and Yeye believed they were following a similar route.
With their two companions, William and Zeze, they passed the first few days on the ship in a mixture of boredom, discomfort, and fear, talking only a little, praying often and trying to stay awake, as the Ken Wave pushed into the vast stretch of the south Atlantic for the 3,500 mile journey to Brazil.
In some ways, ship stowaways are safer than those who cross parts of the Sahara on foot or the Mediterranean on rickety wooden boats. But as day five passed, Friday and Yeye began to reckon with the specific dangers of their situation.
They were already weak from rationing their food and tired from lack of sleep. They tied a rope around their waists when they needed to pee off the side of the rudder. When the water was rough, waves lashed them. "We were all scared of the big waves," Yeye said. "I had never seen the ocean before but I used to watch documentaries about storms and I had seen big ships rocked from side to side by waves." Sleep was virtually impossible. "You try not to even close your eyes," Friday said. "The rudder turns 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you have to constantly be alert."
The nets came loose and had to be inexpertly refastened. They lay in them again but Friday thought only of being awoken by the sudden feeling of falling and the hit of cold below. "If the net breaks, you go straight into the water and you are gone," he said. And you really were gone. There's no chance of rescue at sea when no-one knows you're lost.
Day passed into night and into day again. The men grew weaker and stopped talking entirely. Friday kept track of the time on his wristwatch. He tried to remember the day. The nets came loose again and were refastened. The food was rationed in smaller parcels, the water in smaller sips. Their mouths began to dry out. Their stomachs ached. They tried to remain vigilant and tried not to fall in.
Day 10 brought the moment the four had been quietly dreading. Some time in the morning, they ate the last of their food and drank the last of their water. All four were already painfully hungry from spacing out the meagre rations they had. "This was the hardest moment of all," Yeye said. "My mouth was dry and completely cracked. For the first time in my life I really understood the meaning of water."
There were a few lighter moments. Yeye told his brothers he was praying for rain and they laughed at him. What are you going to do with rain? they cried. How will you collect it? Rain was only dangerous for them, they chided. The laughter subsided. Hour by hour, they became more thirsty. Time seemed to move more slowly.
The next day, Friday managed to attach a torn cellophane biscuit wrapper to a length of rope and lower it into the ocean, he said, and collect small mouthfuls of salty water for them to drink. They licked toothpaste.
On day 12, sick from salty ocean water, one of the other men began to vomit from the side of the rudder block. "He was looking straight down into the water and vomiting," Friday said. "He had no strength to hold himself. He was about to fall. I was the only person who had strength left and I had to grab hold of him."
Roman Friday in his new home in São Paulo (Victor Moriyama/BBC)
The men were entering the phase of hunger and thirst that brings you close to death. In an effort to distract himself, Friday began to sit on the edge of the rudder alone, one leg hanging either side, scanning the ocean in vain for anything to interrupt the long unbroken line of the horizon.
What the ocean gave him, on the 13th day of the voyage, was a whale.
"The first time in my life I have seen such a thing!" he said, laughing at the memory. "If I told anyone at home I had seen a whale they will say I am lying. But I sat on the rudder and I saw a whale. And I forgot I was hungry and thirsty. I watched the whale and it was like watching creation. A holy moment."
As the first light appeared on the horizon on day 14 of the voyage, Friday was back on the edge of the rudder, staring into the distance, when he felt the ship's mighty engines begin to slow. Then, in the dim light, in the distance, he saw what looked like land. Then buildings. Then a boat.
The Ken Wave was stopping off the coast to take on a fresh crew, and the resupply boat spotted the men. "Do you know where you are?" came a shout. Friday tried to shout back that he had no idea, but his throat was too dry. The boat left, then two hours later, in the clearer light, a police dinghy appeared. An officer stretched out a bottle of water to Friday. "You are in Brazil," he said.
Safely back on dry land, the migrants used borrowed phones to call their families. Friday and Yeye's two fellow migrants, William and Zeze, decided to take up an offer of returning directly to Nigeria. Friday and Yeye decided to make Brazil their home. "We are joyful to be here," Yeye said. "It is a new beginning."
They will likely face challenges. Migrants have automatic rights to healthcare and other benefits in Brazil, but African migrants often face racism and struggle to find well-paid work. Friday and Yeye have been taken in by a shelter in São Paulo and are being assisted by a Catholic mission, Missao Paz, with Portuguese lessons and other support. Yeye wants to start a new business and bring his wife and children over.
Friday is focused on the more immediate future. "I am in a new place, I am trying to adapt, I am trying to learn the language," he said. The first journey he had ever made out of Nigeria had nearly killed him, but as the days passed after his rescue, he felt the hopelessness that had dogged him back home begin to ebb, he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66450500 |
Women's World Cup: England have Colombia plan without Lauren James, says Sarina Wiegman - BBC Sport | 2023-08-12 | England must face Colombia in the Women's World Cup quarter-final without suspended top-scorer Lauren James, but they have a plan according to manager Sarina Wiegman. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Coverage : Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and follow on the BBC Sport website & app.
England have a plan to take on Colombia in Saturday's Women's World Cup quarter-final without top scorer Lauren James, says manager Sarina Wiegman.
James, 21, was sent off in the last-16 penalty shootout victory over Nigeria and is now suspended for two games.
She scored three and assisted three goals in four matches but Wiegman says England "know how they want to fill that position".
"Of course, she is still part of the squad," Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"[James] gets support from everyone. In a split second, she made a mistake and that cost her two games, and she regretted it straight away.
"It's [towards] the end of the game, she is fatigued, she is inexperienced and sometimes things like that happen and that is part of life. The punishment is there, two games.
"Now she needs support from us and to learn from it. She is still part of our team, she just can't play [on Saturday]."
• None 'The best is yet to come from England', says Mary Earps
• None Bethany England 'not just happy' to be at World Cup
England are favourites to win the Women's World Cup following shock early exits for the USA, Germany, Canada and Brazil.
The Lionesses are also ranked 21 places higher than Colombia, but after surviving a scare against Nigeria in their last match, Wiegman expects a tough encounter at Stadium Australia in Sydney (11:30 BST kick-off).
"Of course, there is pressure," she said. "There are two teams who are very good. We want to play our best game and they do, too. That's how we approach it."
England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who has kept three clean sheets so far, added: "We can take a lot of pride in the work that we've done so far but there's still a long way we'd like to go.
"Some of our defensive work has been fantastic and long may it continue."
'I hope we don't have that much stress'
Colombia, who are in their first Women's World Cup quarter-final, have proven themselves against European opposition by upsetting Germany to win 2-1 in the group stages.
Teenager Linda Caicedo has been a standout performer, while the Colombian fans have travelled in big numbers to support the team in Australia.
"Colombia have done very well. It's a strong team, very together, physically strong," said Wiegman.
"They have powerful players and want to get the ball to their attacking players because they are unpredictable and good."
Earps said she was "relishing" playing in front of a potentially hostile crowd and is embracing a physical test from Colombia, whose pre-tournament friendly with the Republic of Ireland was abandoned after 20 minutes because of fears of injury.
"I think in general, every World Cup game, you absolutely relish playing in," said Earps.
"This level is full of heat and pressure and all those emotions that come with it, and I think that's exciting as a player."
• None Why Colombia fans are out in force in Australia
However, Wiegman hopes England will make lighter work of Colombia this time around, having played 120 minutes on Tuesday - getting through the whole of extra time with only 10 players after James' red card.
The European champions have underwhelmed in three of their four matches at the tournament, a 6-1 win over China the highlight following middling 1-0 wins over Haiti and Denmark in the group stages.
"I hope we don't have that much stress. In this tournament we've seen no game is easy. It's so competitive," added Wiegman.
"It's the beauty of the game and its growth. I hope we can decide it before [extra time] but we definitely think it'll be a very competitive game. We hope it'll go our way."
'We need to be chess players'
Colombia boss Nelson Abadia said the fact they are the last nation representing the Americas at the Women's World Cup is motivation to beat England in Sydney.
Back-to-back world champions the USA were stunned in the last 16, while Olympic gold medallists Canada failed to get out of their group.
"To be representing the whole of the Americas is important," said Abadia. "To have all this positive energy not only from Colombia but from the whole continent is beneficial."
Abadia also plans to treat Saturday's showdown like a game of chess and hopes to outsmart Wiegman.
"We need to be chess players and analyse," said Abadia. "We have analysed England and what our best chances are going to be.
"We know all the history that England brings in football, it's important. But for me, it's 11 against 11 and the optimism is the same we have for every match.
"There are several variables in any match - technical, tactical and physical. What's important is the strength in the team's character and that is going to be vital for what we need to do."
• None Why Colombia fans are out in force in Australia
People are starting to doubt England, but this is the game where I think they will come out and play some beautiful football and get into a groove.
Even so, it is going to be very close and there are so many personal battles all over the pitch which will help decide it.
Colombia are a quality team and they will definitely create some chances. They switch play very effectively with diagonal balls and are very dangerous with headers.
But Mary Earps has kept three clean sheets and has only been beaten from the penalty spot - during the group-stage win over China and the shootout victory over Nigeria in the last round - and she is not going to concede here either. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66472318 |
Fake meat: As Beyond Meat sales fall, have we had our fill? - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Fast food supplier Beyond Meat has seen its sales fall - but is it cost, taste or nutrition that is putting people off? | Beyond Meat is one of the UK's most well-known brands, supplying McDonald's (pictured) and KFC
When it comes to fake meat Tom Crawford-Clarke has "eaten everything available over the years". But he has fallen out of love with it now.
"We generally favoured Quorn products, Linda McCartney things, Beyond Burgers, Moving Mountains. I always thought they were relatively tasty," he said.
Fake meat is plant-based protein made to resemble burgers or sausages and often marketed as a healthier alternative to the real thing.
But dentist Tom said there was "always something" in the back of his mind about what was in them.
"You don't know what they are, you trust they've been investigated but when a burger oozes this red liquid which is meant to be blood, you wonder what it is," he said.
The 36-year-old from London is referring to the beetroot juice used in Beyond Burgers to mimic blood.
But Beyond Meat's quest for perfection has left shoppers cold. Despite counting actor Leonardo Di Caprio as one of its investors and being one of the UK's most prominent brands, supplying McDonald's and KFC, it has seen a 30% fall in sales.
Indeed a new global survey of 1,000 consumers for vegan firm Strong Roots found that despite 61% of consumers increasing their plant-based intake, 40% are reducing or cutting out fake meat from their diets.
Almost half (47%) said taste was behind the decision, followed by 36% who cited artificial additives and another 36% who stated it was the processed nature of the products which changed their habits.
The drop in demand, partly down to squeezed household budgets, has come at a difficult time for the meat substitute industry.
In June, Meatless Farm went under, making its 50-strong workforce redundant, although the business was bought out of administration in August and its products are back on sale.
In May sausage maker Heck shelved production on the majority of its vegan ranges. Consumers, co-founder Jamie Keeble said, still wanted "something that reminds them of meat".
Beyond Meat's sales may have dropped but This says its plant-based sales are still strong
The term "plant-based" was coined in the 1980s but did not seriously surface on the world stage until 2015, according to the market intelligence agency Mintel.
By that time fake meat products were hitting supermarkets shelves, joining Linda McCartney's ranges which had dominated the sector from the early 1990s. The market exploded - in 2019 almost a quarter of all new UK food products were labelled vegan and nearly two-thirds of Britons put meat substitutes in their shopping baskets.
The projections were for a stellar future - market and consumer data provider Statista suggested the meat-substitute market in the UK would grow annually by 17.5% over the next five years.
But perhaps as an indicator of what was to come, Beyond Meat suffered a slump in sales last year, blaming obstacles with consumers around taste, perceptions of health benefits and price.
The company that ended its first day trading up more than 160% after its New York stock market debut in 2019, saw its shares fall by almost 12% on Monday after it reported a plunge in sales of almost a third.
Certainly the market has cooled - the major UK supermarkets have culled the number of meat-free ranges by 10.9% during the six months to April and research company Kantar said there had been a 7% fall in volume sales over the year until July. But not all fake meat firms are failing.
Andy Shovel is the co-founder and co-CEO of THIS. The self-described "plant-based sausage salesman" presides over a company projected to turnover £20m this year, up from £13m last year. Stocked in most of the leading supermarkets it is ranked third for meat-free sales in the UK, behind Quorn and Richmond.
"We're really bucking the trend in terms of plant-based companies," he told the BBC. Compared with Beyond Meat, This products are cheaper - two of their burgers cost £3.50 in Tesco, whereas two Beyond Meat Burgers will set you back £4.30. In a cost-of-living crisis that is a significant difference.
"Consumers are more aware of the environmental and ethical impact of meat production now," Mr Shovel said from his Hammersmith base, where the company employs 60 people. "You can't put that back in its box."
What the industry was witnessing was a "kink in the graph rather than a catastrophic failure in the market" he said, comparing it to the craft beer sector when an over proliferation of brands went into consolidation. "I'd say that's where we're at," he added.
Food and drink analyst Hamish Renton, from HRA Global, said in the early days there had been too many marketing dollars chasing not a lot of sales. "Sales were always quite modest, they were fast growing but the expectations of shoppers were very high because of the hype."
Then came taste. "A burger is complicated," Mr Renton said. "It's quite tender but crispy, it's hard to replicate that and the first go at it was not so good. Normally you'd take two to three years to deliver a product and these were being done in months. It was a bit of a bunfight."
Many of the products were triumphs: "Getting a product to bleed, hats off. But just because we can, doesn't mean we should," he added.
The Vegan Society said fake meat products fall into the ultra processed food category which can be a good source of protein often lower in saturated fat.
But the society's nutritionist Andrea Rymer said although they can be a healthier option, consumers "must be mindful of nutritional variations between products".
"Added ingredients such as palm oil, coconut oil and salt will reduce its nutritional quality, increasing saturated fat and salt content," she said.
Mr Renton agreed nutrition was a big factor in putting people off fake meat. "Some serious chemistry needs to go on here - fillers, stabilisers, colourings. But the overall trend in food is for it to be clean. People don't want preservatives or things that alter the pH in what they eat."
Dentist Tom Crawford Clarke summarises the argument for many who have stopped eating meat: "For me, being vegetarian - it's about living from a sustainable point of view. Animal welfare is huge. When I shop I'm not trying to find a replacement for meat, I'm trying to find a different way of eating."
• None BBC Radio 4 - All Consuming - Just how healthy are plant-based meat alternatives- | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66438807 |
Special counsel to investigate President Biden's son Hunter - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The prosecutor who brought criminal charges against Hunter Biden will get additional powers. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Joe Biden's son Hunter will now be investigated by a special counsel with additional powers, the US attorney general has announced.
Merrick Garland has elevated the status of David Weiss, the federal prosecutor who has already filed criminal charges in the case.
A plea deal on tax and gun charges against the president's son collapsed earlier this month.
Republicans are pushing for an inquiry into Hunter Biden's business dealings.
In a surprise announcement at the Department of Justice on Friday, Mr Garland explained that he was making the move after a request by Mr Weiss earlier this week.
The new designation will provide the prosecutor with extra resources to pursue the investigation and to potentially bring further charges beyond the state of Delaware.
Mr Garland said the special counsel would produce a report when his work was done, and that the justice department would make as much of it public as was possible.
"The appointment of Mr Weiss reinforces for the American people the department's commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters," Mr Garland said at a news conference.
Hunter Biden's lawyer, Chris Clark, responded in a statement: "We are confident when all of these manoeuvrings are at an end my client will have resolution and will be moving on with his life successfully."
Mr Clark pointed out that the investigation has already gone on for five years.
Mr Weiss was appointed by former President Donald Trump to become the US attorney in Delaware in 2018. Not long after, in 2019, he opened an investigation into allegations of criminal conduct by Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden has since been charged with two misdemeanour tax offenses for allegedly not paying income taxes in 2017 and 2018, years in which he earned in excess of $1.5m (£1.1m), according to the US Attorney's Office in Delaware.
He faces an additional felony charge for allegedly possessing a firearm while addicted to and using illegal drugs.
Hunter Biden had previously reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the tax charges and admit the gun offence to spare himself prison time.
However, US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika squashed the deal due to "non standard terms" and the "unusual" nature of the proposed resolution for the gun charge.
Since then, Hunter Biden and prosecutors have engaged in further plea negotiations but remain at an impasse. In a court filing on Friday, Mr Weiss's team said they now expect the case to go to trial - and could potentially file new, more serious charges in Washington DC or California.
Republicans want to see the younger Mr Biden further criminally charged, along with the president. They allege that Mr Biden has profited from his son's business dealings in Ukraine and China.
House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that the Republican-controlled chamber will continue to investigate the president and his son regardless of the special counsel announcement.
He echoed concern expressed by other Republicans that Mr Weiss's inquiry has been insufficiently aggressive.
Other Republicans have wondered whether the attempt to move the trial out of Delaware, where it had been overseen by Trump-appointed Ms Noreika, was an attempt to find a legal venue more friendly to the Bidens.
The White House called the allegations "insane conspiracy theories" and rejected the assertion that Mr Biden has participated in his son's business affairs.
Mr Weiss has conducted a years-long investigation into the matter. So far, he has not found any evidence that Hunter Biden's business dealings have benefited from his father's presidential status.
The special counsel announcement - and the possibility of new charges leading to a jury trial - all but assures that the investigation into Hunter Biden will stretch on well into the 2024 presidential election season, if not past election day itself. It will continue to be a distraction for White House officials who had until recently hoped that the issue was approaching a resolution.
But Friday's announcement may also diffuse some of the conservative claims that there are two standards of justice in the US - one for Republicans and one for the Bidens.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Why Hunter Biden is important to Republicans | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66480353 |
Hawaii fire: Maps and before and after images reveal Maui devastation - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Satellite images and before-and-after pictures show extent of damage to town of Lahaina on Maui. | Hawaiian officials are braced for a significant rise in the death toll from the fast-spreading wildfires, which caused devastation on the island of Maui and destroyed most of the historic town of Lahaina.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said the fires were the "largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history" and that 80% of the beach-front town had "gone" - satellite images gave an immediate sense of the scale of the damage.
Your device may not support this visualisation
Hundreds of people remain missing almost a week after the disaster, and search teams have only covered a tiny percentage of the area affected.
The fires are now reported to be under control, but efforts to fully extinguish them continue on some parts of the island.
Hundreds of people who fled their homes in Lahaina have been taking cover in an emergency shelter. About 2,700 homes are reported to have been destroyed.
Incredibly strong winds from Hurricane Dora, which passed south of Hawaii on Tuesday 8 August fanned the flames and prevented aircraft from flying over the town during the fire - but once they had passed, pilots were shocked by what they saw.
"It's horrifying. I've flown here 52 years and I've never seen anything come close to that," helicopter pilot Richard Olsten told the Associated Press news agency. "We had tears in our eyes."
The flames destroyed most of the buildings in front of the port, including the old courthouse.
Anger has grown among the community with many people telling the BBC they were not forewarned about the fires. It is currently unclear if early warning systems were used, or if they malfunctioned.
The town's lighthouse has survived but most of the surrounding buildings were destroyed, including the oldest hotel in Hawaii - the 122-year-old Pioneer Inn.
The centre of Lahaina dated back to the 1700s and was on the US National Register of Historic Places - it was once Hawaii's capital.
The town was home to about 12,000 people - the initial assessments say about 86% of the damaged buildings were residential.
Alice Lee, chair of the Maui County Council, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme how the fire razed the "beautiful" Front Street, the town's main strip.
"The fire traversed almost the entire street, so all the shops and little restaurants that people visited on their trips to Maui, most of them are burnt down to the ground," Lee said, adding: "So many businesses will have to struggle to recover," she said.
Former US President Barack Obama - who was born in Hawaii - is among those who has expressed his sorrow at the impact of the blaze. He posted on the X social network (formerly known as Twitter): "It's tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawaii — a place that's so special to so many of us."
"Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down."
The fires also destroyed many natural features on the island - there are fears for Lahaina's banyan tree, the oldest in Hawaii, and one of the oldest in the US.
The 60ft-tall (18m) fig tree was planted in 1873, on the place where Hawaiian King Kamehameha's first palace stood, but it was burnt after fires ravaged the area on Wednesday.
According to the town's website, if its roots remain healthy it will likely grow back. But at this stage, they say the tree "looks burned".
Most of the damage was done on Tuesday as the flames engulfed the town.
The blaze ripped through the town so quickly that some people jumped into the harbour to escape the flames and smoke.
The flames were fanned by gusts of wind of up to 65mph (100km/h) that hit the islands last week as Hurricane Dora passed about 700 miles (1,100km) south of Hawaii.
Drought or abnormally dry conditions across large parts of Hawaii - including the entire island of Maui - also played a role.
About 14% of the state is suffering from severe or moderate drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, while 80% of Hawaii is classed as abnormally dry.
Wildfires were once uncommon in Hawaii, ignited largely through volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes. But in recent decades, human activity has made them more common and extreme.
Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfire globally as it drives up temperatures and makes heatwaves longer and more intense.
"We have never experienced a wildfire that affected a city like this before," Governor Josh Green said, adding that the challenges of climate change were putting unprecedented strain on Hawaii.
How are you affected by the wildfires? If it is safe to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66465570 |
Train strikes: RMT union announces new weekend walk-outs - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | About 20,000 members will take strike action on 26 August and 2 September over pay and conditions. | More rail strikes over pay and conditions will take place on Saturday 26 August and Saturday 2 September, the RMT union has announced.
About 20,000 members working for 14 train operating companies are expected to take part.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that its members would "continue fighting".
But the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said the union was "once again targeting customers" on the railways.
The government called the move "disappointing" and said the RMT leadership was "cynically targeting" travellers.
The announcement means rail passengers can expect disruption on the last Bank Holiday weekend of the summer in August.
It marks the latest step in a long-running dispute which has caused months of upheaval on the railways for passengers.
Progress in the RMT's dispute with the 14 train operating companies has effectively been at a standstill since April, after it rejected the latest proposals from the RDG.
Mr Lynch said the mood among RMT members "remains solid and determined" in the national dispute, which is over pay, job security and working conditions.
The union said it had been left with "little choice but to take further action", insisting it had seen no improved offer from the RDG, which represents train operating companies.
Plans to close hundreds of ticket offices in England have also angered its members, the union has said.
But a spokesperson for the RDG, said: "With further strike action, the RMT are once again targeting customers looking to enjoy various sporting events, festivals and the end of the summer holidays, disrupting their plans and forcing more cars onto the road."
The RDG said it had made three offers to the union, including job security guarantees. The headline pay rise would be a backdated pay rise of 5% for last year, followed by 4% this year. But some workers could see pay rise by as much as 13% over the two years, the RDG claims.
The group said the RMT had blocked potential deals "without a convincing explanation".
It added that it remained "open to talks" and continues to urge the union to put the offer to members in a vote.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The RMT leadership's decision to call more strikes and cynically target the travelling public over the Bank Holiday weekend is disappointing."The government has facilitated fair and reasonable pay offers. However, union bosses are opting to prolong this dispute by blocking their members from having a vote on these offers - we continue to urge that members are given their say, and disruption is brought to an end", they added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66479059 |
Perseid meteor shower lights up skies - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Up to 100 shooting stars an hour were visible in one of the year's most anticipated astronomical events. | The annual Perseid meteor shower has lit up skies across the world to the delight of those hoping to catch a glimpse of a shooting star.
The phenomenon brings up to 100 meteors an hour, as the Earth slams into the debris left behind from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
As the debris hits the Earth's atmosphere it burns up, resulting in the bright flashes known as shooting stars, which can be seen with the naked eye.
The natural display happens at a similar time in July and August each year, and this year peaked between Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday.
Heavy cloud over much of the UK meant many stargazers were disappointed, although some sightings were possible over Yorkshire, north-east England and parts of southern Scotland.
Looking ahead to the chances of spotting a shooting star over the coming days, BBC weather forecaster Billy Payne said many should be able to get a glimpse despite less than perfect conditions.
"Tonight, we'll see cloud and rain spreading across much of England and Wales, so viewing opportunities will be limited," he said.
"East Anglia and the south-east and the far north of England may see some breaks for a time before cloud increases later.
"Scotland and Northern Ireland will have a few clear spells overnight but even here there will be some areas of cloud around.
"Tomorrow night should offer better conditions as cloud and rain gives way to clearer skies for many.
"Rain may drag its heels across northern England though, while the far north and west are likely to see areas of cloud come and go, particularly towards coasts and hills."
A meteor was spotted in front of the Sphinx Door at the ancient city of Hattusa, in Turkey
Two meteors streaked across the night sky above Leeberg hill in Grossmugl, Austria
The meteors - which can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a pea - hit the Earth's atmosphere at speeds of 134,000 mph (215,000 km/h). The blazing debris does not pose any danger to us on Earth.
It is considered one of the best astronomical events because it produces bright meteors and is one of the most active.
This beautiful shot catches a shooting star and the lighthouse of the island of Lastovo in Croatia
Sky watchers on the same island in Croatia brought out a telescope hoping to catch sight of a meteor
This year, Nasa's All Sky Fireball Network, which observes meteors using a network of cameras, detected the first Perseid meteor on 26 July.
A meteor streaks in the night sky during annual Perseid meteor shower at Shebenik National Park, in Fushe Stude, Albania.
It is called a "Perseid" meteor shower because the meteors appear to originate from the constellation of Perseus - named after a figure from Greek mythology.
The Milky Way can be seen behind a Perseid meteor in this photo taken in Cantabria in Spain
A meteor can be seen during the annual Perseid meteor shower in Ronda, Spain
Callum White said he spent Saturday night in the Wye Valley for the Perseid meteor shower.
"I spent three hours looking out over the River Wye and although the cloud rolled in and out throughout, I saw quite a few meteors and the camera captured even more - they have all been combined to produce this photo."
Callum White spent three hours looking over the River Wye - "I saw quite a few meteors and the camera captured even more" | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66486813 |
Huge cardboard building pops up in Newcastle city centre - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The structure is made from 1,500 cardboard boxes and rises more than 45ft (14m) into the sky. | The structure has been built in a workshop over several days
A huge building made entirely from cardboard boxes has popped up in Newcastle city centre.
The structure, which towers above trees and street lights and is 45ft (14m) tall, has been built outside the Civic Centre.
It is an art installation and is part of the Novum Summer Festival, which is making its debut in the city.
Hundreds of volunteers, including children, have helped to make more than 1,500 parts over several days.
Designed by French visual artist Olivier Grossetête, the towering building was erected without any machinery on Friday.
However, it will not last long as it is designed to be toppled by hand on Sunday, when the festival ends.
Olivier Grossetête designed the structure which is being displayed until Sunday
"When the people are together, it's possible to make beautiful things," said Mr Grossetête.
"The finality is not this [the structure], but what is happening around this. It is beautiful to see it [being torn down) too."
The life-size structure has been designed to mimic a four-storey hall, although Mr Grossetête is known for basing other cardboard structures on real-life buildings.
In recent years he has recreated landmarks including Donnington Castle, while he has been commissioned to recreate a currently unknown Ipswich venue later this year.
Volunteers spent a number of hours piecing the boxes together with brown tape in relatively dry weather, earlier.
It has been constructed out of cardboard boxes
Jim Mawdsley, principal advisor, culture and events at Newcastle City Council, said he hoped the creation would kick-start the arrival of similar pieces of art at future festivals.
"As we move forwards, we're going to make it bigger, have different art forms doing big, impressive pieces of dance and music.
"We just want it to become synonymous with Newcastle... this is just the beginning, Novum means new and this is just the beginning".
Once the structure is destroyed, it is expected the boxes will be recycled.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66480319 |
Hawaii fires latest: Death toll rises to 67 as Lahaina residents return - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The death toll has risen to 67, the county said, as residents are permitted to return. | From right to left: Lisa Schmidt, Erin Grayson and Brooke Ferguson Image caption: From right to left: Lisa Schmidt, Erin Grayson and Brooke Ferguson
I was speaking to a family of tourists from Portland, Oregon, who were visiting Maui.
Staying at the Westin Ka'anapali – a little way outside the badly-damaged town of Lahaina – grandmother Lisa Schmidt, mother Erin Grayson and daughter Brooke Ferguson were forced to flee from the fires.
Schmidt says she was most emotional when she discovered that the townspeople were not warned of the fires, that it “just took people by surprise that were in downtown Lahaina”.
“It just breaks my heart that people just lost everything. Everything. And with no warning. The warning system didn’t work, that’s just horrible.”
They drove through Lahaina on their way to the shelter, and saw its devastation first hand.
“It looked like a bomb went off there,” says Ferguson.
They saw cars that were burned up, and “houses burned to the ground”. Only random, “sporadic” buildings were still left standing, they say. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-66461158 |
MP Angus MacNeil expelled by SNP after chief whip row - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The Western Isles MP was suspended from the party's Westminster group last month. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Western Isles MP said the SNP are 'not being serious about independence'
MP Angus MacNeil has been expelled from the SNP after he was suspended from its Westminster group last month.
The Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) MP had been suspended after reportedly clashing with party chief whip Brendan O'Hara.
The SNP conduct committee met on Thursday after he refused to rejoin the group at the end of his suspension.
The party confirmed that Mr MacNeil was expelled after a breach of their code of conduct.
Mr MacNeil said he would stand as an independent candidate at the next general election.
Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Mr MacNeil reiterated that he had not left the SNP and that he had been expelled in an "ad hoc" manner by a committee on Thursday night.
He said the party had "lost its way quite badly" and criticised a number of policies championed by the Scottish Greens, including gender reform and Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
However he said the SNP's main problem was "not personalities", adding: "The real problem the SNP have got is not being serious about independence and believably serious about independence.
"Jobs at Holyrood are far more important than creating an election that might give the people the chance to get away from… anything that's associated with the difficulties in Westminster.
"It's in the SNP's gift to do something about it and it's chosen not to take that opportunity and that's what I find very frustrating."
During an event at the Edinburgh Fringe, First Minister Humza Yousaf told broadcaster Iain Dale that Mr MacNeil's expulsion was the correct move.
He said: "The party did not leave him. He left the party. He wrote a statement to say he left the party.
"Regardless of length of service as a politician, you were elected on party ticket and you can't pick and choose when you are in or out of party. We should all be held to same standard.
"Joanna Cherry demonstrates how we can have differences and remain within party."
Angus MacNeil was one of the SNP's longest-serving MPs, having first been elected in 2005, but has been a vocal critic of the party leadership in recent years, particularly over its independence strategy.
He was involved in a row with chief whip Mr O'Hara in July over missing votes in the House of Commons.
It was alleged he had threatened Mr O'Hara during a confrontation - an allegation Mr MacNeil denies - and he had the whip removed for a week.
Following the falling-out, he announced he would sit as an independent MP until at least October.
His membership of the party was suspended as he refused to immediately rejoin the SNP group.
He then released a statement attacking the SNP leadership's approach to independence, accusing it of a lack of urgency. "I will only seek the SNP whip again if it is clear that the SNP are pursuing independence," he wrote.The SNP's code of conduct requires members who resign from a party group - at any level of government - to also resign as a member of the parliament they were elected to.
A party spokesperson said: "Following his decision to resign from the SNP Westminster Parliamentary Group, and therefore no longer sit as an SNP MP, the unanimous decision of the SNP's Member Conduct Committee is that a breach of the code of conduct has occurred and Angus MacNeil MP has been expelled from the Party.
"Mr MacNeil was given the opportunity to rejoin the group, and subsequently chose not to attend the hearing."
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher said Mr MacNeil's expulsion was evidence of "civil war engulfing" the SNP and questioned the first minister's ability to manage party conflicts.
She said: "Humza Yousaf cuts a weak, inconsistent figure - a leader in name only, being buffeted by events rather than shaping them."
This saga brings to an end Angus MacNeil's 18-year SNP representation of the Western Isles at Westminster.
A colourful character and well-liked across the political divide, he's not made any secret of his frustrations about the party's independence strategy. Things have now come to a head.
Mr MacNeil will stand as an independent candidate at the next general election, after a year languishing on the green benches as an independent.
This will cause another headache in the constituency for the SNP - possibly splitting the pro-independence vote against a Labour candidate that is said to be liked and respected locally. He is Torcuil Crichton, the Daily Record's former Westminster editor.
More fundamentally for SNP leader Humza Yousaf, this expulsion further tears open divides in the party that had been almost masked under the Sturgeon leadership.
The SNP already faces a by-election following the recall of Rutherglen MP, Margaret Ferrier
Furthermore, Mr Yousaf could face internal dissent at SNP conference in October. We've already heard this week rumblings against the SNP's deal with the Greens.
Angus MacNeil is said to have been an SNP member for almost 30 years. For the first time in a generation, he will not be able to attend the conference now he's been expelled from the party. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66470026 |
When do England play Colombia in Women’s World Cup, kick-off time and how to follow it? - BBC Sport | 2023-08-12 | England's Women's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. | When do England play Colombia in Women’s World Cup, kick-off time and how to follow it? Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
England are hoping to reach their third successive World Cup semi-final Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website & app. England's Women's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia on Saturday 12 August (11:30 BST) will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. As well as live commentary, highlights will be available to UK users on the BBC Sport website and app throughout the day and at 19:00 BST on BBC Three. The BBC will also show both World Cup semi-finals, while the final will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The match is being broadcast live on ITV in the UK. Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66442337 |
Watford Grandad finishes 1,650 mile bus trip round England - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Stephen Chitty travelled the length and breadth of the country on 117 public buses for charity. | Stephen Chitty used his free bus pass to travel 1,650 miles by bus
A 70-year-old grandfather has completed a 40-day challenge to travel the length and breadth of England entirely by public buses for charity.
Stephen Chitty from Watford, Hertfordshire, went on 117 buses for more than 1,650 miles (2,655km).
His trip started and finished in his home town and went to places such as Hayle in Cornwall, Liverpool, Ambleside in Cumbria, Newcastle and Norwich.
"I was amazed by the kindness and generosity of people I met," he said.
Mr Chitty has raised more than £1,900 for faith-based charity Mercy Ships.
It uses hospital ships to deliver free healthcare services, including surgery and medical training, to low-income countries.
The retired teacher was able to visit major UK landmarks such as Land's End
He said: "Travelling on your own for 40 days can be quite lonely but it was a true bonus to meet so many lovely people and go to so many places I have not been before."
Mr Chitty left Watford on 26 June and used his free bus pass to head to Kent along the south coast to the South West of England before heading up through the Midlands to the North of England.
He then travelled down the east coast, into Essex and back to Hertfordshire.
"I really appreciate all those who have been sponsoring me and giving me a bed for the night and also for all the support I received, including all those who prayed for me on my journey," he said.
Stephen Chitty said people offered him rooms for the night and had an AirBnB let him stay for free in Dover
His daughter Lizzie Chitty, a nurse who works at Nottingham University Hospital, has volunteered for the charity.
She said he "wanted to do something special to mark his 70th birthday with each of his three children" after visiting her on a hospital ship and wanted to support the charity.
Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66479729 |
Lost homes and missing loved ones after Maui wildfires - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Getting in contact with loved ones has been made difficult by poor mobile reception on the island. | Oprah was handing out supplies at the War Memorial Stadium on Thursday
A long line of at least 100 cars stretched towards Maui's War Memorial Stadium on Thursday, even as the shelter began reaching capacity.
Scores of evacuees have arrived here and set up camp after wildfires tore through the Hawaiian island, destroying entire neighbourhoods and leaving many residents with nowhere to stay.
Volunteers have been trying to create a comfortable atmosphere despite the heat, offering local treats like shaved ice. But conditions are still challenging.
People have to bring their own bedding to the shelter, so many are sleeping on bare cots and air mattresses. And after seeing what people were in need of, part-time Maui resident and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, brought pillows and other goods.
Tom Leonard has lived in Lahaina for 44 years. He told the BBC he has been staying at the shelter for the past two days after losing all of his possessions. He has no idea where he will go next.
Tom Leonard has lived in Maui for decades, but has lost all of his possessions
More concerning than the loss of possessions, are the loved ones that people have yet to hear back from. There is even a sense of guilt for some people here.
Hundreds are said to be missing. At least 55 people have died and that number is expected to rise.
Getting in contact with loved ones has been made even more challenging by the fact mobile service on the island has been unreliable.
People are doing what they can at the shelter, writing down the names of their loved ones along with their contact information and sticking notes on increasingly crowded whiteboards.
Maui resident Ellie Erickson created a Google spreadsheet to crowdsource efforts to find people. Although she only shared it on Wednesday morning, thousands of names have already been added to the list. Some are marked in green as "found" and other names are marked in red as "not located".
With the names of the dead not yet confirmed, people have only rumours to go on to know whether their neighbours and friends are still alive.
Chelsey Vierra's great-grandmother, Louise Abihai, lives at the Hale Mahaolu senior living facility. She told the Associated Press that she did not know if she was OK.
"She doesn't have a phone. She's 97 years old," Ms Vierra said. "She can walk. She is strong."
"If you never made contact with your family before sunset last night, you're still trying to figure out where they are," Leomana Turalde, 36, told USA Today. He has several aunties who live near Lahaina's popular Front Street which bore some of the heaviest.
One of them went missing on Wednesday morning.
At the shelter, Les Munn, 42, recalled packing his belongings as the hurricane winds began coming to shore. His building then caught fire around him. "Everything went black", he said, as the smoke began pouring in.
"I ran up, knocking on some of my neighbours doors. And some of them wouldn't come out," he said, sounding perplexed by their decision.
Eventually he ran outside, spotted a blue light from a police car through the dense black smoke, and ran and dove into the back of the vehicle. "And that's how I survived," he said from his shelter cot.
He added that he had not seen any of his neighbours in the shelter and was concerned for their safety.
"I don't know their fate," he said. "I don't know if they survived."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Four factors that made Maui wildfires so deadly | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66477818 |
Line of Duty's Vicky McClure announces marriage live on air - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen reveal their wedding on his daughter's BBC Wales radio show. | Jonny Owen and Vicky McClure tied the knot in Nottingham on Friday
Actor Vicky McClure and her film producer partner Jonny Owen have announced they are married - live on radio on their wedding day.
The star of the BBC's Line of Duty and her Welsh husband tied the knot in her home city of Nottingham on Friday.
Fresh from the ceremony, they appeared on a late night BBC Radio Wales show hosted by Katie Owen, Jonny's daughter.
She revealed on her show: "If anyone's listening, this is my dad and Vicky McClure and they've just got married".
"We're married," the bride replied on the programme.
"We've had the most amazing special day. We're gutted that you've had to go back but we're so proud of you for what you're doing.
In a photo shared on social media, the couple were seen dancing in front of the Our Dementia Choir, a group of singers with dementia McClure founded in 2019.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Vicky McClure MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
"You're missing lots of dancing, Katie, but we can do that again. We love you and miss you."
Katie Owen completed a 160-mile journey to Cardiff for her radio show.
Katie Owen, pictured with her dad, had to change out of her dress for the wedding in the train toilets as she headed to Cardiff for her BBC show
"I left after the ceremony, got the train to Central Square and changed out of my wedding dress in the train toilets," she said.
"It was beautiful, lots of Welsh flags. I left the after-party as everyone was arriving which was hard but worth it when I got to the studio.
"(It) was lush being the first exclusive announcement too on BBC Radio Wales."
The day of her father's wedding, Katie was back in the radio studio
Tributes on social media came from McClure's fellow This Is England actress Jo Hartley who said: "It was so amazing to be there and share it with your family and friends - love you both."
Former Lioness and I'm A Celebrity winner Jill Scott added "yous look amazing congrats", while singer Sophie Ellis Bextor wrote "that's so lovely! Congratulations xx".
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by BBC Radio Wales This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
McClure is best known for her roles as Det Insp Kate Fleming in the BBC police series Line of Duty, and as Lol Jenkins in the film This Is England and its sequel mini-series on Channel 4.
Owen, from Merthyr Tydfil, is a film producer, director and actor.
He appeared in Channel 4's Shameless, won a Welsh Bafta in 2007 for the documentary The Aberfan Disaster, and directed Don't Take Me Home, the story of the Wales football team at Euro 2016. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66484657 |
Amazon releases some seller funds after complaints - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Amazon withheld some seller takings temporarily but is releasing them after some businesses came close to collapse. | Daniel Moore had £230,000 frozen by Amazon, and said business is still suffering after the money was released
Amazon has started releasing some sellers' funds back to them after many UK and EU sellers complained of money being held unexpectedly.
The change in policy comes after the BBC reported Amazon's actions led some businesses being close to collapse.
Amazon told some sellers it will now delay the temporary holds on money until January 2024.
But one ink seller, Daniel Moore, who had £230,000 frozen, said Amazon were only "delaying our anguish".
Amazon wrote in an email to one seller in the early hours of Saturday: "We understand that the transition to this policy on 3 August has caused a one-time cash-flow issue for your business. To support you in preparing for the policy change, we have extended your policy transition until 31 January 2024".
Amazon's initial policy update sent in May stated it would temporarily hold seller funds to cover customer refund demands. It said sellers would be able to withdraw their money only from the delivery date plus a further seven days.
The policy was implemented on 3 August across the UK and EU for sellers registered before August 2016.
But Amazon's email about the change was not seen by many EU and UK sellers, and in many cases was automatically sent to their junk folder.
The change comes at a time businesses are struggling with the soaring costs of living and increases in energy bills, materials and operating costs.
Andy Pycock, 53, from Buckinghamshire, sells home, garden and leisure products on Amazon and had £25,000 frozen on 3 August.
He had taken out a loan with Amazon Lending to cover the period of withdrawals being frozen - and paid fees to have the loan restructured.
Andy Pycock, 53, said he will likely reduce his selling activity on Amazon after its "inconsistency"
But hours later on early Saturday morning, he was told of Amazon's policy change, meaning his takings were available again.
He said his business had suffered a slowdown as he was unable to afford to restock and fulfil orders during the period his money was frozen.
Andy, who has been selling on Amazon since 2016, said the lack of notification and last-minute changes from Amazon have made him question his future involvement with the firm.
He said Amazon's explanations as to why it will be holding money from established sellers like him sounded like "corporate gobbledegook".
"This doesn't make any sense," Andy told the BBC. "Amazon is toxic as equally as it is brilliant - but we also feel they're our greatest enemy right now".
He says he "dreads" looking at his Amazon Seller account due to its various changes and "confusing" implementation of policy.
Amazon said the policy was introduced to align all sellers worldwide on to the same structure.
However, some UK and EU sellers have been told it will be implemented in September, whilst others are now being told it will be implemented in January next year.
One seller on Amazon's Seller Forums called the situation "shambolic".
Daniel Moore said that amount of his takings which Amazon had frozen was "disproportionately high versus the potential refunds processed by customer returns or non-delivery".
Having hundreds of thousands of pounds of his takings frozen meant he was unable to pay his VAT bill on time, or order new stock.
He says he received notification on Saturday saying all of his takings had now been released, but that the pause in income led to issues along his whole supply chain that could take up to two further weeks to resolve.
He said the delay in the implementation of Amazon's temporary hold policy was "initially good news", but that "it simply kicks the can down the road to a month where corporation tax and personal tax is due. January is a very difficult month".
Daniel said the policy "is still unfair" and that established sellers like his firm Ink Jungle posed "no risk" to Amazon, and should not have "suffer a delay in payment" - especially as he is used to withdrawing money every day.
"If items are being delivered tracked or by FBA what is the risk? It makes no sense to hold onto the funds for so long after delivery", Daniel added.
FBA, Fulfilled by Amazon, is where sellers keep their stock in Amazon's warehouse, and Amazon delivers the goods to buyers once sold.
Amazon's change in policy implementation for affected sellers comes after small business minister Kevin Hollinrake had demanded the tech giant explain how it will "mitigate" the effects of the policy on many sellers, in a letter seen by the BBC.
Seller Marios Katz was unable to pay bills, restock, or fulfil orders whilst his money was frozen. He sells CDs and vinyl. Marios says he has now had £5,000 released from his frozen funds.
He was "happy" that he could now resume withdrawing amounts daily for the day-to-day running of his business.
"But I cannot celebrate, as I cannot trust Amazon.
"I'm still scared about the policy taking effect in January", he said.
Amazon said the vast majority of its sellers were not affected by the temporary hold implemented on 3 August.
It is not yet clear if companies will receive compensation for any losses incurred during the period that their withdrawals were frozen.
Amazon said many sellers now have access to funds. A spokesperson said: "We are listening to sellers' concerns and are in contact with those who have experienced a one-time cash flow disruption".
The issues are similar to those faced by Etsy sellers after that marketplace began withholding 75% of sellers' funds for around 45 days. Hundreds of sellers complained it was undermining their businesses. Etsy reduced the amount it was holding after a BBC report in to the problem. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66486803 |
Anthony Joshua v Robert Helenius: Briton wins with one-punch knockout in round seven - BBC Sport | 2023-08-12 | Heavyweight Anthony Joshua spectacularly knocks out Robert Helenius with one punch in round seven, after boxing tentatively in the first half of the fight at London's O2 Arena. | Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Heavyweight Anthony Joshua spectacularly knocked out Robert Helenius with one punch in round seven, after boxing tentatively in the first half of the fight at London's O2 Arena.
The 33-year-old Briton - who was jeered by fans during the bout - landed nothing of note until a huge right to the jaw ended Helenius' night.
The win - Joshua's first stoppage victory in two-and-a-half years - sets up a blockbuster fight with American Deontay Wilder in January.
"It's a fickle sport, you've got to be real about this industry and not get caught up. I've done my job tonight," Joshua told BBC Radio 5 live.
When asked in the ring about the potential fight with Wilder, Joshua joked: "My back's gone, is there a doctor in here? I want to carry this heavyweight division to the top."
After the knockout, an emotionally charged and smiling Joshua climbed out of the ring, high-fived fans and shared a beer with Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.
Helenius needed oxygen after the heavy knockdown, but recovered and left the ring unassisted after congratulating Joshua.
• None 'A highlight reel KO but not the ruthless Joshua many expected'
Joshua extends his record to 26 wins - with 23 stoppages - and three defeats.
Finland's Helenius - who took the bout on a week's notice after Briton Dillian Whyte failed a voluntary drug test - loses his fifth pro fight in 36 outings.
Joshua struggled to find any rhythm but the manner of the finish may just be the confidence-boosting win he so desperately needed, and a gentle reminder to other heavyweights he is not yet done.
Helenius made his way to the ring in a packed out arena at the late time of 23:10 BST. Fans were offered a full refund when Whyte was withdrawn from the card, but such is the draw of Joshua there were no empty blue seats once the main event started.
The Briton confidently strode to the ring to a medley of a violinist playing the title song from the film 'The Godfather' and then the more upbeat 'Insomnia' by Faithless.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist - fighting at the O2 Arena for the ninth time - kept his eyes firmly locked on Helenius during the introductions, who mockingly clapping back.
Helenius took the middle of the ring and swung a wild left in the first few seconds. The 'Nordic Nightmare' looked unfazed by the hostile atmosphere but neither man landed anything of note in a cagey opener.
Joshua was moving freely, looking to set traps but throwing single shots and not imposing himself on the stand-in fighter.
Fans started to become restless as early as the third. Boos echoed around the arena. The crowd wanted to see combinations, not this tentative approach.
Joshua had not knocked out an opponent in the first half of a fight since beating Eric Molina in 2016, a staggering statistic for someone once considered one of the heaviest hitters in boxing.
The Watford-born fighter landed a solid left in the fourth which sent Helenius backpedalling, but there was no sustained attack to follow.
Helenius grew in confidence, landing jabs to mark Joshua under the eye in the fifth. There were more jeers from a bored crowd at the halfway stage.
"It's hard to find the right hand," Joshua told trainer Derrick James. The American replied: "Keep trying."
Joshua adhered to the instructions. Those fans who left their seats missed what promoter Eddie Hearn described as the "knockout of the year".
A double feint followed by a right sent the Finn to the canvas, with referee Victor Loughlin halting the contest.
Representatives from Saudi Arabia were in attendance, keen to conclude negotiations for a Joshua-Wilder mega-fight in the Middle East early next year.
All Joshua had to do was avoid a potential banana skin in Helenius. Fortunately for him and Wilder, there was no slip-up.
"We hope it's imminent," Hearn said. "That's why he wanted the Dillian Whyte fight, it's hard for him to get up to fights like this.
"If he hits Wilder on the chin then it's over. This is about Anthony Joshua now, it's not about pleasing others. He's given everything to British boxing."
Joshua-Wilder is a fight which has been mooted several times before, notably when the two heavyweights collectively held all four world titles.
Boxing politics starved it from happening then, but it appears the money offered for a Middle East showdown will be too good for either fighter - or their promoters - to turn down.
The winner will be propelled back towards world-title contention, the loser consoled by a career-high purse.
Alabama's Wilder is one of the most ferocious punchers in heavyweight history. 'The Bronze Bomber' stopped Helenius in under three minutes in October, and Joshua was under pressure to deliver an equally devastating, statement win.
Despite the sensational finish, there are still plenty of question marks surrounding Joshua's performance. The same cautious approach may not be wise against Wilder.
"I just want to see AJ fight someone of the calibre of Robert Helenius and treat him like Wilder," former world champion David Haye said on BBC 5 live.
"He can't just stand there and jab, it doesn't work against Wilder. He will run through him." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/66487937 |
Licensing row as grouse shooting season begins - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Landowners and climate campaigners are divided over proposals for a licensing scheme for grouse moors. | The Scottish Greens say grouse shooting is a "cruel and outdated hobby"
The annual grouse shooting season is getting under way with land owners and climate campaigners divided over proposals for a licensing scheme.
The Scottish government said it wants to minimise the impact of grouse moors through new legislation at Holyrood.
But land owners said the Glorious 12th, one of the busiest days of the shooting season, is at risk from the "excessive" regulations being considered by MSPs.
The government introduced the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill earlier this year.
It is currently being considered by committees at stage one of its journey through parliament. The legislation seeks to implement recommendations for increased grouse moor management and trap regulation as set out in the Werritty review in December 2019
If passed by MSPs, a licence would be required to kill red grouse and inspectors would be given increased powers to investigate suspected wildlife crime.
It would also introduce stricter rules on muirburn, the practice of using fire as a land management tool.
Critics say grouse moors are bad for Scotland's landscapes
As shooters gathered for the official opening of the season on Saturday, Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) called for the government to amend its bill.
It said the game and country sports sector was worth more than £350m to the economy and supported 11,000 jobs.
Ross Ewing, SLE's director of moorland, said: "Sustainable grouse moor management provides a huge boost to the economy, bringing visitors to rural areas from August to December and providing revenue which underpins rural jobs year-round."
He described the Scottish government scheme as "excessively disproportionate" because he said it would allow NatureScot to suspend a licence when an investigation started "without being satisfied that any relevant offence has been committed".
Mr Ewing argued that grouse moors provide environmental benefits through carbon capture, peatland restoration and wildfire prevention.
He added: "Sustainable grouse moor management provides remarkable conservation benefits, particularly for ground-nesting birds, birds of prey, rare moorland plants and pollinators.
"The uplands are home to specialist species that benefit enormously from land management for red grouse."
However, climate campaigners Extinction Rebellion said they would hold a protest on the "inglorious 12th" at Dundee Airport, which is near several large hunting estates.
The group said grouse moor management had "huge environmental costs", including the burning of heather and the culling of other species.
The Scottish Greens said the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill was a key pillar of the Bute House Agreement, the party's power-sharing deal with the SNP at Holyrood.
Ariane Burgess, the party's rural affairs spokeswoman, described the Glorious 12th as "a festival of violence" and a "cruel and outdated hobby".
She said the new government measures were necessary following incidents of illegal persecution of birds of prey, such as golden eagles, in grouse moor areas.
"The intensive burning and degradation of our landscapes to try and improve the habitat for red grouse, so that there are more of them to be shot, is unnecessary and damages the local environment and our climate," Ms Burgess added.
"Our world renowned landscapes and nature are for all of us. They must serve local communities, rather than the interests of the small number of wealthy people who pursue these niche and elitist blood sports."
The Scottish government said it had carefully considered the implications of its proposals.
Environment Minister Gillian Martin said: "The provisions in the bill provide for a practical, proportionate and targeted licensing regime which will support those carrying out activities appropriately and in line with the law, and will have consequences for those that don't." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66476893 |
K2: Climbers deny walking by dying guide in bid to break record - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Footage has emerged appearing to show Kristin Harila’s team climbing over Mohammed Hassan on Pakistan's K2. | A well-known Norwegian mountaineer has denied accusations that her team climbed over an injured guide during a bid to break a world record.
The porter, named as Mohammed Hassan, had fallen off a ledge on Pakistan's K2 - the world's second-highest mountain.
Video on social media appears to show a group walking by Mr Hassan, who reportedly died a few hours later.
But Kristin Harila told the BBC she and her team tried everything to help him in dangerous conditions.
"It's a tragic accident... here is a father and son and a husband who lost his life that day on K2. I think that's very, very sad that it ended this way," she said.
The Norwegian was heading for K2's summit to secure a world record and become the fastest climber to scale all peaks above 8,000m (26,000ft).
During the ascent on 27 July, Mr Hassan reportedly fell from an extremely narrow path known as a bottleneck.
Two climbers from Austria, Philip Flämig and Wilhelm Steindl, have posted pictures appearing to show people climbing over him. It is unclear what point of the incident the images purport to show.
The pair were also on the mountain that day, but had cancelled their ascent because of dangerous weather conditions and an avalanche. They had been filming for a documentary about Mr Steindl's attempt to reach the summit.
As their camera display was small, they say they only saw the details of what their drone captured the next day.
"We saw a guy alive, lying in the traverse in the bottleneck. And people were stepping over him on the way to the summit. And there was no rescue mission.," Mr Steindl told the BBC.
"I was really shocked. And I was really sad. I started to cry about the situation that people just passed him and there was no rescue mission
Mr Hassan was being treated by one person "while everyone else" moved towards the summit in a "heated, competitive summit rush", Mr Flämig told Austria's Der Standard newspaper.
Ms Harila, however, has denied the accusations that Mr Hassan was left to die.
Speaking to the BBC's The World Tonight programme, Ms Harila said members of her team tried to help Mr Hassan but it was "not possible" to get him back down the narrow route, which was crowded with other climbers.
She said Mr Hassan was "not part of our team" and she had not seen him fall, but that he had not been left alone once the larger group realised he was hurt.
Kristin Harila set a record to become the fastest climber to scale all peaks above 8,000m (26,000ft)
Ms Harila suggested there were questions to answer for the company that employed Mr Hassan - who was part of a "fixing" team sent ahead of the climbing group to secure ropes - because he appeared not to have an oxygen supply or suitable cold weather clothing.
She added: "We were trying to save him, we did everything we could for many hours... it's a very, very narrow path.
"How are you going to climb and traverse and carry [a person]? It's not possible."
In an earlier Instagram post describing what happened, the Norwegian climber said she had been walking when she saw the other team Mr Hassan was part of a few metres ahead before the "tragic accident" happened.
She said no-one was to blame for his death, adding that she had decided to make the statement to stop the spread of "misinformation and hatred".
Ms Harila said she did not see exactly what took place, but the next thing she knew, Mr Hassan "was hanging upside down" on a rope between two ice anchors, with his harness "all the way down around his knees. In addition, he was not wearing a down suit and his stomach was exposed to snow".
Her team tried for an hour-and-a-half to fasten a rope to the guide and give him oxygen and hot water, she recounted, until "an avalanche went off around the corner".
Having established her team were safe, she said she understood more help was coming and decided to move forward to avoid overcrowding on the bottleneck. Her cameraman stayed behind to help until he himself ran low on oxygen.
"It was only when we came back down that we saw Hassan had passed and we were ourselves in no shape to carry his body down."
She did not say if anyone was with the injured porter when her cameraman left, or when they passed his body upon their descent.
K2, along the Pakistan-China border, stands at 8,611m (28,251ft) and is regarded as one of the most challenging and dangerous mountains to climb.
Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66471990 |
Bibby Stockholm: Asylum seekers describe life on barge - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Fifteen men boarded the government's new accommodation barge for asylum seekers in Dorset on Monday. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Inside the housing barge after first asylum seekers board
Some of the first group of men to board the Bibby Stockholm have described their first days on the barge.
One asylum seeker told the BBC it was like a prison and felt there was not enough room to accommodate up to 500 people onboard, as the government plans.
Another person on board praised the food and called the barge "quite a nice place" with small but "clean and tidy rooms".
The Home Office says the barge will provide better value for the taxpayer as pressure on the asylum system from small boats arrivals continues to grow.
Moored in Portland Port, Dorset, it is the first barge secured under the government's plans to reduce the cost of asylum accommodation.
Monday saw the first 15 asylum seekers board the Bibby Stockholm after a series of delays over safety concerns. It will house men aged 18 to 65 while they await the outcome of their asylum applications.
An Afghan asylum seeker, whom the BBC is not identifying, said: "The sound of locks and security checks gives me the feeling of entering Alcatraz prison.
"My roommate panicked in the middle of the night and felt like he was drowning. There are people among us who have been given heavy drugs for depression by the doctor here."
He said he had been given a small room, and the dining hall had capacity for fewer than 150 people.
"Like a prison, it [the barge] has entrance and exit gates, and at some specific hours, we have to take a bus, and after driving a long distance, we go to a place where we can walk. We feel very bad," the man added.
There is 24/7 security in place on board the Bibby Stockholm and asylum seekers are issued with ID swipe cards and have to pass through airport-style security scans to get on and off.
Asylum seekers are expected to take a shuttle bus to the port exit for security reasons. There is no curfew, but if they aren't back there will be a "welfare call".
The Home Office has said it would support their welfare by providing basic healthcare, organised activities and recreation.
The first group of men arrived on Monday. The Care4Calais charity said it was providing legal support to a further 20 asylum seekers who refused to move to Portland and are challenging the decision.
On Tuesday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Griffiths, said that moving to the barge was "not a choice" and if people choose not to comply "they will be taken outside of the asylum support system".
"Many of us entered Britain nine to 11 months ago, by airplane. Some of us applied for asylum at the airport. We did not come by boat," the Afghan man said.
"It has been two weeks since we received a letter in which they threatened that if we do not agree to go, our aid and NHS will be cut off.
"There are people among us who take medicine. We accepted. We waited for two weeks and didn't even have time to bring clean clothes."
Two other asylum seekers on board the barge said the "food is good" and described the rooms as "small, but nice, clean and tidy".
The men, aged 19 and 25, said they had arrived in the UK earlier this year by plane, not on a small boat crossing the Channel.
They said they faced religious persecution in their home country, which the BBC is not identifying to protect their anonymity.
They also described a gym and a TV lounge on board.
"The food is good, much better than the hotel," the 25-year-old told BBC News.
The 19-year-old added there is an IT centre inside but they can only use it at allocated times.
"We have indoor games. We have a football ground, small basketball hoops and some board games - it's quite a nice place."
However he said he was not happy on board because he had been removed from a religious community where he had previously been housed.
"I don't say I am happy. But it's okay because I have to be here. I was happy when I was with my people, with my community," he said.
"Our main purpose is to practice our religion."
He added he had requested not to be moved from his hotel on the south coast to the barge, but his request was refused.
"They said that you have to go to the barge. It's basically on a no-choice basis, so you have to come here."
The 19-year-old said he hoped to complete his studies in the UK and become a software developer. The 25-year-old said he wanted to work in international relations.
The government says it is spending £6m per day housing more than 50,000 migrants in hotels.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "This marks a further step forward in the government's work to bring forward alternative accommodation options as part of its pledge to reduce the use of expensive hotels and move to a more orderly, sustainable system which is more manageable for local communities."
"This is a tried-and-tested approach that mirrors that taken by our European neighbours, the Scottish government and offers better value for the British taxpayer," they added.
The Home Office says that by the autumn, they aim to house about 3,000 asylum seekers in places that aren't hotels - such as the barge, and former military sites Wethersfield, in Essex, and Scampton, in Lincolnshire. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66444120 |
Sam Bankman-Fried headed to jail after bail revoked - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | A judge is sending the founder of bankrupt crypto firm FTX to jail while awaiting trial on fraud charges. | Sam Bankman-Fried arrives in court in New York on 11 August 2023
Sam Bankman-Fried, who was arrested on fraud charges last year after the collapse of his cryptocurrency firm, must await trial behind bars, a US judge has ordered.
The 31-year-old was handcuffed in court and led away, while his mother watched in tears after the decision.
Judge Lewis Kaplan had agreed with prosecutors who had accused Mr Bankman-Fried of trying to influence witnesses expected to testify against him.
He had denied the claims.
Speaking in court on Friday, Judge Kaplan said: "There is probable cause to believe that the defendant has attempted to tamper with witnesses at least twice."
The hearing on whether to revoke Mr Bankman-Fried's bail came ahead of trial, which is scheduled for October.
The 31-year-old was arrested in December after being accused of misusing money from investors and customers of his bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX to pay for property, political donations and plug losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research.
The former billionaire denied the claims and was released to his parents' home in Palo Alto, California on a $250m (£197m) bond.
He was forced to hand over his belongings from his pockets and remove his shoelaces, jacket and tie before the US Marshals Service took him away on Friday, according to Reuters.
His father was also in court and placed his hand over his heart as his son was led away in handcuffs.
The court had already moved to tighten restrictions faced by Mr Bankman-Fried earlier this year, citing his efforts to contact people involved in the case and his use of a virtual private network.
The latest request from prosecutors was sparked by a July article in the New York Times, which quoted confessional writings by Caroline Ellison, Mr Bankman-Fried's sometime girlfriend and the former chief executive of Alameda.
In the article, Ms Ellison, who pleaded guilty to fraud last year and is expected to testify against Mr Bankman-Fried, was quoted reflecting on their break-up and how she felt "overwhelmed" at work.
Prosecutors said Mr Bankman-Fried had shared the documents to try to make his case in the media that Ms Ellison was a "jilted lover" who had worked alone.
They also argued that it would have a chilling effect on other potential witnesses because it could make them fear "personal humiliation and efforts to discredit their reputation" beyond what would be permitted in court. They said he had participated in roughly 1,000 phone calls with members of the press in recent months.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sam Bankman-Fried denies claims he knew FTX customer money was used for risky financial bets
His attorneys said he had shared documents that were already known to the reporter and had a right to speak to the media. They also said sending Mr Bankman-Fried to jail would hinder trial preparations.
Earlier this month, Judge Kaplan barred Mr Bankman-Fried from speaking about the case.
Media groups, including the New York Times and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, had asked the judge to loosen the restrictions, citing free speech considerations.
The move to jail marks a further fall from grace for Mr Bankman-Fried, an MIT graduate and son of Stanford professors, whose work in crypto transformed him into a billionaire.
Known for his curly head of hair, he became a high-profile spokesman for the industry, courting celebrities and politicians and appearing on magazine covers to promote digital currencies.
His firm collapsed abruptly last year after facing a run on deposits. Mr Bankman-Fried has acknowledged sloppy record keeping but denied intentional wrongdoing. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66481020 |
Woking murder inquiry: Trio sought over death of girl, 10, have left UK - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | Police are working with international authorities to find the three people over the death in Woking. | The scene on Hammond Road in Woking remained taped off on Friday
Three people detectives want to speak to over the death of a 10-year-old girl in Woking are believed to have left the UK, police have said.
The girl's body was found after police officers were called to an address in Hammond Road, Woking, at about 02:50 BST on Thursday following a safety concern.
Det Ch Insp Debbie White said it was "a devastating incident".
The three people are believed to have left the UK on Wednesday.
Det Ch Insp White said: "We have identified three people we would like to speak to in connection with our investigation and from our enquiries, we believe that they left the country on Wednesday, 9 August. We are working with our partners, including international authorities, to locate them."
A spokesperson for the force said no-one else had been injured, and no arrests had been made. A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Tuesday.
House-to-house inquiries were being conducted on Friday, and police said they will maintain a presence at the scene over the coming week.
Insp Sandra Carlier, borough commander for Woking, said: "I know that the community are shocked and saddened by yesterday's events, and we stand with them in their grief."
A neighbour who lives directly opposite the house said a family with six children had lived at the property for less than six months.
"They were normal children, friendly. They seemed like a decent family," he said.
Flowers have been laid at the scene in tribute to the 10-year-old girl
On Thursday, Det Ch Insp White said: "Our officers are working hard to build a picture of what happened.
"We have no reason to believe there is any risk to the public."
There was a significant police presence near the address in Hammond Road, which would remain closed over the coming days, she added.
The deceased girl's family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, described the area as a "pretty normal" neighbourhood, adding: "There is no real activity going on."
Another local added: "The area is very peaceful. It is busy during term time with children walking to and from. But it's a lovely, vibrant place normally."
A spokesperson for St Mary's Horsell in Woking said the church would be open so the community could attend for "prayer, reflection or comfort".
"Our thoughts and prayers are with our whole community, but especially those who will be so deeply affected by this tragedy," they said.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-66469043 |
Ukraine war: Sex lives in focus for Ukraine's injured veterans - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The charity ReSex is providing guidance for wounded soldiers looking for help with their sex lives. | Hlib Stryzhko (left) stars in an advert for ReSex, a charity helping Ukrainian veterans with their sex lives
At a modern office in central Kyiv, a 26-year-old Ukrainian veteran is proudly playing a video on his phone that shows him passionately kissing a young woman in a kitchen.
It is an advert for ReSex: a charity that tries to help former soldiers with their sex lives, after suffering physical and mental trauma.
In March last year, invading Russian forces launched a brutal siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, pounding much of it to ruins. Hlib Stryzhko - then a marine - was one of the city's defenders.
A Russian blast knocked him from the third floor of a building to the ground. He was then crushed under rubble.
Hlib's pelvis, jaw and nose were broken, and as well as being badly concussed, he says the heat of the explosion melted his tactical goggles onto his face. He was then captured by Russian forces and taken as a prisoner of war.
The following month, Hlib was released and sent back to Ukrainian territory as part of a prisoner exchange. But he says he received little medical care during his time in captivity.
Hlib Stryzhko suffered a broken pelvis and jaw in March 2022 while serving as a marine in Mariupol
It was while Hlib worked on his recovery that ReSex approached him.
"After my pelvis injury I had problems that took some time to heal. And [the issue of sex] wasn't talked much about, so I wouldn't want that to happen to other people like me," he says.
"That was a motivation to take part in the project."
Ivona Kostyna is one of the founders of Veteran Hub, the group which runs the ReSex project.
She says they first had the idea for the project back in 2018, after reading about the issue for US soldiers.
There's sex in the hospital, sex at home, sex before procedures, sex after. There's a lot of good sex going on
After securing funding with the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, they spoke to Ukrainian soldiers and experts, to ensure they were tailoring their help specifically to the men and women who need it.
They faced some confusion from the public - and veterans - when they first asked for responses to questions online. "People are dying, you're thinking about sex!" Ivona says.
They also had to confront some of their own preconceptions - like the false assumption that injured veterans would all be struggling with their sex lives.
"There's sex in the hospital, sex at home, sex before procedures, sex after. There's a lot of good sex going on," Ivona says. "We were like, wow, OK, how can we be helpful here?".
But overall, she says, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
ReSex have printed booklets - titled "Do Love" - for women and for men
The charity has printed some 6,000 booklets and sent them out to medical centres, veterans and their families all around Ukraine, and made them available online.
ReSex has also launched a social media campaign with videos, graphics and a helpline. The charity covers everything from masturbation to sex toys and even basic biology.
"We try to cover it all," Ivona says, adding that there's also a section of the booklet specifically for young injured veterans who may be virgins.
"So sex after their wound would be their first sex ever, which is quite different from what they might have imagined."
Kateryna Skorokhod, ReSex's project manager, says they published separate guides for women and men to ensure respective partners have specific advice tailored to their experiences and their bodies.
She stresses, though, that the focus of the project is more on the emotional side than the physical.
"It's about how you can accept yourself, how you can love yourself, and how you can build a relationship with yourself and your partner after these injuries - with sex and with intimacy in relationships."
ReSex project manager Kateryna Skorokhod says they want wounded veterans to learn to love themselves
Relying on veterans answering their questionnaire means there are gaps in their research, she says, adding that they've struggled to get any responses from the LGBTQ community.
But they've also learnt a great deal about Ukraine's veterans. Specifically, they realised that traumatic brain injuries are often going undiagnosed and under treated in the country - something she says affects "the libido and the whole sexual performance very much".
The language used to discuss sex is important too, Ivona says.
"It's definitely not a dramatic language. It's definitely not about 'overcoming obstacles' - that's probably good for sport, but it turns out sex is not on the same scale."
She says it's important to make sure veterans know they don't have to have sex unless they want to, and that sex may be difficult or painful at first.
Every partner I had was important to me, in gaining my confidence back. I’m very grateful for that
Hlib certainly speaks positively about the project that he's joined. When asked if he's had a girlfriend since his injuries, he laughs.
"After I came back from captivity and the hospital, I had a girlfriend, and then another when I was doing the project questionnaire. And now I have a partner," he says. "I might have missed one."
But he said he was thankful for every person he had dated in the past year.
"Every partner I had was important to me, in gaining my confidence back. I'm very grateful for that." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66443573 |
Bibby Stockholm evacuation shows 'startling incompetence' - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | MP David Davis criticises the Home Office after concerns about Legionella on the Bibby Stockholm. | The barge is part of the government's plan to deter Channel crossings by migrants
The evacuation of the government's Bibby Stockholm barge amid fears of Legionella being found was the result of "startling incompetence", a senior Conservative has said.
All 39 migrants were removed after traces of Legionella bacteria were found in the on-board water system.
The bacteria can cause Legionnaires disease - a type of pneumonia.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said he believes the bacteria should have been identified sooner.
The MP told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "It's really, really hard to understand how, at all layers, this could not be caught early.
"The primary thing that's been revealed has been the startling incompetence of the Home Office itself.
David Davis MP says the barge is not a solution to the problem of migrant Channel crossings
"Rather famously many years ago, John Reid, when he took over as Home Secretary, talked about it being not fit for purpose, and I'm afraid you're seeing that here."
The barge, in Dorset, is part of the government's plan to deter Channel crossings by migrants.
The Home Office said the migrants were taken off the vessel on Friday as a precaution.
Mr Davis, who served as Shadow Home Secretary, added: "Even working properly, the Bibby barge would only take effectively one day's arrivals.
"So it's not a solution to the problem and all of this is going to go on until the Home Office manages to process these arrivals more quickly."
One resident told the BBC the migrants had been transferred to a hotel and said a few of those who had been on board had sore throats, adding that he had also been having breathing problems.
Most people who contract Legionnaires disease make a full recovery but it can be deadly, with some 10% of cases proving fatal.
People with underlying health conditions, the over 50s and smokers are at risk of serious illness.
A Home Office source told the BBC on Friday that results showing "low levels" of Legionella in the water system on the Bibby Stockholm were received by a contractor on Monday.
It is understood the local council informed the Home Office on Wednesday evening but, at this stage, the results being discussed were still "low levels".
On Thursday further results "changed the picture".
There was a discussion with the UK Health Security Agency which advised that the six newly-arrived asylum seekers should be taken off the vessel.
Further testing has been done by Dorset Council's environmental health team and it is expected that migrants will be moved back only if and when the water supply is completely clear of contamination.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-66485051 |
Amazon asked by minister to justify temporarily withholding sellers' funds - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The government told Amazon UK to explain how it intends to help sellers whose money it is withholding. | Libby Pearson from Kent says Amazon withholding money means she cannot restock or continue selling
The government has demanded answers from Amazon after its recent policy change led to hundreds of sellers unable to access their money.
In a letter seen by the BBC, small business minister Kevin Hollinrake asks the tech giant to explain how it will "mitigate" the impact on sellers.
One seller, Daniel Moore, who sells ink cartridges, says he has £263,000 locked and cannot pay his VAT bill.
Amazon said the policy change had affected a small number of sellers.
The letter from Mr Hollinrake was sent after the BBC spoke to several businesses who say the recent policy change leaves them unable to restock or pay staff and bills.
Amazon's recently amended policy is to hold back some money from sellers in case buyers demand a refund.
That leads to sellers not having access to their takings for around two weeks, although Amazon says the policy will only hold money from seven days from the delivery date.
This was implemented on 3 August across the UK and EU for sellers registered before August 2016. Amazon said some sellers should soon be able to access some of their funds.
But its email about the policy change was not seen by many EU and UK sellers, and in many cases was automatically sent to their junk folder.
The BBC has seen several complaints on Amazon's online seller forums saying the email was "not clear" that the withdrawals from their account that they are used to making on a daily basis would be blocked.
Sellers have complained that the temporary withholding of their funds is bringing their businesses close to collapse.
Mr Hollinrake took this issue up in his letter to John Boumphrey, the country manager for Amazon UK, as he wrote: "Given these complaints, I would be grateful if you could explain how Amazon intends to help mitigate the impact on its sellers of this change, as this is a challenging time for many small businesses who are already struggling with cashflow issues."
Marios Katz sells CDs and vinyl on Amazon and said he doubted that Mr Boumphrey would respond to the minister's letter. He told the BBC he was "shaken and panicked" by not having access to his takings.
He is concerned he will not be able to feed his family, as he is used to withdrawing money from his account as soon as he has earned it.
"They [Amazon] are a billionaire company - maybe they don't care, or maybe they don't know what is really happening," Mr Katzadded.
Mr Hollinrake wrote in his letter to Mr Boumphrey: "I am sure you will share my desire to ensure the livelihood of small businesses is not being jeopardised by Amazon's approach."
Daniel Moore, 48, has a business called Ink Jungle that sells ink cartridges and the reserve amount is increasing by £40,000 a day, he said.
"The value they will be holding from us is disproportionately high versus the potential refunds processed by customer returns or non-delivery," says Mr Moore.
He called Amazon's approach to its policy "dreadful", but called Mr Hollinrake's letter "a help" - although Daniel added he was "not expecting miracles".
A Cheltenham business that has been selling pet products for more than 10 years on Amazon told the BBC the company was holding £16,000 of its takings.
The business owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said of Mr Hollinrake's intervention: "I certainly welcome that news and I wait in anticipation to see what Amazon's response to this will be.
"Things were already tough enough with the cost-of-living crisis which not only affects costs at home but also in the workplace, with a host of price rises ranging from electricity to postage."
Online retail expert Martyn James said Amazon's policy shift shows the need for consumer law to "evolve and be updated" to prevent "dramatic impacts on people's lives with little to no consultation".
"The fact remains that we have strong laws in the UK that cover the rights of both buyers and sellers of goods and services - but only if you buy or sell goods directly", said Mr James.
He called for a single regulator for the entire retail industry, as well as a free ombudsman service that people can turn to if things go wrong.
Libby Pearson, 42, from Kent says many sellers did not know what was happening when their money was locked. She sells nutritional supplements and has been on Amazon since 2009.
She says Amazon has locked £700 of her money - and that every day more is being added to that amount, as sales continue.
She was used to withdrawing amounts daily from her Amazon account for the day-to-day running of the business, but says that is now totally disrupted.
"There was no clarity on which order is being held or when it will be released? I had to to ring HMRC saying I can't pay my VAT bill on time," Libby said.
An Amazon spokesperson said the policy change affected a "small number of sellers".
"We are listening to sellers' concerns and are in contact with those who have experienced a one-time cash flow disruption", the spokesperson added.
The issues are similar to those faced by Etsy sellers after that marketplace began withholding 75% of sellers' funds for around 45 days. Hundreds of sellers complained it was undermining their businesses.
Following a BBC report into the problem, Etsy reduced the amount it was withholding. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66474221 |
Gwên Gwen Festival pulled last minute due to weather issues - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | The music festival in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire is cancelled on the day it was supposed to open. | Example said there were multiple issues with the planning of the event
Gwên Gwen Festival has been cancelled hours before it was due to start, with organisers saying weather problems had delayed the site build.
The event in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, was to run from Friday to Sunday.
Organisers said they were devastated after spending nine months preparing the show.
Earlier on Friday, headliner Example pulled out of his Sunday slot alleging contract breaches and full fees not being paid.
Example's Instagram story post raised also concerns about the lack of communication with organisers.
He added: "The promoter of this event has breached a number of points in the contract.
"We have had zero communication regarding the stage, technical and backstage setup.
"Something we cannot just turn up to unprepared and essentially would be going into the show blind."
The BBC has asked the festival for comment regarding Example's post.
Sorry, we're having trouble displaying this content. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
The festival line-up was also to include Dub FX and Aleighcia Scott.
The statement from organisers said over the past week they had been working "under extremely challenging circumstances with weather making the site build difficult and as a result of these challenges and the associated added extra costs, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the event".
They added: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly and sincerely apologise for the disappointment this will cause.
"We want to thank all the ticket holders, volunteers, artists, traders, contractors, security and everyone who has helped under extremely difficult circumstances and gone above and beyond to make this work."
They added that all refunds were being processed and a further statement would be released on Monday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66480361 |
Fantasy Premier League: Gambling industry targets FPL players - BBC News | 2023-08-12 | A BBC investigation has found evidence that betting firms are sponsoring websites associated with the game. | The gambling industry is targeting adverts at players of Fantasy Premier League, an online football game that is open to children, the BBC has found.
We found gambling ads and promotions on some of the biggest FPL-related podcasts, sites and social media feeds.
One major podcast, The FPL Wire, has removed gambling ads on its content as a result of our findings.
It was featuring adverts for Fairplay Exchange, a company that lets people place personal bets against each other.
In a statement made after this article was first published, the podcast said it had not and would not be accepting any compensation for its association with Fairplay Exchange.
FPL General, a content creator who appears in the photo below that was taken from the podcast, says he was making a guest appearance on the show and had no control over the advertising.
In FPL, players pick a team of footballers and earn points based on their real-world performances. They compete in a global leader board and can play against friends and family in private leagues.
Anyone over 13 can play FPL - if you're under 13, you need a parent or guardian's permission.
The game is run by the Premier League but has a huge community of independent content creators who earn a living sharing tips and tools online. The Premier League does not run these sites or podcasts.
Betting firms have been found to sponsor websites associated with the online game
One of these independent websites, Fantasy Football Scout, has carried promotional articles for Bet 365 this month, encouraging readers to sign up to a fantasy football-themed game with a prize pool of £500,000. The website and Bet 365 did not respond to a request for comment.
There is no data on the exact number of children who play FPL. Professor Luke Wilkins at La Trobe University, who has researched fantasy sports extensively, estimates that 45% of the adults signed up are under 30.
An MP who chairs a group on gambling said the industry was trying to "infiltrate" sites used by children.
Carolyn Harris MP, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm, described our findings as "deeply concerning".
Guidelines from the Advertising Standards Authority require gambling ads to "not appeal strongly to under-18s" especially by "being associated with youth culture".
Last year the ASA ruled that a Ladbrokes ad breached its code because it featured Premier League footballers, Philippe Coutinho, Jesse Lingard and Kalidou Koulibaly who would be well known to children.
A spokesperson for FPL said: "Fantasy Premier League is made free for all users to ensure that any fan has the ability to take part.
"When we become aware of an infringement of this principle, or any other aspect of our terms and conditions, we will take appropriate action.
"These terms and conditions prohibit mini-leagues being created for commercial purposes and we reserve the right to delete the mini-league and suspend or delete the registration of any player who is the administrator of, or a participant in, the mini-league without liability."
Fantasy Football Fix is a major independent FPL website with over 400,000 users. It says it provide users with tips and data, including using artificial intelligence to optimise fantasy teams.
The site now has a no-gambling-ads policy but has struck deals with betting companies in the past, and explained to the BBC how one of them worked.
Its business model relies on users paying for premium content on the best strategies for winning on FPL. A betting company offered users free access to Fantasy Football Fix premium content if they also opened a betting account with them and deposited £5.
For each new customer referred to the betting company, it paid Fantasy Football Fix £90.
Tom Fleming, from the charity Gambling with Lives, says the BBC's findings are "shocking, but not surprising".
He believes the gambling industry sees the FPL community as "fertile ground" for the "next generation of customers and addicts".
Plucky is another new site that allows players to set wagers using their official Fantasy Premier League team.
Plucky is another site that allows players to set wagers
A few weeks ago it was being promoted on social media by some of the biggest names in the FPL world, who often appear on the Premier League's official FPL show.
But Plucky has told us that its product is now being assessed by the Premier League for compliance and that its partners have suspended advertising.
It says its product was designed to be compatible, and operate within, the Premier League's published terms and conditions.
Companies such as Fan Team and Draft Kings are running their own monetised fantasy games that allow enthusiasts to gamble, in a similar format, on a daily basis.
Their adverts have also been commonplace across Fantasy Football Scout's platforms.
"Daily fantasy sports", as they're known, have become hugely popular in the US.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of Clean Up Gambling believes "some gambling operators and affiliates have sought to replicate that here by using it to bridge football fans into actual betting".
The relationship between fantasy sports, like FPL, and gambling is complex.
Academic research in the US suggests playing free fantasy sports makes someone more likely to gamble.
Meanwhile a survey undertaken in Ireland found 25% of Fantasy Football participants met the criteria for internet addiction.
However, we've also spoken to several people who say they use Fantasy Premier League as a coping mechanism to manage an existing gambling addiction.
Jamie, not his real name, has rarely bet since 2018 and thinks "FPL is a big part of filling that void".
When a content creator offered a free entry to Fan Team, he went to sign up. Thankfully it was covered by the self-exclusion scheme GamStop, so he wasn't able to.
Scout Gaming Group, which runs FanTeam, says the site is licensed under the Gambling Commission. "Fanteam therefore is operating under the UK regulations and do not offer our products to minors or to people who have blocked themselves through Gamstop," it says.
"If we believe that anyone who we work with is not complying with the rules and regulations of UKGC we will directly inform them about it and if it is not rectified we will, as soon as possible, close the relationship with any such party and aggressively pursue the removal of any offending content."
Rob also uses GamStop, which stops him seeing betting ads online, but he says: "I can't avoid seeing things on Twitter involving gambling.
"Personally, I think the big accounts involving FPL and gambling should take a look at themselves."
A spokesperson for the Betting and Gambling Council (BGC), which represents gambling firms, said its members "take a zero-tolerance approach to betting by children".
"Our members enforce strict age verification on all their products to prevent underage gaming while the BGC funds the £10m Young People's Gambling Harm Prevention Programme," it said.
"Betting advertising and sponsorship must comply with strict guidelines and safer gambling messaging is regularly and prominently displayed.
"The regulated betting and gaming industry is determined to promote safer gaming, unlike the unsafe and growing online black market, which has none of the safeguards strictly employed by BGC members," it added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66477724 |