General news

• Formula One drivers could be fined up to €1m following dramatic hike

  19-10-2023 23:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Potential penalty from stewards increased from €250,000Drivers call move ‘scary’ and ‘ridiculous’
  Lewis Hamilton and his fellow Formula One drivers could be fined up to €1m (£870,000) following a dramatic change to the sport’s rulebook. Before this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, F1’s governing body announced it has increased the maximum sanction that stewards can impose on a driver from €250,000 (£218,000).The FIA said the
  
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• ‘The best is yet to come’: Itoje rallies England for Springboks semi-final

  19-10-2023 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Lock confident in rematch of 2019 Rugby World Cup finalFreddie Steward takes No 15 spot from Marcus SmithMaro Itoje has called on England to carry the fight to South Africa in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final, insisting they will not bow down to the Springboks.South Africa go into a rematch of the 2019 final as heavy favourites but Itoje believes “the best is yet to come” from England and is convinced they will prove victorious if they deliver it this weekend. Itoje will line up
  
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• Managers and leaders only: Britain’s best new building is a retirement home with entry requirements

  19-10-2023 22:34 via theguardian.com
  
  With a verdant courtyard at its heart, the John Morden Centre in London is a touchy-feely place for a certain type of retiree – and is a very deserving winner of the RIBA’s Stirling prizeA lively art class is under way in the high-ceilinged painting studio of the John Morden Centre, visible through big picture windows from the adjacent cafe, where the facility’s residents catch up over a cuppa. Others are getting their hair and nails done in the salon next door, while some sit
  
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• At least 21 journalists killed since Hamas-Israel war began, says press freedom group

  19-10-2023 22:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Committee to Protect Journalists investigates more, unconfirmed, deaths and missing media professionalsIsrael and Hamas at war – live updatesAt least 21 journalists have been killed since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war, the majority in Israel’s attacks on Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.The CPJ reported that, as of this Thursday, 17 Palestinian, three Israeli, and one Lebanese journalist had died since Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October, follow
  
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• RFU concerned by Borthwick’s siege mentality despite England success

  19-10-2023 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior figures said to be worried supporters feel alienatedBorthwick and Farrell booed by crowd before win over FijiSenior figures at the Rugby Football Union are said to be unimpressed with the siege mentality approach adopted by Steve Borthwick after England booked their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup, amid concerns supporters are being alienated.After England’s 30-24 quarter-final win over Fiji in Marseille, Borthwick said “I don’t really care what other people th
  
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• Storm Babet: body of woman recovered from river as evacuations ordered

  19-10-2023 21:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Police Scotland say 57-year-old’s body recovered from River Esk after reports of someone being swept awayThe body of a 57-year-old woman has been recovered from a river in Angus, Police Scotland have said, as hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate their homes in a town in the east of the country because of fears that the River Esk will burst its banks during Storm Babet.A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.45pm on Thursday October 19, officers attended a report of a pe
  
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• Tory peer warns Labour over Israel-Hamas war protest ban

  19-10-2023 21:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Sayeeda Warsi criticises party for strongly advising its councillors not to attend pro-Palestine-related demonstrationsA senior Conservative peer has warned the Labour party not to join a race to the bottom over Israel-Hamas war protests as a council leader urged Keir Starmer to show “sympathy to the plight of Palestinians”.Sayeeda Warsi criticised Labour for strongly advising its councillors not to attend pro-Palestine demonstrations last weekend, “despite having spent months
  
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• Revitalised All Blacks aiming to slay World Cup demons of Yokohama | Robert Kitson

  19-10-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Scrum-half Aaron Smith, a veteran of the 2019 semi-final nightmare, says New Zealand will not make same mistakesPlenty of water has flowed down the River Seine since New Zealand’s opening pool defeat to France. Losing to the host nation, under a head coach heading for the exit, was not an auspicious start and several rivals were looking ominous. Fast forward six weeks, and they are now back under the Friday night lights of Saint-Denis with self-belief significantly restored.In some ways th
  
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• Climate activists force Fed chair Jerome Powell off stage in New York

  19-10-2023 20:48 via theguardian.com
  
  On Thursday protesters chanted: ‘Off fossil finance!’ and held a banner reading: ‘Fed Is Burning: Money, Futures, Planet’The Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, was escorted out of an event Thursday afternoon after a group of climate protesters briefly took the stage before he was due to give a speech. He took the stage after a 15-minute delay.At the Economic Club of New York, protesters stormed the stage holding a banner that read “Fed Is Burning: Money, Futures,
  
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• When the fog of war envelops everything, we owe it to those who suffer to admit doubt | Gaby Hinsliff

  19-10-2023 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  The BBC is under scrutiny over reports of the Gaza hospital blast. But there is a lesson for all who want clarity when there is noneDeath has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses.Throughout these days of unbearable stories, from the slaughter of small children in their kibbutz bedrooms to the fireball at a Gaza hospital where families were seeking sanctuary from bombs, those words have echoed around my mind. Taken from the biblical book of Jeremiah, they entered my thoro
  
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• The Guardian view on Israel’s allies: warm words and soft warnings | Editorial

  19-10-2023 20:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak are arguing for restraint in Gaza, but they show too little urgency Joe Biden was scarcely back in the White House after Wednesday’s Middle East trip before Rishi Sunak became the next international leader to fly into Tel Aviv to express solidarity with Israel. Mr Sunak’s visit, which also came after one by the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Tuesday, followed an established pattern. He met the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to say he stood b
  
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• The Guardian view on protecting trees: planting is a gift to the future, but not enough | Editorial

  19-10-2023 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From the Sycamore Gap to Wrexham’s sweet chestnut, Britain is increasingly vocal about its love of our historic treesHenry VIII was still on the throne when the shoots of a sweet chestnut first broke through the soil of Wrexham in what is now Acton Park. Copernicus was about to publish his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. The Ming dynasty ruled China. More than 480 years on, the tree stands 24 metres tall and on Wednesday was crowned as tree of the year in the annual Woodland
  
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• Train strikes in England could continue for six months after union vote

  19-10-2023 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Backing of 90% of RMT members gives leverage for improved offer, says union leader Mick LynchRail workers at English train operating companies have voted overwhelming for another six months of potential strikes, the RMT union announced.More than 20,000 union members were balloted across the 14 companies contracted to the Department for Transport, with 90% voting to give the union a continued mandate for strikes, on a 64% turnout. Continue reading...
  
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• Why high-speed trains may not be right for us in the UK | Letters

  19-10-2023 19:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Cathy Swann argues that the high-speed rail networks seen in Spain and France may not be suitable for our small, densely populated landscape, but Steven Clark says the negativity about HS2 is a blight on progressHaving recently returned from my favourite holiday destination in southern Spain, travelling by train to avoid flying, I can testify to the excellence of the Spanish rail system, as described by María Ramírez (Spain’s high-speed trains aren’t just efficient, the
  
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• Cutting off water to Gaza is a war crime | Letter

  19-10-2023 19:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Western governments must call out Israel’s water war crime and call for a ceasefire, say Lyla Mehta and Alan NicolWe are shocked to read about the critical situation in Gaza since Israel turned off water supplies to the Gaza Strip more than a week ago. Sanitation services have collapsed, including Gaza’s last functioning seawater desalination plant. With clean water running out (Report, 17 October), more than 2 million people are at risk and are resorting to drinking dirty water, wit
  
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• Tell us: have you been affected by Storm Babet in the UK?

  19-10-2023 18:50 via theguardian.com
  
  We want to hear from people after hundreds of people in eastern Scotland were told to evacuate due to Storm Babet More than 350 households in Brechin, eastern Scotland, have been ordered to evacuate as floods are expected from Storm Babet, while parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales could also be affected by flooding in the coming days.The Met Office has issued a rare red weather alert from 6pm on Thursday in Scotland, referring to a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep fl
  
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• Sometimes it’s OK for middle-aged sports presenters to say nothing | Max Rushden

  19-10-2023 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Say anything and you take sides; say nothing and you are accused of complicity – but does the world really need my view on the horror of the Israel-Hamas war?Last week I received two tweets at the same time just next to each other on my timeline. One read: “Rape. Beheading. Murder. Terror. I know it’s not an easy topic. But you HAVE to do the right thing. Please speak up! Stand with Israel in the fight against terror. You either stand with Israel, or you stand with terror. #Ham
  
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• Trump’s ex-lawyer Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election case

  19-10-2023 18:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Plea agreement includes fine, restitution to the state as well as an apology letter, six years’ probation – and testifying at trialUS politics – live updatesThe former Donald Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, charged alongside the former president for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia, has pleaded guilty as part of a cooperation agreement with prosecutors just days before her trial was scheduled to start.The conversion of Powell into a cooperati
  
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• Ben Jennings on the information war – cartoon

  19-10-2023 18:11 via theguardian.com
  
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• Chaotic scenes as first asylum seekers return to Bibby Stockholm barge

  19-10-2023 17:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Just Stop Oil protesters block causeway and briefly halt coach carrying men to vessel in Portland portUK politics live – latest updatesThere were chaotic scenes as the UK government forced asylum seekers to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, more than two months after it was evacuated when legionella bacteria was discovered in the water supply.Just Stop Oil protesters managed to stop the coach carrying the men to the vessel in Portland port by blocking the causeway to the islan
  
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• Gove to bring bill banning public bodies from boycotting Israel next week

  19-10-2023 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Bill to be brought for third reading but some Tories say it could heighten community tensionsUK politics live – latest updatesIsrael and Hamas at war – live updatesMichael Gove will bring his bill banning British public bodies from boycotting Israel next week in a move that some Conservatives say could exacerbate British community tensions in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war.The communities secretary will bring the bill back in front of MPs on Wednesday, allowing them a c
  
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• Boy rammed off bike by London police still suffers nightmares, says counsellor

  19-10-2023 17:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Thirteen-year-old black boy carrying blue-and-white water pistol was confronted by armed officers who pointed guns at him in July The 13-year-old black boy rammed off his bike after police mistook his water pistol for a real gun is still suffering from nightmares three months later, his trauma counsellor has said.The incident – which happened in July in Hackney, east London – has led to an apology from the Metropolitan police, with the embattled force accepting the boy suffered traum
  
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• Science adviser referred to Rishi Sunak as ‘Dr Death’, Covid inquiry hears

  19-10-2023 17:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Comment by Dame Angela McLean in message during meeting was apparently in reference to ‘eat out to help out’ schemeThe government’s chief scientific adviser sent a secret message calling Rishi Sunak “Dr Death the chancellor” during a meeting attended by both in the Covid crisis, the official inquiry into the pandemic has been told.Prof Dame Angela McLean, who at the time was the chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, made the comment in a WhatsApp mess
  
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• Sunak’s Covid startup fund invested nearly £2m in firms linked to his wife

  19-10-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Four businesses linked to Akshata Murty revealed to have received investment from much-criticised Future FundUK politics live – latest updatesRishi Sunak’s controversial fund to support startups during the Covid pandemic invested nearly £2m in companies linked to his wife, Guardian analysis has found.Carousel Ventures, a company part-owned by Akshata Murty’s venture capital firm, got an investment of £250,000 from the Future Fund to help fund its ownership of a luxu
  
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• Tough talking Rishi goes on photo op tour of Middle East | John Crace

  19-10-2023 16:57 via theguardian.com
  
  British prime minister jets out to Israel and Saudi Arabia to try his hand at being an international statesmanPilot: Oh, it’s you.Rishi Sunak: Of course it is. Who did you think it was? Continue reading...
  
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• Tell us about your favourite moments from TV drama Doctors

  19-10-2023 16:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Following the news that the long-running soap is being cancelled, we want to hear about any storylines or characters you particularly enjoyedDaytime medical drama Doctors, which has been running for 23 years, will end next year.The BBC blamed “super-inflation in drama production”. It said costs had “increased significantly” at the Birmingham site, where the show is filmed, and it had decided instead to finance new shows in the West Midlands. Continue reading...
  
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• EU raises security concerns as it reveals five Caribbean states have sold 88,000 ‘golden passports’

  19-10-2023 16:33 via theguardian.com
  
  European Commission says it will revise rules on visa-free travel after scale of trade in citizenship exposedRevealed: thousands who bought ‘golden passports’ through Dominica’s $1bn schemeLuxury rooms and a swim-up bar: hotel with funding from Dominica’s golden passport schemeThe EU has raised security concerns about the trade in “golden passports” and vowed to tighten visa controls after revealing five Caribbean states have sold citizenship to 88,000 individ
  
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• Gaza diary part five: ‘I’m thinking about what my gravestone would say if I died’

  19-10-2023 16:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Ziad, a 35-year-old Palestinian, recounts the past few days in Gaza: how hard it is to get healthcare, hearing from friends on the move in search of safety – and no let up from airstrikes8am I have not lost hope, but I have never been as peaceful as I am now with the idea of death.The air breezed upon us, from the road of the valleyOh breeze, for love’s sake, take me to my homeland
  I’m scared, oh my heart, to grow up in this exile,
  And my home wouldn’t recognise me
  Oh God
  
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• Israel accuses BBC of ‘modern blood libel’ over reporting of hospital strike

  19-10-2023 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Corporation defends initial comments, saying they were made in immediate aftermath but then clarified in later reportsIsrael and Hamas at war – live updatesThe Israeli government has accused the BBC of perpetuating a “modern blood libel” in its reporting of the catastrophic explosion at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Tuesday evening, a BBC reporter said there was a lack of clarity but suggested that Israel was likely to be at fault.
  
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• After 13 years of Tory law and order, there has never been a better time to be a criminal | Zoe Williams

  19-10-2023 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ministers won’t accept their failure on crime. But when M&S hires former cops to guard its steaks, that failure is plain to seeTM Eye is a company that hires former detectives, most of whom wear a uniform, some of whom are in plain clothes, to mingle with shoppers. In many respects, then, they’re a lot like a police force – except for the bit where they investigate shoplifting. They were called in by a benighted M&S, which had lost £500 worth of steak and many bot
  
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• Merseyside derby kicks off Premier League’s return – Football Weekly Extra

  19-10-2023 15:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Max Rushden is joined by Nooruddean Choudry, Jonathan Fadugba and Nick Ames to preview the return of club footballRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today: the international break is over! The panel previews all the weekend’s Premier League action including Liverpool v Everton, Chelsea v Arsenal, and a Saturday night fixture between Sheffield United and Mancheste
  
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• Aber warning for rain as Storm Babet batters England

  19-10-2023 15:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and deep floodwaters could cause danger to life.
  
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• New warrants given to force-fit prepayment meters

  19-10-2023 15:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The practice has been halted since February but will resume only when approval is given by Ofgem.
  
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• Never in Oxfam’s history have we seen a humanitarian crisis like the one in Gaza | Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah

  19-10-2023 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Instead of running relief services, our staff are running for their lives. We need a ceasefire now – for the sakes of both Palestinians and IsraelisDhananjayan Sriskandarajah is the chief executive of Oxfam GBMuch hope is being pinned on the opening of the Rafah crossing to allow aid into Gaza from Egypt. But 20 truckloads isn’t going to come close to addressing the humanitarian catastrophe we’re seeing unfold in this besieged strip of land. Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and other wor
  
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• ‘A good cruise is one that doesn’t come’: Europe’s ports bear brunt of ship pollution

  19-10-2023 14:56 via theguardian.com
  
  As health and environmental impact of cruise ships becomes clearer, Mediterranean ports consider bans and restrictionsPort cities around Europe are increasingly considering bans or restrictions on cruise ships as their health and environmental impacts become clearer.The 218 cruise ships operating in Europe last year emitted more than four times more sulphur oxides than all the continent’s cars combined, according to the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). Sulphur dioxide causes resp
  
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• Bibby Stockholm: Migrants return to barge amid protest at port gates

  19-10-2023 14:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Bibby Stockholm was evacuated in August after Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply.
  
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• Rishi Sunak vows to stand with Israel in 'darkest hour'

  19-10-2023 14:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The PM says the UK wants Israel to "win" its war against Hamas, during a trip to the Middle East.
  
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• Storm Babet: Hundreds evacuated as torrential rain threatens flood defences

  19-10-2023 14:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Residents of about 350 homes in Brechin are told to leave as flood defences in the town are threatened.
  
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• A Tintin exhibition and a giant satellite dish: photos of the day – Thursday

  19-10-2023 14:28 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors select photos from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Tell us: will you be affected by scrapping of the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme?

  19-10-2023 14:19 via theguardian.com
  
  With thousands of sponsorship arrangements due to end next March, we want to hear from Ukrainians in the UK about their concernsThousands of Ukrainian refugees in the UK are at risk of homelessness if ministers go ahead with plans to end funding for a scheme set up to help them, the National Audit Office (NAO), has said.Homes for Ukraine was established in March 2022 following the Russian invasion. Almost 74,000 UK households have applied to host Ukrainian families, with hosts receiving payments
  
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• NHS Wales waiting lists highest on record

  19-10-2023 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The health minister Eluned Morgan admits the figures are "disappointing".
  
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• Gabriela Kosilko: Police face criminal probe over murder suspect's death

  19-10-2023 14:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sebastian Zarnoch, 30, was being held on suspicion of the kidnap and murder of Gabriela Kosilko.
  
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• Coronation Street: Sally Dynevor fainted at breast cancer diagnosis

  19-10-2023 14:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sally Dynevor recalls how she thought her doctor was confusing her with her on-screen character.
  
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• Argentina’s far-right frontrunner reopens wounds of dictatorship

  19-10-2023 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Javier Milei has provoked alarm and outrage by downplaying the number of victims of the country’s 1976-83 military ruleA sign outside the subterranean torture chamber welcomed victims to “The Avenue of Happiness”.A gramophone played a rock song on loop to muffle their screams: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. Continue reading...
  
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• 'Wearable kidney' could help those on dialysis

  19-10-2023 13:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Researchers in Edinburgh say they are getting closer to creating a portable version of the machine.
  
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• Boxer turned black rights pioneer honoured in North Shields

  19-10-2023 13:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Charles Minto fought for the rights of the back community during the 1930s and 1940s.
  
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• Boy with water pistol confronted by armed police

  19-10-2023 13:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The mother of a black 13-year-old boy says she is "extremely angry" over the "traumatic experience".
  
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• ‘I am suffering and hurting’: Ramsdale opens up on losing Arsenal place

  19-10-2023 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Goalkeeper admits attention on him on bench is ‘difficult’He says his dad ‘had a few too many’ before Carragher tweet Aaron Ramsdale says he is “suffering and hurting” at the loss of his status as Arsenal’s No 1 goalkeeper to David Raya as he opened up on the no-win nature of the scrutiny he has felt on the bench.Ramsdale, overlooked by Gareth Southgate for England’s friendly win over Australia last Friday – the manager picked Crystal Palace&
  
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• Man, 94, finds father's beloved classic car on auction site

  19-10-2023 12:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Malcolm Stern has spent three years restoring the 1930s Talbot Darracq his father once drove.
  
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• Mid Beds and Tamworth by-elections: Voters go to the polls

  19-10-2023 12:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Voters will elect new MPs to replace Nadine Dorries in Mid Beds and Chris Pincher in Tamworth.
  
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