Author: UK News

Storm Babet: severe flood warnings in Scotland after woman dies The Guardian says A fifth severe flood warning has been issued for eastern Scotland as the emergency services grappled with substantial flooding from Storm Babet, which has claimed its first fatality after a woman was swept away in Angus.. A flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Pascal Lardet, said Thursday’s rainfall had been “exceptional” and flooding incidents were likely to increase during the day. We are in a very challenging, serious and potentially dangerous situation,” he told BBC Radio Scotland. On Thursday night a 57-year-old woman died…

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UK weather: Storm Babet batters large parts of country – as police search for man ‘trapped in vehicle’ SKY News says A major search is under way after reports of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater as Storm Babet batters large parts of the UK. Police Scotland said the alarm was raised at 3am on Friday near the village of Marykirk in Aberdeenshire. “Multi-agency searches are ongoing and the public are asked to avoid the area for their safety,” a force spokesperson said. It comes after a woman died in Scotland when she was swept into a river…

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History in the making, says Starmer after double by-election victory Thursday’s by-elections in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth have seen the Labour Party turn two huge Conservative majorities. Former Tory MP Nadine Dorries’ former seat – Mid Beds – has been held by the Tories for more than 90 years and had a majority of more than 24,000. The Conservatives were also defeated in Chris Pinchers’ seat, Tamworth. The disgraced former Tory MP stepped down in September after sexual misconduct claims. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was “history in the making” saying the results were extraordinary but he won’t…

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Warm weather in September hits autumn coat sales The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that retail sales fell more than expected in September as shoppers held back buying autumn clothing amid warm weather. Customers also struggled with cost of living pressures, the ONS said. Globally, September was the warmest on record due to ongoing global warming, and the El Niño weather event. Sales volumes fell 0.9% in the month, the ONS said, while economists had predicted a 0.2% fall. Grant Fitzner, the ONS chief economist, said sales “fell notably” in September as the quick pace…

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Six men sought after suspected homophobic attack Police have released six images of men they are looking to speak to in connection with a suspected homophobic attack in east London. Two men, aged in their 20s, were on High Road in Chadwell Heath at about 17:30 BST on 1 October when they were approached by up to six men who were being abusive and made threats. The Met Police said one of the victims was punched in the head and needed hospital treatment. No arrests had yet been made. Police appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

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Mid Beds and Tamworth by-elections: Voters go to the polls Voters are heading to the polls today to elect new MPs in the constituencies of Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth in England. The by-elections will decide who replaces Tory MPs Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher. Polling stations opened at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00. Results are expected from early on Friday morning. Voter ID will be needed for both by-elections. The by-election in Mid Bedfordshire was triggered by the resignation of Nadine Dorries in August. Chris Pincher resigned in September after allegations of sexual misconduct. There are 13 candidates…

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Welsh Water admits illegally spilling sewage for years Welsh Water has admitted to illegally spilling untreated sewage at dozens of treatment plants for years. One of their worst-performing plants is in Cardigan in west Wales. The company has been spilling sewage there into an environmentally protected area rare dolphin habitat for at least a decade. Welsh Water says it is working to tackle the problems. Most of the UK has a combined sewerage system, meaning that both rainwater and wastewater – from toilets, bathrooms and kitchens – are carried in the same pipes. Usually, all the waste is carried to…

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Rishi Sunak lands in Israel as world leaders seek de-escalation BBC News says Rishi Sunak has pledged to stand with Israel, as he arrived in the country ahead of meetings with Israeli leaders. Upon landing in Tel Aviv, the UK prime minister said Israelis had suffered a “horrific act of terrorism” at the hands of Hamas earlier this month. Mr Sunak will meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog later as part of a two-day visit to the region. He will also use the trip to press for humanitarian aid in Gaza. The visit comes right after US…

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Rishi Sunak arrives in Israel for talks with Benjamin Netanyahu The Guardian says Rishi Sunak has arrived in Israel for talks with its leaders, and will later travel to other countries in the region for further discussions, Downing Street has announced. The prime minister left London on Wednesday evening, and was scheduled to hold talks on Thursday with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the country’s president, Isaac Herzog. No 10 said Sunak would then travel “to a number of other regional capitals”, details of which have not been released for security reasons, and because of the fast-changing situation…

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Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Paper Talk: Biden backs Israel over hospital blast Most of Thursday’s newspapers continue their coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. The front pages pick up on several comments made by US President Joe Biden during his visit to Israel. Biden has insisted the bombing of a Gaza hospital was not from Israel and was most likely a Hamas misfire. Many of the papers also pick up on Biden’s plea to not repeat the same mistakes the US did after 9/11. Biden backs Israel The Times says Joe Biden has given his private…

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Laughing gas possession to be illegal in three weeks Laughing gas will be made illegal in three weeks and those who repeatedly misuse the drug will face up to two years in prison. Those caught dealing nitrous oxide will face up to 14 years behind bars, the Home Office said. The ban will come into force on November 8 and will make laughing gas a controlled Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Laughing gas is a commonly used recreational drug among young people. MPs voted overwhelmingly to categorise it as a class C drug, by 404…

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Storm Babet warning upgraded to red alert in part of Scotland The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for rain across parts of Scotland. Heavy rainfall is expected to cause severe flooding as Storm Babet will hit on Thursday. The worst affected areas are set to be around Angus, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The red warning runs from 18:00 on Thursday until noon on Friday. Amber and yellow warnings for rain and wind are in place across most of Scotland and other parts of the UK.

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Tens of thousands across the UK rallied for Palestine amid Israeli propaganda and aggressive cops CANARY SAYS Tens of thousands of people across the UK took to the streets in support of Palestine. Whilst many of the rallies successfully provided space for Palestinian voices, some were marred by antagonistic policing. London marches for Palestine As Israel continued bombing Gaza, Palestinian solidarity groups across the country called for rallies on 14 October. The biggest and most significant of these was in London, where an estimated more than 100,000 people turned out. Read on

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