Author: Fatimah Idera

Parts of north-west England were hit by severe flooding after more than 20 hours of heavy rain triggered 28 flood warnings and multiple safety incidents. The prolonged downpours left streets submerged and cars abandoned in areas including Altrincham and Salford, Greater Manchester. In Warrington, Cheshire, a major standby incident was declared as water levels rose rapidly, though this was later downgraded as conditions eased. The Environment Agency issued warnings across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire, urging residents to take immediate precautions. By late Sunday morning, all warnings had been lifted as rivers and drains subsided, though localised disruption persisted.…

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has been removed as patron of Julia’s House, a children’s hospice charity, following the emergence of an email in which she described convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as her supreme friend. The charity, which supports families in Dorset and Wiltshire, confirmed the decision in a statement. “Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia’s House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron,” a spokesperson said. “We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank…

The UK is expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer concluded Israel had failed to meet conditions he set in July for avoiding the move. Starmer had warned that Britain would act before next week’s UN General Assembly unless there was a ceasefire in Gaza, resumed aid deliveries, and credible steps towards a two-state solution. With none of those conditions met, and Israeli settlement expansion accelerating, ministers say recognition is now unavoidable. The decision comes amid intense pressure from Washington and from families of hostages still held by Hamas, who argue the…

David Lammy has suggested the government could reverse its decision preventing Palestinian scholars from bringing their children to the UK. Thirty-four students from Gaza, including Chevening scholars, have been granted places at British universities and were evacuated last week with government support. But nearly all have been told they cannot bring their dependants, leaving around 20 children at risk of being separated from their parents. Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Lammy said: “I know the intent is to bring people to study and not to cause them further pain or hardship,” hinting that ministers could soften the…

Sir Keir Starmer and his Cabinet could face electoral wipeout as new polling suggests a Left-wing challenge led by Jeremy Corbyn and the Greens threatens dozens of Labour seats. Labour secured 411 seats at last year’s general election, but fresh analysis by More in Common indicates this would collapse to just 126 if a vote were held this autumn. Up to 52 Labour constituencies are at risk from Green Party candidates and independents aligned with Mr Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party, many of them within a five-point margin. Support for a Corbyn-Green alliance stands at 31% of the electorate,…

An anti-asylum demonstration in The Hague spiralled into chaos as masked rioters clashed with Dutch police, leaving streets littered with debris and a police vehicle set ablaze.

A British couple held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly eight months have arrived back in the UK following their release, ending a long ordeal marked by family appeals and international negotiations. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, landed at Heathrow Airport on Saturday after travelling from Doha, where they were reunited with their daughter, Sarah Entwistle. The couple, who married in Kabul in 1970 and have Afghan citizenship, spent the past 18 years running charitable training programmes in Kabul and Bamiyan. Their work, which included education projects for women and children, had previously been approved by…

Justice Secretary David Lammy has voiced deep concerns that legalising assisted dying could pressure vulnerable elderly people into ending their lives prematurely. The Labour minister, became responsible for overseeing the proposed Terminally ill Adults (End of Life) Bill after his recent move to the Ministry of Justice. The legislation, already approved by the Commons, would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. Lammy has previously spoken of his late mother, who died of cancer, warning she might have felt compelled to choose assisted dying had the…

Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of handing Hamas a reward for terrorism by pressing ahead with plans to formally recognise a Palestinian state. Writing to the media on her foreign policy agenda, the Conservative leader condemned Labour’s move as reckless and dangerous, warning it would undermine Britain’s global standing and weaken leverage over both Israel and Hamas. “Most of us want to see a two-state solution,” she said. “But recognition of a Palestinian state without the release of hostages is a reward for terrorism. Yet Keir Starmer plans to do just that as President Trump leaves.” Her intervention…

Wiltshire Police confirmed that a man in his 30s from West Wiltshire was first arrested in June 2024 on suspicion of six counts of gross negligence manslaughter and four counts of ill-treatment or wilful neglect by a care worker.