Portrait of the week: Epping protests, votes at 16 and Ozzy Osbourne dies
Six people were arrested during a protest by 1,000 outside the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, which houses asylum seekers; an asylum seeker had earlier been charged with sexual assaults in the town. The Conservative leader of the council said: 'It's a powder keg now.' The number of migrants arriving in England in small boats in the seven days to 21 July was 1,030. The Lionesses, the England women's football team, decided not to take the knee before winning their semi-final Euro game, after a player, Jess Carter, had been inundated with racist abuse on social media during the tournament. The Chief Constable of Northumbria Police ordered the removal of Pride rainbows and transgender livery from police cars after a judge ruled it was unlawful for her force to have taken part in uniform in a Pride march last year.
At the next general election, 16-year-olds will be able to vote, the government said. Diane Abbott had the Labour whip removed again, pending an investigation into an interview she gave to James Naughtie, in which she said: 'It's silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.' Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, earlier suspended the Labour whip from four MPs – Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff – who were accused by government sources of 'persistent knobheadery' and were among 47 who voted against the welfare bill. Sir James Cleverly became shadow housing secretary in a reshuffle. Hospital consultants were told by the British Medical Association to charge £6,000 for being on call this weekend when resident (junior) doctors are on strike.
The government announced it would abolish Ofwat in response to a 464-page report by the Independent Water Commission headed by Sir Jon Cunliffe, who said that water bills would rise by 30 per cent over five years. Government borrowing jumped to £20.7 billion last month, £6.6 billion higher than in June last year. British manufacturers' sales fell by £14.5 billion last year to £452 billion. Unemployment for the three months to May rose to 4.7 per cent, from 4.6 per cent in the three months to April. Brewdog was to close ten of its 71 bars in the UK. The train operator c2c, which runs services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, was nationalised. Britain and Germany agreed to create a direct rail link between London and Berlin under the so-called Treaty of Kensington signed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Andrew Saint, the former editor of the monumental Survey of London, died aged 78. Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of Black Sabbath, died aged 76. Sir Roger Norrington, the conductor, died aged 91.
Abroad
Britain signed a statement with 26 other countries saying: 'The war in Gaza must end now.' It declared: 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity', adding: 'The hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas… continue to suffer terribly.' Israel launched a ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah in Gaza. The UN World Food Programme said a food convoy in northern Gaza 'encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire', after crossing the border from Israel. At least 80 died, according to the Hamas-run ministry of health. (Journalists are not allowed into Gaza.) Israel said it 'deeply regrets' a strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, Holy Family, which killed three people.
Israel struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus in actions to defend Druze in the south of Syria. Bedouin fighters retreated from Suweida to surrounding villages and Syrian government forces guarded the road into the city, where Druze had been killed by government and Bedouin forces. The number of Druze and Bedouin deaths exceeded 1,100. China began work on the world's largest hydroelectric dam, on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet.
A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia caused Moscow's four major airports to be temporarily closed. A Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, killing 19. In elections, Japan's ruling coalition lost its majority in the upper house as well as the lower. President Donald Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, for at least $10 billion, over its report that his name was on a lewd birthday note for Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 that contained a reference to secrets they shared. Connie Francis, whose hits included 'Lipstick on Your Collar', died aged 87. CSH
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The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrants from the US
The Rwandan government has said it would accept up to 250 migrants from the US under a deal agreed with Washington but gave no details on who could be included. The Trump administration's deportation drive has included negotiating arrangements to send people to third countries, among them South Sudan and Eswatini. The latest deal announced on Tuesday follows a cancelled agreement with Britain under which Kigali would have received deported illegal migrants from the UK. That deal was scrapped after the Conservative government that negotiated it lost last year's general election. 'Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants,' government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told AFP. She said Kigali would maintain 'the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement'. Makolo said Kigali had agreed to the new scheme with Washington because 'nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement'. Those who arrive in Rwanda will be provided with training, healthcare and accommodation, she added. No further information was given, including any indication of a timeline, with Makolo saying that Rwanda 'will provide more details once these have been worked out'. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations of undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own. His administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary, since the home nations of some of those targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them. But rights experts have warned that the deportations risk breaking international law by sending people to countries where they face the risk of torture, abduction and other abuses. South Sudan – which is teetering on the edge of renewed conflict – accepted eight criminal migrants from the United States, with Juba saying in July they remained in government care. Only one is South Sudanese. Five other migrants labelled criminals by the US were flown to Eswatini in July and incarcerated. The government later said they will be repatriated to their own nations. Rwanda, which is in Africa's Great Lakes region, is home to 13 million people, and its government claims it is one of the most stable countries on the continent and it has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure. However, the migrant agreement with the UK government drew criticism from rights groups and faced a long-running legal challenge. President Paul Kagame's government has frequently been accused of rampant human rights violations and crushing political dissent and press freedoms. Kigali has also come under pressure over its role in the violence roiling the neighbouring eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In June, the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern DRC, where there were fresh clashes this year when the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, captured two major cities.
The Sun
a few seconds ago
- The Sun
Husband's frantic search for Brit wife missing in Greece after waking up from sunbed & finding she had disappeared
A GREEK man launched a frantic search for his Brit wife after she mysteriously vanished from a beach while he was asleep. Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, disappeared from the Ofrynio beach in Kavala - sparking a huge search operation by the authorities in Greece. 4 She is believed to have gone to the beach with her husband, who was reportedly asleep when the woman disappeared. When he woke up, the woman was nowhere to be found, according to local media reports. The husband is said to have frantically asked for help from locals to find his wife when he realised she was missing. A local shop owner told Protothema: "The couple were together and at some point the husband fell asleep, and it seems that the wife went in to swim. "When the husband woke up and didn't see her next to him, he came to the store and asked us if we had seen his wife, who had disappeared." The shopkeeper added that the husband seemed to be "stressed". Mrs Bourda was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes, and red sunglasses, according to authorities. A Silver Alert was issued after authorites failed to locate the woman and said there are "no signs of her". Greek cops say they are stumped by the "very odd" disappearance of the Brit woman. After four days of search operations, Cops said that it was highly unusual that the Brit was still not found. Brit tourist missing after flying to Tenerife three weeks ago but never returning as cops launch huge search One well-placed source told The Sun: "It's very odd that after so many days, nothing has been found. "The coast guard has not ruled out currents and winds somehow playing a role, but still it is highly unusual." Another official said: "We now have to ask why she continued swimming out so far." A sports instructor earlier claimed that he saw a woman who resembled Mrs Bourda swimming in deep waters near the beach. He claimed to have asked the Brit not to go any further, LBC reports. The Greek coast guards today paused the operation, with search efforts now being taken over by the country's police force. Officials said a full-scale police probe would continue to be conducted into how the Brit mysteriously disappeared. A spokesman said: "The search to locate the missing person will now fall to the responsibility of the police." 4 On late Monday, a Hellenic coast guard spokesperson confirmed to The Sun that the search had not only expanded across a much larger area but would continue. They said: "Patrol boats are now focused on the entire Strymonian Gulf and it will continue. There is no change in this operation." A coast guard official previously said that the Brit had been "residing temporarily" in Serres, northern Greece. The British embassy in Greece also issued an alert notice saying: "Michele Ann BOURDA went missing on 01/08/2025 at the beach of Ofrynio in Kavala. "On the day she went missing, she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes, and red plastic sunglasses. Her life is in danger." It is believed that part of the beach from where she disappeared is surrounded by extensive crops, houses and a large reservoir.
The Sun
a few seconds ago
- The Sun
Yet more Brit drug mules caught as pair, 19 & 21, jailed for 6 YEARS after being found with 150lbs of cannabis in case
TWO young Brits have been jailed for six years each for smuggling nearly 70kg of cannabis out of Thailand stashed in their luggage. Tihaise Darlin Elisha, 19, and Taylor Tamara Simone, 21, were swooped on by staff at an airport in Zimbabwe in May - two amongst a slew of Brit arrested on international drugs smuggling charges recently. 6 6 6 Security officers at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare noticed the pair acting suspiciously on May 1, so yanked them aside. A search of their luggage found that four Monarch suitcases were completely stuffed with weed. Police found 53 packets containing a total of 66kg of loose skunky cannabis, known locally as "dagga". The red and brown cases were tagged with the young Brits' names. Three months later, the pair have been found guilty of drugs trafficking by the Harare Magistrates' Court, according to Zimbabwe's national prosecutor. Each was sentenced to nine years in prison, with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour. The National Prosecuting Authority warned that the country maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward transnational drug trafficking, saying: "The law will catch up with offenders, no matter their nationality. The number of Brits arrested for international drugs smuggling has exploded in recent months. Many of those have flown out from Thailand - and a few cases have made international headlines. Bella May Culley, 19, was arrested in Georgia in May after allegedly bundling a large cannabis stash out of the Kingdom - and is awaiting trial. The teen claimed she had been "forced under torture" by a Brit drug gang in Thailand to carry the haul through the airport, heading for Tbilisi. Charlotte May Lee, 21, faces a similar situation after being arrested in Sri Lanka, allegedly with around £1.2million worth of cannabis in her suitcases, also in May. Former flight attendant Charlotte, from south London, has yet to be charged but is still holed up at a jail in Negombo on the west coast. 6 6 6 And a young British mum, Cameron Bradford, 21, was nabbed in Munich in April for allegedly smuggling the marijuana as well. In February, British and Thai authorities collaborated with Operation Chaophraya - which was cracked down specifically on smugglers attempting to post cannabis from Thailand to the UK. This results in the arrest of over 50 Brits in Thailand. Other networks have been uprooted, such as 11 Brits nabbed in March in relation to large-scale smuggling through the airport on the island of Koh Samui. A month later, Thai police caught Adel Mohammed in Bangkok, who they suspect of pulling the strings behind the operation. Why Brit backpackers are prime targets, Thai cop reveals By Patrick Harrington Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim, Deputy Inspector of the Surat Thani province police force, said: 'Cases involving British nationals smuggling cannabis have been around for a while. 'Initially most incidents happened at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. But as arrests increased, the security tightened inspections, making it harder for smugglers to operate. 'So they began looking for smaller airports with international flights, which is why they started using Koh Samui, as it operates international flights while still being a very small airport. 'There are a lot of codeshare flights with major airlines that have international transfers in Bangkok where the suitcases are moved between planes and not checked. Then the flights go to the UK. 'Phuket is another airport with international flights to Europe but the airport is bigger and security is more advanced. 'There is a lot of cannabis grown on Thailand's islands in the south because the climate is suitable and it is legal. A lot of gangs are attracted to this. 'There are now various smuggling methods that we have seen. Some carry it themselves, some hire backpackers, and some send it via mail. 'This year, there have been many cases we have intercepted. Most involve British and Malaysian nationals. 'It's easy for British citizens to travel as they can enter Thailand and return to the UK without needing a visa. 'Most of the smugglers are people hired to carry the cannabis, similar to how tourists might smuggle tax-free goods. 'They're usually unemployed individuals from the UK. The gangs offer them flights, pocket money and hotel stays, just to come and travel and take a bag back home with them. 'These people often have poor social standing at home and are looking for ways to earn quick money. They find them through friends or on social media. 'The average age is mostly young adults, though not all. There are men, women, and even people with disabilities, all posing as backpackers visiting Thailand for a holiday. 'Many will go to festivals or parties while they are here, just like they are having a normal trip abroad. 'Upon further investigation, we found that the gangs behind this are entirely based in the UK. The payment varies — some are paid to carry in exchange for clearing debts owed to these gangs. 'Wages differ. Some get £3,000 to £5,000, some only £2,000, and others just have flight tickets and some pocket money. Some accept the chance to have a holiday that is paid for. 'They are told that it is easy and they will not be caught. Then the amount the organisers can sell the cannabis for in the UK is much higher than it costs in Thailand. 'Police suspect that there are multiple employers and groups receiving the drugs on the other end. The cannabis then enters the UK market. 'To stop this network, immigration police have coordinated with customs, the Ministry of Public Health, and airport officials. 'In Surat Thani, several people have already been sentenced, some received four months, the longest was six months, depending on the court's decision. 'Some confessed and carried small amounts and were sentenced to four months. Others who recruited, managed, or transported large amounts received six months. 'Currently, there are fewer cases on Koh Samui because of our strict enforcement. Tourists are now looking for other routes instead. 'We are being vigilant to ensure there are no routes out of the country.'
