Author: Morgan

More than 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday, according to Home Office figures, ending a spell of more than a week with no new arrivals.

Thirteen boats carrying 1,072 individuals made the crossing on Friday, which averages more than 80 people a boat. It is the third time this year the figure for a single day has surpassed 1,000 and brings the total number this year to a record 32,103.

Before Friday, there had been eight days with no arrivals recorded in Dover, Kent, due to adverse weather and sea conditions.

Ministers are hoping their “one in, one out” plan will provide a deterrent to would-be asylum seekers if they believe they risk being quickly sent back. Three people have been removed from the UK so far under the deal with France.

Home Office sources said an Iranian man had been returned on Friday, following the removal of an Eritrean man after he lost a high court attempt to halt his removal, and an Indian national was deported on Thursday.

The first flights carrying asylum seekers from France to the UK under the deal are expected to take place next week. Labour intends to increase the number of people being sent back under the pilot deal over the coming months.

The treaty allows the UK to immediately detain anyone who crosses the Channel and, within about two weeks, agree with the French authorities to return the individual.

For each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant with a strong case for asylum in the UK will come in return. Ministers have praised the returns, with the deputy prime minister, David Lammy, saying they provided an “immediate deterrent” to people seeking to cross the Channel.

But the Conservative shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said it would offer “no deterrent effect whatsoever”, adding that the numbers returned so far were “pathetic”.

The Northern Territory’s attorney general, Marie-Clare Boothby, has faced criticism after confirming she is related to a man who was spared prison last week over a hit-and-run car crash that killed an Aboriginal man.

Jack Danby, 24, was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order in relation to the crash in June 2024. Danby hit two Aboriginal pedestrians, killing one, and fled the scene.

He then boasted about the incident to friends, according to text messages tendered in court.

Danby wrote that it was “pretty funny watching them roll around on the road after going over my bonnet” and described the crash as a “two for one combo”.

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He also referred to the victims as “dogs” and “oxygen thieves”.

Prosecutors are now appealing Danby’s sentence as “inadequate”.

The situation has prompted significant anger at “inequality” in the justice system, and criticism of the Country Liberal government over “inconsistencies” in the way it publicly responds to criminal cases.

Boothby – an architect of Country Liberal party’s hardline crime policies that promised “real consequences” for offenders – was criticised last week for not taking a strong position on Danby’s case.

On Thursday, the NT Independent revealed that Danby was Boothby’s sister’s son-in-law. She has since confirmed the relationship.

Boothby told the ABC she had previously informed the chief minister, Lia Finnochiaro, that Danby was her sister’s son-in-law.

“I have never attempted to hide the fact that the driver was an extended family member,” Boothby said.

“At no time have I or my office been involved in the matter, either in opposition or upon change of government.

“At all times I have acted with integrity in carrying out my functions as attorney general.”

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency says the government has been “quick to comment in cases involving Aboriginal offenders and non-Aboriginal victims”.

“Their silence on this matter sends a message about the value that the NT government places on the experiences of Aboriginal victims,” the Naaja chair, Theresa Roe, said.

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“The fault lines in our community and our justice system run deep.”

Roe said the “racist, dehumanising language used by the offender is a stark reminder of the racism that many Aboriginal people experience in their day to day lives”.

“This case highlights the inequality between the experiences of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Territorians in the NT justice system, and the immense advantages experienced by many non-Aboriginal people in the NT legal system,” Roe said.

“Aboriginal people and families increasingly feel as though the justice system does not equally protect them.”

The DPP has confirmed it will now appeal against the sentence on the basis it is “manifestly inadequate”.

Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory are 15 times more likely to be killed by a car than pedestrians elsewhere.

In 2015, a non-Indigenous driver was spared jail over the hit-and-run death of eight-year-old Aboriginal boy Jack Sultan-Page in Palmerston.

The UK is expected to recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday after Israel failed to meet the conditions set out by Keir Starmer in July.

The prime minister is to make the announcement after concluding the humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly in the past few weeks. The move comes despite pressure from the US and the families of hostages held by Hamas.

Starmer said in July he would recognise Palestine before the gathering of world leaders at the UN general assembly next week if the situation did not improve.

Alongside the continued military offensive and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the UK government is alarmed at plans to accelerate Israeli settlements in the West Bank which ministers fear will end any hope of a two-state solution.

Labour has sought to stress that recognition of a Palestinian state is not a reward for Hamas, and emphasised that it would have no role in the future governance of Gaza. It is expected the government will ratchet up sanctions on Hamas in due course, and it has stepped up demands for the release of hostages.

David Lammy, the deputy prime minister who will represent the UK at the general assembly, said: “It’s important to state that the recognition of a Palestinian state, it is a consequence of the serious expansion that we’re seeing in the West Bank, the settler violence that we’re seeing in the West Bank and the intention and indications that we’re seeing to build, for example, the E1 development that would run a coach and horses through the possibility of a two-state solution.”

Israel has ramped up its offensive on Gaza City, including with strikes that health officials said on Saturday killed at least 14 people overnight. Later in Israel, thousands of demonstrators joined the families of hostages still being held by Hamas to demand that Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, negotiate an end to the war.

High-level meetings at the UN summit involving world leaders begin on 23 September. Starmer has found himself at odds with Donald Trump’s administration over the move, which is opposed to giving official recognition to the state.

The Labour leader previously suggested British recognition was conditional and he would refrain if Israel committed to a ceasefire and long-term sustainable peace that delivers a two-state solution, and allow the UN to restart the supply of aid.

All three conditions are however unlikely to be met given the Israeli government opposes these terms. The State of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states.

Family members of some of the 48 hostages still in captivity have written an open letter to Starmer condemning the move.

The letter said: “Your regrettable announcement of the UK’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations general assembly has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones.

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“Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal. We write to you with a simple plea – do not take this step until our loved ones are home and in our arms.”

Criticism also came from opposition parties, with the shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, accusing Starmer of “capitulating” to his backbenchers to shore up his leadership.

Lammy added: “In relation to what is happening in Gaza … we’ve got to see the hostages out. There can be no place, no place at all for Hamas.

“The humanitarian situation is just desperate and we have continued to press Israel to deal with the scenes of malnourishment and starvation that we’re seeing, to open up more sites to get more aid in to Gaza, and we are very concerned about this continued offensive into Gaza City.”

Anthony Albanese says he will push for improved global peace and security during meetings with world leaders this week, as allies of Donald Trump warn Australia’s recognition of Palestine could spark “punitive measures” from the US.

Albanese arrived in New York on Sunday morning, Australian time, ahead of the UN general assembly and his possible first meeting with the US president.

Australia will use the UN talks to formally recognise Palestinian statehood, in concert with countries including France, Canada and the UK, but the decision has sparked a backlash from Israel and allies of Trump in Washington.

“What we want to see is increased peace and security and stability around the world,” Albanese said. “Australia plays an important role. We are a trusted partner and an ally.”

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A group of 25 senior Republican lawmakers, including Texas senator Ted Cruz and Trump loyalist Elise Stefanik of New York, have written to the prime minister, as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer of Britain and Mark Carney of Canada, urging a rethink.

The letter was sent to Trump and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

“This is a reckless policy that undermines prospects for peace. It sets the dangerous precedent that violence, not diplomacy, is the most expedient means for terrorist groups like Hamas to achieve their political aims,” the letter said.

“This misguided effort to reward terrorism also imperils the security of your own countries.

“Proposed recognition is coinciding with sharp increases in antisemitic activity in each of your countries. Jews are facing unprecedented harassment and attacks against them are becoming a common occurrence.”

The group warned the US could retaliate over the recognition plan, first announced in August.

“Proceeding with recognition will put your country at odds with longstanding U.S. policy and interests and may invite punitive measures in response.”

Albanese has arrived in the US without confirmation he will meet Trump. The pair had been due to hold face-to-face talks on the sidelines of June’s G7 meeting in Canada but Trump left a day early.

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A reception for world leaders attending the UN general assembly could be their first chance to talk but Australia has pushed for a more substantial meeting while Albanese is in the US.

Trump will attend the Apec summit in South Korea in October, holding talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Albanese is also due to attend the event.

The prime minister is expected to take part in a major conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine this week, hosted by the leaders of France and Saudi Arabia.

He is also seeking a meeting with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to discuss rival bids to host the Cop31 climate summit next year.

Trump, fresh from a state visit to Britain, has a tight schedule in New York. He is expected to visit only for a couple of days, after the funeral on Sunday of murdered rightwing commentator Charlie Kirk.

Albanese and Trump will both deliver national addresses to the general assembly.

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, did not inform the White House that her office was revoking the security clearances of 37 people – including top deputies to the CIA director, John Ratcliffe – before it happened last month, according to three people familiar with matter.

The move caused consternation because it resulted in the White House not having an opportunity to closely vet the list before it became public and there appeared to be no paper trail from the president directing the effort, the people said.

As a result, officials only realized after the fact that Gabbard had managed to pull the security clearances of career CIA officials, at least one of whom was a top adviser to Ratcliffe and had worked on some of the US’s most sensitive military operations, the people said.

The list also included two Democratic congressional staffers – Maher Bitar, the national security adviser to senator Adam Schiff, and Thomas West, an aide on the Senate foreign relations committee – prompting fears the administration would be thrust into a messy separation-of-powers issue.

Weeks later, several of Trump’s top advisers remain deeply frustrated with Gabbard and view the episode as a blunder that comes as Trump is skeptical of the intelligence community and has suggested dismantling the office of the director of national intelligence (ODNI).

It also appears to have deepened existing animosity between Gabbard, whose most important job as the director of national intelligence is delivering the president’s daily briefing and overseeing the intelligence agencies, and the CIA, whose officers actually produce the brief.

Trump advisers inside and outside of the administration have complained that Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff, Alexa Henning, did not explain to them how the list was compiled and the underlying evidence to warrant pulling the security clearances, the people said.

A senior intelligence official disputed this account and said Gabbard told Trump in the Oval Office that she had compiled names of officers who had worked on the intelligence assessments on Russia’s malign influence operations during the 2016 election who should be fired.

Trump replied to Gabbard that if those people had worked on the Russia intelligence assessments and they were still employed in the federal government, they should be removed, and Gabbard was merely executing the president’s agenda, the intelligence official said.

The intelligence official also claimed the list was emailed to the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles; the White House counsel, David Warrington; communications chiefs Steven Cheung and Taylor Budowich; the national security council; and the chiefs of staff at every major intelligence agency.

“The CIA just wants to blame ODNI all the time,” the official said.

A White House spokesperson did not address whether there had been advance notice or when the emails were sent but said in a statement: “Director Gabbard is doing a phenomenal job and the White House has worked closely with her on implementing the President’s objectives.

“The entire administration is aligned on ensuring those who have weaponized their clearances to manipulate intelligence, leak classified intelligence without authorization, and many other egregious acts are held to account,” the spokesperson said.

Rescinding security clearances was supposed to be part of an effort to correct what Trump’s advisers view as flaws in intelligence assessments and to punish Trump’s political enemies for allegedly mischaracterizing intelligence about Russian malign influence operations during the 2016 election.

Gabbard said in the memo announcing the revocations last month that her actions were at Trump’s direction and claimed that the people targeted were involved in the “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” to advance partisan agendas, or had leaked classified information.

“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right,” Gabbard wrote. “Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold.”

It was also in keeping with an executive order and followed the administration pulling security clearances for dozens of Trump’s political adversaries including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as well as other figures from Trump’s first impeachment.

Gabbard is not expected to face significant ramifications over the episode, in large part because she has emerged relatively unscathed from other fraught moments, including when Trump in June publicly contradicted her assessment that Iran was far from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“I don’t care what she said,” Trump said in response to a question about Gabbard’s testimony that Iran had decided not to make a nuclear bomb, shortly after she was notably absent from a key meeting at Camp David on the matter. “I think they were very close to having it.”

Gabbard also drew Trump’s ire when she posted a video in June warning of nuclear annihilation. Trump harangued Gabbard, saying it would scare people and that she appeared more engaged in self-promotion in order to set herself up for higher office, a person familiar with the matter said.

California will be the first state to ban most law enforcement, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill signed by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, on Saturday.

The ban is California’s direct response to a recent series of immigration raids in Los Angeles where federal agents wore masks while making mass arrests. The raids prompted protests and led Donald Trump to deploy national guard troops and marines to the city.

It’s unclear how – or whether – the state can enforce the ban on the federal agents who have been carrying out those raids. A homeland security official called the legislation “despicable” in a statement this week, adding that the ban would only put officers in danger.

Newsom, a Democrat who has railed against federal agents’ use of masks, said the measure will help California push back on federal overreach. He signed the bill in Los Angeles, flanked by state lawmakers and immigrant community members.

“I thought Jon Stewart said it best: ‘This is not about the pronoun police, this is about the secret police,’” Newsom said before signing the bill into law.

The new law prohibits neck gators, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, while they conduct official business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, medical masks such as N95 respirators or tactical gear. It doesn’t apply to state police.

Trump administration officials have consistently defended the practice, saying that immigration agents have faced strident and increasing harassment in public and online as they have gone about their enforcement in service of Trump’s drive toward mass deportation, and say hiding their identities is for their and their families’ safety.

Federal agents are already instructed to identify themselves and wear vests with Ice or homeland security markers during operations, a homeland security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement this week.

“The men and women at CBP, ICE, and all of our federal law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” she said.

Democrats in Congress and lawmakers in several states, including Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have introduced similar proposals calling for mask bans for law enforcement officers.

Proponents said the mask ban is especially needed after the supreme court earlier this month ruled that the federal administration can resume sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles. The new law aims to boost public trust in law enforcement and stop people from impersonating officers to commit crimes, supporters said.

Constitutional law expert Erwin Chemerinsky at the University of California, Berkeley, also defended the legislation. Federal employees still have to follow general state rules “unless doing so would significantly interfere with the performance of their duties. For example, while on the job, federal employees must stop at red lights,” he wrote in an opinion piece for the Sacramento Bee in July.

The mask ban is among a number of measures approved by the Democratic-controlled California legislature in response to Trump’s immigration policies of mass deportation. Newsom on Saturday also signed legislation to prevent immigration agents from entering schools and healthcare facilities without a valid warrant or a judicial order and to require schools to notify parents and teachers when immigration agents are on campus.

Dutch police have used teargas and a water cannon to disperse violent anti-immigration protesters in The Hague on Saturday, a local government spokesperson has said.

Thirty people have been arrested and two police officers were injured. Authorities did not rule out additional arrests in the coming days as they review camera footage.

Thousands of people joined a protest organised by a rightwing activist demanding stricter immigration policies and a clampdown on asylum seekers, just more than a month before a national election.

Large groups of protesters, many waving Dutch flags and flags associated with far-right groups, clashed violently with the police, throwing rocks and bottles, footage from broadcaster NOS showed.

A police car was set on fire and a group of protesters briefly blocked a highway near the site of the demonstration.

Local media reported that protesters also smashed several windows at the headquarters of the centre-left D66 party.

“Scum. You keep your hands off political parties,” the D66 party’s leader, Rob Jetten, wrote on X. “If you think you can intimidate us, tough luck. We will never let extremist rioters take our beautiful country away.”

A smaller group of rioters headed for the Dutch parliament complex, which is fenced off as it undergoes renovation.

Geert Wilders, the anti-migration populist politician who won the previous election in the Netherlands, was invited to speak at the demonstration but did not attend.

Instead Wilders, who has retained his lead in opinion polls in the lead-in to the 29 October vote, condemned the violence on X, saying the use of force against police was “utterly unacceptable”, and calling those involved “idiots” and “scum”.

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers urged a judge on Saturday to bar federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing that authorities prejudiced the case against him by turning his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed.

Fresh from a legal victory that eliminated terrorism charges in Mangione’s state murder case, his lawyers are now fighting to have his federal case dismissed, seizing on US attorney general Pam Bondi’s declaration prior to his April indictment that capital punishment is warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America”.

Bondi’s statements and other official actions – including a highly choreographed “perp walk” that saw Mangione led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers, and the Trump administration’s flouting of established death penalty procedures – “have violated Mr Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case”, his lawyers argued in a court filing.

Mangione’s defense team, led by former Manhattan prosecutor Karen Friedman Agnifilo, implored US district judge Margaret Garnett, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, ”to correct the errors made by the government and prevent this case from proceeding as a death penalty prosecution”.

Bondi announced in April that she was directing Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione. It was the first time the justice department said it was bringing a capital case after Donald Trump’s second presidency began in January with a pledge to revive federal executions, which his predecessor Biden had put on hold.

Mangione’s lawyers argue that Bondi’s announcement – which she followed with Instagram posts and a TV appearance – showed the decision was “based on politics, not merit” and, they said, her remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in his indictment a few weeks later.

Trump, who oversaw an unprecedented run of 13 executions at the end of his first presidency, offered his own opinions about Mangione on Thursday – despite court rules that prohibit any pretrial publicity that could interfere with a defendant’s right to a fair trial.

“Think about Mangione. He shot someone in the back, as clear as you’re looking at me or I’m looking at you. He shot – he looked like a pure assassin,” Trump told Fox News.

“There is a high bar to dismissing an indictment due to pretrial publicity,” Mangione’s lawyers wrote in their 114-page filing. “However, there has never been a situation remotely like this one where prejudice has been so great against a death-eligible defendant.”

Federal prosecutors have until 31 October to respond. Mangione is due back in court in the federal case on 5 December, days after the start of pretrial hearings in his state case. No trial date has been set for either case.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind on 4 December 2024 as he arrived to a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference. Police say “delay”, “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (370km) west of Manhattan. Authorities say he had a 9mm handgun and a notebook describing his intent to “wack” an insurance executive.

Mangione’s lawyers contend the simultaneous prosecutions amount to double jeopardy.

In the federal case, Mangione is charged with murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, as well as stalking and gun offenses.

On Tuesday, the judge in his state case threw out terrorism charges that carried the possibility of a mandatory life sentence without parole. But judge Gregory Carro rejected the defense’s request to dismiss the state prosecution entirely, saying the double jeopardy argument is premature because neither case has gone to trial or resulted in a guilty plea.

The state case will proceed with other charges, including an intentional murder count that carries a potential punishment of 15 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. Unlike the federal system, New York does not have the death penalty.

Mangione has attracted a cult following as a stand-in for frustrations with the health insurance industry.

A few dozen supporters – mostly women – packed three rows in the rear of the courtroom gallery at his hearing Tuesday in state court. Some wore green, the color of the Mario Bros video game character Luigi, and one woman sported a “FREE LUIGI” T-shirt.

Flights have been delayed and cancelled at three major European airports – including London’s largest, Heathrow – after the company behind the software used for check-in and boarding said it was hit by a cyber-attack.

Airports in Brussels and Berlin are also experiencing delays and disruption after the issue affecting Collins Aerospace, which works for several airlines at airports across the world.

The attack has raised concerns about the robustness of the systems underpinning critical infrastructure, with a prominent cybersecurity expert suggesting the disruption could theoretically spread to more airports. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has said she is being kept informed.

“I’m aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding, impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports,” said Alexander. “I’m getting regular updates and monitoring the situation. If you’re flying at Heathrow today, check with your airline before travelling.”

The attack has affected Collins’ Muse software. The company is a subsidiary of RTX, which advises other firms on cybersecurity, as well as providing services supporting military operations.

Heathrow said passengers should check their flight status before travelling, and asked them not to arrive any earlier than three hours before a longhaul flight, or two hours before a domestic one.

Brussels airport said the attack happened on Friday night and it meant the check-in and boarding processes could only be handled manually. It said the problem was in Collins’ hands, adding: “This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights.” The airport advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline and only travel to the airport if their flight was confirmed.

Berlin airport said: “Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution.”

Collins Aerospace said: “We have become aware of a cyber-related disruption to our Muse software in select airports. We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.

“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations. We will share more details as they are available.”

Prof Alan Woodword, a professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, said the incident raised serious questions over why the airports appear to be reliant on Collins to fix the issue with Muse.

This suggested control of the system was probably centralised. Were Collins forced to close it off to allow it to deal with the problem, he said, the “disruption’s going to be enormous”.

Woodword also questioned why, given Muse is used in airports across Europe, only three had been affected. He said that, if the system was indeed centralised, this left open the possibility the attackers had so far picked only some of the airports they could target.

Maria Casey, from Aldershot in Hampshire, was on her way to a two-week backpacking holiday in Krabi, southern Thailand, flying through Abu Dhabi. But her Etihad flight departing at 9.30am was delayed and she ended up queueing for three hours because baggage check-in had to be done manually with luggage tags written by hand.

“Only two desks were staffed, which is why we were cheesed off,” she told the PA news agency. “Didn’t know then it was a cyber-attack until four hours later.”