The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
Police are reviewing their handling of allegations about the Duchess of Sussex's father, Thomas Markle -- after confirming they received information in 2019 that they passed to her -- but not to other law enforcement agencies. French police have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in several cities -- but there has been no repeat of the widespread violent disorder seen last weekend. The mayor of the city of Hebron in the Occupied West Bank says Israeli forces have destroyed the homes of 12 hundred Palestinians as part of a huge security crackdown -- after two soldiers were killed yesterday. (Image: PA)
The Duchess of Sussex has said she is deeply distressed after it emerged that her estranged father, Thomas Markle Senior, is being investigated for alleged possession of child sex abuse images. Thomas Markle has told The Daily Mail the accusations are 'sick lies'. Also: Power cuts are affecting thousands of properties in the south west of England and Wales because of high winds brought by Storm Austen. And a personalised skin cancer vaccine is found to slash the risk of patients dying or of the disease returning. (Image: PA)
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre says the scale of a technical problem which has disrupted millions of websites is 'unprecedented'. Also: the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, issues a fresh warning to the public to be prepared for natural disasters and emergencies. And a decorator's Pokemon collection nets him one and half million pounds at auction. (Image: EPA/Shutterstock)
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A plan to start drilling the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea has been approved by the government. Climate change campaigners condemn the decision as 'reckless' but Andy Burnham says the move may help remove standing charges from gas bills. Also: The Education Secretary accepts in full the recommendations of a review of antisemitism in schools. And Just Eat's advertising suffers an AI malfunction. (Image: BBC)
The Covid 19 public inquiry has found that the care sector appeared to be an afterthought during the pandemic, and that failings in the way people in care homes were protected allowed the virus to spread like 'wildfire'. Also: The Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, despatches RAF jets to the Middle East, to help defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks. And a hedgehog who’s lost all seven thousand of his spikes has become the unlikely ambassador for a wildlife charity in Devon. (Image: Reuters)
The government in France has told regional leaders to impose temporary curfews in a number of towns and cities to try to prevent a repeat of the weekend's violent disorder that's been described by some officials as the worst in modern French history. Also: A man accused of a mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire last year has admitted 12 counts of wounding with intent. Anthony Williams will still stand trial for fourteen counts of attempted murder next week. And passengers who play loud music on buses in England could be fined up to £100 under an attempt by the government to crack down on antisocial behaviour. (Image: EPA/Shutterstock)
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, prepares to address the nation after protests against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services descended into rioting and looting. Around 1,800 people were arrested yesterday and more than 500 police officers and firefighters were injured. Also: Zack Polanski rules out any immediate attempt to overturn the Green party's policy of describing Zionism as a form of racism. And the Pope makes his first public appearance since he was discharged from hospital, after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
The former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been jailed for fifteen years for historic child sex offences, including rape. Also: the Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, has expressed the importance of standing with Ukraine in its war against Russia while on a visit to Washington. And the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has apologised for his plans to commercialise the World Cup and other competitions. (Image: PA)
Witnesses have begun giving evidence in the rape and sexual assault trial of the comedian, Russell Brand. He denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one of indecent assault, made by six female complainants. Also: Andy Burnham has promised to accelerate deliveries of British air defence missiles to Ukraine, after welcoming President Zelensky to Downing Street. And a new research project is allowing scientists, and members of the public, to follow the movements of penguins. (Image: Julia Quenzler / BBC)
The head of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, has warned that one of his key concerns is that artificial intelligence could help terrorists create biological weapons, such as killer pathogens. Also: A man who was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has been identified as William Chapman. And Pope Leo has surgery to remove a nodule from his lung. (Image: PA)
The Prime Minister has said it would be a dereliction of duty not to discuss closer ties with Europe which, he says, would boost growth in the UK and help tackle illegal immigration. He told MPs that he would use a UK-EU summit next month to push for new deals, but the British public would remain the boss, as he put it, at every stage of renegotiation. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said he would not get a better deal, and accused him of weakening his negotiating hand by openly discussing his aims. Andy Burnham also addressed questions about Russia's involvement in the Brexit referendum in 2016, saying there was evidence Russia had tried to manipulate the 2019 general election, and it was 'inconceivable' Moscow had not been involved before, but he believed the result of the referendum was legitimate. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Mr Burnham a liar, and the idea of Russian inteference a hoax.
Zack Polanski has insisted he will stay on as the leader of the Greens, despite a by-election defeat at a time when he's already under pressure from many within his party. Also: This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the South African judge, Navi Pillay. And ministers have said they will introduce tougher regulation of assessments for autism and ADHD. (Image: PA)
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has won the first round of his legal case against Thames Valley Police, after the force accepted that the warrants used to search his homes earlier this year were unlawful. The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing. Also: At least thirty people have been killed in Russian air strikes on two buses in Ukraine. And the BBC has announced it is scrapping a number of Radio 4 programmes, including You and Yours. (Image: Reuters)
Five former City traders who were sentenced to prison in one of the biggest scandals of the financial crisis have had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal. Also: Kemi Badenoch has told the Conservative conference in Birmingham that the party would scrap inheritance tax for family homes and cut welfare spending if it won the next election. And the Nobel chemistry prize is awarded for work on mirror image molecules. (Image: PA)
Police in France fire tear gas at protestors during the biggest demonstrations yet about conditions in schools. One of the unions organising rallies claimed 450,000 people took to the streets in more than thirty towns and cities. Police claim around half that number were involved. Many gatherings remained peaceful, but tensions were high in some places after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand when a stun grenade exploded in Lens yesterday. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris, Nick Beake from Lens and Mark Lowen from Marseille, with analysis from our Economics Editor Faisal Islam.Two police officers who used pepper spray and a taser on a 92-year-old disabled man in his care home in East Sussex have been sacked. Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto were called to Saint Leonards on Sea after Donald Burgess, who had dementia, threatened staff with his cutlery knife. Charlie Rose reports.The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has ruled out forming a government with Reform UK if the next general election results in a hung parliament. She told the BBC she would rather have another election than do a deal with Reform's leader, Nigel Farage. Mrs Badenoch was speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Our political editor Chris Mason reports.The online fashion retailer, ASOS, says it is investigating unauthorised pop-up messages appearing on its app which claim the company had been hacked. Dozens of people have told the BBC they received a message on their phones' home screens, saying the firm's data management systems had been fully compromised. It's thought to be part of an attempt to blackmail the company. Chris Vallance reports.And Professor Francis Halzen, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. He's behind an ambitious project at the South Pole. It's enabled scientists to detect more of a particular and especially important type of this elusive subatomic particle. Our science correspondent Victoria Gill reports.(Image: EPA/Shutterstock)