Channel

Three-year deal includes funding for a riot squad to ‘disperse’ people trying to board small boatsThe UK government has agreed to pay France another £660m to curb the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel, including plans to fund a riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small boats.Under a three-year deal to be signed on Thursday by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, 1,100 enforcement, intelligence and military officers – an increase of 40% – will be employed to track down smuggling gangs and people seeking refuge. Continue reading...

• Chinese military announced a temporary halt to provocative exercises around Taiwan following private diplomatic discussions between US and Chinese officials in Singapore this week. • Beijing stated the suspension aims to create space for constructive dialogue, though military analysts note China maintains its military posture in the Taiwan Strait. • The development provides cautious optimism for regional stability, with US officials emphasizing the importance of maintaining open communication channels to prevent miscalculation.

Program portrayed efforts to wean Australia off fossil fuels as morally bankrupt, trashing rainforests and enslaving Australia to ChinaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChildren sieve mud, workers drop down claustrophobic hand-cut mine shafts, men grimace while others carve out rock with chisels in bare feet to recover cobalt “for our renewable green dream”.These were the dramatic scenes from the Democratic Republic of Congo in a “special investigation” from Channel Seven’s Spotlight program, aired in prime-time on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Exit of former Newsnight editor after eight years comes after appointment of new chief executive Priya DograChannel 4’s content chief, Ian Katz, who holds responsibility for the broadcaster’s £650m annual programming budget and output, is to leave after almost nine years in the post.Katz, a former senior executive at the Guardian, became the channel’s director of programmes in January 2018, having moved from being the editor of BBC’s Newsnight. Continue reading...

Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali, accused of piloting small boat, is charged with endangering life A man accused of piloting a small boat carrying four people who drowned trying to cross the Channel has been charged over their deaths.Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said. Continue reading...

Two men and two women were swept away by currents while attempting to board dinghy off French coastA man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died in a small boat Channel crossing on Thursday.The man, described by prosecutors as a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was arrested by National Crime Agency investigators on Friday. Continue reading...