2 h. ago Was the Black Lives Matter rebellion all for nothing? It may feel like that, but I have seen reasons for hope | Jason Okundaye

It is easy to look back at 2020 and feel aggrieved, even fooled. But in the British city where slaver Edward Colston’s statue was pulled down, I found cause for optimismIt has been five years since George Floyd, a Black man who lived in Minneapolis, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. The killing, captured in a distressing 10-minute video that quickly flooded social media timelines, sparked something that felt like an international revolution: protests took place across the world, forcing countries and cities to reckon with their present and historical treatment of Black people.In Britain, protests reached fever pitch when activists in Bristol toppled a statue of Edward Colston, the slave trader and deputy governor of the Royal African Company, and hurled it into the harbour. Bristol, once a major slave-trading port, had maintained a veneration of Colston that was increasingly divisive. The statue in particular had been a key focus of tensions: attempts to add a s...

Politics

21 h. ago Russian missile designer fighting for life after hammer attack 'assassination bid'

The chief designer of Russian missiles is fighting for his life after a hammer attack.

Events

4 d. ago Deputy of UK's first black fire chief, 'who took his own life amid claims he lied on CV', tells inquest he was 'under pressure' amid rumour of affair between them

West Midlands Fire chief Wayne Brown, 54, was also under investigation over claims he lied about obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree when he was found dead in January last year.

Events

4 d. ago Fire chief took own life amid probe into claims he lied on his CV, inquest hears

Wayne Brown had suffered months of alleged harassment and media interest in claims he faked a qualification were the ‘final straw’, his partner said.

Events

4 d. ago Britain's first black fire chief 'took his own life' a week after investigation was opened into 'lies on CV', inquest told

Britain's first black fire chief took his own life a week after a fact-finding investigation was launched into claims he had lied on his CV, an inquest heard.

Events

1 week ago Swedish senior diplomat arrested on suspicion of spying, say reports

Security service investigating if there is a link with sudden resignation of national security adviserA senior Swedish diplomat has been arrested on suspicion of espionage, as the security services investigate a potential link to the sudden resignation last week of the government’s national security adviser, local media have reported.Sweden’s security service (Säpo) said on Tuesday it had arrested a person, identified in media reports as a high-ranking diplomat who had been stationed at several embassies around the world, on suspicion of spying. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago West Lothian Council unable to confirm when IT will be restored after cyberattack

The council is working with Police Scotland and the Scottish Government on a criminal investigation after its education network was targeted last week.

Events

1 week ago Scots council unable to confirm when IT will be recovered following cyberattack

West Lothian Council's education network was targetted last week with a criminal investigation ongoing.

Events

4 w. ago ‘They excavated a nightclub!’: uncovering Black British history beyond London – podcast

From struggles over miscarriages of justice to groundbreaking music, Lanre Bakare looks at the places and events that shaped Black Britain in the Thatcher yearsWhen Guardian arts and culture correspondent Lanre Bakare was growing up, he learned the same Black British history as many of us did. It was a series of singular events: the docking of the Windrush in 1948, unrest in Notting Hill or Brixton, the murder of Stephen Lawrence. All important, but all firmly focused on the capital.Now Lanre has written a book about the Thatcher years, looking at the stories that are less often told: those that took place outside London, in Liverpool – with the oldest Black community in the UK – or in his home town of Bradford. Continue reading...

Politics