54 h. ago Fraught, tense and visceral: there’s never been a football match quite like Maccabi’s visit to Aston Villa | Barney Ronay

Undeniably strange and redolent of wider horrors at one remove, this was a groaning platter of geopolitics with a tiny little sprig of sport dusted across the topYou could almost, almost have played it for laughs. If it wasn’t so bleak, or so profoundly unsettling. But then, this is Birmingham, so there does have to be some gallows humour buried in there.Either way an hour before kick-off on the streets outside Villa Park it became clear that the 700 police officers present were being asked to keep apart three distinct, and equally energetic factions: pro-Palestine, pro-Israeli and pro YouTubers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago More than 700 officers deployed and protest planned for Aston Villa

A protest will assemble a short distance from Villa Park on Thursday evening.

Events

3 d. ago ‘It is very hard for us’: Maccabi Tel Aviv aim to give absent fans reason to smile

Fans banned from attending match at Aston VillaPolice granted section 60 stop-and-search powersThe Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho urged his teammates to make their supporters smile against Aston Villa, after away fans were banned from the politically charged Europa League match on Thursday.The Israeli club’s fans were prohibited from attending on public safety grounds but, despite the ban, West Midlands police have been granted section 60 stop-and-search powers and plan to deploy more than 700 officers around Villa Park to cope with protests and potential unrest. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv: Why there will be 700 police officers and zero away fans at Europa League match

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer criticised the decision over the Europa League match, with a heightened police presence expected at Villa Park

Events

5 d. ago More than 700 officers will be deployed to police Aston Villa

West Midlands Police said its goal is to ensure fan safety and facilitate peaceful protest.

Events

1 week ago Nudists arrested after accidentally stripping off on wrong Florida beach

Police received multiple calls after a rogue party of nudists stripped down on a clothing-mandatory beach after their local spot was being renovated.

Events

3 w. ago Two rogue cops sacked every day as officers barred from policing soars to record high

The figures come after an undercover investigation exposed officers at Charing Cross police station making offensive comments and bragging about using violence

Events

3 w. ago Record clearout of rogue police officers as more than 700 axed in last year

The number of police officers booted out of forces across the UK has surged, with officers being removed for dishonesty, racism, misogyny and sexual misconduct in the wake of Wayne Couzens scandal

Events

3 w. ago ‘Instability and whiplash’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half

Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while former top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’More than a thousand employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received notice that they were losing their jobs on Friday in a move that erased entire offices and was partially reversed over the weekend.It caused “instability and whiplash”, said Debra Houry, former chief medical officer at the CDC. Continue reading...

Politics