Controversial right-to-die campaigner dubbed ‘Dr Death’ speaks in London to promote his ‘suicide collar’ – but without the device over fears ‘it would get stopped at customs’
A GP dubbed ‘doctor death’ failed to bring his ‘suicide collar’ into Britain amid fears it would be seized by customs.
Hugely controversial Dr Philip Nitschke said he feared it being confiscated so instead left it in Holland before making the trip to Britain for a talk.
He had planned to do a live demonstration of the Kairos ‘suicide collar’ at an event in London on Saturday.
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The Australian spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail at a packed event, held just six days before MPs vote at Second Reading on Lauren Edwards’ revived assisted dying Bill.
He was on stage at an Exit Workshop in west London, which was packed, with almost every seat taken by a largely elderly audience who were considering assisted suicide.
Dr Nitschke, the controversial founder of Swiss euthanasia organisation Exit International, defended the device.
The collar, called ‘Kairos’, consists of two balloons that exert pressure on the carotid artery, leading first to unconsciousness and then to death.
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Dr Philip Nitschke – also known as ‘Dr Death – did not bring his ‘suicide collar’ into Britain (pictured) amid fears it would be seized by customs
The collar, called ‘Kairos’, consists of two balloons that exert pressure on the carotid artery, leading first to unconsciousness and then to death (Pictured: A model of the ‘Kairos’ collar)
Earlier this year, Dr Nitschke said that he would conduct the first assisted suicide using the collar on a woman in Switzerland who would be his first ‘test subject’.
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Devices could be legal to use for assisted suicides here if new Bill passes.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I have left the device in the Netherlands. I feared it would be stopped at customs. We are under pressure from authorities about what they call “giving dangerous information to vulnerable people”.
‘It’s a difficult environment.
‘The device is not expensive to make but we are currently in the testing phase and it would be a real setback to lose it.’
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Dr Nitschk shrugged off the controversy around his visit and the device itself.
He said that the interest in his device and the visit to London was the result of the political deadlock over legalising assisted dying.
He said: ‘People are a little worried or frustrated by the slow pace of legislated change in the country. So they often look around and ask what else is available.’
Dr Nitschk said he would conduct the first assisted suicide using the collar on a woman in Switzerland who would be his first ‘test subject’
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Dr Nitschk shrugged off any controversy surrounding the collar (Pictured: Dr Nitschke lies down in a ‘suicide pod’ in 2024)
Carlos Cabrera, a representative from the Swiss euthanasia clinic, Athanasios, also spoke at the event, explaining the process of an assisted suicide in the country.
He said: ‘The Swiss have a unique law and don’t restrict it to just Swiss nationals.
‘Switzerland lets other people benefit from this very progressive legislation.
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‘When you touch the ground in Switzerland you have indirectly or directly the right to die.
‘We support people to die without selfish intentions.’
Under Swiss law, there are few restrictions on undergoing an assisted death, with a terminal condition not being a requirement.
‘When you have the mental capacity to leave this world, you can do it,’ Cabrera says.
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Mr Cabrera told the Mail that between 40 and 60 people from the UK have chosen to end their lives through his organisation.
One relative of a person considering using the device, said: ‘My main concern about all of this is what would happen to us when we returned to Britain. What legal consequences would there be for going to Switzerland with them?’
But Mr Cabrera explained that he has never seen problems with family members being prosecuted.
‘All information on what happens in Switzerland, stays in Switzerland. We cannot give information to UK authorities.’
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After the discussion about the option of travelling to Switzerland, many in the audience stayed on for a ‘do-it-yourself guide’ to assisted suicide given by Nitschke.
Participants had to sign waivers to declare that they had not been influenced by Nitschke in order to take part in the talk.
For help and support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org
Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff meet Putin and speak for more than three hours in top secret talks… as Russian president gives two-word summation of Ukraine war
The US envoys landed in Moscow Saturday morning and were escorted to the Kremlin by the Russian President’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
Putin met with Witkoff and Kushner for closed-door talks where he described the conflict as a ‘complicated situation,’ but praised his American counterpart for wanting to end the war.
‘Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,’ Putin said of Trump.
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Afterward, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as constructive, frank, and useful to journalists, but didn’t discuss specific outcomes.
He said Moscow offered its ‘comprehensive assessment’ of the battlefield situation in Ukraine, but also that the conversation was not purely focused on Russia’s invasion.
‘Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were discussed in considerable detail,’ Ushakov said.
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (left) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (second left) spent over three hours in top-secret talks with Vladimir Putin
Putin described the conflict in Ukraine as a ‘complicated situation,’ but praised Trump for wanting to end the war
Trump described Kushner and Witkoff as two ‘great negotiators’
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‘Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,’ presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was prepared to halt strikes on Moscow until Monday. He said he spoke on Saturday afternoon with the US delegation after their arrival in Moscow.
‘From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv,’ he said.
Washington’s push to end the fighting has lost momentum as US attention has been focused for the past six months on the Iran war.
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‘I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They’ve done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we’ll do it,’ Trump said.
‘They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war,’ he said.
Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, when they also held talks with Putin at the Kremlin.
Both US envoys will also visit Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, for the first time as part of the peace process on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said.
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Kushner and Witkoff landed in Moscow on Saturday morning and were escorted by the Russian President’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, to the Kremlin
Firefighters work on the site of a Russian drone strike in the Kyiv region overnight
Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Ahead of the envoys’ arrival, Putin’s deputy foreign minister warned the US about how to bring the four-year war to an end.
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‘The key question is the extent to which the US administration is prepared to invest in finding a real solution to the current crisis, considering the realities on the ground,’ Sergei Ryabkov said.
This, according to Ryabkov, was a situation not developing in Kyiv’s favor, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
‘Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport,’ he wrote on X.
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‘We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky.
‘Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held accountable for what it does.’
More than 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley in Nepal, rescuers continue to find survivors.
Chandika Shrestha, a 64-year-old woman, was discovered alive on the fourth floor of her partially buried house in the Nuwakot district by Nepal’s Armed Police Force on 5 September, according to Reuters.
She was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment, Reuters reported.
The affected item is the 120g Inspired to Cook by Sainsbury’s Pitted Black Olives with a few use-by dates – September 6, 2026, September 7, 2026 and September 10, 2026.
Shoppers are being warned that the item could cause flu-like symptoms or, in rare cases, cause serious complications, including meningitis.
Sainsbury’s recalls olives and issues ‘do not eat’ warning
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says: “Symptoms caused by Listeria monocytogenes can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea.
“However, in rare cases, the infection can be more severe, causing serious complications, such as meningitis.
“Some people are more vulnerable to Listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.”
Customers are being warned “do not eat it” and instead must return the item to their local Sainsbury’s store where they will get a full refund.
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If you’d like more information about this recall, you can visit the website or contact the careline on 0800 028 8303.
The supermarket has apologised “for any inconvenience caused.”
What is a product recall?
The FSA explains: “If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be ‘withdrawn’ (taken off the shelves) or ‘recalled’ (when customers are asked to return the product).
“The FSA issues Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food.
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“In some cases, a ‘Food Alert for Action’ is issued.
“This provides local authorities with details of specific action to be taken on behalf of consumers.”
Have you bought this recalled item recently? Let us know in the comments below.
Killers, sex attackers, and violent criminals are amongst Scotland’s longest serving prisoners.
The Record’s new series will explore the individuals and their sordid crimes that have kept them locked away from the public.
Owen Bonner had already spent time at the State Hospital in Carstairs when he was caged again for more than three decades after a notorious five-hour siege at a chicken factory.
The violent brute held two female co-workers hostage at knifepoint during the terrifying incident at Marshall’s Chunky Chicken in Coatbridge.
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The incident happened only one year after he had been released from Carstairs.
He was regarded as such a danger to society that he has remained locked up for 32 years later, as one of Scotland’s longest serving prisoners.
Bonner forced his hostages to pray during the five-hour siege as he declared himself “worse than the devil”.
He slashed both women as he waited for his £10,000 ransom demand to be met and made a series of bizarre demands, saying he wanted TV cameras and a Michael Jackson album and outfit.
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Police eventually intercepted the then 27-year-old and arrested him.
He was put on trial at the High Court in Glasgow in 1994.
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It was heard in court that Bonner said he had been hearing his own voice outside his head telling him to do things.
It was also revealed that when he had been released from Carstairs in 1993, he was ordered to continue taking drugs which helped his schizophrenia.
His mental condition deteriorated when he stopped taking the drugs and on the night he took the women hostage he had also been sniffing glue.
He was eventually found insane by a jury and returned to Carstairs, where he was detained without limit.
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Following his conviction, Helen Liddell, then-Labour MP for Monklands East, wrote to Ian Lang, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland at the time, demanding answers for the reasoning behind letting him out of the security hospital in the first place.
Locked up from public view in Carstairs, he was known to regularly fight with other patients, disobey basic rules, dressed bizarrely, refused to get out of bed and continued to tell people he was the devil.
During his three decades in custody, he has tried to escape from the psychiatric facility several times.
In 1999, he gave his Carstairs nurses the slip on an escorted trip and briefly went on the run in Glasgow city centre. He was eventually picked up after being found semi-conscious after sniffing glue.
He was later transferred to the medium-security facility at Rowanbank Clinic near Stobhill Hospital in Springburn as part of a programme to eventually release him into the community.
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However, in 2015 he sparked a major alert after going on the run during a shopping trip to Glasgow.
The following year he absconded again while on escorted leave before cops caught up with him a day later and returned him to Rowanbank.
Last year, during a trip to the dentist in Ayrshire he managed to escape again and Police Scotland warned the public not to approach him while launching an appeal for information on his whereabouts.
He was eventually traced four days later after a huge manhunt and remains in custody.
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It is scheduled to take place through part of September
A Cambridgeshire RAF base has explained why locals may see “increased activity” throughout part of September. RAF Wittering has announced that a major RAF training exercise is launching from September 9.
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The training is called Exercise Auxilium Fort. It is scheduled to take place between September 9 and September 22, 2026.
A social media post, warning residents of the upcoming training, said: “You may see increased activity at RAF Wittering during 09-22 September due to Exercise AUXILIUM FORT.”
According to previous descriptions of Exercise Auxilium Fort, it is a vital RAF training event that focuses on testing and refining the capabilities of the RAF’s six Global Enablement forces. RAF Wittering, located in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, is the main operating base and headquarters for the RAF Support Force and is a major station for flying training.
Get ready for a new week (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
A lot of cosmic shifts this week with a New Moon in Virgo, Mercury moving into Libra, Venus moving into Scorpio and a Uranus retrograde. All kicking off on September 10 – what a day!
Feels like a week of home truths. Of facing facts, getting a reality check, bearing down on the details, and seeing what needs to be said, done, and changed as a result.
If you don’t acknowledge the reality, then how can you see the future vision?
Let the tarot cards guide you towards the most important truth you need to face this week ahead.
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Looking for more insight?
My limited edition Midnight Carnival reading is out for Halloween (only until November 1) to tell you all you need to know about you and your life this spooky season.
Or, come join my magical, mystical tarot club, free for a whole month when you sign up using this link.
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Aries
March 21 to April 20
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Six of Swords (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Aries for this week: Six of Swords
Meaning: You are ready to leave, depart, quit, walk away. And you’re not sad about it either. It’s time. Your grieving is already done, this ended long ago, it’s just been in a dying thrall ever since, and you’re ready to extricate yourself finally and for good.
Get to it. This is the right time. Your gut instinct is correct.
Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.
April 21 to May 21
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The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by Judgement (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Taurus for this week: Judgement
Meaning: You feel differently about yourself, better in fact, and this is going to impact your dynamics with several people. And that’s okay, because you’re done with shrinking or shape-shifting just to make someone else feel comfortable.
It’s not a worthwhile price to pay. You are older, wiser and better than the version of you that let this happen, and enough is enough. Be different. Be authentic. Let them deal with it. Not your problem.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Queen of Wands (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Gemini for this week: Queen of Wands
Meaning: You have been drifting, coasting, flying on autopilot. That ends this week. You’re putting the purpose back into how you invest your precious time, energy and attention.
You have got mountains to climb, goals to smash, expectations to exceed, and a life to live fully and at full throttle. No half measures, no coasting along. Wake up. Get up and at ‘em.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Five of Cups (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Cancer for this week: Five of Cups
Meaning: You are grieving or mourning the loss of something, or someone. Even a kind of anticipatory grief because you can feel and sense what lies ahead. Cancer, you’re a deep well of emotion and intuition so you tend to feel what others would sense as a tremor as an earthquake.
Don’t sink into this feeling, don’t let it overwhelm you. The future is not yet written, and the past is over and can’t hurt you. You are here in the present. Stay here. Don’t look too far ahead, nor too closely back.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Three of Swords (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Leo for this week: Three of Swords
Meaning: You have been treated poorly, even betrayed or backstabbed, and it’s time to see it. Stop making excuses for them or covering your eyes. Truly see what they did. And then surgically remove yourself from this situation.
They have proven who they are, you don’t need more evidence or proof. Get yourself away, create distance, and heal. You deserved better. Now let them feel your total absence.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by The Tower (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Virgo for this week: The Tower
Meaning: Let it all tumble, let things collapse if they would do so without you holding them up, alone and without support. Enough. You have overcompensated here for far too long, and the truth is that whatever it is you’re trying to uphold really doesn’t merit it. Let it fall.
The relief will be palpable, and the reward is that you can shift your attention to something healthy, positive, and that will respond to your efforts. Stop wasting your time.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Three of Cups (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Libra for this week: Three of Cups
Meaning: Pleasure doesn’t have to be earned. You don’t have to control, limit or deconstruct the ways and means you enjoy your life, have fun, relax, and find beauty in life. Pleasure is life.
Stop curbing your own enthusiasm and putting barriers in the way of enjoyment. You already work hard, there’s no need to punish or curtail your own fun. Whatever started this habit, remove it. You are ruled by Venus, the goddess of pleasure, you were born to have a good time. Go do it!
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Ace of Wands (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Scorpio for this week: Ace of Wands
Meaning: You need to get going with a new idea, beginning, project, role or endeavour. New news is necessary, otherwise you end up circling the drain, clinging on to things for too long, limiting your potential and future options.
This week, activate some new ideas, trips, acquaintances, and options in your realm. One thing will quickly lead to another and establish momentum. Get the ball rolling.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Nine of Coins (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Sagittarius for this week: Nine of Coins
Meaning: You are ready to admit you want things to improve, that you can do better, be more. You can see that where you’ve cut corners or come in at half measures, the results have mirrored that energy.
And you take comfort from that because you know you can do more, better more consistent, and take things more seriously. A new era of consistency is beginning. It will yield success.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by Death (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Capricorn for this week: Death
Meaning: You want to kill something off, maybe even an old habit or version of yourself that you know isn’t going to take you where you wish to go.
From now until winter, you’re all about mirroring autumn’s shedding energy and letting old things die away, reach a conclusion, end quietly. Evolution starts with letting go of what doesn’t work. And then the renewal and rebirth will begin, all through this coming season.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by the Ten of Coins (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Aquarius for this week: Ten of Coins
Meaning: You want to settle, nest, put down roots, build a foundation strong enough to build your Aquarian Empire on now. You are done experimenting and free-wheeling and roaming. It’s time to come home and build.
A decade-long project and ambition lies ahead. A time for creating the home, family and lifestyle you yearn for. It’s all possible. The very best is yet to come. Have high hopes.
The home truth waiting for your attention and acknowledgement this week is shown by The Sun (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Tarot card for Pisces for this week: The Sun
Meaning: Life is good! You are feeling good about yourself, but sometimes you try to hide or dim that light because everyone else seems so down. Pisces, shine it at full beam!
Celebrate your wins. Share the love. Bring glimmers of hope and happiness to others, using your own joy as fuel and inspiration. People will be genuinely pleased to see you having fun and feeling content. You deserve it. Show it.
Kerry King has been reading, teaching and creating tarot for 30 years. Join her magical, exclusive Tarot Club for forecasts, predictions, lessons and readings straight to your inbox. Enjoy one month free for all Metro readers (no lock-in or commitment) over on Patreon.
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Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.
Here is your chamber round-up for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council for the month from the Local Democracy Reporting Service
New monitoring of CCTV operations across the council has left a councillor with ‘grave concerns’ on live crime viewing as the local authority refuses to disclose details.
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The Lagan lock canal outside Lagan Valley Island could have been mistaken for a new golf putting green while the hot weather has seemingly left Dunmurry residents ‘choking’ on a ‘rotten egg’ odour.
Also in the month of August, car parking concerns will see Belfast children gain an innovative safe pathway to school, whilst a Lisburn double yellow line dispute could see a Northern Ireland change to legislation.
Here is your latest round up of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council matters for the month of August:
Council refuses to reveal CCTV monitoring details despite ‘grave concerns’
A Northern Ireland council has refused to disclose details of how its CCTV operations are monitored despite “grave concerns” raised following their handover to the local authority.
CityWatchNI had watched over Lisburn, Moira and Hillsborough public areas for over 25 years before being liquidated in July and a transfer of assets made to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.
However, councillors have now raised concerns over the extent of monitoring of the camera system now located in Lagan Valley Island civic centre.
Investigation after ‘rotten egg’ stink leaves Dunmurry residents ‘choking’
A Stormont agency is to investigate a Dunmurry bad odour after complaints of a “rotten egg” smell in the air “choking” residents.
The council has also stepped in following reports of the stink causing local people to stay indoors as it surfaces around nearby children’s play-parks.
The NI Environment Agency has confirmed it will now use enforcement powers to inspect the Linamar Light Metals Belfast Ltd site as the identified alleged source of the stench.
Council statement on blue green algae fears in Lisburn canal
A huge weed build up in a canal has been confirmed as not being blue green algae following a Stormont department inspection.
Visitors to Lagan Valley Island civic centre could have at a glance, easily thought a new golf putting green had opened up on the navigation canal with complete green coverage on the waterway.
The local authority will now set about removing the weed, however the unsightly plant growth will remain for another month.
Parking row prompts calls to change NI double yellow line rules
Stormont is being urged to review its double yellow line policy amid a Lisburn residential dispute that could affect all cul-de-sacs in Northern Ireland.
Concerns have been raised over the potential for a single person being able to virtually hold road safety to ransom despite “99.9%” of residents supporting the measures.
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Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council is now seeking to meet with Department of Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to resolve the parking matters.
Belfast school kids at ‘risk’ of road dangers set for major safety pathway
A Belfast school is set for a new park and ride pathway amid road safety concerns for children.
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Busy traffic and pavement parking outside St Ita’s primary just off the Purdysburn Road has brought about a multi-agency effort to protect pupils on their way to school
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s recent regeneration committee has now approved an agreement with said land owners Northern Ireland Water to progress the scheme.
As Witkoff and Kushner were negotiating at the Kremlin, Zelensky said he was ready for “a substantive conversation”.
Saturday’s talks in Moscow lasted three hours and were held behind closed doors in Putin’s official residence in the heart of the Russian capital, according to Russian state media.
Details are still emerging, but both sides have given broadly positive remarks without going into specifics.
Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “constructive, extremely frank”.
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“The talks were not limited to an exchange of views on resolving the Ukrainian crisis – economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in considerable detail,” he said.
Ushakov also said “note was made of the Russian army’s tangible advances in the combat zone” and that there was acknowledgement that talks needed to address “the root causes of the conflict”.
Despite an escalation of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Russian ground forces have made very slow advances for most of the conflict, incurring enormous casualties. Russia still controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory – areas that it seized back in 2022.
Kushner and Witkoff have visited Russia several times but given Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, it is not clear how they will be travelling to Kyiv from Moscow.
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The talks come after Russia and Ukraine have intensified aerial attacks in recent months.
Ukraine says it has struggled to repel ballistic missile attacks due to a lack of interceptor missiles, while Kyiv has focused its strikes on Russian economic infrastructure targets, notably oil installations.
Nepalese rescuers have found a man and a woman alive ten days after devastating floods hit the country – but 500 still remain trapped in tunnels.
Hundreds of people are stuck inside blocked hydropower project tunnels in the aftermath of last month’s flood.
The unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday – blamed on a glacier collapse – has killed at least 1,300 people with 5,000 still missing.
Officials said on Saturday that a Chinese national had been rescued from the tunnels – bringing the total to three people pulled alive from the Trishuli hydropower project.
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Two Nepalese workers were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday.
Nepal’s army said a joint rescue team of Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts rescued the man from a 225-metre tunnel (738ft) and that he was undergoing a health assessment.
Pictures show him being evacuated by helicopter, with an army medic checking on him during the flight.
A photo released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed two rescuers carrying the man out of the tunnel.
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Pictures show rescuers carrying a Chinese national (centre) found in the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project
Pictures show him being evacuated by helicopter, with an army medic checking on him during the flight
In flood-hit Nuwakot town a woman was rescued alive from a house, Nepal’s army spokesperson said today
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Nepali officials said that their focus was on reaching the hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside about half a dozen hydropower project tunnels that had been blocked by mud and rock debris.
Pictures and videos shared by rescue teams showed earth-moving equipment digging and shovelling mud and rocks under lights in the dark of the night as workers watched.
Teams had used a pipe to begin ‘sending air through the small opening’, Nepali Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in flood-hit Nuwakot town a woman was rescued alive from a house, Nepal’s army spokesman said today.
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Officials said she was being airlifted to Kathmandu.
Images released by Nepal’s army showed rescuers finding the woman covered in mud.
They gave her bottled water before pulling her to safety, wrapped in a grey blanket.
Yesterday, two hydropower workers were pulled alive from a tunnel buried by debris.
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Images released by Nepal’s army showed rescuers finding the woman covered in mud, wrapped in a grey blanket
Dramatic photos showed about a dozen rescuers pulling a man from a small hole in the ground
Rescue crews are seen carrying one of the freed power plant workers to safety
Soldiers are pictured carrying a powerplant worker to safety on Friday morning
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One man was helped to his feet by rescuers and later carried on the backs of the emergency workers.
A photograph showed the second man caked in mud, his hands pressed together in prayer, as rescuers brought him away on a stretcher.
Rescuers called it a ‘miracle’ after the disaster last Wednesday
‘I am so happy, my heart is lighter,’ Amir Maharjan, the brother of rescued worker 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan said.
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The men were identified as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, as well as Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, by Home Minister Sudan Gurung.
The Nepal Army said the two men were receiving medical treatment and that ‘search and rescue operations are ongoing’.
Kulman Ghising, former head of many of the hydro projects who has just returned from the scene to help co-ordinate the rescue operation, told the Daily Mail last week:
‘It’s impossible to say how long the workers will be able to survive because we just don’t know the condition of the tunnels. From our estimates, there are 300 workers inside six to eight tunnels. If there’s enough oxygen and food, they could be OK for several weeks. But from what I’ve seen so far, that’s not the case.
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Nepal army soldiers are pictured during a search and rescue operation outside a tunnel near the Hydropower Project sites on Wednesday
‘There was one tunnel that was reached, and it was totally filled with water and mud, so we weren’t able to tell if there were any workers inside. At another, after creating an opening, there was no response when we called out.’
Mr Ghising, who previously served as Nepal’s Energy Minister, said: ‘The whole area has been destroyed and many villages and hydropower projects have been wiped off the face of the earth. I only got back to Kathmandu yesterday and will be returning very soon.
‘We have to find our people as quickly as we can. This is a desperate race against time.’
Gregory Catillo Volquez was murdered after a night out with friends, in an unprovoked and seemingly random attack
Stewart Carr and Adam Care
22:26, 05 Sep 2026Updated 22:40, 05 Sep 2026
Three men who murdered a young father in cold blood on a London street have been jailed for a combined total of 68 years.
Gregory Catillo Volquez, 36, from South London, had been enjoying a night out with friends on Monday, January 13 last year, when they travelled north, and he was set upon by the trio in Tiverton Road, Haringey.
Footage showed two of men wielding a machete and crutch as Mr Volquez was stabbed 22 times, while the crutch was used to repeatedly rain down blows upon him. Mr Volquez, who had a young daughter with his partner, was pronounced dead in the street by paramedics, reports MyLondon.
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On Friday, September 4, following an an eight-week trial in Southwark Crown Court, Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, and Italian national, Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Kones, 21, of Hackney, received a minimum term of 23 years; Metumbe, also from Hackney, a minimum of 22 years; and Santana, of Lambeth, a minimum of 23 years.
Kones was arrested in Swansea, less than a week after the attack.
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In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Gregory’s partner, Teresa said: “We have a daughter, a little girl, who misses her dad. She asks for him, she still expects to see him coming back. She needs his hugs, his words, and his presence.
“It is very painful to see a little girl suffering the absence of her father and how she tries to understand why he is not with us. They robbed her of the opportunity to grow up beside him, to share her birthdays, graduations and all the important moments of her life.
“This tragedy not only destroyed our lives, but also broke the heart of a mother, who lost her only son. There are no words that can describe the suffering of this mother who had to say goodbye to her son in such a cruel and unjust way. Our family has been marked forever.”
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The investigation found that Gregory did not know the three men who carried out the violent attack, and the motive of the attack still remains unclear.
Of the three, Kones was detained five days after the attack in Swansea. Kones’ trainers, which were seen on CCTV, were seized upon arrest and forensic evidence confirmed they were covered in traces of Gregory’s blood.
While two of the three killers, Metumbe and Santana, did succeed in leaving the country, the pair were traced to Spain and were respectively extradited by Met officers in August and October 2025.
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Both Metumbe and Santana were captured on CCTV repeatedly raining down blows on Gregory with a machete and crutch.
Gregory’s post-mortem examination stated that he had 22 stab wounds – many of which were caused by a long knife – as well as bruises that were caused by a blunt object. Forensic evidence supported the footage and Santana’s bloody fingerprints were identified on both the crutch and large knife.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts go to Gregory’s loved ones who have demonstrated commendable togetherness and strength throughout this turbulent process. I know nothing will bring him home but am hopeful that this result offers justice and closure for his family, who have been left without a much-loved dad, brother, and son.
“Our team of officers showed huge tenacity to build a solid case with undisputable forensic evidence which resulted in these violent men being taken off our streets for a long, long time. It’s this hard work that is enabling the force to secure a positive outcome from 95 per cent of our murder investigations.”
A fourth man was found not guilty.
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