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Original title: Liverpool agree British record £125m fee for Isak Liverpool have agreed a British transfer record fee of £125m to sign striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. Sources close to the deal have told BBC Sport that an agreement for the Sweden international to move to Anfield is now in place. Newcastle sources claim the deal could be worth as much as £130m with add-ons. Isak is expected to have a medical on Monday before signing a six-year contract. Liverpool had an original £110m offer rejected in August but are now set to land their first-choice target of the summer. The protracted saga involving the 25-year-old appears set to come to an end on the final day of the transfer window, and it follows Newcastle having signed striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week. Liverpool have already broken their club transfer record this summer by signing Germany attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz in a deal worth an initial £100m, with a further £16m in add-ons. Isak’s arrival would top that outlay. After also bringing in Hugo Ekitike, Milos ...

Original title: Jewellery boss in £170m scam told shop staff to pretend to be customers Jewellery boss in £170m scam told shop staff to pretend to be customers 6 hours ago Share Save Richard Bilton BBC Panorama Share Save BBC Vashi Dominguez fled the UK after his jewellery business collapsed Staff at a luxury jewellery retailer were told to pose as customers to trick investors in the UK’s biggest diamond scam, BBC Panorama can reveal. The deception helped diamond dealer Vashi Dominguez get fresh cash from investors to prop up his business, which collapsed in 2023 with £170m of debts. Those investors lost everything when the Vashi retail chain’s promised £157m stock of diamonds was later only valued at about £100,000. Mr Dominguez disappeared, but both the Metropolitan Police and the Serious Fraud Office have decided not to investigate. BBC Panorama has spoken to former shop staff, investors and the financial experts combing through the wreckage of the company to piece together how Vashi Dominguez fooled so many people - and to ask why authorities are not looking for him. ...

Original title: I chose my Caesarean date to be eligible for earlier childcare funding I chose my Caesarean date to be eligible for earlier childcare funding 1 hour ago Share Save Vanessa Clarke Education reporter Share Save Rachel Williams Rachel Williams chose a Caesarean date that would make her eligible for support at the earliest opportunity The final phase of the largest-ever expansion of publicly funded childcare support has begun in England, as thousands of working parents receive more help with their nursery costs. Those eligible are now able to access 30 hours of childcare per week during term-time, paid for by the government, for their children aged nine months to four years. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “landmark moment” for working families, and that the scheme would “put money back in working parents’ pockets”. But parents say they are facing long waiting lists for places, with nurseries warning that staff shortages are limiting their availability. How working parents can get 30 hours of free childcare Ministers say the scheme can save pare ...

Original title: Camilla fought off attacker with shoe as teenager, book says Camilla fought off attacker with shoe as teenager, book says The Queen is said to have fought off her attacker with the heel of her shoe (file photo) It is reported that the Queen was 16 or 17-years-old when the incident happened on a train to Paddington Station. He says the Queen told Boris Johnson the story of her experience in 2008 when he was mayor of London. The attempted assault is recounted in Power and the Palace by the former Royal editor of the Times newspaper, Valentine Low. Queen Camilla was the victim of an attempted indecent assault as a teenager, according to a new book about the Royal Family. The Queen is said to have fought off her attacker using the heel of her shoe. Buckingham Palace has made no official statement on the story but is not disputing the details of the account. When she arrived in London, she reported the incident to station staff and the man was arrested. It was, she told Johnson, something her mother had told her to do if she ever found herself in tha ...

Original title: China’s navy is expanding at breakneck speed - and catching up with the US China’s navy is expanding at breakneck speed - and catching up with the US 11 hours ago Share Save Laura Bicker China correspondent Share Save Getty Images Aircraft carrier Liaoning sets out for a sea trial from China’s Dalian shipyard in early 2024 “Socialism is good…” a pensioner warbles into a portable karaoke mic, slightly off-key and drowned out by her friends’ chatter. But they join her for the chorus: “The Communist Party guides China on the path to power and wealth!” It is not the catchiest karaoke number. But it is an apt one to belt out as they look towards a horizon framed by cranes towering over ships of all sizes. Suoyuwan park in Dalian, which juts out of north-eastern China into the Yellow Sea, has stunning views of one of China’s largest shipyards, and is a place to gather and be merry. But to White House analysts thousands of miles away in Washington, this cradle of Chinese shipbuilding is part of a growing threat. In the last two decades, China has ramped up investmen ...

Original title: More parents to get childcare funding as nurseries struggle with demand More parents to get childcare funding as nurseries struggle with demand 2 hours ago Share Save Vanessa Clarke Education reporter Share Save Vanessa Clarke/BBC The final phase of the largest-ever expansion of publicly funded childcare support has begun in England, as thousands of working parents receive more help with their nursery costs. Those eligible are now able to access 30 hours of childcare per week during term-time, paid for by the government, for their children aged nine months to four years. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “landmark moment” for working families, and that the scheme would “put money back in working parents’ pockets”. But parents say they are facing long waiting lists for places, with nurseries warning that staff shortages are limiting their availability. How working parents can get 30 hours of free childcare Parents Josh Harper and Chloe Hart say their 18-month-old son Oakley’s name was the first one on the waiting list at his new nursery in Altri ...

Original title: China’s huge navy is expanding at breakneck speed - will it rule the waves? China’s huge navy is expanding at breakneck speed - will it rule the waves? 10 hours ago Share Save Laura Bicker China correspondent Share Save Getty Images Aircraft carrier Liaoning sets out for a sea trial from China’s Dalian shipyard in early 2024 “Socialism is good…” a pensioner warbles into a portable karaoke mic, slightly off-key and drowned out by her friends’ chatter. But they join her for the chorus: “The Communist Party guides China on the path to power and wealth!” It is not the catchiest karaoke number. But it is an apt one to belt out as they look towards a horizon framed by cranes towering over ships of all sizes. Suoyuwan park in Dalian, which juts out of north-eastern China into the Yellow Sea, has stunning views of one of China’s largest shipyards, and is a place to gather and be merry. But to White House analysts thousands of miles away in Washington, this cradle of Chinese shipbuilding is part of a growing threat. In the last two decades, China has ramped up investme ...

Original title: UK to tighten family member rules for asylum cases UK to tighten family member rules for asylum cases 42 minutes ago Share Save Joe Pike Political correspondent and George Wright BBC News Share Save Getty Images 55 small boats were recorded crossing the Channel in August, the lowest August figure since 2019 - any seized small boats, motors and inflatable gear is logged and stored at Dover Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is to announce a tightening of rules for migrants granted asylum bringing their families to the UK. Speaking in the Commons today as MPs return to Westminster, she will set out criteria for family members - including tougher English language standards and access to sufficient funds - and outline reforms to the asylum appeals system. Cooper will say an overhaul of a “broken” asylum system seeks to end the use of hotels for migrants arriving on small boats - after a series of protests in recent months. The Conservatives said that the proposed rule change was a “tiny tweak” and that the government was in “complete denial” abo ...

Original title: British woman stabbed to death in Cambodia, police say British woman stabbed to death in Cambodia - police A 34-year-old British woman has been stabbed to death in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, local police say. The victim was reportedly found with stab wounds in a garden in the Chamkar Mon district south of the city centre on Friday. A woman, also a foreign national, has been arrested by the authorities in connection with the death. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told BBC News: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities.” ...

Original title: Family reunion rules to be tightened in asylum cases Family reunion rules to be tightened in asylum cases 4 hours ago Share Save Joe Pike Political correspondent and George Wright BBC News Share Save Getty Images Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is to announce details of a tightening of rules for migrants who have been granted asylum bringing their families to the UK. As MPs return to Westminster, Cooper will also set out reforms to the asylum appeals system. When a person is granted asylum in the UK, they can apply to bring their family too but Cooper believes changes to policies across Europe mean the UK is now out of kilter with its neighbours and restrictions are needed. In the Commons this afternoon she is expected to set out the criteria that family members will need to meet - including tougher English language standards and access to sufficient funds. Cooper will also say she intends to bring forward new legislation to reform the asylum appeals system. In August 55 small boats crossed the Channel. It was the lowest figure for the mont ...