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Today — 3 September 2025News

Asylum protests putting police under chronic pressure, chief says

3 September 2025 at 08:06
Reuters Protesters demonstrating an asylum hotel in Epping pushed up next to police officers in high vis jacketsReuters

Protests over the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers have put police forces under "chronic pressure" when combined with other duties this summer, a senior police chief has said.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, told the BBC people in leadership positions in the UK needed to think about how to "reduce and diffuse tension and not sew division".

Senior officers are concerned about political and business leaders commenting on social media, sometimes spreading misinformation, though Mr Stephens didn't give names.

Police say there have been 3,081 protests between the start of June and 25 August, compared with 2,942 last summer and 928 in 2023.

The number has been pushed up by campaigns against asylum hotels, sometimes attended by hundreds of protestors on both sides of the debate.

Mr Stephens said it was everybody's responsibility, including the police, to "set the tone", but he continued to defend the right to protest.

"We all want to live in places where we can be safe, and where we feel safe," he said.

Police forces all over the country have been responding to protests this summer, pulling in officers from neighbourhood roles to do public order duties. Through the system of mutual aid, police forces with fewer protests have have sent reinforcements across the country to back up those under pressure.

In Epping, where protests began outside the Bell Hotel in July, hundreds of police officers have been involved, often keeping pro and anti-migrant groups separated and preventing activists getting into the hotel.

At least 30 more protests are planned this weekend.

On Tuesday, the Conservative leader of Epping Forest District Council said he would be asking campaigners demanding the closure of the Bell Hotel to halt their protests.

Councillor Chris Whitbread said in a statement: "I am approaching the other group leaders on Epping Forest District Council and other community leaders to jointly ask protesters to reflect on whether they continue with the twice-weekly local protests.

"If you choose to continue, it should be done considerately and calmly, with awareness of the impact on local residents and the local economy.

"The people of Epping are under great strain. As schools return this week, I appeal to the protest organisers to show restraint and give our families and children some much needed respite."

Mr Stephens said the demand on policing could be reduced by better integration of refugees.

"Where there's a lack of integration, whether that's through accommodation or placement in local communities, to a certain extent, the model doesn't matter. It's the effort that we go to work together as a community that reduces the demand on policing," he said.

Police chiefs are waiting for the government to publish plans to reform the service so it can cope better with modern challenges. They're hoping for a radical long-term strategy.

Last year, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper argued that the co-ordinated national response to the disorder in summer 2024 in the wake of the Southport attack had demonstrated the need for more centralisation.

She announced a National Centre of Policing to bring together support services for local forces, including national IT systems, shared police helicopters and a centralised forensics service.

The Home Office has been approached for comment by the BBC.

Don't pay a fake parking fine – four ways to protect yourself from scams

3 September 2025 at 07:37
Getty Images Young woman holding smartphone, making mobile payment at the parking payment machine.Getty Images
Fake texts about unpaid tickets and tampered machines that secretly steal your card details are two common parking scams

Fresh warnings have been issued by police forces and councils across the country after a rise in parking scams over the summer.

From fake text messages about unpaid tickets to tampered car park machines that secretly steal your card details, fraudsters are becoming increasingly creative.

BBC scams expert Nick Stapleton told Morning Live there are easy ways you can protect yourself so you don't fall victim to some of the most common tricks.

1. Check your fine has these three details

Getty Images Parking ticket on windscreenGetty Images
Parking fines are either left on your windscreen, handed to you in person or sent in the post

Genuine parking notices always contain certain details.

"Real parking fines will include vehicle registration, the time of the offence and the location it happened," Stapleton says.

"If it doesn't have these three things then it is a scam.

"A genuine fine will always come in writing and will be left on your windscreen, handed to you in person or arrive in the post."

There are three types of fines you may receive - a penalty charge notice issued by the council, a fixed penalty notice issued by police usually linked to offences such as speeding and a parking charge notice issued by a private company.

Parking charge notices "aren't technically fines, they're invoices for breaching parking rules", so you don't always have to pay them but "check carefully before refusing to pay".

2. Don't click on links in texts

If you get a text out of the blue saying you owe money for an unpaid parking ticket, stop before you click. One of the most common tricks is a fake text or email demanding payment for an unpaid fine.

These texts usually come with a link you are told to click on to pay the fine and "use urgent and threatening language to make you panic", Stapleton says.

Some scam texts might say your licence will be revoked if you don't pay for the ticket but "that's not how it works, you won't lose your license".

Some links in these scam texts take you to websites that look like official government ones.

If you're not sure a website is legitimate you can "click around on the other links".

"If you click through on other links on the page you'll notice that they don't work and that's a clear sign it's a clone site," says Stapleton.

3. Restart your device and change passwords

If you have clicked on a suspicious link, don't despair - but do these three things:

  • Restart your device: A lot of the links allow a scammer to gain remote access to your device. If you restart your phone or laptop it will kill the connection
  • Change passwords: If you've filled in your details on the link make sure you change your passwords to any accounts with money in
  • Call your bank: Inform your bank's fraud department about the message, the link and what information you gave

You could also consider installing antivirus software then run a search to see if any malware has been installed.

4. Check for skimming devices on parking machines

Morning Live Bluetooth card readerMorning Live
County Durham council has been removing Bluetooth card readers found on parking machines

A new scam, which is increasing according to the UK's national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud, targets people paying for parking at machines.

Fraudsters attach a physical device to a contactless payment reader on a parking machine and when you try to pay, the machine displays a "card declined" message.

"While you walk off to try another machine, the skimming device has already stolen your card details," Stapleton explains.

Here's how to check whether the machine has been tampered with:

  • Look for an extra sticker: Check there is no extra sticker or item placed on top of the contactless payment button
  • Verify Branding: Look for the correct logos and branding. Scammers often use stickers with mismatched logos
  • Trust Your Instincts: If something looks or feels suspicious, do not use the machine

"Contactless readers should look like they're part of the machine. If something looks bolted on or mismatched, it's best not to risk it," he says. "Always trust your gut."

If you do feel like there's something not quite right with the machine you can pay in cash instead or through a parking app.

Watch Morning Live to get the full details on how to protect yourself from the scams

A scheme helped prevent sex offenders committing more crimes - then it closed. Why?

3 September 2025 at 07:40
BBC Illustration of a man walking from darkness towards a door, which light is coming throughBBC

Listen to Alison read this article

It took me some time to find the front door of the Safer Living Foundation. There was no nameplate, and the building was one of many anonymous red-brick Victorian terraced houses in Nottingham. It was January 2025, and I was wrapped up against the cold as I walked up and down the street trying to find the right address.

There was a very good reason for this anonymity. The foundation works with people convicted and imprisoned for sexual offences after they have been released back into the community. The men may have been found guilty of anything from indecent exposure to viewing abusive images online to contact offences involving children.

And people who have committed sex crimes can be among the most reviled in society. At times they are the subject of vigilante action.

In May 2025, the government announced it was considering the roll-out of voluntary chemical castration for sex offenders and also looking at whether this could be made mandatory.

But while this sort of tough rhetoric grabs headlines, the Safer Living Foundation claims the work it does providing a safe space for people with sexual convictions to find support with reintegrating into society has had positive results.

Getty Images A window with an individual visible insideGetty Images
The National Crime Agency estimated in 2024 that between 710,000 and 840,000 UK adults posed a sexual risk to children

And there is evidence to suggest they may be correct. Just 2% of the men who spent time at the foundation reoffended, according to its own figures. That compares to an average of 15.1% for those convicted of sexual crimes in England and Wales. The Foundation says it only takes people who say they are committed to change.

I was there to see for myself how the centre in Nottingham - the only project of its kind in the UK - operated. Over five months the BBC was given a unique insight into its work.

What none of us knew that cold winter morning was that these would prove to be its final months. In May 2025, the centre was forced to close. Persuading organisations to fund sex offender treatment had never been easy and in the tough financial climate, it had become impossible to secure the money they needed to keep going.

It's an outcome that casts light on the UK's attitude towards preventing those guilty of sex crimes from reoffending. It forces us to confront difficult questions, including whether spending public or charity money on attempting to rehabilitate sex offenders should be recognised as an effective way of preventing harm and in doing so protecting potential victims.

'I'll do whatever works'

When I eventually found the right door, it was opened by Dave Potter. He had run the service since it was set up 11 years ago.

Here, he told me, offenders meet people who have insight into their experience of having been convicted for sex crimes - both others who have been found guilty of these offences as well as counsellors - "because who else can you talk to?".

Inside, in a busy kitchen, lunch was being prepared. A handful of men of all ages, sitting and standing, quietly chatted about the day's news, football and food. In another room, a games club was taking place and elsewhere, counselling sessions were under way.

Often their partners and families wanted nothing more to do with them after their convictions, according to Dave.

Dave accepted that there would be those who wondered how he could bring himself to offer support to sex offenders. But he believed the bigger picture is what's important. "Everything we do underpins (the idea of) no more victims," he said. "I'll do whatever works to prevent further offending."

Presentational grey line

Sex Offenders: The Long Way Back

Alison Holt reports on how a Nottingham charity working with men who have been convicted of sexual offences has success in greatly reducing re-offending rates. Listen on BBC Sounds – or on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 3 September at 11:00.

Presentational grey line

Certainly, the official statistics around sexual offending suggest that much more needs to be done to bring the numbers down. On average the police record more than 194,000 sexual offences each year in England and Wales. Of these, 40% are against children.

One child in every 10 experiences some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16 in England and Wales, according to "conservative estimates" by the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse. Many victims, both adults and children, will never feel able to speak about what has happened.

The harm caused by these offences cannot be underestimated, and that was acknowledged in most of the conversations I had at the centre with offenders, staff and volunteers alike.

At the time I visited about 60 men were enrolled as service users, but over the last decade hundreds of men and two women have been supported by staff here.

'The life I knew has completely ended'

The service users I spoke to wanted to remain anonymous. They described feeling lonely and even suicidal, and said they realised what they had done was wrong. They said they recognised the impact it had on their victims. They also talked about how the centre had helped them.

"I was petrified about leaving prison with a stigma attached," said Matt (the names of all ex-offenders have been changed). As a result of his conviction, he had lost his family, his job and everything he knew before. "The life I knew has completely ended." Without the centre he would be struggling even more, he said.

Another man, Liam, described being assaulted after he was released from prison.

"One of my neighbours found out who I was and then one night decided to come round and attack me," he said. "Physical violence, swearing at me and basically, telling everybody around there what I was," he said. He had to move.

Finding work can be a major challenge for the men, too. Some 95% of the service users here were on the Sex Offenders Register and were required to tell potential employers this.

In my conversations with them, the same words came up time and again – anxiety, low self-esteem, fear and, in particular, isolation.

While to some these risk factors could sound like an excuse for what they have done, the centre's approach is based on the idea that addressing these issues will make these men less likely to offend. And so it tries to help them rebuild their lives in a way that protects them and others.

"By treating people with decency, by looking at the whole person and not just the crime, by finding ways to manage their social isolation, their shame and their guilt, that reduces further offending down the line," Dave said.

He accepted that some might think that what the centre was doing was naïve. Before he did his job, he says, he might have agreed with the suggestion that sex offenders simply need to be punished. But now, he said, "I know what we do works. It is about understanding the harm that acting on those impulses causes. It is about understanding what they've put victims through."

Distractions from inappropriate thoughts

There is group therapy as well as weekly one-to-one counselling sessions. In one of the discussions with Dave, a man called John, who has been jailed twice for his offending, talked about how he now distracted himself if he began to have any fleeting, inappropriate sexual thoughts. He played football video games and generally kept busy.

He also described how difficult the last few months have been. A homeless man, who John had offered to help, moved into his flat and became increasingly manipulative and violent. Eventually, he threatened to tell others about John's conviction.

With support from the Foundation, John called the police and the man was removed.

"If an alcoholic has no help and support, its unlikely they'll give up booze," said Dave. He believes it can be the same with sex offenders, so the centre provided controlled support that helps them cope, even under stress.

There is support for this approach, too, among groups that work with victims.

"This project further underpins the fact that we can't make a dent in the alarming figures of a quarter of the population experiencing sexual violence by simply pledging to change things," says Lucy Duckworth, policy lead at The Survivors Trust. "We need action and funding and to have difficult conversations with those who commit this crime, to enable us to intervene earlier."

A failing in the system

The main place where sex offenders currently get treatment is in prison – but even there it is limited.

In the year ending March 2024, there were about 87,000 people in prison in England and Wales. More than 18,000 (21%) had been convicted of sex offences. Some 1,115 prisoners did start accredited treatment in prison and 1,094 people completed those courses.

The length of time the courses take means they may not be an option for offenders in jail for a short period.

Matt, who had earlier told me how worried he had been about leaving prison, took two 30-hour programmes while an inmate at HMP Whatton in Nottinghamshire, which is, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform, the largest prison for adult sex offenders in Europe. Matt said these were hugely useful to him.

"You ripped yourself right open," he said. "Laid everything on the table. Looked at how and why you got there, and how are you going to rebuild yourself? How are you going to make sure it doesn't happen again?"

But once inmates are released, accessing this kind of treatment becomes even more difficult, experts say. "That's a failing of where we're at in the system," says Nick Blagden, professor of criminological psychology at the University of Derby and a co-founder and trustee of the Safer Living Foundation.

An alternative solution is to reach people before they end up in the criminal justice system - before they harm someone. There are UK projects that do good work offering services in the community, says Prof Blagden. But given the scale of the problem, the level of support is nowhere near as "wide-ranging" as is needed, he adds. He contrasts this with Germany, where he says there is a "much more sensible" approach to funding prevention projects that provide therapy to adults who feel they might commit sexual offences.

In addition to the Nottingham centre, the foundation also ran a programme called Aurora, which provided highly confidential support, online and in person, for people with concerning sexual thoughts, before they did something that put them in contact with the criminal justice system. It had 300 people on a 12-month waiting list.

"If we had unlimited funds and resources, we would be working with hundreds of people a month," says Prof Blagden.

'We've helped a lot of lives'

Getting all this right could not be more important. The National Crime Agency estimated in 2024 that between 710,000 and 840,000 UK adults posed varying degrees of sexual risks to children.

The questions for society are: as well as making it easier for victims of abuse to be heard and believed, are we ready to challenge the behaviour, thoughts and actions of those who have offended and are at risk of offending much sooner? And are we prepared to spend money on doing so?

For its part, the Ministry of Justice says: "We are determined to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and tackling sexual offenders' criminality is a vital part of this plan."

Ministers also point to their plan for a national roll-out of "medication to manage problematic sexual arousal in sex offenders", often known as chemical castration, which is delivered through drugs alongside psychiatric work, and say they are considering whether to make it mandatory. The department also says it recently announced a record £700m increase in overall probation funding by 2028.

For decades, the mantras of many politicians have focused on being tough on crime. The use and length of prison sentences have increased as a result. However, the current overcrowding in prisons is forcing a rethink.

In May 2025, an independent review of sentencing was published. It concluded that while punishment is important, there "has been insufficient focus on reducing crime". It called for more community-based sentences and support and more use of the third sector charities and organisations.

The government has since accepted most of the recommendations across all crimes.

The Safer Living Foundation, with the guardrails it provided to support sex offenders in the community, seemed to be tailor-made for this strategy.

But the same month the review was published, the Foundation learned that its application for a lottery grant - which it needed to keep running - had been turned down.

'Fairly hand-to-mouth'

"It has been fairly hand-to-mouth over the years we've been operating," says Lynn Saunders, another of the co-founders of the Safer Living Foundations as well as a former governor at Whatton and now professor of applied criminology at Derby University. "There seems to be a big reluctance because of the nature of the work, people find it difficult to be associated with it."

In May, the centre closed, while the Aurora Project was paused.

On the final day, staff, volunteers and some of the men they have supported, packed into the small kitchen to say goodbye.

"I've decided to celebrate the fact we existed at all," said Dave. "We've helped a lot of lives and prevented a lot of victims."

A few hours later, when that anonymous front door was shut and locked, it marked the end of the project. There is no replacement and no prospect of re-opening.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for support.

Top picture credit: Getty Images

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Energy drinks to be banned for under 16s

3 September 2025 at 05:30
Getty Images A young man, dressed in a puffer coat, shops in a supermarket, picking up a can of energy drink and reading the nutritional information printed on the backGetty Images

The government is planning a new law in England to stop anyone under the age of 16 buying energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Prime from shops, restaurants, cafes, vending machines and online.

Up to a third of UK children are thought to consume these types of drinks every week, despite most supermarkets having already introduced a voluntary ban.

Some popular drinks contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said he was acting on the concerns of parents and teachers and tackling the issue "head on", to protect young people's health.

Lower-caffeine soft drinks, such Diet Coke, are not affected, and neither are tea and coffee.

A consultation will now run for 12 weeks to gather evidence from health and education experts as well as the public and retailers and manufacturers.

TV chef Jamie Oliver has repeatedly warned of the dangers and disruption energy drinks can cause, with kids coming into school "bouncing off the walls" having had energy drinks for breakfast.

"We are talking about three, four shots of espresso in one of these things. Loads of sugar. So an absolute nightmare," he said in a video posted on X last year.

Excessive consumption is linked to headaches and sleep problems.

Too much caffeine can cause a rapid heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures too.

Although rare, there have been some deaths linked to excess caffeine.

Under current labelling rules, any drink, other than tea or coffee, with over 150mg of caffeine per litre requires a warning label saying: "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women."

Young people have smaller bodies and their brains are still developing, which can make them more sensitive to caffeine, say experts.

For most adults, up to 400mg of caffeine a day, or about four cups of instant coffee or five cups of tea, is safe.

"By preventing shops from selling these drinks to kids, we're helping build the foundations for healthier and happier generations to come," said Mr Streeting.

Prof Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said a ban was the "next logical step" in making children's diets more healthy.

And Prof Amelia Lake from Teesside University, who has studied the drinks' impact on young people's lives, said they had "no place" in the diets of children.

"Our research has shown the significant mental and physical health consequences of children drinking energy drinks.

"We know these drinks are part of youth culture and associated with sports, gaming, music and more, but there is a lack of clear signalling about their health consequences."

But Gavin Partington from the British Soft Drinks Association said manufacturers had already led the way with self regulation.

"As with all government policy, it's essential that any forthcoming regulation is based on a rigorous assessment of the evidence that's available," he added.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also considering a ban.

Government unable to calculate Afghan data breach cost, watchdog says

3 September 2025 at 07:56
UK MoD/Crown copyright 2021 A group of Afghans stand and sit on the tarmac of an airport in Kabul. A large UK military transport jet is behind them on the runway and some British troops and ground vehicles are nearby.UK MoD/Crown copyright 2021
British forces helping evacuate people eligible for relocation in 2021 during the collapse of the former Afghan government under a Taliban offensive

The government is unable to calculate the total cost of a secret relocation plan it set up following the Afghan data leak, the public spending watchdog has said.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates the cost of the massive data breach - and setting up a new scheme to relocate those whose lives might be at risk over it - to be £850m.

But the National Audit Office (NAO) says the MoD has not provided enough evidence to give it confidence in that figure, which does not include legal expenses, or compensation claims likely to follow.

The MoD said it was committed to transparency and "committed to honouring the moral obligation we owe to those Afghans who stood with us and risked their lives".

Last month it was revealed the details of almost 19,000 people had applied to move to the UK in order to flee the Taliban were leaked, when an official mistakenly emailed a spreadsheet that contained a hidden tab with the information in 2022.

It contained information like names, contact details and family information of people who believed their cooperation with British forces during the Afghanistan war put them at risk of reprisals.

The names of British officials including members of UK special forces were also included in the data breach.

More than 16,000 Afghans and family members were eligible to resettle under an existing relocation scheme.

Following the data breach, a new scheme - the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) - was secretly set up in April 2024, allowing a further 7,000 to come to the UK.

A super-injunction granted by the High Court in September 2023 prevented the incident being reported for almost two years, before the order was lifted in July.

The MoD estimates the cost for resettling each individual to be £128,000, with the total bill for all its Afghan resettlement programmes forecast to exceed £2bn.

In a report, the NAO said the government had failed to provide sufficient evidence to give the watchdog "confidence" to say if its £850m figure was accurate.

The watchdog said: "The MoD is not able to determine exactly what it has spent on resettling people through the ARR scheme.

"This is because it did not separately identify the costs of the ARR scheme in its accounting system, meaning that these costs were not visible in its management accounts, but instead included them within its total spending on Afghan resettlement activities."

A spokesperson for the MoD said: "We are committed to honouring the moral obligation we owe to those Afghans who stood with us and risked their lives.

"Since taking the decision to support the lifting of the super injunction brought by the previous government, we have been clear on the costs associated with relocating eligible Afghans to the UK - and are fully committed to transparency.

"The cost of all Afghan resettlement schemes, including the Afghan Response Route, has been fully funded as part of the Government's Spending Review."

Watch: Captain Scott’s famous polar shipwreck as never seen before

3 September 2025 at 07:21
Watch: Underwater footage shows the polar vessel colonised with sea life
Rebecca Morelle, Alison Francis and Kevin ChurchBBC News Science

One of the most famous polar shipwrecks has been filmed in detail on the sea floor for the first time.

The Terra Nova carried Captain Scott and his men on their doomed expedition to reach the South Pole more than a century ago.

The British party lost the race to the pole, and died on their return journey in 1912.

The footage shows the Terra Nova colonised with sea life, but key features of the wooden ship are still visible including its wheel, winch and mast.

Getty Images/Royal Geographical Society Black and white image of the Terra Nova ship sailing in Antarctica. The ship is wooden, it's sails are open. It is moving across ice-covered ocean. Getty Images/Royal Geographical Society
The Terra Nova is forever entwined in the tragic tale of Captain Scott and his men

The wreck lies 170m down off the coast of Greenland. After the polar expedition with Scott, the ship continued in service and eventually sank in 1943 while carrying supplies to US bases during World War Two.

The Terra Nova was discovered in 2012, but the new expedition has been the first opportunity to record extensive footage of the wreck.

"To be able to see these significant parts of the wreck, it was truly awe inspiring," said Leighton Rolley, Science Systems Manager at REV Ocean.

"The wheel was sat there perfectly intact amongst the debris of the aft section of the wreck.

"When you think of the people who have stood there, manoeuvred the Terra Nova through ice, like Captain Scott… It was like, wow, if that ship's wheel could talk, it could tell an amazing history."

The Terra Nova was one of the finest polar vessels of its time and sailed for 60 years.

The ship was 57m (187ft) long with a wooden hull that was a metre thick in places to help it break through the sea ice.

Captain Scott's men embarked to Antarctica in 1910. A comprehensive scientific programme was planned for the Terra Nova expedition - along with the goal of being the first to reach the South Pole.

Scott, along with Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, were attempting to make history.

After trekking hundreds of miles, the British party reached the pole in January 1912, but they found they had been beaten by a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen.

Getty Images Black and white image of Captain Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans at the South Pole. Three men are standing, and two are sitting on the snow in a posed photograph. They are wearing warm clothing but look cold and exhausted. Several flags have been planted.Getty Images
Captain Scott and his men reached the pole but realised others had got there first

A black flag, planted by Amundsen, is now on display at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) in Cambridge along with other items from the Terra Nova.

"Their hearts must have sunk seeing this black flag against the whiteness of Antarctica," said David Waterhouse, curator of the polar museum at SPRI.

The deflated British party began their arduous return journey to their base. But they encountered unusually bad weather, and Edgar Evans died after falling while descending a glacier.

Several weeks later Captain Oates left the men's tent. His last words were recorded in Scott's journal: "I'm just going outside and may be some time." He was never seen again.

Scott, Bowers and Wilson continued on and made a final camp, but trapped by a freezing blizzard with dwindling supplies, all three perished.

A search expedition discovered their last camp just 11 miles from a resupply depot that would have provided them with food and fuel.

Getty Images 'Amundsen's Black Flag Within A Few Miles of the South Pole', 16 January 1912, sketched by Dr Edward A WilsonGetty Images

The Terra Nova played a crucial role in breaking the news of their death.

"In January 1913, the Terra Nova arrived at Cape Evans in the Antarctic to pick up the shore party, and they were expecting to pick up Captain Scott and his pole party at the same time," explained Naomi Boneham, an archivist at SPRI.

"But when they arrived they found out the sad news."

The ship's log records that the men had died from "exposure and want".

The vessel sailed on to New Zealand, where the tragic end of the Terra Nova expedition was announced to the world.

Getty Images/SPRI Black and white image. Two men stand in a huge ice cave. In the background the ice covered sea can be seen with the Terra Nova ship appearing small in the distance  Getty Images/SPRI
The Terra Nova (pictured in the background) continued in service after the polar expedition finished

The new footage from the deep provides another chance to retell Scott's story, says David Waterhouse.

"It's a story that's really got the whole package - the heroism, the tragedy," he said.

"And, I guess, as British people, we like an underdog, and they were so close to being the first to the pole and making it back alive."

The ship that witnessed so much history now has a very different existence lying beneath the waves at the other end of the planet.

It's not in good condition. While the centre of the ship is relatively intact, there is a lot of damage at the stern and the bow has split into two.

But it's become a reef of life, says Leighton Rolley.

"It's full of fish, it's got corals growing on it - it's become one with the ocean."

Sue Gray questions class-based civil service scheme

3 September 2025 at 08:57
PA Media Sue Gray wears a red and white ceremonial robe with gold trim in the House of Lords surrounded by seated individuals on red leather tufted benches. The room features a blue carpet and ornate decorations, suggesting an official or governmental setting.PA Media

Sir Keir Starmer's former chief of staff Baroness Sue Gray has challenged the government's plan to limit a civil service internship scheme to working-class students.

The Labour peer questioned the "evidence base" behind last month's decision to restrict a Whitehall internship to students from "lower socio-economic backgrounds".

The government argued the change will bring in "more working-class young people" widening the talent pool for a civil service that will "truly reflect the country".

But Baroness Gray told peers she was "from the most working class of backgrounds" but had "learned a lot from being around people from different walks of life".

From October 2026, Whitehall's main internship scheme designed to attract university students to the civil service will now only be available for students from "lower socio-economic backgrounds" - judged by what jobs their parents did when they were 14.

Those who are successful on the internship will then be prioritised for entry to the Fast Stream, the main graduate programme for entry to the civil service.

But Baroness Gray said: "As a former civil servant from the most working class of backgrounds, and I'm sure there are very good intentions here, I would have found it really difficult when I joined the civil service to not have a wider group that I actually was exposed to, and I learned so much from that.

"I would like to know what the evidence base is for actually reaching this conclusion, because I do think it's good intentioned, but I think there are other ways that the civil service can be opened up as well."

Labour minister Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said this was one of the "rare" occasions she "disagreed" with Baroness Gray.

"This is not about stopping the civil service being a meritocracy. It is ensuring that the meritocracy is available to everyone, regardless of where you were born," she said

Earlier, Tory shadow Cabinet Office minister Baroness Finn pointed out that the current rules made clear a person's selection for work in the civil service "must be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition".

She said: "The changes proposed by the government to the summer internship programme would allow the child of a mechanic, an electrician or even possibly a toolmaker to apply, but discriminate against the child of a roofer, a taxi driver or a nurse, who would be deemed ineligible.

"Quite apart from dramatically reducing the range of talent, does she really believe that this is still a fair and open and indeed a sensible process?"

Baroness Gray, the daughter of Irish immigrants in 1950s Tottenham, grew up with a salesman father and a barmaid mother.

She joined the civil service straight from school after her father died when she was a teenager.

She became a household name as the Partygate investigator, and her critical report into Downing Street lockdown gatherings contributed to Boris Johnson's downfall in 2022.

She was poached from the civil service by Labour to lead Sir Keir Starmer's office as the party prepared for government ahead of the 2024 election, but infighting forced her out within 100 days of victory.

Since joining the House of Lords she has used her speeches to warn about proposed cuts to the civil service, criticising those who call public servants "pen pushers".

Making her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Baroness Gray said that the UK needs "public servants to succeed".

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US filmmaker in legal battle over 'Downton Shabby'

3 September 2025 at 07:50
BBC Hopwood Depree posing in front of Hopwood Hall, a large historic red-brick stately home, which is surrounded by a tall metal security fenceBBC
Hopwood Depree moved from Los Angeles to Manchester in 2017 to restore Hopwood Hall

A former US filmmaker has launched a High Court battle against an English council to gain control of the ancestral stately home he spent seven years trying to save from ruin.

Hopwood DePree has led an operation to safeguard historic Hopwood Hall in Middleton, Greater Manchester, since 2017, and says he complied with an agreement with Rochdale Borough Council that gave him the option to buy the building.

However, the council say he did not fulfil the conditions of the deal, and locked him out in November 2024.

DePree, who published a book called Downton Shabby in 2022 about his work to restore the hall, has now taken action in an attempt to be declared its legal owner.

'Shocking' conduct

DePree says his grandfather told him stories of "Hopwood Castle" as a child in Michigan, but that he only discovered the real hall existed while researching his family history in 2013.

Parts of the 60-room building date from the 1420s, but both direct heirs were killed in World War One and the last family members moved out in the 1920s.

It was derelict by the time DePree visited, and he says he was told in 2015 that it would be beyond repair in another five to 10 years.

Getty Images Exterior of Hopwood Hall with scaffolding on one side, pictured in 2022Getty Images
Hopwood Hall, pictured in 2022

He moved to the UK to spearhead the effort to save it, signing a deal with the council in 2017 saying he could buy the hall for £1 on the condition he gained planning permission to develop it.

DePree began work on the crumbling building and got planning permission in 2022 to refurbish it as an event and hospitality venue. He says he has spent £750,000 of his own money on the project.

But he says relations soured when the council's Rochdale Development Agency became more involved in 2024, and DePree's legal case accuses the agency of trying to "poison everything my team and I had worked so hard to achieve".

He claims the council stopped co-operating and went behind his back, and that their conduct has been "evasive, misleading and at times shocking".

A council spokesperson said: "We don't comment on ongoing legal discussions and don't intend to elaborate on previous statements we have made on this subject."

Hopwood DePree in a high-vis jacket and hard hat looking at a room inside Hopwood Hall with most of its floor missing and parts of the wall crumbling and in disrepair
Large parts of the hall had fallen into a state of disrepair

The council has previously said any sale would depend on DePree having "a commercially viable business model to secure the long term future of the hall".

Last November, the council said it had decided not to renew the option agreement after consultants said his plans were "unlikely to be able to secure future public or private funding".

At that time, a council spokesman said DePree "had not been able to produce a viable proposal, despite having had seven years to do so", which it said was a condition of the sale. The authority said it "had a responsibility to explore alternative options" in order to "protect the public monies invested to date".

In November, council leader Neil Emmott said: "Mr DePree was asked to meet a number of conditions when we entered into our agreement with him. We would be failing in our duty to protect our historic assets if we didn't hold Mr DePree to the terms of this agreement."

The council said it spent £557,000 between 2017 and 2024 for essential repairs, with almost £1m contributed by Historic England. The council said it was now spending a further £700,000 on roof repairs and a feasibility study.

According to DePree's legal documents, the council has also argued that the planning permission was insufficient to meet the terms for a sale under the agreement. He is disputing that.

He is also disputing whether he needed to provide a "viable" business model to comply with the conditions for a sale, and his court papers say he does have "a clear vision, a plan and the resources to rescue Hopwood Hall".

'No other choice'

DePree told BBC News he believes he has complied with his end of the agreement.

"When I took the project on, the hall was just a few years from completely falling down and becoming a ruin," he said.

"We worked so hard and poured everything into it. I moved countries. I got British citizenship. I left behind a life and sold my home. I went through so much with the belief that the council was being open and honest with me, and I trusted them."

He added: "Ultimately I had an agreement that I signed with them that I fulfilled. My lawyers feel that we fulfilled that, and the council went against that, and I felt that I had no other choice other than to file court proceedings against them."

DePree and his family are involved in property development, and he sold his home in the Hollywood Hills to help fund the project.

In his former life, DePree was an actor, writer, producer and director whose early attempts to make it big in Hollywood were depicted in low-budget documentary Rhinoskin: The Making of a Movie Star.

He wrote, directed and appeared in the well-received independent rom-com The Last Big Attraction, and produced the 2010 drama Virginia starring Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris.

Seven claims made in new royal book from Brexit to Coronation

3 September 2025 at 07:47
Getty Images Trooping the Colour, June 2025. Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham PalaceGetty Images

Valentine Low's eminently readable, behind-the-scenes book about the royals has been making headlines, including how Queen Camilla fended off a sexual assault when she was a teenager.

Power and the Palace, published next week and written by the former royal correspondent for The Times, explores the tangled relationship between the royals and the world of politics.

From nightcaps on the royal train to discussions over the Coronation budget, here are some of the most eye-catching anecdotes in the book:

Getty Images Queen Camilla on a visit to CornwallGetty Images
Queen Camilla, in Cornwall this week, has campaigned against domestic violence

1. Queen Camilla fought off a sexual assault and got the perpetrator arrested, in an incident that took place on a train to London when she was a teenager in the 1960s, Low says in the book.

The author says the Queen told Boris Johnson the story of her experience in 2008 when he was mayor of London. Johnson's former communications director, Gutto Harri, told Low the details of that conversation.

"I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel," Camilla is said to have told Johnson.

According to this account, Camilla was "self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say 'That man just attacked me,' and he was arrested".

Buckingham Palace has a policy of not commenting on claims in books.

But a source close to the Queen said: "If some good comes of this publication, which is that the wider issues are discussed, it de-stigmatises the whole topic and empowers girls today to take action and seek help and to talk about it, then that's a good outcome."

It's a story that certainly is in keeping with Queen Camilla's outspoken campaigning against domestic abuse and violence against women.

She has visited women's refuges, challenged the taboos surrounding domestic abuse and at a reception for International Women's Day held up stones that in 1914 been thrown by suffragettes to break windows in Buckingham Palace.

Getty Images King Charles with a whisky glassGetty Images
What was in the glass for a nightcap on a royal visit?

2. What whisky for a royal nightcap? Michael Gove, while he was environment secretary in 2018, was said to have been invited for a late drink with the then Prince of Wales in the royal train - a dedicated train for monarchs since Queen Victoria's reign.

The drink was a Laphroaig whisky - a smoky, peaty Scottish malt, like pouring a wistful but rather melancholy highland walk into a tumbler.

Gove, on a trip with the prince, was advised not to expect a big breakfast the next morning, with Charles said to prefer a "tiny little vase of fruit and then some pressed fruit juice concoction, sort of beetroot and ginger or whatever".

3. Boris Johnson was late for a meeting in 2008 with the then Prince Charles because he'd travelled in the wrong direction on the London underground. He made sure he wouldn't be late for the next meeting by going on his bike.

That seemed to amuse Camilla, but Charles and Johnson were said to have had a frosty relationship, including a dispute over his government's plan to process asylum applications in Rwanda years later.

Queen Elizabeth opening Parliament in 2017
Queen Elizabeth was said to have been against leaving the EU

4. Queen Elizabeth II was a Remainer. The late Queen was careful to avoid public interventions in political matters, but the author says she was instinctively against the upheaval of Brexit.

The author quotes royal insiders and an unnamed senior minister, who said the Queen had been frustrated by some of the European Union's bureaucracy, but on balance she thought it was better to remain.

The Queen saw the EU as part of the post-war settlement that she supported, according to the book's sources.

There are other glimpses of the late Queen's dealings with politicians. She got on well with Harold Wilson and John Major but had a much more tense relationship with Margaret Thatcher.

Queen Elizabeth personally rang Tony Blair to congratulate him when the Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland in 1998. "I thought, I bet she doesn't do this often," Blair is quoted as saying.

There were other unexpected interventions. She is said to have raised concerns with ministers that defence cuts should not threaten the Army's School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming.

Getty Images Coronation of King Charles in Westminster AbbeyGetty Images
The government wanted a spectacle rather than a cut-price Coronation

5. "Does he always do that thing with you?" That was the question put by Charles to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, about Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. The author says Prescott was in a "class of his own when it came to discomfiting Charles".

Charles is said to have explained: "When he's sitting opposite you, he slides down the seat with his legs apart, his crotch pointing a little menacingly, and balances his teacup and saucer on his tummy. It's very odd."

"Was it, asked Charles, a 'sign of hostility or class enmity?' No, said Blair. 'He just likes drinking his tea that way," writes Low.

6. 'Hardball' over funding. The book reveals negotiations over public funding for the royals when the Sovereign Grant was introduced in 2012 - and presents the Palace as cannier about money than their counterparts in Westminster.

When concerns were raised that the link with the Crown Estate profits might prove over-generous, and was likely to inflate the value of the annual grant, Low says the Palace played "hardball" and stuck to the deal.

As the BBC showed earlier this year, there was indeed a significant increase over time, with public funding trebling in real terms, to pay for repairs to Buckingham Palace.

7. Coronation showcase. It was the government, rather than the Palace, that wanted to make sure that the Coronation of King Charles III in 2022 was a well-funded spectacle.

While the Palace was wary of anything too ostentatious when people were struggling to pay their bills, the "very clear guidance" from government was there should be no cut-price ceremony and that there should be a "maximalist" approach.

In the end, the Coronation cost £72m, including £22m for policing costs.

Power and the Palace, by Valentine Low. Headline Press. Published 11 September.

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'Fury' over Father Ted creator arrest and 'nervy bond markets'

3 September 2025 at 08:41

The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: "Father Ted creator's fury at arrest".
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan's arrest and skyrocketing borrowing costs dominate Wednesday's papers. The Metro leads with Linehan's "fury" after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence in relation to social media posts. The paper says Linehan was arrested by five officers after arriving on a flight from the US, and he later wrote in an online Substack article that he was taken to hospital after officials became concerned for his health.
The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "Reeves sees borrowing costs reach 27-year high".
The Times reports on what it calls the public "backlash" sparked by Linehan's arrest. The paper says Sir Keir Starmer has told the police to prioritise serious crimes, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the arrest as a political act rather than a matter of policing. Also looming large on the front page is its headline saying borrowing costs have hit a 27-year high, putting further "pressure" on Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "When did Britain become North Korea?"
"When did Britain become North Korea?" asks the Daily Mail. The paper lists a series of events on Tuesday including "nervy bond markets" and the arrest of Father Ted's creator as signs of "another day in Starmer's socialist utopia". Sharing the top spot is a picture of Angela Rayner's return to Downing Street following Tory criticism of a flat purchase she made in Hove.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: "Starmer attacks Met over trans tweet arrest".
The PM "attacks Met over trans tweet arrest" is the Daily Telegraph's take on Linehan's arrest. Alongside that story, the paper reports that Sir Kier will push through welfare reforms following the reset of his No 10 team. The Telegraph says the PM is determined to overhaul the disability payment system despite opposition from Labour MPs.
The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Europe's response to Gaza has been a failure, says Spanish PM".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warns Europe and the West's "double standard" over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza risk undermining its global standing, according to the Guardian. In an interview with the paper, Sánchez called Europe's response to Gaza "a failure", but said he was pleased other European nations were following Spain's lead in recognising a Palestinian state.
The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Britain's fecked".
"Britain's fecked" is the Sun's blunt assessment of the Father Ted case. The paper quotes Linehan saying he was "treated like a terrorist", and adds that Reform leader Nigel Farage will bring up the incident during a speech to the US Congress on Wednesday. The Met Police said it is "routine for officers policing airports to carry firearms" and that they were "not drawn or used at any point during the arrest".
The headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: "Starmer plans ID cards for all to help stop UK boat migrants".
The PM is considering introducing digital ID cards for all UK citizens as a way to reduce "pull factors" that draw migrants to cross the Channel, according to the i. The paper says France has indicated that a lack of ID cards is a big incentive to migrants who can find work in the UK black economy. According to sources that spoke to the i, talks are still at an early stage but there is belief at the top of government that public debate on ID cards has shifted.
The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: "Reeves' leeway shrinks as pound falls and borrowing costs hit 27-year high".
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes "centre stage" on the Financial Times. The paper shows a smiling Kim on his private train in Pyongyang before departing for Beijing. He will join Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's formal surrender in World War Two and China's victory.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "What a booby!"
New Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is a former hypnotherapist, has apologised for "giving women breast enlargements by hypnosis at his clinic", reports the Daily Star. The paper says Polanski addressed his time as a Harley Street hypnotherapist after his win on Tuesday saying: "We are all more than one mistake."
The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "100,000 lives at risk in cancer care lottery".
Health campaigners warn that up to "100,000 cancer patients' lives" could be endangered by being asked to travel too far for treatment, the Daily Express says. The paper features Macmillan Cancer Support saying a postcode lottery means ovarian cancer patients are missing out on the best treatment options because of where they live. It also notes an NHS spokesperson saying the health service is "working to ensure all patients get the timely, personalised cancer care they need". Elsewhere, the "grand finale" for Downton Abbey's Lady Mary and Countess Cora is also teased by the paper.
The headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror reads: "Pay up to go free".
Finally, the Daily Mirror reports that a British teenager on trial in Georgia for drug smuggling has been told she could walk free if she pays a hefty fine. Bella Culley has been held since May after marijuana was allegedly found in her luggage at Tbilisi airport. The paper says she is working on a plea deal with prosecutors.
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习近平主持阅兵式:煽动民族主义,展示中国影响力

3 September 2025 at 10:27

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习近平主持阅兵式:煽动民族主义,展示中国影响力

DAVID PIERSON
北京在举行“二战”结束80周年纪念活动之前布置的宣传花坛,摄于周日。
北京在举行“二战”结束80周年纪念活动之前布置的宣传花坛,摄于周日。 Ng Han Guan/Associated Press
中国周三在首都的庆典中心举行了一场盛大的军事盛典,战斗机、坦克和最新的中国军事技术亮相,这是中国近年来最雄心勃勃的一次实力和外交影响力展示。
在习近平主持阅兵时,俄罗斯总统普京、朝鲜领导人金正恩以及约20位其他领导人陪同在侧。这是一场罕见的威权领导人聚会,他们都将自己定位为对抗美国主导的世界秩序的力量。
这场活动充满象征意味。中国现任与卸任的高级官员齐聚天安门城楼,站在毛泽东巨幅画像上方,俯瞰长安街。
这次纪念“二战”结束80周年的阅兵式是执政的共产党为期数周的宣传活动的重头戏,旨在煽动民族主义,重塑中国在“二战”中的角色定位,并将共产党塑造成对抗外国侵略者——日本帝国主义的民族救星。
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在经济前景不明朗、中美贸易等争端持续升温的背景下,唤起战争记忆旨在凝聚国内的支持。
“这一伟大胜利充分证明,人民是历史的创造者、是真正的英雄,中华民族是具有顽强生命力和非凡创造力的民族,中国共产党是中国人民和中华民族最可靠的主心骨,”党的喉舌《人民日报》周三发表社论称。
中俄两国在“二战”及各自在结束战争方面所发挥作用的表述上互相呼应。
“对习近平和普京而言,胜利的代价沉重却未竟全功。他们认为,‘霸权势力’仍然想把外国模式强加给他们,阻挠其获得应有的国际地位,”美利坚大学副教授约瑟夫·托里吉安说。“现在,他们想利用这场战争的记忆,使后代对西方价值观产生免疫,并为其构想的全球秩序正名。”
阅兵也是向一些国家发出的警告——在北京看来,这些国家企图遏制中国崛起,并阻止其重返在世界中心的应有地位。它还含蓄地警告台湾及其国际支持者,任何走向正式独立的举动都是危险的。
“中国发展得越强大,世界就越安全,”新华社本周在一篇评论文章中表示。“中华民族决不允许自己再像过去那样被帝国主义列强羞辱和欺负。”
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阅兵式预计将展示新型反舰导弹及一系列武器装备——包括水下无人机和无人作战飞机——彰显中国在军事创新领域的投入。
活动在严密的安保措施下拉开帷幕,多条道路提前封闭。记者们被要求凌晨三点前前往指定地点集合进行设备检查,随后在阅兵开始前三小时被引导至天安门广场。
在这个闷热潮湿的清晨,空气凝滞,阳光穿透薄雾,人们努力保持凉爽,用座位凭证当扇子扇风,还戴上礼包里分发的帽子。
宾客名单上有二十多位世界领导人,缺席者与出席者同样引人注目,这凸显出北京与西方之间分歧的加深,尤其是在中国与俄罗斯在乌克兰战争中密切结盟的问题上。
显而易见的缺席者包括美国、英国、法国、德国和澳大利亚等西方主要民主国家的高层代表。
但是,许多东南亚和中亚国家的领导人预计将出席这次会议,此外,周一在天津结束的欧亚安全组织会议也表明,中国在加强地区伙伴关系方面取得了成功。
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布鲁金斯学会约翰·L·桑顿中国中心主任何瑞恩(Ryan Hass)指出:“习近平致力于推动中国成为全球核心力量,并重塑国际体系以契合中国诉求。他将各国领导人出席阅兵视为对其目标推进的认可。”

储百亮(Chris Buckley)和郭莉莉(Lily Kuo)自台湾台北对本文有报道贡献。

David Pierson报道中国外交政策和中国与世界的经济与文化交互。他从事新闻工作已超过20年。

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洪秀柱现身天安门城楼

3 September 2025 at 09:54
国民党前主席洪秀柱(右三)星期三(9月3日)出席九三阅兵,并现身天安门城楼。 (视频截图)

国民党前主席洪秀柱星期三(9月3日)出席中国大陆九三阅兵,现身北京天安门城楼。

现场画面显示,洪秀柱身穿绿衣黑裤现身天安门城楼观礼,座位也很前面。

特朗普:愿习近平和中国人民度过一个盛大而持久的庆典日

3 September 2025 at 09:51

美国总统特朗普星期三(9月3日)在社媒Truth Social发文说,祝愿中国国家主席习近平和中国人民度过一个盛大而持久的庆祝日。

他还说:“请代我向普京和金正恩致以最热烈的问候,因为你们正在密谋反对美国。”

习近平阅兵 官兵高呼口号“正义必胜和平必胜”

3 September 2025 at 09:36

中国国家主席习近平星期三(9月3日)出席九三阅兵式,受阅官兵高呼口号“正义必胜!和平必胜!人民必胜!”

根据新华社报道,习近平星期三上午乘车驶回天安门途中,受阅官兵齐声高呼:“听党指挥!能打胜仗!作风优良!”“正义必胜!和平必胜!人民必胜!”

中国阅兵总指挥一改惯例 由中部战区空军司令员韩胜延中将担任

3 September 2025 at 09:33

中国纪念抗日战争胜利80周年阅兵的总指挥,由中部战区空军司令员员韩胜延中将担任。

中国央视的直播画面显示,韩胜延星期三(9月3日)上午在天安门广场请中共总书记、中央军委主席习近平检阅部队。

阅兵总指挥是阅兵式和受阅部队的指挥者,一般由阅兵地所属军事单位的军事主官担任,而北京归中部战区。按照惯例,今天的天安门阅兵总指挥应该由中部战区司令员王强担任。

王强两个月前缺席中国国防部在人民大会堂举办的庆祝解放军建军98周年招待会,一度引起外界猜测他可能“出事”。他今早没有担任这次的天安门阅兵总指挥,加剧了外界对他可能被查的揣测。

习近平:加快建设世界一流军队 坚决维护国家主权、统一、领土完整

3 September 2025 at 09:28

中国国家主席习近平在九三阅兵发表讲话,强调加快建设世界一流军队,坚决维护国家主权、统一、领土完整。

据中国央视新闻报道,习近平说,中国人民解放军始终是中共和人民完全可以信赖的英雄军队。全军将士要忠实履行神圣职责,加快建设世界一流军队,坚决维护国家主权、统一、领土完整,为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供战略支撑,为世界和平与发展作出更大贡献。

习近平形容中国人民抗日战争是艰苦卓绝的伟大战争,并说在中国共产党倡导建立的抗日民族统一战线旗帜下,中国人民以铮铮铁骨战强敌、以血肉之躯筑长城,取得近代以来反抗外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利。

习近平说,各个国家、各个民族只有平等相待、和睦相处、守望相助,才能维护共同安全,消弭战争根源,不让历史悲剧重演。

他也说,当年,面对正义与邪恶、光明与黑暗、进步与反动的生死较量,中国人民同仇敌忾、奋起反抗,为国家生存而战,为民族复兴而战,为人类正义而战。今天,人类又面临和平还是战争、对话还是对抗、共赢还是零和的抉择。“中国人民坚定站在历史正确一边、站在人类文明进步一边,坚持走和平发展道路,与各国人民携手构建人类命运共同体。”

中国战斗机制造商、机器人公司等股票成为关注焦点

3 September 2025 at 09:24

中国星期三(9月3日)在北京举行九三阅兵式,战斗机制造商、机器人公司和其他国防相关公司的股票成为关注焦点。

据彭博社报道,中国国家主席习近平在一场旨在展示国家军事实力的活动中公布最新无人机和高超音速导弹之际,投资者的关注点集中在设备升级和新兴技术上。

今年九三阅兵式前,中证国防指数迄今已上涨22%,涨幅超过基准指数14%的涨幅。包括印度和巴基斯坦冲突在内的地缘政治紧张局势也提振了国防板块。

胡锦涛朱镕基宋平未现身九三阅兵

3 September 2025 at 09:13

中国前总理温家宝等卸任领导人星期三(9月3日)亮相天安门城楼,观看中国纪念抗日战争胜利80周年大阅兵;年底满83岁的中共前总书记胡锦涛、下月年满97岁的前总理朱镕基则未现身。

星期三上午,多名中共退休领导人在北京天安门城楼出席九三阅兵,据央视新闻画面,依序是中国全国政协前主席李瑞环(本月年满91岁)、中国前总理温家宝(本月年满83岁)、中国全国政协前主席贾庆林(85岁)、中国全国人大常委会前委员长张德江(年底满79岁)、中国全国政协前主席俞正声(80岁)、中国全国人大常委会前委员长栗战书(75岁)、中国全国政协前主席汪洋(70岁)、中国前副总理李岚清(93岁)、中国前国家副主席曾庆红(86岁)、中共中央前纪委书记吴官正(87岁)、中共前政治局常委李长春(81岁)、中共中央前政法委书记罗干(90岁)、中共中央前纪委书记贺国强(82岁)、中共中央前书记处书记刘云山(78岁)、中国前国家副主席王岐山(77岁)、中国前副总理张高丽(年底满79岁)。

年高108岁的中共前政治局常委宋平星期三也未亮相天安门城楼。他上次亮相天安门城楼是2021年中共建党百年庆祝大会。

中国前国家主席江泽民2022年底逝世后,胡锦涛成为排序最靠前的中共元老。他曾在2022年中共二十大闭幕式中途离场,官方解释他当时身体不适。胡锦涛最后一次公开亮相,是2022年12月江泽民逝世的时候,他当时前往医院为江送别。

朱镕基近年已鲜少公开露脸。他最后一次出席公共活动是2018年10月在北京会见清华大学经济管理学院顾问委员会委员,之后连续未出席2019年中共建国70周年庆典、2021年中共建党百年庆祝大会、2022年中共二十大等重大活动。

习近平普京金正恩齐登天安门城楼同框

3 September 2025 at 08:52
中国国家主席习近平星期三上午与20多位国家元首和政府首脑一起登上天安门城楼。俄罗斯总统普京和朝鲜最高领导人金正恩分别站在习近平的右侧与左侧。 (视频截取)

九三阅兵式即将开始,中国国家主席习近平与20多位国家元首和政府首脑一起登上天安门城楼,准备观看中国纪念抗日战争胜利80周年大阅兵。

俄罗斯总统普京和朝鲜最高领导人金正恩分别站在习近平的右侧与左侧,中朝俄领导人历史性同框。

这是金正恩首次出席九三阅兵式,首次出席大型多边外交活动,也是朝鲜最高领导人66年来第一次参加中国阅兵。1959年,时任朝鲜最高领导人金日成出席了中国国庆节阅兵式。

金正恩的一举一动,他如何在九三阅兵式的多边外交场合中与其他国家领导人互动,备受各国媒体关注。

金正恩星期一(9月1日)搭乘深绿专列离开平壤,星期二(9月2日)凌晨通过国境线,星期二(9月2日)下午抵达北京。中共政治局常委、中央书记处书记蔡奇,中共政治局委员、外交部长王毅前去迎接。

金正恩上一次访华是在2019年1月。朝中社报道,金正恩表示很高兴时隔六年再次访华,对中国政府和人民的热烈欢迎和盛情款待表示谢意。

朝中社发布的照片显示,随同金正恩访华的人员,除朝鲜外长崔善姬及其他高级官员外,还包括金正恩的女儿金珠爱。韩联社称,这是金珠爱首次随金正恩访问中国。

习近平高规格接待普京,中俄团结一致制衡西方

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习近平高规格接待普京,中俄团结一致制衡西方

郭莉莉, ANTON TROIANOVSKI
中国国家主席习近平周二在北京与俄罗斯总统普京举行了会谈。
中国国家主席习近平周二在北京与俄罗斯总统普京举行了会谈。 Pool photo by Kevin Frayer
俄罗斯总统普京周二与中国国家主席习近平见面时表示,俄中关系已“达到历史最高水平”,这是两国团结一致制衡西方的展示。
习近平在北京的人民大会堂接待普京,双方在那里举行了正式会谈,并一起喝了下午茶和出席了晚宴。习近平说,“中俄关系经受住了国际风云变幻的考验,树立了大国关系典范。”
习近平还表示,北京将继续在双方重大关切的问题上与莫斯科协调立场。
两国最近保持一致的一个方式体现在对历史的叙述上。习近平和普京在“二战”及两国在结束战争方面所发挥作用的表述上互相呼应。
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他们的会晤发生在中国将在天安门广场举行纪念“二战”结束80周年阅兵式的前夕。这场活动意在精心展示中国的军事实力和不断扩大的全球影响力,而与此同时,特朗普总统的关税政策正在让美国的盟友和竞争对手都感到苦恼。预计将有20多个国家的领导人出席阅兵式,包括朝鲜领导人金正恩和伊朗总统佩泽什基安。
这场阅兵式是中国数月宣传活动的高潮。宣传活动主要通过演讲、电影和电视特别节目进行,目的是将一种历史叙事推给受众,把中国共产党在抗日战争中的作用置于核心位置。(许多历史学家认为,中国抗日战争的主力是国民党,而不是共产党。)
习近平周二与普京会晤时,赞扬了苏联和中国在结束“二战”方面所起的作用。他说,中俄两国是“第二次世界大战主要战胜国”,两国决意“维护二战胜利成果”,同时“推动建设更加公正合理的”国际体系。
普京把习近平称为“亲爱的朋友”,并表示,两国在“二战”中的胜利是它们“共同捍卫历史真相和正义”的证明。“我们过去站在一起,现在仍站在一起,”普京说。
习近平和普京的会晤发生在中国将在天安门广场举行纪念“二战”结束80周年阅兵式的前夕。
习近平和普京的会晤发生在中国将在天安门广场举行纪念“二战”结束80周年阅兵式的前夕。 Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik
苏联抗击纳粹德国的战争是普京历史叙事的核心,按照这个叙事,他如今对乌克兰发动的战争具有同样的正义性和历史意义。普京周三出席习近平的庆祝活动的安排,似乎意在将这个叙事扩大到“二战”的太平洋战场,并以此来强调中俄两国日益扩大的同盟关系。
学者们认为,对习近平而言,这种战争叙事在国内是为了树立中共的民族救星形象,在国际上是为了树立中国维护稳定力量的形象,同时还用来支持中国对台湾的领土主张。
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两国关系加深的一个具体迹象是,中国宣布将为俄罗斯游客提供免签入境,至少持续到2026年9月。
但也有证据表明,两国的立场并非完全一致:俄罗斯能源巨头俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的负责人周二对记者表示,公司已就修建一条期待已久的对华天然气管道达成了一项“具有法律约束力”的协议,但中国外交部称目前没有任何可宣布的消息。
分析人士对中国是否会接受购买更多的俄罗斯天然气持怀疑态度。“我看到对更多立方米天然气供应的需求有限,”碳市场咨询公司ClearBlue Markets的中国天然气市场首席分析师秦燕(音)说。
中国是俄罗斯最大的贸易伙伴。自从2022年初俄罗斯大举入侵乌克兰以来,中国政府一直为莫斯科提供着经济命脉。专家表示,两国所谓“无止境战略伙伴关系”是为了建立一个由北京和莫斯科主导的替代世界秩序。
普京周二含蓄地嘲讽了西方领导人和特朗普。他说,在全球治理方面出现领导人“赤字”的时候,习近平提出的全球治理体系“非常及时和必要”。
俄罗斯派出一个庞大的代表团来中国,包括两位副总理、十位内阁部长,以及俄罗斯石油、天然气、武器生产和金融领域最大企业的负责人,这表明,对在国际上受到孤立的莫斯科而言,中国政府的支持至关重要。克里姆林宫公布的代表团名单还包括俄罗斯央行行长埃尔维拉·纳比乌琳娜,以及俄罗斯主要国家广播公司的总裁奥列格·布罗杰耶夫。
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普京大力称赞了他的中国东道主,并补充说,尽管周三举行阅兵式时可能会下雨,但这一点也不影响庆祝活动。“中国军队将以一贯的出色表现完成这场喜庆、庄严的阅兵式,”他说。

Keith Bradsher自北京、Berry Wang自香港对本文有报道贡献。

郭莉莉(Lily Kuo)是《纽约时报》报道中国记者,常驻台北。

Anton Troianovski是《纽约时报》莫斯科分社社长。他报道关于俄罗斯、东欧、高加索和中亚地区的新闻。

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细菌战之殇:不能忘却的抗战遗患

老人的发病时间、症状,与日军细菌战的时间线、炭疽杆菌的致病特征完全吻合,李晓方发现,一切史料都对上了。

“我问他断腿去哪儿了,他说早扔茅厕了。”起初老人以为这只是一种怪病,当李晓方告诉老人真相时,他不敢相信,神情十分痛苦和愤怒。这种病,让他永远抬不起头。

从电视中看到王选事迹的李晓方下定决心,“无论多难,也要把这段鲜为人知的历史记录下来。”同一年,时任南方周末记者南香红以采访王选为契机,开启了23年研究细菌战的“第二职业”。三个原本毫无交集的人,意外开始朝着同一方向前进。

南方周末记者 毛淑杰 南方周末实习生 钟婧

责任编辑:姚忆江

1998年10月,作者李晓方(左3)与浙江省金华市金东区雅畈镇日军细菌战炭疽、鼻疽受害幸存者程崇文(左1)、申子娥(左2)、王顺生在一起。图/李晓方提供

1998年10月,作者李晓方(左3)与浙江省金华市金东区雅畈镇日军细菌战炭疽、鼻疽受害幸存者程崇文(左1)、申子娥(左2)、王顺生在一起。图/李晓方提供


随着抗战胜利80周年纪念日临近,浙江杭州的退休干部李晓方更加忙碌起来。

他是一名退役军人,也是一名侵华日军历史的研究学者。数月来,他钻研起了抖音、微信视频号等流行的社交平台,准备把自己30年来研究的“大部头”发到社交平台上,触达更多的年轻人。

回顾14年抗战历史,侵华日军给中国人带来了深重的伤害,而很多隐性的战场伤害却一度尘封。比如,1945年的东京审判中,所有细菌战战犯被赦免了战争罪责。这些头顶“医学博士”名号的作恶者,战后摇身一变,成为了受人尊敬的社会名流。而细菌战的中国底层受害者们,在“恶臭、腐烂、反复发作”的怪病折磨下,痛苦度过余生。

出于强烈的正义感和责任感,很多民间人士自发挖掘这段历史,孜孜不倦地追问、寻找、留证。原本毫无交集的人,意外开始朝着同一方向前进。

而李晓方就是其中一个。

怪病

1989年3月,18岁的安徽滁州青年李晓方从军入伍,因在家学医的经历,被分配至浙江金华某部医院服役。医院常有驻地乡村的老人来就诊,他们的病症很特殊:双腿溃烂数十年不愈,腐肉裸露,气味刺鼻,且都是几十年前就发病的老人。

“和南方常见的烂脚病不一样,这些老人的症状是弥漫性的、持续性的,当时就觉得奇怪。”多年后,李晓方向南方周末记者回忆起最初的疑问。

两年后,李晓方调任部队政治部报道员,业余时间,常到驻地附近村庄散步。一个夏日午后,他在村头看到一位只穿了短裤的老人坐在村口石墩上呻吟,走近时,一股浓烈的腐臭味扑面而来——老人的双腿溃烂严重,伤口正往外渗液。

“我问他脚烂了多久,他说七八岁时就烂了,一直没好。”老人的话让李晓方心头一震。老人向他诉说,染上这个怪病时恰逢1940年代,是抗日战争时期。

据他回忆,“鬼子来村子扫荡撤退后,一夜之间村里就病倒了很多人。有发高烧的、上吐下泻的,还有像他这样烂脚的,当时四百多人的村子,死了一百多,烂脚的就有三十多个。”

这是什么怪病?为什么日军过后就出现?一个念头在他心中萌生:“我要把这些老人的情况记录下来,揭开这个历史谜团。”

根据老人的年龄,李晓方推算怪病发作时间集中在1942年7月至9月间。据老人们回忆,此前当地没有人得过这种病,此后也没有。

他查阅史料发现,1942年夏季,日军发动浙赣战役,破坏浙赣铁路沿线机场。战役后期,日军秘密实施了细菌战,投放了“鼠疫、霍乱、副伤寒、痢疾、白喉、炭疽”等病菌。1945年,731部队少将军医川岛清被苏联红军俘虏。据他供认,他曾经就职的“731部队第一部”的职能,就是

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普拉博沃今凌晨赴华出席九三阅兵中国表示欢迎

3 September 2025 at 08:25
中国九三阅兵式前,印尼总统普拉博沃入场。 (视频截图)

印度尼西亚总统普拉博沃决定按部分原先安排,星期三(9月3日)凌晨抵达中国北京出席九三阅兵,中国表示欢迎。

中国外交部星期三(9月3日)早上6时在官网以答记者问形式说:“印尼总统普拉博沃决定应邀来华出席中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年活动,已于9月3日凌晨抵京,中方对此表示欢迎。”

普拉博沃早前因印尼发生暴乱,宣布取消访华行程。

美国撤销台积电向中国运送晶片设备的豁免

3 September 2025 at 08:15

美国已撤销台积电(TSMC)向位于中国的主要晶片制造基地自由运送关键设备的许可。

据彭博社报道,美国官员最近已通知台积电,决定终止这家台湾晶片制造商南京工厂的所谓“验证最终用户”(VEU)资格。此举与美国此前撤销三星电子和SK海力士在华工厂VEU资格的做法一致。这些豁免预计将在大约四个月后到期。

据TVBS新闻网报道,台积电对此发声明称:“本公司已接获美国政府通知,TSMC南京的VEU授权将于2025年12月31日正式撤销。我们正评估相关情况并采取适当措施,包括与美国政府保持沟通,但台积电仍将全力确保南京厂的持续运营。”

受这项消息影响,台积电在美国上市的美国存托凭证星期二(9月2日)下跌了2.3%。

华盛顿的这一举动意味着,台积电的供应商若要向南京工厂运送受美国出口管制的半导体设备和其他器材,必须逐一申请批准。

这项政策变化威胁到半导体行业几家最重要企业在中国的运营,这些企业来自两大全球晶片重镇,同时也是美国盟友。尽管美国官员称将发放维持相关设施运转所需的许可证,但实际获批的等待时间仍存在不确定性。

彭博社引述知情人士说,官员们正寻求方案以减轻行政负担,尤其是在当前许可证申请已大幅积压的情况下。

法国华人巴黎凯旋门下献花,纪念抗日战争胜利80周年

3 September 2025 at 08:15
03/09/2025 - 01:46

在中国抗日战争胜利80周年之际,法国部分华人协会在巴黎凯旋门下,为无名战士墓献花,以纪念为抗战胜利而捐躯的先烈。

9月2日星期二傍晚6点30分,巴黎凯旋门下像平日一样举行了无名战士墓上的"国家之火"重新点燃仪式。但是,星期二的"国家之火"重新点燃仪式又和往日非常的不同。

在中国抗日战争胜利80周年之际,法国的部分华人协会不仅参与了这一仪式,还为无名战士墓献上了花篮,以纪念为抗战胜利而捐躯的先烈,铭记中华民族的苦难与奋起,弘扬和平和正义精神。

周二的凯旋门"国家之火"重新点燃仪式由法国退伍军人部部长帕特里夏·米拉莱斯(Patricia Miralles)主持,法国国防部也邀请了中国驻法大使馆参加,现场可以看到,有两位穿着军装的中国驻法武官。

敬献花篮的华人协会有法国华人共进会、中法友谊互助协会等。此次活动是第一次有华人华侨在巴黎凯旋门举行抗战胜利纪念活动。

自1923年11月11日起,巴黎凯旋门下方,每天傍晚6点30分都举行无名战士墓上的“国家之火”重新点燃仪式,向第一次世界大战中牺牲的法国战士致敬,也向为保卫法国而牺牲的所有战士们致敬。

【视频】大阅兵登场在即 阅兵方阵进行最后排练

3 September 2025 at 07:45

在北京天安门广场举行的“九三”大阅兵即将登场,数万名观礼嘉宾和媒体记者提早数小时入场等候。长安街上,阅兵方阵进行最后的演练,现场气氛庄重而热烈。

据《联合早报》记者现场观察,观众今天清晨5时后陆续入场,长安街两侧的临时看台很快便座无虚席,数万名观众被安排在金色、红色和绿色的观礼区。

央视新闻早前解释,这三种颜色具有特殊寓意:金色象征富饶的土地、红色代表人民血脉、绿色则寓意和平。

从早上6时许起,现场乐队奏响暖场乐曲,也有合唱团配合演出,炒热现场气氛。多个阅兵方阵在天安门城楼前进行最后演练,整齐的步伐和铿锵的口号,让观众先睹为快。

现场架设大型LED屏幕,让观众更清晰观看阅兵细节。天安门广场和长安街沿街红旗飘扬、花坛点缀,现场气氛庄重而热络。

北京今早天气晴朗,但有些闷热。现场安保措施严密,观众入场需经过两轮安检。许多武警和志愿者在各入口值守并引导人流,确保观礼区秩序井然。

一些观众在阅兵开场前走向长安街两侧,与整装待发的方阵合影留念。一名李姓观众受访时说,目前心情”充满激动与期待,每一个环节应该都会让人感觉很自豪”。

中国官媒:今天受阅武器装备充分体现解放军适应战争形态演变

3 September 2025 at 07:39

中国官媒报道称,本次九三阅兵中的受阅武器,充分体现解放军适应科技发展和战争形态演变、打赢未来战争的强大能力。

据央视新闻报道,本次阅兵,所有受阅武器装备都是国产现役主战装备。其中首次亮相的新型装备占比很大,新域新质力量比重上升。不少是代表现代战争形态演变的最新装备,还有一些是国之重器。

受阅武器装备以新型四代装备为主体,比如新型坦克、舰载机、歼击机等,按作战模块进行编组,展示解放军体系作战能力。

报道称,本次阅兵遴选陆上、海上、空中系列无人智能和反无人装备,以及网电作战等新型力量受阅,比如新型无人机、定向能武器、电子干扰系统等,展示解放军新域新质战力。

报道还称,今天将集中亮相一批高超声速、防空反导、战略导弹等先进装备,展示解放军强大的战略威慑实力。

报道总结,这次受阅的武器装备信息化、智能化程度都比较高,充分体现解放军适应科技发展和战争形态演变、打赢未来战争的强大能力。

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