Politics
Yes camp narrows gap
A YouGov poll found support for Scottish independence had reached its highest level yet. Of decided voters, 47% said they would vote for independence, while 53% would oppose it. At the start of August, only 39% favoured leaving the UK. It is predicted turnout for the vote on September 18 could top 80%.
Alex Salmond, the Scottish National party leader, called the poll “very encouraging”.
Peter Kellner, president of the pollster YouGov, said of the shift in voting intentions: “I wanted to make sure this movement was real. It is.”
Police
Hunt for missing Alice
Police searching for the missing teenager Alice Gross found her bag beside a towpath on Tuesday. Scotland Yard later released CCTV footage of her last known movements on August 28, as she walked alongside the Grand Union Canal near Brentford Lock in London.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Chalmers, who is leading the inquiry, urged anyone with information to come forward.
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Alice’s mother, Rosalind, said: “We’d like to say to Alice that we miss her, that we love her . . . and we just want her to come home.”
Award
Blair philanthropy gong
GQ magazine defended its decision to declare Tony Blair “philanthropist of the year” after its award to the former prime minister sparked a backlash due to his involvement in the Iraq War. GQ said: “Whatever your views on Iraq, in many ways we would be lucky to have Blair back in British politics today.”
The Labour backbencher John Mann disagreed, saying: “It sends the wrong message. This sort of award should go to an unsung hero who has given up their time for charity.” The reality TV star Kim Kardashian was crowned woman of the year.
Defence
Nato ups the ante
More than 60 world leaders gathered in Newport for a Nato summit. Dominating the agenda were the Russian threat to Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East after the rise of Isis, also known as the Islamic State.
A 4,000-strong rapid reaction force to tackle Russian aggression will be created, with Britain providing 1,000 troops.
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Nearly 10,000 police officers were on duty and seven warships moored in Cardiff Bay for the summit.
Health
Bedside reunion
A couple who sparked a police hunt by removing their five-year-old son from hospital against medical advice were reunited with him after spending 72 hours in jail in Madrid. Brett and Naghmeh King had taken son Ashya from Southampton General Hospital, which was treating him for a brain tumour. They were released after prosecutors withdrew a European arrest warrant. Brett King said: “[Ashya] was so happy to see us that he had trouble breathing.”
Crime
Victim ‘beheaded’
A woman killed in a garden in north London is believed to have been beheaded. Palmira Silva, 82, was found behind the house in Edmonton on Thursday.
Neighbours described how they had seen a man rampage through gardens with a knife or a machete. Police smashed the windows of homes to lead residents to safety before the suspect, aged 25, was shot nearby with a Taser.
The suspect is yet to be questioned.