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Gay Byrne considers standing for Irish presidency

Poll shows 77-year-old broadcaster, best known for the Late Late Show, is hugely popular with voters For decades, he has played the part of Ireland’s on-air confessor, listening sympathetically as guests shared their most intimate stories with him – and, of course, thousands of viewers. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, the talkshow host Gay Byrne looks likely to be the Irish people’s choice for president. Now that Senator David Norris has dropped out of the race, pressure is building on Byrne to launch a bid for the presidency. The silver-haired host of the Late Late Show said he would give “serious consideration” to running if offered a nomination. Norris, who is openly gay, dropped his candidacy after it emerged he had used Irish parliamentary notepaper to write to the Israeli authorities pleading clemency for an ex-lover found guilty of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy. Ireland’s main opposition party Fianna Fáil said Byrne would “make an excellent candidate”. An opinion poll in the Dublin Sunday Independent put Byrne way ahead of all other candidates on 34%. The paper claimed support for Norris, who was the most popular candidate, had switched to Byrne. Byrne told the paper: “I would have to consider it seriously … But I would have to consult with ‘she who must be obeyed’ because any mention of presidency would mean a huge disruption to our lives.” The 77-year-old presenter, who is still making programmes for the Irish state broadcaster, RTE, would need the backing of 20 parliamentarians or nominations from several county councils before putting his name forward. The potential entry of one of the most famous faces on Irish TV, known affectionately as Gaybo, has re-ignited interest in October’s election. Several generations of voters have grown up watching Byrne, who has helped break social taboos in Ireland since the late 1960s. Issues such as sex before marriage and homosexuality were openly discussed for the first time on his hit TV and radio shows. It is often said that sex was only introduced into Ireland once The Late Late Show started. Ireland Europe Television Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk

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Spanish duchess gives away fortune in order to marry civil servant

Spain’s 18th Duchess of Alba overcomes disapproval of children and royal household by giving away her inheritance early She is one of the richest women in Spain, owns a dozen castles whose walls are hung with works by Goya, Velázquez and Titian and is a distant relative of King James II, Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. Now, however, the 18th Duchess of Alba is giving away her immense personal fortune in order to be free to marry a minor civil servant. According to Guinness World Records, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, born in Madrid’s Palacio de Lira, has more titles than any noble on earth, being a duchess seven times over, a countess 22 times and a marquesa 24. As head of the 539-year-old House of Alba, her privileges include not having to kneel before the pope and the right to ride on horseback into Seville cathedral. But the children of the duchess, 85, have until now blocked her plans to marry Alfonso Díez, 24 years her junior. The duchess and Díez, a civil servant in the department of social security who also runs a PR business, have been close friends for a number of years. Her six children who, as she likes to point out, are all divorced, were all borne from her first marriage to Pedro Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artazcoz, son of the Duke of Sotomayor, who died in 1972. The duchess, who is rumoured to have undergone extensive cosmetic surgery, shocked the nation when in 1978 she remarried, this time to the former Jesuit priest and intellectual, Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate. Aguirre, who died in 2001, was illegitimate, something scandalous even in 1970s Spain. In 2008 it appeared that the proposed marriage to Díez had been called off when the House of Alba issued a statement saying that the relationship “was based on a long friendship and there are no plans to marry”. The statement came after an alleged telephone call from King Juan Carlos discouraging the duchess from marrying Díez. But whatever the king thinks it now appears the duchess is going ahead with the marriage, and the details have now emerged of how she plans to overcome her children’s opposition: by giving them their inheritance in advance, even though Díez has signed a document renouncing any claim to her wealth. “Alfonso doesn’t want anything. All he wants is me,” she said earlier this year. According to a report published in Spanish newspaper El País, her eldest son Carlos inherits the Liria Palace in Madrid and the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca, as well as overall control of the family fortune. Much of the patrimony is managed by a foundation and, in return for tax breaks, belongs by law to the nation and cannot be sold. However, the duchess’s personal wealth is estimated at between €600m and €3.5bn and she has been able to give her children and eight grandchildren a palace each, as well as a chunk of the thousands of acres of Spain that she owns. Her only daughter, Eugenia, inherits an estate in Ibiza and a further 600 acres near Seville. The duchess insists she is not that wealthy. “I have a lot of artworks, but I can’t eat them, can I?” she has protested. The art that she cannot eat includes, aside from hundreds of paintings, a first edition of Don Quixote, Columbus’ first map of America and the last will and testament of Fernando the Catholic, father of Catherine of Aragon. Spain Celebrity Stephen Burgen guardian.co.uk

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Prescott backs plans to weaken unions’ power in Labour conference votes

Former deputy prime minister says it is ‘time for change’ as current rules ‘loaded’ against constituency interests The former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott has backed plans by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, to weaken the power of trade unions in Labour party conference votes. In an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday , Prescott said it was “time for change” because the current rules – which give the unions 50% of the vote at conference – were seen as “loaded” against the interests of ordinary members in constituency parties. He cited his defeat in a contest to become the party’s treasurer last year as one reason why he was in favour of reform. Despite winning a clear majority in the constituency section of the contest, he was defeated by the union candidate, Diana Holland, after she won almost 100% of the votes cast by unions. Prescott is normally perceived as a champion of union interests, and his support will help Miliband in what is likely to be the toughest battle he has faced to reform his party since winning the leadership last year. Even Tony Blair balked at giving the unions less than half the vote at conference. Prescott said proposing changes to Labour’s constitution was “always controversial”, but insisted Milband was right to address the issue. “There is a feeling in the constituencies that perhaps the power of the trade unions has been loaded a bit against the constituencies,” he said. “When I stood for treasurer, I got 63% of the actual votes of the constituencies and hardly anything from the unions because three or four general secretaries decided I wasn’t going to be the one and therefore didn’t ballot their members. So it’s time for change.” Prescott suggested Miliband’s move was similar to John Smith’s decision to introduce one member, one vote for the selection of parliamentary candidates in 1993. “There may be resistance to [Miliband's plans] – there was against one member, one vote – and then the conference will make a decision,” said Prescott, who helped Smith win one member, one vote with a passionate speech that became famous both for its incoherence and its effectiveness. He also called Miliband “a man of reform”. Dismissing suggestions that the Labour leader was failing to make an impact, he added: “If you’re the leader of the Labour party and you want to make change, it’ll take you more than a week … he has only been in the job for 12 months, but he has made some headway.” Milband has been privately discussing plans with the unions. As the Guardian revealed last week , one plan is for Labour’s national policy forum to get a share of the vote at conference, thus diluting the unions’ influence. In a further move that could antagonise the unions, Miliband wants to change the rules for the election of Labour’s leader. One idea that has been floated is for registered supporters to get a vote. Miliband set out the case for reform in Refounding Labour, a consultation document prepared by Peter Hain and published in March. Although the document avoided specific recommendations, it made it clear that Miliband regarded the status quo as unacceptable. “Constitutionally, conference is the supreme decision-making body of the party,” the document said. “But it has been undermined by the smaller number of constituency parties sending delegates, the increasing concentration of union votes and a command and control culture which was sometimes seen at odds with dissent and diversity.” Miliband’s plans are likely to generate a fierce debate at this year’s party conference in Liverpool. But he may decide to postpone a decision on some of his proposals until the publication, in October, of a report from the committee on standards in public life on the funding of political parties. This is because its recommendations are likely to have repercussions for Labour’s links with the unions. John Prescott Trade unions Ed Miliband Labour Andrew Sparrow guardian.co.uk

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Polar bear attack survivors to return to UK

Scott Bennell-Smith and Patrick Flinders will be flown back to Britain under care of specialist medical team Two members of an expedition injured in a polar bear attack in which a 17-year-old was killed will return to the UK on Sunday, the organisers of the trip have said. Scott Bennell-Smith and Patrick Flinders will be flown back to Britain under the care of a specialist medical evacuation team, BSES Expeditions confirmed. The organisation, formerly British Schools Exploring Society, asked for the pair’s privacy to be respected. Horatio Chapple, from Salisbury, in Wiltshire, died in the attack in Svalbard, Norway, on Friday. Four others, including Bennell-Smith and Flinders, were injured when the bear attacked their camp. The five were part of a group camping on the Von Postbreen glacier, near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. They had been researching climate change, documenting changes to the glacier since previous expeditions. Horatio’s family described him as “strong, fearless and kind”, and had been “so excited about his plans to be a doctor”. In a statement they praised his “amazing sense of humour and ability to laugh at himself”, adding: “He was on the cusp of adulthood and had a clear vision of where his life was going.” Eton College, where the teenager was a pupil, said: “Horatio was a very well-liked member of the school and respected by masters and boys alike. His loss is devastating to those who knew him. We extend our sympathy and condolences to Horatio’s family and friends.” Plans are being made to bring home the other injured – Michael “Spike” Reid, the expedition leader who shot the bear, and Andy Ruck – when doctors and transport authorities allowed, BSES said. Reid’s father spoke of his pride at his son’s bravery, saying: “He told us the bear attacked the tent with three people in it, and he and another leader went to help and were viciously attacked by the bear. He managed to get away, ran to get a gun and shot the bear. “The other members of the group said he was very, very brave.” Michael Reid, 29, from London, sustained injuries to his face and neck. Fellow expedition leader Ruck, 27, believed to be from Aberdeen, was also seriously hurt. Bennell-Smith and Flinders, who was said to have punched the bear on the nose to escape, sustained less serious wounds. On Saturday, BSES announced that it had decided to end the expedition on the advice of the Svalbard authorities and in accordance with the wishes of the group leaders. Police are investigating the incident. A spokesman for the governor of Svalbard said: “It is now known that the polar bear was killed by a single rifle shot. It has now been transported to Longyearbyen and will be investigated by specialists.” Norway Arctic Europe Polar regions Wildlife Animals guardian.co.uk

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Flood warnings issued for north-east England and Scotland

Torrential rain predicted a day after heavy showers brought flooding to north-east and Northern Ireland on Saturday Flood warnings are in place in north-east England and across Scotland after forecasters predicted more heavy rain in the areas. Parts of eastern Scotland could see nearly a month of rain fall in one day on Sunday after downpours swept across north-east England and Northern Ireland on Saturday. Newcastle United were forced to abandon their friendly against the Italian side Fiorentina at St James’ Park due to torrential rain. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has flood warnings in place for Dundee and Angus and Tayside. There are lesser flood alerts for Aberdeenshire, central and west central Scotland, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife, and Scottish Borders. A flood warning remained in place for north-east England for the Rivers Pont and Blyth, with the Environment Agency warning river levels could rise. A spokeswoman for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “It’s still looking pretty bad in Scotland at the moment … we are expecting about 60mm of rain, which is likely to be in eastern areas of Scotland.” Average rainfall for the whole month of August in that part of Scotland is 80mm, the spokeswoman said. She added that 35m of rain fell in Durham on Saturday, 37mm fell in Albemarle, north-east England, and 20mm fell in Strathallan, Scotland. Flood alerts remained in place across much of east and central Scotland, with two stronger warnings issued. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said the River Brothock, in Arbroath, Angus, would continue to rise through the day, creating a flood risk in the nearby town centre. Parts of Dundee may also be hit by localised flooding after up to 50mm of rain fell in the area. The Red Cross said volunteers had been called to help campers at the Belladrum Festival site, near Inverness, because of torrential rain. The charity said more than 60 people, mainly families with young children, were moved into a makeshift centre in a performance tent on higher ground by 5am. Ian Rideout, of the charity, said: “The fields at Belladrum were already soaked after heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. A series of torrential showers overnight on Saturday and into this morning saturated the ground, causing localised flooding. “The festival ended last night and those still camping are heading home today. Roads in the area are passable but many vehicles on the festival site are bogged down, stranding their owners.” The Northern Constabulary chief inspector, Jim Neil, the officer in charge of policing the festival, said: “The rain has caused campsites to flood, and there will be some challenges in terms of emptying the site. We urge people to be patient, and wish them a safe journey home.” On Saturday, emergency services in Durham dealt with several weather-related incidents, and Northumberland was also affected. A spokesman for County Durham and Darlington fire and rescue service said between 60 and 100 calls related to the weather had been received. Homeowners and motorists in the region were warned to be prepared as a band of rain moved northwards from East Anglia up to the north-east and across Scotland. In Northern Ireland, three properties in the Claremount Gardens area of Warrenpoint were flooded as a result of torrential rainfall and flash flooding, which affected the local wastewater pumping station. Weather Scotland Flooding guardian.co.uk

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Syrian government forces storm central town and eastern city

Attacks on Houleh, in the Homs province, and Deir Ezzor, in the east, see military take control of neighbourhoods Syrian government forces have attacked a central town and parts of an eastern city, killing at least four people in fresh fighting, activists said. The developments came as President Bashar Assad’s government struggled to crush a five-month uprising. The attacks on the central town of Houleh, in the Homs province, and Deir Ezzor, in the east, early on Sunday happened a day after the country’s foreign minister attempted to allay protesters demanding reforms by announcing that free parliamentary elections would be held by the end of the year. However, the gesture is unlikely sooth the tensions in a battle in which the government’s crackdown has left more than 1,600 people dead and resulted in international sanctions and condemnation of Assad’s regime. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least four people were killed when troops stormed Houleh, but the Local Coordination Committees – an activist group tracking the uprising – said seven had died in a bombing raid on the town. Both regions have witnessed intense protests against Assad since the uprising began in mid-March. On Saturday, Syrian forces tightened a siege on the city of Hama, a main centre of the uprising. Damascus describes the protesters as criminals. An activist in Deir Ezzor told the Associated Press that the military had launched a pre-dawn raid, attacking it from four sides and taking control of eight neighbourhoods. The activist said the raid began at 4am, and the Local Coordination Committees confirmed that parts of the city were under the control of the military. “Human conditions in the city are very bad since it has been under siege for nine days,” the activist said. “There is lack of medicine, baby formula, foodstuffs and gasoline. The city is totally paralysed.” He added that many of the injured could not be taken to hospitals and were being treated in homes and mosques. International condemnation of the crackdown has focused particularly on the bloody siege of Hama, which was launched last Sunday after residents took over the city of 800,000 and barricaded it against regime forces. Turkey, which borders Syria, said it would send its foreign minister to Damascus on Tuesday to deliver a strong message against the crackdown on the protesters. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his country’s patience was running thin and that Turkey could not remain a bystander to the violence. Gulf Arab countries broke their silence on the bloodshed, calling for an immediate end to the violence and for the implementation of “serious” reforms in Syria. In a statement posted on its website, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council expressed deep concern and regret over “the escalating violence in Syria and use of excess force”. In a telephone conversation, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, urged Assad to immediately stop the use of military force against civilians. Syria Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Turkey Europe guardian.co.uk

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Hacking collective says it stole data including emails and credit card numbers in retaliation for arrests of its sympathisers The group known as Anonymous said on Saturday it had hacked into some 70 mostly rural law enforcement websites in the US, a data breach that at least one local police chief said leaked sensitive information about an ongoing investigation. The loose-knit international hacking collective posted a cache of data to the internet early on Saturday, including emails stolen from officers, tips that appeared to come from members of the public, credit card numbers and other information. Anonymous said it had stolen 10 gigabytes worth of data in retaliation for the arrests of its sympathisers in the US and Britain. Tim Mayfield, a police chief in Gassville, Arkansas, told the Associated Press that some of the material posted online – including pictures of teenage girls in their swimsuits – was sent to him as part of an ongoing investigation. He declined to provide more details. Mayfield’s comments were the first indication that the hack might be serious. Since news of some kind of cyber-attack first filtered out less than a week ago, various police officials said they were unaware of the hacking or dismissed it as nothing to worry about. Though many of the leaked emails appeared benign, some of the stolen material seen by the AP carried sensitive information, including tips about suspected crimes, profiles of gang members and security training. The emails were mainly from sheriffs’ offices in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Mississippi. Many of the websites were operated by a media services hosting company in Mountain Home, Arkansas, and most, if not all, were either unavailable on Saturday or had been wiped clean of content. The company, Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, declined to comment. In a statement, Anonymous said it had leaked “a massive amount of confidential information that is sure to (embarrass), discredit and incriminate police officers across the US”. The group said it hoped the disclosures would “demonstrate the inherently corrupt nature of law enforcement using their own words” and “disrupt and sabotage their ability to communicate and terrorise communities”. The group did not say specifically why these sheriffs’ departments were targeted, but Anonymous members have increasingly been pursued by law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere following a string of high-profile data thefts and denial of service attacks – operations that block websites by flooding them with traffic. Last month, the FBI and British and Dutch officials made 21 arrests, many of them related to the group’s attacks on Internet payment provider PayPal Inc, which has been targeted over its refusal to process donations to WikiLeaks. The group also claims credit for disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard in December when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. An internet security expert said Anonymous may have gone after the sheriffs’ offices because the hosting company was an easy target. Dick Mackey, vice-president of consulting at SystemExperts in Sudbury, Massachussetts, said many organisations don’t see themselves as potential targets for international hackers, causing indifference that can leave them vulnerable. “It seems to me to be low-hanging fruit,” he said. “If you want to go after someone and make a point and want to have their defences be low, go after someone who doesn’t consider themselves a target.” As part of the information posted from US sheriffs’ departments, Anonymous leaked five credit card numbers it said it used to make “involuntary donations”. At least four of the names and other personal details published appeared genuine, although those contacted by the AP said they did not know whether their financial information had been compromised. Anonymous also posted several emails from police tipsters, many who had asked law enforcement not to use their names for fear of retaliation. One tipster wrote that his uncle was a convicted sexual offender who was homeless and hanging around an area Walmart and other places where children were. Another tipster wrote to police that she and her neighbours could smell drugs coming from a house. Both did not respond to emails sent by the AP requesting comment. The AP called more than two dozen sheriffs’ offices across the country that had information posted by Anonymous. Most calls went unanswered or were not returned on Saturday. Several did confirm that a cyber-attack had taken place, and some said they did not believe highly sensitive information had been leaked. “At this point, other than emails … there’s really not any other critical information they could get their hands on,” said John Montgomery, sheriff of Baxter County in northern Arkansas. In Arkansas, St Francis County Sheriff Bobby May said his department and several others were targeted in retaliation for the arrest of hackers who had targeted Apple Computer Inc, among other companies. Anonymous Hacking Data and computer security United States guardian.co.uk

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Tottenham riots – live reaction

Eight police officers were injured during riots in Tottenham overnight. Violence erupted after protests at the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan, who was killed on Thursday 10.46am: Awaiting a statement from Commander Adrian Hanstock, of Metropolitan police. Will bring it as it happens. 10.35am: Google map showing the scene of some of the fires and looting in the early hours of this morning. Click on the blaze icons for more information. We’d like to carry on adding to the map throughout the day to try and get a fuller picture of what happened and where. If you witnessed something that might be worth adding get in touch on Twitter @AdamGabbatt , or email adam.gabbatt@guardian.co.uk 10.12am: Tottenham MP David Lammy: @DavidLammy In n17 withs Nims Obunge, classford Stirling and Sharon grant. Devastating scenes. 9.58am: In the comments vic15 , who lives opposite Tottenham police station, has given a detailed account of their experience of the rioting. “This wasn’t just about a policing, this was about mindless violence and aggression by disaffected and alienated youth,” vic15 says. I live in Tottenham – actually I live directly opposite the main police station. This is basically what I saw. I didn’t know there was going to be any demonstration and heard a bit of noise but honestly, it’s quite a noisy area so didn’t think anything of it. Then at about 8/8.30pm things started to get quite frightening. We saw the police move into a line and police on the streets were throwing things at the police. It looked like stones and rocks although later became flaming wheelie bins and what looked to be shop fittings (my partner claims he saw a fridge being thrown or part of one). Then we saw the cars go up in flames, they were quite near us. That’s when I realised that this was getting really out of hand and the police moved around where we are and more and more kept arriving. We saw the bus and the buildings around us go up in flames like an inferno. That was probably one of the most frightening parts. People below the flat were shouting out to the police. I can’t remember their exact words but quite abusive and dismissive. We were worried that the fires on the high street were not being tackled and they were really gutwrenching. We didn’t see much of the looting first hand because we didn’t leave the property (of course) but at one point, early on, I called a friend of mine because I was scared and asked if we could come round. I wanted out of the area. She pointed out with much more clarity than me that the best thing we could do want not leave where we were. At least we were surrounded by police but it didn’t feel that safe when the fires were raging down the streets. We heard lots of dogs barking at one point and weren’t sure if they were police dogs or the dogs of the rioters because the accompanying shouting was too aggressive and angry. Then the fire engines got through and the horses and the armoured black riot vans. It seemed to quieten down nearer to us but it seemed to volatile and I didn’t sleep last night. Last night I was so angry with people who choose this way to destroy my community. I live in Tottenham and I have been sick of the sneery ways that people regard us. Some of the ‘twitter jokes’ last night were really really sad and almost broke my heart with the way that some people thought this was a big joke or that Tottenham isn’t ‘worth saving’. There are a lot of very good people here. The looting wasn’t a part of the demonstration. People came from all over London to ‘join in’ and the community I live in has been ruined. Now, beyond the anger, I’m sad, desperately sad. This wasn’t just about a policing, this was about mindless violence and aggression by disaffected and alienated youth and not just in Tottenham. Meanwhile the people I know, the shops I visit, my neighbours have had their lives ripped apart and the community which is wracked by poverty and joblessness is further labeled and further disadvantaged. I don’t want people to think that Tottenham is a hopeless place. It is my home and my community and I love living here but I really truly despise people who have destroyed it. 9.48am: Paramedics treated a total of 11 people, ten of whom were taken to hospital, according to the London ambulance service. A spokeswoman added that two of the eight injured police officers needed attention from ambulance crews, but it is not yet clear whether the other officers were dealt with by the ambulance service. 9.42am: Some official reaction from Downing Street: The rioting in Tottenham last night was utterly unacceptable. There is no justification for the aggression the police and the public faced, or for the damage to property. There is now a police investigation into the rioting and we should let that process happen. 9.31am: Paul Lewis was reporting from Tottenham overnight and reports that “sustained looting spread from Tottenham to other nearby areas of Haringey”. By midnight police managed to secure a 200-metre stretch of the Tottenham High Road, scene of some of the worst rioting on Saturday night. But as fire engines entered the street, and began putting out blazing cars and buildings, the rioters spread north and east through back-streets. To the north, at Tottenham Hale, Aldi supermarket was ransacked and set on fire. So too was a nearby carpet shop, causing a huge blaze. Looters turned up with cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods. Nearby, large groups of youths congregated in the surrounding streets with sticks, bottles and hammers. Some wore balaclava masks, preventing cars from accessing streets as buildings were broken into. Others used large rubbish bins to form burning barricades across the road. However some of most dramatic looting took place further west, in Wood Green, and continued into the early hours of the morning. 9.24am: This video by MriRudi on YouTube shows a building engulfed by flames. “Apparently this is a jeweller’s store,” someone is heard saying on the footage. An alarm can be heard sounding in the background. – 9.15am: Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live reaction to the riots in Tottenham last night. Two police cars, a bus and ­several shops were attacked and set ablaze in north London as violence and looting erupted following a protest demanding “justice” over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan. Eight police officers were injured during the violence, which continued into the early hours of Sunday morning. Duggan, 29, was killed on Thursday after police stopped the minicab he was travelling in. The IPCC are investigating the incident, which also saw a police officer shot – the bullet reportedly lodging in his radio and leaving him with minor injuries. Several colleagues were reporting from the scene of the violence in Tottenham, here’s the Guardian’s main news story : Officers on horseback and others in riot gear clashed with hundreds of ­rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed on Thursday. On Sunday morning police said there remained isolated incidents in the Tottenham area involving “a small number of people” and officers were still dealing with those situations. Eight officers were being treated in hospital, one with head injuries, following the violence overnight. The London Fire Brigade said all fires were now “under control” after trouble spread overnight from Tottenham High Road to Tottenham Hale Retail Park and a Lidl supermarket was set on fire. On Saturday night, rioters broke through police ranks and attempted to storm Tottenham’s police station, pelting officers with bricks, bottles and eggs. As a police helicopter flew over Tottenham High Road, youths in masks and hoods added combustible material to two burned out police cars, included a bundle of documents and an awning ripped down from one of the shops. Some attempted to persuade the rioters to disperse, one young man shouting: “Go home now people.” But others filled bottles with petrol to throw at the police lines. Many lined up with makeshift weapons including metal bars and baseball bats to confront the line of police, but others seemed more interested in looting. At one stage a safe was dragged out of a book­makers, while others were seen with a television set and an electric guitar. Several arrived with shopping trollies to take away what they had stolen. “It wasn’t like this before,” said one woman standing close to one of the two burned-out police cars. “It started out as a peaceful demonstration. The police shot a guy here last week and they lied about what happened. They said he pulled a gun but he wouldn’t have done that with armed police. They shot him so badly that his mother could not recognise him.” A Metropolitan police spokesman said the trouble began when missiles were thrown at parked patrol cars at 8.30pm. He said one was pushed, blazing, into the middle of Tottenham High Road. Neither of the two officers who had been driving the cars was injured. As violence spread, a double-decker bus was set upon. Witnesses said the vehicle exploded in flames after attackers threw homemade bombs through its windows. Nearby shops were also set ablaze. Were you in Tottenham last night? Get in touch on Twitter @AdamGabbatt or share your stories below. London Metropolitan police Protest Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk

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Tottenham riot: Sustained looting follows night of violence

Looters use cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods as disturbances spread to other areas of Haringey There were scenes of chaos in the early hours of Sunday morning as sustained looting spread from Tottenham to other nearby areas of Haringey. By midnight police managed to secure a 200-metre stretch of the Tottenham High Road, scene of some of the worst rioting on Saturday night. But as fire engines entered the street, and began putting out blazing cars and buildings, the rioters spread north and east through back-streets. To the north, at Tottenham Hale, Aldi supermarket was ransacked and set on fire. So too was a nearby carpet shop, causing a huge blaze. Looters turned up with cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods. Nearby, large groups of youths congregated in the surrounding streets with sticks, bottles and hammers. Some wore balaclava masks, preventing cars from accessing streets as buildings were broken into. Others used large rubbish bins to form burning barricades across the road. However some of most dramatic looting took place further west, in Wood Green, and continued into the early hours of the morning. Earlier on Saturday night two police cars, a bus and several shops had been attacked and set ablaze as violence and looting erupted following a protest demanding “justice” over a fatal police shooting. Officers on horseback and others in riot gear clashed with hundreds of ­rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed on Thursday. On Sunday morning police said there remained isolated incidents in the Tottenham area involving “a small number of people” and officers were still dealing with those situations. Eight officers were being treated in hospital, one with head injuries, following the violence. But there was still no police presence at Wood Green high street at 4am, even after dozens of stores had been smashed and raided, setting of multiple alarms. Around 100 youths sprinted around the highstreet, targeting game shops, electrical stores and high-street clothe chains such as H & M. Glass windows were smashed and the looters, mostly young men masking their faces, swarmed in. They emerged with handfuls of stolen goods. “I’ve got loads of G-Star,” said one teenager, emerging from a clothes shop. Others came out clasping shopping bags stuffed with goods. Three teenagers ran down the street with suitcases filled with stolen clothes. Around ten young men stood outside a smouldering Carphone Warehouse, the windows smashed. The theft was casual and brazen, with looters peering into broken shop windows to see if items of value remained. There were shocking scenes in the suburban back-streets, where residential front-gardens were used to frantically sort and swap stolen goods. A teenage boy, who looked aged around 14, drove an stolen minicab erratically down a side-street. On the adjacent street, a man who emerged from his home to find his car burnt-out remonstrated with other young men, who ran past carrying clothes. Passersby, including people returning home in the early hours from nights out, were stunned to discover the lawless mayhem on the streets. With no sign of any police, buses refused to take passengers through Wood Green high street, and traffic was brought to a standstill. London Protest Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk

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Tottenham riot: Sustained looting follows night of violence

Looters use cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods as disturbances spread to other areas of Haringey There were scenes of chaos in the early hours of Sunday morning as sustained looting spread from Tottenham to other nearby areas of Haringey. By midnight police managed to secure a 200-metre stretch of the Tottenham High Road, scene of some of the worst rioting on Saturday night. But as fire engines entered the street, and began putting out blazing cars and buildings, the rioters spread north and east through back-streets. To the north, at Tottenham Hale, Aldi supermarket was ransacked and set on fire. So too was a nearby carpet shop, causing a huge blaze. Looters turned up with cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods. Nearby, large groups of youths congregated in the surrounding streets with sticks, bottles and hammers. Some wore balaclava masks, preventing cars from accessing streets as buildings were broken into. Others used large rubbish bins to form burning barricades across the road. However some of most dramatic looting took place further west, in Wood Green, and continued into the early hours of the morning. Earlier on Saturday night two police cars, a bus and several shops had been attacked and set ablaze as violence and looting erupted following a protest demanding “justice” over a fatal police shooting. Officers on horseback and others in riot gear clashed with hundreds of ­rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed on Thursday. On Sunday morning police said there remained isolated incidents in the Tottenham area involving “a small number of people” and officers were still dealing with those situations. Eight officers were being treated in hospital, one with head injuries, following the violence. But there was still no police presence at Wood Green high street at 4am, even after dozens of stores had been smashed and raided, setting of multiple alarms. Around 100 youths sprinted around the highstreet, targeting game shops, electrical stores and high-street clothe chains such as H & M. Glass windows were smashed and the looters, mostly young men masking their faces, swarmed in. They emerged with handfuls of stolen goods. “I’ve got loads of G-Star,” said one teenager, emerging from a clothes shop. Others came out clasping shopping bags stuffed with goods. Three teenagers ran down the street with suitcases filled with stolen clothes. Around ten young men stood outside a smouldering Carphone Warehouse, the windows smashed. The theft was casual and brazen, with looters peering into broken shop windows to see if items of value remained. There were shocking scenes in the suburban back-streets, where residential front-gardens were used to frantically sort and swap stolen goods. A teenage boy, who looked aged around 14, drove an stolen minicab erratically down a side-street. On the adjacent street, a man who emerged from his home to find his car burnt-out remonstrated with other young men, who ran past carrying clothes. Passersby, including people returning home in the early hours from nights out, were stunned to discover the lawless mayhem on the streets. With no sign of any police, buses refused to take passengers through Wood Green high street, and traffic was brought to a standstill. London Protest Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk

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