World

Maine Democratic Senate candidate quits race over sexual assault claims

• Maine's Democratic Senate nominee quit after sexual assault allegations.
• He had been polling ahead of Republican Susan Collins.
• Party faces scrutiny over vetting and hunts for a replacement.

The Democratic Senate nominee in Maine has withdrawn from the race after several former partners accused him of sexual assault. He had been polling ahead of the long-serving Republican incumbent, Senator Susan Collins, and his exit — accompanied by a swift collapse of party endorsements — deals a…

Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after ex-girlfriend’s assault allegation

• Graham Platner has quit the Maine Senate race.
• An ex-girlfriend accused him of sexual assault.
• Further details of the allegation were not provided.

US Senate candidate Graham Platner has ended his Democratic campaign in Maine following an allegation of sexual assault made by a former girlfriend. The withdrawal marks an abrupt halt to a bid that had drawn national attention, and the fallout from the accusation appears to have been the…

Hooked on classic sitcoms, haunted by family tragedies – the truth about the real comedian behind… Count Binface

• Count Binface is really comedy writer Jon Harvey, aged 46.
• He is standing against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election.
• Main parties have refused to contest the seat, boosting his profile.

The Daily Mail profiles the comedian behind Count Binface, the satirical "intergalactic space warrior" who campaigns in British elections wearing a dustbin on his head. The character has gained fresh attention after a widely shared Sky News interview during the Makerfield by-election, and is now poised for greater…

Farage says Binface by-election is deadly serious: ‘Labour and the Tories are both showing contempt for the electorate – this is an election with real people’

Nigel Farage has insisted that the forthcoming by-election in Clacton is a "real election" and should be taken seriously, despite his main rival being a joke candidate dressed as a wheelie bin. The contest was triggered by Farage's own sudden resignation as MP amid sleaze accusations, and matters…

Hungarian teenager, 16, attacks elderly couple in their own home in terrifying robbery that left their beloved dog dead

• Hungarian boy, 16, jailed two years for robbing elderly couple.
• Jackie Thompson, 82, kicked to the floor during the raid.
• The couple's dog, Sophie, was found dead afterwards.

A 16-year-old Hungarian boy has been sentenced to two years in youth custody after breaking into the bungalow of an elderly couple in Wath upon Dearne, South Yorkshire, in a violent robbery. Jackie Thompson, 82, was kicked to the floor of her own home while her 83-year-old husband…

Traveller concretes over wildlife haven to build his ‘dream home’ – then admits he didn’t apply for planning permission because it was too difficult

• Traveller ordered to leave illegal Sussex caravan park built on protected land.
• He admitted skipping planning permission because it was too difficult.
• Inspector called the development 'blatant, contemptuous and egregious'.

An Irish traveller, Michael Delaney, 39, has been ordered to leave a seven-acre field near Crawley Down in Sussex after concreting over protected woodland to create an unauthorised caravan park he called his 'dream home'. He openly admitted during a planning appeal that he never sought planning permission,…