Arrests rock NBA as FBI probes gambling ring and mafia links

NBA stars Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, as well as Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncy Billups were all arrested early Thursday as part of sweeping FBI investigations into sports-rigging and illegal gambling – which was in part connected to the Mafia.

Speaking Thursday morning, FBI director Kash Patel said that 34 people had been arrested in “over 11 states” and that the money involved in the alleged NBA gambling ring was “tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery.”

The number included 13 members of the Bonnano, Gambino and Genovese crime families – part of the infamous Cosa Nostra Mafia.

US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr, for the Eastern District of New York, called the operations “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”

“Your winning streak has ended … and you can bet on that,” he said.

Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, was apprehended at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, months after he was cleared by an NBA internal investigation regarding suspicious betting on his gameplay in 2023. Billups was arrested in Oregon.

Nocella said Jones and Rozier had used “non-public information” as part of sports game rigging operations, including when specific players would be sitting out future games, or when they would pull themselves out early.

Met officer caught on camera making ‘floridly racist’ comments is sacked

A Metropolitan Police officer who worked at Charing Cross police station has been sacked after he was secretly filmed making “floridly racist” comments and “glorifying the use of inappropriate force”.

Damning footage, gathered undercover for a BBC Panorama documentary, appears to show Pc Philip Neilson suggest an immigrant who had overstayed his visa should be shot. He said while off-duty “either put a bullet through his head or deport him”, a hearing in south London was told on Thursday.

Pc Neilson breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy; discreditable conduct; and equality and diversity, the hearing was told.

Chairman of the hearing, Commander Jason Prins, said he was satisfied the breaches of conduct amounted to gross misconduct and Pc Neilson was dismissed without notice.

“It was or must have been obvious to him that the comments made were abhorrent,” Mr Prins said. “The conduct of the officer is a disgrace.”

The Panorama footage shows the officer tell undercover reporter Rory Bibb while drinking at a pub off-duty, that Algerians and Somalians are “scum”, and makes reference to there being an invasion of the UK by migrants.

The filming also uncovered officers making sexualised comments about women, being dismissive about a rape complaint, making anti-Muslim remarks and appearing to boast about the use of excessive force.

The first allegation was described by James Berry KC, on behalf of the appropriate authority, who said the programme appears to show Pc Neilson in a conversation outside Charing Cross police station saying that a juvenile, referred to as Mr X, had kicked him in custody.

The undercover reporter had been told Pc Neilson had “done sports massage” before he joined the police and that while he was in the van on the way to custody he was “on pressure points”, Mr Berry added.

The footage then shows him go into further detail in the pub, Mr Berry said, adding: “He said he applied pressure points to Mr X for the whole journey… alternating between legs after 20 seconds because you become immune to it.”

However, the officer denied using any inappropriate force on the detainee and said he had been assaulted by him.

Mr Berry added that the officer said the pressure point comments were a “misguided attempt at bravado.”

He said: “He was showing off with an… exaggerated story about the use of force.

“He was glorifying the use of inappropriate force on a restrained detainee, whether or not the force was in fact used.”

Mr Berry added that Pc Neilson was “laughing and smirking throughout”.

The second allegation involved the officer describing Somalians as “scum”, and making reference to there being an invasion of the UK by migrants, which Mr Berry said were “floridly racist”.

The third allegation involves Panorama footage showing Pc Neilson referring to an immigrant who had overstayed his visa while off-duty, saying: “Either put a bullet through his head or deport him.

“And the ones that shag women, rape women, you do the cock and let them bleed out.”

The officer accepted these remarks were inappropriate, and were made as he was intoxicated after having eight or nine pints of Guinness.

Mr Berry said the comments that suggest “graphic and unlawful violence” should be used are “abhorrent”.

Pc Neilson accepts that comments were said but says it is misconduct only, Chris Brinsley said on his behalf.

Giving evidence to the hearing, the officer was asked if he believes the undercover reporting breaches his human rights. He replied : “I do… he was the one bringing up the conversations.”

When asked what he would say about the appropriate authority’s case that he is racist, he said: “I’m not.”

Mr Brinsley said it is an “extraordinary case where the police have been infiltrated by an undercover journalist”.

In another exchange in the BBC footage, PC Martin Borg bragged about a colleague stamping on a detainee’s leg and laughed about the suspect screaming. He also appeared to discuss falsifying a witness statement about the incident.

The scandal is the second to hit the central London police station after a string of shocking messages exchanged by officers at the same police station were exposed in 2022.

Officers at Charing Cross were found by the IOPC to have joked about rape and domestic abuse, and made racist comments in messages exchanged by officers between 2016 and 2018.

No 10 dismisses calls for MPs to get time to debate Prince Andrew

Downing Street has appeared to dismiss the idea of MPs being given time for a Commons debate on Prince Andrew, with the prime minister’s spokesperson saying that the royal family “would not want to take time” from other parliamentary business.

Pressure has been mounting on the King’s brother over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his rent-free mansion in Windsor.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said he would support “proper scrutiny” of the Crown Estate arrangements, but on Thursday Downing Street suggested that the government is not planning on making time for MPs to debate the matter.

Asked if the government would be making time, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Prince Andrew has already confirmed he will not use his titles. We support the decision made by the royal family, and we know the royal family would not want to take time from other important issues.”

Meanwhile, a committee of MPs will be “seeking more information” on the prince’s lease arrangements for the Royal Lodge property.

Chair of the public accounts committee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said on Thursday that he will be writing to the crown estate commissioners and the Treasury in the coming days.

Sir Geoffrey added: “In the correspondence, our cross-party committee will be raising a number of questions with the crown estate and HM Treasury. This forms part of our long-standing remit, on behalf of parliament and the British public, to examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending, and ensure the taxpayer is receiving best value for money.”

Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said on Thursday that “there are ways for the House to properly consider the matter”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked earlier this week whether “given the revelations about Royal Lodge” the prime minister believed that MPs should “properly scrutinise the Crown Estate to ensure taxpayers’ interests are protected”.

Andrew has lived in Royal Lodge in Windsor on a peppercorn rent since 2003, although he paid £1m for the lease and a further £7.5m for refurbishments.

Meanwhile, 26 MPs have signed an early day motion calling for the government to “take legislative steps to remove the dukedom granted to Prince Andrew”.

Addressing MPs on Thursday, Sir Lindsay said: “I know there has been some commentary on what members of this House may or may not discuss in the chamber in relation to Prince Andrew, some of which is inaccurate.

“There is understandably great interest from members, and from the public, on this matter. For the benefit of the House, I would like to be clear that there are ways for the House to properly consider this matter.

“Any discussions about the conduct or reflections on members of the royal family can be properly discussed on the substantive motions. And I know some members have already tabled such a motion. I am not able to allocate time for a debate on such a motion, but others are able to do so, if wishing to do that.”

Substantive motions can be tabled by the government, by opposition parties in opposition day debates, and by backbenchers through an application to the backbench business committee.

It comes as the prince’s relationship with the disgraced financier Epstein has come under fresh pressure following the release of the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year. The memoir contains further details around Giuffre’s allegations that the prince had sex with her a number of times after she was trafficked by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges.

Andrew has denied allegations that Giuffre was forced to have sex with him.

Andrew announced last Friday that he would stop using his Duke of York title, but an act of parliament would be required to remove it formally.

Migrant in ‘one in, one out’ row to be ‘fast tracked’ to France, Starmer vows

A migrant who returned to Britain after being deported as part of a one in, one out deal is being “fast-tracked” back to France, Keir Starmer has said.

The prime minister vowed that the UK would remove him again “very, very swiftly” as he denied his government’s approach to stopping small boats crossing the channel was “in tatters”.

Sir Keir saidthe Iranian man was already in detention and “he will now be fast-tracked back out of the country, because we obviously have his details”.

“We know he hasn’t got a claim to make, therefore we’ll remove him very, very swiftly. So his return journey back to the United Kingdom is completely pointless, and it’s really important I make that absolutely clear.”

He said no when asked whether the government’s approach to stopping small boats was “in tatters”.

The man returned to the UK in a small boat, marking a humiliating blow for Sir Keir and his pledge to take back control of Britain’s borders.

The news emerged on the same day that the number of migrant arrivals via the English Channel so far this year passed the total for the whole of 2024.

But the deputy PM has claimed the identification of the man was a sign of “progress”.

David Lammy said that it “actually reveals that the individual, who spent thousands of pounds trying to get into this country, as a result of his biometric data can be sent back and that is progress”.

Earlier, children’s minister Josh MacAlister had dismissed the man’s claim to be a victim of modern slavery as “ludicrous”, telling Times Radio: “France is a safe country.”

The man, who is currently being held at an immigration detention centre, told The Guardian he is a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in northern France.

“If I had felt that France was safe for me, I would never have returned to the UK,” he told the newspaper.

“When we were returned to France, we were taken to a shelter in Paris. I didn’t dare to go out because I was afraid for my life. The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the UK from France the first time.

“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest.

“When I reached UK the first time and [the] Home Office asked what had happened to me, I was crying and couldn’t speak about this because of shame.”

Just 42 people so far have been returned to France under the agreement, announced with great fanfare by the PM and French president Emmanuel Macron in July and designed to create a deterrent, convincing migrants there is no point in making the dangerous Channel crossing – as they could just be sent straight back.

Under its terms, for each small boat migrant returned, one asylum seeker will be allowed to enter the UK from France under a legal route.

At the time, Sir Keir hailed it as a “breakthrough moment” which would “turn the tables” on the people smugglers – but a Downing Street spokesperson on Wednesday said the policy was not a “silver bullet” to tackle the problem.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the government of being in “total chaos” and “too weak to take the tough decisions to secure our borders”.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said Labour had to “back up their big promises with actions”.

Starmer’s failure on grooming gangs inquiry hides a chilling truth

Perhaps the national inquiry into grooming gangs was doomed from inception, given the government had to be dragged into holding the inquiry in the first place.

The extent of this heinous form of child sex abuse – the rape of countless vulnerable girls by organised groups of men – has never been established at a national level.

Factors that drive this type of offending – including the uncomfortable fact that culture and racism have clearly played some sort of role, reflected in the disproportionate number of Asian perpetrators involved in the rape gangs in areas like Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire – have never been properly confronted. That left the issue ripe for manipulation by those whose main motivation is to sow division.

But, even after Elon Musk did just that earlier this year, no one could have predicted just how much the government was going to adopt an unjustified “nothing to see here” approach.

Perhaps because the prime minister was such a reluctant convert to the need for an inquiry in the first place, it is now in a complete mess. Four survivors have resigned from the inquiry’s advisory panel, citing their concerns that the process was being managed in order to deflect focus from the role Labour-led councils have played in this scandal, and to avoid confronting the difficult questions about the roles culture and racism may have played.

In a letter to the home secretary, they accused the safeguarding minister Jess Phillips of labelling some of their claims “untrue”, and have said they will only return is she resigns.

They were also worried that the two leading candidates for chairing the inquiry, Annie Hudson and Jim Gamble, hailed from social work and police backgrounds, and that this could potentially compromise the independence of an inquiry that would cover these institutions. Both of those candidates have also now withdrawn from the process of appointing a chair.

Ministers initially tried to claim that the multiyear Independent Inquiry on Child Sex Abuse had already done a full investigation into grooming gangs – blatantly untrue. Former Leader of the House Lucy Powell appeared to imply raising the issue was a “dog whistle”.

The government resisted calls to hold a national inquiry despite all the important unanswered questions. It was only when it was clear the political pressure wasn’t going away that it announced instead that Baroness Louise Casey – renowned for her fearlessness in forcing people to confront hard truths – would lead a three-month audit.

Her report was published in June, and it makes for utterly damning reading. It outlines how the child victims of male rape gangs operating across British towns and cities over recent decades have been failed again, and again, and again.

Two common themes stand out. First, the double injustice meted out to these children, who were subjected to the most horrific rape and exploitation, then adultified by the system, seen as complicit in and consenting to their own abuse.

Second, the reluctance of anyone in a position of authority to confront the fact that what data we have suggests that men from particular cultural backgrounds – especially whose family background is from some conservative areas of Pakistan – are over-represented in this type of offending. Despite review after review calling for accurate ethnic data to be captured on offenders, police forces have failed to collect this data, perhaps afraid of what they will find. As Casey outlines, flawed and incomplete has often been marshalled to “dismiss claims about ‘Asian grooming gangs’ as sensationalised, biased or untrue. This does a disservice to victims and indeed all law-abiding people in Asian communities.”

She also found evidence that senior officials have often tried to deflect from culture as a potential factor in offending, making it difficult for more junior frontline staff to challenge them.

This means that cultural factors and racism – such as the attitudes some of these men have towards the white, Hindu and Sikh girls they regard as “impure” – have remained unaddressed. The effect is that child rapists have been able to use their culture and background as a cloak to help make them untouchable. Also as of yet not properly examined is the extent to which the clan-based politics imported in from parts of the Indian subcontinent into some parts of the UK have created power structures that have made it harder to tackle this type of offending at the local level.

These are highly sensitive questions that need to be asked judiciously and impartially by someone who can command trust from all parts of society, not least the survivors of these terrible crimes. There is of course a risk they are hijacked by people with racist agendas, and that needs to be carefully managed. But failing to even ask the questions – or even collect the most basic of data – leaves a vacuum that those people fill anyway, and it is to fail the victims terribly because it denies them the justice of the truth.

To chair such an inquiry was always going to be a difficult task. Starmer has said that Baroness Casey, a veteran troubleshooter, could now be called to assist. Finding the right person should have been at the top of the prime minister’s to-do list. It must be now, if it is not already too late.

It didn’t have to be like this. And it leaves some chilling questions in the air. If ministers are struggling so much to set up the independent inquiry Casey called for in her audit, what are the chances that men in organised grooming gangs are still perpetrating their rape and abuse of children with impunity? If the government can’t even recruit a senior judge to chair an inquiry, do we really think authorities at the local level are acting with a new sense of drive to root out these crimes? The answer to both is appallingly obvious.

Epic adventures: Trips that follow history’s most intrepid explorers

They say travel broadens the mind – and throughout history that has been the case for some of the world’s pre-eminent scientists, geographers and explorers, whose globetrotting adventures have led to medical breakthroughs, new scientific theories, spectacular art and, above all, a greater understanding of the world we live in.

In celebration of that adventurous spirit, specialist tour operator Travelsphere – who for over 60 years has created extraordinary itineraries to incredible destinations around the world – has partnered with the Royal Geographical Society to encourage people to follow in the footsteps of these pioneering explorers.

With a shared commitment to purposeful and inspiring travel, the Royal Geographical Society have selected a collection of Travelsphere itineraries that have significance to the society and its near 200-year history. Each one explores areas, regions or countries represented within their archives, immersing travellers in a country’s cultural heritage and enabling their own unforgettable journey – while working with, and in support of, the communities and environments visited.

Travelsphere’s escorted tours have everything you need for an enriching adventure. Besides return flights, overseas transfers, handpicked accommodation and many meals, there’s also a range of authentic experiences and excursions included and an expert Holiday Director on hand to guide you through your trip. You’ll get insights into local cultures and see sites you won’t find in a guidebook – with plenty of free time to explore on your own, too. On each tour you’ll share the experience with a group of like-minded travellers.

From the wonders of South America to the historical romance of the Silk Road, iconic India to incredible Indonesia, here’s five examples of the epic adventures awaiting you….

The Silk Road – a network of ancient trade routes connecting East Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe – is primed for monumental voyages. In the mid 19th century, explorers Thomas and Lucy Atkinson travelled 40,000 miles, mostly on horseback, through the region. Ella Christie, a pioneering Scottish explorer and one of the first female fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, journeyed by train and carriage along the Silk Road, publishing a book, Through Khiva to Golden Samarkand, about her travels. Keeping the spirit of these intrepid voyagers alive, Travelsphere’s Silk Road Adventure: The Five Stans spends 21 days visiting fascinating and off-the beaten track destinations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Weaving through ancient Silk Road cities, breathtaking mountain landscapes and remote desert wonders, highlights include visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites in Samarkand and Bukhara, eagle hunting demonstrations in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and the magnificent Charyn Canyon. You’ll also dine with Dungan families, learn how to make regional dishes and visit a traditional tea house on a trip that’s as immersive as it is exciting.

Indonesia offers an irresistible blend of fascinating cultural heritage, dramatic natural wonders and idyllic islands. Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection, collected 126,500 natural history specimens from the islands of Indonesia, East Malaysia, New Guinea and Brunei – a sign of just how much there is to discover in this corner of the world. Travelsphere’s 16-day Spirit of Indonesia adventure engulfs you in the history and landscapes of the country. You’ll follow in the footsteps of prolific globetrotter, photographer and Royal Geographical Society fellow Edith Beatrice Gibbes, who spent several months on the island of Java. Like her, you’ll want your camera ready at sites like Borobudur – the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo, where you’ll witness the sunrise slowly illuminating the landscape. You’ll also explore the bustling cities of Jakarta and Bandung, delve into the fascinating cultural heritage of Yogyakarta, learn traditional batik methods, search for Komodo dragons in Komodo National Park and relax on the island paradise of Bali.

Peru has long attracted explorers intrigued by its history, architecture and landscapes. Modern day voyagers follow the likes of Victor Coverley-Price, an artist who joined a Royal Geographical Society expedition in 1932, documenting Peruvian landscapes in a series of watercolour paintings. Or Clements Markham who, on a trip to Cuzco in the mid 19th century, discovered the benefits of the cinchona plant to treat malaria – and co-led a later mission to transplant and cultivate it in India. On Travelsphere’s Wonders of Peru tour, expert guides will help you uncover the history of capital city Lima and Cuzco, with its captivating fusion of Inca heritage and Spanish colonial architecture. Other highlights include a stay deep in the Amazon rainforest, with a twilight walk through the jungle and wildlife spotting at Lake Sandoval. You’ll also experience the natural wonders of Lake Titicaca and the Uros and Tequile islands. And no trip to Peru is complete without a visit to the “lost city” of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered in the early 20th century, the 15th century Inca settlement high up in the Andes is every bit as magical as you’d imagine.

In 1893, Fanny Bullock Workman – explorer, travel writer, mountaineer and campaigner for women’s rights – embarked on a two year, 14,000 mile cycling tour of India, Burma, Java and Ceylon with her husband. The couple later published an account of their adventure, ‘Through Town and Jungle’, detailing the architectural marvels they discovered during their trip. At 15 days, the Wonders of India and the Tiger Trail tour is a more manageable itinerary – but still packed with plenty to explore. A journey of contrasts, you’ll enjoy the vibrant streets of Mumbai, get up close with incredible wildlife in the Indian wilderness and discover historic temples, including the Ram Raja in Orchha and the impressive western temple complex at Khajuraho. The trip takes in three national parks, including Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, where you’ll observe tigers in their natural habitat. You’ll hear from a naturalist about how India’s national parks inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book and visit a local village to hear about conservation efforts. This unforgettable Indian adventure is rounded off with a sunrise visit to the iconic Taj Mahal to witness one of the world’s most magnificent sites at its most glorious.

If you share the adventurous spirit that led countless explorers, artists and scientists to embark on epic expeditions through South America, then Travelsphere’s Latin Wonders of the World is for you. A packed 18-day itinerary takes you across four countries and countless iconic sites. In Peru you’ll tour the ‘City of Kings’ Lima, as well as the one time capital of the Inca Empire, Cuzco – plus visit the breathtaking “lost city” of Machu Picchu. Take in the snow-capped Andes before heading into Bolivia, where you’ll rub shoulders with locals at bustling markets in La Paz and visit the spectacular Moon Valley, a lunar landscape of canyons and spires. From there, it’s onto Argentina’s irresistible capital, Buenos Aires where you might choose to visit a gauche ranch or take in a tango show, before heading to the awe-inspiring Iguaçu Falls, one of the world’s largest natural wonders, which you’ll witness from both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides. Last but not least, you’ll head to Rio de Janeiro, a city bursting with energy and excitement, for a stay right on the famous Copacabana Beach.

For more information or to book visit travelsphere.co.uk

Doctors in England to strike for five days in November over pay row

Doctors are set to go on strike for five days in row over jobs and pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.

Resident doctors in England will strike on five consecutive days from 7am on November 14 to 7am on November 19.

The BMA claims doctors are going unemployed and “struggling to find jobs” – while “shifts in hospitals go unfilled” and patients stay on waiting lists.

Resident doctors, previously named junior doctors, make up around half of all doctors in the NHS and the BMA is arguing better pay will stop them leaving.

“This is not where we wanted to be,” Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), said announcing the strikes.

“We have spent the last week in talks with Government, pressing the Health Secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed,” Dr Fletcher added.

“We know from our own survey half of second year doctors in England are struggling to find jobs, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients wait endlessly for treatment, and shifts in hospitals go unfilled. This is a situation which cannot go on.

“We talked with the Government in good faith – keen for the Health Secretary to see that a deal that included options to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over several years, giving newly trained doctors a pay increase of just a pound an hour for the next four years.

“We hoped the Government would see that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the best interests of the public and our patients, and would also help stop our doctors leaving the NHS.

“Better employment prospects and restoring pay are a credible way forward that would work for doctors, work for Government, and work for our patients.

“The Health Secretary’s 11th hour letter to us today makes vague promises for some degree of change to jobs and training for two years hence, showing little understanding of the crisis here and now, or a real commitment to fix it.

“While we want to get a deal done, the Government seemingly does not, leaving us with little option but to call for strike action.”

Resident doctors have been in a pay dispute since July – demanding a 29 per cent rise.

The BMA argues that the value of resident doctors’ pay has been eroded by inflation since 2008/09, and it has published hourly pay figures showing what the pay “restoration” it is asking for would look like.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the move as “preposterous” and accused the BMA of “blocking a better deal for doctors”.

He warned that “the BMA’s reckless posturing will harm patients, leave other doctors and NHS staff to pick up the pieces and divert resources away from rebuilding the NHS”.

“We will not allow the BMA to wreck the NHS’s recovery,” he said.

“I urge the BMA to call off these needless strikes and come back to the table. They have a Government that wants to work with them to improve the working lives of resident doctors and create an NHS fit for the future.”

Doctors “should not be going on strike”, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative party added.

“Conservative policy is to ban strikes by doctors in the same way the police and the army cannot go on strike,” she said.

“We need to have adequate levels of healthcare. We had legislation that would provide minimum service levels, Labour scrapped it.”

NHS Providers, which represents trusts, also warned patients will “pay the price” of doctors walking out for five days. Chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles said: “Another strike by resident doctors is the last thing the NHS needs, particularly as we head into what’s going to be another challenging winter for the health service.

“Trust leaders will do everything they can to prepare for this five-day walkout but once again, it’ll be patients that will be left paying the price.”

Resident doctors have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…

Hundreds of flights cancelled as 140mph winds hit New Zealand

New Zealand was plunged into chaos for the second time in a week as dangerous winds caused disruption on Thursday. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools were closed, and electricity blackouts covered large parts of the country.

The capital, Wellington, located in the lower North Island, bore the brunt of the gales, alongside parts of the South Island, including Christchurch.

The national forecaster, MetService, issued rare “red” wind warnings – its highest alert level – for several of the regions affected.

While no deaths or serious injuries were reported from Thursday’s severe weather, the country is still reeling from a separate weather system on Monday that saw a Wellington man killed by a falling tree branch.

The latest havoc also disrupted rallies that were planned by health and education workers to mark what is believed to be the country’s largest industrial walkout in decades.

More than 100,000 workers, represented by four unions, staged a four-hour “mega strike” after months of stalled negotiations with the government over pay and conditions.

More than 200 flights across New Zealand were cancelled on Thursday as some urban areas experienced wind speeds of 140 to 160kmph (87 to 100mph), with gusts in one remote, rural part of the South Island registering 230kmph (143mph).

Tens of thousands of properties were without power in different parts of the country. The wind downed trees, ripped off roofs, and in the city of Dunedin, toppled shipping containers at the port.

Dangerous winds also forced the closure of some highways. The remote west coast of the South Island was cut off by road after flooding closed the only routes to the area.

Some rallies by teachers, doctors and nurses around the country whose unions had planned a coordinated strike on Thursday were cancelled due to the weather. Union leaders said workers were still on strike, even where demonstrations were called off.

Thousands still marched in the cities of Auckland and Hamilton, and hundreds of people turned out for demonstrations in small towns unaffected by the bad weather.

Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open to the public, but the government health agency urged people not to seek medical attention unless the matter was urgent. Medical staff at one hospital in the city of Nelson returned to work during the strike when the facility lost electrical power because of the high winds.

In the days before the strike, ministers in New Zealand’s centre-right government, which is often at odds with workers’ unions, lambasted the action, describing it as politically motivated. Union leaders rejected the charge, saying they had also held strikes under the previous centre-left government.

About half of those who walked off the job were teachers, and the rest included doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers, and other medical practitioners. Their demands varied between industries, but complaints about pay, staffing levels and working conditions were the central focus of the strike.

The action came amid steep government cuts to public spending, and record numbers of New Zealanders leaving the country, particularly for neighbouring Australia, where medical practitioners are lured by higher salaries and lower living costs.

Several major highways remained closed on Thursday night, and residents of some South Island regions remained on alert as rivers rose and threatened to breach their banks. Winds were due to ease by Friday, although the authorities urged caution for travellers.

A ban on fireworks and fires was enacted for much of the country, and was expected to remain in place for the rest of the week, the national fire service said. The strong winds whipped up wildfires during both Monday’s and Thursday’s storms, and firefighters hadn’t been able to quell the worst of the blazes by Thursday night.

New Zealand’s location in the southern latitudes, along with the mountain ranges that run the length of the country, can produce wild weather throughout the year.