Controlled Explosion At Olympic Road Race

A controlled explosion took place on an unattended bag during an Olympic men's road race that brought heartache for Team GB riders including Chris Froome.

A bomb squad destroyed the backpack near the finish line of the 237.5km race, which continued without disruption.

Several hours later Froome and fellow Team GB medal hope Geraint Thomas crossed the finishing line out of contention - the latter suffered a crash in the closing stages. 

A Rio 2016 spokesman confirmed the explosion had taken place: "The security services found a suspicious package close to the cycle road race finish line in Copacabana and as a precaution decided to perform a controlled explosion. There is no impact to the race."

Chris Froome (L) and three other Team GB riders at the start of the road race

Sky News' Paul Kelso said he heard a "very loud bang" from behind a grandstand.

One theory is the bag belonged to a homeless man.

The incident comes on what has been a shambolic opening day of the Olympics proper, with spectators queuing for hours and some missing events altogether.

Several events were played out in front of eerily empty stands.

"We apologise for everybody standing in line outside the venues," Games spokesman Mario Andrada told reporters.

"We need to upgrade that part of the Games. We moved people from Rio 2016 (organisation) to speed up the mag and bag (security checks) and within the next hours we will be in much better shape."

There have also been reports of a military bullet coming through the roof of the equestrian centre. It reportedly landed at the feet of a photographer.

Another incident saw spectators leaving Friday's opening ceremony confronted by the body of a man shot dead near the Maracana Stadium.

Multiple gunshots were heard earlier by photographers from The Associated Press and a shooter was seen running from the scene before fleeing in a car.

Twelve gold medals will be awarded on Saturday - the first being claimed by American teenager Virginia Thrasher in the shooting. There have been no medals for Team GB yet, but Adam Peaty set a new world-record of 57.55 seconds in the 100 metres breaststroke heats.

Controlled Explosion At Olympic Road Race

A controlled explosion took place on an unattended bag during an Olympic men's road race that brought heartache for Team GB riders including Chris Froome.

A bomb squad destroyed the backpack near the finish line of the 237.5km race, which continued without disruption.

Several hours later Froome and fellow Team GB medal hope Geraint Thomas crossed the finishing line out of contention - the latter suffered a crash in the closing stages. 

A Rio 2016 spokesman confirmed the explosion had taken place: "The security services found a suspicious package close to the cycle road race finish line in Copacabana and as a precaution decided to perform a controlled explosion. There is no impact to the race."

Chris Froome (L) and three other Team GB riders at the start of the road race

Sky News' Paul Kelso said he heard a "very loud bang" from behind a grandstand.

One theory is the bag belonged to a homeless man.

The incident comes on what has been a shambolic opening day of the Olympics proper, with spectators queuing for hours and some missing events altogether.

Several events were played out in front of eerily empty stands.

"We apologise for everybody standing in line outside the venues," Games spokesman Mario Andrada told reporters.

"We need to upgrade that part of the Games. We moved people from Rio 2016 (organisation) to speed up the mag and bag (security checks) and within the next hours we will be in much better shape."

There have also been reports of a military bullet coming through the roof of the equestrian centre. It reportedly landed at the feet of a photographer.

Another incident saw spectators leaving Friday's opening ceremony confronted by the body of a man shot dead near the Maracana Stadium.

Multiple gunshots were heard earlier by photographers from The Associated Press and a shooter was seen running from the scene before fleeing in a car.

Twelve gold medals will be awarded on Saturday - the first being claimed by American teenager Virginia Thrasher in the shooting. There have been no medals for Team GB yet, but Adam Peaty set a new world-record of 57.55 seconds in the 100 metres breaststroke heats.

Controlled Explosion At Olympic Road Race

A controlled explosion took place on an unattended bag during an Olympic men's road race that brought heartache for Team GB riders including Chris Froome.

A bomb squad destroyed the backpack near the finish line of the 237.5km race, which continued without disruption.

Several hours later Froome and fellow Team GB medal hope Geraint Thomas crossed the finishing line out of contention - the latter suffered a crash in the closing stages. 

A Rio 2016 spokesman confirmed the explosion had taken place: "The security services found a suspicious package close to the cycle road race finish line in Copacabana and as a precaution decided to perform a controlled explosion. There is no impact to the race."

Chris Froome (L) and three other Team GB riders at the start of the road race

Sky News' Paul Kelso said he heard a "very loud bang" from behind a grandstand.

One theory is the bag belonged to a homeless man.

The incident comes on what has been a shambolic opening day of the Olympics proper, with spectators queuing for hours and some missing events altogether.

Several events were played out in front of eerily empty stands.

"We apologise for everybody standing in line outside the venues," Games spokesman Mario Andrada told reporters.

"We need to upgrade that part of the Games. We moved people from Rio 2016 (organisation) to speed up the mag and bag (security checks) and within the next hours we will be in much better shape."

There have also been reports of a military bullet coming through the roof of the equestrian centre. It reportedly landed at the feet of a photographer.

Another incident saw spectators leaving Friday's opening ceremony confronted by the body of a man shot dead near the Maracana Stadium.

Multiple gunshots were heard earlier by photographers from The Associated Press and a shooter was seen running from the scene before fleeing in a car.

Twelve gold medals will be awarded on Saturday - the first being claimed by American teenager Virginia Thrasher in the shooting. There have been no medals for Team GB yet, but Adam Peaty set a new world-record of 57.55 seconds in the 100 metres breaststroke heats.

Controlled Explosion At Olympic Road Race

A controlled explosion took place on an unattended bag during an Olympic men's road race that brought heartache for Team GB riders including Chris Froome.

A bomb squad destroyed the backpack near the finish line of the 237.5km race, which continued without disruption.

Several hours later Froome and fellow Team GB medal hope Geraint Thomas crossed the finishing line out of contention - the latter suffered a crash in the closing stages. 

A Rio 2016 spokesman confirmed the explosion had taken place: "The security services found a suspicious package close to the cycle road race finish line in Copacabana and as a precaution decided to perform a controlled explosion. There is no impact to the race."

Chris Froome (L) and three other Team GB riders at the start of the road race

Sky News' Paul Kelso said he heard a "very loud bang" from behind a grandstand.

One theory is the bag belonged to a homeless man.

The incident comes on what has been a shambolic opening day of the Olympics proper, with spectators queuing for hours and some missing events altogether.

Several events were played out in front of eerily empty stands.

"We apologise for everybody standing in line outside the venues," Games spokesman Mario Andrada told reporters.

"We need to upgrade that part of the Games. We moved people from Rio 2016 (organisation) to speed up the mag and bag (security checks) and within the next hours we will be in much better shape."

There have also been reports of a military bullet coming through the roof of the equestrian centre. It reportedly landed at the feet of a photographer.

Another incident saw spectators leaving Friday's opening ceremony confronted by the body of a man shot dead near the Maracana Stadium.

Multiple gunshots were heard earlier by photographers from The Associated Press and a shooter was seen running from the scene before fleeing in a car.

Twelve gold medals will be awarded on Saturday - the first being claimed by American teenager Virginia Thrasher in the shooting. There have been no medals for Team GB yet, but Adam Peaty set a new world-record of 57.55 seconds in the 100 metres breaststroke heats.

Could Chakrabarti Be On Corbyn's Frontbench?

Shami Chakrabarti may be appointed to Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench when she joins the House of Lords.

The human rights campaigner has been engulfed in an honours storm after the Labour leader nominated her for a peerage, shortly after she did an "independent" report into anti-Semitism in his party.

The report - described as a "whitewash" by critics - concluded that Labour was "not overrun" by anti-Semitism or other forms of racism, despite an "occasionally toxic atmosphere".

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn did not deny she may be asked to serve in his shadow justice team - which has several vacancies after the recent wave of resignations.

The aide said: "There are vacancies. It is not something that's being discussed at the moment, but I can't rule it out."

Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has led fierce condemnation of the decision to elevate her to the House of Lords, saying it left the credibility of her report "in tatters".

Miss Chakrabarti, a highly respected lawyer and the former director of pressure group Liberty, has been accused of suppressing an interview with Mr Corbyn in the document published on June 30.

The report concluded that Labour was "not overrun" by anti-Semitism or other forms of racism, despite an "occasionally toxic atmosphere".

:: Cameron Honours List Branded A 'Sorry Legacy'

In an interview with a Jewish TV channel last month Miss Chakrabarti admitted she had interviewed Mr Corbyn during the course of her inquiry about why he famously described leaders of Hamas as his "friends" during an event he hosted in Parliament.

She had concluded it was "an attempt to be inclusive" during a "difficult meeting", but said she chose not to mention their discussion in her report at all saying: "I was not adjudicating on Mr Corbyn or his leadership, or any other individual in the party. I felt it was for him to make those statements publicly", she told J-TV.

The campaigner said she believed the Labour leader's answers to be "genuine".

But Labour MP John Mann called for her to publish the transcript of the interview in order to be transparent.

When asked if she had been offered or would accept a peerage during the TV interview on July 14, Miss Chakrabarti said: "I don't know whether I want to talk about my future ambitions… You can ask the question but I'm going to evade it at this point."

Keith Vaz, the senior Labour MP who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee - which is also carrying out an inquiry into anti-Semitism - said he had written to Miss Chakrabarti to ask when she was offered the peerage.

He said it would "seriously prejudice" the inquiry it if transpired the offer was made during the inquiry.

Mr Vaz told Sky News: "We were told that this was an independent inquiry and if it transpired that Shami Chakrabarti was offered her peerage before she was appointed or during the time she was appointed to conduct that inquiry then we needed to have been told."

Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who rarely intervenes in politics, tweeted on Thursday: "Shami Chakrabarti has a proud record of public service, but in accepting this peerage, the credibility of her report lies in tatters and the Labour Party's stated intention, to unequivocally tackle anti-Semitism remains woefully unrealised."

Ms Chakrabarti led Liberty until earlier this year and has been one of the country's leading human rights campaigners for the last 15 years, working across party lines on civil rights issues.

She was appointed to lead an independent inquiry into claims of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party following the suspension of MP Naz Shah and ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone.

The report was criticised by Board of Deputies president Jonathan Arkush as ''weak on the demonisation of Israel'' and for omitting "any mention of party figures who have displayed friendship towards terrorists''.

It did not mention Mr Livingstone - who claimed Adolf Hitler was a Zionist - or Miss Shah who made anti-Semitic remarks on social media.

Mr Corbyn defended her nomination to the Lords while on the leadership campaign trail.

He said: "She will make a great contribution to the House of Lords for two reasons. One, she's a brilliant lawyer who will bring those skills to the House of Lords and secondly, she's committed to the abolition of the House of Lords and its replacement with a democratically elected assembly, otherwise I wouldn't have dreamt of supporting her nomination."

Miss Chakrabarti has been contacted for comment on her potential frontbench appointment.

MPs To Move Out Of Houses Of Parliament

MPs will move out of the Houses of Parliament for the first time since the Blitz, while the building has a £4bn facelift, it is claimed.

Politicians are set to be relocated for six years while urgent renovation work is carried out at the 19th century Palace of Westminster, according to a leaked report.

Papers seen by The Times reveal a committee looking at options for the work has ruled out doing it while the MPs are still working there - which would take five times as long.

Instead, they will relocate to the Department of Health where staff have already been told to vacate their offices. The building could even contain a makeshift chamber, the newspaper reports.

:: Bill For Crumbling Parliament Could Hit £7.1bn

But MPs may be dismayed to learn that Richmond House, where health officials are based, is leased in an Islamic bond scheme which forbids the sale of alcohol under Sharia law.

The Houses of Parliament needs extensive repairs

It is reported that MPs - who have an array of subsidised watering holes to choose from in Parliament - considered nationalising the Red Lion pub, a stone's throw from Parliament, but the owner Fuller's Inns opposed the move.

The bond scheme was agreed two years ago by the Treasury, during a drive by George Osborne to make Britain "the Western hub of Islamic finance" and attract investment from the Gulf.

Parliament's renovation has been a running sore for years, with the crumbling buildings suffering from leaky roofs, corrosion of pipes and guttering which has damaged the stonework, antiquated systems for water, drainage and electricity and periodic infestations of mice.

The former clerk of the Commons Lord Lisvane once called the palace a "cathedral of horrors", and a report last summer warned that a fire could spread rapidly through the building's corridors.

A cross-party committee on restoration and renewal was asked to assess three options. The first, a full move-out while radical works are carried out at a cost of £3.9bn, or more limited works for £3.5bn.

The second choice is a partial move-out, which would take 11 years and cost £4.4bn. The third option would allow the MPs to stay put - which would cost £5.7bn and the work would last 32 years.

Both Houses would have to vote on the option the committee chooses after the summer break, and if they back a full move-out, it is expected to happen in four years' time.

MPs have not worked outside the House of Commons since it was bombed by the Nazi Luftwaffe in 1941, forcing them to move to Church House near Westminster Abbey.

David Cameron and the former Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling were said to back the MPs staying put despite the higher costs, but new Prime Minister Theresa May's views are not known.

While MPs relocate to the Department of Health - the committee is said to have rejected suggestions to move them out of London - peers would move to the nearby QEII conference centre.

A restoration and renewal committee spokesman said the process had "not been been finalised", and could not say what would happen if the renovation plans were rejected in Parliament.

MPs To Move Out Of Houses Of Parliament

MPs will move out of the Houses of Parliament for the first time since the Blitz, while the building has a £4bn facelift, it is claimed.

Politicians are set to be relocated for six years while urgent renovation work is carried out at the 19th century Palace of Westminster, according to a leaked report.

Papers seen by The Times reveal a committee looking at options for the work has ruled out doing it while the MPs are still working there - which would take five times as long.

Instead, they will relocate to the Department of Health where staff have already been told to vacate their offices. The building could even contain a makeshift chamber, the newspaper reports.

:: Bill For Crumbling Parliament Could Hit £7.1bn

But MPs may be dismayed to learn that Richmond House, where health officials are based, is leased in an Islamic bond scheme which forbids the sale of alcohol under Sharia law.

The Houses of Parliament needs extensive repairs

It is reported that MPs - who have an array of subsidised watering holes to choose from in Parliament - considered nationalising the Red Lion pub, a stone's throw from Parliament, but the owner Fuller's Inns opposed the move.

The bond scheme was agreed two years ago by the Treasury, during a drive by George Osborne to make Britain "the Western hub of Islamic finance" and attract investment from the Gulf.

Parliament's renovation has been a running sore for years, with the crumbling buildings suffering from leaky roofs, corrosion of pipes and guttering which has damaged the stonework, antiquated systems for water, drainage and electricity and periodic infestations of mice.

The former clerk of the Commons Lord Lisvane once called the palace a "cathedral of horrors", and a report last summer warned that a fire could spread rapidly through the building's corridors.

A cross-party committee on restoration and renewal was asked to assess three options. The first, a full move-out while radical works are carried out at a cost of £3.9bn, or more limited works for £3.5bn.

The second choice is a partial move-out, which would take 11 years and cost £4.4bn. The third option would allow the MPs to stay put - which would cost £5.7bn and the work would last 32 years.

Both Houses would have to vote on the option the committee chooses after the summer break, and if they back a full move-out, it is expected to happen in four years' time.

MPs have not worked outside the House of Commons since it was bombed by the Nazi Luftwaffe in 1941, forcing them to move to Church House near Westminster Abbey.

David Cameron and the former Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling were said to back the MPs staying put despite the higher costs, but new Prime Minister Theresa May's views are not known.

While MPs relocate to the Department of Health - the committee is said to have rejected suggestions to move them out of London - peers would move to the nearby QEII conference centre.

A restoration and renewal committee spokesman said the process had "not been been finalised", and could not say what would happen if the renovation plans were rejected in Parliament.