News- UK

Uber loses licence to operate in London Ride-hailing service to continue while it appeals against Transport for London decisionUber has lost its licence to operate private hire vehicles in London after authorities found that more than 14,000 trips were taken with uninsured drivers.Transport for London announced the decision not to renew the ride-hailing firm’s licence at the end of a two-month probationary extension granted in September. Uber was told then it needed to address issues with checks on drivers, insurance and safety, but has failed to satisfy the capital’s transport authorities. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson under fire over 'vague' social care funding plans PM criticised for failing to produce promised plan to ‘fix social care once and for all’Follow the latest election news - liveNicky Morgan has defended Boris Johnson over his decision to shelve plans to overhaul social care funding in the Conservatives’ manifesto launch.The Tories have pledged to allocate an extra £1bn a year for the social care sector as part of a cautious manifesto, while guaranteeing that no one should have to sell their home to meet the costs. Continue reading... Go to Source

Treasures worth 'up to a billion euros' stolen from Dresden museum German police say thieves on the run after raid at historic Green Vault inside royal palaceThieves have broken into one of Europe’s largest collection of art treasures in the German city of Dresden and stolen objects worth up to one billion euros, police have said.The Grüne Gewölbe (or Green Vault) has been stripped of hundreds of artefacts, after the thieves reportedly started a fire in the early hours of Monday that led to a breakdown in the power supply and the failure of security alarms. Continue reading... Go to Source

Climate-heating greenhouse gases hit new high, UN reports Head of World Meteorological Organization says ‘no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline’The concentration of climate-heating greenhouse gases has hit a record high, according to a report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.The jumps in the key gases measured in 2018 were all above the average for the last decade, showing action on the climate emergency to date is having no effect in the atmosphere. The WMO said the gap between targets and reality were both “glaring and growing”. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Allow no escapes': leak exposes reality of China's vast prison camp network Documents confirm largest mass incarceration of an ethnic-religious minority since second world warUighur’s 10-year term reveals level of repressionSecret memo on how to run campsThe internal workings of a vast chain of Chinese internment camps used to detain at least a million people from the nation’s Muslim minorities are laid out in leaked Communist Party documents published on Sunday.The China Cables, a cache of classified government papers, appear to provide the first official glimpse into the structure, daily life and ideological framework behind centres in north-western Xinjiang region that have provoked international condemnation. Continue reading... Go to Source

Prince Andrew to stand aside from all 230 of his patronages Move follows BBC interview about association with sex offender Jeffery EpsteinPrince Andrew is to withdraw from scores of charities in a move that appeared designed to protect the monarchy from further humiliation over his association with Jeffrey Epstein.Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sunday that the Duke of York was “standing back from all his patronages” but indicated he still hoped to return to a public role at some point by saying the move was only temporary. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson launches Tory manifesto with restrained spending plan Tories’ election promise of £2.9bn extra public spending dwarfed by £83bn pledged by LabourConservative party manifesto: the key points and policiesBoris Johnson has launched a restrained manifesto that promises only £2.9bn extra in public spending a year by the end of the next parliament against £83bn a year outlined by Labour.Appearing in Telford in the West Midlands, the prime minister said his aims were not just to “get Brexit done” but to “level up across the country” by improving the NHS, schools and police. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: Schiff calls on Bolton to testify and slams Republicans Ex-adviser at heart of Ukraine affair has secured book dealSchiff: I would act same way against Democratic presidentReich: Impeachment shows US officials at their bestHouse intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff blasted former national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday, for failing to appear for testimony in the impeachment inquiry while teasing a forthcoming memoir. Related: Not just the facts: Republicans' top five impeachment falsehoods Continue reading... Go to Source

Film about warring gangs is pulled after machete brawl at Birmingham cinema Officers deploy Tasers and dogs to quell fight at Star City complex in NechellsA film about warring gangs has been pulled from nearly 100 cinemas across the UK after a mass brawl involving teenagers armed with machetes in Birmingham on Saturday night.Blue Story, which depicts violent street rivalries in south London, was removed from all 91 Vue Cinemas on Sunday following the riot. Continue reading... Go to Source

She loved him: Linda McCartney’s 1960s letters about Paul revealed In three handwritten notes, the late photographer writes about her budding romance with the BeatleHer marriage to Paul McCartney was one of pop’s great love stories for almost 30 years. Now, previously unpublished letters written by Linda Eastman in the 1960s reveal her excitement about dating the Beatles star and being commissioned to photograph “groovy” bands of the day.In June 1967, weeks after she had begun dating McCartney, Linda photocopied an American gossip column that had a sentence about her. She sent it to a friend with the passage underlined. It reads: “They say Beatle Paul McCartney’s latest favourite femme is Linda Eastman, a Yankee Doodle fan-mag [photographer].” Continue reading... Go to Source...

Power firms move ownership offshore to 'protect against Labour renationalisation' National Grid and SSE own Britain’s gas and electricity transmission networksTwo of the UK’s largest power companies have quietly transferred the ownership of their British operations to offshore companies to protect themselves against Labour’s plan for renationalisation.National Grid and SSE, which together own Britain’s gas and electricity transmission networks, confirmed on Sunday they had created overseas holding companies following Labour’s pledge to restore them to state ownership. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson tax pledge to ‘put money back in pockets’ At launch of manifesto, PM says he will not raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for five yearsLatest election news - latest updatesBoris Johnson will commit a Tory government to not raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for five years as he promises to “put more money back in people’s pockets” after Brexit.Launching the Conservatives’ general election manifesto on Sunday, the prime minister will also pledge to protect the value of state pensions, boost spending by £1bn on childcare during school terms and holidays, and cut energy bills by up to £750 a year for those in social housing. Continue reading... Go to Source

NHS winter crisis fears grow after thousands of EU staff quit Mass resignations after Brexit vote compound health staffing shortagesMore than 10,000 EU nationals have left the NHS since the Brexit referendum, including almost 5,000 nurses. These new figures will add fuel to concerns about a wider staffing crisis.So far this year more than 3,250 EU staff have left the NHS, according to data released under the Freedom of Information Act. The figures are from less than half England’s trusts and cover only 10 months, so the actual figure is likely to be higher. This year alone, 1,116 EU nurses have left. Continue reading... Go to Source

Hong Kong: protests prompt huge turnout for local elections Residents stand in long queues to have their say in polls expected to be a proxy referendum on pro-democracy campaignHong Kong residents have turned out in unprecedented numbers for local elections that many in the city are treating as a proxy referendum on months of anti-government protests.Hour-long queues stretched outside many polling stations and by early afternoon more than 1.5 million people had voted, exceeding the total ballots cast in the 2015 elections. Continue reading... Go to Source

Labour pledges £58bn for women caught in pension trap Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says party ‘owes debt of honour’ to 3 million over changes in retirement ageMore than 3 million women who believe they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after steep increases to the state pension age are being promised compensation by Labour as part of a £58bn scheme designed to end a “historic injustice”. Related: ‘The Tories stole my state pension when I was 60, now I want it back’ Continue reading... Go to Source

Met faces new questions over ‘trafficked’ teen in Epstein case Victims’ tsar to query Force’s decision not to act over Prince Andrew claimsThe Victims’ Commissioner is demanding that the Metropolitan Police explain its decision not to pursue a full investigation into claims a teenager was trafficked to the UK to have sex with Prince Andrew.The Observer understands that Dame Vera Baird QC, a former solicitor general and chair of the Board of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, has taken a close interest in the allegations, first examined by Scotland Yard in 2015. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: Giuliani plays down Parnas link and repeats 'insurance' claim Lawyer: Soviet-born go-betweens ‘weren’t James Bond’New revelations pitch Nunes into impeachment dramaImpeach: Neal Katyal makes strong case against TrumpTwo Soviet-born Americans who form a key link between Donald Trump and Ukraine “weren’t James Bond”, the president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said on Saturday, insisting the men “didn’t have personal communications with the president” during a time period under intense scrutiny in the impeachment inquiry. Related: John Bolton announces his next move will be Pac amid calls to testify Continue reading... Go to Source

Sumatran rhinoceros now extinct in Malaysia, say zoologists Last of the species in country, a female rhino named Iman, ‘died sooner than expected’The Sumatran rhinoceros has become extinct in Malaysia, zoologists have announced.The last of the species in the country succumbed to cancer in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, it was revealed. Continue reading... Go to Source

Elon Musk: 150,000 orders for Tesla cybertruck despite disastrous launch Electric car mogul claims not to have advertised new vehicleMusk’s net worth plunged $768m after window fiasco went viralTesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Saturday there had been about 150,000 orders for the electric carmaker’s cybertruck, which was unveiled in Los Angeles on Thursday. Related: Cybertruck: Tesla unveils new pickup truck but windows break during demo Continue reading... Go to Source

Million universal credit households ‘do not get full entitlement’ Deductions to cover loans are forcing many to turn to food banksMore than a million households on universal credit – 60% of everyone receiving the payments –are having their benefits cut to repay debts and loans.Data sourced under the Freedom of Information Act show that in May – the most recent month for which figures are available – 1,048,000 universal credit claimants had a deduction of their benefit payment out of 1,759,000 claimants who received any universal credit payment that month. Continue reading... Go to Source

Corbyn defends his pledge to stay neutral in second referendum Labour leader says stance towards potential Brexit poll is sign of ‘strength and maturity’General election latest - live newsJeremy Corbyn has defended his pledge to stay “neutral” in the event of a second Brexit referendum after his position was criticised as indecisive.The Labour leader revealed during a Question Time leaders’ special on Friday that he would not back either side, putting him at odds with senior party figures including John McDonnell, Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry, who have all said they would back remain. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: Pompeo, Giuliani and Parnas at heart of new revelations Documents reveal Pompeo-Giuliani links as Parnas reportedly willing to testify Devin Nunes met with ex-Ukrainian officialA cache of state department documents and a CNN report dealt twin blows to Republicans defending Donald Trump late on Friday, until then a relatively quiet day in the impeachment inquiry after a week of dramatic public hearings.Documents released by the state department in response to a freedom of information lawsuit showed secretary of state Mike Pompeo talked with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, commonly described as Trump’s personal lawyer, on 26 March and 29 March this year, months before the US ambassador to Ukraine was abruptly recalled. Continue reading... Go to Source

Mummified lion and dozens of cats among rare finds in Egypt Discoveries near Saqqara necropolis shed light on ancient use of animals in worshipA rare discovery of mummified big cats, cobras and crocodiles has been unveiled by Egyptian authorities.Egyptologists are thrilled at the cache, which includes dozens of mummified cats, 75 wooden and bronze cat statues, mummified birds, and an enormous mummified beetle three to four times the normal size. Continue reading... Go to Source

Society of Antiquaries in turmoil after vote to back sex abuser Educational charity’s leaders dismayed after bid to expel Hubert Chesshyre is defeatedOne of the country’s most venerable educational charities faces a backlash after it declined to sever its links with a sex abuser, a decision that has bewildered his victim.It has emerged that, following a vote, the Society of Antiquaries, which describes itself as “Britain’s oldest learned society concerned with the study and understanding of the material past”, is to allow Hubert Chesshyre to remain a fellow. Continue reading... Go to Source

General election: Labour vows to take on 'bad bosses and tax dodgers' - live news Party leaders back on campaign trail after last night’s grilling on the BBC’s Question Time special 11.27am GMTJeremy Corbyn has been speaking outside an Amazon depot in Sheffield, launching the party’s “fair tax programme”.Speaking to reporters, he insisted adopting a neutral stance in a second Brexit referendum was a sign of “strength” and “maturity”.I think being an honest broker and listening to everyone is actually a sign of strength and a sign of maturity. 11.13am GMTHere’s some more on that Conservative dementia announcement.The party has pledged more than £1.6bn for research to find a cure for dementia over the next decade, which it says represents the largest boost to dementia research ever in ...

Hancock rejects GPs' vote to remove home visits from contracts Position of BMA delegates in England is non-starter, says health secretaryThe health secretary, Matt Hancock, has ruled out scrapping GP home visits after doctors backed the idea in a vote, arguing that they were too over-stretched to deliver the service.Delegates representing GPs across England at a British Medical Association conference voted to try to remove the duty from their standard contract, after complaints that they were wasting time driving around the country. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: released documents reveal Giuliani-Pompeo links Cache published under FOI act show paper trail between Trump’s lawyer and secretary of state to enable Ukraine smear plotDonald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was in contact with secretary of state Mike Pompeo in the months before the US ambassador to Ukraine was abruptly recalled, according to a cache of documents released by on Friday.The state department released the documents to the group American Oversight in response to a freedom of information lawsuit. They show that Pompeo talked with Giuliani on 26 March and 29 March. Continue reading... Go to Source

Windrush victim forced to sleep in London bin shed Roy Harrison, who came to Britain from Jamaica aged six, fighting deportation noticeA man caught in the Windrush scandal has resorted to sleeping in a freezing bin shed because the Home Office has not regularised his status and is trying to deport him.Roy Harrison, 44, arrived in the UK as a six-year-old. He had been abandoned as a newborn in Jamaica by his mother and left on his grandmother’s doorstep. Continue reading... Go to Source

Actor Rob Delaney praises NHS as ‘pinnacle of human achievement’ TV star salutes the care given to his son Henry and says Trump will ‘divvy up’ NHS if Tories winThe actor and writer Rob Delaney has shared a video praising the NHS and calling it “the pinnacle of human achievement”.Delaney, co-star of the Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe, says he is “crazy” about the NHS in the clip, shared on Twitter. Continue reading... Go to Source

Corbyn 'neutral' on Brexit as Johnson attacked on trust Labour leader would negotiate new deal with EU, which would be put to a public vote alongside remain Reaction to coverage of the Question Time leaders specialJeremy Corbyn would take a “neutral stance” in a future Brexit referendum, he has announced, after facing mounting pressure in recent days to pick a side.Appearing in a special BBC Question Time programme, in which Boris Johnson was attacked over racism and Jo Swinson found herself on the back foot over Brexit, Corbyn confirmed for the first time he would not campaign either for leave or remain. Continue reading... Go to Source