News- UK

No screening for new Sars-like virus at UK airports – yet Experts decide no need for checks as member of Coronavirus family infects up to 1,700 in ChinaHealth officials have ruled out introducing screening for passengers at UK airports, despite mounting fears over a deadly new virus from China. Three big US airports yesterday announced they would introduce screening. Related: Expert questions effectiveness of coronavirus airport screening Continue reading... Go to Source

Police fire teargas as gilets jaunes protests return to Paris Clashes come on 45th day of strike with 59 arrests and claims police beat protesterFrench police fired teargas under a rain of projectiles, used stun grenades and arrested dozens of people on Saturday as thousands of “yellow vest” anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Paris.Demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing the police, the president, Emmanuel Macron, and his pension reforms that have triggered the longest French transport strike in decades. Continue reading... Go to Source

Long-Bailey: we must become 'salespeople for socialism' Labour leadership candidates set out priorities at first hustings event of campaignLabour leadership hustings - liveLabour activists must become “salespeople for socialism”, Rebecca Long-Bailey has said as the party’s leadership candidates clashed in their first hustings event of the campaign.Long-Bailey, a frontrunner who is backed by allies of Jeremy Corbyn, said she was kept awake at night by the problems of inequality and the climate crisis but also the question of how to present socialism as mainstream. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lecturer says she faced online abuse after Question Time clash with Laurence Fox Rachel Boyle described actor as a ‘white privileged male’ in row over media coverage of Duchess of SussexA mixed-race university lecturer accused of being racist by the white actor Laurence Fox has been bombarded with hate messages via social media, she has told the Observer.Rachel Boyle, a researcher on race and ethnicity at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, clashed with Fox during a television discussion about press coverage of the Duchess of Sussex. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: clandestine actions of mercenaries during Thatcher years Keenie Meenie Services was active from Sri Lanka to Nicaragua – and Foreign Office could not rein it in, book claimsA British mercenary company established by former SAS veterans conducted clandestine and highly controversial operations around the world, with successive British governments either unwilling or unable to rein it in, a new book reveals.Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) was one of Britain’s first mercenary companies, believed to have taken its name from Arabic slang for “undercover”. It was set up in the 1970s and recruited veterans battle-hardened by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Operation Storm in Oman – when Anglo Omani forces quashed an uprising – and the 1980 siege o...

Meghan gets twice as many negative headlines as positive, analysis finds Guardian analysis appears to support claim Duchess of Sussex receives more critical treatment than Duchess of CambridgeThe Duchess of Sussex gets more than twice as many negative headlines as positive ones, according to Guardian analysis of articles published between May 2018 and mid January 2019.The analysis – which appears to support Meghan’s argument that she has faced highly critical treatment in the British press – found that of the 843 articles in 14 print newspapers since mid-May 2018, 43% were negative. Just 20% of the articles were positive, with the remaining 36% remaining neutral. Continue reading... Go to Source

Iran to send crashed plane's flight recorders abroad for analysis Black boxes will first be sent to Ukraine after Tehran relented under pressure from KyivIran will send the black box flight recorders from the passenger jet it accidentally shot down abroad for analysis, a senior investigator has said.The recorders will first be sent to Ukraine, the plane’s home base, where French, Canadian and US experts will help examine them, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sajid Javid: no alignment on EU regulations after Brexit Chancellor’s comments represent ‘death knell for frictionless trade’, experts warnThe chancellor, Sajid Javid, has warned that there will be no alignment with EU regulations once Britain’s exit from the European Union is made official.In what is being seen as an opening salvo in the next stage of negotiations, he said the Treasury would not lend support to manufacturers that favour EU rules as the sector has had three years to prepare for Britain’s transition. Continue reading... Go to Source

Schools 'converting toilet blocks into isolation booths' Children’s commissioner describes ‘horror stories’ of children put in isolationSchools are converting toilet blocks and classrooms to build isolation booths to accommodate “disruptive” children, the children’s commissioner has said, as campaigners warn that excessive use of the practice could be putting young people’s mental health at risk.Anne Longfield said she had heard “horror stories” about children’s experiences in isolation booths – spaces in which pupils sit in silence for hours as punishment for breaking school rules and disruptive behaviour. Continue reading... Go to Source

Man found guilty of aggravated assault against Owen Jones James Healy had admitted assault but trial was to find if motive was homophobia or hostility to journalist’s leftwing viewsA man has been found guilty of aggravated assault against the Guardian columnist Owen Jones because of hostility to his leftwing political views and/or homophobia, following a two-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court.James Healy, 40, had already pleaded guilty to assaulting Jones last August outside the Lexington pub in King’s Cross, north London, at about 2am. But he was on trial before a judge to determine whether his actions were motivated by homophobia or hostility to Jones’s leftwing political views. Continue reading... Go to Source

Greenpeace included with neo-Nazis on UK counter-terror list Exclusive: Extinction Rebellion and Peta also named in anti-extremism briefing alongside Combat 18 and National ActionA counter-terrorism police document distributed to medical staff and teachers as part of anti-extremism briefings included Greenpeace, Peta and other non-violent groups as well as neo-Nazis, the Guardian has learned.The guide, produced by Counter Terrorism Policing, is used across England as part of training for Prevent, the anti-radicalisation scheme designed to catch those at risk of committing terrorist violence. Continue reading... Go to Source

Painting found inside Italian gallery wall confirmed as a Gustav Klimt Gardeners discovered Portrait of a Lady while clearing ivy at gallery in PiacenzaA painting found hidden in an Italian gallery in December is an authentic Gustav Klimt piece stolen almost 23 years ago, experts have confirmed.The Portrait of a Lady was one of the world’s most sought-after stolen artworks before it was found concealed in a wall of the Ricci Oddi modern art gallery, the same gallery from where it went missing in the northern city of Piacenza. Continue reading... Go to Source

Stop trying to out-working-class each other, Labour candidates told Party chairman Ian Lavery says voters want leader who understands different classesLabour leadership candidates are being warned against trying to “out-working-class each other” as the party weighs up who would be best placed to win back seats lost in last month’s bruising general election.Keir Starmer, Jess Phillips and Rebecca Long-Bailey have all defended aspects of their backstory as the candidates compete to win over Labour members by highlighting their humble origins. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit: UK rules out automatic deportation of EU citizens – Verhofstadt EU Brexit spokesman says Britain assured him about those who do not apply for settled statusThe UK government has sought to reassure the EU that its citizens living in the UK will not be deported if they fail to apply for settled status, the European parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator has said.Speaking after a meeting with the Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, on Thursday night, Guy Verhofstadt said he had raised a number of concerns regarding the status of EU citizens in the UK after it leaves the bloc. Continue reading... Go to Source

China's birthrate falls to lowest level despite push for more babies Efforts by policymakers to bolster the population after decades of strict family planning seem to be failingChina’s birthrate in 2019 fell to the lowest level since the country’s founding, according to new government data, a sign that efforts to head off a demographic crisis have so far failed.There were 14.6 million births in China last year, a drop of about 500,000 from the year before and the third year in a row that the number of births fallen, according to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics published on Friday. It was the lowest number in seven decades, with the exception of 1961, when the country was suffering from famine. Continue reading... Go to Source

Australian bushfires from the air: before and after images show scale of devastation Nine aerial photos depict the crisis from beach to bush, farm to forest, across NSW and South AustraliaMore than 10.7m hectares of land have burnt so far in Australia’s bushfires – larger than the total area of South Korea, or Portugal, and 1.3 times the size of Scotland.The ongoing and unprecedented bushfire crisis has spread across six states and multiple months. Continue reading... Go to Source

Iran's supreme leader calls Trump 'clown' in rare Friday sermon Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashes out at west after tumultuous few weeks in Middle EastIran’s supreme leader has described Donald Trump as a “clown” who only pretends to support the Iranian people but will push a poisonous dagger into their backs, as he struck a defiant tone in his first Friday sermon in Tehran in eight years.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the mass funerals for Iran’s top general, who was killed in a US strike earlier this month, show that the Iranian people support the Islamic Republic despite its recent trials. The “cowardly” killing of Qassem Suleimani had taken out the most effective commander in the battle against the Islamic State group, he said. Continue reading... Go ...

US ambassador's moustache gets up South Korea's nose Harry Harris has been criticised for his facial hair, which reminds many South Koreans of the days of Japanese colonial ruleTensions may be running high on the Korean peninsula, but Harry Harris’s facial hair is vying with denuclearisation as the defining theme of his tenure as US ambassador to South Korea.Harris, a former navy admiral who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American navy officer, has been accused of insulting his hosts by growing a moustache that reminds many South Koreans of the days of Japanese colonial rule. Continue reading... Go to Source

Academics call for social media data to protect young people Royal College of Psychiatrists hope research will shine light on interaction and reduce suicide ratesSocial media firms such as Facebook and Instagram should be forced to hand over data about who their users are and why they use the sites to reduce suicide among children and young people, psychiatrists have said.The call from the Royal College of Psychiatrists comes as ministers finalise plans to crack down on issues caused by people viewing unsavoury material and messages online. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson's pick to help lead Grenfell inquiry linked to cladding firm Exclusive: Survivors and bereaved call Benita Mehra appointment ‘a slap in the face’Boris Johnson appointed a key figure to the Grenfell Tower inquiry who has links to the company which made the cladding blamed for accelerating the fatal fire, the Guardian can reveal.Last month, the prime minister picked Benita Mehra, an engineer, to assist Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a retired judge who is leading the inquiry into the disaster that claimed 72 lives. Mehra previously ran an organisation that received a £71,000 grant from the charitable arm of Arconic, the US conglomerate that made the aluminium composite cladding panels used on Grenfell. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment trial begins as Schiff reads out charges against president – live Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, read from resolution impeaching Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanorsHelp us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution 5.41pm GMTDetails from inside the Senate chamber from Guardian senior political reporter, Lauren Gambino: Among those in the public gallery, Norm Eisen, a Democratic counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during its impeachment inquiry, and Jane Sanders, wife of Bernie Sanders.Congressman Al Green, who launched the first formal effort to impeach Trump beginning in 2017, watched from the floor the managers read the articles of impeachment aloud in the chamber. 5.24pm GMTSchiff has just concluded reading the fin...

Labour must stir up democratic revolution to win power, says Long-Bailey Momentum-backed leadership frontrunner says party should have held public meetings to find popular remedies to crisesRead Rebecca Long-Bailey’s article for the GuardianLabour needs to “stir up a democratic revolution” and “pick a fight with the political establishment” in order to win power, Rebecca Long-Bailey, one of the frontrunners, has said.As she was endorsed for the party leadership by Momentum, the leftwing grassroots group, Long-Bailey said it was time to stop mourning Labour’s defeat last month and start plotting a path to No 10. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sepsis deaths around world 'twice as high as previously thought' There were 11 million deaths in 2017 – more than from cancer – with children in poorer countries most at risk, study findsDeaths from sepsis around the world are twice as high as previously thought, with babies and small children in poorer countries at greatest risk, a major study has revealed.There were almost 50 million sepsis cases worldwide and 11 million deaths in 2017, according to US researchers writing in the Lancet medical journal. Sepsis, an overcharged response by the body to infection, is associated with one in five deaths worldwide, they say. Continue reading... Go to Source

Betfred owners make millions from company treating gambling addicts Tory party donors Fred and Peter Done run health and wellbeing firm offering treatment to government staffThe brothers who own high street bookmaker Betfred are making millions from a business that provides treatment for health problems, including gambling addiction for public sector staff, the Guardian can disclose.Betfred’s owners, the billionaire Tory party donors Fred and Peter Done, also own Health Assured, which holds dozens of government contracts to provide staff health and wellbeing programmes. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sandi Toksvig quits Great British Bake Off The presenter will leave the hit Channel 4 show after three years to focus on other projectsSandi Toksvig is to leave the hit Channel 4 series Great British Bake Off. The 61-year-old broadcaster is leaving the show after three years to “focus on other work projects”, according to the channel. Toksvig – who joined Bake Off in 2017 alongside comic Noel Fielding – also presents the BBC quiz show QI, and previously presented the News Quiz on Radio 4. She has also written novels and theatrical works, and will host a forthcoming series for Channel 4, which will see illiterate adults take part in a spelling bee. In a statement, Toksvig celebrated her time on the baking show, joking that it was all-consuming “as my waist...

Trump 'knew exactly what was going on' in Ukraine, says Giuliani associate Lev Parnas tells MSNBC president was fully aware of his efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to seek dirt on BidenDonald Trump “knew exactly what was going on” in a scheme to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden, according to an associate of the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.Lev Parnas, a businessman and GOP donor who was indicted for campaign finance violations, made the explosive allegations during an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night. When Parnas was in Ukraine, attempting to pressure Ukrainian officials to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, he was doing so on behalf of the president and Giuliani, he said, spea...

Food security plan after Brexit: biggest shake-up to farming in 40 years Bill requires regular monitoring of supplies and shift from CAP-style subsidies but no gate on lower quality importsShare your thoughts on the new billThe UK’s food security is to be regularly assessed by parliament to ensure minimal disruption to supplies after the country leaves the EU and while new trade deals are sought.The commitment will be part of the biggest shakeup of British agriculture in 40 years and requires a regular report to MPs outlining supply sources and household expenditure on food, as well as consumer confidence in food safety. Continue reading... Go to Source

Children in Scotland could be banned from heading footballs over dementia link Scottish Football Association finalising proposalsChildren under 12 could be banned from heading in trainingShare your experiencesChildren under the age of 12 could be banned from heading the ball in training in Scotland because of links between football and dementia.The United States has had a similar ban in place since 2015 but Scotland would become the first European country to impose such a restriction. The Scottish Football Association said on Thursday it was finalising its proposals. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: House sends articles to Senate, setting stage for trial Senate likely to hold opening arguments next TuesdayTrial could reveal damaging new evidence against TrumpTrump impeachment – live updatesThe House of Representatives transmitted articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate on Wednesday, setting in motion a trial that could unearth damaging new evidence of misconduct by Trump as the 2020 presidential contest heats up. Related: Trump impeachment: House votes to send articles to the Senate – live Continue reading... Go to Source

Plan to scrap A&E target sparks furious backlash from medics Critics claim proposal is driven by ministers’ desire to avoid negative publicity about patients facing longer delaysPlans to scrap the four-hour A&E target have sparked a furious backlash from doctors and nurses, with some claiming it is driven by ministers’ desire to avoid negative publicity about patients facing increasingly long delays.A&E consultants led a chorus of medical opposition to the move. They pointedly urged NHS leaders and ministers to concentrate on delivering the long-established maximum waiting time for emergency care rather than finding “ways around” it. Continue reading... Go to Source