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Coronavirus: ‘rule of six’ to apply in England from Monday Boris Johnson restricts gatherings in attempt to prevent second national lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTough new rules that restrict gatherings to just six people could be in place until the spring to stop a winter surge of the virus, the government’s chief medical officer has warned.Prof Chris Whitty said the period “between now and spring is going to be difficult” and said the public should expect the new measures to be in place for a number of months. Continue reading... Go to Source

Regulators investigate elite London law firm Mishcon de Reya Solicitors Regulation Authority has spent at least two years scrutinising firmOne of the UK’s most prestigious law firms is being investigated by regulators who have spent at least two years examining it, sending investigators into its central London offices.The Guardian has established that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is conducting a complex investigation into Mishcon de Reya, involving forensic and anti-money laundering investigators. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit bill criticised as 'eye-watering' breach of international law Downing Street defends bill after outcry from Brussels, legal experts and some Tory MPsJohnson has undermined trust, says EUThe government has unveiled plans to give ministers sweeping powers to “disapply” part of the Brexit deal that Boris Johnson signed in January, in a move that has shocked Brussels and threatens to provoke a rebellion by Tory MPs.Cabinet ministers have admitted the bill breaks international law. But Johnson’s spokesman defended the change on Wednesday, saying it was necessary clarification of an agreement that had been rushed through in January. Continue reading... Go to Source

Huge cavities threaten glacier larger than Great Britain Water seeping into fissures in Thwaites glacier in Antarctica, accelerating rise of sea levelsBritish scientists have mapped cavities half the size of the Grand Canyon that are allowing warm ocean water to erode the vast Thwaites glacier in the Antarctic, accelerating the rise of sea levels across the world.Like decay in a tooth, the channels of warm water are melting the ice from below, threatening the stability of a glacier that is larger than Great Britain. Continue reading... Go to Source

Danish killer confesses to murder of Kim Wall for first time Peter Madsen, handed life sentence in 2018 for murder of Swedish journalist, makes confession in TV documentaryThe Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who was handed a life prison sentence in 2018 for the killing of the Swedish journalist Kim Wall, has confessed to the crime for the first time, in a television documentary.The 49-year-old, found guilty of premeditated murder, aggravated sexual assault and desecrating a corpse, had insisted during the trial that Wall’s death, on Madsen’s homemade submarine in August 2o17, was an accident. Continue reading... Go to Source

Pause in Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial not necessarily a setback, says Hancock UK health secretary says it is not first time vaccine trial has been delayed Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMatt Hancock has said a pause to the Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial after a volunteer suffered an adverse reaction is not necessarily a setback.The UK health secretary said he was not overly concerned about the decision by the pharmaceuticals firm AstraZeneca to halt vaccine trials, adding that it had already overcome a similar delay. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Starmer accuses Johnson of incompetence over shortage of testing Labour leader says PM is undermining trust in test and trace system; Nicola Sturgeon says cases in Scotland tripled in three weeksGatherings of more than six people banned in EnglandWhat are you allowed to do in England from MondayOxford vaccine trial on hold after participant has adverse reactionOxford vaccine trial pause - should we be worried?Global coronavirus updates - live 12.51pm BST The rate of new Covid-19 infections has tripled over the last three weeks, to an average of 155 new cases a day, Nicola Sturgeon has said, with the number of positive tests doubling from 1% to 2%.The first minister said during her regular briefing that three weeks ago the seven-day rolling average for Scotland was 5...

UK plans to change Brexit rules threaten US trade deal, top Democrats say Altering terms of withdrawal agreement on Northern Ireland could damage relations under Biden presidencySenior Democrats have warned that any attempt by the UK government to backtrack on the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland would jeopardize a future US-UK free trade deal and could hobble bilateral relations across the board if Joe Biden wins the presidency.Biden, an Irish American, is a staunch defender of the Good Friday Agreement, of which the US is the guarantor, and which requires an open border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Continue reading... Go to Source

Naomi Osaka keeps victims of racial injustice in spotlight with US Open masks Player wore covering with George Floyd’s name before latest win‘I’m a vessel, in order to spread awareness,’ says title favouriteNaomi Osaka continued to highlight racial injustice in the United States by wearing a mask displaying the name of George Floyd, the black American who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis in May, before her quarter-final win at the US Open. It was the fifth of seven face coverings the former champion has brought to Flushing Meadows.After Osaka’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shelby Rogers, ESPN showed video messages from Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and Marcus Arbery Sr, the father of Ahmaud Arbery, two of the five names she has worn on face mas...

Climate crisis could displace 1.2bn people by 2050, report warns Countries unable to withstand ecological threats among world’s least peaceful, analysis findsMore than 1 billion people face being displaced within 30 years as the climate crisis and rapid population growth drive an increase in migration with “huge impacts” for both the developing and developed worlds, according to an analysis.The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a thinktank that produces annual global terrorism and peace indexes, said 1.2 billion people lived in 31 countries that are not sufficiently resilient to withstand ecological threats. Continue reading... Go to Source