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Brexit: EU rejects British proposal for reuniting child asylum seekers Warning that lack of agreement means more young people will risk lives crossing ChannelThe EU has rejected a British proposal for a system to reunite children seeking asylum with their families in the UK or Europe, prompting warnings that more young people will risk their lives in dangerous Channel crossings.The government had proposed a post-Brexit agreement to continue transfers of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to families living in either the UK or EU, although with no obligation on either side. Continue reading... Go to Source

French reporter who joined police exposes racism and violence Undercover journalist Valentin Gendrot describes culture where officers act with impunityA French journalist who infiltrated the country’s police force has described a culture of racism and violence in which officers act with impunity.Valentin Gendrot claims the violence was so frequent it became almost banal and describes one incident where he was forced to help falsify evidence against an adolescent who had been beaten by an officer.“It really shocked me to hear police officers, who are representatives of the state, calling people who were black, Arab or migrants ‘bastards’, but everyone did it,” he says.“It was only a minority of officers who were violent … but they were always violent.”Gendrot also says he was shocked to ...

Mass weekly Covid-19 testing of population to be trialled in England Jeremy Hunt says UK should embrace repeat testing as route to more ‘normal life’ Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is to trial routine weekly Covid testing of the population as part of preparations to head off a possible winter second wave, as the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt called for such tests to become the norm.Matt Hancock said the government was committing an extra £500m to scale up testing capacity and launch community pilots trialling the effectiveness of repeat testing in schools and colleges, as well as in the population as a whole. It will also ramp up the trials of a new test kit that it is claimed can provide results within 20 minutes. Continue reading......

Thursday briefing: 'Russia must explain' as novichok used once again Same chemical weapon as Salisbury atrocity … report lashes powerful GMB union for sexism and bullying … plan to widen wedding optionsWarren Murray with you and here’s Thursday again, right where we expected to find it. Continue reading... Go to Source

Star Wars actor John Boyega says non-white roles are 'pushed to the side' in franchise British actor, who played former stormtrooper Finn, says the process had changed him and made him ‘angry’The British actor John Boyega has criticised the treatment of non-white characters in the latest Star Wars films, saying they were marketed as important elements in the franchise but were ultimately “pushed to the side”.In an interview published by GQ magazine on Wednesday, Boyega expressed bitterness over how his role as stormtrooper Finn faded in the latter episodes of the trilogy which concluded with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Continue reading... Go to Source

Minister relinquishes control of shares in firm given UK government contracts Lord Agnew had faced criticism over his shares in Faculty that are worth £90,000A Cabinet Office minister has relinquished control of shares worth £90,000 in an artificial intelligence firm after criticism that his ownership of the shares potentially clashed with his official duties.Lord Agnew had faced criticism over his shares in Faculty, a firm that has gained extensive work in government since it was hired by Dominic Cummings to work for the Vote Leave campaign. Continue reading... Go to Source

Alexei Navalny poisoned with novichok, says German government Angela Merkel demands answers from Moscow over ‘attempted murder’ of Kremlin criticAngela Merkel has demanded answers from the Kremlin over the “attempted murder” of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, after toxicological exams at Berlin’s Charité hospital indicated “unequivocally” that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the novichok family.“This poison could be identified unequivocally in tests,” Merkel said, referring to tests carried out at a military laboratory. She said the findings raised “very difficult questions that only the Russian government can answer, and has to answer.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Cummings recruit sacked after suggesting police use 'live rounds' on BLM protesters Exclusive: data specialist appointed after responding to call by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser for ‘weirdos and misfits’How civil servants’ concerns about racism led them to Cummings recruit’s tweetA data specialist recruited to the civil service following Dominic Cummings’ call for “weirdos and misfits” to work for the UK government was sacked recently after posting on social media that police should use live rounds against Black Lives Matter demonstrators, the Guardian can reveal.The data architect appointed to a senior role in the Cabinet Office after applying through a scheme unveiled by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser was dismissed in July after colleagues discovered his Twitter post and reported it t...

Race to track 200 people on flight after officials fail to tell airline of Covid cases Exclusive: Wizz Air left in dark after eight teenagers travelling from Crete to London Luton test positiveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealth officials are scrambling to contact more than 200 British holidaymakers on a flight from Crete last week after authorities failed to alert the airline that eight passengers had tested positive for coronavirus.The teenagers, from Hampshire, were diagnosed after returning to the UK on a Wizz Air flight to London Luton airport on 25 August. The positive tests should have triggered an urgent response to track down the other 204 passengers on board, but Wizz Air said it had not been made aware of the cases until contacted by the Guardia...

UK coronavirus live: government U-turn on Bolton and Trafford lockdown; Starmer accuses PM of 'wasted summer' News updates: government abandons plan to relax Covid restrictions in Bolton and Trafford; ONS updates overall UK death toll to 57,310Lockdown reimposed in Greater Manchester areas in latest U-turnWilliamson told of A-level flaws weeks before resultsJohnson backtracks on meeting group for Covid-19 bereavedHealth leaders warn Boris Johnson over PHE axingGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.46pm BST The Mirror’s Oliver Milne has more evidence of Sir Keir Starmer calling for children to be back in school months ago.Keir Starmer backed schools returning in the chamber during an exchange with Boris Johnson on June 24. He also wrote about how to get schools back for the Mirror five da...

Health leaders warn Boris Johnson over axing of Public Health England More than 70 organisations have written to the prime minister with concerns about the future of health improvementCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe abolition of Public Health England will damage the fight against obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse, the UK’s doctors and public health experts have told the prime minister.More than 70 health organisations have written to Boris Johnson outlining their fears about last month’s controversial axing of PHE, which prompted claims it was an attempt by ministers to deflect attention from their own failings over the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading... Go to Source

Most Democrats fear Trump could reject election defeat, poll shows As many as 75% of Biden voters worry that if Trump loses election he will refuse to concede defeat, triggering a constitutional crisisThree in four supporters of Democratic challenger Joe Biden are worried about the prospect of Donald Trump rejecting the US presidential election result if it goes against him, an Opinium Research poll for the Guardian shows.The survey underlined fears that the president will not accept the outcome of November’s race, triggering a constitutional crisis. Last week two congressional Democrats wrote to the Pentagon seeking assurance that the military would ensure an orderly transfer of power. Continue reading... Go to Source