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Britain to evacuate citizens from coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess Foreign office seeking to organise flight for UK nationals stuck on ship where more than 450 people have virusInfected people in Wuhan to be ‘rounded up’ - live updatesThe British government has said it is “working to organise a flight” to evacuate citizens stranded on a stricken cruise ship where more than 450 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus.The Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined off Japan after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was confirmed to have the disease. For the past two weeks, passengers have been mostly confined to their cabins, where meals are brought to them by staff in masks and protective clothing. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson adviser quits over race and eugenics controversy Andrew Sabisky says he is stepping down as ‘contractor’ to No 10 after fierce criticism across political spectrumA controversial new adviser to Boris Johnson resigned on Monday night after MPs and experts accused No 10 of condoning his controversial claims that intelligence is linked to race.Andrew Sabisky, who was brought into Downing Street by Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings as part of his appeal for “misfits and weirdos”, became the subject of intense media scrutiny after details emerged of his views on subjects ranging from black people’s IQs to whether benefits claimants should be encouraged to have fewer children. Continue reading... Go to Source

Apple warns of coronavirus causing iPhone shortages Company hit by shutdown in China and says it will fail to meet quarterly revenue targetApple has warned of global “iPhone supply shortages” resulting from its Chinese factories being shut because of the coronavirus outbreak.The Californian company told investors on Monday night it would fail to meet its quarterly revenue target of $63-67bn (£48-52bn) because of the “temporarily constrained” supply of iPhones and a dramatic drop in Chinese shoppers during the virus crisis. Apple did not provide a new forecast for its second-quarter revenue. Continue reading... Go to Source

Storm Dennis: Woman's death in West Midlands confirmed Yvonne Booth’s body recovered after police search, while 230 flood alerts remain in UKThe body of a woman who was swept into flood water in the West Midlands has been recovered as emergency services continue to assist communities still reeling from one of the worst winter storms of recent times.Yvonne Booth, 55, from the Great Barr area of Birmingham, went missing near Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire on Sunday. Continue reading... Go to Source

Concerns over safety at Amazon warehouses as accident reports rise Figures obtained by GMB show safety at its UK warehouses could be worseningMore than 600 Amazon workers have been seriously injured or narrowly escaped an accident in the past three years, prompting calls for a parliamentary inquiry into safety at the online retailer’s vast UK warehouses.Amazon, whose largest shareholder is the world’s richest man Jeff Bezos, recently launched an advertising campaign fronted by contented staff members, after a string of embarrassing revelations about working conditions. Continue reading... Go to Source

John Bercow says bullying accusers are 'snobs and bigots' Former Speaker tells Guardian Live event that the issue has been ‘weaponised’The former Commons Speaker John Bercow has described parliamentary staff members who allege that he bullied people as “snobs and bigots”, and claimed he is the victim of a concerted campaign to destroy his reputation.In conversation with Owen Jones at a Guardian Live event in Sloane Square in central London, he mocked those who have complained about him and denied all the allegations surrounding his behaviour. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK must prepare for more intense storms, climate scientists say Government urged to create more natural drainage systems to cope with impact of crisisBritain must brace for more storms like Dennis and Ciara because rainfall will be more intense in a climate-disrupted future, scientists have warned.They said the government needed to increase the creation of more natural drainage systems if it wanted to avoid having to raise the level of sea and river defences every few years to counter the growing threat of flooding and storm surges. Continue reading... Go to Source

No 10 refuses to comment on PM's views of racial IQ Move comes after hiring of new adviser who said black people have lower average IQsBoris Johnson’s spokesman has refused to say whether the prime minister thinks black people have lower IQs on average, or agrees with eugenics, after No 10 hired an adviser with highly controversial views.In a tense briefing with the media, the prime minister’s deputy official spokesman declined several times to distance Johnson from the views of his adviser, Andrew Sabisky, who has suggested “enforced contraception” be used to prevent the creation of a “permanent underclass”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan confirms 99 new coronavirus cases Evacuations begin despite continued quarantine as Japan warns outbreak ‘entering new phase’Coronavirus - live updatesAnother 99 people have tested positive for coronavirus onboard the stricken Princess Diamond cruise ship docked in Japan, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 454.Meanwhile concern is growing over possible infections among passengers from another cruise liner that docked in Cambodia last week. On Sunday a traveller from the MS Westerdam was confirmed to have the virus in Malaysia, days after disembarking along with hundreds of other passengers. Continue reading... Go to Source

Most BME MPs have experienced racism in parliament, study finds Half of black and minority ethnic respondents faced racism from fellow MPsAlmost two-thirds of black and minority ethnic (BME) MPs say they have experienced some form of racism while working in parliament, while half say they have faced it from fellow MPs, according to a study carried out by ITV.The findings were based on the anonymous responses of 37 of the 65 BME MPs in the current parliament. Of those who answered, 62% said they faced “racism or racial profiling” while on the parliamentary estate, with 51% saying they had experienced this from other MPs. Continue reading... Go to Source

Extinction Rebellion protesters dig up Cambridge college lawn Action at Trinity part of week-long protests over ties between colleges and fossil fuel industryExtinction Rebellion protesters have dug up the lawn of Trinity College, Cambridge, as part of a week-long series of demonstrations.The climate activists dug channels into the turf in front of the college’s 16th-century great gate with shovels and pitchforks and planted Extinction Rebellion flags. Continue reading... Go to Source

Storm Dennis: flood defences working well, environment secretary says George Eustice defends both new infrastructure and PM’s absence from affected areasThe environment secretary has defended the government’s record on flooding after Storm Dennis left thousands of properties across the UK underwater, saying new defences had worked well.George Eustice, who was appointed in the cabinet reshuffle last week, dismissed the idea that Boris Johnson should have toured flood-hit areas over the weekend, saying he had been there in the prime minister’s place. Continue reading... Go to Source

Italian man, 95, resident in UK for 68 years, told to prove it Antonio Finelli, a UK state pension recipient for 32 years, was asked for proof when he applied to stay post-BrexitA 95-year-old Italian man who has been in the UK for 68 years has been asked to prove he is resident in the country by the Home Office in order to remain after Brexit, despite receiving the state pension for the past 32 years.Antonio Finelli came to the country in 1952 when he answered an appeal for immigrant labour as part of the reconstruction effort after the second world war ended. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: 99 more cases confirmed on cruise ship - live news Japan braces for hundreds of fresh cases and restricts access to Tokyo Marathon. Follow live news and latest updatesShare your experiences 11.06am GMTHere’s some more information on the possible delay of China’s annual meetings set for March.The meetings of the parliament, or National People’s Congress (NPC), and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were both due to begin early next month. But both China’s parliament and its top political consultative body are both considering delaying annual meetings set for March, state media said on Monday.The gatherings see more than 5,000 delegates descend on Beijing, the capital, from all over China, for at least 10 days, to pass...

Caroline Flack: politicians condemn press intrusion after presenter's death ITV says Sunday’s Love Island will not be broadcast as calls mount for regulation of traditional and social mediaPoliticians have condemned press intrusion, calling for more regulation of both traditional and social media after the death of TV presenter Caroline Flack. The former Love Island presenter is understood to have taken her own life on Saturday at her home in east London. She had been charged with assaulting her partner and was due to stand trial in several weeks’ time. Continue reading... Go to Source

Times Radio hires deputy BBC political editor John Pienaar Longtime BBC presenter to front drivetime show on Radio 4 rival stationTimes Radio has hired the BBC’s deputy political editor, John Pienaar, to front its new drivetime programme as Rupert Murdoch’s efforts to build a deep-pocketed rival to Radio 4 gather pace.Pienaar, who has been with the public service broadcaster for almost three decades and hosts his own weekly 5 live politics show, will be moving to the new speech radio station in the coming months to cover “issues of the day in Westminster and beyond”. Continue reading... Go to Source