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Senior Labour figures in 'red wall' seats back Starmer or Nandy Guardian poll in 33 leave-voting areas finds little support for Rebecca Long-Bailey as leader‘It has to be someone not in denial’: can Labour rebuild its red wall?Sir Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy are the overwhelming favourites to be the next Labour leader among senior party figures in “red wall” seats, a Guardian survey has found.Interviews with 33 Labour leaders in the party’s leave-voting former strongholds revealed widespread concern about the prospect of Rebecca Long-Bailey winning the contest, with many describing her as the “continuity Corbyn” candidate. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: McConnell and Senate Republicans don’t want fair trial, says Schumer – live Schumer assails Republicans for rejecting proposals for witnessesJudge Roberts scolds both sides to ‘remember where they are’Impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team to give opening remarks 5.35pm GMTThe House impeachment managers will start presenting their opening arguments in favor of Trump’s removal from office in about a half an hour.Here’s where the day stands so far: 5.17pm GMTSpeaking to reporters in Davos this morning, Trump expressed some wariness about having his former national security adviser, John Bolton, testify during the Senate impeachment trial.Bolton has said he would testify in the trial if he were subpoenaed by the Senate, which has beco...

Coronavirus: death toll doubles to 17 as China struggles to halt spread Government unveils new countermeasures as country prepares for lunar new yearHeathrow to screen arrivals from affected regionHave you encountered any precautionary measures?Seventeen people have now died from the mysterious Sars-like coronavirus, Chinese authorities have said, as the government unveiled measures to rein in the spread of the disease and advised residents of Wuhan not to leave the city.The figure, announced by the provincial government of the central province of Hubei, where the virus is believed to have originated, almost doubles the previous fly estimated death toll. Continue reading... Go to Source

Bezos hack: UN to address alleged Saudi hacking of Amazon boss's phone Special rapporteurs to announce further information on Guardian revelationsUN investigators are poised to release a statement about the alleged hacking of Jeff Bezos’s mobile phone after the Guardian revealed details of a forensic analysis that has implicated a WhatsApp account purportedly owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.The astonishing disclosure prompted a Democratic lawmaker in the US to urgently demand more information about the malware that was allegedly used to infiltrate Bezos’s phone in the 2018 hack of the Amazon founder. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lisa Nandy clashes with Piers Morgan over Meghan racism claims Labour leadership hopeful asks ‘how on earth’ presenter would know about suffering prejudice Labour leadership – live updatesThe Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy has defended the Duchess of Sussex against Piers Morgan’s claims that she has not suffered racism, asking the TV presenter “how on earth” he would know about the prejudice experienced by people of colour.Nandy took Morgan to task as she appeared on his Good Morning Britain show for ITV, telling him that Meghan had received harsh treatment from some parts of the media. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: Heathrow to create separate arrival area Precautionary measure will apply to flights from region of China hit by outbreak of virusPeople arriving at Heathrow from the Chinese city hit by a coronavirus outbreak will enter through a separate area in an attempt to prevent the virus from reaching the UK, the transport secretary has said.Public Health England is implementing a series of precautionary measures, said Grant Shapps. “There have been some announcements this morning about flights that come direct from the affected region to Heathrow with some additional measures there,” he told Sky News. Continue reading... Go to Source

Grant Shapps delays decision over HS2 rail line Tory MPs urge prime minister to deliver project as transport secretary asks for more dataGrant Shapps, the transport secretary, has cast further doubt on whether the government will go ahead with the HS2 rail line by stressing the problem was about capacity rather than speed and making clear he was examining alternatives.Confirming a final decision would be made in February, Shapps said it was essential to get the facts right before embarking on “maybe the biggest infrastructure project, certainly in Europe, and the biggest this country’s ever taken, certainly in peacetime”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment trial: Democrats' bids for new evidence dashed in marathon first day President’s trial opens with arguments over proceedingsDemocrats accuse Republicans of cover-up on Trump’s behalfTrump impeachment trial – live updatesDemocratic hopes that a moderate bloc of Senate Republicans would join their demand for witnesses and testimony at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial were temporarily disappointed, if not dashed, as arguments on the first proper day of the trial extended past midnight into Wednesday morning.In seven consecutive votes split precisely along party lines, the Senate voted down Democratic proposals to subpoena testimony from four potential witnesses and documents from multiple government agencies. Four additional votes defeated propos...

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone 'hacked by Saudi crown prince' Exclusive: investigation suggests Washington Post owner was targeted five months before murder of Jamal KhashoggiRevealed: the Saudi heir and the alleged plot to undermine Jeff BezosThe Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone “hacked” in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, sources have told the Guardian.The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated the phone of the world’s richest man, according to the results of a digital forensic analysis. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment trial: senators vote against subpoena for state department – live Senators voted along party lines, 53-47, to kill amendment to subpoena documents from the department – get the latest live 11.57pm GMTBoth parties have two hours to debate this amendment, and then, Senate leader Mitch McConnell indicated he’ll move to table it. After a vote, the lawmakers will get a 30-minute break — which, from the looks of everyone in the chamber is much needed. Senator James Risch of Idaho was the first to nod off, according to Washington Post reporters. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand seemed to rest her eyes for a bit as well. And Senator Martha McSally had a blanket on her lap. 11.32pm GMTAs expected, senators voted along party lines, 53-47. Minority leader Chuck Sch...

Dominic Cummings thinktank called for 'end of BBC in current form' New Frontiers Foundation said in 2004 the BBC was ‘mortal enemy’ of Tory partyWhat Cummings thinktank said about ‘propagandist’ BBCDominic Cummings’s thinktank called for the “end of the BBC in its current form” and suggested rightwingers should work to undermine the credibility of the broadcaster, branding it the “mortal enemy” of the Conservative party.Cummings, who is Boris Johnson’s most powerful adviser, was the director of the New Frontiers Foundation when it called in 2004 for a campaign to target the BBC and the creation of a Fox News equivalent that would not be constrained by impartiality rules. Continue reading... Go to Source

Jess Phillips quits Labour leadership race Birmingham Yardley MP says she is not the person to unite party after election defeatLabour leadership - live updatesJess Phillips has pulled out of the Labour leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn, saying she is not the person to unite the party.Her decision, two weeks into the campaign, came as she failed to secure any union or affiliate backing, although she secured 23 nominations from MPs to put her into the latest phase of the contest. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump impeachment: Democrats decry 'White House-driven and rigged process' – live Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell’s ‘truncated’ schedule featuring late-night sessions is ‘not what the American people expect or deserve’ 5.50pm GMTSenate minority leader Chuck Schumer is now speaking on the floor, denouncing the press restrictions enforced on Capitol Hill for the impeachment trial.“Some may not want what happens here to be public,” Schumer said. “We do.” REPORTERS AREN’T SHEEP: View from the print/radio reporter press pen to the photographer’s pen just off the Senate floor. They’ve severely restricted our access during the impeachment proceedings pic.twitter.com/xdj6Ym3dQ1 5.45pm GMTSenate majority leader Mitc...

Trump blasts 'prophets of doom' in attack on climate activism Comment came as Greta Thunberg demanded immediate action in DavosDavos 2020 – live updatesAnalysis: Trump hails 1tn trees plan but ignores roots of problemDonald Trump told the world’s business leaders to stop listening to “prophets of doom” as he used a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum to attack the teenage activist Greta Thunberg over her climate crisis warnings.The US president hailed America’s growth record and compared campaigners against global heating with those who feared a population explosion in the 1960s and mass starvation in the 1970s. Continue reading... Go to Source

Heads could roll at PwC over Isabel dos Santos links, says chairman Exclusive: Bob Moritz says he is ‘shocked and disappointed’ by Luanda Leaks disclosuresThe global chairman of PwC has warned that heads could roll at the professional services firm over its links to Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman, who is battling allegations that she obtained her wealth through corruption and nepotism.Bob Moritz, whose firm advised companies belonging to Dos Santos and her husband across multiple jurisdictions, told the Guardian he was “shocked and disappointed” by recent disclosures about the British-headquartered accounting firm’s work for the daughter of Angola’s former president. Continue reading... Go to Source