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Three people in Scotland 'being tested for coronavirus' Health secretary tells MPs authorities are well-prepared to deal with any potential casesCoronavirus latest - live Three people in Scotland are being tested for suspected coronavirus after travelling to the country from Wuhan in China.A statement from the Scottish government said there were three suspect cases. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson's Brexit bill becomes law Withdrawal agreement bill receives royal assent, leaving Tories cheering and SNP angryFollow all the latest political news on our live blogBoris Johnson’s Brexit deal has become law after it received royal assent from the Queen, having cleared all its stages in parliament.Tory MPs cheered the deputy speaker Nigel Evans as he confirmed in the House of Commons on Thursday that there was now a European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act. Continue reading... Go to Source

Davos 2020: Greta Thunberg hits back at US treasury secretary - live updates Rolling coverage of the third day of the World Economic Forum in DavosLatest: Greta responds to MnuchinWEF warned: Wuhan Coronavirus is global issueMnuchin, Nadella and Cook quiet over Bezos hackCBI says Boris win has boosted confidenceMnuchin dismisses Thunberg over climate 4.54pm GMTHere’s a summary of the key points from another busy day here in Davos.Greta Thunberg has hit back at criticism from US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, as the climate emergency continues to dominate the World Economic Forum.So either you tell us how to achieve this mitigation or explain to future generations and those already affected by the climate emergency why we should abandon our climate commitments. 2/3We won&rsqu...

Victoria Derbyshire says she was not told BBC was axing her show Presenter ‘devastated’ by move, which is part of wider changes to be unveiled next weekVictoria Derbyshire only found out about the axing of her award-winning BBC show via media reports, she has revealed in a series of tweets in which she also said she was “absolutely devastated” by news of its demise.As the broadcaster faced a backlash on Thursday over the closure of the BBC Two current affairs and investigative show, staff were informed that the move was part of a wider series of changes to be unveiled next week. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump's impeachment lawyers 'tending toward conspiracy theories' says Schumer – live trial updates Democrats to continue prosecution on third day of trialRepublican senators unmoved after managers open caseHelp us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution 5.37pm GMTThe House impeachment managers are scheduled to pick up their opening arguments in about a half an hour.Here’s where the day stands so far: 5.29pm GMTThe White House has confirmed that it intends to stop issuing temporary visas to pregnant women traveling to the US to give birth, a practice known as “birth tourism.”Starting Jan 24, State Dept won’t issue temporary visitor visas to people seeking to enter “for ‘birth tourism’—the practice of traveling to...

Coronavirus: panic and anger in Wuhan as China orders city into lockdown Supermarket shelves are empty and face masks have sold out as residents of city at the centre of the deadly virus hoard supplies and retreat insideA sense of panic has spread in Wuhan as the central Chinese city was put on lockdown in an attempt to quarantine a deadly virus believed to have originated there.On Thursday, authorities banned all transport links from the sprawling city of about 11 million people, suspending buses, the subway system, ferries and shutting the airport and train stations to outgoing passengers. Continue reading... Go to Source

Australia fires live: Canberra airport closed, reports of air tanker crash in NSW bushfires – latest updates ACT residents near bushfire south of Canberra told to seek shelter as contact lost with large water-bombing plane fighting New South Wales bushfire. Follow latest news and live updates 5.56am GMTWe’ve just heard from ACT emergency services agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan, who held a press conference in Canberra. She said the Beard fire – the product of two fires that have merged in the area near the ACT-NSW border – is still burning out of control and is 425 hectares in size.But there’s some positive news. Oh c’mon! More fires today, creeping ever closer to #Canberra #Pialligo #Queanbeyan area be vigilant. This is scary stuff. #canberrafire #...

Jeff Bezos: UN calls for investigation into alleged Saudi hack Special rapporteurs ‘gravely concerned’ about possible involvement of crown prince in surveillance of Amazon bossAmazon boss’s phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince’The Saudi heir and the alleged plot to undermine BezosUN experts are demanding an immediate investigation by the US and others into evidence indicating Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of the Washington Post, was hacked with spyware deployed in a WhatsApp message sent from the account of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.The special rapporteurs – Agnès Callamard and David Kaye – said in a joint statement they were “gravely concerned” by information they had reviewed about the &ldq...

Terry Jones, Life of Brian director and Monty Python founder, dies aged 77 Jones, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2015, was the main directing force in Python’s films, as well a prolific creator of TV documentaries and children’s books• Terry Jones: the Monty Python director – and a very naughty boyJones’s lasting legacy – a life in picturesTerry Jones, founder member of Monty Python and director of three of Python’s celebrated feature films, has died aged 77, his family have announced. In a statement they said: “Terry passed away on the evening of 21 January 2020 at the age of 77 with his wife Anna Soderstrom by his side after a long, extremely brave but always good humoured battle with a rare form of dementia, FTD.”“Over ...

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