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Joseph McCann guilty of horrific rapes after being let out of jail by mistake Calls for inquiry following serial offender’s string of attacks and kidnappingsThe Joseph McCann case: the error and its implicationsA man who has been convicted of a horrific series of rapes and kidnappings against women and children was free to commit his crimes after authorities failed to realise he should have been in jail for a previous violent offence.Joseph McCann, 34, was found guilty on Friday afternoon at the Old Bailey on 37 counts relating to 11 women and children and could face a life sentence. He attacked his victims, who included an 11-year-old boy and a 71-year-old woman, during a fortnight-long rampage earlier this year that stretched from London to Cheshire. Continue reading... Go to Sourc...

British diplomat in US resigns, saying she can't 'peddle half-truths' on Brexit Alexandra Hall Hall, Brexit counsellor in Washington, described UK government’s ‘use of misleading or disingenuous arguments’The British diplomat in charge of explaining Brexit to the US government, Congress and public, has resigned, saying she was no longer prepared to “peddle half-truths on behalf of a government I do not trust”.Alexandra Hall Hall, the Brexit counsellor at the UK embassy in Washington, had been frustrated with the job for some time, according to friends and colleagues. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson’s 'get Brexit done' strategy resonates with marginal focus groups Many Brexiters undeterred by concerns over character of PM, Guardian research suggestsAll the day’s politics news – liveAmid ongoing concern from Labour strategists about whether the party can hold on to the support of leave voters in marginal seats, focus groups conducted for the Guardian this week suggested Boris Johnson’s “get Brexit done” strategy was cutting through.In Rainham in Essex, a group of leave voters, some of whom had voted Labour in the past, spoke warmly about the prime minister. And if his endlessly repeated mantra was familiar, warnings about his character appeared to have made less of an impact. Continue reading... Go to Source

Jonty Bravery, 18, pleads guilty to throwing child off Tate Modern balcony Teenager admits attempted murder of six-year-old French boy at London gallery A teenager who threw a six-year-old boy from a viewing platform at the Tate Modern art gallery has pleaded guilty to attempted murder.Jonty Bravery, 18, entered his plea during a short hearing at the Old Bailey in London on Friday. Continue reading... Go to Source

The military drill that sparked WhatsApp rumours of Queen's death Message sent by ‘Gibbo’ created fake news panic after being forwarded to millionsIt was the WhatsApp message that convinced millions of people the Queen had died. Now, the mystery of how a man called Gibbo and his friends inadvertently created a fake news panic that went “bigger than Ben Hur” has apparently been solved – and the finger of blame is pointing at a military drill near Yeovil.On Sunday night, millions of Britons received messages suggesting the monarch had passed away, often forwarded on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, prompting Google searches for the Queen to spike and forcing Buckingham Palace to insist the 93-year-old was very much still alive. Continue reading... Go to Source

General election: Corbyn reveals 'confidential' Northern Ireland Brexit report – live news Labour leader says government report states Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal will be ‘highly disruptive’Tory ministers back candidates accused of IslamophobiaBBC’s Andrew Neil lays down gauntlet to Boris Johnson over interview 11.52am GMTChannel 4 has issued an apology after subtitles below a speech made by Boris Johnson suggested he said he wanted democratic control over the migration of “people of colour”.It said: “Boris Johnson says ‘people of talent’ not ‘people of colour’. Our earlier tweet was a mistake. We misheard and we apologise.” 11.48am GMTNigel Farage had been billed to speak at a Brexit party defence rally in Westminster but failed to show up.A party spokesman said Farage felt his prese...

London fire chief Dany Cotton resigns after Grenfell criticism Commissioner brings forward her retirement and will step down on New Year’s EveThe London fire commissioner in charge of the highly criticised response to the Grenfell Tower fire has resigned following renewed calls from bereaved families and survivors of the disaster for her to quit.Dany Cotton announced on Friday that she would be stepping down on New Year’s Eve, bringing forward her planned retirement in June. In October, after the public inquiry into what happened on the night of the fire found serious failings in the London fire brigade’s (LFB) preparation and response, Cotton refused to resign, saying she wanted to see out reforms. The inquiry concluded that the LFB’s delay in evacuating the burning building cost liv...

Australia fires: five blazes merge north of Sydney as conditions forecast to worsen More than 100 bushfires were burning in New South Wales on Friday, more than half of them out of controlFive fires burning to the north of Sydney joined up into one huge conflagration on Friday, with out-of-control blazes threatening homes and lives.On a day that brought choking smog to Sydney, the premier of New South Wales said the entire coastline of the state was on fire. Continue reading... Go to Source

'You're a damn liar': Biden lashes out at voter and seems to call him fat 2020 contender appeared to say ‘look, fat’ after 84-year-old man questioned his age and his son Hunter’s business activitiesA voter at a campaign event in Iowa got into a spat with Joe Biden on Thursday in an exchange that had the Democratic 2020 hopeful slamming the man as a “damn liar” and seeming to call him “fat”, which had conservatives leaping up to attack the candidate.The man in the audience took the microphone and described himself as an 84-year-old retired farmer, then argued that Biden is too old to be president and pressed him on his son’s business activities in Ukraine, saying the former vice-president had “sent” Hunter to the country to work with an energy company. Continue reading... Go to Source...

Indian police shoot dead four men suspected of Hyderabad rape The men had been in police custody and were shot near the scene of the crime during a reconstructionIndian police have shot dead the four men accused of the brutal gang rape of a young vet in Hyderabad, in circumstances that have been described as “suspicious”.The four had become high-profile objects of hatred within the country, following their alleged premeditated attack on a 27-year-old veterinary doctor last Wednesday. Continue reading... Go to Source