News

Tory Islamophobia row: Warsi accuses Hancock of 'whitesplaining' Warsi hits back at minister for saying ‘others take a more balanced approach’ than Muslim peerSayeeda Warsi has denounced her Conservative party colleague Matt Hancock for “whitesplaining” Islamophobia to her after he suggested “there are others who take a more balanced approach” to the issue.Lady Warsi responded furiously to Hancock, the health secretary, after his comments on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme while addressing the Conservative party’s decision not to hold an inquiry into Islamophobia. Continue reading... Go to Source

Bolivian police 'mutiny' in opposition to Evo Morales Groups of officers in major cities join protests over disputed presidential election resultPolice in at least three Bolivian cities have declared mutinies and joined anti-government protests – a possible indication that parts of the security forces may be withdrawing their backing for President Evo Morales after weeks of unrest over disputed election results.Bolivia’s defence minister, Javier Zavaleta, said on Friday that no military action would be taken against the police involved for now and the government would not mobilise troops as tens of thousands of Bolivians took to the streets in cities across the country. Continue reading... Go to Source

Severe flood warnings remain in Midlands and north of England Seven ‘danger to life’ warnings issued for River Don as flooding leaves trail of devastationFlood warnings remain in place across the Midlands and northern England as receding waters reveal a trail of devastation across the region.The Environment Agency has issued seven severe flood warnings for the River Don at Barnby Dun, Bently, Fishlake, Kirk Bramwith, Kirk Sandall, South Bramwith and Willow Bridge caravan site. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ayodhya: India's top court gives Hindus site claimed by Muslims Supreme court says site where mosque was torn down in 1992 should become Hindu templeThe Indian supreme court has ruled that India’s most hotly contested piece of religious land rightfully belongs to Hindus, and has granted permission for a temple to be built on the site in Ayodhya.The five supreme court judges based their unanimous and historic judgment on Hindus’ claim that the site is the birthplace of the god Ram. Continue reading... Go to Source

Teenager charged with murder over stabbing at knife awareness course Police say Hakim Sillah, 18, died in Uxbridge fight over which event 17-year-old boy will face courtA teenager who was stabbed to death in a fight while attending a knife awareness course has been named as Hakim Sillah.Scotland Yard said a group of young people were at the appointment-only event hosted by the council-run youth offending service at Hillingdon civic centre in Uxbridge, west London, on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lib Dems promise 35 hours of free childcare from nine months old Exclusive: Jo Swinson to announce dramatic increase as parties battle for female votersWorking parents would receive 35 hours a week free childcare from the day their baby turns nine months old under plans to be announced by the Lib Dem leader, Jo Swinson, as the opposition parties battle to win over female voters.The Lib Dems will make a dramatic increase in the availability of free childcare the centrepiece of the party’s manifesto, saying it would boost the economy by enabling more parents to return to the workforce earlier. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: private surgery for NHS patients soars under Tories Figure show almost three-fold increase since 2010 to over 600,000 procedures last yearThe number of NHS patients having surgery in private hospitals has trebled since 2010, sparking accusations that for-profit companies are benefitting from an “enfeebled” health system under the Conservatives.NHS figures obtained by the Guardian show that it paid for 214,967 people in England to have an operation in a private hospital in 2009-10, Labour’s last year in power. The figure soared to 613,833 last year, an 194% rise in nine years. Continue reading... Go to Source

Essex lorry deaths: 10 teenagers were among 39 victims, say police Detectives release names of the dead including woman who sent final text to her familyTen teenagers were among the 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a refrigerated lorry in Essex last month, and the youngest of them were two 15-year-old boys, police have revealed.Detectives have completed identification of the bodies found in the container, which was shipped from Belgium to Essex on 23 October, and confirmed that all the victims were Vietnamese, 31 males and eight females. As well as the two children aged 15, Dinh Dinh Binh and Nguyen Huy Hung, there were three 19-year-olds, four 18-year-olds, and one 17-year-old. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Death of a river': the ruinous design flaw in a vast Amazon rainforest dam Operator faces choice of weakening 14km barrier or potentially devastating a biodiversity hotspot The biggest hydroelectric project in the Amazon rainforest has a design flaw that poses a “very serious” threat to human life and globally important ecosystems, according to documents and expert testimony received by the Guardian.The new studies suggest engineers failed to anticipate the impact of water shortages on the Pimental dam at Belo Monte, which is forcing the operators to choose between a structural weakening of the 14km-wide compacted-earth barrier and an reallocation of water in the reservoir or on the Xingu river, which is home to indigenous communities, fishing villages and some of the world’s mos...