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Essex lorry deaths: all 39 victims were Chinese nationals Police say 31 men and eight women were found in trailer, as details of its journey emergeThe 39 people found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex were Chinese nationals, police have confirmed.The victims, discovered in a refrigerated trailer in Grays on Wednesday, were eight women and 31 men, Essex police added. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit: Swinson urges Corbyn to back second referendum amid wait for EU extension decision - live news Rolling updates of today’s political developments, including the Queen’s speech vote, division over a possible election and EU debate over Brexit extensionFull story: Cabinet split over pre-Christmas electionCorbyn urged to resist election callsAnalysis: Labour reluctance goes beyond no-deal fears 1.06pm BST• Boris Johnson’s cabinet is divided over how to proceed with Brexit, as the prime minister faces the stark choice of pressing ahead with his deal or gambling his premiership on a pre-Christmas general election.After an inconclusive meeting with Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday morning in an attempt to agree an acceptable timetable for parliament to consider the bill, the prime mini...

Nusrat Jahan Rafi: 16 sentenced to death over Bangladesh murder Student set on fire after refusing to withdraw sexual harassment claim against headteacherSixteen Bangladeshis have been sentenced to death for the murder of a 19-year-old student, Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was burned to death in April after complaining of being sexually harassed by her school principal.Among those found guilty were former members of the school’s administration, teachers and pupils – 12 of the 16 having confessed to participating in the killing in which Rafi was lured on to the school’s roof, doused in paraffin and set alight. Continue reading... Go to Source

Meet Adrenaline: Asterix gets first female hero in 60-year history Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter, released on Thursday, stars a rebellious teenage Gaul who keeps Asterix and Obelix on their toesAsterix, the indomitable pint-sized Gaul forever outfoxing the Romans, is taking a step back for a female hero for the first time in the beloved comic’s 60-year history.In a move to update the books, which have been entertaining readers since 1959 and spawned multiple movie spinoffs, the action in Asterix and the Chieftain’s Daughter revolves around Adrenaline, the teenage daughter of famous Gaulish king Vercingetorix. Continue reading... Go to Source

Franco's remains exhumed and flown to cemetery near Madrid Spanish dictator’s body moved from tomb in the Valley of the Fallen to lie alongside his wifeSpain exhumes Franco’s remains – in picturesThe body of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco has been exhumed from the tomb in the Valley of the Fallen where it has lain since his death in 1975 and is being taken by helicopter to lie alongside that of his wife in a cemetery near Madrid.Shortly after 10.30am local time (0930 BST) on Thursday, the Spanish government announced the operation to move his body was under way. Continue reading... Go to Source

Police work to identify 39 people found dead inside lorry in Essex Murder investigation launched alongside inquiry into possible role of organised crime groupsPolice officers are working to identify 39 people found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex as part of a wide-ranging murder investigation into the UK’s worst such tragedy in almost 20 years.Essex police were alerted to the discovery of the bodies of 38 adults and one teenager in a unit at an industrial park in Grays by the ambulance service at 1.40am on Wednesday. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chaos erupts as Republicans barge into Trump impeachment inquiry hearing Group chanting ‘Let us in’ enter closed-door meeting where top Pentagon official who oversees Ukraine policy was to testifyAmbassador’s Ukraine testimony leaves Trump struggling to respondPolitical tensions over an intensifying impeachment inquiry reached fever pitch on Wednesday as Republicans “stormed” a closed-door committee hearing on Capitol Hill disrupting a crucial deposition related to the Ukraine controversy was appearing – a day after devastating testimony from a key diplomat. Related: Republicans are finally realising Trump is his own worst enemy – and theirs | Richard Wolffe Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson's cabinet split over gambling on pre-Christmas election Prime minister awaits decision of EU27 over extension before next moveBoris Johnson’s cabinet is divided over how to proceed with Brexit, as the prime minister faces the stark choice of pressing ahead with his deal or gambling his premiership on a pre-Christmas general election.After an inconclusive meeting with Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday morning in an attempt to agree an acceptable timetable for parliament to consider the bill, the prime minister told MPs at Wednesday’s PMQs that he was awaiting the decision of the EU27 over whether to grant an extension before settling his next move. The EU’s decision is unlikely to come before Friday. Continue reading... Go to Source

Rose McGowan says Weinstein launched 'diabolical' effort to silence her Movie mogul engaged fixers, lawyers and spies to intimidate actor over her allegations of rape, she says in lawsuitThe actor Rose McGowan alleges in a new lawsuit that the film mogul Harvey Weinstein took “diabolical” actions when he learned she was going to write in a memoir that the producer had raped her decades prior, engaging a team of fixers, lawyers and an international spy agency to intimidate and silence her. “This case is about a diabolical and illegal effort by one of America’s most powerful men and his representatives to silence sexual-assault victims. And it is about the courageous women and journalists who persisted to reveal the truth,” the actor alleges in the lawsuit filed in a California fede...

Superyachts and private jets: spending of corrupt super-rich revealed Groundbreaking analysis finds £300bn of suspect funds funnelled through the UK The multimillion pound spending habits of corrupt members of the global super-rich – including 421 luxury homes, three superyachts, seven private jets as well as elite private school fees and even hovercraft – have been revealed in a groundbreaking analysis of more than 400 money laundering and corruption cases.Research by Transparency International, an anti-corruption campaign group, found more than £300bn of suspect funds have been funnelled through the UK banks, law firms and accountants before being spent on a £1m Cartier diamond ring, masterpiece art works from Sotheby’s, and a £50,000 Tom Ford crocodile-skin jacket with matching...

Driver arrested after 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Man, 25, from Northern Ireland held on suspicion of murder after bodies found in GraysA murder investigation has been launched after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry from Bulgaria on an industrial estate in Essex.A 25-year-old driver, from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Continue reading... Go to Source

US envoy says Trump used military aid to push Ukraine to investigate Biden Ambassador Bill Taylor’s testimony met with ‘sighs and gasps’Push to target Biden described in leaked testimony – liveThe acting US ambassador to Kyiv has provided congressional committees conducting impeachment hearings a detailed account of how Donald Trump repeatedly sought to make a summit meeting and military aid to Ukraine conditional on its government launching investigations into the president’s political opponents.Bill Taylor’s testimony was the latest in a series of depositions by serving and former administration officials, as part of the impeachment inquiry, about Trump’s use of the presidency to put pressure on the Ukrainian government to procure compromising information on his political rivals...

Brexit: Johnson holds PMQs after meeting Corbyn to discuss timetable for bill – live news Prime minister will have to decide whether to carry through with call for election if EU offers lengthy extensionMPs reject Boris Johnson’s attempt to fast-track Brexit dealLabour to back general election once EU approves delayWhat happened last night and what comes next? 12.53pm BSTHere’s our story on that meeting between the prime minister and Jeremy Corbyn. Related: Johnson and Corbyn fail to agree timetable for 'paused' Brexit bill 12.46pm BSTSome more details are emerging about the meeting held between Corbyn and Boris Johnson this morning.Govt sources confirm “PM met Corbyn this morning in his office in the HoC labour to discuss whether labour would back a timetable that allows us to a...

Labour defends West Midlands mayoral list amid 'homophobia' row MPs demand removal of candidate Salma Yaqoob over alleged homophobic commentsLabour has defended its shortlist for the West Midlands metro mayor after it was embroiled in a homophobia row.Members of the party’s LGBT group demanded the removal of the candidate Salma Yaqoob, the former leader of the Respect party, over alleged homophobic comments. Continue reading... Go to Source

Universities failing to address thousands of racist incidents Institutions are in denial about the scale of the problem, warns government equality watchdogUniversities are failing to address tens of thousands of racist incidents every year because they are in denial about the scale of the problem, the government’s equality watchdog has warned.An inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that about a quarter of minority ethnic students, including non-British white students, said they had experienced racial harassment since the start of their course. Continue reading... Go to Source