News

Barcelona picks itself up after protests as Spain goes to the polls once more Catalan question again dominates campaign with fears over rise of far-right Vox partyBarcelona no longer goes to bed to the smell of smoke, the whoop of sirens or the clattering of helicopters.Three weeks after the violent unrest that greeted the Spanish supreme court’s decision to jail nine Catalan separatist leaders for sedition over their roles in the failed push for regional independence two years ago, the city is slowly returning to something resembling normality. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson delay on Russia dossier helps Putin, says Litvinenko widow Exclusive: wife of poisoned ex-spy warns of risks in suppressing report on UK interferenceThe widow of Alexander Litvinenko has said Boris Johnson should not have suppressed the parliamentary report on Russian interference in British politics, saying the delay helps the Kremlin and feeds suspicions of a cynical government “cover-up”.Marina Litvinenko said the prime minister was in danger of making the same “mistake” as Theresa May, who as home secretary refused to hold a public inquiry into her husband’s murder in 2006 by polonium poisoning in central London. Continue reading... Go to Source

Don’t sign pledges on NHS or climate, Tory HQ tells candidates Exclusive: leaked briefing note advises candidates not to sign up to non-approved pledges – but supporting shooting is allowedLatest election news - live updatesConservative candidates in the general election will be told not to sign up to specific pledges on protecting the NHS from privatisation and trade deals or tackling climate change, according to a leaked internal document from party headquarters.The 11-page briefing note explains the party’s position on nine key areas and “strongly advises” prospective Tory MPs “against signing up to any pledges” unless they have been agreed from the centre. Continue reading... Go to Source

Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of ‘untold suffering’ Statement sets out ‘vital signs’ as indicators of magnitude of the climate emergencyMost countries’ climate plans ‘totally inadequate’ – expertsThe world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists.“We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,” it states. “To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live. [This] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Stormzy joins backlash against Rees-Mogg over Grenfell apology Rapper attacks cabinet minister for saying fire victims should have used ‘common sense’Lives of Grenfell: portraits of the 72 who diedTory politician Jacob Rees-Mogg found himself at the receiving end of an excoriating attack by British rapper Stormzy ahead of the government’s general election launch over ill-judged comments he made about Grenfell Tower victims not using their “common sense” to escape the blaze.The award-winning musician, who famously used his Brit awards performance in 2018 to criticise Theresa May over her response to the fire, said Rees-Mogg has insinuated that those who “lost their lives weren’t smart enough to escape” and called on him to resign. Continue reading... Go to Source

Mothercare to cease all UK trading with loss of 2,800 jobs Chain to close all 79 UK stores and online business after appointing PwC as administratorsMothercare is to close all its 79 UK stores and online business with the potential loss of 2,800 jobs after appointing administrators from PricewaterhouseCoopers on Tuesday.The administration will not include Mothercare’s profitable overseas operations, which have more than 1,000 stores in over 40 countries. Continue reading... Go to Source

Teenagers sentenced for murder of Irish 14-year-old Ana Kriégel Boys, now 15, are youngest people in Irish history to be convicted of murder Two teenage boys have been sentenced to life and 15 years respectively for murdering a schoolgirl who was lured to an abandoned house, savagely beaten and sexually assaulted in a case that has horrified Ireland.A judge in the central criminal court in Dublin on Tuesday sentenced one boy to life in detention, with the sentence to be reviewed after 12 years. The other received 15 years, with the sentence to be reviewed after eight years. Continue reading... Go to Source