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Former UK official in Hong Kong 'tortured in 15-day China ordeal' Simon Cheng, who worked at consulate, alleges repeated mental and physical abuseA former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong has alleged he was tortured while being detained in China, during a 15-day ordeal in which he said he was branded “a British spy and secret agent” and held in solitary confinement.The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has summoned the Chinese ambassador to demand an explanation after Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen who worked for the British government for two years, went public with his account of repeated physical and mental torture. Continue reading... Go to Source

Fossil fuel production on track for double the safe climate limit ‘We’re in a deep hole over the climate crisis and we need to stop digging,’ warn expertsThe world’s nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas as can be burned in 2030 while restricting rise in the global temperature to 1.5C, analysis shows.The report is the first to compare countries’ stated plans for fossil fuel extraction with the goals of the Paris climate agreement, which is to keep global heating well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5C. It exposes a huge gap, with fossil fuel production in 2030 heading for 50% more than is consistent with 2C, and 120% more than that for 1.5C. Continue reading... Go to Source

Election debate: Johnson and Corbyn clash over NHS future Labour leader claims service will be sold by PM, who keeps repeating Brexit mantraBoris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have clashed over which of them is best placed to safeguard the NHS if they win the general election, with the Labour leader accusing the prime minister of being ready to sell it off to US corporations.In a testy live debate on ITV, during which the prime minister repeatedly returned to the claim that he would “get Brexit done”, both men lavished praise on the NHS, but Corbyn said Johnson would put it up for sale. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tories pretend to be factchecking service during leaders' debate Party accused of misleading public by tweeting anti-Labour posts as ‘factcheckUK’Follow the latest election news - liveThe Conservatives have been accused of misleading the public after they rebranded their official Twitter account as “factcheckUK” during the televised leaders’ debate and used it to publish anti-Labour posts.The public have increasingly turned to factchecking websites, such as the independent Full Fact, the BBC’s Reality Check, Channel 4 News’ FactCheck and the Guardian’s Factcheck, to verify claims made by politicians. Continue reading... Go to Source

General election leaders' debate: who won? Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn played it safe but the audience were not convincedFull coverage of the TV debate - as it happenedSign up for Andrew Sparrow’s daily election briefingNeither leader attempted any jokes, and Boris Johnson’s typical verbal flair was not in evidence. Both men played it pretty safe, but the audience was clearly sceptical about their answers on several occasions, scoffing at Jeremy Corbyn’s evasion over Brexit and the prime minister’s record on telling the truth. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson and Corbyn fail to land blows in second-rate light entertainment | John Crace Tory and Labour leaders manage an insincere handshake in an S&M dungeon – but little elseTeeth to be pulled. Eyes to be gouged. Throats to be slit. Most people had wisely made alternative arrangements. But there were still at least 4 million masochists for whom the first leaders’ debate was an essential warm-up to I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!. Had Boris Johnson been smothered in a cage full of rats or Jeremy Corbyn been force-fed termites, ITV would have had the surefire ratings winner of the year. Maybe next time. Related: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn clash in ITV election debate over 'NHS for sale' claim – live news Continue reading... Go to Source

The election debate: who came out on top? | The panel After Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn go head to head, four writers assess who gave the best performance Continue reading... Go to Source