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General election: 'Real change is coming,' says Corbyn at Labour's campaign launch - live news Rolling coverage of the latest developments in the 2019 general election campaign 11.39am GMTFrom the Scotsman’s Paris GourtsoyannisThere weren't any mentions of Scotland or Wales in the text handout of this speech, but Corbyn has gone off script to squeeze them in as part of list of people who "win" from a Labour government 11.38am GMTCorbyn is now on his peroration.Boris Johnson thought he was being smart holding this election in a dark and cold December. He thinks you won’t go out to vote. He thinks you won’t go out to campaign.Well I say this: Labour will be out there in every city, town and village with the biggest and most confident campaign that our country has ever seen, bringing...

Body of Amelia Bambridge found in sea off Cambodia Briton, 21, disappeared after attending beach party on Koh Rong island last weekThe body of the British backpacker Amelia Bambridge has been found at sea more than 30 miles (48km) from where she disappeared, according to Cambodian police.The 21-year-old gap year student from Worthing, West Sussex, had been missing since last Thursday morning after leaving a beach party on the island of Koh Rong. Her body was found floating in the sea near the Thai border, police said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry Dunn death: police have met Anne Sacoolas in US Details of interview with diplomat’s wife have been passed to prosecutorsPolice have conducted an interview with the wife of a US diplomat in connection with a crash that killed a 19-year-old motorcyclist outside a Northamptonshire RAF base.Details of the interview with Anne Sacoolas, who was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road before the collision with Harry Dunn on 27 August, have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, Northamptonshire police said on Thursday. Continue reading... Go to Source

CIA-linked unit accused of atrocities in Afghanistan Document details 14 deadly raids by pro-government units with support of US intelligence The Afghan soldiers who swept through Kulalgo village one late August night shot three of Dr Ulfatullah’s relatives carefully, a single bullet through their left eye, faces otherwise untouched as blood pooled below their bodies on the floor of the family home.The last killing was less precise, and left the face of university student Ansarullah badly disfigured. His family thought perhaps he had heard the muffled gunshot that ended a cousin’s life, and briefly tried to struggle against his captors. Continue reading... Go to Source

Impeachment: Trump's top Russia adviser to depart as testimony looms – reports Tim Morrison is an important witness and his appearance at the inquiry is unlikely to be helpful to Donald TrumpThe top White House official on Russian affairs will be leaving his post soon, it was reported, a day before he was due to give testimony to the impeachment inquiry in Congress.Tim Morrison, a senior director on Europe and Russia, is a key witness on the central question in the impeachment investigation: whether Donald Trump used the power of his office to persuade the Ukrainian government to launch investigations aimed at damaging his political opponents. Continue reading... Go to Source

Jeremy Corbyn to position Labour as true 'party of the people' Party leader will seek to pour cold water on Boris Johnson’s claim of being anti-establishmentJeremy Corbyn will seek to scorn Conservative attempts to portray themselves on the side of the people against the elite, kicking off his election campaign by promising to side with the public against a “corrupt system” run by those with vested interests.On Thursday, the Labour leader will single out individuals, including the Sports Direct boss, Mike Ashley, the financier Crispin Odey and the media owner Rupert Murdoch, as examples of individuals Labour’s policies would target. Continue reading... Go to Source

Five factors that could decide the general election Key questions that need to be answered in the run-up to voting on 12 DecemberWith Brexit still unresolved, and smaller parties hoping to break through, pollsters and pundits have warned that this general election is the most unpredictable in decades. Here are five factors that could make the difference:1) Is it all about Brexit? Continue reading... Go to Source

Jewish group removes campaigning support for Labour in election JLM says party’s handling of antisemitism cases means only ‘exceptional candidates’ will be backedThe Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has withdrawn campaigning support for Labour in the upcoming general election in protest at its handling of antisemitism cases.As one of the oldest socialist societies affiliated to Labour, the group regularly sent out activists to support candidates across the country before voters went to the polls. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lib Dems face being frozen out of any live TV debates Labour and Tories prefer one-on-one format, which would mean no place for Jo Swinson’s partyThe Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, faces being cut out of televised leadership debates during the general election campaign, as broadcasters begin torturous negotiations over who gets to show the nation’s political leaders arguing with each other on stage.While the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky News are all vying for the position, Swinson’s place in any forthcoming debate is less than assured. The Tories are thought to prefer simple one-on-one debates between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to reduce the election to a simple choice between the two. Labour have adopted a similar stance amid fears they could lose pro-remain v...

The last PMQs gives MPs time to feel their unimportance | John Crace Looking at their leaders, both benches wondered what brought them to vote for a general election Morning after the night before. On Tuesday evening, MPs had been out on the lash, got a bit lairy and voted overwhelmingly for a general election. Now many had returned to the Commons with a bad hangover and gripped by remorse.The sense of an ending weighed heavy in the late autumnal air. Political careers both distinguished and entirely unremarkable faced extinction. Most by accident. Only a few by design. That which had been done could not now be undone. Even those who would return to Westminster would be changed by the experience of the next six weeks. Not necessarily for the better. The obnoxious would only become...

Grenfell inquiry chair demands end to 'stay put' advice for all high-rises Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s call for new fire guidelines would mark shift away from advice given in tower disasterGrenfell Tower inquiry: the chair’s findings so farGrenfell Tower inquiry: the main playersLives of Grenfell: portraits of the 72 who diedHundreds of thousands of people who live in tower blocks should be prepared to evacuate in the event of a fire, according to a key demand made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chair of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry.In what fire safety experts said would be a significant change to the default advice for most tower blocks that residents should stay put, he told ministers to develop national guidelines for total or partial evacuation of towers and to make it illegal...

Law banning assisted dying must be reviewed, say MPs Cross-party group responds to calls by police chief Ron Hogg, who has motor neurone diseaseLetter: Assisted dying laws are in need of reviewThe law banning terminally ill people from being helped to end their lives must be reviewed because it may not be working, a cross party group of MPs have said.They say the government should examine whether a total ban on assisted dying should be ended. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tactical voting could deliver remain victory in election – study Conservatives could be denied majority if one in three remain supporters switch votesTactical voting could swing a victory for pro-remain parties in the December election, research suggests.Boris Johnson would fail to get a majority if one in three pro-remain voters in England and Wales switched their vote, the campaign group Best for Britain said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chinese province closes all glass bridges over safety fears Series of injuries and deaths prompts closure of 32 glass-bottomed attractions in HebeiThey were meant to be futuristic marvels, allowing thrill-seeking tourists to feel like they were walking on air.But China’s growing obsession with glass bridges may be coming to an abrupt end, after a series of accidents led one province to close down all its glass-bottomed attractions. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chilean president cancels Apec and climate summits amid wave of unrest Sebastián Piñera confirms he will not hold summits in November and December, as government struggles with massive protestsChile’s embattled president has been forced to cancel two major international summits after government concessions failed to defuse weeks of violent protests that have seen thousands of arrests, left at least 20 dead and sent shock waves across Latin America.Sebastián Piñera made the announcement on Wednesday morning, telling reporters Chile would no longer be able to host November’s Apec trade summit and the COP25 UN climate conference the following month. Continue reading... Go to Source