Gill’s guitar sound inspired Kurt Cobain, Michael Stipe and Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose debut album he produced
Andy Gill, the guitarist with Gang of Four, whose sound influenced generations of post-punk bands, has died aged 64.
The news was announced by the band on their social media channels on Saturday. No cause of death has yet been announced, but they referred to him as “listening to mixes for the upcoming record, whilst planning the next tour from his hospital bed”.
Continue reading...Professor responsible for ‘reckless’ failure to properly oversee researchers
A row over scientific fraud at the highest level of British academia has led to calls for one of the country’s leading geneticists and highest-paid university chiefs to leave his posts.
David Latchman, professor of genetics at University College London and master of Birkbeck, University of London – a post that earns him £380,000 a year – has angered senior academics by presiding over a laboratory that published fraudulent research, mostly on genetics and heart disease, for more than a decade. The number of fabricated results and the length of time over which the deception took place made the case one of the worst instances of research fraud uncovered in a British university.
Continue reading...As the UK sets out alone, we look back at some highs and lows of its relationship with Europe
Continue reading...Officers called to reports of double assault outside Rose and Crown in Writtle
A man has died after being stabbed outside an Essex pub, police said.
Officers were called at 8pm on Friday to reports that two men had been assaulted outside the Rose and Crown pub in Writtle, near Chelmsford, police said.
Continue reading...Andrew has said he is ‘angry and bewildered’ and denies reports that he has been contacted about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation
Claims made this week that Prince Andrew failed to respond to an FBI investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking conspiracy were likely issued by US investigators as an appeal for political support, former sex crime prosecutors say.
Earlier this week, US attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman took the extraordinary step of announcing from the steps of Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion in New York, that prosecutors and the FBI had repeatedly contacted the Duke of York’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
Continue reading...The pair, aged 47 and 29, are to face court charged with conspiracy to commit burglary at the heiress’s London home
Two people have been charged by detectives investigating a £50 million jewellery raid on heiress Tamara Ecclestone’s London home, Scotland Yard said.
Tower Hamlets residents Maria Mester, 47, and 29-year-old Emil-Bogdan Savastru have both been charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.
Continue reading...Woman, 47, and son, 29, in court for conspiracy to commit burglary of London home
A woman and her son have appeared in court charged over the £50m jewellery and cash raid on Tamara Ecclestone’s London home.
Maria Mester, 47, a cleaner, and Emil-Bogdan Savastru, 29, a bar worker, were each charged with conspiracy to commit burglary on 13 December when they appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday.
Continue reading...A British family who had been trapped at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak landed in the UK on Friday. Matt Raw and his wife Ying were transferred to a hospital in Wirral, where they will be quarantined for 14 days
Continue reading...The boys, then 14 and 15, had bought the drug with bitcoin and sold it to Hannah Bragg
Two teenage boys from a rural community in Devon bought illegal drugs from the dark web and sold them to children, including a 15-year-old girl who died after taking ecstasy.
The pair, aged 14 and 15, purchased the drugs using the cryptocurrency bitcoin and passed them on to children as young as 12.
Continue reading...UK court sanctions fines after firm admits using agents across world to bribe officials to land high-value contracts
Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace multinational, is to pay a record £3bn in penalties after admitting it had paid huge bribes on an “endemic” basis to land contracts in 20 countries.
Anti-corruption investigators hailed the result as the largest ever corporate fine for bribery in the world after judges declared that the corruption was “grave, pervasive and pernicious”.
Continue reading...Creator Peter Morgan reveals fifth season will be the last of the Netflix drama
The fifth series of Netflix’s The Crown will be its last, its creator and writer, Peter Morgan, has revealed, as Imelda Staunton is confirmed to replace Olivia Colman as the Queen.
Fans of the critically acclaimed show, watched by more than 73m households worldwide, had hoped for a sixth series, which Morgan himself had originally planned. But, he said he believed it was time to stop.
Continue reading...Flight carrying 83 British people and 27 foreign nationals will land in the UK on Friday as US tells citizens ‘don’t go to China’
A plane carrying more than 100 British and other EU nationals trapped in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, has left for the UK after Chinese spouses and partners were given permission to travel.
The chartered flight left Wuhan at 9:45am local time on Friday, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The plane was carrying 83 British people and 27 foreign nationals, and was scheduled to land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 1 pm UK time.
Continue reading...Controversial rightwing commentator locked out of the social media site after complaints from anti-racism campaigners
The controversial rightwing commentator Katie Hopkins has had her Twitter account suspended for violating the terms of the social media site.
Hopkins’ account was still visible online on Thursday night, but Twitter said that Hopkins had been temporarily locked out of the platform for violating its anti-hate policy.
Continue reading...Transport secretary tells MPs they ‘won’t have to wait long’ amid continuing opposition
Speculation that a decision on HS2 will be made early next week is mounting as the prime minister and key figures are understood to have held final talks on the controversial project.
The chancellor, Sajid Javid, who has publicly swung behind the scheme, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, are believed to have met Boris Johnson as the high-speed line continues to divide opinion among backbenchers.
Continue reading...A Briton living in Wuhan with his mother and Chinese wife has deplored the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's handling of the coronavirus outbreak as 'abominable'. Matt Raw has said the whole family was staying in Wuhan because his wife has been prevented from flying by the Chinese government, and that the level of communication from the FCO has been 'terrible'. An FCO spokesperson said: 'The safety of British nationals is our top priority and we have been in close contact with British nationals and their family members who might need help. Our priority is to keep British nationals and their family members together and have urgently raised this with the Chinese authorities.'
Harry told Ipso that article implied he misled public about pictures of a rhino, elephant and lion
The Duke of Sussex has lost a complaint against the Mail on Sunday over a claim by the newspaper that dramatic wildlife pictures he took in Africa did not highlight the fact the animals were sedated and tethered.
Prince Harry complained to press standards regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) that the newspaper had breached a clause of the editors’ code of practice relating to accuracy over its article about photographs he took of a rhino, elephant and a lion.
Continue reading...Non-alignment with EU will mean ‘extra processes’ and not frictionless trade
British firms will face extra paperwork and checks on goods at cross-channel borders under Boris Johnson’s proposals for post-Brexit trade.
The prime minister is set to tell the EU that he is willing to accept additional checks and friction at border crossings so he can prioritise promises made on sovereignty after Britain leaves the EU.
Continue reading...The chancellor is set to support the controversial rail project at a meeting with Boris Johnson and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps
That was a display from Dominic Raab and Mike Pompeo of US-UK unity ahead of Brexit, with disagreements over Huawei, Iran and the Harry Dunn depicted as blips that could be overcome.
Instead, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, reiterated that the UK would be “at the front of the line” when it comes to a trade deal, with both parties concurring that this was achievable before November’s presidential election in November.
There is a follow up question on Harry Dunn from CBS.
Raab says he had a “good conversation with Mike” about it.
Continue reading...More than 9,320 people infected globally, as WHO director says decision comes amid concern for countries with weaker health systems
Press Association is reporting that Virgin Atlantic has suspended its flights between Britain and China due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.
The airline said in a statement it would suspend its daily operations between the UK and Shanghai for two weeks from Saturday, PA said.
We are now hearing from the premier of the state of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, who is calling for national co-ordination of the response to the virus. Australia is a federal system made up of states and territories and so far each state seems to have had a slightly different response to the virus.
“There is no reason why the Federal government can’t be on a phone hook-up today or over this weekend, talking to all of the (state) Premiers giving them the most up to date information. This is a serious national issue,” Palaszczuk said.
Continue reading...Which passport should my children use? Will I pay home or EU student fees? Your questions answered
There is continuing confusion about citizens’ rights after Brexit. We asked you about your concerns, and many wrote in with questions about pension and healthcare rights.
You raised other issues too: can I still sail around Europe? Will I pay home fees if I start university in the Netherlands this year? What will happen about my pet’s passport? There is much unfinished Brexit business, as you will see from our answers below, composed with the help of experts and government departments.
Continue reading...