Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
American tells BBC she was told to have sex with royal by Jeffrey Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell
A beleaguered Prince Andrew faced fresh embarrassment after his accuser Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked as a teenager to have sex with him, appeared on television to implore the British public to “not accept this as being OK”.
In her first UK broadcast interview, Giuffre repeated allegations she had sex with the prince when she was aged 17 on the instructions of Ghislaine Maxwell, a socialite and close friend of the US financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in August.
The father of Jack Merritt, who died on Friday at London Bridge, writes that the attack has been used to reinforce the worldview his son fought against
Jack was proud. Jack was absorbingly intelligent. Jack was fiercely loyal. Jack loved music, art, eating good food with his family, and having more than one pint with his mates. Oh, and in case you haven’t realised by now … he was also devilishly handsome.
But Jack was also angry, frustrated, selfless, stubborn. He was angry because he saw our society failing those most in need. He was frustrated because the political elite have forgotten why it is important to be fair. He was selfless in his dedication to make things right in every second of his life. Jack devoted his energy to the purpose of Learning Together: a pioneering programme to bring students from university and prisons together to share their unique perspectives on justice. Unlike many of us, Jack did not just go to work. He lived and breathed fire in his pursuit of a better world for all humanity, particularly those most in need.
The chronicle of an activist who filmed the destruction in Aleppo wins prizes for best film, documentary, director and editing
For Sama, the acclaimed documentary about life under siege in the Syrian city of Aleppo, has unexpectedly triumphed at the British independent film awards, winning the top prize, best British independent film, as well as best documentary and best director for Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.
Described by the Guardian’s Mike McCahill as a film to “break your heart and sear your soul”, For Sama is a chronicle filmed by Syrian activist-director al-Kateab as Aleppo is targeted during the country’s ongoing civil war. Al-Kateab spends much of the time in a hospital where her husband, Hamza, works, recording the destruction and horror. For Sama won a total of four Bifas, including best editing – previously announced with other Bifa “craft” awards on 15 November.
Morning, Amy Walker here, I’ll be taking over the politics liveblog for the next hour or so.
The former head of the parole board, Nick Hardwick, has criticised government changes to the criminal justice system after London Bridge attacker Usman Khan was released from prison under licence.
PA Media reports a vigil will be held to pay tribute to the victims killed in the London Bridge terror attack and to honour the emergency services and members of the public who responded to the incident.
Morning, my name is Aamna Mohdin and I’m running the live blog on the South Western Railway (SWR) strike. SWR is one of the busiest commuter lines in the country – used by about 600,000 passengers daily – and all who use the service are expected to be affected.
Here’s some background from our transport correspondent, Gwyn Topham. He reports:
A month of misery for hundreds of thousands of rail commuters begins on Monday when RMT members of South Western Railway walk out on the first of 27 days of strike action.
Hundreds of guards and a small number of drivers will not clock on for work again this Christmas, apart from on election day on 12 December, in a bitter row over the role and responsibilities of onboard train crew. The train firm was among others to be hit by similar strike action last year over the role of guards.
PM accused of ‘distasteful’ attempt to turn London Bridge attack into election issue
Boris Johnson has been accused of twisting the facts of the London Bridge terror attack in a “distasteful” attempt to turn it into an election issue, as he tried to blame Labour for the release of the terrorist who stabbed two people to death.
Despite one of the victims’ families pleading for their son’s death not to be used as an excuse for kneejerk political reaction, Johnson claimed that “a lefty government” was responsible for Usman Khan being freed.
350 experts call on PM to address president’s ‘dangerous’ and ‘irresponsible’ claims
Boris Johnson is being urged by 350 leading climate researchers to robustly challenge Donald Trump on his “dangerous” and “irresponsible” denial of the risks of climate change during the US president’s visit to the UK this week.
Putting the prime minister under more pressure over his stance on global heating, leading academics involved in climate research said he must try to persuade Trump to take strong domestic and international action.
The campaigner and businesswoman Gina Miller has called on Remain voters to vote tactically in the general election, saying that doing so could prevent a Conservative majority.
Presenting a new poll and MRP seat projection for ‘Remain United’ on ‘Sophy Ridge on Sunday’, she said: “With no tactical voting, just based on voter intention at the moment and where the polls are sitting and the difference between the seats, there would be a 12 seat majority for the Conservatives.”
As reported by the Guardian’s Jim Waterson, the broadcaster had argued that their inclusion could damage perceptions of the corporation’s impartiality.
Transport police believe victim came into contact with overhead power cables
A man seen on fire after coming into contact with overhead cables at a Birmingham train station is in a life-threatening condition in hospital.
Paramedics, police and firefighters were called after reports that a man had been seriously injured at Birmingham New Street station on Sunday at about 8am. A British Transport Police spokeswoman said that paramedics and police had arrived quickly at the scene and treated the man for “burns injuries”.
Typhoon jets scrambled in response to plane that was not answering air traffic control
A huge bang heard across London and in Hertfordshire just after 4am on Sunday was caused by RAF jets going supersonic, the Met and the MoD said.
“Two Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were scrambled at 0409 this morning, as part of the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedures, after an aircraft lost communications in UK airspace,” said the Ministry of Defence. “The aircraft was intercepted and its communications were subsequently re-established. The Typhoons are returning to their base.”
Prime minister says terrorists convicted of the most serious offences should never be released from prison
Boris Johnson on Saturday said that those convicted of the most serious terrorist offences should never be released from prison, as arguments over the blame for Friday’s London Bridge attack were thrust centre stage into the election campaign.
The prime minister reacted to the latest terrorist incident – in which three people died, including the assailant – by promising a package of hardline reforms which also included mandatory minimum 14-year sentences, an end to automatic early release for terrorist and extremism offences, and a new system under which those convicted will have to serve every day of sentences handed down by judges.
Giles Terera claims Ain’t Nothin’ But blues bar denied group of actors entry because they were black
A star of the hit musical Hamilton has accused a Soho bar of racial profiling, claiming that it denied a group of actors entry because they were black.
Giles Terera said the Ain’t Nothin’ But blues bar had allowed 10 white people next to them to enter, but that the group of eight black actors were turned away.
A counter-terrorism specialist has described the criminal justice system as playing “Russian roulette” with the public, after it was revealed the London Bridge attacker had been released from jail after being convicted of terror offences.
Chris Phillips, a former head of the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the PA news agency:
The criminal justice system needs to look at itself. We’re letting people out of prison, we’re convicting people for very, very serious offences and then they are releasing them back into society when they are still radicalised.
So how on Earth can we ever ask our police services and our security services to keep us safe? I’ve said it a few times today, we’re playing Russian roulette with people’s lives, letting convicted, known, radicalised Jihadi criminals walk about our streets.
Sky News is reporting that the attacker was “a student and personal friend” of the radical preacher Anjem Choudary.
Choudary was released from prison last year after serving half of the five-and-a-half-year sentence he received in 2016 for urging support for Isis and pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.
Sky News understands 28-year-old Usman Khan who has been identified as the suspect in the London Bridge terror attack was a student and personal friend of the Islamist extremist Anjem Choudary
Remains of 23 victims arrive in Hanoi following repatriation of further 16 to their hometowns days earlier
The remains of the last 23 of 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a lorry near London in October have been brought to Vietnam.
The remains of the 23 victims arrived at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi early on Saturday, a local government official said. Seven of the bodies were cremated in Britain before being repatriated, said the official Vietnam News Agency.
Humanitarian organisation says policy is not helping bring clarity or peace to Syria
The head of the international Red Cross has sharply criticised Britain’s policy of stripping the citizenship of people held in Syria after the fall of Islamic State, saying it is “not conducive” to long-term peace in the region.
A man and a woman were killed in a terror attack in London carried out by an Islamist extremist who had been jailed for an al-Qaida inspired bomb plot and was recently released on licence.
Scotland Yard are investigating how 28-year-old Usman Khan was able to launch the attack in London Bridge on Friday, despite being known to the authorities and fitted with an electronic tag to monitor his movements. He was allowed out a year ago after serving time for his part in a plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange.
Owen Jones, the Guardian columnist, said he arrived the area minutes after the incident and saw people running away in fear. He said:
“I turned up as emergency services had arrived en masse in the area... Cordons were being put up and people were running away. The police were yelling: ‘keep moving’ and people were running away looking frightened. I was by London Bridge about to the cross the bridge
“One of my friends was evacuated from their office in the area.. I saw lots of people running down the streets towards me... it was a bad atmosphere and everyone in the area are quite worried. In these circumstances, no one knows what is going on. It was just a very chaotic - where I was, people were scared. They were genuinely very scared.”
Amanda Hunter, who witnessed the shooting from a bus and videoed the aftermath, described what she saw to BBC News. She said:
I was coming home on the 21 bus and all of all a sudden it stopped. There was some commotion and I looked out the window and I just saw these three police officers going over to a man. It seemed like there was something in his hand. I’m not 100% sure, but then one of the police officer shot him.
From there, I was able to take a video of the scene.
Other dual nationals also in jail because of UK failure to repay debt to Iran, says husband
Boris Johnson made only “placebo promises” to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and is responsible for putting more British-Iranian dual nationals in the jails in Iran, her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, claims in a private letter to the prime minister.
Ratcliffe sent the letter 100 days ago, seeking a meeting alongside his daughter, Gabriella, to discuss his wife’s three-and-a-half-year imprisonment.