Category Archives: UK news

Train drivers’ 24-hour strike stops rail services in England

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About 40% of services expected to run on Saturday as 12,000 Aslef members hold second day of industrial action this week

Rail services across England have again come to a halt as 12,000 train drivers strike for the second time this week amid a long-running dispute with the operating companies over pay and conditions.

Members of the drivers’ union Aslef are walking out for 24 hours on the majority of lines in England and some cross-border routes into Scotland and Wales, leaving only 40% of services running.

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Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay to triple donations to Just Stop Oil

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Hollywood director of climate crisis satire praised protestors for waking up ‘sleeping governments’ and will triple donations over weekend

The Hollywood director of Netflix film Don’t Look Up has pledged to triple donations to Just Stop Oil over the weekend, the group has said.

Adam McKay, who made the satire on the climate crisis as well as Step Brothers and The Big Short, said he stands with the protesters, praising them for waking up “sleeping governments”.

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Manhunt launched after woman fatally stabbed in Greater Manchester

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Police unable to confirm identity or flight direction of male attacker after woman, 44, dies at scene of stabbing in Droylsden

A hunt has been launched for a man after a 44-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester police said.

Officers were called to Edge Lane at about noon on Friday to reports of a stabbing, and confirmed the woman died at the scene.

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Heathrow security guards expected to announce fresh strikes

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Unite says it will serve notice to airport of fresh round of strikes in long-running pay dispute

Fresh strikes by security guards at Heathrow airport are expected to be announced next week.

Members of Unite are embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay which has led to previous industrial action.

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British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful promoted to new role

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After six years at the helm of British Vogue Enninful is poised to take on new global role at Condé Nast next year

It’s one of the most coveted jobs in fashion. But, just six years after being named editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful is stepping down from the position. Or, rather, stepping up to take a new global role at the publisher Condé Nast that invites speculation he occupies pole position to one day take over from the legendary editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.

“I am excited to share that from next year I will be stepping into the newly appointed position of editorial advisor of British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, where I will continue to contribute to the creative and cultural success of the Vogue brand globally while having the freedom to take on broader creative projects,” Enninful wrote to staff.

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Police release e-fit of man found dead in wheel bay of Gatwick-bound plane

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Detectives hope to identify man, whose body was found on a Tui flight from the Gambia on 7 December

Police have released a digitised image of a man who was found dead in the undercarriage of a plane, as they work to identify him.

The man’s body was found on a Tui flight from the Gambia to the UK. His body was discovered at Gatwick airport at about 4am on 7 December, Sussex police said at the time.

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South Yorkshire police officer sacked for sharing images of people in custody

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PC Owen Davies also posted offensive comments about the photos on WhatsApp, according to IOPC

A police officer has been sacked for sharing images of people in custody on WhatsApp, along with inappropriate and derogatory comments.

PC Owen Davies of South Yorkshire police has been dismissed without notice, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which conducted an investigation into operational images being shared without any policing purpose.

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Boris Johnson says he will bypass Cabinet Office and send WhatsApp messages directly to Covid inquiry – as it happened

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Former PM says he will provide unredacted messages directly to the inquiry in letter to Lady Hallett

Earlier we reported on Boris Johnson’s willingness to provide unredacted WhatsApps to the Covid 19 inquiry directly.

In a letter to the chair on Friday, Johnson said: “I am not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it.”

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HSBC increases interest rates on some savings accounts

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Rises of up to 0.75 percentage points follow increases at First Direct

Customers of HSBC will receive a boost to their savings after the bank announced an increase to interest rates, as Britons enjoy some of the highest rates in more than a decade.

The lender is increasing rates on some of its savings accounts, with increases of up to 0.75 percentage points.

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US colonel retracts comments on simulated drone attack ‘thought experiment’

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Colonel clarifies comments about ‘rogue AI drone’ that supposedly killed its operator

A US air force colonel “misspoke” when he said at a Royal Aeronautical Society conference last month that a drone killed its operator in a simulated test because the pilot was attempting to override its mission, according to the society.

The confusion had started with the circulation of a blogpost from the society, in which it described a presentation by Col Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton, the chief of AI test and operations with the US air force and an experimental fighter test pilot, at the Future Combat Air and Space Capabilities Summit in London in May.

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Boris Johnson hands over WhatsApp messages directly to Covid inquiry

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Former PM bypasses government’s attempts to keep unredacted communications secret

Boris Johnson has bypassed the government’s attempt to keep his unredacted WhatsApp messages secret by handing them over directly to the Covid inquiry.

In a move that will further frustrate Downing Street, the former prime minister circumvented the Cabinet Office, which is seeking to hold up the process by launching legal action.

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Home Office could forcibly separate non-cohabiting couple before their wedding

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Youssef Mikhaiel is at risk of forced removal to Egypt before he marries Sarah Bradley

A couple planning to marry soon could be forcibly separated by the Home Office because they are not cohabiting before their wedding.

Sarah Bradley, 29, a British digital marketing teacher, and Youssef Mikhaiel, 28, an Egyptian man who graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in aeronautical engineering, met in February 2022 through a Christian dating app.

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Parents say baby’s sepsis death in Portugal ‘has destroyed all of us’

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Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle criticise authorities for delays in transferring Adonis to an ICU

The parents of a 10-month-old baby who died on holiday in Portugal have said their lives have been destroyed.

Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle said they wanted answers from the Portuguese authorities after their son, Adonis, died of sepsis on 19 May, 48 hours after he was first treated in hospital.

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The right Covid response? How countries outside UK are also under scrutiny

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From Sweden to the US, the handling of the pandemic has been questioned. In some cases criminal proceedings are under way

Britain’s public Covid-19 inquiry, led by the retired judge Heather Hallett, is far from the first independent commission in the world to begin examining a country’s experience confronting the pandemic.

Their formats, mandates – and their progress – vary widely according to systems and traditions, but their task is essentially the same: to assess preparedness, make a record of decision-making, review government responses and learn lessons for the future.

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Girl, 15, dies after swimming in St Helens reservoir with friends

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Death of teenager at Carr Mill Dam prompts repeated warnings from rescuers about water safety

A 15-year-old girl has drowned in a reservoir in Merseyside, as rescuers highlighted the need to educate young people about the dangers of water.

The girl’s body was recovered from the water at Carr Mill Dam in St Helens on Thursday afternoon, just days after a 15-year-old boy drowned in the River Eden in Carlisle.

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Moon the baby donkey missing for weeks is returned to Hampshire owners

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The 12-week-old foal is back with its mother at Miller’s Ark Animals while police continue their investigation

A countryside abduction has come to a tail-wagging end after a baby donkey that was stolen from a farm has been reunited with her mother and her “ecstatic” owners after a police investigation.

On 15 May, the 12-week-old donkey, named Moon, was taken from Miller’s Ark Animals in Hook, Hampshire some time before 5pm. Missing for more than two weeks, Moon was recovered and returned to the farm on Wednesday evening.

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Government to take legal action against Covid inquiry over Johnson WhatsApps

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Cabinet Office serves notice on inquiry chair at 4pm, the deadline she had set for it to hand over files

Ministers have launched an unprecedented high court attempt to avoid handing over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries to the government-commissioned public inquiry into the handling of Covid.

In a move immediately condemned by bereaved families and opposition MPs, the Cabinet Office told the inquiry, headed by the retired judge Heather Hallett, that there were “important issues of principle” over passing on information that might not be relevant.

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Female staff express fears over using Labour party’s complaints procedure

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Officials acknowledge ‘genuine concerns’ in wake of MPs’ suspension over allegations of harassment

Female Labour staff are said to be fearful of using the party’s official complaints process, prompting concern among senior officials as a long-serving MP is suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.

Labour figures have acknowledged the “genuine concerns” of female colleagues, and have issued a “cast-iron commitment” to take any action necessary that will restore faith in the party’s processes.

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Starmer urged to use some of Labour’s £28bn green fund for other spending

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Shadow ministers say green prosperity plan should pay for capital spending such as housing or transport infrastructure

Senior Labour figures are urging Keir Starmer to give the go-ahead to a series of infrastructure projects as part of the party’s £28bn green prosperity plan, even if they are not strictly environmental in nature.

Shadow cabinet ministers have asked the Labour leader and the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to expand the fund’s green mission and use it to pay for a series of capital spending projects, such as housing or transport infrastructure.

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Boat impounded as police investigate Bournemouth beach deaths

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Early indications suggest no contact between vessels and boy, 17, and girl, 12, who died after getting in to difficulties

A pleasure boat allegedly sailing near Bournemouth beach on Wednesday has reportedly been impounded by police after the deaths of two young people who got into difficulties in the sea.

The Dorset Belle, a cruise boat that operates from Bournemouth pier, was under guard in Poole harbour, the Times reported, quoting a police source as saying: “This vessel is under a police cordon. No one is permitted onboard or to touch the vessel.”

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