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Newry: Arson attack could have killed me - Aontú member - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Sharon Loughran says her car was set alight during what police are treating as a sectarian attack. | Northern Ireland | A car was set alight in the Damolly Village area on Wednesday morning
An arson attack in County Down is being treated as a sectarian hate crime, police have said.
A car belonging to Aontú member Sharon Loughran was set alight at about 03:15 BST in Damolly Village, Newry, on Wednesday.
Ms Loughran said she is still trying to process the "horrendous action" that "could have killed me".
"I cannot for the life of me understand why they are targeting me," she added.
Sharon Loughran stood for Aontú in the Newry, Mourne & Down district during May's local elections, but was not elected to the council.
The all-island party was formed in 2019 when its leader, Peadar Tóibín TD, quit Sinn Féin over its stance on abortion.
Ms Loughran says that she woke up on Wednesday morning to to the "smell and sound of an inferno"
In a party statement, Sharon Loughran said she woke to the "smell and sound of an inferno" beside her house on Wednesday morning.
"I looked out the window to see my car parked in my driveway consumed by flames," she said.
"The heat was so much that the facia, pipes, electrics, and windows to my house have all been damaged by melting. My house is significantly damaged. I don't have electricity and can't use the water.
Police are treating the arson attack as a sectarian hate crime
"Ms Loughran said her house was previously targeted with sectarian graffiti but this latest attack is "a radical escalation of that intimidation".
"I had no involvement in politics before joining Aontú. I am paediatric nurse in Daisy Hill Hospital. I love my job and I am delighted to work for both communities," Ms Loughran continued.
"The only reason I got involved in politics was to stop the closure of key services in Daisy Hill Hospital and Aontú are very active on hospital campaigns around the country."
Ms Loughran said her house was previously targeted with sectarian graffiti
Appealing for community leaders to "bring about what influence to stop this shocking violence", Ms Loughran added: "I want to continue to work for my community. I have a human right to do so in peace."
Sinn Féin MP Mickey Brady said the attack "was a sinister act of intimidation which could have resulted in serious injury or worse",
"Sharon recently put herself before the people in the council elections and this action is an attack on the democratic process and the whole community and what makes this attack even more reprehensible is that Sharon is a health worker.
"All parties must stand united in condemning this appalling attack on Sharon and her family," he added.
Investigating officers have released details of a suspect who is approximately 5ft 10in tall, of slim build, wearing a light-coloured top and bottoms.
Police have appealed for anyone who may have been in the area, or who may have captured CCTV footage, to contact them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66176770 |
PMQs live: Oliver Dowden and Angela Rayner stand in again - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rishi Sunak is at the Nato summit, where he has been holding talks with Volodymyr Zelensky. | UK Politics | We're now closing our live coverage of Prime Minister's Questions - which saw Deputy PM Oliver Dowden and Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner trade criticism, claims and jibes about child poverty, mortgage costs and bringing inflation down.
You can read more about some of the key issues of the moment here:
• Mortgages to jump by £500 for a million households
• No decision yet on public sector pay rises - Sunak
Join us again next week. We're expecting PM Rishi Sunak to be back at the dispatch box. It will be the last PMQs before the summer recess, and will come a day before three by-elections - seen as an important indicator of the political mood in the country.
Today's page was written by Kate Whannel, Adam Durbin, Andre Rhoden-Paul, Chas Geiger and Ece Goksedef. It was edited by Dulcie Lee and myself, Heather Sharp. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-66174139 |
Revamped Burrell Collection wins Museum of the Year - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Glasgow attraction secured the £120,000 Art Fund award - the largest museum prize in the world. | Scotland | The Burrell Collection has won the prestigious award a year after it reopened
A recently refurbished Glasgow museum has won one of the world's most lucrative art prizes.
The Burrell Collection has been named the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, which comes with a £120,000 award.
The winner was announced by artist Sir Grayson Perry at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on Wednesday.
The Burrell beat Leighton House (London), The MAC (Belfast), Natural History Museum (London) and Scapa Flow Museum (Orkney) to the title.
The Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park houses the 9,000-object collection of Sir William and Constance Burrell.
The collection - which includes objects from Europe and Asia - was donated to Glasgow by Sir William in 1944.
Sir Hector Hetherington, former principal of Glasgow University, described the donation of the collection as "one of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world."
King Charles contemplated Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, one of the world's most recognisable sculptures when he officially reopened the collection
Managed by the charity Glasgow Life, it was officially reopened by King Charles in October 2022, almost four decades after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, first opened it.
The internationally renowned museum and gallery had been closed for a five-year £68.25m refurbishment.
The major redisplay aimed to celebrate diversity through the museum's rich and varied collection and create the most accessible, inclusive and sustainable fine and decorative arts museum in the world.
Duncan Dornan, head of museums and collections for Glasgow Life, was presented with the cash prize.
The museum sits in the landscape of Pollok Country Park
Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund and chair of the judges for the competition, said: "The Burrell Collection is extraordinary - a world-class collection displayed in an inspirational building, in harmony with the surrounding landscape of Pollok Park.
"Reopened in 2022, the sensitive renovation and collection redisplay invite exploration and delight, with innovative digital displays offering new ways of understanding the art and objects in the museum's light, welcoming spaces.
"All this was achieved with a strong shared purpose and with the involvement of local community groups in Glasgow."
Mary Beard, historian, broadcaster and fellow judge, called the collection "a treasure trove of objects", with everything from one of the UK's most important collections of Chinese art, to medieval tapestries and stained glass, and works of art by Rembrandt, Degas and more.
Since reopening, the Burrell Collection welcomed over 500,000 visitors and contributed an economic impact of £20m for Glasgow in its first six months.
The other four finalists, including Scapa Flow, were awarded £15,000.
Nick Hewitt, team leader for culture at Orkney islands Council, told BBC Radio Orkney that being on the shortlist had brought the museum national and international coverage.
Speaking from the ceremony in London he said: "We genuinely are thrilled to be here. It feels like we're all winners." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66001454 |
Italian uproar over judge's 10-second groping rule - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Young Italians object to the acquittal of a school caretaker who admitted groping a teenage student. | Europe | White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli was among those expressing their anger that "a brief grope, if it's under 10 seconds, isn't considered a crime"
Does it count as sexual harassment if an assault lasts less than 10 seconds?
Many young people in Italy are expressing outrage on social media, after a judge cleared a school caretaker of groping a teenager, because it did not last long enough.
She described walking up a staircase to class with a friend, when she felt her trousers fall down, a hand touching her buttocks and grabbing her underwear.
"Love, you know I was joking," the man told her when she turned around.
After the incident, which happened in April 2022, the student reported the caretaker, 66-year-old Antonio Avola, to police.
He admitted to groping the student without consent, but said it was a joke.
A Rome public prosecutor asked for a three-and-a-half year prison sentence but this week the caretaker was acquitted of sexual assault charges. According to the judges, what happened "does not constitute a crime" because it lasted less than 10 seconds.
Since the ruling, palpata breve - a brief groping - has become a trend on Instagram and TikTok in Italy, along with the #10secondi hashtag.
Italians have posted videos looking at the camera in silence and touching their intimate parts for 10 seconds straight.
Camilla posted this video referring to the caretaker's acquittal and the quote: "Groping lasted just 10 seconds"
The videos are often uncomfortable to watch but they have the aim of showing just how long 10 seconds can feel.
The first was posted by White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli, and since then thousands of people have followed suit.
Another video was reposted by Chiara Ferragni, Italy's most famous influencer who has 29.4 million followers on Instagram.
Another influencer, Francesco Cicconetti wrote on TikTok: "Who decides that 10 seconds is not a long time? Who times the seconds, while you're being harassed?"
"Men don't have the right to touch women's bodies, not even for a second - let alone 5 or 10."
He goes on to say that the judges' decision to acquit the caretaker shows just how normalised sexual harassment is in Italian society.
A post on the Freeda Instagram account says: "This sentence is absurd. The duration of the harassment should not diminish its severity."
But according to the judges, the caretaker did not linger. He groped the teenager only briefly, performing an "awkward manoeuvre without lust".
"The judges ruled that he was joking? Well, it was no joke to me," the student told Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"The caretaker came up from behind without saying anything. He put his hands down my trousers and inside my underwear.
"He groped my bottom. Then, he pulled me up - hurting my private parts. For me, this is not a joke. This is not how an old man should 'joke' with a teenager."
"That handful of seconds was more than enough for the caretaker to make me feel his hands on me."
She says she feels doubly betrayed - by her school and by the justice system.
"I'm starting to think I was wrong to trust the institutions. This is not justice."
The student fears the judges' ruling will deter girls and women from coming forward if they are subjected to such attacks.
Recent figures from the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) suggested that 70% of Italian woman who had suffered harassment between 2016 and 2021 did not report the incident.
"They will feel that reporting abuse is just not worth it. But it is important, because silence protects the aggressors." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66174352 |
Bank of England: We must see job through to cut inflation - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Andrew Bailey tells an audience at Mansion House that it is "crucial" inflation falls back to 2%. | Business | The governor of the Bank of England has said it is "crucial that we see the job through" to slow soaring prices in a speech to the world of finance.
Andrew Bailey said reducing inflation to 2% is "so important" as people "should trust that their hard-earned money maintains its value".
Currently, inflation, which is the rate prices rise at, is 8.7% - more than four times the Bank's target of 2%.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said government would work to cut inflation.
"We will do what is necessary for as long as necessary to tackle inflation persistence and bring it back to the 2% target," Mr Hunt said at the start of his first Mansion House speech as chancellor.
About 400 people from the financial and business industries attended the dinner at the 18th Century building, which is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London.
It comes at a time when businesses, as well as households, are being hit by higher costs due to inflation remaining stubbornly high in the UK.
Mr Hunt suggested companies should show restraint on profit margins, adding "margin recovery benefits no-one if it feeds inflation".
The Bank of England has steadily been increasing interest rates in a bid to combat inflation.
Its base rate - which has a direct effect on borrowing costs for things like mortgages and credit cards, but also influences savings rates - is now 5%, up from close to zero 18 months ago. Some analysts have predicted interest rates will peak at 6.5%, but some have said they may rise to as high as 7%.
The theory behind raising interest rates is that by making it more expensive for people to borrow money, and more worthwhile for people to save, people will spend less, which will in turn lead to price rises to slow.
Mr Bailey said in his speech to executives at the same Mansion House event "it is crucial that we see the job through, meet our mandate to return inflation to its 2% target, and provide the environment of price stability in which the UK economy can thrive".
He added that while the UK economy has failed to grow beyond its pre-pandemic level, there had been "unexpected resilience" in the face of external shocks, such as Covid and the war in Ukraine, with low levels of unemployment and avoiding a recession to date.
But the Bank of England's boss highlighted that "tightness" in the labour market, with many businesses struggling to find enough workers, has contributed to price inflation being "more sticky than previously expected".
"Both price and wage increases at current rates are not consistent with the inflation target," he added.
The Bank of England has previously warned big pay rises are contributing to the UK's still-high rates of inflation, but there have also been accusations that some sectors have been profiteering by overcharging customers.
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority revealed supermarkets had sought to increase profits from selling fuel, increasing their margins by 6p per litre on average between 2019 and 2022.
The chancellor said "delivering sound money is our number one focus", before he delivered his speech focusing on plans for pension fund reforms.
Mr Hunt pledged the plans could provide a £1,000-a-year pensions boost to the typical earner who starts saving at 18.
While UK pension pots are the largest in Europe, worth £2.5trn, defined contribution schemes currently invest 1% in unlisted equity, limiting returns for savers and funding for businesses, the Treasury has claimed.
The chancellor revealed an agreement with leading pensions firms to put 5% of their investments into early-stage businesses in the fintech, life sciences, biotech and clean technology sectors by 2030.
The so-called "Mansion House Compact" has been backed by Aviva, Scottish Widows, Legal & General, Aegon, Phoenix, NEST, Mercer, M&G and Smart Pension.
Ahead of the event, Mansion House organisers said talks had taken place about security at the venue over concerns of protests. A source told the BBC the event was not disrupted. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66152690 |
Ukraine war: Zelensky admits slow progress but says offensive is not a movie - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Speaking to the BBC, Ukraine's leader stresses that the counter-offensive is not a Hollywood movie. | Europe | Ukraine's leader said people's lives were at stake in the counter-offensive
President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged battlefield progress has been "slower than desired", weeks into Ukraine's military offensive to recapture areas occupied by Russia.
"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," he told the BBC.
Ukraine says its counter-offensive has reclaimed eight villages so far in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk to the east.
Mr Zelensky said the military push was not going easily because 200,000 sq km (77,220 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russian forces.
"Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us, with all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best," Mr Zelensky added.
He reinforced the need for Ukraine to be given security guarantees from Nato but said ultimately the goal was membership of the defensive alliance.
Nato's secretary general made clear this week that no plan was on the table to issue an invitation to Ukraine at next month's summit in Lithuania.
"[Jens] Stoltenberg knows my position," the Ukrainian leader said "We've told them numerous times: 'Don't knock the ground from under our feet.'"
The Ukrainian leader again made the case for Ukraine to receive US-made F-16s and said he believed fighter pilots could start training as soon as August, and that the first jets could arrive in six or seven months' time.
Mr Zelensky was speaking to the BBC to mark a Ukraine Recovery Conference in London focusing on the role the private sector can play in rebuilding his country. He later spoke at the conference, along with UK PM Rishi Sunak.
Ukraine's economy shrank by 29.2% in 2022 and earlier this year the World Bank estimated the cost of reconstruction and recovery at $411bn (£339bn).
The Ukrainian leader told the BBC that the support he needed was not just for recovery but for transformation as well.
He said "quick steps" to be done immediately included finding places for people to live, rebuilding the destroyed Kakhovka dam and decentralising the energy network.
"But on the larger scale we are speaking about the transformation of Ukraine," he explained. "This is Ukraine not only with its energy and agriculture and industrial complexes, but with its reforms we can see."
He spoke of "the digitilisation of Ukraine" as well as judicial and anti-corruption reforms.
When I asked him what the endgame of the war looked like at this stage, he made clear that "victories on the battlefield are necessary" and that Ukraine would never sit down with whoever was president in Moscow, if Russia remained on Ukraine's territory.
"No matter how far we advance in our counter-offensive, we will not agree to a frozen conflict because that is war, that is a prospectless development for Ukraine."
Russia announced a few days ago that it had moved tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus and President Joe Biden has warned that the threat of Vladimir Putin using them is real.
So I asked Mr Zelensky if he was worried by that threat.
"Putin has been dangerous for us since 2014 when he occupied the first of our territories," he said.
"He will talk about the use of nuclear weapons, I don't think he is ready to do it because he is scared for his life, he loves it a lot. But there is no way I could say for sure, especially about a person with no ties to reality, who in the 21st Century, launched a full-scale war against their neighbour."
I also asked for his reaction to President Putin telling an international conference in St Petersburg last week that he was a disgrace to the Jewish people. Mr Zelensky lost many of his relatives in the Holocaust, including his grandfather, and it was clear that he was taken by surprise by the question.
He took a deep breath, put his head down and a few seconds later said he wasn't quite sure how to answer the question.
"It's like he doesn't fully understand his words. Apologies, but it's like he is the second king of antisemitism after Hitler.
"This is a president speaking. A civilised world cannot speak that way. But it was important for me to hear the reaction of the world and I am grateful for the support." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65971790 |
What's next in BBC presenter claims? - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | The BBC still has questions to answer after lawyers representing the young person at the centre of the allegations disputed the mother’s account. | null | The BBC still has many questions to answer after lawyers representing the young person at the centre of the allegations disputed the mother’s account.
In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer makes claims that throw doubt on the story that has dominated front pages through the weekend, but with the BBC facing the media as it presents its annual report, the corporation's director general can expect the event to be dominated by the crisis. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66158050 |
Far-right Finnish leader Riikka Purra sorry in racist posts uproar - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Riikka Purra admits making the comments in 2008, while the PM vows no tolerance of racism. | Europe | Riikka Purra led the Finns Party to second place in April elections and her party now controls key ministries
Finland's far-right finance minister, Riikka Purra, has apologised for a string of racist comments she posted 15 years ago that have just come to light.
Describing the posts as "stupid", she said she was sorry for the harm and resentment they had caused.
Ms Purra's Finns Party secured high-profile cabinet posts in the new government of conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
But in only three weeks it has been beset with accusations.
It is not a good look for a government that has barely got to grips with office, and for a prime minister who is due to welcome US President Joe Biden to Helsinki on Thursday.
President Sauli Niinisto, who was attending the Nato summit in Lithuania, suggested it would be wise for the new government to "take a clear stance of zero tolerance of racism" which was soon forthcoming.
Mr Orpo made clear on social media there was "zero tolerance for racism" and each of the government's ministers were committed to working against racism at home and abroad.
"I'm not a perfect person, I've made mistakes," said Ms Purra on Twitter. She also co-signed a government statement with Mr Orpo and two other coalition party leaders assuring Finns that the entire cabinet was committed to equality and non-discrimination.
Riikka Purra (left) has joined the prime minister (second right) and two other coalition party leaders in signing a statement on zero tolerance of racism
Her anti-immigration, Eurosceptic Finns Party narrowly won second place in April elections, their best-ever result, finishing behind Mr Orpo's National Coalition Party. As well as taking up the post of finance minister she is also Finland's deputy prime minister.
But it was a series of racist comments made on a party colleague's blog in 2008 that have stirred controversy, written under the username "riikka" and uncovered by Finnish media.
One written on 25 September 2008 complained of young people of immigrant origin on a train: "If they gave me a gun, there'd be bodies on a commuter train, you see."
She also referred to "Turkish monkeys" and then made a racial slur about black street hawkers selling "fake Vuittons" while she attended a conference in Spain: "Greetings from Barcelona, there is no 'alarming immigration problem' to be seen here."
Initially she did not confirm the comments were hers but did point out that the comments had been written years before she entered politics. Accepting that she had written and said "stupid or absurd" things, she was adamant that "in this position, stage of life and age, I would not write anything like that".
By Tuesday afternoon she had admitted the comments were hers but made clear they were 15 years old: "I do not accept any kind of violence, racism or discrimination."
She became leader of the Finns Party, pushing their support to 20.1% of the electorate, after predecessor Jussi Halla-aho stepped down.
He is now speaker of parliament. It was his own blogging in 2008, including racist remarks about Islam and Somalis, that led to his resignation from a parliamentary committee in 2012.
Riikka Purra's racist past is the most serious threat to Finland's young government so far - though is not the only scandal.
At the end of June, her party colleague Vilhelm Junnila was forced to resign as economy minister for making references to Adolf Hitler at a far-right event in 2019 and for references to abortions in Africa.
Last week, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen - who is in the same party as Ms Purra - made clear she did not subscribe to conspiracy theories, after media reports alleged she believed Finns were being replaced by other races.
The Orpo-led coalition is made up of four parties. They have promised Finns they will lower government debt and tighten immigration rules on citizenship and residence permits. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66166795 |
BBC presenter: What questions still remain? - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | Ros Atkins takes a look at what we do and do not know about the BBC presenter row. | null | Claims relating to allegations about an unnamed BBC presenter have been dominating the headlines after the Sun newspaper reported that the presenter was alleged to have paid someone for sexually explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.
On Monday, that young person's lawyer said nothing inappropriate or unlawful had taken place.
Ros Atkins explains what we do and do not know about how the BBC's handling of the complaint and what might happen next. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66162767 |
Nato summit: Allies refuse to give Ukraine timeframe on joining - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The alliance says Kyiv can join "when conditions are met" as President Zelensky criticises "absurd" delay. | Europe | Mr Zelensky holding a Ukrainian flag from the destroyed city of Bakhmut
Nato states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance "when allies agree and conditions are met" after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the "absurd" delay to accession.
In a communique, Nato said it recognised the need to move faster but would not be drawn on a timeframe.
Earlier Mr Zelensky said there seemed to be "no readiness" to invite Ukraine to Nato or make it a member.
He is now in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where the summit is happening.
Kyiv accepts it cannot join Nato while it is at war with Russia but wants to join as soon as possible after fighting ends.
But Mr Zelensky, tweeting before Mr Stoltenberg's comments, said that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant his country's eventual membership could become a bargaining chip.
"A window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia. Uncertainty is weakness," he said.
Nato might not have said when and how Ukraine might join the alliance. But diplomats emphasised that they had set out a clearer path to membership, and the onerous application process had been shortened significantly.
The alliance had recognised Ukraine's army was increasingly "interoperable" and more "politically integrated" with Nato forces and it would continue to support reforms to Ukraine's democracy and security sector.
Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.
But the decision to give no sense of timescale will be seen as a setback for Ukraine.
Even though such detail was always unlikely, Mr Zelensky's decision to say the absence of a timetable was "absurd" only emphasised his diplomatic failure.
Some member states fear near-automatic membership for Ukraine could give Russia an incentive to both escalate and prolong the war.
The focus now will move to what long-term security guarantees Nato members will promise Ukraine as an alternative to early membership.
In the past, Western security pledges failed to deter two Russian invasions. Nato allies hope a third round will be robust and explicit enough to persuade the Kremlin that further aggression would be too costly.
Addressing crowds in Vilnius later, Mr Zelensky said: "Nato will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger."
Mr Zelensky also presented a battle flag from the destroyed city of Bakhmut - the site of the longest, and possibly bloodiest, battle in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Vilnius summit comes a day after Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden joining the military alliance.
Turkey had previously spent months blocking Sweden's application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. The country will now become the alliance's 32nd member after Finland - which borders Russia, joined in April.
Both countries announced their intention to join Nato after Russia invaded Ukraine.
A series of military packages for Ukraine were also announced at the summit on Tuesday.
A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets at a centre to be set up in Romania in August, officials said.
In May the US gave the go-ahead for its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced jets, including the long sought F-16s - a significant upgrade on the Soviet-era planes it is currently using.
Ukraine had repeatedly lobbied its Western allies to provide jets to help with its recently-begun counter-offensive aiming to retake territory seized by Russia.
However experts say the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly and operate Western jets will take some time.
Meanwhile Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow would be forced to use "similar" weapons if the US supplied controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine.
The weapons release bomblets over a wide area and are banned by more than 100 countries over their impact on civilians.
Mr Shoigu said Russia had similar cluster weapons but had so far refrained from using them.
Rights groups say Russia and Ukraine have already used cluster munitions during the 17 months of war since Russia invaded last February. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66167616 |
Taylor Swift: Disabled fans struggle to get Eras Tour Wembley tickets - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Wembley Stadium says the demand for accessible tickets has been "unprecedented". | Newsbeat | Taylor Swift is heading to the UK next year on a stadium tour
Tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour are the most in demand in the UK right now.
But for disabled fans trying to grab a place for shows at Wembley Stadium, it's been an even tougher experience.
Accessibility places for the shows there aren't sold by Ticketmaster, with people needing to call the venue directly.
Complaints include being kept on hold for several hours, with some people saying they were unable to get tickets.
Wembley Stadium has told BBC Newsbeat that demand for tickets has been "unprecedented" and that waiting times were longer than usual.
Saryna Glazebrook says she called over 200 times to get on to the access line.
The 22-year-old, who has Ehlers Danlos syndrome, describes the experience as "frustrating" and feels it shouldn't be so hard for disabled fans to get tickets.
"I know getting tickets for this show and tour is going to be difficult, but having thousands of disabled people and one phone line just puts about 20 more hurdles in front of us," she says.
"Especially because I've bought accessible tickets online before."
Eventually, Saryna says she was told by another fan to call Wembley's hospitality line and ask to be transferred - though she says not all fans were put through.
Saryna's condition means she needs a ticket for her companion.
"I need someone with me at every point, especially when I leave the house," she says.
"Because alongside my physical disabilities, I also have tendencies of blacking out, forgetting where I am and getting overwhelmed very easily.
"It's really helpful as well being able to sit in a space that doesn't require a lot of stairs or a lot of walking to get there."
India works as a commissioning coordinator at the BBC but is also a massive Swiftie
For 27-year-old India, who is the creator of the Swifties with Disabilities Network, it took two days of trying before she was able to get tickets.
"I need accessibility requirements because I have cerebral palsy, a disability from birth, so I struggle with balance," she says.
She also tried to get tickets through Ticketmaster, but says she wouldn't have been able to sit in the seats they were selling.
"Without the disabled options I pretty much have no options," she says.
Ticketmaster are selling accessibility tickets for the shows in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
India says she's disappointed disabled fans have had to buy tickets over the phone for Wembley.
"I just feel really disheartened because I'm lucky enough to have had a connection with Taylor Swift over the years.
"She's been really generous to me as a person. And I know she'd hate this.
"She'd be really disheartened that disabled people have basically just been excluded because the phone lines aren't adequate."
A Wembley Stadium spokesperson added: "For those customers unable to wait on the phone we have a call-back system in place which can be accessed via our website."
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66166012 |
Iowa's Republican legislature passes six-week abortion ban - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Iowa joins several other Midwest states in bringing new restrictions since Roe V Wade was overturned. | US & Canada | Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will sign the bill into law on Friday.
Iowa's Republican-led legislature has passed a bill banning most abortions after six weeks.
Both the state's Senate and House passed the legislation on Tuesday night after Republican Governor Kim Reynolds called for a rare special session to hold a vote on the restrictions.
The bill is expected to face legal challenges.
In a statement after it passed, Gov Reynolds said the Iowa legislature had voted to "protect life".
"Justice for the unborn should not be delayed," she said.
The bill blocks most abortions after early signs of cardiac activity can be detected in a foetus or embryo - around six weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.
It includes some exceptions for cases of rape, incest and foetal abnormalities, as well as when the mother's life is in danger.
It would go into effect as soon as Gov Reynolds signs it on Friday unless it is blocked by a court.
Abortions are currently allowed through to 20 weeks of pregnancy in Iowa.
Iowa is set to join a growing group of Midwestern states that have enacted abortion restrictions since the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, including neighbouring states of Missouri and South Dakota.
Last summer, that US Supreme Court ruling ended the constitutional right to an abortion, paving the way for individual states to ban the procedure or bring in new restrictions.
The Tuesday vote sparked protests at the Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines. Several demonstrators were escorted out of the building by state troopers after they screamed profanities at Republican lawmakers, according to local outlet Des Moines Register.
The legislation is nearly identical to a six-week abortion ban that the Iowa legislature passed in 2018, which was blocked by the state's supreme court in June.
The vote on the abortion bill sparked a heated debate on Tuesday, with Democrats lambasting the bill and Republican lawmakers defending it.
Ruth Richardson, president of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said this week the organisation will challenge the new law in court. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66178728 |
The Anthropocene: Canadian lake mud 'symbolic of human changes to Earth' - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Scientists want to use sediments in Crawford Lake as a signifier for a new epoch in geological time. | Science & Environment | Crawford Lake is a limestone sinkhole that has filled with water
Crawford Lake, a small body of water in Ontario, Canada, is being put forward as the location that best records humanity's impacts on Earth.
Scientists are trying to define a new geological time period to recognise the changes we've made to the planet, and Crawford is their model example.
Its sediments have captured fallout from intense fossil fuel burning, and even the plutonium from bomb tests.
The muds would be symbolic of the onset of a proposed Anthropocene Epoch.
Researchers want to acknowledge their significance by making them a "golden spike", or more properly a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point.
Other great transitions in geological time are associated with a GSSP. Often, it's literally a brass nail hammered into some cliff face deemed to be of major scientific importance.
But for Crawford, it would be a brass plaque next to a frozen section of the sediments, kept in a museum in the Canadian capital, Ottawa.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "1950 is right around here": Watch Brock University's Francine McCarthy describe the layers in the "dirty lollipop" (Video courtesy of TheAnthropocene.org)
"Crawford is just brilliant for this," explained Dr Simon Turner from University College London.
"A core from its bottom muds looks like a massive dirty lollipop, but it contains these beautiful, annually laminated sediments.
"Those annual layers record fossil fuel combustion products, plutonium, changes in geochemistry, changes in micro-ecology - all the sorts of things that chart environmental change," the secretary to the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) told BBC News.
The post-war nuclear tests spread plutonium around the globe
You may have seen the famous Chronostratigraphic Chart featured in textbooks and on school classroom walls, detailing the 4.6-billion-year history of Earth.
Its blocks of time - like Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous - trip off the tongue.
We currently live in the Holocene Epoch, which covers the time from the end of the last ice age, 11,700 years ago.
Drilling through the ice-covered lake to recover its bottom muds
It's been the job of the AWG for the past decade to try to establish whether or not the chart should be updated.
On this question, the AWG is convinced the case has been made. A formal start date has also been identified - the 1950s.
This decade marks the beginning of the "Great Acceleration", when the human population and its consumption patterns suddenly speeded up. It coincides with the spread of ubiquitous "techno materials", such as aluminium, concrete and plastic.
In Crawford's sediments, scientists are able to detect the quickening, year on year.
In warm summer months, the growth of algae prompts the lake water to produce tiny chalk crystals (calcite) that fall to the lake bottom as a white layer; in cold winter months, the algae and other organisms die back and their organic matter settles out as a brown/black layer.
But captured within these light-dark bands are the broader environmental changes around the lake.
It's almost as if the scientists are reading a barcode at a supermarket check-out.
"We see these spheroidal carbonaceous particles - 'fly ash' - that are produced by the very high temperature combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal," said Prof Francine McCarthy from Brock University in St Catharines, Ontario.
"And the reason, of course, for the increase in these SCPs is that just a few 10s of km up wind from Crawford is the largest industrial city in Canada, Hamilton, where steel mills had been operating through most of the 20th Century and into the present day."
Another key marker - indeed, the primary marker - is plutonium.
Samples of the Crawford muds were sent to the UK earlier this year to try to determine where exactly in the muddy layers the presence of the radioactive element first appears and then ticks upward.
"We see plutonium in sediments and other materials from about 1945 onwards, relating to the atomic weapons testing programme. But really the point at which plutonium deposition went global was following high-yield thermonuclear bomb tests, starting in 1952," said Prof Andrew Cundy.
"One of the plutonium isotopes we're looking at has a half-life of 24,000 years, so it will be visible in the sediments for at least 100,000 years. Beyond that, the SCPs will still be detectable," the University of Southampton scientist told BBC News.
Samples sent to Southampton will show when the plutonium signal first appears
The AWG wants to pick a specific year for the start of the Anthropocene Epoch, and the Southampton tests will influence this decision.
It's an extraordinary idea that geologists many millennia from now could be studying today's sediments to understand the profound changes earlier humans had imposed on Planet Earth.
But this is how stratigraphy - the study of layered deposits through time - is done.
The proposed change to the Chronostratigraphic Chart: Epochs are sub-divided into Ages, or Stages. The first Age of the Anthropocene may well be called the Crawfordian after the lake
Take for example Munsley Bog on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.
There, if you pick the right place in the soggy ground, it's possible to pull up mud layers that record the last great epochal transition - from the Pleistocene into the Holocene.
Traces of pollen track the loss of Arctic-Alpine plants and the invasion of birch and willow, as Northern European glaciers receded and temperatures rose.
"When we look back, what we are learning is that some of these transitions can be really quick, in just 30 or 40 years; so within a generation," explained Prof Sabine Wulf from the University of Portsmouth.
The AWG will present its recommendations on establishing a new epoch to the wider geological community later this year. Ultimately, it will be up to the International Commission on Stratigraphy as to whether it wants to update that famous chart of Earth history. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66132769 |
Jens Stoltenberg to stay as Nato chief for another year - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Nato's decision suggests it wants continuity and experience as the war in Ukraine continues. | World | The head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, is to stay on for another year after his contract was extended again.
Mr Stoltenberg's time as secretary general was due to end in October, but the 31 Nato states decided to keep him on rather than opting for someone new.
His term had already been extended three times - and this news means he will complete a decade at the helm.
Other names had been mooted, but the decision suggests Nato wants continuity and experience amid the war in Ukraine.
Mr Stoltenberg, 64, welcomed the news, tweeting: "Honoured by Nato allies' decision to extend my term as secretary general until 1 October 2024.
"In a more dangerous world, our alliance is more important than ever."
Nato - the West's defensive military alliance - has 31 members who agree to help one another if they come under attack.
Norwegian-born Mr Stoltenberg, an economist and former prime minister, is seen as a steady leader, and the announcement comes just a week before the next major Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Several member states, including the US, were thought to have privately been lobbying Mr Stoltenberg to stay on - although US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country was not "promoting any particular candidate".
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had been one of the contenders, previously saying he thought the role would be a "good job" and one he would like.
He proved popular with a number of countries on the alliance's eastern flank because of his leadership in supplying weapons to Ukraine.
But despite his obvious enthusiasm to succeed, Mr Wallace appeared to have failed to get the backing of key allies.
Another contender for the role had been Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who would have been the first female Nato chief.
Fluent English-speaker who grew up partly in Yugoslavia, where his father was Norwegian ambassador
Married to Norwegian diplomat Ingrid Schulerud, with two grown-up children
Leader of Nato since 2014, just months after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has re-focused diplomatic attention on Nato's role in the 21st Century and whether it can deter Russian aggression.
The alliance approved its 31st member - Finland - last year. Sweden has also applied to join, but Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved its entry.
Nato was formed in 1949 by 12 countries and its original goal was to challenge Soviet expansion in Europe after World War Two.
More recently, Russia has used the expansion of Nato as a pretext for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is not a member, but Mr Stoltenberg has consistently said Kyiv will join Nato in the medium term once the Russian invasion is over.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was disappointed his country had not been invited to join Nato at next month's summit in Vilnius, adding that Ukraine would be the strongest member of Nato's eastern flank. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66095958 |
Record pay rises fuel fresh inflation fears - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Wages continue to rise strongly, raising the prospect of more interest rate rises by the Bank of England. | Business | UK wages have risen at a record annual pace fuelling fears that inflation will stay high for longer.
Regular pay grew by 7.3% in the March to May period from a year earlier, official figures showed, equalling the highest growth rate last month.
However, despite the record increase, pay rises still lag behind inflation - the rate at which prices go up.
The pace of wage rises has come under increasing focus by the Bank of England as it tries to control inflation.
The Bank has raised interest rates 13 times in a row in an attempt to reduce the rate of inflation, but it has remained stubbornly high.
It currently stands at 8.7%, well above the Bank's target of 2%.
The concern is that strong wage growth will increase costs faced by companies and force them to push up prices for their goods even higher.
On Monday, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, said reducing inflation is "so important" as people "should trust that their hard-earned money maintains its value".
While pay is growing at record rates, it is still not increasing fast enough to keep up with rising prices in the shops. Regular pay fell by 0.8% after the effect of inflation was taken into account.
The latest wage figures were higher than expected and Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, said this "won't ease the Bank of England's inflation fears significantly".
Last month, the Bank of England raised interest rates by more than expected, lifting its key rate to 5% from 4.5%.
Mr Webb said that while he expected the Bank to push rates to 5.25% at its next meeting in August, he added "we can't rule out" an increase to 5.5%, saying "much will depend" on next week's inflation figure.
Deutsche Bank said that an increase in rates to 5.5% next month "now looks more likely than not".
Forecasts of more rate rises by the Bank have helped to push mortgage costs to their highest level for 15 years.
In January, when the UK's inflation rate was above 10%, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to halve it by the end of the year.
Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told the BBC's Today programme that while forecasts still suggest that would happen, "it is not going to be easy".
The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed:
There are indications that what is called "tightness" in the labour market - where there are too few workers to fit the jobs available - is starting to ease.
However, business groups have continued to stress the difficulty of finding the right workers, despite the slight rise in unemployment and fewer vacancies.
The government is now offering all workers a "Midlife MOT" on their careers to help those in their mid-40s and above to retrain.
The ONS data showed that pay rises were highest for those in better paid sectors such as finance, and were lower in retail.
The most up-to-date figures for just the month of May seem to show wage rises beginning to slow. This raises the possibility that pay increases have now peaked, which could lead to a calmer path for inflation.
Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, said that while wage costs remain "very acute" for companies there were some "hopeful signs" in the latest ONS figures, "with the number of vacancies falling and more people coming out of inactivity back into the labour market".
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said: "Our jobs market is strong with unemployment low by historical standards. But we still have around one million job vacancies, pushing up inflation even further."
Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the figures were "another dismal reflection of the Tories' mismanagement of the economy".
"Britain is the only G7 country with a lower employment rate than before the pandemic and real wages have fallen yet again," he added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66156713 |
Ex-Manson follower Leslie Van Houten released from prison after 53 years - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Charles Manson cult follower Leslie Van Houten was convicted in the 1969 murder of a California couple. | US & Canada | California's governor had blocked previous bids to release Leslie Van Houten (right)
Leslie Van Houten, a former follower of notorious cult leader Charles Manson, has been released on parole after serving more than five decades of a life sentence for two brutal murders.
Van Houten, 73, was a 19-year old member of the "Manson family" when she took part in the murder of a Los Angeles grocer and his wife in 1969.
Five previous bids for her parole were blocked by California's governors.
That decision was later reversed by a state appeals court.
A former homecoming queen, Van Houten was the youngest Manson follower to be convicted of murder for her role in the death of a California grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.
During the killings - which took place just days after the murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others - Van Houten held down Rosemary LaBianca while someone else stabbed her. She later also admitted that she stabbed the woman after she was dead.
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Van Houten's lawyer, Nancy Tetreault, told the BBC that she left a women's prison in California early on Tuesday morning and was likely to be on parole for three years.
"She had a long job of detaching herself from the cult mentality and accepting responsibility for her crimes" Ms Tetreault said. "It took her a long time. She had decades of therapy. So she felt guilt and deep remorse."
Charles Manson, considered one of America's most notorious cult leaders, directed his followers to commit nine murders and hoped the killings would start a race war, called "Helter Skelter" after a famous song by the Beatles. He died in prison in 2017.
Following her life sentence, Van Houten earned both a bachelors and masters degree while in prison, where she also worked as a tutor for other inmates.
After being denied parole dozens of times during her incarceration, Van Houten was finally recommended for parole in 2016. But the recommendations were rejected by California Governor Gavin Newsom and his predecessor, Jerry Brown.
The last time she was blocked from parole, in 2020, was ultimately overruled by a California appeals court.
On 8 July, however, Mr Newsom said that he would not block her parole this time, paving the way for her release on Tuesday.
In a statement last week, the governor said he remained disappointed at her release, which he said was unlikely to be heard by California's Supreme Court if the legal battle continued.
"More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims' families still feel the impact," the statement said.
Leslie Van Houten (right) was the youngest Manson follower to be convicted of murder for her role in the death of Leno LaBianca
Now out of prison, Van Houten is expected to spend about a year at a halfway house, where her lawyer said she would need to learn to navigate a reality much different to when she first was put behind bars.
"She has to learn to use the internet. She has to learn to buy things without cash," Ms Tetreault told the AP. "It's a very different world than when she went in."
In repeated parole hearings, Van Houten expressed regret for her role in the killings and involvement with Manson, later acknowledging that she had let him overpower her "individual thinking".
"I bought into it lock, stock and barrel," she said of his beliefs in a 2002 parole hearing. "I took it at face value". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66171806 |
BBC presenter row: Jeremy Vine says unnamed BBC presenter could be sacked - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Radio 2 host says fresh claims meant the presenter "needs to come forward now". | Entertainment & Arts | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC presenter 'needs to come forward now', says Vine
The presenter at the centre of claims about his private life could be sacked now that fresh allegations have been made, Jeremy Vine has said.
But Vine - unconnected to the claims - said even if the presenter was sacked he would still not be named by the BBC and urged him to name himself.
The BBC and the Sun published new claims following the original allegation that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos.
The BBC has suspended the presenter.
Appearing on his programme on Channel Five on Wednesday, Vine, who also hosts a programme on BBC Radio 2, said allegations had reached a "dangerous point" for the presenter.
"Look at the damage to the BBC, look at the damage to his friends," Vine said.
He added: "The idea that he could just remain anonymous forever, and then walk back into the building with his ID pass? Oh no, that's not going to happen."
The initial allegations, first reported by the Sun on Friday, were that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.
The paper quoted a mother as saying her child, now 20, had used the money paid for explicit photos to fund a crack cocaine habit, and she was worried they could "wind up dead".
A lawyer for the young person has since said the accusations were "rubbish" but the family are standing by the account.
The Sun declined a request from BBC News for an interview with a representative, and did not answer a series of questions about the story, including what evidence it had seen for the claims.
The presenter is not being named because of concerns about defamation and breaching his privacy.
On Tuesday, the BBC published an investigation in which an individual in their 20s said they said were sent abusive and menacing messages by the presenter.
The Sun then published another story claiming the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules in February 2021 to meet a 23-year-old he had met on a dating site, and sent what they described as "quite pressurising" messages.
It said it had seen messages suggesting that as well as visiting the 23-year-old's home, he sent money and asked for a photo. He was sent a semi-naked photograph.
The Sun has also published what it says is an Instagram chat between the presenter and a 17-year-old, where the presenter sent messages including love heart emojis.
The BBC has not been able to verify these messages.
Vine is one of several high-profile stars at the corporation who say they have been falsely accused of being the presenter at the centre of the claims by people on social media.
He told viewers the presenter's name not being public could risk the safety of other presenters.
He spoke of his wife worrying about him going to a Bruce Springsteen concert at the weekend. "She gave me a baseball cap, and said 'you'd better wear this," he said.
Vine said on the programme that he knows the presenter concerned but had not spoken to him.
"I am very worried about his state of mind," he said. "And what this is doing to him. I haven't spoken to him but I gather from somebody who has that he is described as angry and keen to play long."
Vine said that it was possible that the presenter was in "some sort of terrible crisis where they've been unable to judge what's right and what's wrong anymore" - but the longer he remained anonymous, the worse it would be for him.
"I think this is very very dangerous point for the presenter," he said.
"You could almost say anything about the person... if this [story] isn't closed off."
Vine cited the case of Carl Beech - a notorious fantasist behind false allegations of a VIP paedophile abuse ring in the heart of government who was subsequently jailed.
"We will have a Carl Beech figure arrive without a doubt, and you will have some extraordinary, untrue allegation which won't be answered."
He added the recent additional allegations made him think BBC director general Tim Davie "could sack him".
Speaking to a reporter following his show, Vine said: "I never, ever want to go through this again. We are all waiting. We are all just waiting to play itself out."
Following a virtual meeting between corporation executives and detectives on Monday the BBC was asked to suspend its internal investigation into the matter.
The Met Police said it was reviewing the claims "to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed".
If the presenter obtained sexually explicit images of a young person when the young person was under 18, that could be investigated as a possible criminal offence.
A police force has confirmed it was contacted by the family in April and that "no criminality was identified".
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66164548 |
Boris Johnson early Covid WhatsApps still not passed to inquiry - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The government had until 16.00 BST on Monday to hand over the ex-PM's messages to the Covid inquiry. | UK Politics | WhatsApp messages sent to and by Boris Johnson before May 2021 have still not been handed over to the Covid inquiry, because they are stuck on his phone.
The government had until 16.00 BST on Monday to hand over relevant material to the inquiry after the Cabinet Office lost a legal challenge.
But the BBC understands neither the government nor Mr Johnson's team can access messages on the phone.
The phone, which Mr Johnson used until May 2021, is with the ex-PM's lawyers.
It has prompted Whitehall officials to formally notify the inquiry why they have not yet been able to send them the correspondence.
Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett had requested access to WhatsApp messages on Mr Johnson's devices from a group chat set up to discuss the pandemic response.
She also asked to see WhatsApp messages he exchanged with a host of politicians, including then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, as well as various civil servants, including the UK's top civil servant Simon Case.
But the former PM's WhatsApp messages are held on a mobile phone which has been turned off and securely locked away since May 2021, due to a security breach.
Mr Johnson was forced to change his mobile phone in 2021 after it emerged his number had been publicly available online for 15 years.
The rest of the messages the High Court ruled should be shared with the inquiry were sent on Monday morning.
BBC political editor Chris Mason says there is widespread irritation within government at the failure to comply with the inquiry's demand to be sent Mr Johnson's messages. Access to a mobile phone conventionally requires knowledge of a passcode - which only the phone's owner would normally know.
Mr Johnson's phone - which he used during crucial periods of the Covid pandemic - is currently with his lawyers.
The BBC understands government officials have attempted to help Mr Johnson access the data on the phone, while in the company of his representatives.
But the phone has never been in the sole possession of the government, as it belongs to Mr Johnson.
Mr Johnson's team say "he will be happy to disclose any relevant material to the inquiry when it is accessible" and insist "full cooperation is underway".
The government had attempted to block an order by inquiry chair Baroness Hallett to have access to Mr Johnson's WhatsApps, diaries and notebooks in full.
In an unprecedented step, the government launched a judicial review of the order. But the High Court rejected the government's argument, ruling inquiries should be allowed to "fish" for documents.
Mr Johnson said he was "more than happy" for the inquiry to see his unredacted messages. The former prime minister previously said he had handed over WhatsApp messages, diaries and personal notebooks to the Cabinet Office in unredacted form. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66165001 |
Last Ukrainian refugees leave Edinburgh cruise ship - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | Ukrainian refugees living on a cruise ship in Leith have been moved into new accommodation. | null | Ukrainian refugees living on a cruise ship in Leith have been moved into new accommodation.
More than 1,000 Ukrainian refugees had been housed on the MS Victoria however, the Scottish government’s contract with Forth Ports ended on Tuesday.
A lack of sufficient accommodation meant that not all people on board could stay in Edinburgh.
People without a home to move to will be temporarily housed in hotels, supported by the Scottish government.
One of the residents, Natalia Pidruchna, told BBC Scotland how she was feeling about the move. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66171006 |
Iceland volcano: Lava bursts through ground after intense earthquakes - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | An eruption has sent lava and smoke pouring on the Reykjanes peninsula following intense earthquake activity in the area. | null | A volcanic eruption has sent lava and smoke pouring out of the side of Mount Fagradalsfjall, near Iceland's capital Reykjavik.
It comes after intense earthquake activity in the area. Local authorities said on Monday there was no imminent hazard to people in the region.
The volcano is located in the country's southwest, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is known to be a seismic hotspot.
Domestic flights were delayed after the eruption created a plume of smoke over the road connecting the capital to the country's largest airport. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66161173 |
South China Sea: Philippines to allow Barbie movie but wants map blurred - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Philippine censors said they were convinced the "cartoonish" map did not depict the nine-dash line. | Asia | Margot Robbie plays the lead in the Barbie movie
The Philippines has requested that a controversial map in the new Barbie movie be blurred, but it will allow the film to be screened.
The production was banned in Vietnam for allegedly showing the nine-dash line on a map.
The line is significant as it is used by China to assert its internationally rejected claims in the South China Sea.
But Philippines censors said they were convinced the map was just "cartoonish".
The Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board said it reviewed the movie twice, and consulted both foreign affairs officials and legal experts.
It said it was convinced that the cartoon was, in fact, a "make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the 'real world'", which was an "integral part of the story".
The board added that the dashed lines drawn in a "child-like manner" were on several locations on the map, which it identified as Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia. But it noted only eight of those dashes were around the landmass labelled "Asia".
It also added that the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are not visible on the map in a letter shared with reporters.
"This is in stark contrast to the maps found in the banned films 'Abominable (2019)' and 'Uncharted (2022)'," the letter read.
But it issued a stern warning to filmmakers, saying it would "not hesitate to sanction and/or ban films that exhibit 'the nine-dash-line'".
Last week, Warner Bros studio defended the scene, and said the map was a "child-like" drawing with no intended significance.
China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims in the South China Sea.
In recent years, Beijing has built military bases on artificial islands in the area, and often conducts naval patrols there in a bid to assert its territorial claims.
In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled against Chinese claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing did not recognise the judgement.
The approval of the movie coincided with the seven year anniversary of that ruling.
The fantasy film about the famous doll is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. It is set to open in the Philippines on 19 July. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66173164 |
Airport drop-off fees soar by nearly a third - RAC - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Eight major UK airports have increased fees for drivers to drop off passengers, according to new data. | Business | Airport drop-off charges for drivers have increased by almost a third at UK airports over the past year, according to the RAC.
These are initial fees charged for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible.
The biggest hikes in so-called kiss and fly charges are at Southampton and Belfast International, the RAC found.
Airports argue the higher fees are to deter drivers from lingering around and help to keep flight costs down.
The Airport Operators Association, which represents airports in the UK, told the BBC the increased revenue helped "keep charges to airlines lower" and helped "maximise the range of flights that can be offered to all passengers".
Short-stay parking areas around terminals usually have barriers for entry and exit. Drivers have to buy a ticket to get in and pay for the time they stay to get out.
Southampton International airport raised its fee from £4 to £6 for 20 minutes while Belfast International has hiked prices from £1 to £3 for 10 minutes.
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which owns and operates Southampton, said the funds received through higher charges were important in "supporting the airport's operational costs, which have increased significantly".
Belfast said the higher charges would be used to fund a "wider capital investment programme". The airport is due to begin the construction of a new £20m security building.
The airport with the highest minimum payment is Stansted where the fee is £7 for 15 minutes, but other airports charge £5 for just five or 10 minutes.
However, six of the busiest UK airports have frozen drop-off charges since last summer. Alongside Stansted:
Three airports offer free-drop off outside the departure terminal. These are Cardiff, London City and Inverness.
For passengers that are being dropped off by taxis or private hire cars, they will most likely have fees added to their fares. Many airports offer free options for dropping passengers off in mid or long-stay car parks connected to terminals by buses.
The RAC argues that the increased drop-off charges are far too high to charge drivers for such short periods of time - particularly if they are dropping off people with limited mobility or young families.
Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, has been tracking drop-off charges since 2016 and said putting them up had "become something of an annual ritual".
"Thankfully the proportion of airports hiking fees this year is lower than last year, but that will be little consolation as charges across the board have never been so high," he said.
Research. Check out the drop-off facilities and fees on the airport's website. Terminal forecourt drop-off areas are likely to be the most expensive.
Have your payment ready. Once you have found out how to pay, ensure you have payment ready to hand.
Say your goodbyes early. Bid your farewells before you get to the airport.
Check your taxi fare includes a drop-off fee. If you're booking a taxi to take you to the airport, check to see whether the fare includes or excludes any drop-off fees.
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No free school meals in summer holidays, says Drakeford - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | One council has said it will dip into its reserves to feed vulnerable children over the summer. | Wales | Mark Drakeford confirmed the free meals would not be extended over summer
Free school meals will not be extended across the school holidays, Mark Drakeford has confirmed in the Senedd.
The Welsh government had funded the meals during the pandemic and up to last spring.
The first minister said the lack of free school meals "does not mean there is not support".
A backbench Labour MS suggested ministers should discuss amending the co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru to fund holiday meals for the vulnerable.
The Welsh government is working on a number of policies with Plaid, including on expanding free childcare and rolling out free school meals to all primary school pupils.
Plaid Cymru said the decision was "disappointing and has left parents will little time to plan ahead".
The Welsh government said the provision had been a "time-limited crisis intervention in response to the pandemic", and Mr Drakeford said the budget that had been previously available was not now there.
Meanwhile, Caerphilly council has announced it will use its reserves to feed vulnerable children over summer.
The first minister was responding to Caerphilly Labour MS Hefin David on Tuesday who called for other councils to follow the local authority's example.
Mr David also asked whether the Welsh government would consider funding the scheme across Wales, like it did last year.
Mr Drakeford said the lack of free school meals "does not mean there is not support there for young people".
The Welsh government was able to extend the free school meals scheme into the summer holidays previously, because of an "underspend" in the budget "which is part of the co-operation agreement" with Plaid Cymru, the first minister told the Senedd.
He said while "there are no underspends left in that budget to deploy for that purpose", the government was "always involved in discussions" with their Plaid Cymru colleagues to find the best way of using their available budget.
Hefin David called for other local authorities to follow Caerphilly council's example.
In a BBC Wales interview Hefin David said he "perfectly" understood that the Welsh government was "struggling at the moment" to find the budget for free school meals during the holidays.
But he added: "I think it would be interesting for Plaid Cymru to re-look at the co-operation deal and say, is there any money in there that can be put towards additional support for the most vulnerable during school holidays?"
"I think it's important that children across Wales, particularly those most vulnerable, have that opportunity during those times when school isn't in session, which is 12 or 13 weeks a year, and I think that is in the gift in part at least of the co-operation agreement."
Plaid Cymru spokesperson for social justice Sioned Williams said: "The commitment within the co-operation agreement relates to free school meals provision for all primary school children within term time. This universal provision is proving to be a huge help for families across Wales.
"The decision to cut free school meals support to eligible children over the summer holidays without prior notice was disappointing and has left parents will little time to plan ahead as they struggle to make alternative arrangements or save to cover the costs themselves." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66168965 |
Nadine Dorries referred to authorities over messages to officials - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Conservative MP allegedly threatened to use her "platform" to find out why she was denied a peerage. | UK Politics | In June Nadine Dorries said she would resign her Mid Bedfordshire seat with "immediate effect"
Nadine Dorries has been referred to the Conservative chief whip by the UK's top civil servant over claims she sent "forceful" messages to officials.
The Mid Bedfordshire MP announced she would be standing down as an MP just before former PM Boris Johnson's resignation honours list was unveiled.
Ms Dorries has accused Rishi Sunak's team of denying her a peerage.
Simon Case said he had flagged messages from Ms Dorries to the Commons Speaker and Tory chief whip.
Chief whips oversee discipline in political parties, while the Speaker presides over the House of Commons.
Tory MP and public administration committee chairman William Wragg, a frequent critic of Mr Johnson, asked Cabinet Secretary Mr Case if he was aware of "any rather forceful communications" sent by Ms Dorries "to senior civil servants".
Mr Wragg suggested Ms Dorries had threatened to use "the platform of the Commons and indeed her own television programme to get to the bottom of why she hadn't been given a peerage".
Mr Case said: "Yes, I was aware of those communications and have flagged them to both the chief whip and Speaker of the House."
Asked if he had taken legal advice on whether the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 could "come into play", Mr Case said he was "seeking further advice". The Act bans the sale of peerages or any other honours, such as knighthoods.
Ms Dorries initially announced she was standing down as an MP with "immediate effect", but later said she will not resign until she gets more information on why she was denied a peerage.
She has put in Subject Access Requests to get all correspondence between the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office.
Subject Access Requests allow an individual to receive a copy of all their personal data held by a government department. The right of access to personal data does not apply to data processed for the honours system, under the Data Protection Act 2018.
While Ms Dorries remains a member of Parliament, she can turn up in the House of Commons chamber to make her views known.
The Conservatives - who are trailing Labour in national polls - are facing three by-elections before Parliament's summer recess.
But if Ms Dorries keeps her party waiting to resign and bring about a further by-election, she could force them into a potentially divisive contest later on - for example, ahead of the autumn party conference season.
The Liberal Democrats called on the prime minister to withdraw the Tory whip from Ms Dorries - meaning she would no longer be a Conservative MP - while the claims are investigated.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said: "These allegations are staggering and it's crucial a swift investigation takes place into whether Nadine Dorries may have broken the law."
It comes as it was confirmed that the Ms Dorries has written a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson. It will be published days before the Tory Party conference in September. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66178892 |
Zayn opens up about One Direction split: 'We got sick of each other' - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The star discusses his time in One Direction and fatherhood in his first interview for six years. | Entertainment & Arts | Zayn Malik has revealed the reasons behind his abrupt departure from One Direction in his first interview for six years.
The star quit the band in the middle of their 2015 world tour, initially saying he had taken a break due to "stress".
But speaking to the Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn said he'd realised the band's days were numbered when other members refused to sign new contracts.
"I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve," he said.
"I was like, 'I'm just going to get out of here, I think this is done'."
He continued: "I just seen it [coming] and I completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. If I'm being completely honest with you, I was like, 'I'm going to jump the gun here'.
"I'm a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I'm serious about it and I'm competitive, so I wanted to be the first to go and do my own thing. That was the reason."
The star added that there were underlying tensions after the band had endured five years of intense fame and scrutiny following their debut on X Factor.
"There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We'd got sick of each other if I'm being completely honest."
However, he said time had given him more perspective on his boy band days.
"We were close, you know?" he said of the group. "We'd done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand and I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have [when] I'd just left.
"There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we'd just run our course."
The star was speaking ahead of the release of his comeback single Love Like This on 21 July.
One Direction in 2011 (L-R): Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson
In the hour-long interview, he also told podcast host Alex Cooper about his struggles with anxiety, his love of cooking and his large collection of pets, including three dogs, three cats, three turtles and six chickens.
He laughed off his portrayal as "the moody one" in One Direction, saying it was "just a marketing scheme", and compared the band's public personas to "the Teletubbies and the Spice Girls".
And he said he had been working to overcome the anxiety that has largely stopped him from performing since he left the band.
"As a young kid, I loved being on stage and I loved performing. When it became a thing that had a lot of weight behind it, in terms of people watching and stuff, then you're going to have natural feelings of anxiety. It's not a natural thing to do. I had to learn to adjust."
The star also addressed the 2021 incident in which he was accused of harassing his ex-girlfriend, the supermodel Gigi Hadid, and her mother Yolanda.
The star pleaded no contest to four charges of harassment following a family argument, in which he was alleged to have grabbed and shoved Yolanda.
He later issued a statement in which he denied hitting the elder Hadid (no charges were filed relating to this accusation) and said he had agreed not to contest the harassment charges so he could concentrate on raising his daughter, Khai, with his ex-partner.
"I just didn't want to bring attention to anything," the star said, emphasising his desire for privacy.
"I just wasn't trying to get into a negative back and forth with her [Yolanda], or any sort of narrative online where my daughter was going to look back and read that. There was no point.
"I believe I dealt with it in the best way, an amicable, respectful way, and that's all that needs to be said."
Zayn also spoke about how becoming a father had changed his outlook on life.
"When I'm with her, I don't work at all," he said. "I just spend a full day with her doing things that she wants to do, like painting, Play-Doh… go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo.
"I feel like I've rekindled my own childhood through her, you know?
"I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything's kind of vague and grey and boring, and she's brought that colour back for me." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66173761 |
Ryuchell: Japanese TV personality found dead at agent's office - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An influential LGBT figure in Japan, Ryuchell was also criticised for their gender non-conformity. | Asia | Japanese TV personality Ryuchell has been found dead by their manager at the agency's office in Tokyo.
The 27-year-old's cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but police said they are investigating if they took their own life.
Ryuchell married a fellow model, Peco in 2016 and the pair had a son.
In August 2022, the couple divorced after Ryuchell announced they no longer identified as male, attracting much criticism online.
In the post shared to Instagram, Ryuchell said they would still live with Peco and their son.
But many accused the celebrity of being an absent father and criticised their decision to come out. In February, Ryuchell appeared in a YouTube video alongside Peco, who defended her ex-husband and said she supported them as they worked out their sexuality.
Ryuchell became an influential LGBT figure in Japan and was well-known for their genderless style of dressing. As they became more famous, they were subject to numerous online social harassment campaigns which largely criticised their personal life and gender non-conformity.
Shortly after their death, terms like "Ryuchell" and "character assassination" started trending on Twitter in Japan, with many expressing shock and sadness.
One user called Ryuchell a shining light in a harsh world, and referred to suicide as being preventable.
Peco and their son are overseas - on Tuesday she posted a picture of a cake for his fifth birthday. The family are yet to comment on news of Ryuchell's death.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by issues in this article, the following resources may help: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66178363 |
BBC presenter sent abusive and menacing messages to second young person - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | They say they were sent abusive messages by the presenter and put under pressure to meet up. | Entertainment & Arts | A young person has told BBC News they felt threatened by the BBC presenter at the centre of a row over payment for sexually explicit photos.
The individual in their early 20s was first contacted anonymously by the male presenter on a dating app.
They say they were put under pressure to meet up but never did.
When the young person hinted online they might name the presenter, they were sent abusive, expletive-filled messages.
Speaking to BBC News, the young person - who has no connection to the person at the centre of the Sun's story about payments for photos - said they had been scared by the power the presenter held.
They said the threats made in the messages - which have been seen and verified by BBC News - had frightened them, and they remain scared.
The new allegations of menacing and bullying behaviour by the high-profile presenter raise fresh questions about his conduct.
BBC News has contacted the presenter directly and via his lawyer but has received no response to the latest allegations.
After the two had first connected on the dating app, the conversation moved to other platforms.
At this stage, the presenter revealed his identity and told the young person not to tell anyone.
Later, the young person alluded online to having contact with a BBC presenter, and implied they would name him at some point.
The presenter reacted by sending a number of threatening messages.
BBC News has been able to verify that the messages were sent from a phone number belonging to the presenter.
The young person's online post has also been seen by BBC News.
While the individual has spoken to BBC News, they have not made a complaint to the BBC corporate investigations unit which is looking into allegations.
Speaking to reporters in Lithuania, the prime minister's press secretary said she had not seen these new allegations but urged any victims to come forward to get support and have their claims investigated.
Claims about the unnamed BBC presenter first surfaced in the Sun newspaper on Friday night.
The paper quoted a mother as saying her child, now 20, had used the money paid for explicit photos to fund a crack cocaine habit, and worried they could "wind up dead".
A lawyer for the young person has since said the accusations were "rubbish" but the family are standing by the account.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, faced questions on Tuesday about the corporation's presenter row
The BBC has been defending the handling of its own investigation into the allegations.
At a press conference, BBC director general Tim Davie said the presenter was not spoken to until last Thursday - seven weeks after the first complaint was made to the corporation.
Two attempts had been made to contact the family involved, before the Sun approached them with new claims last week, the BBC said.
The BBC has now paused its own investigation into what happened while police examine the matter.
The presenter, who has been suspended, is not being named because of concerns about defamation and breaching his privacy.
Have you been affected by this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66165766 |
Questions for the Sun over BBC presenter story - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As claims and counter-claims continue, one area under scrutiny is how the Sun has handled the story. | Entertainment & Arts | As claims and counter-claims surrounding a BBC presenter continue to dominate the headlines, there are still many questions about what happened and how the story has been handled.
On Friday, the Sun newspaper reported that the unnamed BBC personality had been accused of paying a young person tens of thousands of pounds for explicit images, starting when they were 17.
There are still few firm facts, however. One area under scrutiny is how the Sun has reported the story.
1. What evidence has the Sun seen that the young person sent explicit photos to the presenter when they were 17?
The Sun originally reported the presenter gave the teen "more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images".
In more recent stories, its language around this detail has subtly changed, with one recent report saying: "It is understood contact between the two started when the youngster was 17 years old."
But did that initial contact involve explicit photos? The age is a significant element of the story because if such images were exchanged before the teenager was 18, that could be a criminal offence.
On Tuesday, the Guardian reported that sources at the Sun were "distancing themselves" from the original line about the age and were "claiming the story was not really about potential criminal activity".
"Instead, they suggest it was more about concerned parents trying to stop payments to a vulnerable child with a drug habit," the Guardian reported.
2. Did the Sun attempt to contact the young person before publication?
The lawyer for the young person said in a statement: "Nobody from the Sun newspaper appears to have made any attempt to contact our client prior to the publication of the allegations on Friday 6 July."
The primary sources in the Sun's early stories were the mother and stepfather, who it said had given sworn affidavits.
The young person tried to contact the Sun themselves on the evening the newspaper published its first story, to tell them that it was "nonsense", their lawyer later said.
Some have suggested the newspaper did try to contact the young person prior to publication.
Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie told BBC Radio 5 Live: "They have been trying to contact the kid for ages, and in the end, suddenly the young person pops up out of the woodwork and says 'This is all untrue', and funnily enough replicates those statements 48 hours later [via] expensive lawyers."
3. Once it had the young person's denial, why didn't the Sun add that to the story?
The young person's lawyer said the individual sent a denial to a Sun reporter by WhatsApp on Friday evening to tell them the statement their mother had made was "totally wrong and there was no truth in it".
Nonetheless, the lawyer said, the newspaper proceeded to publish "their inappropriate article".
This raises the question of why the Sun didn't include the denial in its story, given that the young person is central to the story and it would be normal journalistic practice to include key information from someone in such a position.
"If you've got an alleged victim, and that victim has made contact with you and said there's nothing in this story, and you run the story without including that, that's pretty extraordinary," former BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman told 5 Live on Tuesday.
But MacKenzie said the paper's reporters may not have been prepared to give weight to "a WhatsApp out of nowhere saying 'this is all cobblers'" at late notice before publication.
In a statement on Monday, the Sun said: "This has always been a story about concerned parents trying to stop payments to their vulnerable child which was funding a life-risking drug habit."
4. Why did the Sun not name the presenter?
The newspaper has not explained its decision to keep the presenter anonymous in their stories.
It will have been likely to have weighed up its evidence of wrongdoing, and whether that was strong enough to name the man in the public interest.
The Sun said the story "was always squarely in the public interest", adding: "That is beyond dispute now as explosive new claims are reported by the BBC itself."
It continued: "Here was a powerful household name, handsomely salaried via the licence fee, allegedly paying £35,000 to a vulnerable young person with a history of drug use who was sending him sexual pictures. That alleged abuse of power is central to this scandal."
But there are powerful legal reasons why naming the presenter could cause big problems. Legally, everyone has a "reasonable expectation" of privacy, and defamation law protects people's reputations from unsubstantiated allegations.
"We've had five days of headlines from the Sun and each day they have chosen not to name," BBC home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani said on Wednesday.
"I think the reason is... because of this enormous potential risk that if something in this is wrong, there could be a potential defamation case there. But also there could be a separate case alongside it for an invasion of privacy, because there's a real risk that that's where the courts will go."
The Sun has addressed its position in print and in statements, but editor Victoria Newton and the reporters who worked on this story have not done any interviews.
The BBC has approached the Sun several times with a variety of interview requests and invitations to appear on several programmes. The Sun has so far declined those requests. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66174059 |
BBC presenter row: Huw Edwards' wife names him as BBC presenter at centre of allegations - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Met Police have ended their assessment and say there is no evidence of a criminal offence. | UK | BBC Newsnight has this evening been hosting a discussion on the latest developments in the story - with opposing views being presented.
Sun columnist Rod Liddle – who was formerly editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme – said the newspaper had “behaved impeccably” and had published the story because the accusations being made were in the “public interest”.
He said the aim of the coverage was to “hold the powerful to account”, in particular regarding concerns about safeguarding at the BBC.
Appearing on the same panel, Jacqui Hames, from the campaign group Hacked Off, said the newspaper had to provide “urgent answers” about its coverage.
She said the Sun had forgotten that “there were real people involved in this story” and asked why Sun editors had not appeared on the programme.
Appearing to refer to the hacking scandal of the early 2010s, she said the Sun’s coverage of this story showed “nothing has changed”.
The Sun has defended its reporting, saying in a statement that the allegations it published were “always very serious”.
“We must also re-emphasise that The Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations,” it said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66159469 |
Kevin Spacey: Jurors read actor's police interviews during trial - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Prosecutors wrapped up their evidence against Kevin Spacey in his London sex assault trial today. | UK | Jurors were read transcripts from police interviews with Kevin Spacey during the prosecution's final day of evidence in his sex assault trial.
The actor was questioned five times by Met Police officers in New York and London in 2019. He was not under arrest during the interviews.
Spacey, 63 said he was "baffled" by one allegation and didn't recognise two of his accusers, the court heard.
The Hollywood star denies 12 alleged sex offences between 2001 and 2013.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court have heard evidence from four men who claim the actor attacked them, as well as witnesses supporting their accusations.
Barrister Shauna Ritchie ended the prosecution's case by telling the court how Spacey told police he didn't recognise a man who claims to have been assaulted in the actor's flat.
The man alleges he went to the actor's flat seeking career advice, and woke up with Spacey performing a sex act on him.
He told police he would "never" have performed a sex act on anyone without their consent, adding: "I have had a number of consensual one-night stands with many members of the theatre world in my property."
Spacey also said he did not recognise another complainant, who alleges Spacey grabbed him "like a cobra" after they met at a West End theatre.
He told police he was "deeply hurt" and "baffled" by accusations from another accuser, who says he was made to swerve his car off the road when Spacey grabbed him while he was driving.
The actor said he may have made a "clumsy pass" at his final alleged victim but denied deliberately attacking him.
The interviews were conducted voluntarily with the actor and his attorneys.
Spacey has been described as a "predator" and a "sexual bully" during previous hearings over incidents which allegedly took place in the UK.
The American spent time living in London during his stint as the director of the Old Vic theatre between 2004 and 2015.
During cross-examination of witnesses, Spacey's defence team questioned the motivations and integrity of his accusers, including that they are seeking financial gain.
Spacey pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
He also previously denied four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
All four accusers are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66180798 |
BBC presenter row: Key questions remain for corporation and The Sun - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The row about the BBC presenter has developed into a series of claims and counter-claims. | Entertainment & Arts | After a day in which the BBC produced a fuller timeline of its actions through this story, where are we now?
For the BBC, key questions remain, primarily around what it did having received the complaint in May.
It's difficult to assess the actions of the Corporate Investigations Team without knowing exactly the detail of the complaint. We still don't have that.
But on the face of it, one email attempt that the complainant didn't respond to and one phone call that didn't connect don't, on the surface of it, look like huge efforts were made to check out the allegations.
That might have been understandable if the complaint had been about a presenter getting a fact wrong in a broadcast.
But we know that it was deemed serious by the BBC, though not involving criminality. A serious complaint about a high-profile presenter, reportedly involving huge sums of money to a younger person, surely warranted more dedicated investigation.
BBC director general Tim Davie may be all too aware of this, which is why he talked earlier about an internal review to assess whether the processes are up to scratch and whether red flags are raised quickly enough.
The BBC has now faced the media about this story. It had little choice as the briefing to launch the annual report was already in journalists' diaries.
But Mr Davie also appeared on the World at One on Radio 4 for a lengthy interview. His comment that this wasn't a "good situation" was an understatement.
But he also gave a clear explanation of what the BBC has been managing - balancing its duties as an employer of a presenter who must be treated fairly with its role as a public service broadcaster which aims for transparency.
Of course, cynics might say that Mr Davie must have breathed a sigh of relief when the Metropolitan Police asked the BBC to pause its investigation. At one point in the interview, the director general said he couldn't comment for that reason.
It's the equivalent of kicking this into the, if not long, then certainly slightly taller than cropped, grass. A bit of a breathing space for the BBC to take stock.
But the pressure on Mr Davie and the corporation is intense, with media crews training their cameras on New Broadcasting House in central London for days now.
This story has become a series of claims and counterclaims. The Sun and the family stand by their account. The Sun told us it feels as if the family is "being attacked by the BBC for not fully understanding their complaints system".
It says that after the original complaint in May, a payment of £1,000 was made in June to the young person by the presenter. A sign of "no action" from the BBC.
It does feel uncomfortable that the presenter was not spoken to by bosses for almost seven weeks. That the complaint was not escalated until the Sun approached the BBC before publishing its story.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, faced questions on Tuesday about the corporation's presenter row
But the Sun also has questions to answer, particularly after the legal letter sent to the BBC on behalf of the young person on Monday.
Did they approach the young person for comment as they prepared to report their story - as the lawyer claims they didn't. What evidence do they have to back up their allegations that have dominated the front pages? Why have they not named the presenter?
It's unclear how this story ends. The BBC has now reported allegations from a second person. The Sun has a new front page about the presenter allegedly breaking lockdown rules to meet a young stranger from a dating site.
Will there be more to come - or just more claim and counter-claim? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66170192 |
Ukraine: Russian general reported killed in attack on Berdyansk hotel - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov's death is announced on TV and by Russian war channels on social media. | Europe | Lt-Gen Tsokov has reportedly died following a missile strike in Berdyansk
A senior Russian general has been killed in a missile strike in Ukraine, Russian sources have said.
Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov is said to have died in a strike on a hotel housing Russian military commanders in Berdyansk, on Ukraine's occupied southern coast.
Russia's defence ministry has not officially confirmed his death. But it was widely announced by Russian war channels on the Telegram messaging app.
TV host Olga Skabeyeva said "absolutely all media" were reporting it.
Lt Gen Tsokov was deputy commander of Russia's southern military district. Ms Skabeyeva who presents a talk show on the state-run Rossiya-1 channel said he was killed by a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile.
Andrei Gurulyov, an MP and retired general who appeared on her popular 60 Minutes show on Tuesday, said the general had returned to Ukraine despite being badly wounded earlier in the conflict.
He was hit last September while commanding Russia's 144th Motorized Infantry Division in the Svatove area of occupied eastern Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, he died heroically. This man deserves huge respect," the retired general said.
Several Russian war accounts on Telegram also reported his death, including blogger WarGonzo and Military Informant, a channel with more than half a million followers.
In the absence of official comment from Moscow, military bloggers have previously proven an insightful source of information on the Russian side.
The BBC has not independently verified the death, which was also highlighted by Ukrainian officials.
Reports said he was caught up in a Ukrainian attack that destroyed a hotel accommodating Russian military commanders in Berdyansk, a city in the south-eastern region of Zaporizhzhia on the coast of the Azov Sea.
Images and video from various parts of Berdyansk have circulated on social media, but none show the exact site of the blast.
BBC Verify has confirmed that one photograph shows a column of smoke rising from the area where the Dune Hotel is located.
Some users said the hotel had been completely levelled, affirming earlier comments from the Berdyansk city military administration, currently operating from Ukraine-controlled territory.
Although there is no confirmation that a Storm Shadow cruise missile was used, the UK government said in May that it had donated an undisclosed number of the missiles to Ukraine.
The Storm Shadow has a range of over 150 miles (240km) - triple that of the missiles Kyiv had previously been using, making it much easier to launch precision strikes.
Ukraine has claimed attacks on Russia's military commanders in Berdyansk before, however, there was initially some doubt that Lt Gen Tsokov was there.
Russia's defence ministry had given no official announcement that he had been promoted from his role as commander of the 144th Motorised Infantry Division in eastern Ukraine, to deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District.
The military district has a far larger remit, including areas of southern Russia as well as occupied areas of Ukraine. The defence ministry has either been slow to detail changes in command or it has simply avoided announcing them altogether.
• None Who are Russia's war bloggers and why are they popular? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66171638 |
Nato: Warm words but a diplomatic reality check for Ukraine - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | President Zelensky wants assurances Ukraine will join Nato after the war, but members chose strategic caution. | Europe | UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Ukraine belongs in Nato
Volodymyr Zelensky may or may not be a Rolling Stones fan - but after this Nato summit, he is probably familiar with their song entitled You Can't Always Get What You Want.
Ukraine's president came to Vilnius, Lithuania, with high expectations.
He was looking for an assurance that his country would join Nato after the war with Russia was over. He wanted membership of the world's most powerful military alliance to be a beacon of hope for his people, the ultimate peace dividend that could ensure that never again would Russian troops despoil the Ukrainian homeland.
Instead, Mr Zelensky was simply told Ukraine would be invited to become a member "when allies agree and conditions are met". So far, so noncommittal.
Not surprisingly Ukraine's president hit the roof, saying it was "absurd" for Nato leaders not to give even so much as a timetable. The conditions, he said, were "vague".
And he was furious at the idea that somehow Ukraine's membership of Nato would somehow be a bargaining chip for post-war negotiations with Russia.
But once President Zelensky met Nato leaders face-to-face, the diplomatic dust settled. They fell over themselves on Wednesday to assure him that things had changed, that Ukraine would join Nato.
UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the country belonged in the alliance. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said they met as equals on Wednesday, but would do so as allies in the future. And President Joe Biden - who had done so much to limit what Nato said officially about potential membership - told Mr Zelensky that it was going to happen. Ukraine, he said, was moving in the right direction.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the summit showed there was now a cultural acceptance that Ukraine belonged in Nato. He said that there were no longer any countries asking "if" Ukraine should join, only "when".
That is a lot of warm words for Mr Zelensky to take home to Kyiv in his summit goodie bag.
Added to that are several other tangible gains: a promise that the process of applying to join Nato will be curtailed, the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council which Kyiv can use to summon meetings of the alliance, and, perhaps most significantly, the promise of new, long-term security guarantees made by some of the world's biggest powers.
G7 leaders said they would agree a package of new bilateral assurances of military and economic support for Ukraine, to deter Russian aggression before it joins Nato. That will include more air defences, long-range missiles and even warplanes, as well as more training, intelligence sharing and help with cyber technology. Mr Zelensky called this "a significant security victory".
The one discordant note came from Ben Wallace, who gave a briefing to reporters warning Ukraine it should show more gratitude for the support it has already given.
This was not a fit of undiplomatic pique, but rather candid advice from a supportive ally. He was saying that Ukraine should do more to understand better the political pressures constraining countries giving them military aid, especially the United States. Turning up in Washington with a shopping list of weapons, treating the US like a branch of Amazon, was, he said, inevitably going to cause a few "grumbles".
Not surprisingly this caused a bit of stir in Vilnius.
The remarks were certainly undiplomatic at a summit designed to demonstrate Nato unity. Rishi Sunak had to disown them publicly, insisting Ukraine had always been grateful. And when Mr Zelensky was asked about the remarks at his own press conference, he looked puzzled and asked his own defence secretary - sitting the stalls - to ring Mr Wallace to find out what he meant.
All this will prompt some headlines that Nato - and the British government - might regret.
But perhaps Mr Wallace has unwittingly shone a spotlight on an interesting moment in this war.
For almost a year-and-a-half, Ukraine's demands have been heard and largely acted upon in western capitals. Kyiv has always been unsatisfied, it has always asked for more, and eventually the west has delivered - from shoulder mounted missiles, to armoured vehicles, to main battle tanks, and now even to cluster munitions.
Yet in Vilnius, no meant no. Nato - led by the United States - did not give in to Ukraine's demands and chose strategic caution over an automatic fast-track to membership of the alliance.
So for President Zelensky, perhaps a diplomatic reality check, that domestic political pressures are beginning to bite in the West and that will shape the global political environment in which he must now operate. A lesson that you can't always get what you want. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66183066 |
G7 to announce long-term Ukraine security package at Nato summit - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | It comes after Nato refused to provide Kyiv with a timeline for joining the alliance. | Europe | President Zelensky with his wife Olena Zelenska at the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania
G7 members are expected to ratify a wide-ranging security pact with Ukraine at the Nato summit on Wednesday.
But they stopped short of providing a timeframe for Kyiv to join the security alliance, provoking the anger of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The security arrangement will include defence equipment, training and intelligence sharing.
And UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it would send a "strong signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The security arrangement with Ukraine comes after its President Volodymyr Zelensky raged against Nato's reluctance to offer Kyiv a timeframe for joining the alliance.
G7 leaders will sign the declaration in Vilnius on Wednesday on the side-lines of the second day of a Nato defence summit.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with President Zelensky on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said Kyiv's allies were ramping up their "formal arrangements to protect Ukraine for the long term".
"We can never see a repeat of what has happened in Ukraine and this declaration reaffirms our commitment to ensure it is never left vulnerable to the kind of brutality Russia has inflicted on it again," he said.
British officials said the UK had played a leading role in the agreement involving G7 partners Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. More details are expected on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden earlier suggested a model for Ukraine similar to his country's agreement with Israel. Under that deal, Washington has committed to providing $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in military aid per year over a decade.
But unlike Nato membership - this does not include a clause to come to the target nation's aid during a time of attack.
The G7 announcement comes after Nato said Ukraine could join the military alliance "when allies agree and conditions are met" - a delay Mr Zelensky has called "absurd".
Kyiv accepts it cannot join Nato while it is at war with Russia but wants to join as soon as possible after fighting ends.
Addressing crowds in the Lithuanian capital on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky said: "Nato will give Ukraine security - Ukraine will make the alliance stronger."
He also presented a battle flag from the destroyed city of Bakhmut - the site of the longest, and possibly bloodiest, battle in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky had earlier tweeted that "uncertainty is weakness", and said the lack of an agreed timeframe meant his country's eventual membership could become a bargaining chip.
Nato might not have said when and how Ukraine might join the alliance, but diplomats emphasised that they had set out a clear path to membership, with the onerous application process shortened significantly.
They said they had recognised that Ukraine's army was increasingly "interoperable" and more "politically integrated" with Nato forces, and promised continue supporting reforms to Ukraine's democracy and security sector.
Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.
Some member states fear near-automatic membership for Ukraine could give Russia an incentive to both escalate and prolong the war.
In the past, Western security pledges failed to deter two Russian invasions. Nato allies hope a third round will be robust and explicit enough to persuade the Kremlin that further aggression would be too costly.
The two-day Nato summit is taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania
A series of military packages for Ukraine were also announced at the summit on Tuesday.
A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets at a centre to be set up in Romania in August, officials said.
In May the US gave the go-ahead for its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced jets, including the long sought F-16s - a significant upgrade on the Soviet-era planes it is currently using.
Ukraine had repeatedly lobbied its Western allies to provide jets to help with its recently-begun counter-offensive aiming to retake territory seized by Russia.
However experts say the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly and operate Western jets will take some time.
In addition to the G7 security pact, the UK has announced plans to deliver more than 70 combat and logistics vehicles to Ukraine, aimed at boosting its counteroffensive operation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66172421 |
Thomas Cashman: Olivia killer loses bid to fight jail sentence - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Thomas Cashman, who shot dead schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel, is refused permission to appeal. | Liverpool | Thomas Cashman was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years for murder
The gunman who shot dead nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool has been refused permission to appeal against his sentence.
The schoolgirl was caught in the crossfire when gun-wielding Thomas Cashman, 34, chased a fellow drug dealer into her home August 2022.
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years for her murder.
The Court of Appeal said Cashman's application for leave to appeal against sentence had been refused.
It was rejected by a judge without a hearing, Court of Appeal staff confirmed.
This means Cashman is still able to renew his bid for permission to appeal at a full court hearing.
The Court of Appeal had previously confirmed Cashman's legal team planned to argue his sentence was too harsh and he should serve less time before parole.
An separate application to refer Cashman's sentence to the court under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme has previously been thrown out.
The bullet that killed Olivia was fired through the front door of her home
His trial heard how Cashman "lay in wait" with two guns to attack Joseph Nee, 36, on the evening of 22 August in Dovecot, Liverpool.
Fleeing the gunfire, Nee ran towards the open door of Olivia's home after her mother Cheryl Korbel went out to see what the noise was.
Cashman continued shooting and a bullet went through the door and Ms Korbel's hand, before hitting Olivia in the chest.
He was branded a "coward" for his refusal to come into court for the hearing.
It has prompted calls for a change in the law to force criminals to attend their sentence hearing or face extra years in jail.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66173484 |
South Korea welcomes first panda twins - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | The moment a giant panda gave birth to twins for the first time in South Korea has been captured on camera. | null | A giant panda gave birth to twins for the first time in South Korea on Tuesday.
The babies - both female - were born hours apart, one weighing 180g (6.3oz) and the other 140g (4.9oz). The Everland theme park zoo says mother Ai Bao handled the delivery well. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66172308 |
Mabli Hall: Baby who died after being hit by car was in pram - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Eight-month-old Mabli Hall died from a brain injury after a car hit her pram, an inquest hears. | Wales | Mabli Cariad Hall was "beautiful, smiley and happy", a family friend said in a tribute
An eight-month-old was in her pram outside a hospital when she was hit and killed by a car, an inquest has heard.
Mabli Cariad Hall was struck by a white BMW outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in June, along with a pedestrian.
She died from a severe traumatic brain injury at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children four days later.
In a statement, her family said the loss of Mabli had changed their lives forever.
The inquest at Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Coroner's Court was told that at 11:50 BST, the police received an emergency call of a crash involving a car and pedestrians.
It happened in front of the hospital's main entrance.
During the inquest opening, coroner Paul Bennet said: "I extend my sincere condolences to Mabli's parents and also to her grandparents who are here this morning."
"And to say how sorry I am that we have to meet in such difficult and tragic circumstances for you and the family," he added.
Mabli Hall died after being hit by a car outside Withybush Hospital
Mabli, from Neath, was airlifted from the hospital to Cardiff before being transferred to hospital in Bristol.
Her funeral was held a week ago in Tonna, Neath Port Talbot.
The driver of the BMW suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, along with their passenger and pedestrian, who was also hit.
"The pain and grief we are suffering as a family is indescribable," Mabli's family said in the statement.
"During this terribly painful time, we still have no answer to the central question we inevitably ask regarding the tragic loss of our beautiful baby girl."
A damaged BMW was removed from Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest
They added that the opening of the inquest and the Dyfed-Powys Police investigation would hopefully provide the information they needed to explain why the tragedy happened.
"As a family we also hope that the outcome of this process will help reduce the risk of such a tragedy happening to others in future," the family said.
The inquest was adjourned until 25 January 2024, pending a full investigation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66163363 |
Nato summit: Biden says 'we will not waver' in support for Ukraine - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The US president is speaking about the continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. | World | Wallace will be forgiven for his frankness
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s remarks about Ukraine needing to be more grateful should be seen in context. He was not voicing frustration or anger. He was instead suggesting Kyiv needed to be more politically savvy. He was saying Ukrainian officials should understand more about the internal politics of their allies, particularly the United States. They should not be surprised, he suggested, there were a few “grumbles” on Capitol Hill if they turned up in Washington with a shopping list of weapons, as if the US government were like a branch of Amazon. They should understand, Wallace said, they were asking some countries to give up the bulk of their ammunition stocks. So Wallace’s remarks were like a parent telling a child to remember to write a thank-you letter to a relative so they get a present next year too. It might not have been very diplomatic for him to say this in the middle of a summit designed to emphasise Nato unity. But Wallace is known for his outspoken support for Ukraine and his efforts to send Western military arms and ammunition to the country - so he will probably be forgiven for his frankness, which will come as no surprise to Britain’s allies. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-66140072 |
Wimbledon 2023: 'Spoil-sport' security booed after making crowd member throw caught ball back - BBC Sport | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | null | Watch the moment a member of Wimbledon security is booed after asking a crowd member to return a caught ball during Christopher Eubanks' quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev. | null | Watch the moment a member of Wimbledon security is booed after asking a crowd member to return a caught ball during Christopher Eubanks' quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/tennis/66181613 |
Teacher strikes: NASUWT members vote for strike action - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The NASUWT union says it will consider going on strike in the autumn term. | Family & Education | NASUWT teachers in Scotland went on strike in January
More teacher strikes could hit schools in England, after a second education union voted to walk out over pay.
The NASUWT union said 88.5% of around 122,000 balloted members voted for strike action, with a 51.9% turnout.
Teaching unions in England want an above-inflation pay rise that is funded by the government rather than coming out of schools' existing budgets.
The Department for Education (DfE) says it has already made a "fair and reasonable" pay offer.
A larger union, the National Education Union (NEU), has already held seven national strike days since February and is re-balloting members for more action in the autumn.
On each of those days, about half of schools have had to close or partially close.
During the most recent NEU strikes, last week, most state schools in England restricted access to pupils or were fully closed, according to DfE figures. More were fully closed on Friday (8%) than Wednesday (6%).
NASUWT said it would now consider going on strike in the autumn term, and that it would co-ordinate action with any other education unions that vote to walk out.
Its teacher members in 56 sixth form colleges have already backed strikes so would also be expected to join any action by those in schools.
The union also plans to begin action short of a strike in September.
It has not given further detail about what that action could involve, but action short of a strike taken by teachers in other unions this year has included refusing to provide lunchtime supervision or to attend meetings held outside working hours.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT's general secretary, said the vote was the largest mandate the union had secured for industrial action in more than a decade.
"Today our members have sent a strong message to the government and to employers that teachers demand a better deal on pay and to address excessive workload and working hours," he added.
The four teaching unions involved in the dispute with the DfE want an above-inflation pay increase, plus extra money to ensure any pay rises do not come from schools' existing budgets.
Most state school teachers in England had a 5% pay rise for the year 2022-23.
After intensive talks, the government offered an additional one-off payment of £1,000. It also increased the offer for most teachers next year to 4.3%, with starting salaries reaching £30,000.
The DfE described it as a "fair and reasonable offer" and said schools would receive an extra £2.3bn over the next two years.
But all four unions involved in the dispute rejected the offer.
The DfE said further strike action would cause "real damage" to pupils' learning.
"We recognise and value the hard work of teachers - but we must balance pay offers with the need to make responsible decisions that are affordable so we can continue to tackle inflation," an official added.
Are you an NASUWT member with a view on the strike? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66174906 |
Elon Musk announces new AI start-up - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The new entity is called xAI, and employs several engineers that have worked at companies like OpenAI and Google. | Technology | Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced the formation of an artificial intelligence startup.
The new company is called xAI, and includes several engineers that have worked at companies like OpenAI and Google.
Mr Musk has previously stated he believes developments in AI should be paused and that the sector needs regulation.
He said the start-up was created to "understand reality".
It is unclear how much funding the entity has, what its specific objectives are or what kind artificial intelligence the company wants to focus on.
The company's website says the goal of xAI is to "understand the true nature of the universe."
The new firm will host a Twitter Spaces chat on Friday, which may reveal further details about its aims.
Elon Musk was the one of the original backers of OpenAI, which went on to create the popular large language model ChatGPT, which has - often controversially - become popular for uses such as assisting students with writing homework.
However, the billionaire's relationship with the company has soured. He has criticised ChatGPT for having a liberal bias.
"What we need is TruthGPT", Mr Musk tweeted in February.
He also disagrees with how ChatGPT has been run - and its close relationship with Microsoft.
"It does seem weird that something can be a nonprofit, open source and somehow transform itself into a for-profit, closed source," Musk said in a CNBC interview.
In March Mr Musk signed an open letter calling for a pause to "Giant AI Experiments", which to date has around 33,000 signatures.
In an interview with the BBC in April Mr Musk said he had been worrying about AI safety for over a decade.
"I think there should be a regulatory body established for overseeing AI to make sure that it does not present a danger to the public", he said.
Mr Musk has also pitted himself against AI companies due to the data they use to train chatbots - the software that learns how humans interacts by scraping masses of data from various sources to fuel its knowledge and interaction styles.
The billionaire believes vast amounts of Twitter's data is scraped from the platform, and that the company should be adequately compensated.
Mr Musk purchased the microblogging platform in a deal worth billions, before making sweeping changes which led to many leaving the platform in protest, including the producer of shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton, Shonda Rhimes, as well as model Gigi Hadid and comedian and actor Stephen Fry. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66183034 |
Dog breeding: Bargoed pups kept in 'appalling' state - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A mother and daughters are sentenced after 54 dogs were found in filthy conditions in family home. | Wales | "Sadly, unlicensed breeders often prioritise profit over animal welfare," said Caerphilly councillor Philippa Leonard
Illegal breeders have been convicted of keeping dozens of dogs in "appalling" conditions in a family home.
Julie Pearce, 57, and her daughters Rosalie Pearce, 33, and Kaylie Adams, 24, received suspended sentences after admitting unlicensed dog breeding.
The two daughters were also sentenced for failing to protect 54 dogs from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
The women, of Glyn Terrace, Bargoed, Caerphilly county, are now disqualified from owning animals for 10 years.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the women had been breeding and selling puppies from their home since 2019.
Caerphilly council and RSPCA inspectors found the animals were kept in a "filthy environment", contaminated with faeces and urine, at the family's home.
Most dogs had to be shaved as their coats were so matted with faeces and urine
Evidence showed between March 2020 and March 2022 a total of 27 litters of puppies were born and up to 28 breeding bitches were kept on the premises.
The council said a conservative estimate for the profit made from selling the dogs was calculated to be in excess of £150,000
Dozens of dogs were found in "appalling" conditions surrounded by faeces and urine
Sara Rosser of dog charity Hope Rescue, which took the dogs in after the council's investigation, said it was "shocking to see so many dogs living in such awful conditions".
"The majority needed to be completely clipped off by our staff at the centre because their coats were so matted in faeces and urine and many were covered in fleas," she said.
Bunny, pictured with Hope Rescue's Sara Rosser, was one of the dogs rescued
"We are pleased to say that all of the dogs have now gone on to find wonderful homes where they have become much loved family members and able to live the lives they deserve," added Ms Rosser.
Caerphilly councillor Philippa Leonard said: "Sadly, unlicensed breeders often prioritise profit over animal welfare.
"Unlicensed dog breeding is a serious matter and it is hoped that the outcome of this case will serve as a strong deterrent to those who operate in this manner."
The three women have been banned from owning, keeping or transporting all animals for 10 years
Julie Pearce received a year's suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 8 days of rehabilitation activity.
Kaylie Adams and Rosalie Pearce both received a 66-week suspended sentences and were ordered to complete 100 hours each of unpaid work.
Kaylie Adams was also ordered to complete eight days of rehabilitation activity. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66173539 |
Tourism: Wales failing to attract overseas visitors - MPs - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tourism cash is being lost due to poor marketing and transport links, warns the report. | Wales | "Poor transport infrastructure" was cited as a reason preventing Wales from attracting more people visiting the UK.
Wales' hopes of becoming a global tourist attraction are hampered by confused marketing, a lack of holiday packages and poor transport connections, MPs have warned.
The Welsh affairs committee is concerned Wales attracts "such a small proportion" of visitors to the UK.
Of 41 million international holidaymakers to the UK in 2019, just over one million visited Wales.
Visit Wales said it would work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed.
A report by MPs on the committee highlighted the country's "relatively low profile overseas" and said "Wales lacks a coherent brand for the overseas market".
The report said £28bn was spent in the UK by international tourists in 2019, but only £515m - 2% - of that was spent in Wales.
It also added that it was important the "UK government bodies responsible for promoting Wales abroad reflect the distinct identity of each part of the UK in their activities".
"We are not convinced that VisitBritain is achieving all it can on behalf of Wales."
Tourism is estimated to be worth £3bn to the Welsh economy.
Committee chairman Stephen Crabb said there were "missed opportunities" for businesses that would thrive on increased visitors and a "more concerted push" is needed to promote Wales abroad.
Huw Tudur, owner of Mair's B&B in Bridgend, told BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast that "nothing has changed" and Visit Wales' branding "sends a shiver down my spine".
He said: "We don't need to change in order to bring people in, because we have the assets. We have just got to go up there and tell them.
"I've had no contact with Visit Wales, or what Visit Wales used to be, for 13 years. No marketing material, documents, maps, pamphlets have been sent through the post."
The MPs said there is a lack of awareness of Wales' strengths as a holiday destination
Mr Tudur said the branding was "old-fashioned: Sheep, rugby and things that don't represent modern Wales" and that it made their work harder.
MPs recommended Visit Wales work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed in international campaigns by February 2024.
The report said: "Marketing of Wales must be stronger, with a clear theme devised to attract international tourists based on Wales' unique strengths and attractions."
Tour operators should be encouraged to include Wales in UK holiday packages, they added.
"Wales can be reached from London within a few hours. However, it is often not included in UK holiday packages offered by tour operators."
The MPs also expressed concerns that "poor transport infrastructure" was having a "negative impact" on Wales' ability to attract more of the tourists coming to the UK.
Wales "is often not included in UK holiday packages offered by tour operators", said MPs
"Transport infrastructure has been underfunded by the UK and Welsh governments for a number of years," they said.
The report called on governments in Cardiff and Westminster to "look creatively at ways to better fund transport infrastructure projects", including a proposed new direct rail link connecting Wales with Heathrow Airport.
"This would hugely improve connectivity between Wales and Heathrow and make it much easier for international tourists to come to Wales," MPs said.
MPs said better infrastructure is needed to improve the tourist trade in Wales
The report also urged the Welsh government to re-examine its proposals for a visitor levy, warning it "may have a negative impact on the attractiveness of Wales to international tourists".
After the report was published, Mr Crabb said: "UK organisations that should be responsible for promoting visits to Wales, such as VisitBritain, routinely overlook it in their own marketing materials.
"Tour operators fail to consistently offer Wales as a holiday destination. The transport infrastructure puts international tourists off coming to Wales, and the poor road network would make travelling to some special locations challenging.
"Is it any wonder Wales isn't the global tourist destination it can be?"
Stephen Crabb said Wales was overlooked in international marketing campaigns
Jim Jones from North Wales Tourism said the key to marketing Wales was to build connections with communities abroad.
He highlighted a Japanese tourism guide selecting Conwy as one of the most beautiful towns and villages in Europe in 2015, and said Wrexham AFC's celebrity owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, had helped "put Wales on the map".
"Wrexham is now the gateway city into the rest of north Wales," said Mr Jones.
He said tourist websites also need to be made multilingual to make them more accessible.
Huw Tudur says the branding is old fashioned and doesn't represent modern Wales
"We rely on each other, working together... and marketing through websites like booking.com.
"To be honest, the branding sends shivers down my spine. We need to redevelop the whole thing, sell our nation and get more support. We need something internal, solid, youthful for each part of Wales to improve branding and how Wales looks to others."
Suzy Davies, chairwoman of Wales Tourism Alliance, added: "I would like to see us targeting more foreign visitors as its been targeted to promote people from within Britain more recently but as Visit Wales is part of the (Welsh) government there is limits in the amount of money that can be spent on internal and foreign marketing and I know that the report mentions this.
"The tourism economy hasn't been a priority for the Welsh government recently and I hope this changes.
"It's clear that foreign visitors across the world is crucial and I hope to see better focus on this - which is going to be hard under the current structure and transport infrastructure we have."
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' ownership of Wrexham AFC has helped shine an international spotlight on the area
A Visit Wales spokesperson said: "We are pleased to see the report highlight the positive work of Visit Wales in relation to our own marketing, engagement with the tourism industry in Wales, and co-working in the USA. "
"We look forward to continuing to work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed within VisitBritain's international campaigns, to tour operators, and in sharing of data with industry - which are crucial components of success in this highly competitive industry."
VisitBritain chief executive Patricia Yates said the company has "generated an additional £34 million in overseas visitor spending for Wales in 2019-20 alone".
"We're working with international travel trade to ensure Wales is sold internationally, this year inviting Welsh businesses on trade missions to China, India and the USA."
She said the company is "bringing international tour operators and media on visits to Wales to boost product and destination knowledge".
She added that hey will study the findings of the report closely. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66171190 |
Concerns over focus on skin colour in newborn checks - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A report questions the language used for some checks, including assessing whether the baby is "pink all over". | Health | A review led by the NHS Race and Health Observatory has raised significant concerns about a focus on skin colour in routine health checks for newborns.
The Apgar score, determined by a series of quick assessments immediately after birth, traditionally includes checking whether the baby is "pink all over".
The report questions its relevance and accuracy for some babies belonging to ethnic minorities.
And it calls for an immediate update of maternity guidelines.
The wide-ranging review also looks at the diagnosis of newborn jaundice.
England's former chief midwife Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, who now co-chairs the NHS Race and Health Observatory group working on maternal and neonatal health, said: "This biased assessment is exemplified by terms like 'pink' being used to describe a well-perfused baby [with good blood supply], disregarding the diversity of skin colours within our population.
"Consequently, it raises concerns about the clinical accuracy of such assessments when applied to ethnically diverse populations."
Led by researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, the work reviews scientific literature and policies and involves interviews with 33 healthcare professionals and 24 parents.
First, it considers the Apgar score, devised in the 1950s.
Healthcare professionals check the baby's muscle tone, pulse, reflex response, breathing rate and appearance, giving each component a maximum score of two.
This often includes assessing the baby's appearance as:
The lower the overall score, the more likely the baby is to need urgent help.
Experts say alternative systems for checking wellbeing should be evaluated.
The report also says there are concerns about the "subjective nature" of guidelines for assessing jaundice - a yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes and gums caused by a build-up of a substance called bilirubin.
All babies are checked for jaundice, in the first few days of life - often midwives will do a visual check together with an assessment of how alert a baby is and how well it is feeding.
Though it is common and often resolves on its own, jaundice can cause very serious problems if not treated at the right time. A blood test can check levels.
Baby Jaxson was five days old in this picture, taken shortly before he was treated
Lauren Clarke, a research practitioner in the East Midlands, had her son Jaxson in 2019.
She says by the time he was diagnosed with jaundice, when he was 6 days old, the levels were "very high and needed urgent treatment" but believes it should have been picked up and treated earlier.
Lauren said she noticed Jackson's eyes and skin looked yellow in his first few days but when she approached staff about it they told her to "keep an eye", with no further advice.
A midwife and two maternity support workers checked her baby visually after she went home but Lauren did not feel listened to.
It was only when she was admitted for treatment for a separate infection that staff on the ward did a blood test on Jaxson.
Lauren says when they got the results a junior doctor "took him immediately out of her arms" and gave him rapid light treatment.
Lauren told the BBC: "It was so hard when he was being treated with light therapy. I couldn't feed him and he was crying so much."
She added: "I think if he had not been mixed-race the jaundice would have been picked up sooner."
The hospital held a review and said concerns about jaundice should have been escalated.
The review says the baby's skin tone "may have made it more difficult to determine if the jaundice was getting worse."
Recommendations included better training for staff and making more use of handheld meters to measure jaundice levels.
The review says there is a need for more consistent training for healthcare staff and parents on how to spot jaundice in babies belonging to ethnic minorities and recommends establishing a national image database.
Prof Dunkley-Bent and Dr Daghni Rajasingam, who co-chair the NHS Race and Health Observatory group working on maternal and neonatal health, said the review represented an urgent call to action.
"There is a pressing need for more objective outcome measures to mitigate the impact of racial bias when employing these assessments," they said.
"By rectifying these anomalies that are present in our current practices, we can strive towards a more equitable healthcare system that upholds the health and wellbeing of all newborns, irrespective of their ethnic background."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66122394 |
Emmy nominations 2023 live updates: See what TV shows made the cut - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | What television shows will be nominated for an Emmy? Who will be short-listed for best actor and actress? | Entertainment & Arts | The nominations for this year's Emmy Awards are being announced in a virtual ceremony.
We are not providing text updates but you can watch the shortlist being revealed live by clicking the play button at the top of this page. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/entertainment-arts-66181192 |
Bonfires: Michelle O'Neill appeals to effigy creators to 'catch themselves on' - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An image of the Sinn Féin vice president appeared on an Eleventh Night bonfire in Dungannon. | Northern Ireland | A effigy of Michelle O'Neill appeared on the Eastvale Avenue bonfire in Dungannon
Sinn Féin's deputy leader Michelle O'Neill has told people using effigies on bonfires to "catch themselves on".
It comes after an effigy of her image, along with Irish tricolours, were displayed on an Eleventh Night bonfire in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
She urged those responsible to "join the rest of us in building a better future".
The police have said they are treating the incident as a hate crime.
Posting on Twitter, Ms O'Neill said she was determined to be a first minister for all.
"I will represent the whole community irrespective of who you are and where you come from," she said.
A number of other politicians have also reported that their names and imagery were used at other sites.
Bonfires are lit in many unionist areas across Northern Ireland on 11 July as part of events to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it attended 34 bonfire-related incidents.
The call outs happened between 18:00 BST on 11 July and 02:00 on 12 July.
NIFRS said the number of incidents attended by firefighters was one lower than in 2022, with peak activity between 22:00 and 01:00.
Suzanne Fleming from NIFRS said the majority of callouts were preventative measures, such as radial cooling on properties near bonfires.
One person was taken to hospital after falling from a bonfire on the Portaferry Road, Newtownards. It is believed the man was part of the crew lighting the bonfire.
"No bonfire is totally safe. As they get higher, there is obviously a danger," Ms Fleming said.
"Every year we hope that people do take as many precautions as they can because whether it's the building phase or lighting phase, someone could fall and hurt themselves."
An effigy above a poster bearing the name of Cllr Taylor McGrann appeared on a bonfire in Rathcoole
Sinn Féin's Taylor McGrann, a councillor in Antrim and Newtownabbey, called for unionist and community leaders to "stand up against these displays of sectarian hatred" after his name was highlighted on a bonfire in Rathcoole, north Belfast.
Police have also said they are treating this incident as a hate crime and that they had liaised with community representatives about having the material removed.
DUP MLA for North Belfast Phillip Brett said he "condemned without reservation the appearance of this sign" and called for its immediate removal.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Phillip Brett This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Alliance Party councillor Michael Long also posted an image which showed several of his election posters on a bonfire, while Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor Gary McKeown tweeted a picture of his image on a bonfire in Belfast.
On Wednesday, Orange Order grand secretary, the Reverend Mervyn Gibson, described the burning of effigies and election posters as wrong.
"Bonfires should be celebratory events and not about condemning anyone else's politics or culture," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme.
Earlier this week, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson had urged people not to burn flags or effigies on bonfires, describing it as "wrong and disrespectful".
On Tuesday, DUP MLA Deborah Erskine urged bonfire organisers to remove the effigy of Michelle O'Neill in Dungannon, adding that many events would be held "without burning flags, symbols or effigies".
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie described this incident as "vile and hateful", while Alliance Party MLA Eóin Tennyson said it was "disgraceful and completely unacceptable".
Bonfires were lit in unionist areas, such as this one in Belfast, on Tuesday
Tuesday's incidents come after a picture of Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar and an Irish flag were set alight in Moygashel, County Tyrone, on Saturday.
Bonfire and Twelfth of July events are held annually in Northern Ireland by many within the unionist community to celebrate the 1690 victory of the Protestant William of Orange - also known as King Billy - over his Catholic father-in-law, King James II.
The Eleventh Night bonfire tradition commemorates the preparations for the battle, when large fires were lit to welcome William of Orange to Ireland. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66167757 |
Senior Tories criticise Illegal Migration Bill but MPs reject Lords changes - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May leads criticism of the Illegal Migration Bill, but MPs overturn changes made by peers. | UK Politics | The former prime minister, Theresa May, argued the bill would "consign more people to slavery"
Some senior Tory MPs have criticised the government's asylum reforms as MPs overturned changes made by the House of Lords to the Illegal Migration Bill.
Former PM Theresa May was among more than a dozen Tories arguing for a different approach from ministers.
But their calls did not stop MPs voting to reject revisions peers had made to the bill in the Lords.
The bill is central to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.
The Illegal Migration Bill seeks to deter people from making the crossing by toughening up the rules and conditions around seeking asylum.
As it was debated in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Sunak said he was "throwing absolutely everything" at tackling Channel crossings.
But the passage of the bill has not been easy, with peers voting for 20 changes and campaigners calling on MPs to reject the government's proposals.
The amendments voted for by the Lords have been overturned by MPs in a series of 18 votes, although ahead of the debate, the Home Office offered several concessions, including on time limits for the detention of children and pregnant women.
The bill now heads to the Lords again, for peers to consider the changes made by MPs.
In a Commons debate, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick accused peers of "wrecking" the government's asylum reforms by trying to make amendments.
Mr Jenrick said it was "vital" that the bill was passed quickly and described amendments made by the Lords as being "riddled with exceptions and get-out clauses".
The government's concessions were not enough to win the backing of some Tory MPs, who raised concerns over how the bill treats unaccompanied children and the victims of modern slavery.
Mrs May said the bill "will consign more people to slavery", adding she would have to "persist in disagreeing with the government" on this issue.
The former prime minister told MPs: "I know that ministers have said this bill will enable more perpetrators to be stopped, but on modern slavery I genuinely believe it will do the opposite.
"It will enable more slave-drivers to operate and make money out of human misery."
She was among 16 Conservatives who voted against the government's rejection of protections for people claiming to be victims of modern slavery.
There were also rebellions from Conservative MPs connected to the limits and conditions of detaining unaccompanied children.
One of the rebels, former Conservative minister Tim Loughton, said the "assurances that we were promised have not materialised or, if they have, I am afraid nobody understands them".
He complained about the timing of the concessions and said "more work needs to be done" on scrutinising the bill before it becomes law.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Robert Jenrick says cartoons in an asylum reception centre were painted over as they were not "age appropriate" for teenagers.
One of the most controversial aspects of the bill would place a legal duty on the government to detain and remove migrants arriving in the UK illegally, either to Rwanda or another "safe" third country.
Stephen Kinnock, Labour's shadow immigration minister, said the government's Rwanda plan was "fundamentally flawed", and he accused Mr Jenrick of "pettiness" for painting over Mickey Mouse cartoons in an immigration centre.
Mr Kinnock said the bill would "only make a terrible situation worse" by increasing the asylum backlog, and "ensure people smugglers are laughing all the way to the bank".
With Parliament due to break for summer at the end of next week, the bill faces a prolonged stand-off between peers and the government during so-called parliamentary ping-pong, when legislation is batted between the Lords and Commons until agreement on the wording can be reached.
The latest figures show more than 13,000 migrants have made the crossing so far this year, including more than 1,600 in the last four days.
The government's efforts to curb the number of small boats crossing the Channel have been hampered in Parliament and the courts.
A plan to house asylum seekers on a barge moored in Dorset has been delayed.
And the government's policy of sending migrants to Rwanda is set for a legal battle in the Supreme Court.
On Monday, a senior Home Office official confirmed the department was paying to keep nearly 5,000 beds empty across the country, in case a sudden influx of migrants caused overcrowding at detention centres.
The government has stressed it remains committed to its plan to remove migrants to Rwanda, and has said it will challenge a Court of Appeal ruling last week that this was unlawful. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66168280 |
Government weigh up 6.5% public sector pay increase - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The announcement is expected on Thursday, following formal sign off from the prime minister and chancellor. | UK Politics | Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have been taking part in strikes over pay
The government is considering pay increases of 6-6.5% for public sector workers, the BBC understands.
Official pay review bodies for employees including teachers, junior doctors and police have recommended the pay rise. Inflation to May was 8.7%.
The announcement will be made on Thursday, following formal sign off from the prime minister and chancellor.
Government sources have told the BBC any rises over 3.5% would need to come out of existing departmental budgets.
The BBC has been told that all of the independent bodies have all recommended pay rises of between 6% and 6.5% for public sector workers, also including prison officers, senior civil servants and the armed forces.
But there have been heavy hints from ministers in the past few weeks that they may not accept these recommendations, stressing their argument for wage "discipline" during a period of high inflation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says pay awards should be "responsible" to avoid making inflation worse. He has made tackling rising prices his top political priority.
Departments had told pay review bodies they had budgeted for pay rises of about 3.5%.
The salaries of NHS staff in England - apart from junior doctors and dentists - are not included in these recommendations.
Under a deal set out earlier this year, NHS workers will receive a 5% pay rise. Ambulance workers, nurses, physios and porters will also get a one-off sum of at least £1,655.
It's expected the PM and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will tell ministers any awards higher than this will have to be funded through cuts or savings elsewhere in their own departments.
A decision not to accept the recommendations would prompt fresh tensions with unions, raising the prospect of continuing public-sector strikes.
Mr Hunt ruled out funding pay rises with government borrowing during an interview on ITV1's Peston programme.
Increasing public sector pay through borrowing would "pump billions of pounds of extra money into the economy" leading to businesses "putting up their prices" and driving further inflation.
And in a speech to leading figures from finance and business at the Mansion House this week, he said: "Borrowing is itself inflationary."
The prime minister spoke to journalists ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania
Speaking at a news conference at the Nato summit in Lithuania, Mr Sunak said his decision about pay would be guided by "fairness" to public sector workers and taxpayers, as well as "responsibility".
He said he did not want to do anything that would "fuel inflation, make it worse or last for longer".
Speaking on Monday during a visit to Avon and Somerset police force, Home Secretary Suella Braverman would not answer directly whether the government should abide by recommendations on public sector pay.
Praising police officers, she said: "They do incredibly heroic work, day in, day out, and they save lives and it's right that we properly reward them for their sacrifice and their dedication.
"We know that there's an ongoing process - it is a decision for the whole of government.
"I don't want to pre-empt that process and the conclusions of that consideration, but it's right that we properly reward frontline police officers and bear in mind that we're in a very challenging situation, economically."
Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner declined to say whether her party would accept pay body recommendations.
She said she hadn't "seen the books" but a Labour government would do its best to negotiate a deal that was acceptable to public sector workers.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Labour's fiscal rules are “non-negotiable”, says its deputy leader, but there is "room in the middle” for pay rises.
Mr Sunak has previously pledged to halve inflation this year to about 5%, as part of his top five priorities since becoming prime minister.
The rate at which prices are rising remained unchanged at 8.7% in May, despite predictions it would fall.
Persistent inflation levels would make it hard to cut taxes before the next election, Chancellor Hunt said in an interview with the Financial Times.
But Mr Sunak said he and the chancellor were "completely united on wanting to reduce taxes for people".
"But the number one priority right now is to reduce inflation and be responsible with government borrowing," he added.
Almost half of public sector workers are covered by pay review bodies, including police and prison officers, the armed forces, doctors, dentists and teachers.
The pay review bodies are made up of economists and experts on human resources, with experience in both the public and private sector and are appointed by the relevant government department.
Their recommendations are not legally binding, meaning the government can choose to reject or partially ignore the advice, but it is usually accepted.
Some agreements have been reached, including a pay settlement for more than a million NHS staff in England. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66165006 |
Canada probes Nike, Dynasty Gold over alleged use of Uyghur forced labour - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Its ethics watchdog is also investigating a gold company over use of forced labour in China operations. | US & Canada | Nike Canada is one of two companies being investigated by the Canadian watchdog
Canada's ethics watchdog has launched investigations into allegations that Nike Canada and a gold mining company benefitted from Uyghur forced labour in their China operations.
The watchdog's probes stem from complaints filed by a coalition of human rights groups.
Nike says they no longer have ties to the companies accused of using Uyghur forced labour.
Dynasty Gold says these allegations arose after they left the region.
A United Nations report in 2022 found China had committed "serious human rights violations" against Uyghurs, an ethnic Muslim minority population living in the region of Xinjiang, that "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity". Beijing denies the accusations.
This is the first such investigation announced by the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (Core) since it launched its complaint mechanism in 2021.
The agency alleges that Nike Canada Corp has supply relationships with several Chinese companies that an Australian think tank identified as using or benefitting from Uyghur forced labour.
In 2020, the think tank, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), published a report estimating that over 80,000 Uyghurs had been transferred to work in factories across China.
The report says the company has not taken "any concrete steps to ensure beyond a reasonable doubt that forced labour is not implicated in their supply chain".
The Uyghurs are the largest minority ethnic group in China's north-western province of Xinjiang
Nike says they no longer have ties with these companies and provided information on their due diligence practices.
According to the report, Nike turned down meetings with the ombudsman, but sent a letter saying "we are concerned about reports of forced labour in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)".
"Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region."
The report on Dynasty Gold suggests it benefitted from the use of Uyghur forced labour at a mine in China in which the gold mining company holds a majority interest.
The mining company says it does not have operational control over the mine and that these allegations arose after it left the region.
Dynasty's chief executive Ivy Chong told the CBC the initial report was "totally unfounded".
The ethics watchdog has a mandate to hold Canadian garment, mining, and oil and gas companies working outside of the country accountable for possible human rights abuses that arise from their overseas operations, including in their supply chains.
"On their face, the allegations made by the complainants raise serious issues regarding the possible abuse of the internationally recognized right to be free from forced labour," Ombudsperson Sheri Meyerhoffer said in a copy of her initial assessment, made public Tuesday.
"It is our mission to resolve human rights complaints in a fair and unbiased manner in order to help those impacted and to strengthen the responsible business practices of the companies involved."
The watchdog looked into complaints filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organisations in June 2022.
There were 11 other complaints, besides the ones against Nike and Dynasty Gold, which the watchdog will release reports on soon.
The BBC has reached out to both companies for comment. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66171702 |
North Korea fires intercontinental ballistic missile after threatening US - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The launch comes after Pyongyang accused the US military of repeated air incursions. | Asia | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
The long-range missile flew for more than an hour before landing short of Japanese waters on Wednesday morning.
Pyongyang's launch comes after it threatened retaliation against what it said were recent US spy plane incursions over its territory.
Earlier this week it threatened to shoot down such planes.
Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military patrols are in line with international law.
Security concerns have ramped up on the peninsula this year after North Korea tested new weapons. The country also conducted a record number of missile launches in 2022 including ones capable of reaching US territory.
In response, the US and South Korea have increased their joint military drills around the peninsula.
Pyongyang so far has continued with its missile launches - testing a new ICBM in April which it described as its "most powerful" missile to date. It also tried to launch a spy satellite in May which failed.
North Korea's missile on Wednesday flew eastwards from Pyongyang for more than an hour before landing in the sea west of Japan around 11:15 local time (02:15 GMT), the Japanese Coast Guard reported. The high-angled flight covered a 1,000km (621 miles) distance said South Korea's military.
South Korean and US officials met immediately after Wednesday's launch, issuing a statement reiterating their "strengthened" joint defence.
"We strongly condemn North Korea's launch of a long-range ballistic missile as a grave provocative act that harms the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the international community and is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that violation "needlessly raises tensions" in the region.
He added that the launch shows that North Korea's government "prioritises weapons" over the "well-being of its people".
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also convened an emergency meeting of his national security council from Lithuania. where he is attending the Nato summit.
North Korea's last launch was in mid-June when it fired two short-range ballistic miles in response to US and South Korean drills. It last test-fired an ICBM in February.
ICBMs are particularly worrying because of their long range, including mainland United States.
When Pyongyang tested one in November 2022, it fired it at a high-angle, short-range trajectory. But this could have reached the US mainland if it were fired at a lower trajectory, the Japanese government said at the time.
Wednesday's launch comes days after heated rhetoric from Pyongyang warning the US to stop its air patrols and proposal for a nuclear submarine to visit Korean waters.
On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, accused a US surveillance plane of violating North Korea's air space. She said if such flights continued, there would be "shocking" consequences.
Such rhetoric falls into Pyongyang's pattern of "inflating external threats to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests", said Prof Leif-Eric Easley, a North Korea expert at Ewha University in Seoul.
He added Pyongyang often timed launches to "disrupt what it perceives as diplomatic coordination against it", referring to the Nato summit where South Korea and Japan leaders were due to meet on the sidelines.
Despite UN sanctions, Kim Jong-Un has repeatedly vowed to increase his country's production of nuclear warheads and development of more powerful weapons.
Analysts are expecting the latest North Korean hardware to be on display in late July when the country celebrates the anniversary of the Korean War armistice, known in the country as Victory Day. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66172284 |
Student fears having to quit UK over uni marking boycott - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Emma MacKenzie, from Canada, says she cannot renew her visa if she does not get her degree. | Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland | Emma MacKenzie is devastated she may have to leave despite signing a lease on a flat and accepting a job.
A Canadian exchange student who has no degree due to the exams marking boycott fears she may have to leave Scotland.
Edinburgh University student Emma MacKenzie, 22, has signed a lease on a flat and accepted a full-time job.
But she cannot renew her visa to stay in the UK unless she has received her qualifications by the 26 July deadline.
She is one of the students at 145 institutions across the UK have been affected by the University and College Union's (UCU) boycott.
The union says the boycott, which began on 20 April, could affect thousands of graduates.
It has vowed to continue its action until employers make an improved offer on pay and conditions.
Edinburgh University said it was "profoundly sorry that we have not been able to shield our students from the impact of this UK-wide dispute".
Miss MacKenzie, who paid £4,700 tuition fees for the year as well as £1,000 on her visa, said she was beginning to fear that she would have to fly back to Toronto.
She told BBC Scotland: "It is a devastating situation and these past few weeks have been a whirlwind of anxiety and feeling out of control.
"I feel failed by the university. I've done everything asked of me and I've rightfully earned and paid for my degree."
Emma was hoping to secure a two year visa so she could continue to live in Edinburgh
She completed the first three years of her undergraduate degree at Toronto University.
But now that her exchange visa is running out she wants to secure a High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, which allows people who graduate from one of the top 50 universities in the world to apply to remain in the UK for up to two years.
She said Toronto University cannot give her the undergraduate award she worked for because the marking boycott means she has not yet received her final grades from Edinburgh.
Miss MacKenzie said Edinburgh had also been unwilling to provide her with projected grades, or even a "Pass/Fail" note - either of which would have allowed her to apply for the HPI visa and stay in Scotland.
The student said she had been in touch with the university for several weeks trying to resolve the situation.
She said: "The last communication I had I was told the university has been given legal advice not to assist me and apologised for not being able to give me the information I was looking for.
"If nothing changes in the next few weeks I'm going to be forced to go back to Canada and it's very up in the air.
"Do I need to sublet the flat? Am I going to lose my flat altogether? My job? I don't know what to tell them. It's very, very disheartening."
Other Edinburgh University students have described how they received empty scrolls with a letter of apology at their graduation ceremonies on Tuesday.
A protest was held in Bristo Square outside the university's McEwan Hall, where the ceremony took place.
A protest was held in Bristo Square outside McEwan Hall where the graduation ceremony took place on Tuesday
Izzi Brannen, 22, said it was "shameful" for the university to be handing out empty scrolls, adding: "I'm very angry. It was down to the university to settle this dispute but they didn't so now I have an empty scroll.
"The fact that I don't have a degree is going to affect my future. It's very uncertain.
"I've paid £9,250 a year plus maintenance. It's shameful. If you go to university and work hard, which I have, you should get a degree."
Another graduand, Mariangela Alejandro-Cortez, said she had paid about £79,000 to come to Scotland to study at Edinburgh and was severely in debt.
She added: "It makes me really angry knowing that I have not only spent a lot of money but I've spent four years of my life working really hard to get this degree and I just don't have one and I don't know if I'll ever get one."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Students protest as they graduate without their final marks
A University of Edinburgh spokeswoman said: "We recognise the significant impact this industrial action is having on our students' lives and future plans.
"The impact of the boycott varies from student to student and we are supporting individuals on a case by case basis, including arranging individual meetings to advise on alternative visa options where there are delays in providing marks to a visiting student's home institution.
How have you been affected by the marking boycott? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-66163344 |
Vicky Flind's statement on husband Huw Edwards in full - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The wife of Huw Edwards issues a statement on his behalf, naming him as the BBC newsreader facing allegations. | UK | Vicky Flind, the wife of newsreader Huw Edwards, has issued a statement on his behalf, naming him as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images.
Here is her statement in full:
"In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.
"I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
"The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future.
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.
"To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.
"In the circumstances and given Huw's condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.
"I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66182922 |
UK Covid inquiry: Former deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill's evidence - BBC News | 2023-07-12T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The former deputy first minister of Northern Ireland addressed the hearing in London. | UK | Hugo Keith asks Ms O'Neill if she agrees with the former head of the civil service in Northern Ireland, David Sterling, who said the three year period between 2017-2020 bought "decay and stagnation" to the civil service.
She says she agrees, but that every effort was made to restore power sharing during that period.
Sinn Féin pulled out of the Stormont Executive in January 2017, citing the Democratic Unionist Party's conduct over the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme scandal.
Mr Keith puts it to Ms O'Neill that she must bear some responsibility for the lack of devolution in this period.
"From the vantage point of the citizens of Northern Ireland, to whom there was a duty owed to protect them, to put them in the best possible place, to ensure that they would survive the trauma of a health emergency…there was a general failure to discharge that duty of care?" he asks.
Ms O'Neill replies that all political representatives in Northern Ireland as well as the UK and Irish governments have that responsibility. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66174287 |
UK economy 'listless' with little growth in four years - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The economy shrank by 0.1% in May and has barely grown since 2019 before the pandemic. | Business | The UK economy has barely grown since 2019 before the pandemic, with one economist describing it as "listless".
It shrank by 0.1% in May, partly due to the extra bank holiday for the King's Coronation, which meant there was one fewer working day than normal.
The rising cost of living and higher interest rates have been squeezing households and businesses.
When an economy shrinks, people might lose their jobs and find it harder to get pay rises that keep up with prices.
Inflation - the annual rate at which prices rise - is at 8.7%.
The Bank of England has been putting up interest rates to try to slow price rises but this is having a knock-on effect on consumer borrowing costs, driving up mortgage and loan repayments for millions.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said high inflation was hitting the economy.
"The best way to get growth going again and ease the pressure on families is to bring inflation down as quickly as possible. Our plan will work, but we must stick to it."
May's decline in economic activity followed growth of 0.2% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
It said the manufacturing, energy and construction sectors fell, along with sales at pubs and bars.
But it said the health sector recovered while the IT industry had a "strong month". Strikes also had less of an impact on the economy than in April.
The coronation - which meant there were three bank holidays in May, rather than the usual two - led to a slowdown in some industries, the ONS said, but benefited others such as those in arts and entertainment.
For most people, economic growth is good. It usually means there are more jobs and companies are more profitable and can pay employees and shareholders more.
The higher wages and larger profits seen in a growing economy also generate more money for the government in taxes.
It can choose to spend more on benefits, public services and government workers' wages, or cut taxes.
When the economy shrinks, these things can go into reverse - but governments normally do still have a choice on public spending.
Capital Economics said that the 0.1% fall in May "isn't as bad as it looks as some of it was due to the extra bank holiday for the King's Coronation".
It added that GDP - the official measure of the size of the economy - was on track to rise by around 0.1% in the three months to June.
"Our sense is that underlying activity is still growing, albeit at a snail's pace," said Paul Dales, its chief UK economist.
But Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, warned that May's figures showed growth "remains listless".
And Martin Beck, chief adviser to the economic forecasting group the EY Item Club, told the BBC's Today programme that the "bigger picture is the economy remains weak".
"It didn't grow at all in the three months to May, and in May the economy was only 0.2% bigger than its size just before the Covid pandemic struck, so we've seen next to no growth since the end of 2019."
How is your small business faring in the current economic climate? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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UK approach to China spy threat inadequate, ISC report warns - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A damning new report says China has penetrated "every sector" of the UK's economy. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. China "represents a challenge to the world order", the PM told the BBC in March.
Failure to develop an effective strategy for dealing with national security threats from China has allowed their intelligence to aggressively target the UK, a report has said.
The report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee said China has penetrated "every sector" of the UK's economy.
It accuses the government of failing to recognise the issues involved.
The prime minister said he was "keenly aware" there was more to do.
Rishi Sunak said the government had taken measures to prevent interference by reducing Britain's reliance on Chinese technology, but he wanted to have "open" and "constructive" relations with China.
According to the report, which is highly critical of the UK government, "China's size, ambition and capability have enabled it to successfully penetrate every sector of the UK's economy".
The level of resources dedicated to tackling the threat of China's "whole-of-state" approach "has been completely inadequate," the report says.
"The nature of China's engagement, influence and interference activity may be difficult to detect," it says.
"But even more concerning is the fact that the Government may not previously have been looking for it."
The committee says that the intelligence agencies' focus on covert Chinese activity meant that "they did not even recognise that they had any responsibility for countering Chinese interference activity in the UK."
The report also examines China's interference in UK academia, targeting of industry and technology, investment deals involving China and China's involvement in the UK's critical national infrastructure.
Chinese investment in the UK, the report says, has gone unchecked. It expresses "serious concern" at the fact that the government, in the committee's view, "does not want there to be any meaningful scrutiny of sensitive investment deals".
The government has "shown very little interest in warnings from academia", about China's leveraging of fees and funding, influence over UK academics "through inducements and intimidation" and the "monitoring and controlling" of Chinese students.
Some academic institutions "seem to be turning a blind eye" to such efforts, "happy simply to take the money," the report added.
In a section on the targeting of industry and technology, the report says overt Chinese acquisition routes have been welcomed by the government "regardless of the risks to national security."
Committee chairman Julian Lewis said: "We are on a trajectory for the nightmare scenario where China steals blueprints, sets standards, and builds products, exerting political and economic influence at every step."
On China's investment in the UK's energy sector, the report says it is "naïve to assume that allowing Chinese companies to exert influence over the UK's civil nuclear and energy sectors is not ceding control to the Chinese Communist Party."
It adds: "We question how any department can consider that a foreign country single-handedly running our nuclear power stations shouldn't give pause for thought."
In response to the report, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he still wanted to have "constructive" relations with China, but acknowledged it posed "an epoch-defining challenge to the international order."
Mr Sunak, who has been under pressure from some members in his party to take a tougher stance on China, said: "We are not complacent and we are keenly aware that there is more to do."
The prime minister also highlighted that the ISC probe began in 2019 and took most of its evidence in 2020, which pre-dated security reviews in 2021 and 2023.
These "comprehensive" national security and international policy reviews "considerably strengthen" the UK's position on China," he said.
"The government has already taken actions that are in line with many of the committee's recommendations."
ISC members say they are "surprised at how long it has taken for a process to be put in place to identify and protect UK assets."
This, they say, is a "serious failure and one that the UK may feel the consequences of for years to come."
The committee says it recognises the difficult trade-offs involved in balancing security and prosperity, but it urges the government to "ensure that it has its house in order such that security concerns are not constantly trumped by economic interest." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66189243 |
Huw Edwards in hospital as he is named in BBC presenter row - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | His wife said she issued a statement "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being". | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: The Huw Edwards story so far... in 87 seconds
Huw Edwards is in hospital with "serious mental health issues", his wife says, as she named him as the BBC presenter at the centre of allegations.
His wife Vicky Flind said she was issuing a statement on his behalf after days of speculation "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children".
The Sun has claimed he paid a young person for sexually explicit images.
The Met Police says Edwards, 61, will not face any police action.
The family statement said the news presenter intends to respond to the allegations personally when he is well enough.
The statement read: "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
"The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future."
In the statement issued through PA News, she said she hoped confirmation of Edwards' identity would bring an end to speculation about BBC presenters unconnected to the allegations.
She said her husband had been "first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday".
The statement appealed for privacy on behalf of their family, and said it was publicly documented that Edwards had suffered mental health problems previously.
Minutes before the family statement was published, a separate update was issued by the Met, which has been assessing the allegations in recent days after discussions with BBC executives.
It said: "Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed.
"In reaching this decision, they have spoken to a number of parties including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant's family, both via another police force."
It said detectives are "aware of media reporting of further allegations against the same individual" but has received "no specific details or information about these allegations... and therefore there is no police action at this time".
The BBC said it would continue its "fact finding investigations" into the allegations. It had been put on hold at the Met's request while it carried out its own enquiries.
A spokesperson for the corporation said: "We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved."
In an email to staff, BBC director general Tim Davie said "this remains a very complex set of circumstances".
He said the family statement "is a reminder that the last few days have seen personal lives played out in public", adding: "At the heart of this are people and their families.
"This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: 'This is such dramatic news' - Katie Razzall talks about Huw Edwards
Last night's statements "have acted like a dash of cold water to the face of all journalists," Craig Oliver, Huw Edwards' former boss on the Ten O'Clock News, said.
"I think that one of the things that's really come of this, is should news just slow down and allow the processes to take place, allow the facts to emerge and then report the story?," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.
The story has raised "much bigger issues for journalism," former ITN chief executive Stewart Purvis also told the programme.
"In what circumstances is it legitimate for a news organisation to investigate and report on the private life of somebody with a high public profile?," he asked.
Edwards has worked for the BBC since the mid-1980s, rising from a trainee position to becoming one of BBC News' most recognisable presenters.
As well as hosting the Ten O'Clock News on television, he has led coverage of major news events, such as elections and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The initial allegations, first reported on Friday, were that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.
The paper's source was the mother and step-father of the young person - but a letter issued on the young person's behalf by a lawyer described their account as "rubbish".
South Wales Police previously said it had told the young person's family there was no criminal wrongdoing after being approached prior to their complaint to the BBC and account to the Sun.
In another statement on Wednesday, the force said it had recently carried out further inquiries and had found "no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed".
On Tuesday, the BBC published an investigation after speaking to an individual in their 20s who said they said were sent abusive and menacing messages by the presenter.
The Sun then published another story claiming the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules in February 2021 to meet a 23-year-old he had met on a dating site, and sent what they described as "quite pressurising" messages.
The newspaper also published what it says is an Instagram chat between the presenter and a 17-year-old, where the presenter sent messages including love heart emojis.
The BBC has not been able to verify these messages.
A spokesperson for the Sun said the newspaper has no plans to publish further allegations about Edwards and will co-operate with the BBC's internal investigation process.
A statement read: "The allegations published by the Sun were always very serious. Further serious allegations have emerged in the past few days...
"The Sun will cooperate with the BBC's internal investigation process. We will provide the BBC team with a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations which we have received, including some from BBC personnel."
The Sun's statement said it had not accused Edwards of criminality in its original front page story.
The newspaper had reported Edwards had paid the person for pictures when they were 17 - but it did not explain such actions could be an offence. Under-18s are classed as children in the law covering sexual images. This is higher than the age of sexual consent, which is 16.
In later versions of the story, the Sun changed the wording of this allegation to "it is understood contact between the two started when the youngster was 17".
Despite allegations emerging publicly and being widely discussed, media outlets - including BBC News - initially took the decision not to name the presenter due to privacy concerns.
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66180799 |
Cerberus heatwave: Hot weather sweeps across southern Europe - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The heatwave could potentially lead to record-breaking temperatures, forecasters say. | Europe | A heatwave is sweeping across parts of southern Europe, with potential record-breaking temperatures in the coming days.
Temperatures are expected to surpass 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey.
In Italy, temperatures could reach as high as 48.8C (119.8F). A red alert warning has been issued for 10 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
On Tuesday, a man in his forties died after collapsing in northern Italy.
Italian media reported that the 44-year-old worker was painting zebra crossing lines in the town of Lodi, near Milan, before he collapsed from the heat. He was taken to hospital where he later died.
Several visitors to the country have collapsed from heatstroke, including a British man outside the Colosseum in Rome.
People have been advised to drink at least two litres of water a day and to avoid coffee and alcohol, which are dehydrating.
Two Australian tourists on the streets of Rome told the BBC they were "really surprised" by the heat.
"It does spoil our plans as tourists a bit," Melbourne friends Maria and Gloria said. "We are trying to not go out in the middle of the day."
Maria and Gloria, from Melbourne, are visiting Rome
Italian tourists Andrea Romano and Michele La Penna told the BBC their hometown of Potenza, in the Apennine mountains, has "more humane temperatures" than Rome.
"We need to start doing something about climate change. We need to be more responsible. The damage is already done. We need to do something about it. But not only the government… It all starts from people. Each of us needs to do something: use less plastic, don't use the AC, use electric cars," said Andrea.
The Cerberus heatwave - named by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster that features in Dante's Inferno - is expected to bring more extreme conditions in the next few days.
Spain has been sweltering for days in temperatures of up to 45C (113F) and overnight temperatures in much of the country did not drop below 25C (77F).
The Andalusian regional government has started a telephone assistance service for people affected by the heat which has received 54,000 calls since it opened in early June.
A satellite image recorded by the EU's Copernicus Sentinel mission revealed that the land surface temperature in the Extremadura region had hit 60C (140F) on Tuesday.
The UK's national weather service, the Met Office, says temperatures will peak on Friday. BBC Weather says large swathes of southern Europe could see temperatures in the low to mid 40s - and possibly higher.
But as Cerberus dies out, Italian weather forecasters are warning that the next heatwave - dubbed Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology - will push temperatures back up towards 43C (109F) in Rome and a possible 47C (116F) on the island of Sardinia.
It isn't just Europe that is hot.
This summer has seen temperature records smashed in parts of Canada and the US as well as across a swathe of Asia including in India and China.
Sea temperatures in the Atlantic have hit record highs while Antarctic sea ice is at the lowest extent ever recorded.
And it is going to get hotter.
A weather pattern called El Niño is developing in the tropical Pacific. It tends to drive up temperatures by around 0.2C on average.
That may not sound much but add in the roughly 1.1C that climate change has pushed average temperatures up by worldwide and we are nudging perilously close to the 1.5C threshold the world has agreed to try and keep global temperatures below.
Let's set things in a historic context to give us some perspective.
The first week of July is reckoned to have been the hottest week since records began.
But scientists can use the bubbles of air trapped in ancient Antarctic ice to estimate temperatures going back more than a million years.
That data suggests that that last week was the hottest week for some 125,000 years.
It was a geological period known as the Eemian when there were hippopotamuses in the Thames and sea levels were reckoned to be some 5m (16.4ft) higher.
A new study says 61,672 people died in Europe as a result of the heat last year. ISGlobal Institute in Barcelona - which researches global health - said Italy had the most deaths that could be attributable to the heat, with 18,010, while Spain had 11,324 and Germany 8,173.
The fear is that the heat could cause many more deaths this summer.
Cities in Spain with the highest risk of deaths caused by the heat are Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao, according to ISGlobal's research.
A heatwave is a period of hot weather where temperatures are higher than is expected for the time of year.
Experts say periods of exceptionally hot weather are becoming more frequent and climate change means it is now normal to experience record-breaking temperatures.
At present there is no indication the heat in southern Europe will reach the UK any time soon - with the UK remaining in cooler, Atlantic air throughout next week, according to BBC Weather's Darren Bett.
The UK is experiencing a July that has been slightly wetter than normal, with temperatures that feel rather low. But this is mostly in contrast to the weather in the UK in June, which was the warmest on record by a considerable margin - something which, according to the Met Office, bore the "fingerprint of climate change".
• None The new normal - why this summer has been so very hot | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66183069 |
Feeling the 'Kenergy' on Barbie movie pink carpet - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | null | Stars from the hotly-anticipated film attend its premiere in London's Leicester Square. | null | The hotly-anticipated Barbie movie had its premiere on Wednesday night in London's Leicester Square.
The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, and follows the pair as they leave Barbie Land behind and travel to the human world.
It was directed by Greta Gerwig, and will be out in cinemas on 21 July. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66186341 |
The Twelfth: Orange Order and bands parade at 18 venues - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | This year's Twelfth of July parades included Ballinamallard, Magherafelt and Kilkeel. | Northern Ireland | Spectators on Railway Road in Coleraine watch the bands
The Orange Order and approximately 600 bands have taken part in parades at 18 locations on Wednesday to mark the Twelfth of July.
As well as Belfast and Ballymena, parades were held in towns including Ballinamallard, Magherafelt and Kilkeel.
The processions mark the victory of King William III over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
A young band member catches his baton as an Orange band makes it's way along the parade route
Some banners referenced an Orange Order document which suggested plans to shorten the Belfast parade
William, a Protestant, had become King of England, Scotland and Ireland the previous year, after Catholic James II was deposed, and his victory secured his position.
Orange Order Grand Master Edward Stevenson said the event was a "day to remember".
He said there had been "extraordinary" numbers of people celebrating.
"The weather conditions weren't entirely favourable for all throughout the day, but the rain could not dampen the spirits of those on parade," he said.
He said there had been visitors from Scotland, England, Wales, the US and Canada taking part in the parades.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'I came to the Twelfth when I was a wee girl and now I bring my children'
Confetti cannons were fired in Belfast city centre as celebrations started early
The sun came out for spectators in Coleraine, County Londonderry
Last week, an internal Orange Order document suggested the institution was considering plans to shorten the Belfast parade.
It followed what the Orange Order described as "abysmal" scenes at the 2022 march relating to anti-social behaviour and excessive drinking.
The weather failed to dampen the spirits of those taking part in the parades
Large crowds turned out in Ballinamallard in County Fermanagh to see the parade
The organisation's grand secretary, Rev Mervyn Gibson said he hoped it would be a "family friendly day where we go out and celebrate our culture".
"Today is about the glorious Twelfth of July and celebrating victory at the Battle of the Boyne," he told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme on Wednesday.
Before the parade Rev Gibson said he was not worried about the forecast: "I think if King William was scared of a bit of water, he'd never have crossed the Boyne so a bit of rain isn't going to dampen our spirits."
This year's parades are being held in:
On Sunday, the annual Rossnowlagh parade in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland took place, as is tradition ahead of the Twelfth.
Up to 60 lodges from Donegal as well as counties Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan were joined by lodges from across Northern Ireland.
Orangemen in Lurgan began the day by marching to the town's war memorial
On Tuesday night, the "Eleventh Night" was marked by bonfires in many Protestant areas across Northern Ireland.
The BBC will broadcast highlights from eight demonstrations in a special hour-long programme on BBC One at 21:00 BST and on BBC iPlayer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66157393 |
Full extent of NHS dentistry shortage revealed by far-reaching BBC research - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Nine in 10 UK dentists are not accepting new adult patients, while eight in 10 are refusing children. | Health | Nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service, a BBC investigation has found.
In a third of the UK's more than 200 council areas, we found no dentists taking on adult NHS patients.
And eight in 10 NHS practices are not taking on children.
The Department of Health said it had made an extra £50m available "to help bust the Covid backlogs" and that improving NHS access was a priority.
BBC News contacted nearly 7,000 NHS practices - believed to be almost all those offering general treatment to the public.
The British Dental Association (BDA) called it "the most comprehensive and granular assessment of patient access in the history of the service".
While NHS dental treatment is not free for most adults, it is subsidised.
The BBC heard from people across the UK who could not afford private fees and said the subsidised rates were crucial to getting care.
The lack of NHS appointments has led people to drive hundreds of miles in search of treatment, pull out their own teeth without anaesthesia, resort to making their own improvised dentures and restrict their long-term diets to little more than soup.
Some people are going to extraordinary measure to do DIY dentistry as they struggle to find affordable dental care. Are we witnessing the death of NHS dentistry?
Not only did we find that in many places routine dental care was difficult to access quickly, most practices did not even have waiting lists. For those that did, the majority told us the waiting time was a year or longer, or were unable to say how long people might have to wait.
One practice in Norfolk told the BBC it had more than 1,700 people on its list, while another, in Cornwall, warned that it would take five years to be taken on as a patient.
The British Dental Association, which represents high-street NHS dentists in the UK, said NHS dentistry was at a "tipping point" after a decade of under-investment.
Caroline Young, from Blackpool, had crowns fitted to her damaged teeth by an NHS dentist, but when her practice stopped treating patients on the health service four years ago, she was unable to find a new one.
Almost every week she goes through the dentists in the phonebook to ask whether they are taking on new patients.
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"I've even called dental practices as far as 20 miles away, in Preston. I've re-called all my local ones many times. I can't even get on a waiting list," she said.
Ms Young's crowns gradually fell out and she has now resorted to improvised solutions involving a form of plastic, which she found on social media.
"It was supposed to be temporary, but my temporary became twice a week," said Ms Young.
Dentists warn that these homemade dentures are not only a dangerous choking hazard, but also food traps that can lead to worse tooth decay and gum damage.
"There are times when I've tried to fit it, and it's not worked, and I'll sit in floods of tears because I can't go out," she says. "It's demoralising. I shouldn't feel that this holds me back, but it does. If I could afford private dentistry, I'd be there tomorrow."
Scotland had significantly better access to NHS dentistry for adults than the other UK nations, with 18% of practices taking on new health-service patients.
Wales, England and Northern Ireland had broadly similar rates of access, at 7%, 9% and 10% respectively.
Among the areas where BBC News researchers could not find a single practice accepting new adult patients were Lancashire, Norfolk, Devon and Leeds.
Your device may not support this visualisation
Most of the UK's NHS dentists are independent businesses and are not employed by the health service directly.
If they fail to fulfil their NHS contract, the money that they have been paid is taken back.
NHS England said it had recently made changes to the dentistry contract and would "support practices to improve access, including giving high-performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients".
It said discussions on further changes were "still ongoing".
The Welsh government also said it was working on reforming the dental system to improve access and quality of dental care. Wales announced in July that most adults would be offered dental check-ups once a year instead of every six months.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government said more than 95% of the population of Scotland were registered with an NHS dentist and it was "in a position of relative strength in terms of workforce numbers and capacity".
All the devolved governments pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic had affected the availability of NHS dental care. Northern Ireland's Department of Health said it was "inevitable that access levels are not as favourable today as they were before Covid".
"Patients who are currently not registered with a health-service dentist, and wish to become registered may unfortunately have to contact multiple practices and consider travelling further than normal," it added.
Access to NHS dentistry has been a problem ever since the health service was created. Free treatment ended in 1951, just three years after the NHS was formed, because it was deemed unaffordable.
Ever since, a subsidised system - where some patients pay towards the cost - has been in place.
Alongside this, a strong private market has developed. An estimated one in seven adults relies on it. It leaves dentists with a real choice about how much NHS work they do.
Over recent years NHS access has been getting harder.
The current NHS contract in England and Wales, which dates back to 2006, is unpopular with dentists, who feel unrewarded for the work they do.
Austerity also squeezed budgets and then the pandemic hit, creating a backlog of patients with worsening oral health.
This combination of factors appears to have prompted more dentists to walk away - the numbers doing NHS work dropped by 10% last year.
It's fair to say the difficulties patients are facing are unprecedented.
The dentists' union blamed the current NHS contract for the lack of accessible dental care.
"There doesn't appear to be a commitment, really, from the Treasury to actually invest in [dentistry]," said BDA chairman Eddie Crouch.
"Patients are having teeth removed because it's a cheaper option than actually saving the teeth. The whole system is set up for health inequalities, and that significantly needs to change.
"Many of my colleagues do not see enough emphasis on improving the situation in the short term."
Paul Woodhouse, dentist and BDA board member, told BBC Breakfast emergency appointments at his practice were filled within five minutes of being open.
He said the government was only providing 50% of the funding the UK needed to care for every patient, meaning half of the population were being left without an NHS dentist.
"If you said that about GPs or cancer screening, there would be riots on the street," he said.
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of health think-tank the Nuffield Trust, said NHS dentistry was "on life-support" in some areas of the country.
But he added: "I think it's premature to say we're witnessing the death of it.
"There doesn't seem to be any real appetite for the sort of big structural and investment decisions that are required to fix NHS dentistry."
BBC researchers aimed to contact every dental practice with an NHS contract in the four nations to ask whether they were taking on new patients.
Using lists from NHS organisations, we identified 8,523 dental practices across the UK that were believed to hold NHS contracts and tried to call them all during May, June and July.
We then narrowed down this list, excluding practices that
We were left with a list of 6,880 practices.
For our analysis, we looked at the distribution of the practices across the UK's 217 upper-tier local authorities.
We classified a practice as accepting new child NHS patients if they would take on those under the age of 16.
A practice that required a referral to take on a patient was not treated as accepting new NHS patients, since a referral requires an initial appointment with a dentist, which is a barrier to entry.
Additional reporting by Eve Mattison, Leah Dunderdale-Smith, Ellie Butler, Robert Tait, Lucy Gilder, Alison Benjamin, Becky Dale, Jana Tauschinski, Christine Jeavans and the BBC Data Journalism team | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62253893 |
Newry: Arson attack could have killed me - Aontú member - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Sharon Loughran says her car was set alight during what police are treating as a sectarian attack. | Northern Ireland | A car was set alight in the Damolly Village area on Wednesday morning
An arson attack in County Down is being treated as a sectarian hate crime, police have said.
A car belonging to Aontú member Sharon Loughran was set alight at about 03:15 BST in Damolly Village, Newry, on Wednesday.
Ms Loughran said she is still trying to process the "horrendous action" that "could have killed me".
"I cannot for the life of me understand why they are targeting me," she added.
Sharon Loughran stood for Aontú in the Newry, Mourne & Down district during May's local elections, but was not elected to the council.
The all-island party was formed in 2019 when its leader, Peadar Tóibín TD, quit Sinn Féin over its stance on abortion.
Ms Loughran says that she woke up on Wednesday morning to to the "smell and sound of an inferno"
In a party statement, Sharon Loughran said she woke to the "smell and sound of an inferno" beside her house on Wednesday morning.
"I looked out the window to see my car parked in my driveway consumed by flames," she said.
"The heat was so much that the facia, pipes, electrics, and windows to my house have all been damaged by melting. My house is significantly damaged. I don't have electricity and can't use the water.
Police are treating the arson attack as a sectarian hate crime
"Ms Loughran said her house was previously targeted with sectarian graffiti but this latest attack is "a radical escalation of that intimidation".
"I had no involvement in politics before joining Aontú. I am paediatric nurse in Daisy Hill Hospital. I love my job and I am delighted to work for both communities," Ms Loughran continued.
"The only reason I got involved in politics was to stop the closure of key services in Daisy Hill Hospital and Aontú are very active on hospital campaigns around the country."
Ms Loughran said her house was previously targeted with sectarian graffiti
Appealing for community leaders to "bring about what influence to stop this shocking violence", Ms Loughran added: "I want to continue to work for my community. I have a human right to do so in peace."
Sinn Féin MP Mickey Brady said the attack "was a sinister act of intimidation which could have resulted in serious injury or worse",
"Sharon recently put herself before the people in the council elections and this action is an attack on the democratic process and the whole community and what makes this attack even more reprehensible is that Sharon is a health worker.
"All parties must stand united in condemning this appalling attack on Sharon and her family," he added.
Investigating officers have released details of a suspect who is approximately 5ft 10in tall, of slim build, wearing a light-coloured top and bottoms.
Police have appealed for anyone who may have been in the area, or who may have captured CCTV footage, to contact them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66176770 |
Sudan conflict: 87 people found in Darfur mass grave, UN says - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | There are concerns the RSF is targeting specific ethnic groups in the West Darfur region. | Africa | Thousands have been killed in three months of fighting in Sudan
The bodies of at least 87 people allegedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have been found in a mass grave, according to the UN.
The organisation said Masalit people were among those buried in a shallow grave just outside El-Geneina.
Fierce fighting between the RSF and Sudan's armed forces has been continuing since April.
But the RSF and their allied militias have denied any involvement in the recent fighting in West Darfur.
Thousands have died and millions have been forced from their homes as a result of fighting between Sudan's regular army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by al-Burhan's former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as "Hemedti".
The UN said at least 37 bodies were buried in the West Darfur region on 20 June, and another 50 at the same site the next day. Among those buried were women and children.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was "appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead, along with their families and communities, were treated".
He called for an investigation into their deaths and said the RSF was obliged to treat the dead "with dignity".
Earlier this week, the RSF rejected allegations from Human Rights Watch that they had killed 28 members of the Masalit community and injured dozens of civilians before destroying the town of Misterei in May.
An adviser to the RSF leadership, Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim, told the BBC the clashes there were part of an ongoing civil war between Arab groups and the Masalit "which is old and renewed".
Last month, the West Darfur governor was killed shortly after he accused the RSF of carrying out a genocide against the Masalit people.
The Masalit people once lived under a sultanate in West Darfur, most of which was incorporated into Sudan more than 100 years ago.
They are predominately Muslims and have accused successive Sudanese governments of promoting "Arabism" - overlooking them for basic services such as education and health.
There are concerns that attacks by the RSF and Arab militias against the Masalit community could result in a repeat of the 2003 Darfur killings, when 300,000 people were killed by the Janjaweed militias, who later grew into the RSF.
The UN has already received reports of Arab militia targeting Masalit men and said the conflict has taken on an "ethnic dimension". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66188305 |
Revamped Burrell Collection wins Museum of the Year - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Glasgow attraction secured the £120,000 Art Fund award - the largest museum prize in the world. | Scotland | The Burrell Collection has won the prestigious award a year after it reopened
A recently refurbished Glasgow museum has won one of the world's most lucrative art prizes.
The Burrell Collection has been named the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023, which comes with a £120,000 award.
The winner was announced by artist Sir Grayson Perry at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on Wednesday.
The Burrell beat Leighton House (London), The MAC (Belfast), Natural History Museum (London) and Scapa Flow Museum (Orkney) to the title.
The Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park houses the 9,000-object collection of Sir William and Constance Burrell.
The collection - which includes objects from Europe and Asia - was donated to Glasgow by Sir William in 1944.
Sir Hector Hetherington, former principal of Glasgow University, described the donation of the collection as "one of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world."
King Charles contemplated Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, one of the world's most recognisable sculptures when he officially reopened the collection
Managed by the charity Glasgow Life, it was officially reopened by King Charles in October 2022, almost four decades after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, first opened it.
The internationally renowned museum and gallery had been closed for a five-year £68.25m refurbishment.
The major redisplay aimed to celebrate diversity through the museum's rich and varied collection and create the most accessible, inclusive and sustainable fine and decorative arts museum in the world.
Duncan Dornan, head of museums and collections for Glasgow Life, was presented with the cash prize.
The museum sits in the landscape of Pollok Country Park
Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund and chair of the judges for the competition, said: "The Burrell Collection is extraordinary - a world-class collection displayed in an inspirational building, in harmony with the surrounding landscape of Pollok Park.
"Reopened in 2022, the sensitive renovation and collection redisplay invite exploration and delight, with innovative digital displays offering new ways of understanding the art and objects in the museum's light, welcoming spaces.
"All this was achieved with a strong shared purpose and with the involvement of local community groups in Glasgow."
Mary Beard, historian, broadcaster and fellow judge, called the collection "a treasure trove of objects", with everything from one of the UK's most important collections of Chinese art, to medieval tapestries and stained glass, and works of art by Rembrandt, Degas and more.
Since reopening, the Burrell Collection welcomed over 500,000 visitors and contributed an economic impact of £20m for Glasgow in its first six months.
The other four finalists, including Scapa Flow, were awarded £15,000.
Nick Hewitt, team leader for culture at Orkney islands Council, told BBC Radio Orkney that being on the shortlist had brought the museum national and international coverage.
Speaking from the ceremony in London he said: "We genuinely are thrilled to be here. It feels like we're all winners." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66001454 |
Nottingham attacks: Foundations to be set up for student victims - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber want to fundraise in their memory. | Nottingham | Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were walking together when they were attacked
The families of two students killed in Nottingham last month are to create foundations in their name to ensure they "leave a legacy".
Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, were stabbed to death early on 13 June.
Both sets of relatives have now set up online appeals to support causes the students particularly cared about.
An earlier fundraiser in memory of the third victim, Ian Coates, 65, raised more than £28,000.
The families of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber attended vigils in Nottingham
On Wednesday, a GoFundMe appeal was launched by Ms O'Malley-Kumar's younger brother, James, six days after Mr Webber's mother, Emma, set up a similar fundraiser online.
Mr Kumar said: "She leaves behind devastated and heartbroken extended family and friends but we all feel compelled that something good must come from the loss of Grace's life.
"In time an official 'Grace O'Malley-Kumar Foundation' will be created and donations will be used to further all that Grace supported and felt she would like to help with.
"To ensure that Grace's name leaves a legacy and to keep her memory alive we have created this fund.
Mr Kumar said all the money would go to the foundation "once the finer details have been arranged".
Since being created the fundraiser has already raised more than £7,500 of its £10,000 target.
The attacks led to large parts of Nottingham being cordoned off
Meanwhile, the appeal for Mr Webber has already surpassed its £5,300 goal, with almost £10,000 being donated.
His mother said: "He leaves behind a family broken by grief and loss but determined not to let him be taken in vain.
"He lived his life with a simple 'if he liked you he liked you' mantra. With no time or judgement for creed, colour, sexuality, religion or background.
"His inclusivity, quiet patience with others, and sheer generosity of his time prove what an extraordinary 'ordinary' person he was.
"In time an official 'Barnaby Webber Foundation' will be created and funds will be used to further all of the qualities listed above and to keep his memory alive whilst reaching out to others."
Ms O'Malley-Kumar was from Woodford in London and Mr Webber was from Taunton in Somerset.
An inquest into their deaths, opened on Friday, heard all three victims had died as a result of stab wounds.
Valdo Calocane, 31, is charged with their murder as well as the attempted murder of three pedestrians by driving a van into them in the city centre.
Calocane, who has identified himself as Adam Mendes in previous court appearances, will face trial in January next year, pending a plea hearing on 25 September.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-66192129 |
BBC resumes Huw Edwards inquiry as no criminality found by police - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Police say no evidence of criminal behaviour over claims he paid a young person for explicit photos. | UK | The BBC is resuming its investigation into Huw Edwards, after police found no evidence of criminal behaviour over claims he paid a young person for explicit images.
His wife said he was in hospital with "serious mental health issues" as she named him as the presenter at the centre of the allegations.
The corporation said it would be mindful of its duty of care.
Some BBC staff also made claims about inappropriate messages by Edwards.
The corporation's internal fact-finding investigation was paused at the Metropolitan Police's request while it carried out its own enquiries.
On the resumption of the internal probe, a spokesperson for the BBC said: "We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts."
Director general Tim Davie also said that he had asked for a separate review into whether the BBC's complaints protocols and procedures were appropriate, after it was revealed the corporation contacted the family who made the allegations about Edwards just twice - despite deeming them "very serious".
The initial allegations, first reported by the Sun online on Friday evening, were that the news presenter paid a young person for sexually explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.
In later versions of the story, the Sun changed the wording of this allegation to "it is understood contact between the two started when the youngster was 17".
The paper had quoted the person's mother as saying her child, now 20, had used the money that had been paid for the photos to fund a crack cocaine habit, and she was worried they could "wind up dead".
A lawyer for the young person has since said the accusations were "rubbish" but the family are standing by the account.
A statement issued by the Met on Wednesday said police "determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed".
Meanwhile the BBC reported on Wednesday that Edwards also faced claims about inappropriate behaviour towards some junior staff members.
Two current BBC workers and one former member of staff said they had been sent messages that made them feel uncomfortable.
An employee at the corporation told BBC News they received "suggestive" messages from Edwards. BBC News has seen the messages, which refer to the staff member's appearance and were sent this year.
One said they felt it was an abuse of power by someone very senior in the organisation.
Speaking to the BBC's Newsnight programme, the workers and former employee spoke of a reluctance among junior staff to complain to managers about the conduct of high-profile colleagues in case it adversely affected their careers.
The BBC said: "We always treat the concerns of staff with care, and would urge anyone to speak to us if they have any concerns. We have clear processes for making complaints."
In a separate BBC News investigation published on Tuesday, a young person who did not work at the BBC said they had felt "threatened" by messages sent by Huw Edwards.
"This remains a very complex set of circumstances," director general Tim Davie told BBC staff in an internal email sent on Wednesday evening, "Our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration."
Former controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer highlighted the importance of the BBC exercising a proper duty of care.
Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, he said "it is extremely important that Tim [Davie] and the BBC doesn't feel that it has to be rushed by other people's agendas to come to measured, appropriate and evidenced conclusions."
Edwards was identified by his wife on Wednesday as the BBC presenter at the centre of allegations, after media outlets - including BBC News - initially took the decision not to name the him due to privacy concerns.
Vicky Flind said she was issuing a statement on her husband's behalf after days of speculation, saying he was being treated in hospital for "serious mental health issues".
"I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children," her statement read.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66186092 |
Karen Carney: Women's football in England could be a 'billion pound industry' in next 10 years - BBC Sport | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | null | Domestic women's football could become a "billion pound industry" in 10 years' time says former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney - the chair of a major review into the sport. | null | Last updated on .From the section Women's Football
Domestic women's football could become a "billion pound industry" in 10 years' time says former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney - the chair of a major review into the sport.
Her 126-page report recommends the top two tiers of women's football in England being fully professional.
It also calls for a new regular broadcast slot for women's football to be made available on television.
"It is what needs to be done, to move the sport forward," Carney said.
The ex-Birmingham and Chelsea player added: "Full-time is full-time. Go for it. Realistically the biggest issue we need to go after is professionalising the women's game and bringing standards up because that is a big problem."
• None The Sports Desk podcast: Can women's football be a billion pound industry?
Describing women's football as a "start-up business", Carney said everyone involved from sponsors, broadcasters and the Football Association "has a responsibility to invest in the game and move it to the next level".
She added: "If you are starting something you have to have an influx of money and I really do believe that in 10 years' time this sport could be a billion pound industry.
"But these standards and investment are the foundations that lead us to this point. I really do think we will make it [money] back."
An independently club-owned, club-run body is poised to take over the Women's Super League and the Women's Championship next year as the English women's game looks to capitalise on its rapid rise, accelerated by the Lionesses' success at Euro 2022.
A recent report by Deloitte showed Women's Super League club revenues rose by 60% in the 2021-22 season, showing signs of growth before even England's historic Euro 2022 victory.
Combined revenue for the WSL clubs was £32m, an increase of £12m on the previous season thanks in part to a new broadcast deal, however clubs still recorded an aggregate pre-tax loss of £14m.
Carney's findings have focused on several areas including audience reach and growth, the financial health of the game, its long-term financial sustainability and its existing structures - leading to 10 major recommendations, that include:
• None World leading standards for players, fans, staff, and everyone in the women's game.
• None To restore the talent pathway needed to create future generations of Lionesses.
• None Professionalisation across the top two tiers to attract and develop the best players in the world.
• None To address the lack of diversity across the women's game - in on- and off-pitch roles.
• None The game's governing bodies to work with broadcasters to create a new dedicated time slot.
• None More investment in grassroots facilities and better access for females.
Carney, who has worked in the media since her retirement from playing in 2019, was asked to examine issues affecting the game at elite and grassroots levels in September 2022. by the UK government.
The women's game has made huge progress in recent years and, at grassroots level, has become the most played team sport for women and girls in England, with three million registered players and over 12,000 registered teams.
However, both the Covid-19 pandemic and the men's game fan-led review highlighted the shallow resources within women's elite football.
She appointed a number of experts from across sport and business, including a senior NFL executive, with the UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer calling it an opportunity to "revolutionise the game" in a positive and sustainable way.
In a statement the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Maheta Molango called the report a "brave, ambitious and detailed plan for the future of women's game".
An FA spokeswoman said they would help "address the challenges and opportunities in the report" to "deliver the changes needed".
They said: "These are exciting times for the development of the women's game and we share Karen's vision of creating world leading standards for players, fans, and everyone involved in women's football."
While the 12-club WSL is fully professional that does not extend to English women's football's second tier.
A significant drop in broadcast fees and FA central funding means that turnovers can be as high as around £7m in the WSL but as low as £150,000 in the Women's Championship, where player wages can be below £5,000 per year.
Reading's recent relegation from the WSL saw them revert to part-time football due to the financial implications.
When it was put to Carney that more than £10m would be required to redress some of that balance, she passionately defended the need to attract additional income to the game.
"Do I want players to have to go on the NHS [for treatment of injuries]? No. Do I want players to have to use bin bags for curtains? No," she said.
"I don't want any of this situation any more. There was a lot of evidence in the review of the marketing strategy in place not being able to help the revenues grow.
"It is what is needed. It is not a negative to invest in women's sport, we have to change the mindset. I understand there is a reality to it."
On proposals to provide one source of funding from levelling FA Cup prize money across the men's and women's game, she added: "I'd hope there would not be a backlash.
"There are so many issues and women's sport has struggled for so long I'd hope there'd be an understanding but with anything there'll always be someone who will challenge it.
"I could have said equalise prize money right now but that would have taken down the pyramid of men's football. We should absolutely be going for equal prize money [in the future] from the FA Cup and the FA should be putting a timescale on that."
'Five weeks out can turn into five months' - injury improvements
A long-standing issue that Carney is keen to see addressed urgently is the relative lack of medical support offered to female players in comparison to their male counterparts.
A Fifa report in 2021 showed that a quarter of top-division women's clubs around the world do not employ a physio or team doctor and while there have been improvements Carney says there are still issues around the quality and continuity of care provided.
"There was a player who should have been out for five weeks and was out five months," Carney said.
"We've seen players pretty much say we are going to have to go into early retirement because of the medical situation. It is a systemic issue about women's health not just in sport but outside, it has to be better.
"Don't forget in the Championship there are players working three of four jobs. They are never going to be able to compete and it is not because they don't have the ability, it is the resources.
"Are they hydrated? Are they getting the right nutrients to perform? Are they fatigued? That is why we want minimum standards to come in to keep that competitive nature.
"We want all our players to be fit, available and playing because then the product is at its best because that's what the fans, broadcasters and players want."
Football's governing bodies have talked of exploring whether WSL fixtures can be televised on Saturday afternoons to help grow the audience.
Last term, WSL matches consistently kicked off at 11.30am on Saturdays and 6.45pm on Sundays to avoid scheduling clashes with men's games.
No matches are currently shown during the '3pm blackout' slot in order to encourage attendance at games.
However, Carney believes there is no simplistic solution: "It's very clear we need to find a slot specific for women's football.
"Men's football is really easily signposted, it is really difficult for women's football to have a slot and stand out.
"We have to look at it, it is a really saturated market and this is what we are up against."
'We need to keep pushing' - improving diversity
Carney's 'raising the bar' review also identifies the need to create a workforce strategy for the women's game and the need to create greater diversity on and off the pitch.
Former Brighton defender Fern Whelan, who is now an equalities executive at the PFA, echoed those comments in response to the report.
"We can all see that there is a lack of representation across the women's game," Whelan said.
"That isn't by design, or something the game needs to be defensive about. It's something where we've acknowledged there is an issue and begun to take action, but we need to keep pushing.
"It's positive that the review has highlighted the lack of diversity across the women's game as something that needs to be urgently addressed.
"Are we doing enough to encourage girls and young women from diverse backgrounds into the game? Are we making the professional pathway accessible enough? It's often about practicalities as well as culture."
This is a highly significant moment in English women's football.
The report has strong backing from the PFA and FifPro, who have worked closely with the review board to ensure players from all backgrounds have been able to share their experiences in confidence.
There is a range of issues which will need long-term vision and patience to adapt to, but there are also clear short-term recommendations.
Among the most crucial are improved medical support, calls for fully funded union representation, better prize money and a dedicated WSL broadcast spot - all of which can be addressed immediately.
There are no legal enforcements given its an independent report, but the simple fact so many have come together to provide a detailed review suggests it will be hard for the likes of the FA - and the WSL takeover company - to ignore. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66174418 |
Ming vase used as £8.50 doorstop in Essex sells for £3,400 - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The object, believed to be from the Chinese Ming Dynasty, sells after being found in a charity shop. | Suffolk | The green vase is believed to be from the Ming Dynasty
An £8.50 vase that "sat in the corner of a downstairs loo" has sold for £3,400 after auctioneers linked it to the Chinese Ming Dynasty.
The vase belonged to Amanda Lawler, whose daughter Mary bought it for her in a charity shop in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex in 2020.
Mrs Lawler said she used the ornament as "an occasional doorstop" and almost threw it away when she moved house.
The piece sold at Lockdales Auctioneers near Ipswich on Thursday for £3,400.
Mrs Lawler had kept the vase, saying she later saw an "identical" one on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, valued up to £10,000.
Speaking ahead of the auction, Mrs Lawler said she had tasked her daughter with finding an ornament for the WC, and was pleased when she was sent a photo of the vase in a shop with the asking price of £8.50.
However, she had suggested her daughter try "offering a fiver for it... which she would not do as it was a charity shop".
"It just sat in the corner of the downstairs loo for quite a while," Mrs Lawler said.
Mary Lawler found the vase for her mum in a charity shop and paid £8.50 for it
One day she spotted a post on social media about a Ming vase featured on an episode of Antiques Roadshow.
The programme's specialist Lars Tharp had valued a vase on the show at between £5,000 and £10,000.
"I looked at the pictures and thought, that looks very much like our vase," Mrs Lawler said.
She showed it to auctioneers Lockdales - and their specialist Liza Machan agreed.
"It was one of those 'I'm just going to sit down for a little bit' moments," said Mrs Lawler.
Ms Machan said: "The vase had the provenance of having an identical one on the Antiques Roadshow - and to an extent we were relying on the provenance of the BBC programme."
She said it seemed likely the Essex vase was one of a pair that had been donated to charity but split up, as they were both purchased from shops for a similar price - less than £10 each.
"There was a lot of interest in it pre-auction," Ms Machan said.
It was put into the auction with a guide price of between £3,000 and £4,000 - going under the hammer for £3,400.
The vase is understood to have been purchased by a private collector, probably from the UK.
Mrs Lawler said as her daughter Mary had found it and paid for it, she was likely to get the "lion's share" of the sale price.
Her daughter's old VW Golf car needed some work, and she said the money would be used to do it up.
Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-66096337 |
White House cocaine: US Secret Service ends investigation - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The cocaine was discovered this month in a part of the White House that is accessible to tour groups. | US & Canada | The Secret Service said the investigation had ended due to a lack of physical evidence
The US Secret Service has closed its investigation into the discovery of cocaine in the White House.
It said it had attempted to determine a suspect through fingerprints, DNA traces and video evidence, but had not been able to do so.
The cocaine was discovered earlier this month in a storage area of the West Wing where visitors taking tours must leave their mobile phones.
President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland at the time.
The small plastic bag used to contain the drugs was discovered in an area that can be accessed by members of the public, and where mobile phones and other personal devices are stored before entering the White House.
After it was first discovered, safety closures were put in place so it could be determined that the substance "was not a chemical or radiological material that threatened the security of the White House", the Secret Service said in a statement.
Tests on the material determined it was cocaine, and further analysis was carried out on the composition of the substance. Advanced fingertip and DNA analysis on its packaging were also carried out by the FBI's crime laboratory.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service continued to investigate how the substance arrived in the White House, reviewing security systems in the day leading up to the discovery of the cocaine.
It produced "an index of several hundred individuals" who "may have accessed" the area where the drug was found.
On Wednesday, the Secret Service received the forensic evidence back from the FBI. This showed it did not have enough DNA evidence for comparison, and had not developed "latent fingerprints".
"Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals," it said in a statement.
It added that the surveillance footage had also not been of use, and it would mean trying to single out someone from "hundreds of individuals" who passed through the area - without having any physical evidence to do so.
The Secret Service added that it "takes its mission to protect US leaders, facilities, and events seriously" and it is "constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment".
Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has a high potential for abuse, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The White House has said the drug was found in a "heavily travelled area of the campus", but the closure of the investigation without finding a culprit has sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers.
Several lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the Secret Service after receiving a confidential briefing on Thursday.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News "somebody needs to be fired for letting it happen", while Tennessee congressman Tim Burchett said nobody is buying the "clown show".
But Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin said, while he found the incident "troubling", drug testing some 500 people who might have brought in the drugs would be an "overblown response". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66194754 |
Watch: Drone shows large chunks of highway destroyed in India floods - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | null | Drone footage has shown the scale of destruction caused by floods and landslides in Manali, northern India. | null | Drone footage has shown roads damaged by flooding and landslides in the northern India state of Himachal Pradesh. Many districts received a month’s rainfall in a single day over the weekend. In the town of Manali, tourists were stranded along with their vehicles after roads were washed away. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66184879 |
Wimbledon 2023 results: Ons Jabeur fights back to beat Aryna Sabalenka and reach final - BBC Sport | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | null | Ons Jabeur produces a superb comeback to beat Aryna Sabalenka and set up a Wimbledon women's singles final against Marketa Vondrousova. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. More coverage details
Ons Jabeur produced a superb comeback to beat Aryna Sabalenka and set up a Wimbledon women's singles final against unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
Jabeur's hopes were slipping away at a set and 4-2 behind but she rode a wave of momentum and raucous support to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 and reach a second successive final at the Championships.
It means there will be a new Wimbledon and Grand Slam champion on Saturday.
She is the first unseeded player to reach the Wimbledon women's singles final in the Open era.
Tunisia's Jabeur, the sixth seed, was beaten in last year's final by Elena Rybakina and was wildly supported by the Centre Court crowd throughout one of the best matches of the tournament so far.
"Thank you to the crowd that kept me in the match," Jabeur said in her on-court interview.
"Thank you very much for believing in me.
"I'm working a lot with my mental coach about this. I might be writing a book about it!"
The women's singles final is at 14:00 BST on Saturday.
• None I'm still the favourite for Wimbledon - Djokovic
The charismatic Jabeur, bidding to become the first African and Arab woman to be a Slam singles champion, gained a large following at SW19 on her run to last year's final.
That support was much needed as she fought back from the brink against the world number two.
Jabeur, who beat Rybakina in the previous round, had made most of the running in the first set, repeatedly applying pressure in Sabalenka service games - staying silent and composed as her opponent's shrieks echoed around under the roof.
But from 4-2 in the first-set tie-break a flurry of untimely errors from the Tunisian allowed Australian Open champion Sabalenka to take the opener.
Jabeur was visibly deflated at the start of the second and at 2-2, a forehand error and a double fault gifted the Belarusian a break of serve, despite the crowd's best efforts to lift their player.
With the match slipping away, Jabeur came out on the wrong side of two gruelling points - the second of which left her flat on her back on the grass in disappointment - but she still managed to break back to level.
From 4-4 she won the next two games, the set sealed with a stunning backhand return winner after which she cupped her ear to a roaring crowd.
With the momentum behind her, Jabeur broke for 4-2 in the decider, despite two huge forehands from Sabalenka almost allowing her to wriggle free.
Two games later, Sabalenka saved match points with big serving but on her own serve, having seen two more chances slip away, Jabeur served an ace of her own to seal the win.
"It was very difficult with her shots and her serves," Jabeur said.
"I'm very proud of myself because maybe the old me would have lost this match today and I would've been back home already.
Recent history has provided a number of shock Grand Slam finalists in the women's singles, but Vondrousova's progress is probably the biggest Wimbledon surprise since Eugenie Bouchard reached the 2014 final.
Vondrousova, ranked 42nd in the world, admitted before the semi-final she "never thought" she could do well on grass.
Clay courts have long been considered the Czech's best surface and she reached the French Open final as a 19-year-old in 2019, losing on the red dirt to Australia's Ashleigh Barty.
Since that Roland Garros final she has not gone past the last 16 at a Grand Slam and has had two wrist surgeries, the latest of which kept her out until last October.
"I didn't play for six months last year and you never know if you can be at that level again," Vondrousova said.
"I'm so grateful to be here, be healthy and be playing tennis again."
Vondrousova has grown in belief during the grass-court major, cleaning out four seeded opponents before facing former world number three Svitolina.
That confidence was illustrated as she started strongly. Vondrousova targeted Svitolina's backhand and reaped the rewards with two breaks of serve in a run of three games against serve to lead 4-3.
Vondrousova's loopier forehand caused problems for Svitolina, who hits a flatter ball, and greater consistency from the baseline enabled her to break again in the ninth game to seal the set.
The run of Svitolina has been one of the storylines of the fortnight.
Not only is she coming back from giving birth to daughter Skai in October, the Ukrainian is also dealing with the emotional aspect of the war back home, which she says she has used as added motivation to win matches.
As usual, Svitolina showed her determination and will to win even when she fell 4-0 down in the second set and the match looked to be quickly running away from her.
But she clawed back one break - and then the other - providing herself with hope of a remarkable comeback.
However, Vondrousova managed to recover from her edginess to break again and held her nerve in a tense service game to secure victory.
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SAG strike: Avatar and Gladiator sequels look set to be hit as actors walk out - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Films and TV shows in production are affected as some 160,000 performers stop work in LA. | Entertainment & Arts | A new tribe, the Metkayina Clan, was introduced in last year's Avatar: The Way of Water
Major films in production including the Avatar and Gladiator sequels are looking likely to be affected by Hollywood actors taking strike action.
Promotional events such as red-carpet premieres will also be affected, such as Disney film Haunted Mansion, released later this month.
Events including the Emmys and Comic-Con may be rescheduled or scaled back.
In the industry's biggest shutdown for over 60 years, some 160,000 performers stopped work at midnight in LA.
Picketing will begin on Friday morning outside the California headquarters of Netflix, before moving on to Paramount, Warner Bros and Disney.
The announcement of the strike followed similar strike action from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and brought most US film and TV productions to a halt.
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The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) wants streaming giants to agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions.
It also wants to protect actors from being usurped by digital replicas.
The union is seeking guarantees that artificial intelligence (AI) and computer-generated faces and voices will not be used to replace actors.
While the strike takes place, actors cannot appear in films or even promote movies that they have already made.
Other productions which may be affected include Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, along with Tim Burton's Beetlejuice sequel and a film adaptation of the musical Wicked.
It is also possible that HBO's House of the Dragon TV series may be hit by the strike, along with the second series of Netflix's The Sandman and Family Guy and The Simpsons on Fox.
The Sandman was first shown on Netflix last year
US networks have responded by expanding the amount of "unscripted content", like The Masked Singer, The Amazing Race, Survivor and Kitchen Nightmares, in their autumn schedules.
Phil Clapp, the chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, told BBC News he did not think the strike would cause too much disruption for cinema-goers.
"Given the challenges UK cinema operators have faced in the last few years, all will be concerned by anything which might potentially threaten the supply of films to the big screen, and so it is very much hoped that there will be a quick resolution to the current dispute," he said.
"That said, there is already a strong slate of films locked in for the weeks and months to come, starting with Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, Barbie and Oppenheimer all in, or coming to cinemas very soon and - with other major titles stretching into 2024 - promising to entertain millions of cinema-goers.
"Unless the current strike is a protracted one, we are confident that cinemas we will see little if any disruption in the foreseeable future."
The union president Fran Drescher wants streaming giants to agree to a fairer split of profits
Actors Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt left the premiere of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer in London on Thursday night as the strike was declared.
The film's director, Christopher Nolan, told the cinema audience that they were "off to write their picket signs", adding that he supported them in their struggle.
For films in production, the strike means a large portion of work will become impossible. Even in cases in which filming has already been completed, actors will be unavailable for re-shoots and other essential elements of the filmmaking process.
TV shows that are still being filmed will also largely have to stop, although in some cases side deals could be struck between performers and producers to allow work to continue.
Several actors took to Instagram to voice their support for the strike, including Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon and Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis.
Succession star Brian Cox told the BBC's Newscast he "could see [the strike] going on until the end of the year".
He added the invention of streaming services "has really shifted the power dynamic of particularly TV drama", and said the income streams for actors had changed.
"In the US, we don't have a national health service, so it means you have to have private health insurance, and of course your residuals, that you depend on to pay for your health, are getting more and more difficult," he explained.
Residuals are payments made to actors from repeats of films and programmes they've starred in. Residuals were traditionally paid when repeats of programmes were shown on terrestrial TV channels, but streaming has made this arrangement more complicated.
Jamie Lee Curtis shared her support for the strike on Instagram
To address concerns about the use of AI, the big studios have offered what they call a "ground-breaking proposal" that would protect the digital likeness of actors and require their consent when digital replicas are used in performances, or alterations are made.
But the union rejected the offer, made by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The SAG's national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said it was unacceptable.
"They propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day's pay, and their company should own that scan of their image, their likeness, and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity," he said. "If you think that's a ground-breaking proposal, I suggest you think again."
The AMPTP said the strike was "certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life".
"The union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry," its statement added.
The union is officially known as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA.
As well as greater residuals, one of its demands of the streaming services is that actors should receive greater base pay.
The strike includes tens of thousands of actors who receive significantly less pay for minor parts than their A-list colleagues.
"In the old model, they get residuals based on success," Kim Masters, the editor-in-chief of the Hollywood Reporter, told the BBC. "In the new model, they don't get to find out what's going on behind the scenes, because the streamers don't share."
Fran Drescher, SAG's president, said the strike came at a "very seminal moment" for actors in the industry.
"What's happening to us is happening across all fields of labour," she said, "when employers make Wall Street and greed their priority, and they forget about the essential contributors that make the machine run."
The actors' strike could move across the Atlantic if US production companies shift filming to the UK because of the industrial action taken by their American counterparts, British union Equity said on Friday.
The body, which represents more than 47,000 performers in the UK, says the union stands in solidarity with US actors who are striking.
Equity - which is not striking - told US companies it will be keeping a "very close eye" on any attempts to move productions to the UK due to the action called on Thursday evening.
The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May
A separate strike by the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America demanding better pay and working conditions has been going since 2 May.
Some writers have turned to projects that are not covered by the contract between the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The "double strike" by both unions is the first since 1960, when the SAG was led by actor Ronald Reagan, long before he entered politics and became US president. The last strike by actors took place in 1980.
Speaking during a gathering of industry leaders at an Idaho resort ahead of the SAG's announcement on Thursday, Disney chief executive Bob Iger said the demands of both actors and writers were impractical and damaging to an industry still recovering from the pandemic.
"It's very disturbing to me," Mr Iger said. "This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption."
A third union, the Directors Guild of America, successfully negotiated a contract in June and will not participate.
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Elon Musk announces new AI start-up - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The new entity is called xAI, and employs several engineers that have worked at companies like OpenAI and Google. | Technology | Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced the formation of an artificial intelligence startup.
The new company is called xAI, and includes several engineers that have worked at companies like OpenAI and Google.
Mr Musk has previously stated he believes developments in AI should be paused and that the sector needs regulation.
He said the start-up was created to "understand reality".
It is unclear how much funding the entity has, what its specific objectives are or what kind artificial intelligence the company wants to focus on.
The company's website says the goal of xAI is to "understand the true nature of the universe."
The new firm will host a Twitter Spaces chat on Friday, which may reveal further details about its aims.
Elon Musk was the one of the original backers of OpenAI, which went on to create the popular large language model ChatGPT, which has - often controversially - become popular for uses such as assisting students with writing homework.
However, the billionaire's relationship with the company has soured. He has criticised ChatGPT for having a liberal bias.
"What we need is TruthGPT", Mr Musk tweeted in February.
He also disagrees with how ChatGPT has been run - and its close relationship with Microsoft.
"It does seem weird that something can be a nonprofit, open source and somehow transform itself into a for-profit, closed source," Musk said in a CNBC interview.
In March Mr Musk signed an open letter calling for a pause to "Giant AI Experiments", which to date has around 33,000 signatures.
In an interview with the BBC in April Mr Musk said he had been worrying about AI safety for over a decade.
"I think there should be a regulatory body established for overseeing AI to make sure that it does not present a danger to the public", he said.
Mr Musk has also pitted himself against AI companies due to the data they use to train chatbots - the software that learns how humans interacts by scraping masses of data from various sources to fuel its knowledge and interaction styles.
The billionaire believes vast amounts of Twitter's data is scraped from the platform, and that the company should be adequately compensated.
Mr Musk purchased the microblogging platform in a deal worth billions, before making sweeping changes which led to many leaving the platform in protest, including the producer of shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton, Shonda Rhimes, as well as model Gigi Hadid and comedian and actor Stephen Fry. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66183034 |
Ronan Kanda: Teens sentenced for boy's mistaken identity murder - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ronan Kanda, 16, had been buying a PlayStation controller when he was stabbed close to his home. | Birmingham & Black Country | Ronan Kanda was mistaken by his murderers for his friend
Two 17-year-olds have been sentenced for stabbing a 16-year-old boy to death in a case of mistaken identity.
Ronan Kanda was murdered close to his home in Wolverhampton after he visited a friend's house to buy a PlayStation controller in June 2022.
A trial heard his attackers, one of whom had just collected knives bought online, mistook him for his friend.
Prabjeet Veadhesa will serve a minimum term of 18 years and Sukhman Shergill a minimum of 16, the court heard.
Before passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, the judge, Mr Justice Choudhury, lifted reporting restrictions on naming the teenagers.
He made the decision in part to send out a strong message about the seriousness of knife crime, he said.
Ronan's mother, Pooja Kanda, said she had lost a lifetime of dreams and ambitions
The court was told Veadhesa was owed money by Ronan's friend and intended to confront him on 29 June 2022.
The judge said it was a "tragic coincidence" they saw Ronan leave the house where their intended victim lived and assumed he was the boy they were looking for.
He was just yards away from his family home, but was attacked from behind as he listened to music on headphones.
Earlier in the day, Veadhesa had collected a ninja sword set and a large machete from a local post office after buying them online using a fake name.
The court heard Shergill carried the machete but Ronan was stabbed twice with the sword by Veadhesa and died at the scene.
He suffered a 20cm-deep wound in his back and hip area, and a 17cm-deep wound in his chest.
The pair fled after they realised they had attacked the wrong person, dumping their weapons and clothes.
Ronan's parents and sister as well as other supporters wore "Justice for Ronan" T-shirts at Wolverhampton Crown Court
Many of Ronan's family, who were in the courtroom wearing "Justice for Ronan" T-shirts, sobbed as tributes were read during the hearing.
Ronan's mother, Pooja Kanda, read out a personal statement and said she replayed the last time she saw her son alive in her mind every day.
"I have lost a lifetime of dreams, hopes and ambitions," she said. "He was the son that every mother needs."
Addressing the defendants, who both looked at the floor as she spoke, she told them "your evil actions have taken my son's life" which left her with "nothing but hatred for this world".
His father, Chander Kanda, said the death of his son had destroyed his life.
Ronan's sister, Nikita Kanda, said she was "no longer the same person" and added "my world has stopped, I feel empty and I'm just surviving".
Although Shergill, from Willenhall, did not inflict any blows, a jury found he acted in the joint enterprise of his murder and convicted both teenagers after a five-week trial.
In defence of Veadhesa, from Walsall, Adam Morgan said his client was of good character and was "genuinely remorseful".
Timothy Hannam KC, defending Shergill, said his client should be treated more leniently as "Veadhesa was the one who actually killed Ronan".
West Midlands Police described it as an "unbelievably callous and shocking case of mistaken identity".
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66187503 |
Dele Alli: Everton midfielder says he was sexually abused aged six - BBC Sport | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | null | Everton midfielder Dele Alli says he was sexually abused when he was six years old and started dealing drugs aged eight. | null | Warning: Contains distressing details of sexual abuse and child cruelty.
Everton midfielder Dele Alli says he was sexually abused when he was six years old.
In an emotional interview with former England footballer Gary Neville, Dele revealed the abuse he suffered as a child before he was adopted aged 12.
He said he was "molested" aged six, started smoking aged seven and was dealing drugs at eight years old.
Dele, 27, recently spent six weeks in rehab because of a sleeping pill addiction and mental health issues.
One of football's brightest young talents, Dele was part of the England squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and helped Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019.
However, his form dipped and he left Spurs to join Everton in February 2022 before going on loan to Turkish side Besiktas last season.
Dele, who earned the last of his 37 England caps in 2019, returned to Everton at the end of last season because of injury.
"When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation and I was in a bad place mentally," he told The Overlap.
"I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health. They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma.
"I felt like it was time for me. You can't be told to go there. You have to know and make the decision yourself or it's not going to work. I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm.
"I was waking up every day and I was winning the fight, going into training, smiling, showing that I was happy - but inside I was definitely losing the battle. It was time for me to change it."
In a statement, Everton said: "Everyone at Everton respects and applauds Dele's bravery to speak about the difficulties he has faced, as well as seek the help required.
"Dele will not be conducting any further interviews in relation to his rehabilitation, and we ask that his privacy is respected while he continues his recuperation from injury and receives the full care and support needed for his physical and mental wellbeing."
Dele said he had come out of rehab in the United States three weeks ago and "could never have imagined how much" he would get from it as "a lot happened when I was younger that I could never understand and figure out" and it had helped him on that front.
He later paused as he became tearful when talking about being "molested" by a non-family member.
"My mum was an alcoholic. I was sent to Africa [to stay with his father] to learn discipline, and then I was sent back," he said.
"At seven, I started smoking, eight I started dealing drugs.
"An older person told me that they wouldn't stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I'd have the drugs.
"Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate, a man.
"Twelve, I was adopted - I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn't have asked for better people to do what they'd done for me. If God created people, it was them."
Dele said he is not in contact with his biological parents, adding he feels "betrayed" and "let down" after they claimed in 2018 his adopted family were taking advantage of him.
He said he does not "blame" his mother "at all" after going to rehab helped him "understand her and what she was going through" but the "hurt" caused by those claims means he does not want a relationship with her.
Speaking of his father, who last made contact when he was playing for England, Dele added: "I don't want a relationship with him either."
He changed the name on the back of his shirt to Dele in 2016, saying he felt "no connection" with the Alli surname.
Dele made his senior football debut aged 16 for MK Dons in 2012 and impressed as the then-League One side beat Manchester United in the League Cup two years later.
He joined Tottenham in February 2015 and excelled for club and country before he fell out of favour for both.
"It's been going on for a long time without me realising it," said Dele. "Things I was doing to numb the feelings I had: I didn't realise I was doing it for that purpose, whether it be drinking or whatever.
"It started with that and then I got addicted to sleeping tablets. It's probably a problem that not only I have but it's something going around more than people realise in football. Maybe me coming out and speaking about it can help people.
"I definitely abused them too much. I would stop sometimes and go a few months without them but I was never really dealing with the problem.
"It got really bad at some points and I didn't understand how bad it was but I was never dealing with the root of the problem, which was - when I was growing up - the traumas I had and the feelings I was holding on to.
"I was taking a lot. I don't want to get into numbers but it was definitely way too much and I had some scary moments."
Dr Michael Bennett, the director of player wellbeing at the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), said the union "regularly supports" members who have developed addictions, including to sleeping tablets.
"Even administered in small doses, prescription medications can be habit-forming," he added.
"If players are using sleeping tablets or any other prescription medication and are concerned that they may have developed a dependency, we encourage them to speak confidentially with the PFA and access the support we offer."
Dele, who praised the support offered by Everton, said he was speaking out about his experience sooner than he had planned as some tabloid newspapers had found out about him going into rehab.
"Unfortunately the way the world is now, the tabloids found out and they were calling my team a lot and saying they knew where I was," he said.
Dele's best form at Spurs came under the club's former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who was replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019.
"Pochettino - I couldn't have asked for a better manager, him and his team are amazing people," said Dele.
"It wasn't like a footballer and a manager relationship, it was deeper than that and that was what I needed at the time.
"He was so understanding of the decisions I was making. He cared about me as a person before the football."
Dele said his "saddest moment" came when he was 24, now playing under Mourinho.
He added: "One morning I woke up and I had to go to training - this is when he'd stopped playing me - and I was in a bad place.
"I was literally staring in the mirror and I was asking if I could retire now, at 24, doing the thing I love. That was heartbreaking."
He added Mourinho did apologise for calling him "lazy" in the All or Nothing documentary.
Dele said he wanted "to help other people to let them know that they're not alone in the feelings that they've got".
"You can talk to people. It doesn't make you weak to get help, to be vulnerable - there's a lot of strength in that. To come out and share my story, I'm happy to do it," he said.
On the playing front, Dele expects to be sidelined for "another few weeks" before trying to show he still has the ability to perform in the Premier League.
"I want to be a better player, a better person," he said.
"I look back and I did good, but I'm not satisfied with that. You can't drive your car looking in the rear view mirror. The journey from here is just exciting for me."
England captain Harry Kane said he was "proud" of his former Spurs team-mate "for speaking out and sharing his experience to try and help others".
Former England striker Gary Lineker said the interview was "very powerful and brave" and wished Dele "good luck".
The Professional Footballers' Association said: "It's incredibly brave of Dele to tell his story with such honesty in this important interview.
"Hearing Dele speak with such openness will make a difference, and his desire to use his own experiences to act as an inspiration to others - inside and outside of football - is something he should be extremely proud of."
Dele's former club MK Dons said: "We have always been so proud of Dele, none more so than now, seeing him show tremendous bravery to speak publicly on the matter of his mental health.
"Dele will always have the love and support of everyone associated with MK Dons." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66187943 |
Pollution: Separate plastic waste to help make a prosthetic leg - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | People are being asked to separate household plastics to give them a chance of being recycled. | Wales | Recycled plastics are used to make prosthetic legs by a charity in Indonesia for people who can't afford them
Recycling can sometimes be seen as a bit of a hassle, but separating different types of plastic could help provide a person with a prosthetic leg.
A new scheme is making that happen by reusing unwanted plastic rather than it being sent to landfill.
Precious Plastic is launching a project in Conwy and Rhondda Cynon Taf to recycle plastics into a variety of objects to help reduce waste.
The Welsh government has set a target of zero waste by 2050.
Prosthetic legs can be made out of oil bottles, cabins and chess boards out of bottle caps, and tote bags can be created from plastic bags.
Eifion Williams, of conservation group Circular Communities Cymru, said that getting the most out plastics is the big challenge in creating a circular economy - where materials are reused and not thrown away.
Eifion Williams says that plastics recycling is the big challenge to reducing waste
"There are seven different types of plastic and if they get compounded and made into a mixed compound it's very difficult to untangle that," he said.
"It's very expensive too, so if we can keep those polymers separate in the same way as we keep our paper, tins and glass separate then we will be making steps towards the circular economy."
Mr Williams said it was not a case of "just telling people to do recycling because it's the right thing to do, this is giving them tangible benefits in their hands".
Chess boards are made out of the bottle caps of recycled bottles
Andromeda Thomas is the coordinator of the environmental group Crop Cycle Treherbert, which shares a site with Precious Plastic on land previously used as a petrol station in the heart of the town.
"I think people here can see things actually being put into action now, which is really good," she said.
"I think there's always a long way to go and there's always room for improvement, but this could act as an example to other people and at the same time we can explore different ideas and move things forward."
Andromeda believes the idea of sorting different types of plastics for recycling is gathering pace
Gwynfor Jones, 18, started as an apprentice at the Crop Cycle scheme and he is now the youngest member of staff.
"Before this project came I thought a milk bottle was one plastic but no, with the lid being a different colour, shows it's a different plastic than the actual bottle itself.
"So you can get plastics with three, four different types in one object."
At the Nantycaws recycling centre, near Carmarthen, a new re-use project called Canolfan Eto is also helping to deliver a circular economy throughout the county as well as becoming a leader in recycling and re-use in Wales.
The aim is find new uses for unwanted items that have been thrown away.
Customers can buy items including furniture, paint, bicycles, gardening items and much more.
This chicken coop was made by Precious Plastics using recycled bottle caps with wood for support
It is hoped that schemes such as Precious Plastic will help ensure that Wales reaches its ambitious target to achieve zero waste by 2050.
Based on the latest comparable international information to hand, Wales is third in the world when it comes to its recycling performance, behind Germany and Taiwan.
Wales' recycling efforts save about 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from being released into the atmosphere.
The Welsh government acknowledged the need to do more and said it would soon introduce workplace recycling regulations, a ban on single use plastic and extended producer responsibility.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66174324 |
Burry Port manslaughter accused was scared, court hears - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hywel Williams says he was acting in self-defence when he pushed Peter Ormerod, who later died. | Wales | Hywel Williams said he acted in self-defence when he pushed Peter Ormerod
A TV director who pushed another man over, who later died, has said he was "scared" and acting in self-defence.
Hywel Williams, 40, from Cardiff, denies the manslaughter of retired teacher Peter Ormerod, 75, who died in hospital four days after being pushed.
Mr Williams, a director on Welsh soap opera Pobol y Cwm, told Swansea Crown Court he felt threatened by Mr Ormerod.
The pair got into a row about Welsh independence at a pub in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, on 24 September 2022.
The court heard Mr Williams was in the town visiting his mother and that he and Mr Ormerod had never met before that evening.
Mr Williams said he left the pub as he did not want to continue the conversation about Welsh independence, but said Mr Ormerod then approached him outside.
According to Mr Williams, he told Mr Ormerod: "I don't have time for this mate… I don't want any of this."
Mr Ormerod is said to have replied: "Don't you ever speak to me like that again. How dare you speak to me like that."
The pair then exchanged expletives before Mr Williams said he acted in self-defence and pushed Mr Ormerod, claiming he had stepped towards him.
"I felt scared and pushed him… I thought he was going to get back up," he told the jury.
Mr Williams called the emergency services less than a minute after the incident, admitting to pushing Mr Ormerod. "I did everything I could to help him," he told the court.
CCTV footage showed Mr Williams telling his mother that Mr Ormerod "can't come at me like that".
It also showed him telling Mr Ormerod to "go away" - in more explicit language - and then insulting his weight.
Mr Williams claimed he did not recall saying these words but did admit it was him who said them, telling the jury he felt panic and adrenaline at the time.
"I haven't behaved like that before," he said.
Mr Williams denies the accusation of manslaughter, the trial continues. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66192021 |
ChatGPT owner in probe over risks around false answers - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | US regulators are asking the maker of ChatGPT about protections for privacy and reputational risk. | Business | US regulators are probing artificial intelligence company OpenAI over the risks to consumers from ChatGPT generating false information.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a letter to the Microsoft-backed business requesting information on how it addresses risks to people's reputations.
The inquiry is a sign of the rising regulatory scrutiny of the technology.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman says the company will work with the FTC.
ChatGPT generates convincing human-like responses to user queries within seconds, instead of the series of links generated by a traditional internet search. It, and similar AI products, are expected to dramatically change the way people get information they are searching for online.
Tech rivals are racing to offer their own versions of the technology, even as it generates fierce debate, including over the data it uses, the accuracy of the responses and whether the company violated authors' rights as it was training the technology.
The FTC's letter asks what steps OpenAI has taken to address its products' potential to "generate statements about real individuals that are false, misleading, disparaging or harmful".
The FTC is also looking at OpenAI's approach to data privacy and how it obtains data to train and inform the AI.
Mr Altman said OpenAI had spent years on safety research and months making ChatGPT "safer and more aligned before releasing it".
"We protect user privacy and design our systems to learn about the world, not private individuals," he said on Twitter.
In another tweet he said that it was important to the firm that its "technology is safe and pro-consumer, and we are confident we follow the law. Of course we will work with the FTC."
Mr Altman appeared before a hearing at Congress earlier this year, in which he admitted that the technology could be a source of errors.
He called for regulations to be created for the emerging industry and recommended that a new agency be formed to oversee AI safety. He added that he expected the technology to have a significant impact, including on jobs, as its uses become clear.
"I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong... we want to be vocal about that," Mr Altman said at the time. "We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening."
The investigation by the FTC was first reported by the Washington Post, which published a copy of the letter. OpenAI did not respond to a BBC request for comment.
The FTC also declined to comment. The consumer watchdog has taken a high profile role policing the tech giants under its current chair, Lina Khan.
Ms Khan rose to prominence as a Yale law student, when she criticised America's record on anti-monopoly enforcement related to Amazon.
Appointed by President Joe Biden, she is a controversial figure, with critics arguing that she is pushing the FTC beyond the boundaries of its authority.
Some of her most high-profile challenges of tech firms activities - including a push to block the merger of Microsoft with gaming giant Activision Blizzard - have faced setbacks in the courts.
During a five-hour hearing in Congress on Thursday, she faced tough criticism from Republicans over her leadership of the agency.
She did not mention the FTC's investigation into OpenAI, which is at a preliminary stage. But she said she had concerns about the product's output.
"We've heard about reports where people's sensitive information is showing up in response to an inquiry from somebody else," Ms Khan said.
"We've heard about libel, defamatory statements, flatly untrue things that are emerging. That's the type of fraud and deception that we are concerned about," she added.
The FTC probe is not the company's first challenge over such issues. Italy banned ChatGPT in April, citing privacy concerns. The service was restored after it added a tool to verify users' ages and provided more information about its privacy policy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66196223 |
Huw Edwards: BBC to resume inquiry and Sun faces questions - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The corporation's director general says the case remains very complex and the internal inquiry will follow due process | UK | We're bringing our coverage of this story to a close now
Today we've heard a number of media experts give their thoughts on how the story has unfolded, and we've heard from some friends and colleagues of Huw Edwards too. Meanwhile, the BBC has resumed its investigation into the presenter's conduct, and we now know senior BBC figures will be asked to talk about their handling of the story during a pre-existing Parliamentary committee session next week. You can find further coverage on this story here. Lastly, a reminder that as this story contains a lot of distressing and difficult themes - organisations offering help and support with a host of issues are listed at BBC Actionline. Thanks for joining us, have a good afternoon. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66174146 |
Ukraine war: Russian general fired after criticising army leaders - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Gen Ivan Popov says he refused to keep quiet over issues at the front line in Ukraine. | Europe | General Ivan Popov has been commanding forces in the Zaporizhzhia region
A top Russian general says he has been removed from his post in Ukraine after telling military chiefs the truth about the dire situation on the front line.
Maj Gen Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Army, which has been fighting in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
In a voice message, Maj Gen Popov said he raised questions about high casualty rate and lack of artillery support.
"It was necessary either to keep quiet and be a coward or to say it the way it is," he said.
"I had no right to lie in the name of you, in the name of my fallen comrades in arms, so I outlined all the problems which exist."
The voice message was posted to telegram by Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov, who is a former military commander and frequent commentator on state TV. It is unclear when the message was recorded.
Among the issues Maj Gen Popov said he highlighted to his superiors were the lack of proper counter battery systems to help repel Ukrainian artillery attacks, as well as a lack of military intelligence.
The commander said his dismissal was demanded by senior commanders - who he accused of treason - and approved by the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu.
Russian military bloggers - often the most insightful form of information in the absence of official comment from Moscow - reported that the order to dismiss Maj Gen Popov had come from the head of Russia's armed forces, Gen Valery Gerasimov.
They said Gen Gerasimov accused Maj Gen Popov of "alarmism and blackmailing senior management" after he highlighted the need to rotate soldiers who had been in the front line for a sustained period of time and had suffered significant losses.
"The senior chiefs apparently sensed some kind of danger from me and quickly concocted an order from the defence minister in just one day and got rid of me," Maj Gen Popov said.
"The Ukrainian army could not break through our ranks at the front but our senior chief hit us from the rear, viciously beheading the army at the most difficult and intense moment."
The Russian defence ministry has yet to comment on the dismissal.
However, a senior official of the pro-government United Russia party, of which Mr Gurulyov is a member, criticised the MP for making a "political show" out of Maj Gen Popov's remarks.
"General Popov's statement was not public and was posted on closed chats of the commanders and troops of the 58th Army," Andrei Turchak wrote on telegram.
"Let the fact that... Gurulyov somehow got hold of this and made a political show out of it remain on his conscience," he said, adding that Maj Gen Popov's conscience was clear and the country could be proud of commanders like him.
Zaporizhzhia and the eastern Donetsk region have become the focus of Ukraine's counteroffensive, which was launched over a month ago, but has struggled to penetrate well established Russian defensive lines.
On Wednesday, another Russian MP said former Russian commander Gen Sergei Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny, was "resting".
Gen Surovikin was said to enjoy close relations with the former Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and there had been media reports that he had been arrested following the brief revolt.
There has been no official confirmation or comment about his whereabouts.
Meanwhile, another senior Russian general - Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov - is said to have been killed in a strike in Ukraine's occupied south coast this week, although his death has not been officially confirmed by Russia's defence ministry. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66185545 |
Warning public debt could soar as population ages - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Debt could rise to more than 300% of the size of the economy by 2070, the government's forecaster says. | Business | The UK's public debt could soar as the population ages and tax receipts fall, the government's independent forecaster has warned.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said debt could rise to more than 300% of the size of the economy by 2070, up from around 100% currently.
Climate change and geopolitical tensions also posed "significant" risks to government finances, it added.
But it called current government plans to reduce debt "relatively modest".
It comes as separate figures show the UK economy has barely grown since 2019 before the pandemic.
Commenting on the OBR report, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the government would take "difficult but responsible" decisions on the public finances.
Public debt is the stockpile of money borrowed by the government over the years to fund its spending.
Mr Hunt has set a target of getting underlying debt to fall in five years' time.
In a report, the OBR said the 2020s were turning out to be a "very risky era for the public finances".
It said the pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and recent interest rate rises had hit the economy and driven up government borrowing costs.
From this "vulnerable position", it said, the government now faced growing costs from an ageing society.
This will drive up pension spending in the short term, and by 2070 shrink the ratio of working age people to retired people.
"This puts downward pressure on tax receipts, upward pressure on primary spending, and leaves a growing gap between the two," the OBR said.
The forecasting body said that the government's debt interest costs were also set to surge. And it said borrowing would rise as government spending on defence increased to meet "growing security threats in Europe and Asia".
Decarbonising the economy to reach net zero by 2050 would also cost the government billions in extra spending, it said.
All of these factors could lead to the size of the UK's debt compared to the size of the economy - as measured by the debt-to-GDP ratio - tripling over the next 50 years, the OBR said. It added that unforeseen shocks or unfunded policies could drive it even higher.
The OBR added that the government's current plan for stabilising and then reducing debt - as a share of GDP by 2027-28 - was "relatively modest by historical and international standards".
Commenting, Mr Hunt said the government would take "difficult but responsible decisions on the public finances, including public sector pay, because more borrowing is itself inflationary".
But Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow chancellor, said the OBR's report showed "just how far we are falling behind our peers".
"There are serious decisions to be made by this Tory government to restore some security in our economy, to get a grip on inflation, and to stop people's bills rising."
The OBR's report also warned gas prices are expected to remain high until at least 2025.
Soaring oil and gas prices have contributed to the rapid pace of general price rises, putting struggling households under pressure.
After a massive 13-fold price jump in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices have fallen back - but are still more than twice as expensive as before.
The OBR said the hike in gas prices had made renewable energy cheaper than gas over its life-time for the first time.
However, despite this, it said there was "little sign of a step-change in renewable energy investment in the UK".
Planned UK government investments in green technologies will not get the country to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the OBR said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66187743 |
Wennington wildfire probably started in back garden - report - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Seventeen houses were damaged in east London during a heatwave last year. | London | The fire broke out during last summer's heatwave
A London Fire Brigade investigation has concluded the Wennington wildfire was likely to have started in a garden.
A large grass fire in the village in Havering, east London, tore through 17 houses during scorching temperatures in July last year.
While investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the blaze, a large caravan was noted as an early area of where it began.
The brigade added it had not fully discounted that it was deliberate.
At about 13:00 BST on 17 July 2022, a neighbour saw white smoke coming from near a large willow tree in the garden, which turned into flames.
In total the fire spread across 40 hectares, damaging 17 houses, five garages, 12 stables, a car repair workshop and several vehicles, as well as numerous sheds and outbuildings.
The investigator wrote: "Having called the brigade, [the neighbour] attempted to stop the fire spreading using a hosepipe, however, this had little effect."
The conditions were "exceptionally hot and dry", the investigator added, which meant the flames could easily move along the marshland to the rear of the properties.
The fire scorched fields as well as destroying homes
At the time of the blaze, the fire brigade was also fighting numerous other blazes including a 30-pump fire in Upminster.
The investigator said the brigade, which had a station less than 100m (328ft) from the site where the fire started, would have sent more than 15 pumps were it not for the "unprecedented conditions".
Havering Council leader Ray Morgon said: "Whilst the report does not provide a definite conclusion on the cause of the fire, one thing we can conclude from the findings and guidance is that fire safety is everyone's responsibility.
"As we enter the summer months and the likelihood of higher temperatures it is up to us all to take measures to prevent this type of horrific incident from happening again."
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66148110 |
Airport drop-off fees soar by nearly a third - RAC - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Eight major UK airports have increased fees for drivers to drop off passengers, according to new data. | Business | Airport drop-off charges for drivers have increased by almost a third at UK airports over the past year, according to the RAC.
These are initial fees charged for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible.
The biggest hikes in so-called kiss and fly charges are at Southampton and Belfast International, the RAC found.
Airports argue the higher fees are to deter drivers from lingering around and help to keep flight costs down.
The Airport Operators Association, which represents airports in the UK, told the BBC the increased revenue helped "keep charges to airlines lower" and helped "maximise the range of flights that can be offered to all passengers".
Short-stay parking areas around terminals usually have barriers for entry and exit. Drivers have to buy a ticket to get in and pay for the time they stay to get out.
Southampton International airport raised its fee from £4 to £6 for 20 minutes while Belfast International has hiked prices from £1 to £3 for 10 minutes.
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which owns and operates Southampton, said the funds received through higher charges were important in "supporting the airport's operational costs, which have increased significantly".
Belfast said the higher charges would be used to fund a "wider capital investment programme". The airport is due to begin the construction of a new £20m security building.
The airport with the highest minimum payment is Stansted where the fee is £7 for 15 minutes, but other airports charge £5 for just five or 10 minutes.
However, six of the busiest UK airports have frozen drop-off charges since last summer. Alongside Stansted:
Three airports offer free-drop off outside the departure terminal. These are Cardiff, London City and Inverness.
For passengers that are being dropped off by taxis or private hire cars, they will most likely have fees added to their fares. Many airports offer free options for dropping passengers off in mid or long-stay car parks connected to terminals by buses.
The RAC argues that the increased drop-off charges are far too high to charge drivers for such short periods of time - particularly if they are dropping off people with limited mobility or young families.
Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, has been tracking drop-off charges since 2016 and said putting them up had "become something of an annual ritual".
"Thankfully the proportion of airports hiking fees this year is lower than last year, but that will be little consolation as charges across the board have never been so high," he said.
Research. Check out the drop-off facilities and fees on the airport's website. Terminal forecourt drop-off areas are likely to be the most expensive.
Have your payment ready. Once you have found out how to pay, ensure you have payment ready to hand.
Say your goodbyes early. Bid your farewells before you get to the airport.
Check your taxi fare includes a drop-off fee. If you're booking a taxi to take you to the airport, check to see whether the fare includes or excludes any drop-off fees.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66174677 |
Excessive heat: Why this summer has been so hot - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Experts are predicting that the developing El Niño is likely to make 2023 the world's hottest year. | Science & Environment | It is hot. Very hot. And temperatures show no signs of easing.
Nearly a third of Americans - over 113 million people - are under some form of heat advisory, the US National Weather Service said.
Across the US, temperatures are shattering decades-long record highs. In El Paso, Texas, temperatures have soared to above 37C - triple-digits Fahrenheit - for 27 consecutive days, overtaking a record last set in 1994.
In the UK, the June heat didn't just break all-time records, it smashed them. It was 0.9C hotter than the previous record, set back in 1940. That is a huge margin.
There is a similar story of unprecedented hot weather in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
No surprise, then, that the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather forecasts said that globally, June was the hottest on record.
And the heat has not eased. The three hottest days ever recorded were in the past week, according to the EU climate and weather service, Copernicus.
The average world temperature hit 16.89C on Monday 3 July and topped 17C for the first time on 4 July, with an average global temperature of 17.04C.
Provisional figures suggest that was exceeded on 5 July when temperatures reached 17.05C.
These highs are in line with what climate models predicted, says Prof Richard Betts, climate scientist at the Met Office and University of Exeter.
"We should not be at all surprised with the high global temperatures," he says. "This is all a stark reminder of what we've known for a long time, and we will see ever more extremes until we stop building up more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."
When we think about how hot it is, we tend to think about the air temperature, because that's what we experience in our daily lives.
But most of the heat stored near the surface of the Earth is not in the atmosphere, but in the oceans. And we've been seeing some record ocean temperatures this spring and summer.
The North Atlantic, for example, is currently experiencing the highest surface water temperatures ever recorded.
That marine heatwave has been particularly pronounced around the coasts of the UK, where some areas have experienced temperatures as much as 5C above what you would normally expect for this time of year.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has labelled it a Category 4 heatwave. The designation is rarely used outside of the tropics and denotes "extreme" heat.
"Such anomalous temperatures in this part of the North Atlantic are unheard of," says Daniela Schmidt, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.
At the same time, an El Niño is developing in the tropical Pacific.
El Niño is a recurring weather pattern caused when warm waters rise to the surface off the coast of South America and spread across the ocean.
With both the Atlantic and the Pacific experiencing heatwaves, it is perhaps not surprising that global sea surface temperatures for both April and May were the highest ever recorded in Met Office data that goes all the way back to 1850.
If the seas are warmer than usual, you can expect higher air temperatures too, says Tim Lenton, professor of climate change at Exeter University.
Most of the extra heat trapped by the build-up of greenhouse gases has gone into warming the surface ocean, he explains. That extra heat tends to get mixed downwards towards the deeper ocean, but movements in oceans currents - like El Niño - can bring it back to the surface.
"When that happens, a lot of that heat gets released into the atmosphere," says Prof Lenton, "driving up air temperatures."
It's easy to think of this exceptionally hot weather as unusual, but the depressing truth is that climate change means it is now normal to experience record-breaking temperatures.
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase year on year. The rate of growth has slowed slightly, but energy-related CO2 emissions were still up almost 1% last year, according to the International Energy Agency, a global energy watchdog.
And the higher the global temperature, the higher the risk of heatwaves, says Friederike Otto, a climatologist at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change at Imperial College London.
"These heatwaves are not only more frequent, but also hotter and longer than they would have been without global warming," she says.
Experts are already predicting that the developing El Niño is likely to make 2023 the world's hottest year.
They fear it is likely to temporarily push the world past a key 1.5C warming milestone.
And that is just the start. Unless we make dramatic reductions to greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures will continue to rise.
The Met Office said this week that record June temperatures this year were made twice as likely because of man-made climate change.
These rising temperatures are already driving fundamental and almost certainly irreversible changes in ecosystems across the world.
The record June temperatures in the UK helped cause unprecedented deaths of fish in rivers and canals, for example.
We cannot know what impact the current marine heatwave will have on the UK, cautions Prof Schmidt of the University of Bristol, because we have never seen one this intense before.
"In other regions, around Australia, in the Mediterranean, entire ecosystems changed, kelp forests disappeared, and seabirds and whales starved," she says.
The world is effectively in a race.
It is clear we are speeding towards an ever hotter and more chaotic climate future, but we do have the technologies and tools to cut our emissions.
The question now is whether we can do so rapidly enough to slow the climate juggernaut and keep the impacts of global warming within manageable boundaries.
What do you want to know about these heatwaves? We'll be putting your questions to experts in our coverage this week, so let us know what you're wondering or worrying about. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66143682 |
Men and boys charged over clashes Knowsley asylum hotel - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Three boys aged 13, 16 and 17, and two men, aged 38 and 60, have been charged with violent disorder. | Liverpool | A police van was set on fire after a protest turned violent on 10 February
Five people - including a 13-year-old boy - have been charged following disorder at a hotel housing asylum seekers.
A police van was set on fire and officers were pelted with missiles in violent clashes at the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, Merseyside on 10 February.
Three boys aged 13, 16 and 17, and two men, aged 38 and 60, have been charged with violent disorder.
They have been bailed to appear before magistrates in Liverpool on 27 July.
The charges followed raids in Kirkby, Merseyside Police said.
In April, Jared Skeete, 19, from Aigburth was sentenced to three years' detention for throwing lit fireworks at police during the disturbances.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66196144 |
NHS dentists: People having to drive hundreds of miles 'unacceptable' - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A damning report, by the Health and Social Care Committee, says more needs to be done, and quickly. | Health | The pain and distress of not being able to see an NHS dentist are "totally unacceptable", an inquiry has told the government.
A review was launched after a BBC investigation found nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK were not accepting new adult patients.
Some people drove hundreds of miles for treatment or even resorted to pulling out their own teeth, the BBC found.
The government says it invests more than £3bn a year in dentistry.
But the damning report, by the Commons' Health and Social Care Committee, says more needs to be done, and quickly.
Dental reforms - recommended to the government more than 15 years ago - have still not been implemented, it says.
Last year's BBC's investigation found eight in 10 NHS practices were not taking on children.
Between May and July 2022, BBC News contacted nearly 7,000 NHS practices - believed to be almost all those offering general treatment to the public.
In a third of the UK's more than 200 council areas, the BBC found no dentists taking on adult NHS patients.
Researchers could also not find a single practice accepting new adult patients in Lancashire, Norfolk, Devon or Leeds.
Your device may not support this visualisation
Compared with other nations, Scotland was found to have better access to NHS dentistry for adults, with 18% of practices accepting new patients.
However Wales, England and Northern Ireland were at 7%, 9% and 10% respectively.
Conservative MP Steve Brine said hearing about someone in "such pain and distress" that they used pliers to pull out their teeth "demonstrates the crisis in NHS dental services".
"Rarely has an inquiry been more necessary than this one," said the chairman of the cross-party committee which wrote the report.
Declining levels of NHS dentistry should be "sounding alarm bells", he said, adding: "Today we register in the strongest terms possible our concern for the future of NHS dental services and the patients who desperately need access to them."
NHS dental treatment is not free for most adults, but it is subsidised - if you can get an appointment.
Danielle Watts, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, found herself in a "dental desert" - an area where no dentists offer NHS care - and could not afford the thousands of pounds of private treatment needed to fix her teeth.
One by one, over several months, she pulled out 13 of her own teeth.
Danielle Watts has removed 13 of her own teeth
Following the BBC's report, a friend persuaded her to set up a crowdfunding page which has since helped raise enough money to enable her to have a set of dentures fitted.
She says the kindness of strangers has completely transformed her life.
Danielle Watts shows off her new dentures
"I'm in no pain at all, there is no bleeding, my teeth are all facing the same way," she says.
"I don't have to hide any more. To be able to talk to somebody face-on, to be able to smile at somebody, is something I haven't done for several years."
Some people are going to extraordinary measure to do DIY dentistry as they struggle to find affordable dental care. Are we witnessing the death of NHS dentistry?
Ensuring that everyone who needs an NHS dentist is able to access one within a reasonable timeframe and a reasonable distance, is one of the key recommendations in the report.
"We are concerned this will be too little too late for those dentists who have already left the NHS," the report says.
It adds the current dental contract, which pays dentists for batches or courses of treatments delivered rather than for every single item or procedure, such as a check-up or a filling, is not fit for purpose.
The system of paying NHS "units of dental activity" (UDAs) can be a disincentive to dentists seeing new patients, including those who have higher levels of disease and require more time to treat, the report warns.
The British Dental Association (BDA) told the committee: "We have a higher award for treating three or more teeth, but many of the new patients presenting to dentists and their teams now have far more disease than that. People have not been able to present [during Covid restrictions]. They are presenting much later; they have far more disease and the disease is often more complex to treat."
The BDA says workload backlogs, made worse by Covid, will take many years to clear.
Some dental practices are struggling to deliver their NHS contractual commitments, often simply as a result of being unable to fill vacancies, the association claims.
The government says it recently announced a 40% increase in dentistry training places and has made changes "so dental therapists and hygienists can deliver more treatments".
"We invest more than £3bn a year in dentistry and have already increased the funding practices receive for high needs patients to encourage dentists to provide more NHS treatments," said a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care.
It says the NHS dental contract has been reformed to encourage more dentists to provide NHS treatments and to allow dental therapists and hygienists to offer extra services.
The government also said it would set out further measures "to improve access shortly".
Louise Ansari from Healthwatch England said: "Ultimately, only a fundamental and fully resourced dental contract reform can tackle these deep-seated problems, and we call on the government to publish its dental recovery plan urgently."
Are you struggling to find an NHS dentist? Are you a dentist with a view on this story? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66167563 |
Covid Inquiry live: Gove says Brexit planning helped prepare for pandemic - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The inquiry is currently hearing from key figures about how well prepared the UK was for the pandemic. | Health | Melanie Field, the EHRC's chief strategy and policy officer, said it's vital to have relationships with communities before a crisis hits Image caption: Melanie Field, the EHRC's chief strategy and policy officer, said it's vital to have relationships with communities before a crisis hits
This morning the inquiry heard from two equalities bosses - Marcus Bell, director of the government’s Equalities Hub, and the Equality and Human Rights Commissions chief strategy and policy officer, Melanie Field.
Official figures show ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to die with Covid-19 in the UK. Because of this, the inquiry has also been looking into whether the government had thought enough about minority groups would be impacted by a pandemic.
Both Bell and Field told the inquiry their organisations weren’t consulted by the government in its preparation for a pandemic.
Bell told the inquiry two departments he was leading at the time - the Race Disparity Unit and the Disability Unit - had “no involvement in pre-pandemic preparedness within government”, and that the same applied to a third department, the Government Equalities Office.
The Race Disparity Unit, Disability Unit and Government Equalities Office were merged in September 2020 to create the Equalities Hub.
Field added that, to her, the government’s consideration of inequalities before the pandemic seemed “inadequate”.
“The lesson for everyone is that, in a crisis - that’s not the best time to try and get everything right,” she said.
“You need to have those systems and mechanisms in place, and have relationships and understanding of those communities, before you’re trying to respond in an emergency situation.” | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/health-66179742 |
US-Mexico border: Will a 'floating wall' barrier in the Rio Grande deter migrants? - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Some fear the controversial new barrier may make the crossing more dangerous for migrants. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Texas officials have begun installing a floating barrier along the banks of the Rio Grande river, which they argue will deter migrants from crossing into the US from Mexico.
Immigrant advocates say it may be ineffective and potentially dangerous to migrants.
The barrier, made of large orange buoys, is already the subject of a lawsuit from a local kayak company.
Officials say the barrier will help secure the US-Mexico border.
First announced in June, the floating barrier is eventually expected to cover about 305 metres (1,000ft) of the river.
The buoys will be connected with webbing and anchored to the bottom of the river in the Eagle Pass area, which has seen about 270,000 migrant detentions this fiscal year.
"We always look to employ whatever strategies will be effective in securing the border," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said of the barrier at an 8 June news conference.
On Twitter, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez said that installation began on 10 July. Setting up the barriers may take up to two weeks.
Researchers and advocates who study the border have questioned whether it will have any meaningful impact on the number of migrants who attempt to cross or dissuade them from trying.
"This is pure theatre," said Adam Isacson, a migration and border expert from the Washington Office on Latin America. "It's less than a speed bump, ultimately, but it looks great for cameras."
The BBC has reached out to Texas officials for comment.
Speaking to reporters in June, Texas DPS director Steven McCraw said that the barriers would be a "deterrent" to migrants getting in the river, where migrants drown or are rescued regularly.
Dr Adriana Martinez, a professor at Southern Illinois University who has researched the impact of projects on the Rio Grande - and is a native of Eagle Pass - said the barriers may change the flow of the river, potentially making it more dangerous for migrants crossing.
"It certainly is going to make the water act unexpectedly," she said. "And who knows what it's going to do once the water gets higher."
About 270,000 migrants have been detained in the Eagle Pass sector this fiscal year
Dr Martinez added that tree branches and other debris might get stuck in the netting or under the buoys, potentially creating a hazard for migrants.
Justine Ochoa, a Texas-based Nicaraguan activist, said that the barrier may also drive migrants to more "inhospitable" parts of the river. The organisation she works for, Texas Nicaraguans, regularly helps repatriate the remains of Nicaraguan citizens who drown in the Rio Grande.
"They will look for more dangerous areas," said Ms Ochoa.
Last Friday, the owner of a local kayak tour operator filed a lawsuit against Texas government over the buoys, arguing that it will damage his business and destroy local ecosystems.
"I hope my lawsuit extends the message that we need to be together in how we promote for our state, for our communities, for our rural area. How to prosper," Jesse Fuentes, the owner of Epi's Canoe and Kayak Team, told the BBC's US partner, CBS. "There should be no hindrance."
In a tweet, Mr Abbott responded by saying that "we will see you in court" and that "Texas has a constitutional right to protect our border". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66183563 |
Mortgage rates: 'I have £50,000 but can't buy a house' - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Young people say buying feels hopeless and they are penalised as renters are unable to save. | Wales | Freya says she does not know how people are expected to buy with the money they can borrow
"I have £50,000 saved but I still can't buy a house."
Freya, 24, is just one young person trying to get on the property ladder with no end in sight.
With mortgage rates the highest they have been since the financial crash and rent costs soaring, she is not alone in worrying about her future.
And those who are renting say they feel they have no chance of saving enough money even to get a deposit together for a house.
Freya said some support from family meant she was able to get her own deposit, but high interest rates and a lack of affordable, "liveable" properties meant she was stuck paying almost half her salary on renting.
She has a well-paid job as a scientific content creator for an educational games company, but said she cannot see how single young professionals are expected to buy without further support.
Freya says despite her position, it is too difficult for young single people to buy
"My salary isn't enough to cover the threshold to get a mortgage of £200,000," she said.
"I was told by previous generations 'get a good degree and the rest will sort itself' but it hasn't.
"Although I work full time I can't earn enough. I don't drink, I don't go out to eat more than once a month, normally for a friend's birthday."
Freya, who pays £775 in rent a month, excluding bills, for her one bedroom flat in Cardiff, said: "I wouldn't mind renting if it wasn't so expensive for a property that often comes with a huge amount of issues."
She said she often found properties in the Welsh capital were low quality, and a previous property she was in had a collapsed ceiling which meant she was "so cold I couldn't sleep".
"I think young people are disheartened. How can we save for the future when we can't save enough to beat the price hump from renting to owning?"
Mark Drakeford has criticised the Bank of England's actions
Mortgage rates have risen to highest level for 15 years - a typical five-year fixed mortgage deal now has an interest rate of more than 6% - a level not seen since the financial crisis.
The Bank of England has said mortgage payments will rise by at least £500 a month for nearly one million households by the end of 2026.
The number of homes available is down by a third, adding even more pressure to buyers.
Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford criticised the Bank of England's actions, saying it was in "real danger" of overcorrection in raising interest rates to control inflation, causing "avoidable" misery to thousands.
He accused the central bank of being "intent on inducing a recession".
"It's very clear from what they have said that they are going to rise interest rates to a point where unemployment is going to be rising across the whole of the United Kingdom, and Wales will not be exempt from that."
"It will not have seen the impact yet of all the interest rate rises its put into the system so far," Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast..
Citing Andy Haldane, the former chief economist of the Bank of England, he added: "The bank is in danger of trying to squeeze the very last drops out of inflation, at the expense of avoidable misery in thousands and thousands of lives."
The Bank of England has been asked for comment.
But it is not just mortgages hitting housing costs. Data from Zoopla shows in the UK the average rent increase in the year leading up to January 2023 was 11.1%, while the rate in Cardiff rose by 10.8%.
Rent levels in Neath Port Talbot went up the most in Wales at 16%.
Andrew Noel, 29, said people like him who rented were being discouraged from saving if they were not able to afford a mortgage anyway.
Andrew, who also lives in Cardiff with a housemate, has been told he must leave his property in February but is having difficulty finding a new one.
"We've been trying to look for somewhere that won't completely strip our wages every month," he said.
"Obviously, we want to have wages left for our energy bills, so we can't be spending £900 each as that is so much money to be able to afford when it really shouldn't be."
Andrew Noel says more needs to be done to protect renters before they can even think about mortgages
He said the only option for average earners his age to buy was to live at home long enough to brace for the high interest rates or buy as a couple.
"From my point of view, buying right now is not an option unless something magical happens," he said.
He said he believes rent controls may the only way to curb the problem.
Interest rates are set for the UK by the Bank of England, while housing is a devolved issue in Wales.
The Welsh government said: "We believe everyone has a right to an affordable and decent home.
"We're committed to publishing a White Paper on the potential to establish a system of fair rents, as well as new approaches to make homes affordable for those on local incomes."
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Thursday, Mr Drakeford also said the Welsh government would build "20,000 affordable homes... for social rent during this Senedd term".
But Housing Minister Julie James said last year the target was "hanging by a thread" because of the state of the economy.
Have you been affected by the increase in mortgage rates? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66154013 |
Ukraine war: More than 20 drones shot down in latest attack - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A third consecutive night of strikes on Kyiv comes hours after the Nato summit. | Europe | The overnight Russian drone strike left a gaping hole in this apartment in the Ukrainian capital
At least two people have been injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on the Kyiv, authorities said.
Roughly 20 Iran-made drones were shot down over the city's airspace, according to the Ukrainian air force.
It was the third night of attacks in a row on the capital, coming just hours after the end of the Nato summit in Lithuania.
Debris was reported in five districts and at least two people were sent to hospital with shrapnel wounds.
The air force reported that two Russian kalibr cruise missiles fired from a ship in the Black Sea were shot down by air defences, while information about the impact of an Iskander-M ballistic missile fired from Crimea was still being collected.
The previous two days' Nato summit in Vilnius saw Western support for Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
Mr Zelensky used his attendance to push for Ukrainian membership of the alliance, but was told this would only be possible "when allies agree and conditions are met".
This lack of a solid timeframe appeared to anger the Ukrainian president, who called it "absurd". He had earlier said there seemed to be "no readiness" to invite Ukraine to Nato or make it a member.
He also expressed concern that Ukraine's membership could be used as part of a bargaining chip during post-war negotiations with Russia.
But by the end of the summit, Mr Zelensky had a more optimistic take on developments.
In his nightly address on Wednesday, he said he was returning home "with a good result for our country", namely a reinforcement of weapons as well as a path towards Nato membership.
"We have put to rest any doubts and ambiguities about whether Ukraine will be in Nato - it will," he said, adding that for the first time "a significant majority" of members are "vigorously pushing" for it.
He also praised the signing of a wide-ranging security pact with G7 members, saying his country now had "concrete security guarantees" from the world's leading democracies.
Speaking at the summit, US President Joe Biden also praised Nato unity, something he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had underestimated when he launched his invasion against Ukraine.
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• None Nato shows Ukraine it can't get everything it wants | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66184558 |
Ministers could be fined for breaching lobbying rules under Labour - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The party says it will create a new watchdog with powers to propose sanctions against ministers. | UK Politics | Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said her party would "clean up politics"
Ministers who leave government could be fined for breaching lobbying rules, under Labour's plans to reform the standards system for politicians.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has set out proposals for a new watchdog with powers to recommend sanctions against ministers who break the rules.
In a speech, Ms Rayner said Labour would "clean up politics" after "Tory sleaze" had eroded standards.
The idea of a new watchdog was first announced by the party in 2021.
Outlining the proposal in more detail, Ms Rayner said an Ethics and Integrity Commission would streamline the standards system and bring in "tougher rules and stronger enforcement".
The plans include extending the ban on ministers taking up lobbying or other paid work connected to their government roles from two years to at least five after they leave office.
If the rules were breached, former ministers could face sanctions, including losing a proportion of their pension, or the severance payment they receive when they leave office.
Introducing a fine for breaching the lobbying rules was first suggested in a 2021 report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, which advises the prime minister.
Ms Rayner said former ministers would face "consequences they can feel in their pockets", if the party won the next general election.
Westminster has been rocked by a string of lobbying scandals in recent years, with former ministers and MPs coming under heightened scrutiny for taking on second jobs.
Among them was former Conservative MP Owen Paterson, who resigned in 2021 after he was found to have broken lobbying rules.
Ms Rayner said Labour's reforms were necessary because standards had slipped under the Tories, with a series of ministers - including Gavin Williamson, Nadhim Zahawi and Dominic Raab - forced out on misconduct grounds in recent years.
In a speech to the Institute for Government think tank, she said the current standards system had "been tested to the point of destruction" by the Conservatives.
The deputy Labour leader said the new commission would have the power to launch investigations and determine where rules had been broken.
It would replace the existing Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) and the prime minister's ethics adviser, which critics have branded toothless.
Acoba recently reviewed whether Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer's proposed appointment of former civil servant Sue Gray as his chief of staff risked undermining the rules, but found "no evidence" that her impartiality had been impaired.
Under the current standards system, the ethics adviser can open investigations into suspected ministerial wrongdoing only with the permission of the prime minister.
Ms Rayner conceded there would still be "a role for the prime minister" of the day under Labour's shake-up of the system.
The new commission's recommendations would be submitted to the prime minister, who would still be the ultimate arbiter of the ministerial code. That means the prime minister would still have the power to sign off sanctions, and hire and fire members of his cabinet team, as is currently the case.
But Ms Rayner said the "strong processes in place" would mean the prime minister would find it "impossible" not to take the action recommended.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took office promising to lead with "integrity, professionalism and accountability", and appointed Sir Laurie Magnus as his independent ethics adviser.
The Conservative Party said Labour wanted to "outsource ethics to a body of unelected bureaucrats chosen by Keir Starmer, instead of trusting Parliament to hold ministers to account".
"It's unsurprising to see that Angela Rayner doesn't trust the leader of her own party to oversee ethics in Whitehall," a Conservative spokesperson said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66188061 |
West Mersea: 'Hero' dad saved his son but drowned - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A woman is collecting donations for the lifeboat crew who tried to save her partner's life. | Essex | Katie Macdonald planned to donate money to Colchester Hospital which supported the family
A dad died after saving his young son from drowning in the sea, his grieving partner has revealed.
David Cole and his three-year-old boy were caught by a rip tide while at a beach in West Mersea on 11 June.
The 30-year-old made sure his son was unharmed, keeping his head above water, but Mr Cole never regained consciousness.
His partner, Katie Macdonald, is raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
She praised the crew as "amazing" for their efforts.
Ms Macdonald was on the beach with the couple's other son, aged one, when Mr Cole and their child got into difficulties.
David Cole worked "so hard" to "give us everything he possibly could"
"Not being able to do anything, feeling helpless, was so hard - it was horrible," said Ms Macdonald.
"The lifeboat crew were just really good at splitting themselves between being with my partner and trying to resuscitate him and then looking after my three-year-old.
"It could have been my three-year-old son who drowned as well if it weren't for them."
A paddleboarder and two lifeguards were first to help Mr Cole and his son before the RNLI crew arrived minutes later.
The Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance and the East of England Ambulance Service also attended.
Two lifeguards and a paddleboarder were first to help Mr Cole and his son
Land and air ambulances were called out to Mersea Island to help Mr Cole
Ms Macdonald, from Hertford in Hertfordshire, said: "Dave was amazing. He was the best dad ever.
"He was like a big kid himself. All he ever wanted to do with the kids was have fun and make everything fun for the kids."
She said he worked "so hard" in his job as a roofer to "give us everything he possibly could" and added: "He is just a hero. A hero in the sense he put his son before himself and saved his son's life."
Ms Macdonald's online fundraising page has received more than £3,500 donations since it was set up six days ago and she hoped to also give money to Colchester Hospital, where the family were treated and supported after the tragedy.
The local inshore lifeboat was also involved in the rescue
Rick Boreham, a volunteer lifeboat operations manager at West Mersea RNLI, said the crew was "incredibly grateful".
"The station's volunteer crew is really touched that she has set up the fundraising page," he said.
"Katie is cordially invited to visit the station anytime and will receive a warm welcome."
The RNLI says rip currents can reach up to 5mph (8kmph) and the charity has a series of tips for people wanting to swim in the sea.
If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, there is information and support organisations listed at BBC Action Line.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-66190251 |
Covid inquiry: Tick-box meetings with government during pandemic, says O'Neill - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Former deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill was giving evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry. | Northern Ireland | Ms O'Neill became deputy first minister in the months before the pandemic
Former deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill has said there were "ad-hoc and tick-box" meetings between Stormont ministers and the UK government during the pandemic.
Ms O'Neill gave evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday.
The inquiry is focusing on Northern Ireland this week and its preparedness in the run-up to the pandemic.
Ms O'Neill said there was not an "easy flow of information".
She was being asked about the nature of communication between Stormont ministers and London.
"I found that meetings were called at short notice, documentation wasn't shared in advance and that would have been at the detriment of planning for the [health] minister," she said.
Ms O'Neill added meetings that did take place were to "hand down" decisions that had already been taken by the UK government.
"On many occasions they were what I would describe as ad-hoc and tick-box meetings."
Earlier, the Sinn Féin deputy leader told the inquiry there was a distinct lack of resources to run the health and care system during her time as minister for health.
Ms O'Neill said health departments "found it very difficult to manage within the resource that they had particularly as a direct result of austerity".
She added austerity had been detrimental to all public services and it undermined the health department's ability to be resilient when faced with a pandemic.
Ms O'Neill said her priority as health minister was transforming the delivery of health services in Northern Ireland
Ms O'Neill said the first time she was briefed on the risk of an influenza pandemic was in October 2016, several months after she became health minister.
She was asked if she was made aware of emergency civil contingency plans in the event of a pandemic to which Ms O'Neill responded that her priority during her tenure as health minister was transforming the delivery of health services in Northern Ireland.
She agreed it would have been better if she had been briefed on the risks facing her department when she took over as minister.
Lead counsel to the inquiry, Hugo Keith KC, asked Ms O'Neill if she was briefed on the social care sector planning in the event of a pandemic as part of Exercise Cygnus.
Ms O'Neill said she did not recall "any specific briefing".
"But we are an integrated health and social care system which is distinctly different to the system in England and I would assume when we are testing our planning we do so across both health and social care," she added.
Exercise Cygnus was a three-day event simulation in 2016, carried out by the UK government to test the UK's flu pandemic readiness.
It involved 950 officials from central and local government, NHS organisations, prisons and local emergency response planners. It led to a series of recommendations, including some on personal protective equipment (PPE).
Ms O'Neill agreed with lead counsel that politicians were faced with the consequences of a delayed emergency social care plan when Stormont was restored in January 2020.
On Monday, Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride told the inquiry there was "no doubt" the absence of ministers had a significant impact on Stormont's preparedness for a pandemic.
Ms O'Neill accepted that the absence of political leadership had made a significant difference.
She further explained that she regretted "there wasn't the political leadership to carry on the work which (she) had started on transforming the health and social care system."
The Sinn Féin vice president took up the position of deputy first minister two months before the pandemic hit in March 2020.
Northern Ireland's devolved government did not function from January 2017 to January 2020.
Health officials have argued this affected Northern Ireland's preparedness for health emergencies.
The inquiry is focusing on Northern Ireland this week and its preparedness in the run-up to the pandemic.
The chief executive of the Public Health Agency (PHA) also gave evidence at Wednesday's hearing.
Aiden Dawson told the inquiry that he had concerns that the current emergency planning team was not big enough to take on all the roles the PHA needed in the future.
He said he would like a bigger emergency planning team but the organisation was currently undergoing a review to look at how it was formed, set up and the function it provides. Emergency planning will come under that.
Mr Dawson added that, in hindsight, he believed that the PHA should have employed a consultant epidemiologist and had the ability to have Northern Ireland specific modelling capabilities.
"One of the varying factors we have, which is not seen in the rest of the UK, is that we have an open land border with the Republic of Ireland, which may have had a variation impact on disease progression within Northern Ireland and therefore the ability to monitor and have real time modelling in NI was important," he said.
Due to the system of government in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill held equal powers to the first minister at the time of the pandemic, Arlene Foster.
Baroness Foster appeared before the inquiry on Tuesday.
She said the UK government should have stepped in to make decisions in the absence of ministers at Stormont between January 2017 to January 2020.
"If there is a gap in resilience in part of the UK, surely that should concern the government of the UK," she added.
Baroness Foster told the inquiry on Tuesday the UK government should have stepped in to make decisions in the absence of ministers at Stormont
Last week, Robin Swann, who served as health minister during the pandemic, told the inquiry a lack of reform and investment in the health service hindered its response..
At a press conference in May 2020, Ms O'Neill and Baroness Foster told Sky News they had been brought closer together by the pandemic.
However, Ms O'Neill was widely criticised the following month when she attended the funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey with hundreds of other mourners.
Regulations at the time stated a maximum of 30 people were permitted to gather together outdoors.
She insisted she worked within the guidelines but later acknowledged Stormont's public health messaging was "undermined" by the controversy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66174758 |
Pandemic puppy boom illegal practices persist, say vets - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Royal Veterinary College says illegal acts, like puppies only viewed online pre-purchase, have persisted post-pandemic. | England | Jason, six-months old, is currently up for adoption at All Dogs Matter
Illegal imports of puppies have continued to thrive following the pandemic, a study into UK purchasing practices suggests.
The Royal Veterinary College says the rise means dogs are at risk of being exposed to infectious diseases and a "very impoverished environment".
The report highlights other irresponsible practices from breeders such as only offering online viewings.
The government said buyers must go to a reputable seller or rehoming centre.
The rise in puppy smuggling came amid a surge in demand for puppies during the coronavirus lockdowns, with prices in some areas more than doubling to an average of almost £1,900 each.
In a study published on Thursday in the journal Animals and shared with the BBC, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) highlighted trends in puppy purchasing across the UK.
Dr Rowena Packer, first author of the study, said the rise in imported puppies was concerning.
The study estimates 10% of puppies purchased in 2021 were imported, more than double the figure from 2019.
Babaloo's owner, Ms Papantoni, describes her as "a very lovely, happy, energetic, kind, sensitive, and a bit of a naughty dog"
In December 2020, Vasiliki Papantoni, in London, legally imported a puppy from Serbia after carefully planning the dog's journey to the UK.
She said the breeder had a "good reference" from a friend and provided lots of paperwork.
Ms Papantoni said she started her search for a puppy in the UK, but found that waiting lists were "very long".
She said a previous attempt to purchase a puppy in the UK ended in her being "scammed" when a breeder stopped contact after receiving a £300 deposit.
Dr Packer warns not all imported puppies receive good care when taken across Europe. "These could be puppies that were transported for several days without appropriate provisions, rest, food, water," she said.
The RVC say puppies brought into the UK are "often under the minimum legal age" of 15 weeks, unlike Babaloo.
The organisation asked UK puppy purchasers the same questions over three years via an online survey. They analysed 1,148 responses from 2019, 4,369 from 2020 and 2,080 from 2021.
Dr Packer warns "poor welfare sources" also exist within the UK, such as "a breeder or a dealer or somebody who produces puppies without due regard to their health and welfare".
"You can very rapidly and cheaply rear a puppy if you don't care about some of those factors," she said.
Introduced in April 2020, 'Lucy's Law' requires puppies bred in England be shown with their mother and purchased from the place they were born.
The law does not apply to rescue and rehoming organisations, Defra said.
Dr Marc Abraham OBE, a vet, founded the campaign. He calls it a "first step in combating irresponsible breeding and selling practices".
But he adds it was overshadowed by the pandemic.
Ira Moss, founder of charity All Dogs Matter, says she knows of multiple puppy purchasers who were only shown pictures of the dog's parents, or were not allowed into the property where they were said to have been born.
The RVC's study estimates people purchasing puppies in 2021 "were more likely to rely on online viewings, rather than in person, and to collect the puppy from outside the breeder's property".
In 2019, only 7% of respondents viewed the puppy they purchased via a live video call. In 2021, the figure was 18%.
The pandemic restrictions still in effect for parts of 2021 may have factored into that year's figure.
Dr Abraham says the pandemic also led to a "huge surge in demand" for dogs, pushing up the price for a puppy and leading to more first time owners.
He adds: "There's so many inexperienced dog owners around that I'm not not sure people did enough investment in how to look after a dog."
In turn, he warns this has led to a "spike in dogs being abandoned".
In October 2022, RSPCA data showed the charity had seen a 25% rise in abandonment cases.
All Dogs Matter says the rescue sector now faces a "rehoming crisis". Ms Moss explains "there are too many dogs, not enough spaces".
Furthermore, the cost of living crisis means "charities are losing money with less donations coming in".
Dr Abraham says "rescue shelters have rules for a reason".
"Please don't think…if they say no, that you should then go online and have a puppy delivered," he added.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "Buyers must do their research and ensure they go to a reputable seller or rehoming centre when looking for a pet.
"We are committed to delivering the Kept Animals Bill measures individually, including on puppy smuggling, during the remainder of this Parliament and look forward to progressing these. We will be setting out next steps in due course." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66167670 |
Timeline: How allegations against Huw Edwards unfolded - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Allegations and speculation about a BBC presenter's behaviour and identity had mounted for days. | Entertainment & Arts | Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter at the centre of days of allegations and speculation.
The Sun newspaper first reported that the presenter, who was not named, was alleged to have paid a young person for sexually explicit photos. Other people have since alleged inappropriate contact.
Here is a timeline of events:
The parents of the young person contacted South Wales Police. The force said the information related to "the welfare of an adult", and that "no criminality was identified".
A family member went to a BBC building to make a complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter, according to the corporation.
The family member made a 29-minute call to the BBC's audience services team, which then referred it to the BBC's corporate investigations team.
They decided the complaint didn't include an allegation of criminality, but did merit further investigation. It "was very serious", according to director general Tim Davie.
The investigations unit said they emailed the complainant to ask for more information so they could verify the claims, and carried out checks to verify the identity of the complainant.
The corporate investigations team had received no reply to the email so tried to call the mobile number provided by the complainant. They said the call didn't connect.
However, the Sun later reported that "the family say no-one from the corporation rang them for a proper interview after the initial complaint".
The BBC said no additional attempts to contact the complainant were made after this date, but the case "remained open".
The Sun newspaper told the BBC via the corporate press office about allegations concerning Edwards. According to the BBC, the claims made by the Sun contained new allegations, which were different from those received by the investigations team.
The BBC said this was the first time Mr Davie or any executive directors were made aware of the case. They set up an incident management group to lead the response.
A senior manager spoke to the presenter about the allegations, and Edwards first learned of the allegations on this day, his wife said. The BBC said it was agreed that he shouldn't appear on air while the allegations were being investigated.
When later asked why the presenter was not spoken to sooner, Mr Davie said: "You don't take that complaint directly to the presenter unless it has been verified."
The Sun's first story was published, about the mother's claims that an unnamed BBC presenter paid their child tens of thousands of pounds for explicit photos over three years, beginning when they were 17. That raised questions about whether the behaviour was illegal.
The paper quoted the mother as saying the young person used the money to fund a crack cocaine habit, and that she was worried her child could "wind up dead".
The young person sent a WhatsApp message to the paper on this evening denying the claims, saying their mother's statement was "totally wrong and there was no truth to it", according to a later letter from their lawyer.
In its first public statement, the BBC said any information would "be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes".
The BBC also made contact with the Metropolitan Police.
The Sun published further allegations, quoting the mother as saying the presenter was pictured in his underwear "ready for my child to perform for him".
The BBC said it received some materials from the family member regarding the complaint on this and the following day.
Meanwhile, following speculation about the star's identity on social media, BBC presenters including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell denied involvement to publicly clear their names.
The BBC said it had suspended a male staff member and was "working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps".
The Sun reported that the presenter allegedly made two calls to the young person and asked them "what have you done", and appealed to them to call their mother to "stop the investigation".
Representatives from the BBC met detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, but there was "no investigation at this time".
In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer representing the young person at the centre of the original allegations disputed their mother's account of events, saying "the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish".
The letter claimed the young person sent the newspaper a denial on Friday, but that it proceeded to publish "their inappropriate article".
In response, the Sun said it had "reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child".
Their complaint "was not acted upon by the BBC" and it had "seen evidence that supports their concerns", the Sun added. "It's now for the BBC to properly investigate."
The parents told the Sun they stood by their account. The step-father was quoted as saying the allegations were originally put to the BBC "for an hour".
During a press conference to launch the BBC's annual report and an interview with Radio 4, Mr Davie gave more details of the corporation's response.
The director general said he wanted to examine whether the BBC raises "red flags quick enough" when such complaints are made.
The BBC accepted there were "lessons to be learned following this exercise", and the organisation's group chief operating officer will assess whether protocols and procedures are appropriate.
On Tuesday afternoon, another young person told BBC News they had felt threatened by the presenter.
The individual in their early 20s said they were contacted on a dating app and pressured to meet up, but never did. When the young person hinted online that they might name the presenter, they were sent abusive messages.
Jeremy Vine said the presenter "should now come forward publicly" because the new allegations "will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues" and the BBC "is on its knees with this".
The Sun alleged that the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old, who he had met on a dating site.
The paper also published what it said was an Instagram chat between the presenter and a 17-year-old, in which the presenter sent messages including love heart emojis.
Detectives ended their assessment of the details and decided there was no information to indicate that a criminal offence had been committed.
Edwards' wife Vicky Flind named him as the BBC presenter at the centre of the allegations.
She said she was doing so "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children".
Edwards was "suffering from serious mental health issues", she said. "As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future.
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.
"To be clear, Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday."
Mr Davie sent an email to staff saying an internal investigation would continue now police were no longer involved.
The Sun said it had no plans to publish further allegations, and would "provide the BBC team with a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations which we have received, including some from BBC personnel".
The BBC reported fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Edwards towards junior staff. Two current workers and one former member of staff claimed they were sent messages that made them uncomfortable. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66081060 |
Who is BBC presenter Huw Edwards? - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The presenter has been named as the BBC star at the centre of a string of damaging allegations in the Sun. | Entertainment & Arts | Edwards, who joined the BBC in 1984, is one of the UK's most high-profile broadcasters
BBC News presenter Huw Edwards, who has been named as the presenter at the centre of an explicit photo row, is one of the UK's most high-profile broadcasters.
He has been the BBC's choice to front coverage of major national events, a reflection of how well-regarded he is by the corporation.
Trusted by viewers, he has over decades built a reputation as a reliable and calming presence on screen.
Last Wednesday, on what transpired to be his last day on air for BBC News before the scandal broke, Edwards was broadcasting from Edinburgh as Scotland prepared to greet King Charles.
Less than a week later, the 61-year-old's broadcasting career is under serious pressure, after his wife issued a statement naming him as the BBC presenter facing a series of damaging allegations.
He joined BBC News as a trainee in 1984 and he eventually secured a job as political reporter for BBC Wales. Just two years later, he became BBC Wales's parliamentary correspondent.
By the early 1990s he was the BBC's chief political correspondent at Westminster.
He became a regular face on the BBC News channel, then called BBC News 24, after it launched in 1997.
Edwards became one of the main anchors on the Six O'Clock News in 1999
In its early days, the channel was plagued by technical difficulties, but Edwards' confident and level-headed performance in challenging circumstances was said to have impressed BBC bosses.
Around the same time, Edwards was working as an occasional cover presenter on BBC One's Six O'Clock News, one of the most-viewed television news bulletins in the UK, becoming one of the programme's main anchors in 1999.
Four years later, he was promoted to the Ten O'Clock News, widely seen as the BBC's flagship bulletin, and was increasingly asked to present and commentate on major national events for the BBC.
They included the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (as they were known at the time) in 2011, the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh (2021), the Queen's Diamond and Platinum Jubilee (2012 and 2022) and the coronation of King Charles (2023).
He was also on air when Nelson Mandela died in 2013, and co-hosted the results of the Brexit referendum in 2016.
But perhaps the biggest single moment in Edwards' long presenting career came last September, when he announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
He had started his shift early that day following rumours of the Queen's declining health, presenting rolling news coverage from 14:00 before confirming the Monarch's death to the nation that evening while wearing a black tie.
He went on to front coverage of the late Queen's funeral. He was widely praised by viewers, and the coverage won Edwards and his colleagues a TRIC award, presented last month.
Edwards has presented the flagship News at Ten bulletin for the last 20 years
As well as major royal events, Edwards had recently become the face of the BBC's general election coverage.
The Welsh broadcaster was one of the BBC's top earners. In 2017, the first year the BBC was compelled by Parliament to publish the salaries of its star presenters, it was revealed Edwards made £550,000.
Following a flurry of negative headlines about the amount of money the BBC spent on top talent, and the disparity between some of its male and female stars, Edwards took a pay cut, and six years later his salary stands at £435,000.
Edwards made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, presenting a BBC News report on a fictionalised attack on the British intelligence service MI6.
In an interview with BBC Radio Cymru in 2021, Edwards indicated he may not have many years left as the corporation's chief news anchor due to the demands of the role.
"The nightly news business, after 20 years, that can be taxing, even though I still enjoy the job," he said. "But I don't think I'll be doing that for long… I think it's fair for the viewers to get a change."
Edwards was named as the BBC presenter by his wife Vicky Flind on Wednesday
In the same year, Edwards made a Welsh-language documentary about his career, during which he revealed he had suffered bouts of depression over 20 years, and had been left "bedridden" by his struggle with his mental health.
But after a distinguished career at the BBC, there are now serious questions about Edwards' career.
After the Sun published allegations on Friday that an unnamed BBC presenter had paid large sums of money for explicit images of an individual, there were days of speculation about who the presenter might be.
Over the following days, the Sun, and later BBC News, released further allegations, keeping the story in the headlines.
Finally, on Wednesday, his wife Vicky Flind confirmed Edwards' identity on his behalf, saying she was doing so "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being" and to protect their five children.
"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues," she said. "The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future."
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66182697 |
Dalbeattie farmer died after attack by cow with her calf - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An inquiry finds no precautions could have avoided Derek Roan's death on his farm near Dalbeattie. | South Scotland | The inquiry heard Derek Roan was a respected member of the farming community
An attack by a cow that had recently given birth resulted in the death of a farmer in the south of Scotland, an inquiry has concluded.
Derek Roan, 71, had tried to move the 550kg (1,200lbs) Galloway beef cow with her calf back to the main herd.
He died of severe chest trauma after the accident at Barnbarroch Farm near Dalbeattie in June last year.
Sheriff Joanna McDonald concluded there were no reasonable precautions that could have avoided Mr Roan's death.
There were also no defects found in working systems.
An inquiry was held at Dumfries Sheriff Court into the accident on the family-owned farm on 19 June 2022.
The family had featured on BBC Two's This Farming Life. They run two dairy farms and a milk delivery business.
Mr Roan was described as an "experienced stockman" and the risks associated with cattle-handing "would have been well known to him".
He had lived and worked at Barnbarroch his entire life and ran it in partnership with his wife and two sons.
Derek Roan died in hospital following the accident at Barnbarroch Farm
On the day of the accident he had planned to move the cow and its calf.
At about 16:00 his son saw his father's quad bike in a field and assumed he was working nearby.
About half an hour later he found Mr Roan lying on his side with injuries to his face and an ambulance was called.
Mr Roan was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary but later died.
The hearing was told that his injuries were so severe, it would not have significantly improved his chance of survival had he been found any sooner.
His son told the inquiry that he believed the cow had felt threatened and attacked his father.
Sheriff McDonald said Mr Roan had been a "respected member of the farming community both locally and nationally".
In delivering her determination, she extended her condolences to his family. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-66188057 |
Greek coastguard 'pressured' disaster survivors to blame Egyptian men - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | New evidence further challenges the official version of last month's deadly sinking. | Europe | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The migrant boat appears to be struggling when approached by oil tanker Faithful Warrior. Source: MEGA TV
New evidence found by BBC News casts further doubt on the Greek coastguard's version of events surrounding last month's deadly migrant boat sinking, in which up to 600 people died.
Two survivors have described how the coastguard pressed them to identify nine Egyptians on board as traffickers.
A new video of the overcrowded boat foundering at sea also challenges the Greek coastguard's account.
It was taken when the boat was said to be on a "steady course".
BBC Verify has confirmed the footage was filmed when the coastguard claimed the boat was not in need of rescue - and was in fact filmed by the coastguard itself.
We have also confirmed that the larger vessel in the background is the oil tanker Faithful Warrior, which had been asked to give supplies to the migrant boat.
The official Greek coastguard account had already been challenged in a BBC Verify report - but now we have seen court documents which show serious discrepancies between survivors' witness statements taken by the coastguards, and the in-person evidence later presented to a judge.
A translator has also come forward with his account of a people-smuggling investigation last year, after another group of migrants were rescued by the coastguard. He describes how witnesses from that incident were intimidated by the coastguard. The legal case collapsed before it could reach trial.
The revelations raise fresh questions about how the Greek authorities handle such disasters.
Both the Greek coastguard and Greek government did not comment and declined our requests for interview.
Soon after the 14 June sinking, nine Egyptian men were detained and charged with manslaughter and people-smuggling.
But two survivors of the disaster say migrants were silenced and intimidated by Greek authorities, after suggesting the coastguards may have been to blame for the tragedy.
Ahmad and Musaab spoke to Nick Beake. They say they fear the Greek coastguard
For the past month, allegations have been made that the coastguard used a rope to tow the fishing vessel, causing it to sink.
The two survivors we spoke to in Athens - who we are calling Ahmad and Musaab to protect their identities - say that is what happened.
"They attached a rope from the left. Everyone moved to the right side of our boat to balance it," says Musaab. "The Greek vessel moved off quickly causing our boat to flip. They kept dragging it for quite a distance."
The men described how they spent two hours in the water before being picked up by the coastguard.
When I ask how they knew it was that amount of time, Musaab says his watch was still working so he could tell.
Once on land, in Kalamata, they claim the coastguard told survivors to "shut up" when they started to talk about how the Greek authorities had caused the disaster.
"When people replied by saying the Greek coastguard was the cause, the official in charge of the questioning asked the interpreter to tell the interviewee to stop talking," says Ahmad.
Ahmad says those rescued were told to be grateful they hadn't died.
He says there were shouts of: "You have survived death! Stop talking about the incident! Don't ask more questions about it!"
An undated photo provided by the Greek coastguard shows migrants on board the crowded fishing vessel, 14 June 2023
The men say they are scared to speak out publicly because they fear they too will be accused like the Egyptians.
"If there was a fair system in place, we would contribute to this case," says Ahmad.
The men told us they had both paid $4,500 (£3,480) for a spot on the boat. Ahmad's younger brother was also on board. He is still missing.
As well as this testimony given to us by survivors, we have seen court documents which raise questions about the way evidence is being gathered to be presented in court.
In initial statements from five survivors, none mentioned the coastguard trying to tow the migrant vessel with a rope. But days later, in front of a judge, all explained that there had been a failed attempt to tow it.
But the same witness later told a judge:
BBC Verify has not spoken to these witnesses and so we can't say why their accounts changed.
The Greek coastguard initially denied using a rope - but later backtracked, admitting one had been used. But it said it was only to try to board the vessel and assess the situation. It said this was at least two hours before the fishing vessel capsized.
Eighty-two people are confirmed dead in the sinking, but the United Nations estimates as many as 500 more lost their lives.
The Greek authorities say the charged Egyptian men are part of a smuggling ring and were identified by fellow passengers. They face up to life imprisonment if found guilty.
Some survivors allege some of the nine suspects mistreated those on board - while other testimony says some were actually trying to help.
But Ahmad and Musaab told us the coastguard had instructed all of the survivors to say that the nine Egyptian men were to blame for trafficking them.
"They were imprisoned and were wrongly accused by the Greek authorities as an attempt to cover their crime," says Musaab.
A Greek Supreme Criminal Court deputy prosecutor is carrying out an investigation, but calls - including from the UN - for an international, independent inquiry have so far been ignored. The European Commission has indicated it has faith in the Greek investigation.
But Ahmad and Musaab are not alone in their concerns about the Greek coastguard.
When the nine Egyptian men were arrested in the hours after the shipwreck, it was widely reported as an example of efficient detective work by the Greek authorities.
But for Farzin Khavand it rang alarm bells. He feared history was repeating itself.
He says he witnessed Greek coastguards put two innocent Iranian men in the frame for people-smuggling last year, following the rescue of 32 migrants whose boat had got into trouble crossing from Turkey.
Mr Khavand, a UK citizen who speaks Farsi and has lived in the Kalamata area for 20 years, acted as a translator during the coastguard's investigation into what happened then.
He says the migrants - 28 from Afghanistan and four from Iran - explained that they had set off from Turkey and been at sea for eight days before being rescued.
During this time, the Greek coastguard had approached the boat, before leaving, he was told.
Two Arabic-speaking men had abandoned the boat after the engine blew up, Mr Khavand was told by the Afghan migrants. They said that most people on board had taken turns to try to steer the stricken boat to safety - including the two accused Iranians, who had paid to be on board like everyone else.
"They [the Iranian men] were highly traumatised," Mr Khavand said.
"They were repeating to me that they'd never even seen an ocean before they set off in Turkey. And they kept being told they were the captain and they said: 'We know nothing about the boat. We can't even swim.'"
One of the two accused - a man called Sayeed who was facing a long prison sentence - had been rescued with his young son, explained Mr Khavand.
"I asked him 'Why did you take a six-year-old child on a boat?' And he said the smugglers told us it's only two hours' journey."
Mr Khavand relayed their accounts to the coastguard, exactly as it had been told to him - but he says when he saw the transcripts, the Afghans' testimony had changed. He fears they altered their stories after pressure from the Greek authorities.
He says the Iranians told him that some of their fellow Afghan passengers had been leaned on by the coastguard to name them as the people-smugglers - to avoid being "treated unpleasantly", threatened with prison, and being "returned to the Taliban".
The case eventually collapsed. Mr Khavand says he was not willing to assist the Greek coastguard again. He says when Sayeed and his son were released from custody the €1,500 (£1,278) that had been confiscated from them was not returned.
"The scene ended with me thinking I don't want to do this again because they were not trying to get to the bottom of the truth. They were trying to pick a couple of guys and accuse them of being people smugglers."
All of these accusations were put to the Greek authorities by the BBC - but we have received no response. Our request for an interview with Greece's minister of maritime affairs - who oversees the coastguard - was also rejected.
Kalamata lawyer Chrysanthi Kaouni says she has seen other criminal cases brought against alleged people smugglers which have troubled her.
She has been involved in more than 10 such cases, she tells us.
"My concerns are around the translations, the way evidence is gathered and - later on - the ability of the defendants to challenge this evidence," she said.
"Because of these three points, I don't think there are enough safeguards according to the international law, and in the end I don't believe justice is done."
A new study has found that the average trial in Greece for migrants accused of people smuggling lasted just 37 minutes and the average prison sentence given was 46 years.
The study, commissioned by The Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, looked at 81 trials involving 95 people - all of whom were tried for smuggling in eight different areas of Greece between February 2020 and March 2023.
The study claims verdicts were reached often on the testimony of a single police or coastguard officer and, in more than three-quarters of the cases, they didn't appear in court for their evidence to be cross-examined.
Ahmad says he and the other survivors now want authorities to recover the shipwreck and the people that went down with it, but they have been told it's too difficult and the water is too deep.
He compares this to the vast amounts of money and resources spent on searching for five people on the Titan submersible in the North Atlantic in June.
"But we were hundreds," he says. "It's not just a ship. It's our friends and family."
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66154654 |
Amber Gibson: Murdered teenager had strangling injuries, court told - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A forensic pathologist tells a murder trial that Amber Gibson died from compression to her neck. | Glasgow & West Scotland | Amber Gibson - also known as Amber Niven - was 16 when she died in November 2021
A 16-year-old girl found dead in a park died from compression to her neck, a murder trial has heard.
Consultant forensic pathologist Gemma Kemp told the High Court in Glasgow that Amber Gibson's injuries were consistent with manual strangulation.
She initially saw the teenager's body at the scene, covered by bushes and branches and "caked in mud".
Connor Gibson, 20, denies sexually assaulting and murdering his sister in Hamilton in November 2021.
Her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen in the Lanarkshire town days after she was last seen.
Dr Kemp examined Amber's body and co-wrote a report which was reviewed in court on the sixth day of the murder trial.
She said Amber suffered bruising to the whites in both of her eyes, and she sustained signs of burst blood vessels to her ear, mouth and face.
The court also heard there were eight further bruises and grazes to Amber's neck.
Dr Kemp said: "In combination (with the other injuries) these bruises and abrasions can feature in fingernail compression, nails and pressure of the fingernails around the neck."
She added "This is consistent with manual gripping and strangulation."
Amber also suffered internal injuries which included a bruise on her throat and a muscle in her neck.
Dr Kemp told the court that Amber also suffered significant blunt force trauma to her head, including a fractured nose.
She said this was likely caused by multiple blows, and they were likely to have been enough to knock her unconscious.
There were 15 separate head and neck injuries and 14 injuries to her body, Dr Kemp added.
This included bruises to both breasts, 10 injuries to her left arm, an injury to the right arm, armpit and fingers.
Amber's right leg had bruises on it and there were grazes on her back.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard asked if all the injuries were consistent "with clothing being ripped from the body, bra ripped off and thrown away".
"She was pulled over a rough surface on the ground - could that accord with the injuries to her back?"
Dr Kemp said: "Yes, that could be caused in that manner."
Under cross examination by Anthony Graham KC, representing Mr Gibson, Dr Kemp said she could not say whether the person who delivered the blows to Amber's face was also the person who strangled her.
Amber Gibson's body was found in Cadzow Glen in Hamilton, days after she was last seen
Forensic scientist Lisa Gray, 41, earlier told the court that she examined damaged clothing found at the scene.
This included a bra that belonged to the teenager, which Ms Gray suggested had been "ripped apart".
A grey top was also damaged around the neck and a pair of jogging bottoms were covered in mud with signs that the wearer was "dragged".
Another man, Stephen Corrigan, 44, is also on trial in relation to the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Amber's remains.
It is claimed Mr Corrigan found her body, but rather than alert police he inappropriately touched her and then hid her remains under bushes.
He is accused of a breach of the peace and trying to defeat the ends of justice. Mr Corrigan has lodged a special defence claiming he was elsewhere at the time.
Both men deny the charges against them and the trial before Judge Lord Mulholland continues. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-66190407 |
Record pay rises fuel fresh inflation fears - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Wages continue to rise strongly, raising the prospect of more interest rate rises by the Bank of England. | Business | UK wages have risen at a record annual pace fuelling fears that inflation will stay high for longer.
Regular pay grew by 7.3% in the March to May period from a year earlier, official figures showed, equalling the highest growth rate last month.
However, despite the record increase, pay rises still lag behind inflation - the rate at which prices go up.
The pace of wage rises has come under increasing focus by the Bank of England as it tries to control inflation.
The Bank has raised interest rates 13 times in a row in an attempt to reduce the rate of inflation, but it has remained stubbornly high.
It currently stands at 8.7%, well above the Bank's target of 2%.
The concern is that strong wage growth will increase costs faced by companies and force them to push up prices for their goods even higher.
On Monday, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, said reducing inflation is "so important" as people "should trust that their hard-earned money maintains its value".
While pay is growing at record rates, it is still not increasing fast enough to keep up with rising prices in the shops. Regular pay fell by 0.8% after the effect of inflation was taken into account.
The latest wage figures were higher than expected and Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, said this "won't ease the Bank of England's inflation fears significantly".
Last month, the Bank of England raised interest rates by more than expected, lifting its key rate to 5% from 4.5%.
Mr Webb said that while he expected the Bank to push rates to 5.25% at its next meeting in August, he added "we can't rule out" an increase to 5.5%, saying "much will depend" on next week's inflation figure.
Deutsche Bank said that an increase in rates to 5.5% next month "now looks more likely than not".
Forecasts of more rate rises by the Bank have helped to push mortgage costs to their highest level for 15 years.
In January, when the UK's inflation rate was above 10%, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to halve it by the end of the year.
Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told the BBC's Today programme that while forecasts still suggest that would happen, "it is not going to be easy".
The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed:
There are indications that what is called "tightness" in the labour market - where there are too few workers to fit the jobs available - is starting to ease.
However, business groups have continued to stress the difficulty of finding the right workers, despite the slight rise in unemployment and fewer vacancies.
The government is now offering all workers a "Midlife MOT" on their careers to help those in their mid-40s and above to retrain.
The ONS data showed that pay rises were highest for those in better paid sectors such as finance, and were lower in retail.
The most up-to-date figures for just the month of May seem to show wage rises beginning to slow. This raises the possibility that pay increases have now peaked, which could lead to a calmer path for inflation.
Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, said that while wage costs remain "very acute" for companies there were some "hopeful signs" in the latest ONS figures, "with the number of vacancies falling and more people coming out of inactivity back into the labour market".
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said: "Our jobs market is strong with unemployment low by historical standards. But we still have around one million job vacancies, pushing up inflation even further."
Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the figures were "another dismal reflection of the Tories' mismanagement of the economy".
"Britain is the only G7 country with a lower employment rate than before the pandemic and real wages have fallen yet again," he added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66156713 |
Union concern over slump in nursing applications - BBC News | 2023-07-13T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The number of people signing up for nursing qualifications dropped "significantly" in the last year. | Scotland | Applications to join nursing programmes in Scotland have slumped in the past year, according to new figures.
UCAS data has shown a drop of 19% in applications in the 12 months up to 30 June.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called the figure "significant" and a "cause for concern".
The Scottish government said it valued student nurses and midwives and that they received the highest student bursary in Scotland.
Latest figures reveal 6,450 applicants sought a place on Scottish courses, compared to 7,930 in 2022 and 9,010 in 2021.
And the number signing up to study nursing at this point in the UCAS cycle is below the pre-pandemic number of 7,290 applicants from 2019.
The number of applicants was highest in 2021, reflecting an increase in demand for certain courses, including medicine and nursing, during the global health crisis.
The trend marks a further blow to NHS recovery as it already deals with high vacancy rates.
The Royal College of Nursing said 8.5% of registered nurse posts remained vacant at the end of March.
In June it emerged that annual spending on NHS temporary staff in Scotland rose to a record high of more than £560m - an increase of over a third compared with the previous year.
Meanwhile, data showed that in the year up to 31 March, £447.4m was spent on bank and agency nursing and midwifery staff.
The biggest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, spent almost £130m to cover nursing and midwife shortages.
RCN Scotland's director, Colin Poolman, said: "This significant drop in applications to nursing courses in Scotland is a real cause for concern amid the stubbornly high registered nurse vacancy rates and ongoing workforce challenges which are compromising patient safety and the wellbeing of staff."
He added the nursing union's recent report on the costs of becoming a nurse highlighted the significant financial pressures that student nurses face.
Mr Poolman said: "The prospect of starting a degree course during a cost of living crisis is bound to be having an impact.
"Nursing is a hugely diverse profession and relies on attracting people of all ages and all walks of life, often as a second career.
"The Scottish government needs to demonstrate that nursing is valued and a career choice worth pursuing."
Reacting to the drop in applications, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "Scotland already has more than 5,500 nursing and midwifery vacancies and a workforce stretched to breaking point.
"This collapse in applications is incredibly worrying and risks creating a staffing timebomb that will pile yet more pressure on our NHS."
Scottish Conservative deputy health spokesperson Tess White said: "The SNP's mismanagement of our health service is sadly putting people off wanting to become nurses, as they hear about the intolerable strain current staff are enduring.
"These figures need to be an urgent wake-up call."
A Scottish government spokesman told BBC Scotland: "The attraction and retention of people into nursing and midwifery is a key part of the remit of the Nursing & Midwifery Taskforce.
"We continue to provide the highest non-repayable, non-means tested bursary support in the UK at £10,000 for eligible students, as well as reimbursement of expenses and a range of allowances.
"We value our student nurses and midwives and that is why they receive the highest student bursary in Scotland."
He added that Scotland's NHS Agenda for Change staff were "the best paid anywhere in the UK".
The spokesman also said that applicants could apply through UCAS for up to five undergraduate programmes at a time and could apply to nursing and midwifery programmes over the summer as part of the annual clearing process. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66001452 |
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