Boris Johnson’s desperate cabinet shakeup is proof – it’s far too late for him to ‘get a grip’

Anyone anxious about the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis can sleep easy now. Boris Johnson has decided to “take back control” of the response. His Vote Leave advisers really do sound like a stuck record, playing their greatest hits over and over.No surprise, then, that the cabinet’s new structure will replicate the one set up last year to handle Brexit. The daily C-19 group of Johnson, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock is being abolished. Its four sub-groups will be replaced by committees chaired by Johnson (strategy) and Gove(operations).

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  Coronavirus: Boris Johnson claims alert level allowed him to ease lockdown despite it stating 'current restrictions' must remain

  The Independent
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  Johnson is in charge of coronavirus response, junior minister says

  Reuters

Man died after 'brushing off' tiny cut from kitchen knife 'during row with friend'

A man died after suffering a tiny cut from the tip of a kitchen knife following a row over a coat between two friends, a court has heard. James O'Keefe probably "brushed off" the 1.5cm-deep wound to his right thigh and did not seek medical help, the Old Bailey was told. Prosecutor Julian Evans told jurors the pair had got into an argument while drinking at the flat of another friend, Jan Farnham, in Crouch End, north London, on 9 December last year.

Drink driver 'returned to pub for pint' after killing man in bus stop crash

Martin Henderson was travelling at more than double the speed limit when he lost control of his car.

Meghan complains that Kate 'snaps her fingers' and gets backing of the Palace

Kate Middleton "snaps her fingers and Kensington Palace comes running" - that's what Meghan Markle has reportedly told pals after royal officials filed a legal complaint to Tatler.According to the Mail, the Duchess of Sussex said that while she was give no support after being "shredded" by the press, it's a different story for her sister-in-law.Markle's complaint is regardling a Tatler magazine, which ran a story about Kate - headlined "Catherine the Great".The article claimed Duchess of Cambridge had an eating disorder and that she was exhausted after taking on additional duties since Prince Harry and Markle stepped down as senior royals.In contrast, "Meghan said the Palace never once came to her defence when she was being shredded by the media," a friend told the Mail."Now Kate gets a bit of negative press, and the Palace comes out in less than 24 hours to rebuke the claims made against her."【ギャラリー】Kate meets athletes at the London Stadium22According to a friend of Meghan, the response to Kate's article has come as "... a slap in the face for Harry because he repeatedly asked for an updated, revised media policy - or at least a conversation about his concerns.""All fell on deaf ears, and then Kate comes along, snaps her fingers and gets an outpouring of support."Meghan says it's just so telling."She explained this was one of the main reasons why she and Harry said their goodbyes to royal life - the lack of support and complete disregard for the pain and anguish Meghan suffered while being crucified in the media."Meghan said, rather than backing her, she was made to feel like she was asking too much, expecting too much, when all she wanted was support from the powers that be."

Holly and Phil rang Alison Hammond after her emotional This Morning speech

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield checked in with Alison after the cameras stopped

Peaky Blinders: Jason Statham lost Tommy Shelby role over text message, Steven Knight reveals

Jason Statham was the first choice for the role of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, until a text message changed the mind of series creator Steven Knight.Knight revealed that he had originally envisaged Statham in the role and had left meetings with both him and Cillian Murphy, the actor who ultimately played Tommy, convinced that Statham was the right fit.

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  Peaky Blinders creator regrets killing off main character in brutal twist

  The Independent
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  Re-Watch Steven Knight's Live 'Peaky Blinders' Watchalong With Esquire

  Esquire

Good Morning Britain's Piers Morgan responds to viewer complaints about his controversial interviews

Ofcom complaints certainly don't surprise him anymore.

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  Piers Morgan faces backlash for his feelings about Ikea

  Yahoo Celebrity UK
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  Piers Morgan clashes with Tory MP Tobias Ellwood after accusing party of 'not having the gumption' to appear on GMB

  Evening Standard

Explainer: Are asymptomatic COVID-19 patients safe or silent carriers?

China said 300 symptomless carriers of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic, had not been found to be infectious, in a bid to reassure people as countries ease restrictions. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200402-sitrep-73-covid-19.pdf asymptomatic cases as those who don't show symptoms but have been confirmed infected through a lab test. The incubation period, or the time a person takes to show symptoms after getting infected, is the pre-symptomatic phase, the WHO says.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor shares 'gory' injuries photo after bike accident lands her in hospital

Sophie Ellis-Bextor shared photos of her injuries after a bicycle accident saw her end up in A&E.

'I lost my father to Covid-19. Now I'm taking legal action against the UK government'

'I lost my father to Covid-19. Now I'm taking legal action against the UK government'Dr Minesh Talati wants accountability not just for his father’s death, but the other coronavirus victims who didn’t need to die * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage

Hydrogen cars won't overtake electric vehicles because they're hampered by the laws of science

Everyone loves the idea of H2 cars, but they come with a huge disadvantage.

Coronavirus UK map: the latest deaths and confirmed cases near you

Coronavirus UK map: the latest deaths and confirmed cases near you. Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each local authority

Scientists alarmed as Trump embraces fringe views and extreme theories amid pandemic

Scientists alarmed as Trump embraces fringe views and extreme theories amid pandemicTrump has a history of defying scientific findings but his actions during coronavirus have startled even his most vocal critics * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates

UK coronavirus LIVE: Death toll jumps by 359 after Boris Johnson accuses Keir Starmer of 'endless attacks on public trust' in heated PMQs

Boris Johnson accused Sir Keir Starmer of "endless attacks on public trust" during a heated Prime Minister's Questions, the first since the Dominic Cummings row erupted across UK politics.The Labour leader and Prime Minister came to blows over testing, parliamentary voting and what Sir Keir described as a 10-year low for public trust in Government. Mr Johnson hit back by refuting his counterpart's claims and saying he was surprised at the opposition leader's "tone".

Watch the heartwarming moment Texas police officers join protesters by taking a kneel followed by handshakes and hugs

This is the heartwarming moment Texas police joined forces with George Floyd protesters by heeding their request to take a knee.The group of demonstrators in Fort Worth told police at the scene that they would go home if officers joined them in a show of solidarity.

What are the Emmerdale lockdown episodes about?

The soap returned to filming last week, following social-distancing measures.

‘It’s all my fault’: How I killed Jack Reacher

Lee Child, wildly successful thriller writer and creator of Jack Reacher, has come clean: he’s retiring. In fact, he retired around the middle of last year, after completing Blue Moon, his most recent book. He didn’t start the following book – as he has been doing religiously for the last 20 odd years – on 1 September. The next one, The Sentinel, will still appear though. Out this October, it’s written by his kid brother, Andrew, formerly known as Andrew Grant, now re-baptised “Andrew Child”.But the original Reacher is dead. I mourn him. But I killed him. His publishers, Penguin Random House, thought I would. Turns out they were right. It’s all my fault. Me and possibly Tom Cruise too. Maybe Reacher was already on his last legs anyway, but we finished him off.

Vladimir Putin endorses nuclear doctrine allowing for first strike

President Vladimir Putin has endorsed Russia's nuclear deterrent policy which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation's critical government and military infrastructure.By including a non-nuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation, the document appears to send a warning signal to the US.The new expanded wording reflects Russian concerns about the development of prospective weapons that could give Washington the capability to knock out key military assets and government facilities without resorting to atomic weapons.【ギャラリー】Pictures of the week: May 31 - June 621In line with Russian military doctrine, the new document reaffirms that the country could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or an aggression involving conventional weapons that "threatens the very existence of the state".But the policy document now also offers a detailed description of situations that could trigger the use of nuclear weapons.They include the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies and an enemy attack with conventional weapons that threatens the country's existence.In addition to that, the document now states that Russia could use its nuclear arsenals if it gets "reliable information" about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting its territory or its allies and also in the case of "enemy impact on critically important government or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the incapacitation of which could result in the failure of retaliatory action of nuclear forces".The reference to a non-nuclear strike as a possible trigger for nuclear retaliation reflects longtime Moscow concern about US military plans.The buildup of conventional forces near Russia's borders and the deployment of missile defence assets and space-based weapons are among the threats identified by Moscow in the new document.US-Russia relations are at post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the accusations of Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election and other differences.Amid the tensions, the Kremlin has repeatedly voiced concern about the deployment of US and allied forces in the Baltics and Nato drills near Russia's borders.Russian officials have cast the US-led missile defence programme and its plans to put weapons in orbit as a top threat, arguing that the new capability could tempt Washington to strike Russia with impunity in the hope of fending off a retaliatory strike.In 2018, Mr Putin revealed an array of new weapons that he said would render US missile defence useless.They include the Avangard hypersonic vehicle capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound and making sharp manoeuvres on its way to target to dodge the enemy's missile shield.The first unit armed with the Avangard entered duty in December.Another doomsday weapon that Mr Putin has mentioned is the nuclear-armed and atomic-powered Poseidon underwater drone capable of causing a devastating tsunami near an enemy coast.Its tests are continuing.Last year, both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.The only US-Russia nuclear arms control agreement still standing is the New Start treaty, which was signed in 2010 by then-US president Barack Obama and then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.The pact limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.Russia has offered to extend the New Start, which expires in February 2021, while the Trump administration has pushed for a new arms control pact that would also include China.Moscow has described that idea as unfeasible, pointing at Beijing's refusal to negotiate any deal that would reduce its much smaller nuclear arsenal.Russian diplomats said the Avangard could be included in the New Start if it is extended.They also voiced readiness to open talks to discuss the Poseidon and other new weapons along with prospective US strategic assets.In a call with members of his Security Council over the weekend, Mr Putin warned that the New Start treaty is bound to expire, but "the negotiations on that crucial issue, important not just for us but for the entire world, have failed to start".

Brazil sets another record for daily coronavirus deaths

Brazil registered another record number of novel coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday evening, as the pandemic in Latin America's largest country shows no signs of slowing down. The nation registered 28,936 additional cases of the novel coronavirus, the ministry said, and 1,262 deaths. There are now 555,383 total confirmed coronavirus cases in Brazil and 31,199 coronavirus deaths.

'Sarah and Omar have disappeared': children of ex-Saudi official missing since March

'Sarah and Omar have disappeared': children of ex-Saudi official missing since MarchAljabri family tells of anguish over what they describe as act of vengeance by Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Boris Johnson rails against ‘endless attacks’ over coronavirus response as UK death toll tops 50,000

The PM accused the Labour leader of 'endless attacks' after he questioned test and trace.

Joe Biden sweeps seven US presidential primaries

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will challenge the incumbent for the presidency in November.

'Get the F**k Out': Man Orders Masked Group to Leave Damaged Cigar Shop in Washington

A man appearing to hold a gun ordered a masked group to leave a cigar shop in Bellevue, Washington, on May 31.Zachariah Kendall filmed a video which shows a group of people leaving Cigar Land after a man stands in front of the shop and shouts, “Now! Move! Move!” As they depart, a second man steps out of the shop and yells, “Get the f**k out, stay away.”In a caption on his YouTube channel, Kendall wrote: “Owner of a cigar shop and his deputy catches looters during a protest that lead to a riot in downtown Bellevue.” Credit: Zachariah Kendall via Storyful