Few tears likely to be shed as plan for No 10 TV press briefings droppedAnalysis: Insiders say plan had been ‘kicked down the road for so long’ it was inevitable it would be dropped Allegra Stratton has been handed a new role as spokeswoman for this autumn’s Cop26 – the global climate change conference. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
Tens of thousands turn out in support of imprisoned Kremlin critic, who is currently on hunger strike
Transparency International UK said those with political access appeared to be favoured.
India’s shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling declineAnalysis: Rapid spread of cases across country comes after long spell in which virus seemed almost to vanish Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Relatives wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) mourn a man who died from the coronavirus. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Lockdown roadmap could have to be adjusted, says member of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Video released to celebrate Earth Day
The United States is considering sending missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, amid a buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops along its eastern border and fears of an impending invasion. Shipments of military aid have been discussed by Joe Biden’s administration, and could include anti-tank, anti-ship and anti-aircraft systems according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials in Kyiv have asked for help after Russia’s increasingly bullish behaviour, which has included the largest troop buildup in the region for nearly a decade, intruding into European airspace and restricting the movement of foreign ships in the area. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told Congress last week: “That buildup has reached the point where it could also provide the basis for a limited military incursion. “It’s something not only the United States, but also our allies have to take very seriously.”
Sushila Phillips was ‘eternally compassionate in the face of unspeakable suffering’, her sister says
Jeanette Whittle, 44, and Rhianne Halton, 19, from Torquay, died within weeks of one another and were laid to rest at a joint funeral.
Universities have offered to "hotel quarantine" students from "red listed" India amid concerns the Government will not be able to cope with an influx of up to 50,000 from the country. The universities say they have the experience and accommodation, including even their own hotels, that would enable them to quarantine the Indian students and potentially cover their costs to avoid them facing hardship or being forced to give up hard-won places. Universities UK International (UUKI) has been in talks with the Government over the plan and an agreement with the Scottish Government for international students attending Scottish students is understood to be on the brink of being signed. The move has emerged just days after the Government placed India on its red list for travel, which requires any arrival including students to quarantine for 11 days in Government-approved hotels at a cost of up to £1,750 per person. The ban on foreign travel from India was imposed after a double mutant variant emerged amid a spike in coronavirus cases that has claimed thousands of lives. There are about 55,000 Indian students currently studying at UK universities, with each providing a major source of income of between £10,000 and £60,000 a year to the UK institutions through fees on top of any wider benefits to the UK economy. Most are postgraduates.
Security forces broke up a protest in Myanmar’s southern city of Dawei, arresting four demonstrators and a reporter according to Dawei Watch media outlet, which also said live rounds were used.
Johnny Mercer's extraordinary attack also extended to the 'cesspit' of Westminster, which he said is populated by 'children' who are 'frankly unemployable elsewhere'.
The Church of England should stop “unconditionally celebrating” slave traders with statues, a landmark anti-racism report has concluded. The Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce was set up last October following the murder of George Floyd – a black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis which sparked protests around the world – with the aim of bringing greater racial justice and equality in the Church of England. The report, published on Thursday to coincide with Stephen Lawrence Day, warns that a failure to act could be a “last straw” for many people of UK Minority Ethnic (UKME) backgrounds, with “devastating effects” on the future of the Church. It comes days after a Panorama investigation reported claims that UKME church staff subjected to racist abuse are "forced to sign NDAs to buy their silence”. The report sets out almost 50 actions for the Church to implement. These include establishing new, salaried “racial justice officers'' in all 42 dioceses, and introducing a “racial justice Sunday'' once a year. It calls for at least one black and UKME candidate on every job shortlist and an aim of 15 per cent of General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, and all local church councils to have black and UKME representatives by 2030. On slavery, the taskforce drew a line on where the Church should stand regarding potentially offensive monuments and criticised it for taking “little action” so far. It said: “The protests following the killing of George Floyd, and in particular the tearing down of the Colston statue in Bristol, highlighted issues surrounding the Church of England’s consideration of its own contested heritage. “The Church of England has taken little action in addressing the historic slave trade and its legacy since it made an apology at General Synod in 2006 for its involvement in the trade. “Regarding monuments and the built environment, deciding what to do with contested heritage is not easy. “While history should not be hidden, we also do not want to unconditionally celebrate or commemorate people who contributed to or benefitted from the tragedy that was the slave trade.”
Banning smart motorways would "kill drivers" by forcing them onto unsafe roads, a government minister has said. Baroness Vere, the roads minister, told MPs that the stretches of motorways that used the hard shoulder as an extra lane were safer than conventional roads and motorways as they eased congestion. She also defended the Government’s decision to keep the system in place despite recent warnings from coroners over the deaths of drivers left stranded on smart motorways, saying a number of safety improvements have been made to them. Her comments come after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced recently that no new smart motorways will be created unless they have the technology in place to spot when a broken-down motorists is unable to reach the sporadic safety bays that replace the hard shoulder. A number of smart motorways were previously launched by Highways England without the monitoring system in place and the Government has given the organisation until March 2023 to ensure all have coverage. Highways England has previously insisted smart motorways are the “safest roads in the country”. However, figures show there were 15 deaths on them in 2019, up from 11 in 2018. Appearing in front of the transport select committee, Baroness Vere said she was “astonished” and “disappointed” by the way Highways England had handled the rollout of smart motorways. However, she said smart motorways were safer than conventional roads as they gave drivers more space. Baroness Vere said: “One of the things that makes all drivers more safe is to provide more capacity on our safest roads and that is what all-lane running motorways do. “If you increase capacity on those roads they are our safest roads in terms of fatalities, as you take traffic off less safe roads.”
The former cage fighter admitted contempt of court after he falsely claimed not to know a man it was said had witnessed the crash.
Lateral flow tests for pregnant women and their partners are among measures ‘urgently’ recommended by NHS England.
The Russian president has called for citizens to get vaccinated so the country can hit the target.
When George Floyd bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 note, it triggered the wretched sequence of events that led to the end of his life. The teenager who served Mr Floyd was a key prosecution witness in the trial of his killer, former police officer Derek Chauvin. Christopher Martin said he has felt too scared to work in the shop since Mr Floyd's death but that giving evidence in the trial had brought him a sense of relief.
‘This is the country we serve and defend. These are the people we fight for’
Universities could allow students back early to play organised sports or for “entertainment” purposes, as they prepare to use the latest loophole in official guidance. Vice-Chancellors are already making use of "exceptional circumstances" to let undergraduates return to campus, which include suffering from a mental health issue or having inadequate study space at home. But now university chiefs are examining a new way to permit students to take up residence at their term-time accommodation. In a letter to senior administrators, the higher education minister Michelle Donelan said: “The existing exemptions still apply for students with inadequate study space and/or mental health and wellbeing issues that would warrant a return to their term time address despite their teaching still being online. “Please do also consider appropriate provision to support access to university facilities for all students for the purposes of online learning, to safeguard students’ wellbeing and to prevent isolation and mental ill health. “In line with wider coronavirus restrictions, this may include supporting access to organised sport and entertainment.” A university source told The Telegraph that the wording of the letter indicates that the Government is widening the grounds on which students can return. “We interpret sports and entertainment as being additional reasons to allow them to return,” they said. “The university high command has been studying it. “I am guessing that other universities - particularly ones with big sporting facilities - will probably have said something about this. "It could also be that classic Government thing of ‘we have screwed up so lets just give them bits back in dribs and drabs.” Last week the Government announced that around one million university students will not be allowed to return to campus for another month. The only students allowed to return to campus following the Christmas break were those doing degrees that require face-to-face teaching for a professional qualification, such as medicine and dentistry. On March 8, students on creative or practical courses such as performing arts were also allowed back. But around half of the UK’s student population - including humanities and social science students - will continue to be banned from taking up residence at their term-time accommodation and resuming face-to-face lectures until May 17 at the earliest. University leaders have attacked the decision to delay the return of students as “illogical” since they are now legally able to visit a gym, theme park, zoo or spa as well as go on a self-catered holiday.
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