News

Gemma Collins' UK 'president' wishlist includes exiling the Queen and parking fines ban

The GC wants to give workers 10 weeks holiday, abolish parking fines and exile the Queen to her Norfolk estate

US to reform Trump’s ‘draconian’ immigration regime, Biden tells Mexican president

Joe Biden told his Mexican counterpart that he would end the previous administration’s “draconian” immigration policies, capping off a week that saw the president advance a flurry of policies and executive orders reforming the immigration system. The two spoke by phone on Friday to discuss the situation at the border, the coronavirus pandemic, and reducing “irregular migration.” “We dealt with affairs related to immigration, Covid-19, and...

Donald Trump 'should be banned from Britain for magnitude of his crimes' say MPs

EXCLUSIVE: Labour and the SNP want Home Secretary Priti Patel to 'recognise the magnitude of Donald Trump's crimes' and slap him with an exclusion order - meaning he would not be able to visit his Scottish golf courses

Tim Peake reveals Brian May played to International Space Station crew

Moments before lift-off, British astronaut Major Tim Peake calmed his nerves with a rendition of Queen's iconic Don't Stop Me Now.

Don't talk to each other on public transport, French medics say

The France National Academy of Medecine said in a statement that French citizens should 'avoid talking and making phone calls'.

Joe Biden talks coronavirus battle with Boris Johnson as US cases pass 25 million

Joe Biden and Boris Johnson discuss Covid-19 recovery in a Saturday phone call three days after the inauguration. The UK prime minister tweeted on Saturday: “Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening." Earlier Mr Biden told the US Conference of Mayors that his administration was focussing on the pandemic and economic growth. “We also have to act now, with urgency and unity as the United States of America…We can do this together. I...

UK extends councils' lockdown powers until July 17, Telegraph says

UK extends councils' lockdown powers until July 17, Telegraph says

Losing a family to coronavirus in five days

David Lewis lost two sons and his wife to COVID-19 all within five days of each other.

Pro-Navalny rallies staged in Russia's far east

Hundreds of people in several cities of Russia's far eastern region demonstrated on Saturday in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Texas man charged over Capitol riot and for ‘urging Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez assassination’

A 34-year-old Texas man has been arrested for allegedly taking part in the breach of the US Capitol and posting violent threats, including a call to assassinate Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A violent mob of Donald Trump supporters and extremists descended on the Capitol, storming the building as members of congress gathered to certify Joe Biden’s election victory on January 6. Five people were killed in the attack,...

More than 4,000 coronavirus patients are on a ventilator - a new record

The UK has hit another milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of patients on a ventilator passing 4,000 for the first time.

Could Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Kidnapped’ be the novel for our times?

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped appeared in 1886, the same year as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and just three years after Treasure Island. According to The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature, it is “one of the most brilliant adventure stories of all times” – and that's no exaggeration. Yet Kidnapped is also more than just exciting and more than just a kids’ book; it's a thoughtful novel about politics and dissent, rich in...

UK asylum seekers told claims at risk if they ‘misbehave’

People held at temporary Home Office refugee camps are being threatened that their asylum claims will be harmed if they “misbehave”, according to testimony from site residents. A series of statements from asylum seekers inside the camps, anonymised to protect them from possible reprisals, allege they have been told by staff employed by private contractors that their asylum application will be jeopardised for speaking out about conditions or...

Appeal after road safety police officer mannequin ‘kidnapped’ from his post

Allan was placed on the A93 to deter people from speeding as they drive into Braemar.

Nailed by litter Stasi for putting recycling out a few hours too early

A private contractor for Wandsworth Council in South London was spotted rifling through recycling bins and taking pictures of the waste as horrified residents watched on.

Keep following the rules after you get Covid jab, Van-Tam tells public

The deputy chief medical officer for England says people risk spread the disease if they ease up once they are vaccinated.

Prisoners will not jump jab queue as ‘Levi Bellfield offered vaccine’

Those aged over 70, health and social care workers and clinically extremely vulnerable people are highest in the priority list.

Hundreds protest corruption and police brutality in Tunisia

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Tunisian cities on Saturday to protest police repression, corruption and poverty, following several nights of unrest marked by clashes and arrests. Saturday's protests come as the North African nation struggles to stem the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has crippled the economy and threatened to overwhelm hospitals. Over 6,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Tunisia, with a record 103 deaths...

Dramatic moment police find dozens of party-goers hiding in a cupboard

Cops busted up a student lockdown party and found dozens of revellers hiding in a closet. Around 50 penalties were issued for breach of Covid regulations and an officer was assaulted.

Observer killer sudoku

Click here to access the print version. Normal Sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within grey lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by grey lines. Buy next week’s Observer Digital Edition to see the completed puzzle.

Johnson says he looks forward to working with Biden on shared goals

Johnson says he looks forward to working with Biden on shared goals

UK weather: Snow and ice to disrupt travel

Snow and ice are set to bring travel disruption across the UK on Sunday in the wake of the severe flooding caused by Storm Christoph. The Met Office has issued five yellow weather warnings covering southern England, the Midlands, Wales, Northern Ireland and western and northern Scotland. A band of snow will move east across the country from the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, with up to 3cm at low levels and up to 10cm on...

U.S. urges China to stop pressure against Taiwan

U.S. urges China to stop pressure against Taiwan

Flight MH370 'could have been shot down by missile in military blunder', new book claims

The Malaysia Airlines plane mysteriously vanished from the sky and crashed into the sea with 239 people on board flight MH370 nearly seven years ago

Johnson has first phone call with Biden - and wants to 'deepen longstanding alliance'

Boris Johnson has spoken to the newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden in a Saturday evening phone call to Washington DC.

Scientist advising Government urges tougher lockdown

Teachers send Boris Johnson plan to vaccinate one million staff

Detailed blueprints have been drawn up to vaccinate teachers over half term in a bid to reopen schools.The move could prove to be a political lifeline for Boris Johnson.

Biden assures mayors they will be 'partners' battling COVID-19

Joe Biden assured mayors that they would be 'partners' in the battle against the coronavirus.

Majority across UK think Scotland will be independent within 10 years

The findings highlight some of the difficulties facing Boris Johnson as he struggles to keep the country together.

Rioters who entered Capitol building may not be charged if they didn’t engage in violence, report says

Rioters who stormed the Capitol Building may not face criminal charges if they did not act violently, a report says. Federal law enforcement officials are reportedly debating not pressing charges against some of the pro-Trump mob to prevent hundreds of cases swamping the court system. No final decision has made on the non-charging of individuals who took part in the 6 January pro-Trump violence, according to the Washington Post. A string of...

Covid news - live: Biden and Boris Johnson discuss ‘green and sustainable’ coronavirus recovery in first call

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden discussed the future of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic as the world leaders grapple with high levels of infection of death in their first call since the Democrat was named US president. Sharing news of the call on Twitter Boris Johnson said they had discussed the forging of a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19 - the death toll for which now stands at 97,329 according to the department of health. It...

MPs plan to gift the Queen a LAMP-POST to mark her Platinum Jubilee

What do you give the Monarch who has everything? A lamp-post, apparently. The Mail on Sunday understands that this is what Parliament intends to present to the Queen next year.

Trump pardons Bannon, Lil Wayne, Kodak Black. Who else made the clemency list?

UK to quarantine visitors from nations with high COVID-19 risk, Daily Mail says

UK to quarantine visitors from nations with high COVID-19 risk, Daily Mail says

What the papers say – January 24

The front pages are dominated by stories on the coronavirus vaccine rollout.

Three London city workers arrested amid fraud probe into coronavirus bounce back loans of £6 million

Three men who worked for the same London financial institution have been arrested as part of an investigation into fraudulent coronavirus bounce back loans totalling £6 million. The city workers are suspected of using their “specialist knowledge” to carry out the scam, said the National Crime Agency (NCA). Two of the suspects, aged 30 and 31, were arrested at their office by members of the NCA’s Complex Financial Crime team, while the third,...

How will Johnson and Biden get on?

With Irish roots and knowledge of the special relationship, Boris Johnson hopes are reflected on by former foreign secretaries.

Gordon Brown: 300,000 UK jobless hidden by official figures

The full scale of Britain’s jobs crisis is being underestimated because hundreds of thousands of people are being missed by official unemployment figures, Gordon Brown has warned. At least 300,000 out-of-work people across the UK are being missed by official figures, according to a study backed by the former prime minister. He warned that it meant Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, was at risk of drawing up a financial rescue package that failed to...

Why forgotten furniture is having a revival

It’s common these days to hear that a particular style of furniture, colour or fabric is “in” or “out”. Usually, the speaker is referring to the fleeting trends that come and go with the seasons; those that will resurface next AW or may roll around again in a few decades, such as the super-Seventies statement carpet revival or the return of electric eighties neon. However, some furniture falls out of favour for longer than a mere lifetime,...

Put travellers in hotels to curb spread of new coronavirus variants, says key adviser ahead of crunch meeting

Forcing travellers arriving in the UK to stay in hotels will help curb dangerous new Covid-19 strains, a key government adviser says, heaping pressure on Boris Johnson to act. Ahead of a crunch decision on Monday, the head of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) said the science backed the move, which would make Britons safer. “Certainly measures like stricter quarantines and putting people in hotels for long...

Residents plead with PM to upgrade defences after town flooded for third year

Boris Johnson claimed he would “get Bewdley done” in 2020 but more permanent flood defences are yet to be put in place.

Police use tear gas to disperse Congress rally

Police on Saturday used water cannon and tear gas to disperse a protest rally by India's main opposition Congress Party in the central city of Bhopal.

Officials resist calls by doctors to cut the delay between Covid jabs

Doctors’ calls to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the coronavirus vaccine are being resisted by officials at Public Health England.

Welsh Tory leader Paul Davies resigns over Senedd alcohol row

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has resigned after it came to light that he was among a group of politicians who drank alcohol on the Senedd estate days after a pub alcohol ban came into force. Paul Davies said in a statement that he had broken no Covid-19 regulations and for the past 10 months of the pandemic he has “followed the Covid-19 regulations to the letter”. But he acknowledged that the controversy over the events of last month...

EDWARD LUCAS: Navalny's YouTube exposés make him a deadly opponent

EDWARD LUCAS: Alexei Navalny is Vladimir Putin's most dangerous foe. Yesterday showed why. Tens of thousands of Russians in scores of cities turned out, even in temperatures below -50C.

MoS: A spectacular and public-spirited offer Boris should accept

MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: To the dismay of those who will never forgive him for Brexit, Boris Johnson is again demonstrating his ability to achieve success where others fail or will not dare.

Alexei Navalny: Tens of thousands protest across Russia

Tens of thousands of protesters took to streets in dozens of cities across Russia on Saturday in protest at the poisoning and imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, laying down the gauntlet to authorities who had threatened the full force of law – and more – in return. The reality of Saturday’s showdowns confirmed some of the worst predictions, with riot police employing tactics designed not so much for law enforcement as sowing panic...

Britons who have first Covid jab must stay at home for THREE WEEKS

People who have received their first Covid-19 jab must stay at home for three weeks after their injection because it can take that long for immunity to 'kick in', Jonathan Van-Tam warned last night.

Covid would have been dealt with better if key decisions weren’t all made by men, says Labour frontbencher

The government would have handled the coronavirus crisis better if major decision-making had not been left mostly to men, according to the shadow women and equalities minister. Ministers have faced criticism throughout the pandemic for failing to better contain the virus, leaving Britain this week with the highest rate of death in the world. The past month alone accounts for more than a quarter of the UK’s total Covid deaths. Meanwhile, studies...

Judge: Kenosha shooter can't associate with supremacists

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — An 18-year-old Illinois teen charged with fatally shooting two people during a protest in southeastern Wisconsin last year is prohibited from associating with known white supremacists under a judge's recently modified bail conditions. Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 during the Aug. 25 demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as hundreds were protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse has been charged with...