Shanghai reported a record number of symptomatic Covid-19 cases on Saturday and other areas across China tightened controls as the country kept up its “dynamic clearance” approach that aims to stamp out the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The Zhengzhou airport economic zone, a central Chinese manufacturing area that includes Apple supplier Foxconn, announced a 14-day lockdown on...
Ukrainian troops in Mariupol refuse to surrender as Russian deadline passes
A Russian ultimatum for the last remaining Ukrainian troops holding out in the besieged port city of Mariupol to surrender has passed, as Moscow edged closer to full control of the city in what would be its biggest capture since it invaded Ukraine in February. The city has been facing a humanitarian catastrophe for weeks, as Russian...
Teachers’ leader calls for crackdown on ‘bad bosses’ in private schools
The head of a teaching union has called for private schools to have their charitable status removed if they continue with “fire and rehire” policies. Speaking at the Nasuwt teaching union’s annual conference in Birmingham, general secretary Patrick Roach criticised “bad bosses who believe it’s OK to threaten teachers with the sack in order to drive down their...
Partygate: Boris Johnson has become ‘great debaser of decency’ after ‘shredding’ ministerial code, historian says
Boris Johnson “shredded” the ministerial code over the partygate scandal and has become a “great debaser of decency” in political life, according to an eminent historian. Five days after Mr Johnson was issued with a fixed-penalty notice for flouting Covid regulations, and refused to resign, Lord Peter Hennessy said it was the “most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister”....
Three teenagers stabbed after ‘fight’ breaks out in south London
Three teenagers have been stabbed after reports of a fight in Croydon, London on Friday. Police were alerted to reports of a fight at 4.35pm on the bank holiday Good Friday in Goldcrest Way, New Addington. Three males – aged 15, 16 and 18 – were rushed to hospital after sustaining stab wounds. London Ambulance Service and the police had attended the scene...
UK economy slows more than expected as car production slumps
UK economic growth slowed by more than expected in February as a slump in car manufacturing undermined a sharp recovery in holiday bookings after the easing of Covid travel restrictions. The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product rose by only 0.1% in February, down from a monthly growth rate of 0.8% in January when the...
Biden announces measures to crack down on ‘ghost guns’
Joe Biden has announced an attempt to crack down on “ghost guns”, kits which can be bought without a background check, from which a working gun can quickly be made, and which have been used in an escalating number of shootings. In a release, the White House said 20,000 “unserialized, privately made firearms” were reported to...
Mexico president López Obrador wins recall referendum
Nine in 10 Mexicans voting in an unprecedented recall election engineered by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have backed him to stay in office, underlining his domination of a polarised political agenda. Critics and supporters had viewed his victory as a foregone conclusion in a ballot that had fed speculation it could open the door...
Sir David Amess: Ali Harbi Ali convicted of murder and planning terror attacks on other MPs
The Isis-supporting terrorist who killed Sir David Amess has been convicted of murdering the MP and plotting attacks on other politicians. Ali Harbi Ali, 26, said he murdered the Conservative politician because he had voted for airstrikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq. He had been plotting to murder an MP since May 2019, researching other potential targets including Michael...
London Elections 2022: When are they, who can vote, how to vote and how to see results?
The local ward elections will take place this May, at a turbulent time for the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson’s party has received a number of criticisms as it deals with the cost of living crisis and the fallout from the No10 partygate scandal. A total of 1,817 seats across London’s boroughs are up for grabs – as Labour...