Jumat, 27 Agustus 2021
Afghan journalists fleeing for their lives from the Taliban - BBC News - BBC News
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2021-08-27 19:42:48Z
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Nicola Sturgeon rules out 'circuit breaker' lockdown - Daily Mail
Nicola Sturgeon insists she is NOT planning a 'circuit breaker' lockdown in Scotland despite a record number of new coronavirus cases
- Reports earlier this week suggested circuit break lockdown being considered
- But Nicola Sturgeon said she is 'not currently considering' taking such a step
- It came as Scotland today recorded a record number of new coronavirus cases
Nicola Sturgeon today insisted she is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown' in Scotland despite a record number of new coronavirus cases in the country.
Reports earlier this week suggested that a temporary shutdown was being looked at as an option to tackle the spread of infection.
But the Scottish First Minister this afternoon ruled out such a move as she said 'none of us want to go backwards to even limited restrictions'.
Nicola Sturgeon today insisted she is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown' in Scotland despite a record number of new coronavirus cases
The SNP leader told a coronavirus briefing that 6,835 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours – the second time in a week that a record new daily figure has been hit.
The number of coronavirus patients in Scotland also continues to rise, with 479 people in hospital as of yesterday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 53 on the previous day and an increase from 312 one week ago.
A total of four deaths of coronavirus patients were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 8,103.
Ms Sturgeon cautioned that the rise in cases was partly due to a record number of tests being taken.
'Some of the speculation you might be reading in the media is not accurate,' she said.
'We are not currently considering a circuit breaker lockdown.'
She said the Scottish Government was closely monitoring any rise in serious illness and the number of people being hospitalised.
'In the past seven days we have reported more new cases than at any previous time in the pandemic, although I refer back to my point about higher levels of testing, but case numbers have roughly doubled over the course of the past seven days,' Ms Sturgeon said.
'It's important to point out that case numbers are rising across the UK just now, but after a period of slower increases in Scotland the rise here is particularly sharp at the moment.
Coronavirus-related hospital admissions in Scotland are currently increasing, according to official Public Health Scotland data
'That is possibly, at least in part, a reflection of the fact that our schools return earlier, with the increased interactions that come with that.'
She said the vaccination programme had 'significantly weakened' but not 'completely broken' the link between cases and serious illness.
The First Minister urged everyone to do their part to help slow the spread of the virus.
She said: 'For the moment I do need to stress the vital importance of everyone playing their part in limiting spread of the virus.
'The more we all do this, the more chance we have of avoiding the need for the re-imposition of any formal restrictions.'
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtOTkzMzIzOS9OaWNvbGEtU3R1cmdlb24tcnVsZXMtY2lyY3VpdC1icmVha2VyLWxvY2tkb3duLmh0bWzSAWhodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTk5MzMyMzkvYW1wL05pY29sYS1TdHVyZ2Vvbi1ydWxlcy1jaXJjdWl0LWJyZWFrZXItbG9ja2Rvd24uaHRtbA?oc=5
2021-08-27 14:41:57Z
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Evacuations amid 'explosions' at Leamington Spa fire - BBC News
Firefighters are tackling a blaze at an industrial premises where explosions and a strong chemical smell have been reported.
A huge plume of thick, black smoke can be seen billowing from the site on Juno Drive in Leamington Spa.
Properties nearby have been evacuated, while people living within 70m were urged to shut doors and windows.
Police said one person was unaccounted for and emergency services were working to locate them.
One resident said she kept hearing "small explosions".
Anna Harrington-Ridley was walking to work in nearby Whitnash when she first saw smoke at about 10:30 BST.
She said: "I saw a little plume of smoke and thought it might be the allotments but it quickly got a lot darker and a lot bigger in the space of about two minutes and I realised it was definitely something a bit more serious.
"I was stood down there at the end of the road that has been blocked off and you could see the massive plume of smoke, there was fire, explosions, all sorts of things."
She added there was also a "strong chemical smell".
Resident Ben Coleman also reported an odour and explosive sounds.
"There's a bit of a smell.
"I heard small explosions, nothing too big, it was a few, like, pops."
Mr Coleman spotted the smoke from his window while working at home.
"I could see a big dark cloud, and I thought it was a thunderstorm, then I looked to my right and saw a big plume of smoke coming up from the building.
"Police had closed off the road leading to it, because it is in an industrial estate. [A] Lot of other places had got their staff out of the buildings."
Local Labour MP Matt Western said he heard the fire may involve chemicals from a plastics business unit.
From the scene, BBC Midlands Today correspondent Giles Latcham tweeted to say there appeared to be polystyrene falling from the sky.
Huge fire in Leamington Spa. Charred lumps of what looks like polystyrene falling from the sky @bbcmtd pic.twitter.com/99ciCSLBOE
— Giles Latcham (@GilesLatcham) August 27, 2021
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
Kevin Hughes said he too was working from home when he noticed the sky had turned very grey.
"I saw some post in the local Facebook group... and when I walked to the back [of my property] I could see this massive plume of grey smoke floating over."
He said he had been able to see the fire since about 11:00 BST - and it did not look to be abating.
Warwickshire Police has joined Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service at the scene - as has the neighbouring West Midlands Fire Service.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called at 10:38 BST, and one ambulance, a paramedic officer and a Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were at the scene.
It said it currently had no patients.
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2021-08-27 12:16:00Z
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Nicola Sturgeon holds breath as Westminster lays out route to Scottish independence - Express
The SNP are demanding another poll on Scottish independence, following their 2014 defeat. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been resisting, urging the party to focus on Scotland’s coronavirus recovery.
However, for the first time, a Government minister has explained how a second referendum could take place.
Speaking to Politico, Scotland Secretary Alister Jack said another vote will take place if “you consistently saw 60 percent of the population wanting a referendum, and that was sustained over a reasonably long period”.
He added: “Then I would acknowledge that there was a desire for a referendum.”
Earlier this month Michael Gove told the Mail on Sunday there would be another referendum “if it is the case that there is clearly a settled will in favour of a referendum, then one will occur”.
However, the Cabinet Office Minister didn’t specify how this “settled will” would be defined.
After laying out the conditions for another referendum, Mr Jack made clear he doesn’t think they’ve been met.
He said: “But that’s not where we are and it’s not how I perceive things to be.
“I think I’m broadly where the public are, which is that now is not the time to be having a referendum.
READ MORE: Sadiq Khan to buy back council homes to get Afghan refugees into London
Nicola Sturgeon has agreed a deal with the pro-independence Green Party to provide this.
Under its terms, the Greens will get two Ministers as the SNP seek to “cement the pro-independence majority at Holyrood”.
Scottish Green members will vote on Saturday on whether to approve the deal.
The Scottish Conservatives have accused Ms Sturgeon of forming a “nationalist coalition of chaos”, in the search for “a divisive indyref2”.
However, the agreement was attacked by ex-SNP leader Alex Salmond, who warned it could set back the independence bid by “many decades”.
The Alba Party leader condemned the agreement as “student politics masquerading as coalition building”.
A recent Redfield and Wilton poll found 42 percent of Scots want another referendum within the next five years, with 40 percent opposed.
If a vote were held 47 percent would support the union, whilst 44 percent would vote for independence.
The balance was made up of respondents who were undecided.
Redfield & Wilton Strategies polled voters in Scotland aged over 16 between August 4 and 5.
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2021-08-27 07:34:48Z
CAIiEPxlZhvHT2w4-0KRqE3iJfYqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow9935CjCe0eYCMLXxzAU
Afghanistan: UK's evacuation has 'matter of hours left' - defence secretary - Sky News
The UK's evacuation mission at Kabul's airport has "a matter of hours" left and no more people will be called forward, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
Mr Wallace told Sky News the effort was into its "final hours" after the closure of the main processing centre in Kabul at the Baron Hotel near the airport.
He said: "We at 4.30 this morning, UK-time, closed the Baron Hotel, shut the processing centre and the gates were closed at Abbey Gate.
"We will process the people that we've brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately in the airfield now and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours.
"The sad fact is not every single one will get out.
"The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving."
The Baron Hotel was closed just hours after an attack, claimed by terror group ISIS-K, outside the airport killed 13 US troops and 78 Afghans.
Mr Wallace said he had authorised the loosening of regulations on numbers "to pack people in" on the final flights out.
He also revealed the UK closed the processing centre at the Baron Hotel "almost on time - we were always going to close it then".
The defence secretary said the night before the attack the British Army had pushed a perimeter away from the Barons Hotel by about 300 metres.
"If they hadn't pushed that perimeter further out we'd be in a worse place," he added.
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Defence sources told Sky News up to half of those crowding into the Baron Hotel yesterday for processing were not cleared under the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for interpreters or the Leave Outside the Immigration Rules (LOTR) scheme, making processing difficult.
The roughly 1,000 UK troops at the airport will start packing up and leaving after the final evacuations have taken place today, the defence secretary said.
He would not confirm whether they would remain in Kabul until the 31 August deadline the US has set.
People who were unable to get processed should make their way to land borders and the UK will make sure its visa processing facilities in neighbouring countries are working hard to get Afghans to the UK, Mr Wallace said.
After the US warned of an imminent terror attack on Wednesday, most countries ended their evacuation efforts on Thursday ahead of the bombing.
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2021-08-27 06:45:00Z
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'Ridiculous' Brexit red tape is damaging UK supply chain, warn fishing bosses -'Big issue' - Express
Frustrated executives of seafood production companies have been hit with major staff shortages due to Brexit red tape. Because of new immigration rules, many factories and companies have been unable to hire from the EU, leaving some of them with up to half of their workforce missing.
Many are not even receiving applications as potential workers will not be allowed into the UK.
One boss blasted the “ridiculous” measures, blocking them from getting on with business whilst another is begging politicians to make an exemption for the fishing industry.
Scot Burgess, factory manager at Whitelink Seafoods in Scotland was asked by Channel 4 News what he thought was responsible for the shortage.
He replied: “Predominantly Brexit. The free movement has now been taken away, so for us, that’s a big issue.
“Even if we were to employ every British national that was available to work in the labour industry, it wouldn’t be enough. They need to allow us to take workers in without all the ridiculous red tape.
Brexit-voting Jimmy Buchan, Chief Executive of Scottish Seafood Association, met with Boris Johnson earlier this month to ask for an exemption from the post-Brexit immigration limits.
He said: “The new rules have made it really really difficult to take in migrant workers.
“This can lead to shortages of what we can expect on supermarket shelves. This is August. We are going towards Christmas.
READ MORE:Brexit vindicated: EU applications for British citizenship surge
arlier this summer, supermarket shelves were left empty of common items such as water after Brexit rules meant a shortage in lorry drivers.
Many supermarket chiefs have also urged the Government to relax the rules too after surveys showed the UK supply chain is suffering the biggest set back since the 70s.
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2021-08-27 03:02:00Z
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Kamis, 26 Agustus 2021
Briton exposes Kabul horror after witnessing 'hundreds blown up' in deadly explosions - Daily Express
Habib Rahman, from Toxteth, Liverpool, went to Afghanistan last week to “save his family” from the militants.
After travelling more than 200 miles to find his wife, children and step-brother, Mr Rahman returned to Hamid Karzai International Airport to fly back to the UK.
The deadline for flights out of Afghanistan is August 31, with thousands of refugees seeking safe passage out of the country.
While queueing at the airport, he was just “a few yards” away from the Abbey Gate, where one of the two blasts on Thursday occurred.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Mr Rahman said he “won’t sleep” due to the blood of “hundreds” he saw die from the explosions.
He told the outlet: “We were just a few yards away from where the incident happened.
“I have seen people run out and passing, each covered in blood.
"I saw hundreds of people blown up in front of me.
“I won't sleep because of the blood I have seen today."
Mr Rahman and his family suffered minor injuries but have said they are “safe”.
READ MORE: Sadiq Khan to buy back council homes to get Afghan refugees
The first explosion happened at about 18:00 local time (13:30 BST), close to the Baron Hotel, near the airport's perimeter.
The hotel was used by British officials to process Afghans hoping to travel to the UK.
It was followed by gunfire and then a second explosion close to the Abbey Gate, one of the airport's main entrances.
A senior Kabul health official told the BBC at least 60 people died in the two explosions, with more than 140 people left injured.
The Pentagon confirmed US service personnel were among those killed, with 11 US Marines and a Navy medic dead in the first American casualties since early 2020.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there had been "no reported UK military or UK government casualties”.
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Reports suggest at least one attacker was wearing an explosive vest, with US officials saying two suicide bombers targeted the airport and hotel.
The blasts followed Western Governments' warning for citizens to keep away from the airport after a threat from IS-K, the Afghanistan branch of the Islamic State group.
In a message posted on their news outlet's Telegram channel, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility and said a suicide bomber - who they identified - detonated an explosive vest among Afghans and US forces.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, of US Central Command, said the US is co-ordinating with the Taliban to fight off IS-K, but added: “The threat from ISIS is completely real, we expect those attacks to continue.”
Boris Johnson has hit out against the “barbaric” and “despicable” attack on Kabul.
The Prime Minister had chaired an emergency meeting in response to Thursday's attacks and said later: “I want to stress that this threat of a terrorist attack is one of the constraints that we've been operating under... in the big extraction that's been going on, and we've been ready for it, we've been prepared for it.
"And I want to stress that we're going to continue with that operation - and we're now coming towards the end of it, to the very end of it, in any event.
"But, clearly, what this attack shows is the importance of continuing that work in as fast and as efficient manner as possible in the hours that remain to us, and that's what we're going to do."
Mr Johnson then said the Foreign Office, Home Office and Border Force teams were "going to work flat out" to get people through "as fast as they can".
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2021-08-26 21:38:15Z
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