Babak Belurs

Jumat, 29 Oktober 2021

Stoke Mandeville: Roman sculptures HS2 find astounding, expert says - BBC News

Archaeologists have uncovered an "astounding" set of Roman sculptures on the HS2 rail link route.

Two complete sculptures of what appear to be a man and a woman, plus the head of a child, were found at an abandoned medieval church in Buckinghamshire.

The discoveries at the old St Mary's Church in Stoke Mandeville have been sent for specialist analysis.

Dr Rachel Wood, lead archaeologist for HS2 contractor Fusion JV, said they were "really rare finds in the UK".

"To find one stone head or one set of shoulders would be really astonishing, but we have two complete heads and shoulders as well as a third head as well," said Dr Wood.

"They're even more significant to us archaeologically, because they've actually helped change our understanding of the site here before the medieval church was built."

A hexagonal glass Roman jug was also uncovered with large pieces still intact, despite being in the ground for what is thought to be more than 1,000 years.

A vessel on display in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is the only known comparable item.

Dr Wood added: "They are so significant and so remarkable that we would certainly hope that they will end up on display for the local community to see."

Archaeologists have been working on the site and about 3,000 bodies have been removed from the church, which dates back to 1080, and will be reburied elsewhere.

Since work began in 2018, the well-preserved walls and structural features of the church have been revealed, along with unusual stone carvings and medieval graffiti including markings believed to be sun dials or witching marks.

It is believed that the location was used as a Roman mausoleum before the Norman church was built.

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Kamis, 28 Oktober 2021

Covid: All countries to be removed from England's travel red list - BBC News

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The remaining seven countries on England's Covid travel red list will be removed from next Monday.

Fully-vaccinated arrivals from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Haiti and Venezuela will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel.

But the red list system will be kept in place and a country could be added back on it if cases rise there.

The transport secretary said it was a "great boost for travel and all those people employed in the travel sector".

Grant Shapps added: "We have been able to do this now because the variants of concern that we have been tracking are no longer of concern to the chief medical officers."

The Department for Transport (DfT) said "Delta is now the dominant variant in most countries around the world. This means the risk of known variants entering the UK has reduced and the government can confidently remove these seven destinations from the red list."

More countries are also being added to the list of nations and territories whose Covid vaccinations are recognised by the UK, taking it to more than 135 locations in total.

Scotland and Wales have confirmed the changes - which come into effect at 04:00 BST on Monday - will also apply to passengers arriving in those nations.

No announcement has been made by Northern Ireland, but in recent months it has followed the DfT's changes.

The DfT said the red list would be reviewed every three weeks, with data - including the emergence of new variants - monitored in case countries needed to be added back on.

Mr Shapps said the red list system itself would be reviewed again in the new year but it was "prudent" for the government to keep several hundred hotel rooms available on "standby".

"We don't want to re-set up a system from scratch if a particular concern was seen in a particular country and we wanted to be able to have quarantine as a mandatory facility," he said.

Scotland's Transport Minister Graeme Dey said the move would help the tourism sector "take another step back towards normal operations".

But he said: "The pandemic is not over. The situation will be closely monitored and regularly reviewed and if the situation demands it we will not hesitate to re-impose restrictions."

Wales said the changes were "not without risk" and it remained "concerned" by the speed international travel was opening up.

Analysis box by Caroline Davies, transport correspondent

Over the next two weeks, quarantine hotels will empty.

For many with family and friends in the seven remaining countries on the red list, it will be a relief.

But for the travel industry, it's mostly a symbolic move. The announcement won't make a huge difference to the number of flights coming into the UK - the red list had already shrunk dramatically earlier this month.

Instead, the industry sees it as further reassurance that travel is opening up, not closing down. For the first time this year, no matter where you travel from in the world, if you are recognised as fully vaccinated you won't need to quarantine.

However, the government haven't ruled out quarantine hotels altogether in the future if the global situation changes.

Pandemic travel rules in the UK were simplified earlier this month, when the amber list was dropped completely, and advice against holidays changed for many countries.

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in England from countries including all EU nations, the US, Australia, India, Pakistan, the UAE and Hong Kong need only have a lateral flow test on arrival. Arrivals in Scotland and Wales currently must have the more expensive PCR test although this will change on Sunday.

People over the age of 18 who are not fully vaccinated or are arriving from a country not on the approved vaccination list have to self-isolate at home for 10 days after arrival in the UK - and pay for a PCR or lateral flow test in the three days before they travel to the UK, and two tests after their return.

Customer confidence

Red list countries are those the government said should not be visited "except in the most extreme of circumstances". The list was introduced as part of measures to reduce the potential risk from travellers infected with coronavirus.

Travellers arriving from a red list destination have been required to self-isolate in a government-designated hotel for 11 nights at a cost of £2,285.

More than 200,000 people have stayed in quarantine in hotels since February.

The now-abandoned amber list applied to countries where infections were not seen to be as serious. It initially required passengers to quarantine at home after their arrival, but this restriction was later dropped for the fully-vaccinated when lockdown restrictions ended in July.

Tim Alderslade, from industry body Airlines UK, said the announcement "should provide further reassurance to passengers as we get closer to the key Christmas and January booking window".

He added: "We now need to go further by removing testing altogether for the fully vaccinated and committing to reviewing all restrictions by the end of the year."

Gary Lewis, from the Travel Network Group representing independent travel businesses, said the industry "will be breathing a sigh of relief... We hope that this move helps to build customer confidence and reassure people that they can book trips and travel".

But Clive Wratten, head of the Business Travel Association, said "the lurking threat of further introductions to this list and the continued existence of quarantine hotels means that it does not give travellers the confidence that they need".

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said there was "no justification" for the red list to remain, adding: "The best approach is to check for an individual's vaccine status and ensure they are up to date if they want to travel without restrictions."

Consumer group Which? has advised travellers to be aware the changes only reflect requirements for arriving back in the UK and they still could face restrictions on entry to some destinations, especially if they were not fully-vaccinated.

UK Covid cases have been rising since the end of September, although there are now signs of a small fall. The UK recorded another 39,842 cases on Thursday, and there were 165 deaths of people with 28 days of a positive test.

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2021-10-28 17:51:26Z
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Brexit: UK government summons French ambassador as fishing row escalates - Sky News

The UK has summoned the French ambassador after a British scallop trawler was detained - as a row over fishing rights continues to escalate.

A government spokesman condemned "unjustified" threats from France over further action amid the ongoing dispute.

Brexit minister Lord Frost chaired a meeting on Thursday to consider London's response.

"The proposed French actions are unjustified and do not appear to be compatible on the EU's part with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) or wider international law," a UK government spokesperson said.

"We regret the confrontational language that has been consistently used by the French government on this issue, which makes this situation no easier to resolve.

"We have raised our concerns strongly with both the French and the EU Commission. As a next step, the foreign secretary has instructed minister Morton to summon the French ambassador.

"We repeat that the government has granted 98% of licence applications from EU vessels to fish in the UK's waters and, as has consistently been made clear, will consider any further evidence on the remainder."

Lord Frost said: "I remain concerned by French plans on fisheries and beyond. We expect to have more to say on this issue tomorrow."

French maritime minister Annick Girardin said earlier that it is "not war, it's a fight", after Paris warning it could ban British fishing boats from disembarking at French ports from next week if tensions are not resolved.

Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, said on CNews TV: "So now, we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands."

Andrew Brown, director of Macduff Shellfish which owns the detained vessel, told Sky News the boat was being used as a "pawn in an ongoing dispute" between the two countries.

It was ordered to divert to the Port of Le Harve after the authorities said it was fishing in French waters without a licence.

Another British trawler was fined for obstruction after refusing to let police on board to carry out checks.

France says its fishermen have not been issued with half the licences they are entitled to allowing them to fish in British waters under the terms of the Brexit agreement.

Paris protested against the decision last month by the UK and the Channel Island of Jersey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats licences to operate in their territorial waters.

France considers these restrictions contrary to the post-Brexit agreement the UK signed when it left the EU.

It has released a list of sanctions that could apply from 2 November if the row is not resolved:

• Banning British fishing vessels in some French ports
• Reinforcement of customs and hygiene controls
• Routine security checks on British vessels
• Reinforcement of controls on lorries to and from the UK

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2021-10-28 17:59:05Z
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