Channel deaths: Kurdish woman who died during Channel crossing told fiance she was making journey just before boarding boat - Sky News

A young Kurdish woman who drowned on Wednesday in the English Channel didn't tell her fiance she was about to board a boat to make the crossing, until the last minute.

The 24-year-old - also known as Mariam - died along with 26 others, when their flimsy raft ran into difficulties mid-crossing.

Image: Baran Nouri Mohammedameen didn't tell her fiance she was about to board a boat to make the crossing until the last minute

The incident has caused renewed political disagreement on both sides of the Channel.

Speaking at the family's home in Soran, northern Iraq, Baran's cousin and childhood friend told Sky News how much the two adored one another and that she wanted to join him in Europe.

"They loved each other so much, they were love birds," Iman Hassan told us.

"I've never seen anyone like them. I would tell my husband, look at him, buy roses like him! They loved each other and were so respectful to each other.

Image: Iman Hassan spoke about her cousin and childhood friend's love for her fiance

"She even didn't tell him that she was going this way [by sea], he was trying to find a better way. So what she did, before she got on the ship was take a photo and say 'I'm coming to you'. They loved each other so, so much."

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Sky News spent the day with family, relatives and friends mourning at the house in Kurdistan.

We were shown the last GPS location for the boat, midway between Calais and the Kent coast. That was the moment that her fiance, who was tracking her journey over, realised something might have happened.

With tears in his eyes, Baran's younger brother Mohammed said he will remember the last time they hugged.

He said: "My last memory with her which will stay in my head forever is that we were at Erbil International Airport. It was the last time I said goodbye to her and I hugged her.

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"Baran was a loved one in the family and in general. Anyone that has ever seen her or met her once can't forget her for sure, they couldn't. And to me, she was a sister and a friend. I am deeply saddened that she left with such a tragic accident."

Despite their loss, the family showed no sign of anger or blame. Baran's father said that God took her and explained why she wanted to go to the UK.

Image: Baran's younger brother Mohammed recalled the last time they hugged

He said: "They chose Britain because it's a good place, it's secure... people move or migrate there for their own good, but it was God's fate that it doesn't work out.

"I ask these countries, especially the UK and the European countries, to help Kurdish migrants, and migrants from other countries and respect them."

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2021-11-27 21:51:25Z
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Missing girl from Boston found - The Lincolnite

The first two UK cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been identified, one of which was in Nottingham, near the Lincolnshire border.

• Two cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 identified in the U.K.
• Individuals and their households are self-isolating and contact tracing is ongoing
• From 04:00 Sunday, November 28, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Angola will be added to the UK’s travel red list

After overnight genome sequencing, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that two cases of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 have been identified in the UK. 

The individuals that have tested positive, and all members of their households, are being re-tested and told to self-isolate while further testing and contact tracing is underway.

One case has been located in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham.

The two cases are linked and there is a link to travel to Southern Africa. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to have been infectious. 

In addition, in line with updated advice from the UKHSA, from 4am Sunday Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola will be added to the travel red list. Travellers who have returned from these four countries in last 10 days must isolate and get a PCR test. UKHSA are following up recent arrivals from these countries.

This adds to the six countries placed on the red list on Friday. 

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid said: 

“Thanks to our world class genomic sequencing we have been made aware of two UK cases of the Omicron variant. We have moved rapidly and the individuals are self-isolating while contact tracing is ongoing. 

“We will do all we can to protect the UK public against this emerging threat and that is why we are surging testing capacity to the impacted communities and introducing travel restrictions on a further four countries: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola. We will not hesitate to take further action if required. 

“This is a stark reminder that we are not yet out of this pandemic. Getting the vaccine has never been more important – please come forward for your first jab if you haven’t already and if eligible, book your booster as soon as possible.”

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said:

“We will continue to work closely with the international community to quickly gather and analyse information on this variant to understand any possible increase in transmissibility or resistance to vaccines.

“It is important that everyone takes sensible precautions – get a PCR test if you have symptoms, isolate when asked, wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, ventilate rooms, get your vaccine and boosters as soon as you can.”

Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said:

“We have identified these cases thanks to the UK’s advanced sequencing capabilities which means we are able to find variants and take rapid action to limit onward spread. We are particularly grateful to public health colleagues in South Africa for early sharing of information on the Omicron variant to support global health security.

“We are continuing our efforts to understand the effect of this variant on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response and vaccine efficacy.

“If you have any COVID-19 symptoms you must isolate and get a PCR test immediately 

“It remains vital to come forward for vaccination, wear a face covering in crowded places and try to meet people in well-ventilated areas.”

From 04:00 on Sunday, November 28, non-UK and Irish residents who have been in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England. This does not apply to those who have stayed airside and only transited through any of these countries while changing flights.

UK and Irish residents arriving from 04:00 Sunday, November 28, must isolate in a government-approved facility for 10 days. During their stay, they will be required to take a coronavirus PCR test on day 2 and day 8.

About B.1.1.529 Omicron

The UKHSA designated variant B.1.1.529 as a variant under investigation (VuI) on Thursday 25 November. In response, the government announced that six African countries – South Africa, Botswana, Lesostho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia – would be added to the red list.

The B.1.1.529 variant includes a large number of spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome. These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility.

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2021-11-27 16:17:26Z
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Storm Arwen: Third person dies as gale-force winds hit UK - BBC News

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A third person has died after Storm Arwen lashed parts of the UK with high winds, rain and snow.

On Friday aA head teacher died after a tree fell onto his car in Antrim and another man also died after he was hit by a falling tree in Cumbria.

A third person died in Aberdeenshire, BBC Scotland understands, but no further details have been released yet.

Gusts reached speeds of 98mph in Northumberland, and about 120 lorries became stuck in snow on the M62.

There are further warnings for wind, snow and ice across the UK on Saturday.

In Scotland, more than 100,000 people lost power.

A rare red warning for wind had been issued by the Met Office on Friday across the east coast of Scotland and north-east England, with the highest speeds of 98mph recorded at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

Gusts overnight affected "a wide swathe of the United Kingdom", the Met Office said, with buildings damaged and trees blown down.

• Trains halted, power off as 81mph winds hit Wales
• Thousands of homes without power after Storm Arwen
• Thousands lose power in England as travel hit by Storm Arwen
• Man dies as high winds strike NI

Gusts of 87mph were recorded at Orlock Head, County Down, while Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland saw speeds of 78mph, and Aberporth in Wales had gusts of up to 77mph.

The man who died when a falling tree hit his car in Northern Ireland was named as the principal of St Mary's Primary School in Maghera, Francis Lagan.

St Mary's PS

Police in Cumbria said a man from Lancaster was killed after a tree fell on him in Ambleside on Friday evening.

In Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, high winds tore the roof off an animal shelter, leading to the death of one newborn puppy.

LNER advised customers not to travel north of York on Saturday or Sunday, saying they were unable to transport passengers between Newcastle and Edinburgh due to significant damage to the rail network.

ScotRail also withdrew services between Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness on Friday and there was disruption on other lines.

17-hour ordeal for stranded passengers

Passengers in Aberdeenshire were stuck on a train for 17 hours as Storm Arwen swept across Scotland.

Mark Swinglehurst, 62, told the BBC the train had reached Huntly at about 17:00 GMT on Friday before coming to a halt.

Asked about the experience, he said: "I don't think it will get rave reviews on any sort of travel site."

He said it had been cold but comfortable and although there was a lack of refreshments initially, staff managed to secure bacon rolls and pies for the stranded passengers during their ordeal.

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Meanwhile, dozens of people - including an Oasis tribute band - were trapped by heavy snow at Britain's highest pub.

About 3ft of snow fell at the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales, which is 1,732ft (528m) above sea level, meaning 60 people were unable to leave.

Beds in the pub's lounge area were set up for the 20 guests who had not planned an overnight stay, but the pub said it had plenty of supplies to keep people warm and fed.

Sleet has fallen across parts of Scotland and northern England with some heavy snow on higher ground.

Part of the M62 near Rochdale between junctions 21 and 22 was closed, with 120 lorries stuck in the snow after one of them jack-knifed.

More than 100,000 homes in Scotland lost power in the storm, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks saying electricity had been restored to 40,000 by 09:30 on Saturday.

Northern Powergrid reported outages for 55,000 customers in north-east England, mainly in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear, while 88,000 customers in the Midlands, Cheshire, Merseyside, Wales and south-west England were still without power at midday on Saturday.

There were also outages in Northern Ireland.

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In Wales, reality TV show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here was forced to abandon its live show and broadcast pre-recorded footage as a precautionary measure due to Storm Arwen.

ITV said hosts Ant and Dec recorded their links before transmission while the celebrities remained secure inside the Welsh castle.

In County Durham, the roof of the clubhouse came off at Chester-le-Street Town FC, landing on the pitch of the Northern League division two team.

The red warning for high wind was issued for the east coast from Middlesbrough to Aberdeen until 02:00 on Saturday, and prompted police in Scotland to warn people not to travel "under any circumstances".

Temperatures were set to fall with the storm and a yellow warning for ice, lasting until 11:00 on Sunday, has been issued large stretches of northern and eastern Scotland, along with much of northern England.

Yellow Met Office warnings for high winds remain in place until 18:00 on Saturday, covering most of England and Wales, as well as the east coast of Northern Ireland.

• Storm Arwen forces I'm a Celeb to abandon live show
• Gales cause Isle of Man travel disruption

BBC Weather's Ben Rich said parts of eastern England could see sleet on Saturday afternoon, with some potential for snow on higher ground.

Strong winds will remain across the UK on Saturday but gusts are not expected to rise above 50mph.

In the early hours of Sunday, parts of north-west Scotland might receive more snow, while temperatures in Scotland and northern England could fall as low as -6C.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather alert, which is in place from 18:00 on Friday until 15:00 on Monday.

The government body is advising people to check on older neighbours and relatives, especially those who live alone or have a serious illness.

Reuters

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In other developments:

• A rowing boat crew was rescued after capsizing off the coast of Wales
• A rugby union game on Friday night between Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors was postponed until Saturday evening due to safety concerns
• Fallen trees caused disruption in Scotland with the A96 blocked between Elgin and Forres
• A railway line between Keith and Elgin in the north of Scotland was blocked by a landslip
• Ferries were cancelled between Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as the Isle of Man and Lancashire.

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Are you in the area affected by Storm Arwen? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

• TRAPPED AS THE WATERS ROSE: What happened when Hurricane Ida hit New York City
• 'BEING A SURGEON SHOWS YOU LIFE IS PRECIOUS': The doctors pushing science - and the human body - to its limits

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2021-11-27 15:53:31Z
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Chris Whitty: Public would need to back more Covid curbs - BBC News

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England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty has said his "greatest worry" is whether people will accept fresh curbs on activities to tackle Covid variants.

His comments came after the government announced quarantines on travellers from some African countries following the emergence of a new strain.

Prof Whitty said he questioned whether "we could take people with us" if restrictions had to be imposed.

But he added that "my overall view is, I think we will".

England has been through three national lockdowns since Covid first struck. There have also been many local restrictions imposed at various points during the past 20 months.

• We must act quickly over Covid variant - minister
• How worrying is the new Covid variant?

Prof Whitty told a panel discussion hosted by the Local Government Association: "My greatest worry at the moment is that people... if we need to do something more muscular at some point, whether it's for the current new variant or at some later stage, can we still take people with us?"

He admitted that some of the changes the public has had to make have been "very destructive" to society and the economy. However, despite his worries, Prof Whitty struck a positive note, saying he believed the government will be able to maintain public support for coronavirus measures.

"I think the extraordinary thing has been the ability of the UK population, with very, very small exceptions, to just accept that there are things we collectively have to do to protect one another and do collectively, including things that have been very destructive to social and economic situations for individuals and families," he said.

"Obviously, we want to avoid having to do those at all if we can, and to do the minimum ones necessary, but will we be able to maintain public support?

"And I think my overall view is, I think we will."

There have been a further 50,091 Covid cases in the UK and another 160 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the latest government figures show.

Both deaths and the number of people admitted to hospital continue to trend lower despite the rise in cases. It is likely we're seeing the impact of the booster campaign protecting the most vulnerable people and keeping them out of hospital.

On Friday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons it was "highly likely" the B.1.1.529 variant - which has been named Omicron by the World Health Organization - had already spread from South Africa and Botswana. No cases have yet been detected in the UK.

Travellers from these countries, as well as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini, will have to self-isolate for 10 days, with those arriving in England after 04:00 GMT on Sunday having to quarantine in a hotel.

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "The government are right to be cautious and they've moved very swiftly to bring these travel restrictions in, and that's the right thing to do, especially as there's so much uncertainty about this new variant."

He added: "I hope very much that we can avoid further restrictions here, not least because of the breadth of the vaccination programme."

But there are fears the new variant might be more transmissible, that vaccines might be less effective against it and that it might affect one of the UK's major treatments, Ronapreve.

Belgium has become the first European country to confirm a case of the new variant. The European Union is already struggling to cope with fresh waves of coronavirus, and several countries have re-imposed lockdowns and restrictions.

Since Thursday a number of countries have placed restrictions on travel from southern Africa amid concerns about the variant.

The EU has agreed to ban flights from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, following a call to do so from the European Commission on Friday.

The US has also banned visitors from those countries, and from Malawi.

• TRAPPED AS THE WATERS ROSE: What happened when Hurricane Ida hit New York City
• 'BEING A SURGEON SHOWS YOU LIFE IS PRECIOUS': The doctors pushing science - and the human body - to its limits

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2021-11-27 08:23:05Z
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Franco-British ties take new turn for worse over Channel migrant crisis - Financial Times

Franco-British relations sank to a new post-Brexit low on Friday when Emmanuel Macron criticised Boris Johnson over what he called his failure to act “seriously” to find a solution to the cross-Channel migrant crisis.

Only two days after both governments were shaken by the deaths of 27 people seeking to reach England from France in a small boat, Paris cut London out of an urgent meeting of European ministers in Calais on Sunday because of the UK prime minister’s cavalier approach to the problem.

Johnson had written and publicised a letter to France’s president late on Thursday in which he called for French and British maritime patrols in each other’s territorial waters and for the thousands of migrants who reach English shores to be returned to France.

“If those who reach this country were swiftly returned, the incentive for people to put their lives in the hands of traffickers would be significantly reduced,” Johnson wrote.

Macron and his ministers objected both to the content of the letter, which revived proposals already rejected by France and laid the blame for the crisis at France’s door, and to the way it was immediately made public to the British media.

The UK’s right-leaning Daily Express tabloid carried a splash headline on its front page on Friday that read: “UK troops to patrol French beaches”.

Macron said on Friday: “You don’t communicate from one leader to another on these matters through a tweet and a letter which you make public. We’re not whistleblowers.”

He added: “Our ministers are going to work seriously to deal with this serious matter with serious people.”

Macron’s anger is the latest sign that his relations with Johnson are again deteriorating despite indications in the days before the tragedy that the two governments were improving their co-operation in attempting to stop people leaving the French coast.

Since British voters opted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, France and the UK have been embroiled in increasingly rancorous disputes over everything from trade and the status of Northern Ireland to fishing rights and Covid vaccines.

On Friday, French fishermen protested against the UK’s refusal to grant all the licences sought by the French for UK and Channel Islands waters under the Brexit agreement, blocking the approach road to the Channel Tunnel with vans and cars and using boats to obstruct cross-Channel ferries for a few hours.

Dozens of fishermen at Ouistreham, near Caen, held a banner saying in English: “We want our licences back”.

Macron confirmed that France had withdrawn an invitation to Priti Patel, UK home secretary, to join European ministers for the meeting on migrants in Calais. “Then we’ll see with Britain how we can act efficiently if they decide to be serious,” he said.

However, Downing Street on Friday said it hoped that the French side would reconsider.

French officials have complained that the British government is blaming Macron for problems associated with Brexit and the border issue for domestic political reasons. UK officials in turn say Macron is being difficult because he will be campaigning for re-election in April and is being criticised by his French nationalist opponents.

After the tragedy on Wednesday, the Elysée Palace said Macron had told Johnson that the UK and France shared responsibility and that “he expected the British to co-operate fully and to abstain from exploiting a tragedy for political ends”. 

Johnson’s suggestion that the two countries sign a bilateral agreement to return asylum seekers arriving in the UK to France hit on a highly sensitive topic for the French side.

France has persistently rejected UK efforts to negotiate such an agreement, insisting that the process needed to be managed via a deal between the UK and the EU. Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, in September described as “blackmail” a series of proposals by Patel with some similarities to those set out in Thursday’s letter.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator and a French presidential candidate, on Friday condemned Johnson’s approach as “unacceptable” and “yet another provocation”, saying that the UK prime minister was being “confrontational” on all topics with the EU.

A deal is needed to address the issues created by the UK’s withdrawal last December from the Dublin Conventions, an agreement among European states that allows the return of asylum seekers to safe countries through which they have passed on the way to claiming asylum elsewhere. The conventions also provide for reunions of families stranded in separate countries.

Downing Street on Friday insisted that Johnson had no regrets either over sending the letter or posting it on Twitter. The prime minister’s official spokesman said both Johnson and Macron had a “shared recognition” of the situation’s urgency.

“You’ll see from the tone of the letter this is about deepening our existing co-operation and building on work that has already been done between our two countries which the PM in the letter paid tribute to,” the spokesman said.

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2021-11-26 18:32:16Z
1188494681

France cancels meeting with UK about migrant crossings over Boris Johnson's letter - Sky News

France has cancelled a meeting with the UK to discuss Channel crossings after Boris Johnson asked the French to take back migrants arriving in Britain.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin told Home Secretary Priti Patel "she was no longer welcome" at Sunday's European meeting on migrant issues after 27 people died making the crossing on Wednesday, a French government spokesman said.

Spokesman Gabriel Attal said it was because of Mr Johnson's letter to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Macron, asked about the letter, said: "I am surprised when things are not done seriously, we are not whistleblowers."

Image: This is what remains of the boat that capsized in the Channel and resulted in the deaths of 27 people

Earlier, Mr Attal told BFMTV: "That letter was formally poor and its content inappropriate."

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Mr Darmanin said the letter is a "disappointment" and the fact it was made public was "worse", French media reported.

An Interior Ministry statement, reported in French media, said the letter was "unacceptable and contrary to our discussions between counterparts".

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The meeting will now go ahead with just France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the European Commission.

Mr Johnson's spokesman said the PM "does not regret tweeting the letter" as transparency is necessary and said it shows a desire to "deepen the relationship" with France.

"This is about deepening our existing co-operation and the work that is already being done between our two countries," the spokesman said.

"We want to work closely with international partners, obviously including France, on what is a shared issue so that we can find shared solutions."

He added that Home Office officials remain in Paris and they want to work closely with the French government.

Conservative MP Tim Loughton told Sky News the French need to "get real" and realise there are consequences to "turning a blind eye" to Channel crossings.

He added that the PM has "come up with practical solutions" and it is "extraordinary" Paris has cancelled the meeting.

Mr Darmanin and Ms Patel spoke on Thursday, with the Home Secretary's office saying they emphasised the need for "deeper co-operation" and agreed to remain in touch.

Governments on both sides of the Channel have been blaming each other this week after 27 migrants drowned on Wednesday evening off the coast of France as they tried to get to the UK on a small dinghy.

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1:27

What are the most common migration routes?

In the letter to Mr Macron, which he tweeted out, the PM set out five steps he thinks both sides should take "as soon as possible".

The PM's five-point plan entails:

• Joint patrols to prevent migrant boats from leaving French beaches
• Using more advanced technology such as sensors and radar
• Carry out reciprocal maritime patrols in each nation's territorial waters and utilise airborne surveillance
• "Deepening the work" of the Joint Intelligence Cell and ensuring there is better intelligence sharing to drive more arrests and prosecutions
• Committing to "immediate work" to strike a bilateral returns agreement between Paris and London, as well as discussions on a UK-EU agreement.

Image: Migrants, including young children, arriving in the UK the day after 27 died

"If those who reach this country were swiftly returned the incentive for people to put their lives in the hands of traffickers would be significantly reduced," Mr Johnson said.

"This would be the single biggest step we could take together to reduce the draw to Northern France and break the business model of criminal gangs.

"I am confident that by taking these steps and building on our existing cooperation we can address illegal migration and prevent more families from experiencing the devastating loss we saw yesterday."

Suggestions the number of migrants crossing the Channel has reached record levels this year due to Brexit were dismissed by transport secretary Grant Shapps.

He told Sky News: "I think it's a bit of a red herring to mix it up with Brexit, it's not even an argument I've heard before.

"There were plenty of people crossing before but in different ways, they tended to do it by lorry but what's different here is the number of people doing it by sea.

"I think the Europe argument is confusing here because it's not related to that. It's heartbreaking to see and I think it's incumbent on the UK and France to do everything they can do to resolve this and get on top of this human tragedy."

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2021-11-26 13:20:02Z
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South African travel ban is about buying time before Nu variant spreads globally, says Grant Shapps - The Times

It is unlikely that the Nu coronavirus variant has arrived in Britain, Grant Shapps has said, as he warned the spread of the mutation around the world was “inevitable”.

The transport secretary said that the government’s decision to ban travel from South Africa and five other southern African countries from noon today was about “buying time”.

A senior health official warned that the variant spreading in South Africa was the most “complex” and “worrying” seen yet. Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, said that the Nu variant had twice as many mutations as the Delta variant. “The first look at it shows it has a variety of different mutations, it’s got 30 different mutations that seem relevant, that’s

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2021-11-26 09:50:00Z
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