Babak Belurs

Rabu, 12 Januari 2022

Prince Andrew: Judge refuses to throw out Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit against royal - Sky News

A judge has rejected Prince Andrew's attempt to have the sexual assault lawsuit against him thrown out.

US judge Lewis Kaplan refused to dismiss the case after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the royal and his accuser Virginia Giuffre.

It means the royal will face a civil sex case trial later this year.

The Duke of York is being sued by Ms Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, who claims he "committed sexual assault and battery" upon her when she was a teenager.

Follow live updates: Civil trial likely this year as judge issues 46-page document rejecting Prince Andrew's arguments

She alleges that she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced financier, to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17.

The duke's lawyers had asked for the civil lawsuit in New York to be dismissed after arguing Ms Giuffre waived her right to sue him when she signed a $500,000 dollar settlement agreement with Epstein.

What has Prince Andrew been accused of?

The 2009 document said Ms Giuffre had agreed to "release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge" Epstein and "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant".

At a court hearing, Andrew Brettler, representing Andrew, said it was "unquestionable" that the royal could have been sued in the 2009 case, and would therefore be considered a "potential defendant".

The duke's lawyer told Judge Kaplan that Ms Giuffre's lawsuit "should absolutely be dismissed", arguing it was "unfair" and "unjust".

But Ms Giuffre's lawyer David Boies said Andrew would not be a "potential defendant" as referred to in the settlement, as the 2009 lawsuit made no allegation that the duke had trafficked individuals for illegal sexual activity.

Who's who in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?

Mr Boies told the hearing: "He was somebody to whom the girls were trafficked, that's a different criteria."

Outlining his reasons for denying the duke's motion to dismiss the civil case against him, Judge Kaplan said the agreement between Esptein and Ms Giuffre "cannot be said" to benefit the royal.

Analysis: Enormous blow for Prince Andrew

Davos, January 2015, and in front of a room of businesspeople at the World Economic Forum, Prince Andrew for the first time had to publicly deny the sex abuse allegations made against him.

And yet since then, for seven years, the claims have continued to haunt him and the rest of the Royal Family, fuelled by the determination of his accuser Virginia Giuffre and the huge international interest in this case.

There is no doubt the decision by the judge to allow this civil case to proceed, ramping up the possibility of a trial later this year, will come as an enormous blow to the Duke of York.

Read full analysis here

In his ruling, the judge said: "The 2009 agreement cannot be said to demonstrate, clearly and unambiguously, the parties intended the instrument 'directly,' 'primarily,' or 'substantially,' to benefit Prince Andrew."

He added: "Ms (Virginia) Giuffre's complaint is neither 'unintelligible' nor 'vague' nor 'ambiguous'.

"It alleges discrete incidents of sexual abuse in particular circumstances at three identifiable locations. It identifies to whom it attributes that sexual abuse."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the development, saying: "We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter."

Could Prince Andrew be stripped of his royal and military titles?

Ms Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.

Andrew, who has not been charged with any criminal offences, vehemently denies the allegations against him.

The civil trial is expected to be held between September and December.

Judge Kaplan had previously rejected a request to halt the civil lawsuit against Andrew over matters of jurisdiction after the duke's lawyers argued Ms Giuffre lived in Australia and not the US, where the case is being heard.

The ruling comes after Ghislaine Maxwell was last month found guilty of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by her ex-boyfriend Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

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2022-01-12 14:29:35Z
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Senin, 10 Januari 2022

School closed in armed police stand-off in Coventry - BBC News

Roads and a primary school are closed while armed officers remain in a stand-off with a man in a Coventry house.

The 41-year-old, who has with him his eight-year-old son, has been refusing to leave the house since the early hours of Sunday, police say.

Initially called to carry out a welfare check, officers are concerned for the pair's safety, adds the West Midlands force.

Police have advised people to avoid the area where possible.

Officers were called to the property on Earlsdon Avenue North at about 00:20 GMT on Sunday.

A stretch of the street between Kensington Road and the Earlsdon roundabout remains closed in addition to the adjoining Newcombe Road. Earlsdon Primary School, which stands within the cordon, was closed to pupils on Monday.

"Several officers, including armed police and other specially trained officers, are at the scene to bring the incident to a safe conclusion," said police.

A resident living within the cordoned-off area said he had watched as the amount of emergency services outside the property increased on Sunday.

"At one point there were more than 10 armed officers, along with four ambulances," he said.

Those numbers had decreased overnight, he explained, but on Monday morning the amount of armed police had "started to gear up again".

Kate, a mother who lives on Newcombe Road, said she had been told by officers not to leave her house "unless we're escorted down and up the street".

"We talk to [officers] as and when we can," she said. "Then we're just keeping an eye on the news to see what's going on."

She described the heavy police presence as "unsettling, especially when you've got two kids in the house".

Earlsdon Primary School was shut "in order to keep everybody safe", said deputy head teacher Rebecca Bollands.

"This is a really tough day and we're hoping that we can reopen to children as soon as we can," she added.

An information and rest centre for residents affected by the closures has been set up in the nearby Earlsdon Community Library.

Temporary accommodation would also be arranged for anyone unable to enter their homes because of the police cordon, said Coventry City Council.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Unfortunately, residents, businesses, a school and travel are severely disrupted by the cordon. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but our priority is the safety of those involved."

Earlsdon Avenue North is closed at the junction of Kensington Road and Highland Road, including the top of Westwood Road, and the junction with Newcombe Road, which is itself shut. Also closed is the junction of Poplar road with Newcombe Road.

Laura Dear

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2022-01-10 13:41:08Z
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COVID-19: Private hospitals to help NHS cope with Omicron strain in new deal - Sky News

NHS hospitals will be able to use spare capacity in the private sector if Omicron cases cause unsustainable pressure on services.

Private facilities and staff will be on standby as part of a new three-month deal that has been agreed for an undisclosed sum.

NHS England said patients who can be referred include some of those waiting for cancer operations.

The health service has also been asked to look at using gyms and education centres to create "super surge" wards.

Nightingale hubs have already been created in some hospital grounds in an attempt to find as many at 4,000 more beds.

"This agreement demonstrates the collaboration across our health care services to create an additional safeguard that ensures people can continue to get the care they need from our world-leading NHS, whenever they need it," said Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

More than 470,000 NHS day cases, around 2.8 million surgical procedures and in excess of 500,000 tests have been carried out in the private sector in the last year, according to NHS England.

But the Health Service Journal said about two-thirds of the private sector capacity purchased by the NHS was unused between June and the end of September 2020.

Live COVID updates as study reveals why some people seem to avoid virus

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said: "The NHS is working beyond full stretch, so it makes sense, when required, to draw on additional capacity from the independent sector.

"However, the supply of staff is finite, and it is important that this deal does not exacerbate existing severe staffing pressures for trusts.

"It should be seen alongside other steps to prepare for the impact of Omicron at a time when the NHS is also dealing with so many other pressures.

"The priority for trusts is to minimise delays and maintain the quality of care for NHS patients.

"This has required increased collaboration and support with partners including the independent sector, exactly as we saw earlier in the pandemic."

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, added: "This deal - on top of the NHS building extra capacity and assistance we have seen from the military - means there is some further support if it is necessary over the coming months.

"These emergency measures will not be a silver bullet, and they should not mask the longer term issues facing the NHS, such as huge staff vacancies."

The agreement runs until 22 March and includes the following providers: Practice Plus Group, Spire Healthcare, Nuffield Health, Circle Health Group, Ramsay Health Care UK, Healthcare Management Trust, One Healthcare, Horder Healthcare, Aspen Healthcare and KIMS Hospital.

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2022-01-10 13:26:13Z
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'Reckless and irresponsible' anti-vaxxer bootcamp plan condemned by Scottish Government - Daily Record

An anti-vaxxer bootcamp led by the sinister Alpha Men group has been branded “reckless and irresponsible” by the Scottish Government.

Hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters are preparing to gather in the Lanarkshire countryside for a training event – with the group saying they will take “direct action” to stop the “forced vaccination” of children.

Members planning to attend the training event at Strathclyde Park on January 29 have been urged to get training in the gym to enable them to “fight the evil.”

Those attending the group’s training events around the UK have also been told to wear a “black uniform, black boots and a black hat.”

Membership of a social media group dedicated to Alpha Men Assemble Scotland has grown quickly from 100 to 400 in the last week.

The group has become highly active in recent months and has attracted support from men opposed to the roll-out of the corona vaccine – even though having one is voluntary and there are no plans to make it mandatory.

And now the Scottish Government has hit out, saying their views need to be “ignored.”

Asked about the Lanarkshire event, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “ Covid-19 vaccinations are entirely voluntary in Scotland, and those for children will only take place with the appropriate consent.

“Getting vaccinated saves lives and helps protect the NHS by making it much less likely that people will need hospital treatment if they do get Covid.

“Deliberately spreading misinformation about the vaccine is irresponsible and reckless, and anyone doing so should be ignored.”

The spokesman added: “Any claims that Covid-19 vaccinations are mandatory for children or adults in Scotland are entirely false.”

Police Scotland is also aware of the event. A force spokesman said: “Officers will give the area passing attention and engage with anyone in attendance.”

The Alpha Men Assemble group on social media site Telegram has seen a torrent of messages urging people to avoid taking any vaccines or using masks in public places.

The Telegram group has been hugely inspired by a leader known only as Matthew, who outlines a mission to stop a government “power grab” on “the bodies of children”.

Bearded “Matthew,” who is expected to travel to Scotland for the event, told followers in one video: “You think we are riff-raff extremists.

“I tell you we are you. We are each and every one of you.

“We are checkout staff. We are warehouse workers. We are builders, we are boxers, we are kickboxers, we are MMA fighters, we are farmers.

“Anybody with a tiny little bit of humanity left understands the violence that will be inflicted on our kids if we allow a government power grab over our bodies, our medical treatments, with stipulations.”

The group said they will take “direct action” to stop the “forced vaccination” of children

He added: “If you think that we are going to condemn our kids to endless vaccines and medical treatments stipulated to a vaccine pass to get entry in different buildings in our country, you are very, very, very much mistaken.”

A group member known as “Samuel” – who coordinates the Scottish group – stated online: “Do not falter, do not listen to the lies of the corrupt so-called elites.”

He also posted a video of “Matthew” training, and said: “Our strong brother Matt and the other alphas are training really hard – getting ready to protect our families and future.” A notice promoting the Lanarkshire event stated: “This group is about action, not chatting or protesting. We need numbers.”

The Alpha Men Assemble UK group has more than 4000 members. Numbers have increased by 1000 in a week. It has hosted several meetings in recent weeks for “training and strategy tactics.”

At one session, on a beach in West Sussex on December 28, about 100 activists took part in boxing drills and other military style exercises.

Minggu, 09 Januari 2022

UK urged to impose windfall tax on offshore oil and gas operators - Financial Times

Pressure is mounting on Rishi Sunak, chancellor, to levy a one-off windfall tax on UK offshore oil and gas operators, just weeks after the boss of BP said high commodity prices had turned his company into “a cash machine”.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some Tory MPs want Sunak to levy a tax on the profits of North Sea operators to alleviate soaring domestic energy bills, arguing the sector can easily withstand the hit.

Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, said a windfall tax would partly fund a Labour plan to cut energy costs for all consumers by about £200 this year, with a further £400 taken off the bills of more than 9m poorer households.

The industry has claimed a one-off windfall tax on UK offshore oil and gas operators would cause “irreparable damage” to the sector and leave consumers even more exposed to global shortages.

But politicians at Westminster are eyeing the operators as a potential source of money to alleviate the cost of living crisis, not least because industry leaders have suggested their companies are awash with cash.

In November, Bernard Looney, BP chief executive, said soaring global commodity prices had made his company a “cash machine”, as it bolstered its share buyback programme, thanks to a sharp rise in quarterly profits.

“When the market is strong, when oil prices are strong and when gas prices are strong, this is literally a cash machine,” he told the Financial Times.

Meanwhile, Serica Energy, the North Sea company responsible for 5 per cent of UK gas production, said in September it was expecting to make “very significant returns” to shareholders, thanks to record high prices.

Despite that, Oil and Gas UK, the offshore industry body, claimed companies would become increasingly reluctant to make long-term investments if they were threatened with windfall taxes whenever prices rose.

Mike Tholen, sustainability director at OGUK, said that calls for a windfall tax were “in no one’s interest” and that the Treasury was already seeing “significantly higher returns” from North Sea energy companies.

“Over the next two years, the Treasury expects an additional £3bn in tax revenue from this industry — with a predicted direct tax take of almost £5bn. The upstream oil and gas industry already pays almost double the rate of corporation tax that other sectors pay,” Tholen said.

He added that, by taxing companies more, the government also risked holding up investment into green energy infrastructure in the UK.

Despite energy companies’ UK tax contribution, North Sea operators still benefit from one of the most favourable tax regimes compared with other oil and gas-producing regions around the world.

Under Labour’s plan, North Sea energy producers would be forced to pay £1.2bn to mitigate household bills through a year-long increase to their corporation tax of 10 percentage points.

Labour would also scrap VAT on fuel bills as part of a drive to contain energy prices; a cap on household bills is in April expected to rise from £1,277 for an average household to almost £2,000, driven by high wholesale gas prices.

Reeves said the whole package would cost £6.6bn; she claimed that aside from the £1.2bn windfall tax, the Treasury would raise £3.1bn from higher-than-expected VAT receipts from higher prices and £2.3bn from higher tax receipts from North Sea energy production.

Sir Ed Davey, Lib Dem leader, who also backs the windfall tax, said: “It can’t be right that a few energy fat cats are raking it in from record gas prices while millions of people can’t even afford to heat their homes.” Chris Skidmore, a former Tory energy minister, has also endorsed the idea.

Sunak will hold a mini-Budget in March but the Treasury has been wary in the past of one-off taxes, which can have the effect of significantly reducing investment and supply in the year they are implemented — putting further upward pressure on prices.

There is a fear in government circles that an offshore windfall levy would also largely hit oil rather than gas producers, forcing up fuel prices. But Sunak has also said he is considering a range of options to help people with their domestic energy bills.

Meanwhile, Labour will set out proposals on Monday to help businesses facing higher power costs, with a “£600m contingency fund to support struggling firms, including energy-intensive industries”.

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2022-01-09 22:30:39Z
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UK urged to impose windfall tax on offshore oil and gas operators - Financial Times

The industry has claimed a one-off windfall tax on UK offshore oil and gas operators would cause “irreparable damage” to the sector and leave consumers even more exposed to global shortages.

“When the market is strong, when oil prices are strong and when gas prices are strong, this is literally a cash machine,” he told the Financial Times.

He added that, by taxing companies more, the government also risked holding up investment into green energy infrastructure in the UK.

Despite energy companies’ UK tax contribution, North Sea operators still benefit from one of the most favourable tax regimes compared with other oil and gas-producing regions around the world.

Under Labour’s plan, North Sea energy producers would be forced to pay £1.2bn to mitigate household bills through a year-long increase to their corporation tax of 10 percentage points.

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2022-01-09 16:17:24Z
1244084390

Covid-19: Cutting self-isolation to five days would be helpful, Nadhim Zahawi says - BBC News

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Cutting the Covid self-isolation period to five days would "certainly help", a cabinet minister has said.

Nadhim Zahawi also denied the government planned to stop supplying free lateral flow tests - after a report in a Sunday paper.

People who test positive for Covid are required to self-isolate for at least seven days, but several sectors are experiencing staffing pressure.

Mr Zahawi told the BBC the country was on the road "from pandemic to endemic".

He said reducing the self-isolation period would help with staff absenteeism in the workplace.

Asked about exams, the education secretary said they would be going ahead but said there was also contingency planning.

On the idea of stopping free lateral flow tests Mr Zahawi, a former vaccines minister, said he did not recognise the Sunday Times report, saying the government had ordered 425 million lateral flow devices in January.

"We are not calling to an end free lateral flow tests," he said.

The US recently shortened the self-isolation window to five days, and the education secretary said it was important to remember that in the UK isolation begins when you get symptoms while in the US it starts from when you test positive.

Mr Zahawi told BBC One's Sunday Morning that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had said that there might be a higher spike if the period was cut from seven to five days.

He said the government would follow the science but would keep the potential measure under review.

Rules on self-isolation for people in England infected with Covid changed last month, dropping from 10 days' quarantine to seven if they test negative on days six and seven.

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said his government was "not contemplating" reducing the isolation time to five days at this stage, having just made the change from 10 to seven days.

"I think it would be sensible to see the impact," he said.

Analysis box by Nick Triggle, health correspondent

With vaccines and new treatments reducing the risk Covid presents, what's considered proportionate changes because of the need to balance the harms caused by the virus and those caused by trying to suppress it.

Take the isolation period, infectiousness is not like a switch. It doesn't just go on to off.

Instead, people gradually move from peak infectiousness to lower infectiousness.

As we become more able to live with the virus because it's causing milder illness, the benefits of long isolation periods wane.

But the costs in terms of missing school or disrupting work remain.

Slowly, but surely, we will see a rowing back of the remaining measures in place.

Plans are understood to have been drawn up within government to start this as early as March, but the rise of Omicron set that back.

There are several steps that could be taken. Shortening the isolation period further and then ending it unless an individual has symptoms is one.

Dismantling PCR testing infrastructure in the community is another. These lab tests are needed to keep an eye on variants, but that can be done by testing hospital patients.

Before Mr Zahawi said there were no plans to end free lateral flow tests opposition politicians had criticised the suggestion free tests might be stopped.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said such a move would be an "utterly wrongheaded" approach to dealing with coronavirus.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said ending free tests would be the wrong policy at the wrong time, adding that the best way to prevent the need for further restrictions was to ensure that people could test regularly and stop passing on the virus.

"That's why we believe those lateral flow tests have got to remain free whilst we have huge numbers of cases on a daily basis," she said.

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Mr Zahawi also accepted more school staff will end up off work isolating for coronavirus as case rates rise when pupils return.

He said staff absenteeism was at about 8.5% last week but "will increase, no doubt, because now schools are back we're going to see an increase in infection rates".

Contingency plans are being made for rising numbers of staff being off, the education secretary said, adding that some schools had remained open despite up to 40% of staff being absent.

He said that "exams in January are going ahead" and "in the summer we will be going ahead with GCSEs and A-levels".

But he added that there was "always contingency planning".

There have been issues with staff absences in transport, health and schools as Covid cases rose over the festive period and in England Covid-related staff absences at hospitals have risen sharply since Omicron took hold last month.

And the boss of one of London's busiest hospitals has said he is worried about losing staff when mandatory vaccination rules come in from April.

It comes as the UK recorded 141,472 new cases, as well as 97 deaths within 28 days of a positive test - although the number of deaths recorded over weekends tends to be lower because of reporting delays.

The total number of cases over the past seven days is up 6.6% on the previous week, while the figure for deaths is up 30.9%.

Graphic showing how home testing can reduce the self-isolation period for someone who tests positive for coronavirus to seven days.

Are you a business owner? What are your thoughts on the proposed reduction to the isolation period? Are you struggling with staff shortages due to Covid? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: