Babak Belurs

Minggu, 26 Juni 2022

Birmingham: Man suffers 'life-threatening' injuries after house destroyed in explosion - Sky News

One house has been destroyed and several others have been significantly damaged after an explosion in Birmingham.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said a man is in a "life-threatening" condition following the blast in Dulwich Road, in the Kingstanding area of the city.

He said: "A man was helped from the property by people at the scene but had suffered very serious injuries.

"After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was taken on blue lights to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with the MERIT team travelling with the ambulance.

"His condition on arrival at hospital was described as life-threatening."

Four further men were assessed by ambulance crews for minor conditions, but have since been discharged at the scene.

One property has been completely destroyed with three others badly damaged, the spokesman said.

A number of nearby vehicles were also damaged in the blast.

A total of six fire crews are also at the site, along with responders from Cadent Gas and the National Grid.

Evacuations are taking place and residents have been told to follow first responders "immediately".

Police thanked those who had "helped shocked and injured neighbours".

The cause of the explosion is not yet known.

Video footage showed huge flames, damaged properties and a large pile of debris from a mid-terraced house.

Police were called to the street at about 8.40pm on Sunday.

"Dulwich Road and surrounding roads are closed and will be for a very long time," the force said in a statement.

"Please help us by avoiding the area."

Rick Payne, a city councillor for the ward, heard a "massive explosion" while watching television shortly after 8.30pm, and walked across to Dulwich Road to see what had happened.

He said: "I recognised that as probably most likely to be a gas explosion.

"The house itself, where the explosion occurred, has physically been destroyed."

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2022-06-26 22:18:45Z
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Boris Johnson 'right person' to lead Tories into next general election, says cabinet minister Brandon Lewis - Sky News

Boris Johnson is capable of winning the next general election, a cabinet colleague has insisted, as he claimed the ability to look forward is "a good thing" after the prime minister said he was eyeing a third term.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis threw his support behind the Tory leader, amid fresh criticism and plots to oust him after the Conservatives suffered two by-election defeats.

It comes as Mr Johnson said he was confident of winning the next election and was "thinking actively" about a third term, despite recent political turmoil.

A Downing Street source has suggested he may have been joking.

The last few days alone saw the resignation of cabinet minister Oliver Dowden, after the Tories lost their former stronghold of Tiverton and Honiton to the Liberal Democrats and the red wall seat of Wakefield to Labour.

The electoral beatings have reignited questions within the Conservative Party over Mr Johnson's leadership, following a recent Tory revolt by MPs.

Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Mr Lewis acknowledged the party had suffered "a bad set of results".

He said: "That does happen sometimes mid-term. There's no denying it was a set of results we've got to look carefully at and learn from.

"What we've got to do, as has happened before, where we've seen by-election results go one way and then a following general election go a very different way, you can't extrapolate… a by-election result into a general election result.

"It's been proven time and again to not work that way."

Rallying to the support of Mr Johnson, he said: "One of the things we have seen in the last couple of the days is his zest and enthusiasm to deliver for the country.

"I think Boris Johnson is the right person to take us into the next general election. I think he will do that successfully."

He added: "He's proven that time and again, where people have written him off, both before London elections and before in the 2019 election, and then we've been able to come back and win, and win successfully. And I think he's got the ability to do that."

Mr Lewis argued the PM looking to the long term was an asset.

He said: "What I see is somebody whose got that drive and enthusiasm for what we want to achieve for our country.

"Having that ability to look forward is a good thing.

"This is somebody I think who is capable of winning a general election, delivering for our country."

He added: "What I want is a prime minister who is not thinking about the next few months, but he is thinking about that long term change we need in our country.

"I'm very clear. I want our country to have a Conservative-led government for a very, very long time.

"I want a prime minister who's looking at the long term, and doing so with enthusiasm and focus.

"That's what we've got in Boris Johnson and that's why I support him, and will continue to."

Meanwhile, speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, when asked if he was delusional by talking about being prime minister into the 2030s, Mr Johnson said: "What I'm saying is this is a government that is getting on with delivering for the people of this country and we've got a huge amount to do."

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Labour frontbencher David Lammy told Phillips the by-election defeats had been a "very, very sorry night" for the Tory government.

He said: Labour is on its way back and it's on its way back for two reasons.

"One because we are now the party of change in this country.

"And two because we are winning Tory votes - people who voted Tory now voting Labour.

"That's what we need to do to form the next government. And that is what is happening."

He also played down the possibility of a deal with the Liberal Democrats going into the next general election.

Mr Lammy said: "I don't think the voters of Britain want politicians to stitch up deals in the corridors of power.

"People expect to make their own judgment and decide who they want to vote for."

But Liberal Democrats' deputy leader Daisy Cooper did not rule out a future pact describing it as a "hypothetical situation".

She told Phillips: "Liberal Democrats will continue to try and win seats off the Conservatives in areas where we are the key challengers.

"If you look at the last two years, things have changed so much, nobody has expected the pandemic or anything else, we simply can't work out what will happen in the future."

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2022-06-26 08:27:06Z
1481911762

Boris Johnson seeks to stay in power until the mid-2030s - Reuters

UK's Johnson does not expect fresh leadership challenge
Johnson wants three terms to tackle regional inequality
British PM pressured by poll losses after leadership vote
PM declines comment on 150,000-pound treehouse for son

KIGALI, June 25 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday he aims to remain in power until the middle of the next decade, despite calls for him to quit, which would make him the country's longest continuously serving leader in 200 years.

Earlier this month, Johnson survived a vote of confidence by Conservative lawmakers in which 41% of his parliamentary colleagues voted to oust him, and he is under investigation for intentionally misleading parliament.

On Friday Conservative candidates lost two parliamentary by-elections held to replace former Conservative incumbents who had to step down, one after being convicted of sexual assault and the other for watching pornography in the House of Commons.

The by-election defeats suggest the broad voter appeal which helped Johnson win a large parliamentary majority in December 2019 may be fracturing after a scandal over illegal parties held at Downing Street during coronavirus lockdowns.

Under Conservative party rules, its lawmakers cannot formally challenge Johnson for another year, but overwhelming dissatisfaction or resignations by a series of senior ministers could make his position untenable.

Britain is also in the midst of its deepest cost-of-living crisis in decades, with inflation at a 40-year high.

Former party leader Michael Howard said on Friday it was now time for Johnson to go, and Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden quit after the by-election losses.

However, Johnson said he wanted to serve a third term in office and remain as prime minister until the mid-2030s to give him time to reduce regional economic disparities and make changes to Britain's legal and immigration systems.

"At the moment I am thinking actively about the third term and, you know, what could happen then. But I will review it when I get to it," Johnson told reporters in Rwanda on the final day of a visit for a Commonwealth summit.

Asked what he meant, Johnson said: "About the third term ... this is the mid-2030s."

Johnson must call Britain's next national election by December 2024, and would need a third election victory by 2029.

If he was still in office beyond early 2031, he would beat Margaret Thatcher's record as the longest continuously serving British prime minister since Robert Banks Jenkinson, the Earl of Liverpool, who was in office from 1812 to 1827.

NO CHALLENGE, NO CHANGE?

Johnson told reporters that he did not expect to have to fight another internal challenge from within his party, and blamed the by-election defeats partly on months of media reporting of lockdown parties at the heart of government.

"People were fed up of hearing about things I had stuffed up, or allegedly stuffed up, or whatever, this endless - completely legitimate, but endless - churn of news," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Johnson told BBC radio he rejected the notion that he should change his behaviour.

"If you're saying you want me to undergo some sort of psychological transformation, I think that our listeners would know that that ... is not going to happen."

Johnson refused to comment on a report in The Times newspaper that he had planned to get a donor to fund a 150,000-pound ($184,000) treehouse for his son at his state-provided country residence.

The story comes months after his party was fined for failing to accurately report a donation which helped fund the refurbishment of his Downing Street apartment.

"I'm not going to comment on non-existent objects," Johnson said when asked if he planned to use a donor's money to build the treehouse.

($1 = 0.8155 pounds)

Reporting by Andrew MacAskill Editing by David Milliken and Helen Popper

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-06-25 23:07:00Z
1481911762

Sabtu, 25 Juni 2022

Glastonbury: Greta Thunberg appears at music festival to urge society to take action against climate change crisis - Sky News

Greta Thunberg has urged society to take on its "historic responsibility" to tackle the global climate crisis during an appearance at Glastonbury.

Delivering a speech from the festival's Pyramid Stage, the environmental activist gave the crowd a stark warning that the world is facing a "climate and ecological emergency".

"The biosphere is not just changing, it is destabilising, it is breaking down," the 19-year-old said, before stressing that the "consequences could be catastrophic".

"And no, unfortunately, this is not the new normal," she added.

"This crisis will continue to get worse until we manage to hold the constant destruction of our life-supporting systems, until we prioritise people and planet over profit and greed," she added.

Placing blame on global leaders, Ms Thunberg they have "actively created loopholes" and society has come to "expect" them to lie.

"We should be fighting for people and for nature, but instead we are fighting against those who are set on destroying it," she urged.

"Today our political leaders are allowed to say one thing and do the exact opposite. They can claim to be climate leaders, while at the same time expand their nation's fossil fuel infrastructure."

'Together we can do the seemingly impossible'

However, the campaigner went on to say that there is still time for the world to choose a "sustainable" path that "leads to a future for everyone".

Addressing the thousands of festival-goers in the crowd, Ms Thunberg said: "You and I have been given the historic responsibility to set things right.

"Together we can do the seemingly impossible. But make no mistake, no-one else is going to do this for us. This is up to us here and now. You and me."

Following her speech, Erin Rudkin, a 32-year-old from Manchester, said you could tell the Glastonbury audience was captivated by the speech as you could "hear a pin drop" in the crowd.

Ms Thunberg's address was followed by a set by pop-rock band Haim, with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds taking to the stage after them.

On Saturday evening, Sir Paul McCartney will become Glastonbury Festival's oldest solo headliner a day after Billie Eilish became the youngest ever solo artist.

The former Beatle's headline show will come exactly a week after he celebrated his 80th birthday and after more than 60 years of making music.

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2022-06-25 20:08:46Z
1481801870

Greta Thunberg delivers a climate warning at Glastonbury - BBC

Climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival

Greta Thunberg has made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury, to warn of the dangers of climate change.

The earth's biosphere is "not just changing, it is destabilising, it is breaking down," the 19-year-old told festival-goers from the Pyramid Stage.

She criticised world leaders for "creating loopholes" to protect firms whose emissions cause climate change.

"That is a moral decision... that will put the entire living planet at risk", she added.

But she ended on a message of hope, telling festival-goers they had the power to make a difference.

"We are capable of the most incredible things," she said. "Once we are given the full story… we will know what to do. There is still time to choose a new path, to step back from the cliff.

"Instead of looking for hope, start creating that hope yourself.

"Make no mistake, no-one else is going to do this for us," she concluded. "Right here and now is where we stand our ground."

Thunberg was introduced on stage by Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, who called her "the most inspirational speaker of her generation."

The activist spoke against a backdrop of the "warming stripes", a vivid illustration of how the average global temperature has soared in recent decades.

Her appearance was warmly received by the crowd, who joined her in a chant of "climate justice" at the end of her speech.

Thunberg's speech comes three years after Sir David Attenborough made a cameo on the Pyramid Stage.

The broadcaster thanked festival-goers for cutting their plastic use, after organisers banned single-use plastic bottles.

Grenfell plea

Thunberg spoke after an invigorating performance from rapper AJ Tracey, who opened his set with a powerful, angry message about the Grenfell Tower disaster.

In a pre-recorded video, the West London musician accused those responsible for the fire of "hiding behind a legal framework", while young black men were being "arrested and convicted every day with haste for acts a lot less significant".

"The worst thing of the whole situation is [that] Grenfell could happen again," he continued.

"Our buildings are not safe and thousands of low-income people, people who grew up just like I did, go to bed every night not knowing if it'll be their last. They tuck their children in at night and don't know if they'll wake up in flames."

Tracey, who grew up in Ladbroke Grove, knows many of the victims, survivors and bereaved.

He ended his message by addressing the Prime Minister directly.

"Boris Johnson, I want to ask you a question: 72 of our friends and family are dead and there's been zero arrests," he said. "Why?"

The rapper went on to perform a muscular set of hip-hop, grime and 2-step, rearranging many of his songs to work with a live band.

"I'm hoping that the crowd are receptive to me trying to give them a different take on my usual set," he told BBC News ahead of the performance.

He said his musical versatility came from his upbringing.

"My dad used to be a rapper, my mum used to be a DJ on the radio, playing jungle, house, garage... so I've got quite a mix.

"My mum's Welsh and my dad's from Trinidad - so the British sounds and the Caribbean sounds come into one, and I've been inspired by it."

The star brought his mother to Glastonbury and she watched his show from the side of the Pyramid stage.

"She's going to be rocking out, man. She's my biggest fan," he said.

"She doesn't have a scrapbook but she's a photographer so she takes loads of personal pictures and has her own little personal archive."

Paul McCartney will headline the festival later on Saturday night, and is scheduled to play a marathon two-and-three-quarter hour set.

Fans arrived at the barriers in front of the Pyramid stage early on Saturday morning to make sure they had a front row seat for the show.

More from Glastonbury

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2022-06-25 16:52:55Z
1481801870

Boy, 16, dies after getting into difficulty in Jubilee River in Taplow - BBC

A 16-year-old boy has died after getting into difficulty in a river, police have said.

Thames Valley Police said officers were stopped by members of the public at about 17:30 BST on Friday after reports a boy had entered the Jubilee River in Amerden Lane, Taplow, Buckinghamshire.

The boy's body was found in the water at about 18:40 after an "extensive search", the force said.

Supt Emma Burroughs described the death as a "complete tragedy".

"A member of the public entered the river shortly after the boy got into difficultly, but was unable to locate him," Ms Burroughs said.

"I would like to commend him for his courage and bravery."

The force said it was treating the death as "unexplained but not suspicious".

"This has been an extremely traumatic and upsetting incident, and despite the best efforts of emergency services at the scene, we were unable to rescue the boy, who was with two friends at the time," Ms Burroughs said.

"My sincere condolences are with the boy's family and friends, and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly traumatic and distressing time for them."

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2022-06-25 10:32:35Z
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Rail strikes: RMT union 'won't hesitate' to take further industrial action as third walkout causes weekend disruption - Sky News

Rail union boss Mick Lynch has warned his members will not hesitate to take further strike action as he said the disruptive dispute had "a long way to go yet".

But he insisted the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union would engage in a "constructive dialogue" and work with Network Rail and the train firms to reach a settlement that is agreeable to both sides.

Rail strike latest: Popular seaside resorts have no rail services

Mr Lynch was speaking to Sky News as train services were hit by the third walkout this week over jobs, pay and conditions.

Only a fifth of services are running and half of the lines are closed.

Passengers have been warned by rail operators that they should only travel by train if necessary and to check their journey in advance.

Signalling little sign of a breakthrough in the current industrial strife, the RMT general secretary said: "There's a long way to go yet.

"Most of the stuff our members voted very heavily in favour for action about are what's on the table now and they have not diluted very much the stuff they want and that's true of the train operators and Network Rail."

He added: "We have got to be very cautious about what they call progress.

"There may be progress in their agenda, but it doesn't mean that our members are going to accept those changes just because the company wants them.

"We have got to work that problem through with them.

"We will do that in a constructive dialogue but there's still a long way to go on this dispute."

Train firms 'aren't listening'

Mr Lynch went on: "The whole point of a dialogue and a negotiation is that people change their position and you get to a new position that doesn't belong to either party so that you can form a constructive way forward.

"At the moment the companies are giving us all the reforms they want but they aren't listening fully to what we need and our members need to get a decent working life on the railway.

"They need to change their position in terms of what they are offering in terms of pay, what they can do for job security and the way that they engage their staff and come to agreement with us about the way people work.

"We will work with them on that. We have not named dates. We will review where we are in discussions next week and then we will decide if we need to take more action.

"Network Rail issued a notice a formal letter of redundancy last week, that's entirely unacceptable as a step to take in the middle of a negotiation."

'We're putting more into the railways than any previous government'

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson told Sky News the public has a right to expect reforms to rail services.

He said: "I would say, given the circumstances we're in, I think what we want to see is reform and improvement in the way the railways work, and modernisation.

"When you've got a 25% fall in ridership, which we've got at the moment, we've got the government putting billions and billions (into it).

"We're putting more into the railways than any previous government.

"I think the travelling public has a right to expect some basic reforms, like with ticket offices, like with walking time, and some of these other practices that really nobody defends except the union leaders."

Many people were able to avoid the rail disruption during the first two days of the strikes - Tuesday and Thursday - by working from home.

But for those with long-standing plans to travel by train for weekend events, this was not an option.

Popular seaside resorts - such as Bournemouth, Blackpool, Margate, Llandudno, and Skegness - will have no rail services.

And even the services that are running will only operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm, with several major stations such as Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly closing at 7pm.

Disruption is expected to affect many Sunday services too.

Passengers with pre-booked tickets for Saturday are able to travel on Friday, Sunday or Monday instead, or claim a refund.

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This week's strikes are estimated to have cost the rail industry up to £150m in lost revenue and aborted planned upgrade work.

Talks between the RMT and rail employers have been held throughout this week and are expected to resume in the next few days.

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2022-06-25 11:03:45Z
1471253390

Minggu, 26 Juni 2022

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NO CHALLENGE, NO CHANGE?

Sabtu, 25 Juni 2022

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Grenfell plea

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