Sabtu, 14 Januari 2023

Euston shooting: Girl, 7, and five others injured near church - BBC

Forensic officers have worked at the crime scene following the shootingPA Media

A seven-year-old girl has suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting close to a central London church.

Police responded at 13:31 GMT to reports shots were fired from a moving vehicle, as a remembrance service took place at St Aloysius Church in Euston.

The Met Police said another girl, aged 12, and four women, aged 21, 41, 48 and 54, were also injured.

The 48-year-old may have life-changing injuries while the 21-year-old's condition is not life-threatening.

A police representative said the other two women were not in a life-threatening condition and that the 12-year-old girl had been treated for a minor leg injury.

Multiple emergency vehicles ay the scene of the shooting
Simon Lamrock

The girl was taken to a central London hospital at about 14:05 and "remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition".

In a statement, the force said an "urgent investigation" was under way and details of the incident were "still emerging".

"At this early stage, there have been no arrests," it said.

Scene near shooting
Simon Lamrock

London Ambulance Service and an air ambulance were also called to the scene in Phoenix Road.

Detectives have urged anyone with video footage or CCTV to contact the force.

Transport for London (TfL) say road closures remain in place while police investigate at the scene and some buses are on diversion.

Prince Arthur pub, Euston
PA Media

Supt Ed Wells said any shooting incident was "unacceptable, but for multiple people, including two children, to be injured in a shooting in the middle of a Saturday afternoon is shocking".

"Our thoughts are with all the victims, but in particular with the seven-year-old girl.

"An investigation into this dreadful attack is already well under way.

"I can assure the communities of Camden and beyond that we will do everything we possibly can to identify and bring to justice those who were responsible."

He added that there would be "an increased visible police presence in the area through the weekend and into the days ahead".

Air Ambulance flying from scene
Simon Lamrock

Photographer Simon Lamrock said when he first arrived at the Catholic church, people had been evacuated through a side entrance.

"It's a very busy area. All the local residents had come out to find out what was going on," Mr Lamrock said.

"There was shock and surprise. That was the mood of people trying to work out what had happened.

"Police and emergency services were on scene very, very fast."

Forensic officers have worked at the crime scene following the shooting
PA Media

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the shooting as "deeply distressing".

He said a police investigation was "now under way".

Mr Khan added: "I am in close contact with the Met Police to determine what happened."

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2023-01-14 22:52:00Z
1741095494

Alireza Akbari: Iran executes British-Iranian dual national - BBC

Alireza Akbari, EPA pic via KhabarOnline, 12 Jan 23EPA

British-Iranian dual national Alireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death in Iran, has been executed.

Mr Akbari's family had been asked to go to his prison for a "final visit" on Wednesday and his wife said he had been moved to solitary confinement.

The ex-deputy Iranian defence minister was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the UK, which he denied.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the execution was a "callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime".

Iran's rulers had "no respect for the human rights of their own people" Mr Sunak said, adding that his thoughts were "with Alireza's friends and family".

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the execution would "not stand unchallenged".

The Iranian judiciary's official news outlet Mizan reported on Saturday that Alireza Akbari had been hanged, without specifying the date when the execution took place.

The news came after Iran posted a video of Mr Akbari earlier this week showing what appeared to be forced confessions, and after the country's intelligence ministry had described the British-Iranian as "one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran".

However BBC Persian broadcast an audio message on Wednesday from Mr Akbari in which he said he had been tortured and forced to confess on camera to crimes he did not commit.

The United States had also joined calls for Iran not to execute Mr Akbari. US diplomat Vedant Patel said "his execution would be unconscionable" and condemned the charges against him as "politically motivated".

The UK Foreign Office has been supporting Mr Akbari's family and had repeatedly raised his case with Iranian authorities. It had requested urgent consular access, but Iran's government does not recognise dual nationality for Iranians.

'Tortured for 3,500 hours'

In Mr Akbari's audio message he said that he was living abroad a few years ago when he was invited to visit Iran at the request of a top Iranian diplomat who was involved in nuclear talks with world powers.

Once there, he adds, he was accused of obtaining top secret intelligence from the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, "in exchange for a bottle of perfume and a shirt".

Mr Akbari alleged that he was "interrogated and tortured" by intelligence agents "for more than 3,500 hours".

"By using physiological and psychological methods, they broke my will, drove me to madness and forced me to do whatever they wanted," he said. "By the force of gun and death threats they made me confess to false and corrupt claims."

He also accused Iran of seeking "to take revenge on the UK by executing me".

Hours after the audio message was broadcast, the Mizan news agency confirmed for the first time that Mr Akbari had been found guilty of espionage, and that the Supreme Court had rejected his appeal.

Ties between the UK and Iran have deteriorated in recent months since the UK imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police and other top security figures, in response to the country's violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Iran has arrested dozens of Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency in recent years, mostly on spying and national security charges.

British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released and allowed to leave Iran last year after the UK settled a longstanding debt owed to Iran.

However, at least two other British-Iranians remain in detention, including Morad Tahbaz, who also holds US citizenship.

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2023-01-14 07:59:07Z
1736954224

Woman mauled to death in Surrey was 'attacked by multiple dogs' and screamed 'turn back' to passers-by, witness says - Sky News

A woman mauled to death at a Surrey beauty spot was attacked by "multiple dogs" and screamed at passers-by to "turn back", a witness has said.

Paramedics were unable to save the 28-year-old victim after she was attacked at Gravelly Hill, Caterham, on Thursday.

A second woman who received treatment for dog bites has since left hospital.

An eyewitness told Sky News she was riding on horseback with her friend when they saw the woman who was killed on the floor "being attacked by multiple dogs".

Sue Dove said: "She screamed at us to turn back and with that, two of the loose dogs ran towards us and the horses... my horse spun round and bolted and I eventually fell."

The witness said she had been left feeling "lots of different emotions".

She added: "(I feel) sadness that a woman has lost her life, but frustrated people are able to walk so many dogs.

"This lady was clearly out of control for whatever reason, had fallen to the ground, being attacked.

"Because of those consequences and two of the dogs running towards us, my horse bolted and I fell from my horse, landing on my right side, on my ribs and hip.

"Fortunately, my horse eventually stopped and my friend was able to get to him. Otherwise, as flight animals, this could have been another horrific accident if he kept going."

Police at Gravelly Hill in Caterham, Surrey, where a dog attacked members of the public

Area popular with dog walkers

Surrey Police detained a total of eight dogs and detectives are keeping their owners up to date with the investigation.

No arrests have been made.

Richard Bream, who runs the nearby Mardens Kennels, said he had never heard of a dog attack in the area before.

He said: "That particular area, View Point, is an area where professional dog walkers will turn up in their van and take the dogs out and walk them.

"I've always felt you see some of these dog walkers have five or six, and they shouldn't be able to do that."

A man at an address near the scene, who asked not to be named, said: "The dogs dispersed into different areas of the woods and the police helicopter was out looking for them."

Police at Gravelly Hill in Caterham, Surrey, where a dog attacked members of the public

'Tragic incident'

A woman walking a border collie in the area, who asked not to be named, said she was shocked by the incident.

"It's a nice circular woodland walk and we've never had any issues before. It is so shocking, normal dogs surely wouldn't do that," she said.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted by the Surrey coroner.

Inspector Lyndsey Whatley speaks to the media outside Caterham Police Station, Surrey, after a dog attacked members of the public at Gravelly Hill
Image: Inspector Lyndsey Whatley spoke to reporters about the incident

In an update on Friday, Inspector Lyndsey Whatley, borough commander for Tandridge, said: "This is a tragic incident where a young woman has sadly lost her life and our thoughts are with her family and friends.

"I know that yesterday's events will be of real concern to the local community and I would like to reassure residents that we are confident all the dogs involved are in the custody of police whilst we investigate the circumstances of what has happened.

"Officers will remain in the area of Gravelly Hill today whilst enquiries continue and if you have any information but have not yet spoken to police then please contact us."

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2023-01-14 08:24:34Z
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Alireza Akbari: British-Iranian national accused of being UK spy executed in Iran - Sky News

A British-Iranian national has been executed in Iran after being accused of spying for the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "appalled" by the execution of Alireza Akbari, saying: "This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people.

"My thoughts are with Alireza's friends and family."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly added: "Iran has executed a British national.

"This barbaric act deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms.

"This will not stand unchallenged."

Iran's charge d'affaires in London has been summoned to the Foreign Office to make clear the Government's "disgust", he said.

The Iranian judiciary claimed Mr Akbari, who was deputy defence minister under former president Mohammad Khatami until 2001, was a "key spy" for the British government, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

It said Iranian intelligence unmasked the alleged MI6 spy by feeding him false information and described him as "one of the most important infiltrators of the country's sensitive and strategic centres".

Mr Akbari claimed he was tortured and given mind-altering drugs and forced to confess to crimes he did not commit.

Alireza Akbari
Image: Mr Akbari's family visited him in prison earlier this week

Iran's Mizan news agency, associated with the country's judiciary, tweeted that Mr Akbari had been hanged. It did not say when or where it took place amid rumours he had been executed days ago.

Sky News Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said reports of the execution appeared "credible and accurate".

He said Mr Akbari was arrested in 2019 and charged with spying after he was accused of receiving "hundreds of thousands of pounds" for providing intelligence to Britain - claims he denied.

"His family in Tehran were called to his prison on Wednesday for what was described as a 'final visit'," Bunkall said.

He added that Mr Akbari's family members had reported he had been moved to solitary confinement during his time in prison.

'A barbaric regime'

Mr Cleverly had appealed for Mr Akbari's release when reports of his planned execution emerged.

Earlier this week, Mr Cleverly tweeted: "Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him.

"This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life."

Read more:
The sports stars being arrested, jailed and executed
Gunfire and tear gas as
anger over executions grows

Iran ignored efforts to stop execution - so how will the UK respond?

Because the reports of Alireza Akbari’s hanging have come from the Mizen News Agency, a state-run outlet closely linked to the Iranian Judiciary, we must assume them to be accurate. The reports don’t say when the execution happened.

Iran has recently executed a number of political prisoners for their involvement in ongoing anti-government protests. Although the execution of Mr Akbari isn't directly linked to those demonstrations, relations between Britain and Iran have worsened as a result of British government criticism of the Iranian regime during the protests.

Mr Akbari held British-Iranian citizenship, but Tehran doesn't recognise dual-nationals, which made it hard for the British government to get consular access to him whilst he was in prison. His family was reportedly called to the prison on Wednesday for a 'final visit'.

Increasingly desperate attempts by the British government and US State Department to avoid his execution were ignored by Iran so now focus will be on a British response – perhaps further sanctions, although they don't appear to be having much effect.

Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chair Alicia Kearns had also condemned the planned execution, accusing the regime in Tehran of reacting because it felt "cornered" as a result of international sanctions and anti-government protests.

"It is another horrifying example of the Iranian regime, because they feel they are cornered, because there is such significant pressure from sanctions, weaponising British nationals and industrialising hostage-taking," she told the BBC Radio 4 PM programme.

'Politically motivated'

On Friday, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said: "The charges against Alireza Akbari and his sentencing to execution were politically motivated. His execution would be unconscionable.

"We are greatly disturbed by the reports that Mr Akbari was drugged, tortured while in custody, interrogated for thousands of hours, and forced to make false confessions."

She added: "More broadly, Iran's practices of arbitrary and unjust detentions, forced confessions, and politically motivated executions are completely unacceptable and must end."

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2023-01-14 07:52:30Z
1736954224

UK weather: More flood warnings ahead of colder spell - BBC

Man and child overlook a flooded riverPA Media

People across the UK are being urged to prepare for more heavy rain, flooding and cold weather in the coming days.

The Environment Agency has issued 85 flood warnings - mainly in west and southwest England - and 167 flood alerts.

An alert for severe cold weather has also been issued for England from Sunday evening as temperatures drop.

Yellow Met Office rain warnings are also already in place across most of western England and Wales.

The latest warnings follow flooding across the UK earlier this week, which caused travel disruption and hundreds of homes losing power.

The Met Office has also issued a level two cold weather alert for much of England from Sunday evening until Thursday morning, ahead of colder conditions moving in across the UK.

Forecasters are warning that bus and train services will probably be affected, while spray and flooding on roads is set to make journey times longer.

"This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services," it said, saying there was a 70% chance of severely cold weather, icy conditions and heavy snow.

The Met Office's Helen Caughey said: "After a spell of wet and mild weather to start 2023, a brief cold spell will change the feel of our weather across the UK for a few days next week."

She said it will "certainly feel cold in all regions too, with the northerly winds creating a notable wind chill" - although the colder spell is expected to be short-lived.

The flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected - include those for groundwater flooding, as well as for areas close to rivers such as the Avon, Severn and Wye. In the West Midlands, which has already been hit by flooding, people are braced for peak river levels at the weekend.

Some flood warnings and alerts are also in place further north, including in Keswick in the Lake District, Yorkshire, as well as in Wales.

Devon has been one of the areas already hit by flooding, including near Tiverton, where several roads were flooded after the River Exe burst its banks. Some properties were left cut off.

Darren Ninnis, manager of the Anchor Inn in Exebridge, Devon, was stuck as water rose inside and outside his pub on Thursday.

"[It's] loss of business, as always, and just more work and hassle. With more rain forecast, we're just worried next week we'll do the same again," Mr Ninnis told the BBC.

The Anchor In at Exebridge
Darren Ninnis

Flooding also caused a partial closure on the railway line between Totnes and Plymouth - although services were reportedly "returning to normal" on Friday afternoon - while near Withypool in Somerset a section of an ancient footbridge over the River Barle washed away after heavy rain.

The bad weather has also caused travel disruption across much of Wales, with people having to be rescued from cars trapped in water and homes damaged and left without power.

A golf driving range near Cowbridge, west of Cardiff, flooded after the River Ely burst its banks.

"If we had more rain yesterday lunchtime I think we'd have been underwater," manager and pro golfer Aled Griffiths told BBC Radio Wales.

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Natural Resources Wales has issued a flood warning near the River Wye at Monmouth, where a Met Office yellow rain warning is in place across much of Wales until Saturday.

There are also two flood warnings in place in Scotland for Callander to Stirling.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a yellow rain and wind warning for Northern Ireland on Saturday and Sunday.

And a yellow weather warning for rain also covers part of the south-west of England and north-west England until 12:00 on Saturday.

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2023-01-14 07:00:14Z
1724371151

Kamis, 12 Januari 2023

GMB union to consider up to six more ambulance strike dates after failed talks with health secretary - Sky News

The GMB union will meet ambulance representatives on Monday to discuss up to six more strike dates, Sky News understands.

It comes after talks with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay failed to reach an agreement earlier this week.

On Wednesday, about 25,000 ambulance workers across England and Wales went on strike in a dispute with the government over pay.

Staggered walkouts by paramedics, call handlers, drivers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions took place over a 24-hour period.

Union leader brands talks with minister a 'complete farce' - politics latest

NHS England warned some people would have to make their own way to hospital, while members of the armed forces and private providers were once again drafted in to help cover services - as was the case during the first strike in December.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned walkouts can lead to "pent-up demand" in the days afterwards.

If you are an NHS worker and would like to share your experiences with us anonymously, please email NHSstories@sky.uk

More strikes are scheduled, with nurses due to walk out next Wednesday and Thursday, and another ambulance strike the week after, on 23 January.

Despite no deal being reached following the talks with Mr Barclay on Monday, the health secretary did agree to look into a suggestion to backdate next year's NHS pay deal to this January.

However, it is understood representatives of the GMB union are set to meet again next week to discuss whether strike action by ambulance workers should escalate.

It comes as new NHS England figures show average ambulance response times in England last month were the longest on record.

In December, the average response time for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents - defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries - was 10 minutes and 57 seconds. The target is is seven minutes.

Read more
Ambulance unions 'put people's lives at risk' - Shapps
NHS strikes to go ahead after talks break down
Who is striking and when?

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Why is the NHS struggling so much?

Strikes 'in protest at unsafe care'

The figures also showed a record 54,532 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments last month from a decision to admit to actually being admitted.

And the proportion of patients seen within four hours in England's A&Es fell to a record low of 65% in December.

Downing Street said the worst ambulance response times on record are "obviously unacceptable", but called on all unions to "step back from strike actions and continue discussions - which have in recent days been constructive".

Responding to the latest NHS England performance data, RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: "The government has had months and months to address this but has not acted. They must row back on years of underinvestment in nursing, starting with an immediate pay rise.

"Nursing is saying enough is enough and standing up for their patients. Next week's strikes are in protest at unsafe care."

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Health secretary Steve Barclay: 'We're engaging'

Talks 'collaborative', not 'confrontational'

Mr Barclay held further talks this morning with medical unions which were described as "constructive" by Professor Philip Banfield, chair of council at the British Medical Association (BMA).

Speaking after the meeting, Professor Banfield told reporters the tone of the meeting with Mr Barclay was "not confrontational" but "collaborative".

He said doctors feel they have been "driven" to the point of considering strike action because "no one is listening to us".

"We've got about six weeks, haven't we, to sit down and try and resolve the situation. None of our doctors want to strike, they would prefer that this was resolved before we got into that situation," he said.

Others present at the talks were representatives of the hospital doctors' union HCSA and the British Dental Association.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

The meetings came after 14 health unions announced that they will not be submitting evidence to the NHS pay review body for the next wage round while the current industrial disputes remain unresolved.

They have called for direct pay talks with ministers.

The government says most ambulance staff have received a pay rise of at least 4%.

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2023-01-12 12:11:15Z
1729863146

Rabu, 11 Januari 2023

Boris Johnson 'joked he was at most unsocially distanced party in UK' during No 10 lockdown party - Sky News

Boris Johnson joked he was at "the most unsocially distanced party in the UK" while attending an alcohol-fuelled Number 10 gathering during COVID lockdown, it has been claimed.

His spokesman did not deny the comment but said the then-prime minister had "worked constantly" to ensure the government did all it could to save lives and protect livelihoods during the pandemic.

ITV News reported the comments were made at a leaving party for communications director Lee Cain in November 2020, where a table was laden with alcohol and party snacks.

At the time, England was in its second national lockdown, with indoor gatherings banned except for "work purposes" and social-distancing rules imposed on workplaces.

Ambulance workers walk out - live politics updates

Mr Johnson will be under increased pressure now as a parliamentary investigation continues over whether he misled MPS about the "partygate" scandal.

Senior official Sue Gray, who led a report into the matter, said she was told the event was not pre-planned but occurred when "wine time Friday" events in Number 10 routinely took place.

More on Boris Johnson

Mr Johnson gave a leaving speech for Mr Cain and wine was provided, Ms Gray's report said.

A source who said they were in Downing Street at the time told the ITV podcast, Partygate: "I was working late - some music came on, the mumbling sort of rose, and there were loads of people stood around, but this time I came out because I heard the prime minister speaking and that's when I heard the quote: 'This is the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now' and everyone was laughing about it."

As part of the police investigation into partygate, Mr Johnson was fined for attending his own birthday party in the Cabinet Room in Downing Street in June 2020 - but not for the leaving do a month earlier.

He is set to appear before the Commons Privileges Committee over comments he made to the Commons about partygate, when he insisted he believed rules were followed in Number 10.

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Boris Johnson arrives at the Carlton Club

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic Boris Johnson led our country through its most dangerous peacetime crisis in living memory.

"As prime minister during a 24/7 national emergency he worked constantly to ensure the government did everything possible in its power to save lives and protect livelihoods.

"Mr Johnson pays heartfelt tribute to the heroic frontline workers who battled the pandemic, many of whom lost their lives.

"Their service to our country will always be remembered.

"He is also incredibly grateful for the efforts of hard-working staff who were working in central government - the vast majority of them civil servants - who helped co-ordinate the UK's national response from 10 Downing Street, across Whitehall and throughout the wider UK government.

"Their work was crucial as they helped marshal the UK Government's response during a national emergency."

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'Didn't occur to me I may have breached rules'

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said the new revelations "confirm Boris Johnson's total disregard for the rules he asked us all to follow".

"He laughed and partied while the rest of the country suffered," she said.

Ms Chamberlain said Rishi Sunak needs "to give evidence under oath" to the partygate inquiry about what he knows.

The ITV podcast also reports whistleblowers told them staff "corroborated their stories" before filling out Metropolitan Police questionnaires about the gatherings.

And it claims only half of the parties that took place were investigated by Ms Gray.

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2023-01-11 11:43:48Z
1736145055