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The latest local and national UK and International news.

Health minister pulls out of race as rival taunts Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as Britain's prime minister, came under pressure on Friday to face the media over his Brexit plans as another of his rivals dropped out of the leadership battle. Health minister Matt Hancock quit the battle to succeed May as Conservative Party leader, saying the party was looking for a candidate for the present not the future, leaving six contenders amongst whom Johnson is the overwhelming favourite. He won the backing of 114...

UK court sets Assange’s U.S. extradition hearing for February 2020

The full extradition hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States to face accusations including spying charges will take place in February next year, a London court ruled on Friday. Assange, 47, is accused by U.S. authorities of 18 charges including conspiring to hack U.S. government computers and violating an espionage law. He is currently in a London prison after being jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail after fleeing to the Ecuadorean...

What would Churchill say? PM contest rivals say Boris Johnson needs scrutiny

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as Britain's prime minister, must face more scrutiny over his Brexit plans, his closest rival said on Friday with a taunt that his hero Winston Churchill would not shy away from the media. Johnson has pledged that Britain will exit the European Union on Oct. 31, warning his divided Conservative Party "delay means defeat". He argues that if Britain is prepared for a no-deal Brexit, the EU will bend to his argument...

Der große Clusterfuck der Tories: The German analysis that needs no translation

German analysis of Britain’s current political impasse has been making the rounds on Twitter – with no translation needed. The article – entitled Der große Clusterfuck der Tories – has been shared on social media under the caption: “My German is not that great. But I think I understand the headline.” It was penned before Britain secured an extension to Article 50 and warned that leaving the EU could have disastrous economic and social consequences for Britain. Describing Theresa May...

WHO likely to declare Ebola an international emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) should and is likely to declare an international emergency over the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has now spread to Uganda, experts said as a WHO advisory panel met on Friday. Congo's epidemic is the second worst worldwide since West Africa's Ebola outbreak in 2014-16, with 2,084 cases and 1,405 deaths since being declared in August. The WHO said on Thursday that two people had died in Uganda having arrived with...

Iran’s Rouhani says U.S. actions threaten Middle East stability

 U.S. actions pose a serious threat to stability in the Middle East, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the leaders of a China-led security bloc including Russia and India on Friday. The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concern about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Iran denied any connection with the attacks. Rouhani did not mention the attacks but focussed his criticism on U.S....

China’s May industrial output growth cools to 17-year low as trade war escalates

China's economy flashed more warning signs in May as the United States ramped up trade pressure, with industrial output growth unexpectedly slowing to a more than 17-year low and investment cooling, underlining a need for more stimulus. Despite a slew of support measures since last year, China's economy is still struggling to get back on firmer footing, and investors fear a longer and costlier trade war between the world's two largest economies could trigger a global recession. Industrial output grew...

Accused Christchurch gunman pleads not guilty to all charges

An Australian man pleaded not guilty on Friday to 92 charges stemming from a massacre in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch three months ago and will stand trial in May next year. A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons attacked Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island on March 15, killing 51 people in the country's worst peace-time mass shooting. The attacker broadcast the shooting live on Facebook. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern...

EU calls for more data from online platforms in fight against fake news

The European Union said online platforms must do more to combat disinformation, including sharing data on their efforts, after it tracked suspected Russian and domestic attempts to disrupt last month's European Parliament elections. In a review due to be published on Friday and seen by Reuters, the EU assesses efforts to safeguard the May vote for the EU's legislature by funding fact-checking organisations, building up an in-house unit to counter disinformation from Russia, and enlisting the help of Facebook, Google,...

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