| Ex-PM will 'respond positively' to lobbying probe |
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| | | The fall-out from the row over former Prime Minister David Cameron's lobbying on behalf of collapsed finance firm Greensill Capital continues. The former Tory leader says he will “respond positively" to any requests from MPs for him to give evidence after the government launched a review into conduct. Mr Cameron has faced criticism for lobbying for the finance firm and, as more details emerged, it sparked a debate about private companies' attempts to influence ministers and officials. Labour had wanted a "full" probe, including public hearings by a cross-party panel of MPs -but it was rejected. Current rules ban former ministers from lobbying government for two years after they leave office - a rule Mr Cameron appears to have followed. But critics of the current system, including former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, have suggested a longer ban is required. Mr Cameron became an adviser to Greensill Capital in August 2018, just over two years after leaving Downing Street. Mr Cameron's work saw him text Chancellor Rishi Sunak and also meet Health Secretary Matt Hancock in 2019 with the firm's founder, Australian financier Lex Greensill, to discuss a new payment scheme for NHS staff. Mr Cameron has said he did not break any codes of conduct or rules on lobbying - and welcomes the government's review, to be led by lawyer Nigel Boardman. Mr Boardman will report back to the government by the end of June. And later, Lord Pickles, the head of a watchdog, which advises former ministers and officials on outside employment will appear before MPs. | |
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| Covid passports 'risk discrimination' |
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| Covid passports risk discriminating against some groups, the UK equality watchdog warns. Covid status certificates to prove who is vaccinated could create a "two-tier society whereby only certain groups are able to fully enjoy their rights" according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It also raises concerns about proposals to make vaccination a condition of employment for some workers, saying "a blanket policy requiring workers to be vaccinated, applied inflexibly, is likely to be unlawful" because there are a small number of people who are not able to have the jab. More than 32m people in the UK have received a first dose of the vaccine, and more than 8m have been given both doses. The vaccine programme is on course to offer a first dose to all adults by the end of July. Requiring the certificates for travel, going to work, enjoying social activities or accessing essential services could risk further excluding people from some ethnic minority groups, migrants and people from lower socio-economic groups, according to the watchdog. "We would monitor the rollout to ensure the right balance is struck between protecting the public's health and our individual freedoms," says Baroness Kishwer Falkner, who chairs the commission. | |
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| Most positive Covid rapid tests 'were correct' |
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| Most positive rapid coronavirus tests taken since 8 March appear to have returned a correct result, according to data seen by the BBC. Analysis of data from Public Health England shows 82% sent off for a confirmatory PCR test returned the same positive result. "This suggests that people who test positive using a lateral flow device should definitely take that result seriously, and isolate while waiting for a follow-up PCR test," says Prof Oliver Johnson, director of the institute for statistical science at the University of Bristol. All secondary schools and colleges in England have been using the devices since 8 March along with care homes, universities and some workplaces. There had been concerns that many people would have to self-isolate needlessly but this data suggests these fears may be unfounded. The government has said rapid testing using lateral flow kits, which can give a result in 30 minutes, will be "fundamental" in helping to prevent future outbreaks of coronavirus. | |
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| | | | | More than a year into the pandemic, deaths in Brazil are now at their peak. But despite the overwhelming evidence that Covid-19 rarely kills young children, in Brazil 1,300 babies have died from the virus. One doctor refused to test Jessika Ricarte's one-year-old son for Covid, saying his symptoms did not fit the profile of the virus. Two months later he died of complications from the disease. After two years of trying, and failed fertility treatments, teacher Jessika Ricarte had all but given up on having a family. Then she fell pregnant with Lucas. "His name comes from luminous. And he was a light in our life. He showed that happiness was much more than we imagined," she says. She first suspected something was wrong when Lucas, always a good eater, lost his appetite. At first Jessika wondered if he was teething. Lucas's godmother, a nurse, suggested that he might just have a sore throat. But after he developed a fever, then fatigue and slightly laboured breathing, Jessika took him to hospital, and asked for him to be tested for Covid. "The doctor put on the oximeter. Lucas's levels were 86%. Now I know that is not normal," says Jessika. But he was not feverish, so the doctor said: "My dear, don't worry. There's no need for a Covid test. It's probably just a minor sore throat. He told Jessika that Covid-19 was rare in children, gave her some antibiotics and sent her home. | |
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| | Nathalia Passarinho and Luis Barrucho | BBC News | |
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| | | | “Sleaze is back” headlines the Metro as many of the papers cover the row over former Prime Minister David Cameron’s lobbying for the collapsed finance firm, Greensill Capital. The Daily Telegraph says there will be a “crackdown” on civil servants who hold private sector jobs alongside government roles. And the i reveals a member of the UK lobbying watchdog is running his own lobbying firm, but his interests are "transparently declared", says the Cabinet Office. The Times carries the Greensill Capital story but leads on “six-hour airport waits for returning holidaymakers” if travel restrictions are lifted next month. The Guardian is also running another coronavirus-related story with equalities watchdogs warning Covid passports could be "unlawful". The picture dominating most of the papers is a previously unseen photograph of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died last week. Prince Philip is pictured with the Queen and their great-grandchildren. Read the papers here. | |
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| | | | | US George Floyd death should be 'undetermined', expert says |
| | | | Instagram Platform fixes ‘mistake’ promoting harmful diet content |
| | | | Psilocybin Magic mushroom compound 'promising' for depression |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| A pair of eagle-eyed antiquities investigators stumbled on a Roman statue that was stolen from an archaeological site in Italy almost a decade ago. After work one evening, the officers - who had been investigating another case - were making their way through a district in Belgium, famed for antique shops, when a headless figure wearing a toga caught their eyes. After some digging, it turned out to be the 1st Century BC marble “Togatus" believed to be worth around £87,000. How lucky is this? An 80-year-old man, unable chose his regular lottery numbers because he couldn’t see, has managed to bag more than £100,000 in the EuroMillions. Denis Fawsitt had forgotten to take his glasses to the shop and was struggling to pick out his numbers, so he decided to try the lucky dip instead - and won. It "turned out to be one of my best decisions ever", he says. And, have you seen these previously unpublished photos of the late Duke of Edinburgh that were released by members of the Royal Family yesterday? If not, you can have a look at them here. | |
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| | | | 1986 The US launches air strikes against the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the Benghazi region - watch the report following the attack. |
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