September 2024 - Hoang Viet

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Sep 13 2024

Assisted dying should be allowed in England, according to ‘citizens’ jury’ | UK News

Assisted dying should be legalised in England, according to a panel made up of members of the public.

The so-called “citizens’ jury” – a randomly selected group brought together to discuss the topic by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) – deliberated for eight weeks.

It concluded that if a person has a terminal illness and capacity to make their own decision about an assisted death, they should be able to legally access both physician-assisted suicide (where healthcare professionals prescribe lethal drugs to eligible patients to take themselves) and voluntary euthanasia (where healthcare professionals administer lethal drugs to patients with the intention of ending their life).

“This is a significant finding that will be valuable for policy makers who are considering whether and how to take forward legislative change,” said Professor Anne Kerr, chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ Assisted Dying Advisory Board.

Twenty-eight members of the public made up the jury, participating in an eight-week process designed to explore the complexity of assisted dying.

They heard from a range of experts and considered evidence before voting on whether the law should be changed to allow assisted death.

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Twenty members either strongly agreed or tended to agree the law should change to permit assisted dying in England, while seven said they either strongly disagreed or tended to disagree with a law change and one person was undecided.

Assisted dying is legal in several countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland, and remains illegal in the UK.

Encouraging or assisting a suicide in England and Wales can lead to criminal prosecution and up to 14 years in prison.

The top two reasons for supporting a change in the law were to stop pain and a belief in an individual having the choice to end their own life legally.

The top two reasons against a change in the law were that it could be used for the wrong reasons if safeguarding is not in place, and that it could be misinterpreted or misused causing challenges for both society and the legal system.

Professor Katherine Sleeman, Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care at Kings College London warned safeguarding in this issue is not straightforward.

“The Nuffield Council’s jurors agreed that vulnerable people should not be pressured into choosing assisted deaths,” she told Sky News.

Professor Sleeman pointed to this week’s Darzi review and a recent King’s College London/Marie Curie Time To Care report which highlighted the perilous state of NHS services, and inadequacies in palliative and end of life care, with difficulty accessing services and support for dying people all too common.

“The big question is how to ensure this in a context where health and care services for dying people are frequently inadequate,” Professor Sleeman said.

Nearly all jury members felt that more funding should be put towards improving NHS palliative care.

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Sep 12 2024

‘Ideal’ conditions as Northern Lights return to the UK – but where can you see them best? | UK News

The Northern Lights may be visible across parts of the UK this evening, with the Met Office forecasting “ideal viewing conditions”.

The forecaster urged people to “look up at the sky tonight”, with sightings possible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

There is even a possibility the spectacular light display could be spotted from the north Norfolk coast, according to one Met Office meteorologist.

The lights, also known as aurora borealis, are expected to be observable late on Thursday evening and into the early hours of Friday morning.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating the spectacular colour displays.

“We’ve had a coronal mass ejection from the Sun in the last few days that arrived to Earth this morning,” Jonathan Vautrey, Met Office meteorologist, said.

“The main likely area is Scotland, there’s chances with this particular one possibly from Northern Ireland and northern England as well.

“There’s also a chance from the north Norfolk coast, we might see faint images coming from there.

“Tonight is going to be pretty ideal conditions as there’s going to be very little cloud.”

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But, he advises that you wrap up warm, with the potential for some frost overnight.

And if you miss them this evening – not to worry. The Met Office says there will be another chance to see the lights on Friday night into Saturday – although they are currently forecast to be weaker.

UK stargazers were treated to a double-whammy of Northern Lights and the Perseids meteor shower last month, with people as far south as Cornwall seeing the display.

People were also treated to a spectacular display in May when large parts of the UK were bathed in shades of pink and green.

Tips for spotting the Northern Lights

• Those hoping to catch sight of the lights this evening should look to the northern horizon, the Met Office says. “If you’ve got a clear view of the horizon you’ve got a chance,” according to a Met Office meteorologist.
• Head to an area of low light pollution.
• Using a camera or a telescope will also increase your chances, with cameras better able to adapt to different wavelengths than the human eye.

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Sep 12 2024

‘Coconut’ placard of Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman was ‘racial insult’, court hears | UK News

A placard held by a woman at a pro-Palestinian protest depicting former prime minister Rishi Sunak and ex-home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts was “racially abusive”, a court has heard.

Marieha Hussain, 37, of High Wycombe, pleaded not guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

As the trial began, about 40 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the building.

Prosecutor Jonathan Bryan told the court the term “coconut” was a “well-known racial slur which has a very clear meaning”.

“You may be brown on the outside, but you’re white on the inside. In other words, you’re a race traitor – you’re less brown or black than you should be,” he said.

He argued Hussain had “crossed the line between legitimate political expression” and moved into “racial insult”.

“We say that the placard was abusive, it was racially abusive,” he told the court.

“There were people present who were likely to have been caused harassment, alarm and distress by seeing what was on that placard.”

An image of the placard, held by Hussain at a pro-Palestinian protest on 11 November, was shown in court.

It showed cut-out pictures of Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman placed alongside coconuts under a tree.

Defending, Rajiv Menon KC, said the placard was a “political criticism” of Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman.

He told the court: “What she is saying is Suella Braverman – then home secretary, sacked two days after – was promoting in different ways a racist political agenda as evidenced by the Rwanda policy, the racist rhetoric she was using around small boats.

“And the prime minister was either quiescing to it or being inactive.

“It was a political criticism of these two particular politicians.”

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Metropolitan Police communications manager Chris Humphreys told the court that images come to the attention of the police service if the force’s social media account is “tagged in the post”.

He added the force “actively monitors” accounts that frequently post protest-related images.

Mr Menon told the court the image of the placard had been posted by an X account with the username Harry’s Place.

He asked Mr Humphreys: “Are you aware that Harry’s Place is a secretive political blog headquartered in Washington DC that has a particular interest in opposing any criticism of the Israeli state?”

Mr Humphreys replied: “I know Harry’s Place is an anonymous political blog.”

The trial continues.

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Sep 12 2024

Tories ‘squandered golden inheritance on NHS’, says Wes Streeting – ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘reform or die’ speech | Politics News

The Tories “squandered a golden inheritance” on the NHS, the health secretary has said – as he laid out three “fundamental shifts” to fix it.

Wes Streeting told Sky News Tony Blair’s Labour government left the health service with the lowest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction “in the history of the NHS”.

“What’s criminal is that in the last 14 years, the Conservatives took that golden inheritance and squandered it. And they don’t bear any responsibility,” he said.

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Mr Streeting was speaking after an independent report he commissioned found the NHS is in a “critical condition”, with record waiting lists and too much of its budget spent in hospitals.

Off the back of the investigation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will give a speech today in which he will warn the health service must “reform or die” and set out a 10-year plan to fix it.

Giving a flavour of what that could look like, Mr Streeting said the NHS needed three “fundamental” changes.

That includes a “shift from hospital to community”, so people are diagnosed earlier and faster; greater investment in technology to create a “digital NHS”; and dealing with sickness in society.

He said: “That’s why today’s report was so important, because, ironically, although it’s looking back on how we got here and diagnosing the illness, it’s actually helping us to look forward and be honest about how we got here.”

The study, carried out by peer and surgeon Lord Darzi, argues the NHS is facing rising demand for care as people live longer in ill health, coupled with low productivity in hospitals and poor staff morale.

It criticises political decision-making under the Conservatives and the coalition government, including the impact of austerity, a “starvation of investment” and the reorganisation of the NHS under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, which Lord Darzi called “a calamity without international precedent”.

This meant the COVID pandemic came “when resilience was at an all time low”, he said.

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Mr Streeting likened the findings to the Conservatives “not just failing to fix the roof while the sun was shining, but effectively pouring petrol on the house, turning the gas on”.

“And then the pandemic lit the match,” he added.

Asked how a report of such magnitude can be compiled in nine weeks, Mr Streeting said Lord Darzi spoke to frontline staff, leaders and thinktanks and was also given “unfettered access” to NHS and Department of Health data.

In other morning interviews, he warned the NHS would “go bust” if it was not reformed, but ruled out raising money through a salt or sugar tax.

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Shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins told Sky News she had “never shied away” from the NHS’s problems during her time in office, when asked if she was embarrassed about the state her party left it in.

She accused Labour of “trying to get headlines” by trailing out the report, calling instead for a “proper conversation about what we do with the NHS”.

Lord Darzi, a former Labour health minister turned independent peer, ultimately argued the NHS can be fixed, saying his findings do not question “the principles of a health service that is taxpayer-funded, free at the point of use”.

Later this morning, the prime minster will set out his plans for the “the biggest reimagining of our NHS since its birth”.

He will say this won’t be “easy or quick” but “sticking plaster solutions” won’t do.

He will say: “Working people can’t afford to pay more, so it’s reform or die.”

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Sep 12 2024

Darzai review: Key points from damning new report into state of NHS | Politics News

A major report on the health service has been published in which it is described as being “in serious trouble”.

The rapid review by Lord Darzi was completed in just nine weeks and sets out the problems in the NHS and themes for the government to incorporate into a 10-year plan for reforming the health service.

Lord Darzi, a widely respected surgeon and former health minister, insisted the NHS can be fixed.

His report detailed the following issues:

• The health of the nation has deteriorated, with more years spent in ill health. Contributing factors – over the past 15 years – include poor quality housing, low income and insecure employment. The result is the “NHS has faced rising demand for healthcare from a society in distress”.

• There has been a “surge” in multiple long-term conditions, including a rise in poor mental health among children and young people. Fewer children get their vaccines and fewer adults now participate in things such as breast cancer screening.

• Waiting times targets are being missed across the board, including for surgery, cancer care, A&E and mental health services. “Long waits have become normalised” and “A&E is in an awful state”.

• People are struggling to see their GP. “GPs are seeing more patients than ever before, but with the number of fully qualified GPs relative to the population falling, waiting times are rising and patient satisfaction is at its lowest ever level.”

• Cancer care still lags behind other countries and cancer death rates are higher than in other countries. There was “no progress whatsoever” in diagnosing cancer at stage I and II between 2013 and 2021. However, more recent figures show some improvement.

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• Progress in cutting death rates from heart disease has stalled while rapid access to treatment has deteriorated.

• The NHS budget “is not being spent where it should be” and too great a share is being “spent in hospitals, too little in the community, and productivity is too low”. Too many hospital beds are taken up with people needing social care.

• Between 2009 and 2023 the number of nurses working in the community fell by 5%, while the number of health visitors dropped by nearly 20%.

• At the start of 2024, 2.8 million people were economically inactive due to long-term sickness, with most of the rise since the pandemic down to mental health conditions.

• Raids on capital budgets have left the NHS with crumbling buildings and too many outdated scanners, and “parts of the NHS are yet to enter the digital era”.

• The NHS delayed, cancelled or postponed far more routine care during the pandemic than any comparable health system.

• Too many NHS staff are “disengaged” and there are “distressingly high levels of sickness absence”.

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Sep 11 2024

New York Sun owner weighs takeover bid for The Daily Telegraph | Business News

The owner of The New York Sun, a right-leaning American newspaper, is weighing a surprise bid to become the new owner of The Daily Telegraph.

Sky News has learnt that Dovid Efune, who acquired the former daily broadsheet in 2021, has expressed an interest in acquiring one of Britain’s most influential daily newspapers and its Sunday sister title.

Mr Efune, who is also chairman of The Algemeiner, a Jewish newspaper originally published in Yiddish but which now appears in English.

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Mr Efune is being advised by the boutique investment bank Liontree while on Wednesday evening, Semafor, a US news outlet, reported that he had financial backing from Oaktree and Hudson Bay Capital, as well as the family office of hedge fund manager Michael Lefell.

The Daily and Sunday Telegraph are expected to change hands for between £400m and £500m.

A deadline for formal bids has been set for September 27, with National World, the London-listed vehicle headed by David Montgomery, and Sir Paul Marshall – who this week paid £100m for The Spectator – also among the likely bidders.

Mr Efune has not been publicly linked to the process until now, although industry sources said he first began exploring an offer when the original auction of the Telegraph titles kicked off last year.

One source said a management presentation had been scheduled for him with Telegraph executives.

In an opinion article published earlier this year, Mr Efune wrote: “At the Sun, we hold the view that the opportunity remains greater than ever for any newspaper that is compiled with a view to serve the reader above all.

“In the words of Charles Dana, a newspaper “must correspond to the wants of the people. It must furnish that sort of information which the people demand, or else it can never be successful.”

The Telegraph auction is being orchestrated by advisers to RedBird IMI, the Abu Dhabi-backed entity which was thwarted in its efforts to buy the media titles by a change in ownership law.

A separate bid orchestrated by Nadhim Zahawi, the former chancellor, is the subject of bilateral discussions with IMI, the Abu Dhabi-based venture which wanted to take a controlling stake in the British media assets before being blocked by the government.

Sky News revealed exclusively last month that Sir Paul was the frontrunner to buy The Spectator, which along with the Telegraph titles was owned by the Barclay family until their respective holding companies were forced into liquidation last year.

RedBird IMI, a joint venture between IMI and the American investor RedBird, paid £600m last year to acquire a call option that was intended to convert into equity ownership.

A sale of The Spectator for £100m would leave it needing to sell the Telegraph titles for £500m to recoup that outlay in full – or more than that once RedBird IMI’s fees and costs associated with the process are taken into account.

Of the unsuccessful bidders for the Telegraph, Lord Saatchi, the former advertising mogul, offered £350m, while Mediahuis, the Belgian publisher, also failed to make it through to the next round of the auction.

Lord Rothermere, the Daily Mail proprietor, pulled out of the bidding earlier in the summer amid concerns that he would be blocked on competition grounds.

Sky News recently revealed that Mr Zahawi had sounded out Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, about an executive role with The Daily Telegraph if he succeeded in buying the newspapers.

IMI is controlled by the UAE’s deputy prime minister and ultimate owner of Manchester City Football Club, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

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The Lloyds debt, which totalled more than £1.15bn, was repaid by RedBird IMI on behalf of the family.

RedBird IMI’s attempt to take ownership of the Telegraph titles and The Spectator was thwarted by the last Conservative government’s decision to change media law to prevent foreign states exerting influence over national newspapers.

RedBird IMI declined to comment, while Mr Efune has been contacted for comment.

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Sep 11 2024

Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art closed after man falls from balcony | UK News

An art gallery has closed its doors after a member of the public plunged from a balcony.

Emergency crews were called to Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.

The Scottish Ambulance Service dispatched an ambulance, a paramedic response unit and a single trauma team to the scene after the alarm was raised.

Police Scotland said officers remain at the scene at Royal Exchange Square.

A force spokesperson added: “Enquiries are ongoing.”

The gallery closed its doors following the incident.

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Glasgow Life, which runs the city’s cultural and sports services, said the visitor attraction will reopen as normal at 10am on Thursday.

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Sep 11 2024

UK economy continued to flatline in July recording no growth as Labour came to power – ONS | Business News

There was no growth in the UK economy in July, official figures show.

It’s the second month of stagnation, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said as GDP – the measure of everything produced in the UK – flatlined in the weeks following the election of the Labour government.

The flatline was not expected by economists, who had anticipated growth.

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Economists polled by the Reuters news agency forecast the economy would expand by 0.2%.

Some signs of growth

But there’s “longer-term strength” in the services sector meaning there was growth over the last three months as a whole and 0.5% expansion in the three months up to July.

Among the G7 group of industrialised nations, the UK had the highest growth rate for the first six months of 2024.

Why stagnation?

While there was growth in the services sector, led by computer programmers and the end of strikes in health, these gains were offset by falls for advertising companies, architects and engineers.

Manufacturing output fell overall due to “a particularly poor month for car and machinery firms”, the ONS said, while construction also declined.

What will it mean for interest rates?

Market expectations are for interest rates to remain unchanged by the Bank of England when they meet next week to consider their next move in the fight against inflation.

The central bank had raised the rate and made borrowing more expensive to reduce inflation.

A cut in November, at the next meeting of rate-setters, is expected. Rates are forecast to be brought down to 4.75% at that point.

Political reaction

In response to the figures Chancellor Rachel Reeves said:

“I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight. Two-quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for 14 years of stagnation.

“That is why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy.”

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Sep 11 2024

Joint mortgages being used as ‘weapons’ for domestic abuse in ‘hidden crime’, charity warns | UK News

Joint mortgages can be used as a “weapon” by domestic abusers against their current or former partners, a charity has warned.

A report by Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) said survivors of domestic abuse have been left with mortgage arrears, low credit ratings, and housing and economic insecurity.

At times, they said abusers have made their victims homeless by refusing to pay, agreeing to new terms, or selling up a joint mortgage.

One woman told the charity she is still in a joint mortgage with her former husband despite leaving him a decade ago.

“I can’t sell the property without his permission and, at any point, he can use his position to stop me from making mortgage repayments by withholding child support payments,” she said.

“Me and my children remain trapped in a mortgage prison with no way out.”

Sam Smethers, interim chief executive of SEA, has now called for new laws to protect victims and for financial services firms to make it harder for perpetrators to use joint mortgages to cause harm.

“Mortgage abuse is a hidden crime that’s destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of survivors,” he said.

“Right now, banks are limited in what they can do to stop abusers from causing a lifetime of debt and homelessness for survivors.

“While banks can do more to support survivors within current rules, only an urgent law change can stop abusers from destroying lives.

“We urge the government to set up an economic abuse task force to prevent abusers from weaponising joint mortgages.”

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The report – called Locked into a Mortgage, Locked out of my Home – referenced a survey by Opinium of more than 1,000 women who had a joint mortgage, carried out in the last two years.

It found 78% of women who experienced mortgage abuse from a partner felt unable to leave for fear of an unsafe living arrangement.

One in eight women – or 12% – said they experienced at least one aspect of abuse, and nearly half – 49% – said they had to cut back on essentials to cover their mortgage repayments.

Nine in 10 said their mental health suffered as a result of mortgage abuse, with 89% of respondents saying they experienced anxiety, depression, panic attacks or suicidal thoughts.

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Fiona Turner, head of vulnerability policy at UK Finance, said: “We know that more needs to be done with support from regulators and government.”

She added UK Finance has recommended mortgage lenders “review their policies to allow more flexibility when a victim-survivor is dealing with issues around an existing joint mortgage as lenders must currently show an equal responsibility to both borrowers”, and said a government task force is needed to address legal issues for lenders.

A government spokesperson said: “We recognise the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims, which is why this year we are providing £200,000 to Surviving Economic Abuse to raise awareness and support victims.

“The numbers in this report, which we are now considering, are stark and show how vital our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade is.”

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Sep 10 2024

King and Queen to visit Australia and Samoa – but not New Zealand | UK News

Buckingham Palace has released details of King and Queen’s tour of Australia and Samoa, but the trip will not include New Zealand.

An earlier plan to include a visit to New Zealand had to be cancelled “on doctor’s advice”, with “tough decisions” taken on the remainder of the programme for the trip, which will take place from 18-26 October.

With the King‘s ongoing cancer treatment, “subtle adjustments” have been made to the busy schedule to allow time for rest.

The King and Queen’s nine-day trip will take in Sydney, Canberra and Apia to “celebrate the best” of both Australia and Samoa.

It will be the King’s 17th official trip to Australia and his first to Samoa.

Australia will also be the first Commonwealth realm he has visited as monarch.

The couple will carry out a number of engagements, many of which will reflect their personal interests.

In Canberra, they will be welcomed to the Australian parliament by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has long-standing republican views.

They will also lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial, and visit the “For our Country” memorial, dedicated to the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The royal couple will attend a barbeque in Sydney and visit the iconic opera house perched on the harbour.

And perhaps most poignantly the King, who revealed he had cancer in February, will meet two cancer doctors. Both are Australians of the Year who were recognised for their work on skin cancer.

Australia currently has the world’s highest rates of melanoma.

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After the Australian leg of the tour, the couple will travel to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

This will be the first time the King has attended as head of the Commonwealth, a role he took over from the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Some had questioned whether this trip would take place after the King announced his cancer diagnosis in February.

His only overseas visit since then was to Normandy in June for the D-Day commemorations.

A state banquet isn’t part of the schedule, but the King will host a black-tie and traditional dress dinner for Commonwealth leaders.

Although the King and Queen will meet members of the public, palace officials have been advised against using the term “walkabout” which has a very different meaning for indigenous Australians.

For indigenous people, a “walkabout” is a rite of passage to mark one’s shift from adolescence to adulthood.

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