United Kingdom

    Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that allegations of sexual harassment against Alex Salmond could not be ignored or swept under the carpet, as it emerged that her predecessor had hoped to stop the revelations being made public. She said she had been aware for some time of the investigation into Mr Salmond but had no role in the process. She also said that her relationship with the former first minister, who was her mentor for a decade before she succeeded him in 2014, made the situation “extremely difficult” for her to come to terms with. Two individuals have made allegations of sexual assault against Mr Salmond, which he denies, with one incident said to have taken place in Bute House, the first minister's official resident in Edinburgh, in December 2013. He resigned ...

    The social media giant has carried out a dramatic crackdown on 'coordinated inauthentic behaviour' originating in Tehran and targeting countries including the UK and US. The 'Liberty Front Press' network of Facebook pages was publishing cartoons praising the Labour leader, mocking the Queen and lampooning Brexit among other material. Commons Culture Committee chair Damian Collins said he feared the haul of more than 650 pages was the 'tip of the iceberg'. They've found a few hundred here or there targeting the UK and US and there were 30,000 removed close to the French election, but my concern is that this would be the tip of the iceberg,' Mr Collins said. The activity, some of which dates back to 2011, included spreading political messages and attempting to hack ...

    For decades British people have complained about Americanisms creeping across the pond. But now it seems the trend is being reversed with linguists arguing that British English is influencing US speakers, rather than the other way around. Words such as dodgy, bespoke, wonky and twee have popped up in the vocabulary of American speakers influenced by a desire to sound more sophisticated. Language expert Ben Yagoda, who has been collecting examples on his blog, says he has even seen examples of mum rather than mom. The phenomenon is particularly strong on the east coast, where New Yorkers now talk about going to gastropubs, or on holiday, instead of vacation. Professor David Crystal, one of the worlds foremost experts in linguistics, said the phenomenon was influenc...

    The home secretary is apologising to 18 members of the Windrush generation believed to have been wrongfully removed or detained. A Home Office review identified the group as having come to the UK from the Caribbean before 1973 and stayed permanently, but were unable to prove their continued residence in the country. Of the group of 18, the review found 11 left the UK voluntarily while the remaining seven were detained but subsequently released without being removed. The Home Office has so far contacted 14 of the 18, with those who are not currently in the UK being given the option to return and made aware of their possible right to compensation. Sajid Javid said: "The experiences faced by some members of the Windrush generation are completely unacceptable and I am...

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond during visit to Bombardier factory in Belfast. Philip Hammond was forced to rewrite Treasury plans for a no-deal Brexit after they were likened to Project Fear, government sources claimed last night. Ministers are due to publish the first of 84 documents detailing contingency plans this week. However, two Government sources said that concerns were raised with Chancellor Mr Hammond over the tone of several Treasury reports. Sections on the current status of EU arrangements were too ‘upbeat’, while the consequences of leaving the EU without a deal were portrayed as ‘negative’. They have since been amended to ensure they are more factual, the sources told The Daily Telegraph. Treasury papers are thought to include analysis...

    EU migrants living in the UK will reportedly be given the right to remain in the country in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Leaked Cabinet papers seen by The Daily Telegraph reveal that ministers plan to take the moral high ground by unilaterally granting the 3.8 million EU nationals in the UK the right to stay. However the move was also said to reflect concerns of potential labour shortages in key sectors of the economy once Britain is outside the EU. The newspaper said the details would be set out in one of around 80 technical notes due to be published by the government, starting on Thursday. The papers aim to help inform the public and businesses what to do in the event of a no deal. It will mean EU citizens in the UK would be able to continue accessing the NHS...

    Nigel Farage has announced he will once again begin actively campaigning in British politics against Theresa May’s fraudulent Nigel Farage has announced he will once again begin actively campaigning in British politics against Theresa May’s fraudulent plans for Brexit. The ex-Ukip leader said it was necessary as a result of the deceit and treachery of politicians and senior figures in British society in their approach to EU withdrawal. In particular he singled out an exclusive report in The Independent on warnings from the British Medical Association that a no-deal Brexit would be a catastrophe for the NHS. It comes as The Independent also drives forward with its Final Say campaign for a new referendum on the outcome of Brexit with more than 650,000 people now havi...

    The government is breaching fundamental obligations to protect its citizens’ right to life by failing to address the systemic problems that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the UK’s human rights watchdog has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG) outlining its concerns about the continued use of combustible cladding in existing buildings and advising the department of its responsibilities under human rights laws to protect lives. The watchdog has yet to receive a response from the department, which in June launched a consultation into the use of cladding, believed to be a key factor in the Grenfell disaster. The commission said it was concerned that the consultation omit...

    Boris Johnson’s official Facebook page is host to hundreds of Islamophobic messages, a newspaper investigation has found. The Sunday Times said an examination of his web-page uncovered calls to ban Islam, deport Muslims and vile attacks on London Mayor Sadiq Khan. It comes after the ex-foreign secretary mocked women wearing the niqab and burqa as looking like letterboxes and bank robbers, with one Facebook follower praising him for having the bottle to start getting rid of these bloody Muslims. A source close to the former foreign secretary said he totally condemns the hateful views posted by a small minority on his Facebook followers. All of the comments appear under posts promoting Mr Johnson’s articles and speeches. One reads: Come on Boris, you had the bottle...

    Armed police were deployed after ball bearings were fired at two mosques in Birmingham from what is thought to be a heavy duty catapult. The attacks come days after 29-year-old Salih Khater, who is from the city, was arrested after a car collided with cyclists and pedestrians and crashed into a security barrier in Westminster. Officers were called to the Masjid Qamarul Islam mosque on Fosbrooke Road, Small Heath, at around 10pm on Wednesday, and to the Al-Hijrah mosque on Hob Moor Road 20 minutes later. West Midlands Police said it had recovered some ball bearings which smashed windows during evening prayers. They appeared to have been fired from a substantial catapult, officers added. Police are patrolling the area to reassure residents, and say a motive is uncle...