United Kingdom

    The government’s energy policy is under renewed pressure after the prolonged closure of one of Britain’s oldest nuclear reactors due to cracks in its graphite core raised questions over the future of six other plants built in the 1970s and 1980s. The temporary shutdown of reactor three at Hunterston B in Scotland is also expected to burn an estimated £120m hole in the revenues of its owner, EDF Energy. EDF said this week it was taking the reactor offline for six months, after inspections found more cracks than expected in the graphite bricks at the reactor’s core. However, while safety fears have been quashed, the potential impact on wider energy strategy has alarmed experts who warn the reactor may never restart. Peter Atherton, an analyst at the consultancy Corn...

    At least 1,000 highly skilled migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK are wrongly facing deportation under a section of the Immigration Act designed in part to tackle terrorists and individuals judged to be a threat to national security, MPs and experts have said. In the latest scandal to hit the Home Office after the Windrush crisis, a range of MPs and immigration experts have criticised the use of the controversial section 322(5) of the act, with two saying the crisis-hit department is truly wicked and abusing its power. Experts say the highly skilled workers including teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers and IT professionals are being refused ILR after being accused of lying in their applications either for making minor and legal amendments t...

    As many of you will already know, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have invited 600 guests to their royal wedding on 19 May at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. And yes, while we’re still mourning the factthe couple decided to bump us off their original guest list, is it bad that we’re slightly smug at hearing the pair decided to cut down the number of attendees? According to E!, the famous chapel can hold approximately 800 people. However, the soon-to-be married couple reportedly decided to cut 200 potential guests to the church ceremony in order to accomodate an altered seating plan. An insider told the publication the couple have considered spreading out the chapel's pews or arranging them diagonally so guests can get a better view of the altar. Basically, Hazz...

    The UK was found to have a third the number of hospital beds per head compared with Germany. The NHS has among the lowest per capita numbers of doctors, nurses and hospital beds in the western world, a new study of international health spending has revealed. The stark findings come from a new King’s Fund analysis of health data from 21 countries, collected by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. They reveal that only Poland has fewer doctors and nurses than the UK, while only Canada, Denmark and Sweden have fewer hospital beds, and that Britain also falls short when it comes to scanners. If the 21 countries were a football league then the UK would be in the relegation zone in terms of the resources we put into our healthcare system, as measu...

    Theresa May has been accused of resurrecting Project Fear after her Business Secretary warned that thousands of jobs will be at risk unless the Government adopts a Customs partnership with the EU. Eurosceptics Cabinet ministers thought they had killed off the plans after a meeting of the Brexit wars Cabinet last week amid concerns it would lead to a climbdown over Brexit and see Britain staying in the Customs Union. However Mrs May has insisted that the partnership is still on the table, with the issue set to be decided at another meeting of the Brexit war cabinet on Thursday. Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, disclosed that he spoke to Toyota last week and as he raised concerns that 3,500 jobs could be at risk if the company decides to locate a new plant in Euro...

    New cars unable to travel at least 50 miles on electric power might be banned by 2040, it has been reported. It was announced last year that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be banned by 2040, but the impact on hybrids was unclear. Only cars with a zero emissions range of at least 50 miles may escape the ban, according to Autocar. The measure will be included in the Government’s Road To Zero Strategy aimed at tackling air pollution, the car magazine reported. Some 99% of new cars available now would be outlawed if such a rule is introduced, including popular hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius. A Department for Transport (DfT) spokeswoman said: “It is categorically untrue that Government is planning to ban the sale of hybrid cars in the UK by 2040....

    Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have both talked up the performances of their parties following the local elections. Fears of a difficult set of results for the Tories proved unfounded, as they managed to hold on to a number of London councils and make gains in Brexit-supporting areas of the North and Midlands, suffering a net loss of 30 seats. There were bright spots for Labour - including its best performance in London since 1971 and victories in Kirklees and Plymouth - but the party failed to match pre-poll expectations of widespread gains. The Liberal Democrats saw an uptick in fortunes, gaining control of four councils and performing well in Remain-backing areas. UKIP, meanwhile, experienced an electoral bloodbath, losing more than 120 councillors. The performa...

    Up to 100 grams of liquid nerve agent were used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said. Ahmet Uzumcu told the New York Times the amount of Novichok used around half a cup of liquid suggests it was created for use as a weapon rather than for research purposes. Mr Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives in hospital after being found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury on March 4. The inquiry into the nerve agent attack in the Wiltshire city has involved 250 detectives who have gone through more than 5,000 hours of CCTV and interviewed more than 500 witnesses. Mr Uzumcu told the paper the Novichok cou...

    The European commission and the European parliament jointly purchased the Westminster building in 2010 for £20m, and renamed it Europe House The European Union is planning to defy Tory Brexiters and retain its offices in London the former Conservative central office at 32 Smith Square as an outpost from which to communicate with British citizens after Brexit, leaked documents reveal. High-profile Brexiters had called last year for the EU to hand back 32 Smith Square, a large red-brick building that was previously Margaret Thatcher’s headquarters and the scene of her general election victories. After 50 years of Tory ownership, the European commission and the European parliament jointly purchased the Westminster building in 2010 for £20m, and renamed it Europe House...

    People have been denied the right to vote in local council elections in a controversial pilot of ID checks that force voters to prove their identities before casting their ballot. A 76-year-old man who has lived in Bromley for 40 years told The Independent he was shocked to be turned away because he did not have a bank card or passport. This is a nonsense scheme, Peter White added. Gosport, Swindon, Watford and Woking are also running the pilot schemes, which have long raised fears that people will be wrongly disenfranchised. Mr White's wife, Kathleen Milward, said that although she does have the relevant identification, she will not be voting out of principle. I'm angry because I don't believe in carrying ID. Having the vote is a basic human right in a democracy...