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More Than 100 People Arrested At London ‘Kill The Bill’ Protest

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The Metropolitan Police said 107 people were arrested in London on Saturday as demonstrations were held across England against plans to increase police powers.

Thousands of people marched in towns and cities in protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, despite the Covid-19 lockdown.

The proposed legislation would give police in England and Wales more powers to impose conditions on non-violent protests – including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with those convicted liable to fines or jail terms.

Throughout Saturday, police dealt with what they said were “peaceful” Kill the Bill protests in areas including London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool and Dorset.

On Sunday, Scotland Yard said 107 people were arrested for a range of offences during the demonstration in central London.

The alleged offences included breach of the peace, violent disorder, assault on a police officer and breaches of coronavirus legislation.

The force previously said 10 officers had been injured, though “none of these are believed to be serious”.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show the arrests of legal observers, who typically monitor the actions of police during demonstrations.

One woman was also arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.

Outcomes await for those who have been arrested, the force added.

Commander Ade Adelekan said: “While our advice to people remains not to attend large gatherings, the vast majority of people who attended central London yesterday adhered to social distancing, and engaged and listened to my officers.

“However, as the afternoon wore on it became clear that a small number of people were intent on remaining to cause disruption to law-abiding Londoners.

“Despite repeated instructions from officers to leave, they did not and, amid increasing levels of disorder, arrests were made.

“We should not allow the behaviour of a few individuals who attend these events with the purpose of committing criminal acts to taint the good behaviour of the majority who attended yesterday.”

In Bristol, Avon and Somerset Police said more than 1,500 people attended a protest in the city.

The M32 motorway was temporarily closed to inbound traffic at junction 3 when a smaller group of protesters occupied the road.

At around midnight, a section 35 dispersal order was issued for the city centre following “several instances of minor disorder between protesters”, police said.

Seven people were later arrested.

Superintendent Mark Runacres said: “At around midnight there were several altercations between the small number of people who remained in the city centre. We never tolerate violence and so we made the decision to move people on.

“It’s disappointing that once again there were those who refused to listen to our requests to leave and that we had to make arrests.”

There was a low-key response from Northumbria Police as hundreds of people gathered beneath Grey’s Monument in Newcastle.

Protesters, including one who held up a placard saying “we will not be silenced”, cheered as a singer with a guitar performed in opposition to the proposed Bill.

Many took the knee at the Civic Centre and held a minute’s silence for victims of oppression, after which a round of applause broke out.

Dorset Police thanked those who took part in “peaceful protests” in Bournemouth and Weymouth and stuck to the Covid-19 restrictions.

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PM To Detail ‘Traffic Light’ System For Overseas Holidays And Travel

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Boris Johnson is to outline plans for the easing of coronavirus restrictions on foreign travel from England, potentially opening the way for holidays abroad this summer.

The PM will announce details on Monday of a “traffic light” system for rating overseas destinations, lowering controls on journeys to those countries assessed as being at the lowest risk.

Officials stressed travel would not begin before May 17 at the earliest and that it was still too soon to predict which countries would be cleared.

The advice remains that people should wait for the full report of the government’s global travel task force due on April 12 before booking a holiday.

It comes as many European countries are imposing new lockdown restrictions as a third wave of the pandemic spreads across the continent.

Under the traffic light system, assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country’s population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Travellers arriving from countries rated “green” will not be required to isolate although pre-departure and post-arrival tests will still be needed.

For those classed as “amber” or “red”, the restrictions will remain as they are with arrivals required to isolate or enter quarantine.

The industry body, Airlines UK, which has been calling for some type of traffic light system, said it was important that mass air travel was able to resume soon.

“There are tens of thousands of jobs dependent upon aviation and restarting travel, and the sector cannot survive another lost summer with little or no revenue,” said chief executive Tim Alderslade.

“We can do this proportionately and in a risk-based way, it’s not a question of opening up the border to every country out there.

“If there are concerns about variants restrictions will remain but where it is safe to do so we need to start the process of opening up.

“We cannot with a straight face talk about Global Britain without aviation.”

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These Are The First Mass Events You Might Be Able To Attend

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The government is to begin trials to enable the safe return of crowds to mass gatherings including Wembley football cup finals and indoor events such as comedy clubs as it prepares to launch its so-called “vaccine passport”.

People attending a range of sporting events, conferences and clubs will be tested both before and after in the next step towards the easing of restrictions in England.

Ministers said the scheme, which will include the FA Cup final at Wembley, will be used to gather scientific evidence on how venues can reopen without the need for social distancing.

However the move is likely to prove controversial with many MPs deeply concerned about the implications for civil liberties of requiring people to prove whether they are clear of the disease in order to attend certain events.

More than 40 Tories have signed a letter publicly opposing the use of vaccine passports in a campaign which has brought together ex-Conservative and Labour leaders Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Jeremy Corbyn.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, who has led the task force responsible for drawing up the plans, acknowledged it raised “a host of practical and ethical questions” which needed to be resolved before there could any wider rollout.

However he said that it was essential that the government took the lead, otherwise venues and other businesses would simply begin setting up their own certification schemes.

“These questions aren’t easy to resolve but I don’t think we can duck them,” he said in an article for The Sunday Telegraph.

“Unless the government takes a lead we risk others establishing the rules of the road.”

The first trial is due to take place on April 16 at the Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool with an audience of 300 to be followed two days later by the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley with a crowd of 4,000.

Other events where the scheme is to be tested include the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, running from April 17 to May 3, and a mass participation run at Hatfield House on April 24 and 25.

The pilots will culminate with the FA Cup final on May 15, again at Wembley but this time with a crowd of 21,000.

People attending the trials will have to adhere to an agreed code of behaviour when they purchase a ticket and to take a Covid test both before and after the event.

They will be required to follow existing government guidance, including wearing face coverings, and to provide contact details of everyone in their group for NHS Test and Trace.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “By piloting a range of measures to reduce transmission, we can gather vital scientific evidence to inform our plans for allowing events in the future.”

At the same time the government is working on the development of a “Covid status certification” scheme, the so-called “vaccine passport”.

Ministers have said that it could involve the use of the NHS app, although they acknowledge there will have to be an option for paper certificates for those who do not have access to the digital option.

In developing the scheme, officials will take into account three factors, whether an individual has received the vaccine, has recently tested negative for the virus, or has “natural immunity” having tested positive in the previous six months.

Ministers believe the scheme will be most useful in managing the risks where the are large numbers of people in close proximity such as music festivals, sporting matches and nightclubs.

Settings where certification will not be required include essential shops and public transport.

It will also not apply initially to businesses which are set to reopen over the coming weeks such as pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail.

Officials are working with clinical and ethical experts to ensure there are “appropriate exemptions” for people who are advised to the vaccine and for whom repeat testing would be difficult.

Boris Johnson, who will set out more details on Monday, said: “We have made huge strides over the past few months with our vaccine programme and everyone in the country has made huge sacrifices to get us to this stage in our recovery from Covid-19.

“We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country so people can return to the events, travel and other things they love as safely as possible, and these reviews will play an important role in allowing this to happen.”

The PM will also outline the government’s approach for easing restrictions on foreign travel when its global travel task force reports on April 12.

Ministers have made clear that the ban on foreign travel will remain in place until at least May 17.

When it is finally lifted, it will be replaced by a risk-based “traffic light” system with red, amber and green ratings for countries around the world.

This will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of the population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Travellers arriving from countries rated “green” will not be required to isolate although pre-departure and post-arrival tests will still be needed.

For those classed as “amber” or “red”, the restrictions will remain as they are with arrivals required to isolate or enter quarantine.

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Benedict Cumberbatch Suspects He Fell Ill With Covid While Filming On Location Early In Pandemic

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Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he thinks he could have been among the first people to contract coronavirus after falling ill in late 2019.

The Oscar-nominated actor said that while filming his latest film The Mauritanian on location, he became seriously ill after arriving in South Africa.

Speaking to The Independent more than a year later, Benedict explained: “I was incredibly ill, to the point that when all this Covid stuff suddenly broke in the new year, I was thinking, ‘oh my god was I actually patient zero?’.

“I was so ill – it was borderline pneumonia.”

Because of his filming schedule, Benedict was forced to “plough on” despite his illness, but says he even found himself “throwing up between takes” in the early days of shooting.

Slaven Vlasic via Getty Images

Benedict Cumberbatch in October 2019

Benedict isn’t the only actor who believes he may have contracted Covid-19 in the early stages of the pandemic.

Last year, Hugh Grant claimed that he and his wife suffered coronavirus symptoms in February 2020.

“It started as just a very strange syndrome where I kept breaking into a terrible sweat. It was like a poncho of sweat, embarrassing really,” he told US talk show host Stephen Colbert.

“Then my eyeballs felt about three sizes too big and this feeling as though an enormous man was sitting on my chest – Harvey Weinstein or someone. I thought, ‘I don’t know what this is’.”

Gwyneth Paltrow has also said that she was diagnosed with the disease “early on” in the pandemic, and went on to suffer long Covid symptoms.

As well as playing a military prosecutor in The Mauritanian, which centres around Guantanamo Bay, Benedict is also a producer on the film, with Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim and Shailene Woodley among the cast.

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Benedict Cumberbatch in character in The Mauritanian

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Dog Steals Russian Weather Presenter’s Mic And Runs Off In Unbelievable Live Broadcast

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They say to never work with animals on live TV – but sometimes they have a way of making themselves known regardless.

Earlier this week, Russian weather presenter Nadezhda Serezhkina was left stunned when a dog interrupted her in the middle of a live broadcast, stealing her microphone and then running off with it.

The Mir 24 presenter was hosting the day’s weather report live from Moscow when the canine intruder jumped up and took her microphone, before bounding down the street with the equipment still in its mouth.

Unfortunately for Nadezhda, the camera remained on her while she was forced to chase after it in a bid to try and get her mic back.

Back in the Mir 24 studio, stoic anchor Elina Dashkueva explained to viewers (per Mediaite): “It looks like we have lost the connection to our correspondent. We will try to connect with her momentarily.”

Fortunately, the story had a happy ending, and later in the show, Nadezhda was able to complete her weather report, with her new pooch pal at her side, no less.

She also showed a close up of the microphone, explaining that aside from a few teeth marks, her equipment had escaped from the incident unscathed.

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Friends Star David Schwimmer Teases What’s In Store For Reunion Special

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David Schwimmer has teased what fans should expect from the long-awaited Friends reunion special, which is to begin filming in a matter of days.

It was first confirmed back in February 2020 that the cast of Friends would be recording a nostalgic look back at the show for US streaming service HBO Max, but due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, filming has been pushed back on a number of occasions.

On Friday night, David – who played Ross Geller in the hit 90s sitcom – made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, and lifted the lid on what we have to look forward to in the one-off special.

He told the host: “We’re going to be shooting a Friends reunion next week so I’m hopping on a plane this afternoon. I’m gonna see everyone next week for the first time in many years.”

Dave J Hogan via Getty Images

David Schwimmer

David continued: “There’s nothing scripted. We’re not in character, we’re all ourselves – the real people.

“We are all ourselves, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, but we all read something.”

The actor also confessed that it’s been a long time since he actually sat down and watched Friends, joking: “I should have genned up on old episodes, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to catch up on the 236 shows.

“I guess I need to watch a lot over the next five days!”

NBC via Getty Images

The cast of Friends pictured ahead of the show’s last series in 2004

Last month, David revealed that special measures were being taken to ensure that filming went ahead safely in the pandemic.

He explained: “Finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols.”

David declined to reveal who would be on hosting duties for the unscripted episode, but ruled out Ellen Degeneres and former Friends guest star Billy Crystal.

Back in January, former cast member Lisa Kudrow revealed she’d “already shot a little something” for the special, teasing: “It is not a reboot, it is not like a scripted thing, we are not portraying our characters.

“It is us getting together, which just doesn’t happen and has never happened in front of other people since 2004 when we stopped.”

Watch more of David’s Graham Norton interview below:

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How Controversial Covid Vaccine Passports Could Work

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The possible introduction of domestic vaccine passports in England has been hailed as “useful for us as we go forward” but also been branded “dangerous” and “discriminatory”.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has suggested that vaccine certification has a role to play as the nation seeks ways to safely ease out of lockdown.

But a cross-party group of politicians, including some Conservative MPs, fear a vaccine passport scheme could be “divisive”.

This is how they might work and why they are controversial.

How could a vaccine passport scheme work?

Any scheme is likely to go beyond just showing whether someone has had a vaccine – as jabs are not mandatory – but would also cover whether they have had Covid-19, and so are likely to have antibodies, or if they have had a recent negative test.

The finer details of how any scheme could work remain unclear but the Government is expected to issue an update on its plans this month.

Where could they be used?

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has suggested that vaccine passports will not be introduced on a “permanent basis” but they could be a beneficial “tool in the short term” to safely reopen venues.

This could potentially include hospitality venues, music events and theatres.

Johnson has suggested a certificate could give “maximum confidence” to businesses and customers as society reopens.

Last week, he said it “may be up to individual publicans” whether they carry out health certificate checks on punters before allowing them into their premises.

It could mean pub landlords may be able to scrap social distancing if they check Covid health certificates on entry, and allow them to operate at much higher capacity.

On an international level, some countries are already working on requirements for people to prove their status before arriving. The European Union is working on a digital green certificate showing if someone is vaccinated, has a negative test or has recovered from Covid-19.

Has there been opposition to the idea?

More than 70 MPs, including 40 Conservatives, as well as peers from the House of Lords, have launched a campaign to oppose the introduction of vaccine passports in England, claiming they would be “divisive and discriminatory”.

A pledge, signed by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as well as other prominent figures such as Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith, Labour former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, warns the Government against bringing in the scheme.

Baroness Chakrabarti, who warns that using coronavirus certificates could create a “checkpoint Britain,” told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s one thing to have a passport to travel internationally, that is a privilege, even a luxury, but participating in local community life is a fundamental right.”

What about the hospitality industry?

The British Beer and Pub Association (BPPA) fears that a move to recommend that pubs and other hospitality venues must demand proof of immunity from people to allow them to enter – with the threat of fines for venues if non-compliant – could prevent millions of young people visiting the pub for months, unless they get themselves tested in advance.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin says vaccine passports could feel like they are discriminating against sections of the population who have not had the jab, such as pregnant women.

Are any test events planned?

Reports suggest a series of pilot tests for certificates are being planned, which could include the FA Cup final and other sporting events in May.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is also exploring the possibility of using coronavirus passports to allow fans into County Championship games this summer.

With a date of June 21 in mind, the ECB’s managing director of county cricket, Neil Snowball, said: “It is going to be a question of balancing three things.

“One, if there is going to be some sort of passport or Covid certification, second is testing, third is some sort of social distancing and we have said we will do whatever we are asked to do to make sure we can get the maximum number of people back.

“The ideal would be some sort of certification with an element of social distancing and probably wearing masks.”

What issues could delay the plans?

The easing of restrictions is dependent on the continued success of the coronavirus vaccine rollout and further reductions in infection rates.

Capacities at sporting events will also be determined by the success of a number of pilot events taking place from mid-April.

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Covid Vaccine Passports: Boris Johnson Facing Tory Rebellion Over Certification Scheme

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More than 70 MPs as well as peers from the House of Lords have launched a campaign claiming coronavirus vaccine passports would be “divisive and discriminatory”.

The cross-party opposition includes 40 Tories and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

A pledge has been signed by Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith, Labour former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.

It has also been backed by a string of Tory former ministers including Esther McVey, Nus Ghani, Mark Harper and Harriett Baldwin.

Former shadow attorney general Baroness Shami Chakrabarti said the scheme would be “dangerous, discriminatory and counter-productive”.

The government has insisted no final decisions have been taken on whether Covid-status certification could play a role in reopening the economy.

It comes as a report in The Daily Telegraph suggested a series of pilot tests for certificates were being planned, which could include the FA Cup final and other sporting events in May.

Boris Johnson has defended the idea and suggested a certificate could give “maximum confidence” to businesses and customers as society reopens.

Any scheme is likely to go beyond just showing whether someone has had a vaccine – as jabs are not mandatory – covering whether they have had Covid-19, and so are likely to have antibodies, or if they have a negative recent test.

Baroness Chakrabarti, the former director of human rights organisation Liberty, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s dangerous, it’s discriminatory, it’s counter-productive.”

The Labour peer warned that using coronavirus certificates could create a “checkpoint Britain” as she urged for the country to “open up together” as restrictions ease.

“It’s one thing to have a passport to travel internationally, that is a privilege, even a luxury, but participating in local community life is a fundamental right,” she added.

The group’s pledge has been backed by Big Brother Watch, Liberty, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and Privacy International.

Senior Tory MP Sir Graham Brady, who is also a signatory to the pledge, which has been backed by a string of Conservative former ministers, insisted the aim should be to return to normal life.

The chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs said: “Covid-status certification would be divisive and discriminatory.

“With high levels of vaccination protecting the vulnerable and making transmission less likely, we should aim to return to normal life, not to put permanent restrictions in place.”

Earlier this week, Labour leader Keir Starmer indicated there could be opposition to the move among the public if death rates are near zero and hospital admissions are very low.

A government spokeswoman said: “The review is considering a range of issues, including the ethical, equalities, privacy, legal and operational aspects, and what limits, if any, should be placed on organisations using certification.”

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said that introducing vaccine passports could potentially “scupper things” for hospitality venues which are trying to reopen.

On the possible use of coronavirus certificates, she told BBC Breakfast: “This would be an additional burden put on to the pubs. We are desperate to get back open again. We are desperate to do that.

“We will play our part in test and trace but the additional burden of the vaccine passport could really, really scupper things.

“It is a difficult process for us to implement in venues and yet today we have not had a consultation with the government about how we would do this in pubs.”

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Tory Councillor Says £500 Self-Isolation Payment Could Be ‘Incentive’ To Spread Covid

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PAUL ELLIS via AFP via Getty Images

Shoppers pass beneath an electronic sign promoting the NHS Covi-19 app, outside the Arndale Centre in Manchester.

A Tory councillor has come under fire after suggesting £500 Covid-19 self-isolation payments would be an “incentive to spread” the virus.

John Fuller OBE, who is the Conservative leader of South Norfolk Council, told BBC Newsnight on Thursday: “Let’s not have a system whereby if you catch Covid, you get £500.

“That is an incentive to actually spread the disease, and that’s not in anybody’s interests.”

When asked by host Kirsty Wark, “Are you really saying £500 is an incentive for people to spread the disease?” he replied: “What I’m saying is… let’s not… I said let’s not have the incentive, I didn’t say it was, let’s not have an incentive that would encourage people to catch the disease.

“Our job is to bear down on it as quickly as we can.”

His words were condemned by Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotherham, who described the suggestion as “shocking” and “an insult” to the people who have died as a result of Covid-19. 

People who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace are entitled to a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment.

But Labour has said the payment – which can be claimed by those who cannot work from home but need to isolate – should be available to everyone without access to workplace sick pay.

The Test and Trace Support Payment applies to both employed and self-employed people in England, but there is concern that some people who need it are unable to access it.

On Thursday’s BBC Newsnight, the Liverpool mayor cited figures showing 70% of applications for the payment were being rejected.

“There is no one-off £500 payment that would convince anybody, even on low pay, to actually get Covid,” he said in response to Fuller.

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Far-Right Will Use Government-Backed Race Report ‘As A Cover’ For Racism, Campaigners Warn

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The controversial government-backed report which claimed institutional racism does not exist in the UK will be used as a “cover” by the far-right to “peddle their own racism”, anti-racism campaigners have warned.

Hope Not Hate said the report contains a number of views that are often echoed in far-right groups, as well as right-wing media and on the right of the Conservative Party.

But the far right in particular will use the findings to “deny racism exists” and validate their own narrative of “white people being the real victims of racism”, which could lead to a rise in political and physical attacks on those who strive for racial equality, the campaigners said.

It came as leading the Runnymede Trust, a leading race equality think-tank, said the report was “littered with racist tropes”, including references to the “optimism” of some immigrants as opposed to others, references to absent Black fathers and claims of “rising sensitivity” among ethnic minorities to racism.

The commission “repeats harmful stereotypes”, “belittles the realities of racial injustice in this country” and has “set race relations back decades”, the trust said.

The review has sparked widespread criticism, particularly over its suggestion that British schools should teach “a new story” about slavery that is not only “about profit and suffering”. 

The day after its publication on Wednesday, Downing Street’s most senior Black adviser, Samuel Kasumu, quit his post, although No.10 sources insisted his departure had “absolutely nothing to do with the report”. 

Nick Lowles, director of Hope Not Hate, said the report amplified “libertarian conservative views on race” that were previously “consigned to the margins for 30 years”.

“The consequences could be very dangerous,” he told HuffPost UK.

“The far right, and racists generally, will use this report to deny racism exists and as a cover to peddle their own racism. 

“They will feel that their own narrative of white people being the real victims of racism will be validated and as a consequence we are also likely to see an increase in their political and physical attacks on those who strive for racial equality and justice.”

Lowles also highlighted January polling by Hope Not Hate which suggested 62% of ethnic minority Britons agree Black and Asian people face discrimination in their daily lives, while 40% experienced or saw racial violence in the past 12 months.

“The report is a small group of ideologically minded people telling huge swathes of ethnic minority communities that they are wrong about their own experiences,” he said.

Runnymede policy officer Alba Kapoor said the commission was “a fig leaf looking to disguise the realities of structural racism in our society, instead of taking meaningful steps to address it”.

She told HuffPost UK: “This report not only seeks to belittle the realities of racial injustice in this country, but it is also littered with concerning racist tropes.

“It repeats harmful stereotypes about ethnic minority family structures and goes so far as to claim that some experiences of racism are just imagined. 

“This rhetoric is offered without meaningful policy measures to address the injustices faced by Black and ethnic minority families that this government feigns concern for.

“However you spin it, these kinds of comments should never be seen in a government report, and set race relations back decades.”

Earlier, Boris Johnson called the review a “very interesting piece of work” but admitted more needed to be done to address racism.

“I don’t say the government is going to agree with absolutely everything in it, but it has some original and stimulating work in it that I think people need to read and to consider,” the prime minister said during a visit to Middlesbrough.

“There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address.

“We’ve got to do more to fix it, we need to understand the severity of the problem, and we’re going to be looking at all the ideas that they have put forward, and we’ll be making our response.”

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