Author: News Desk

California Mass shooting: Gunman kills 8 plus himself in San Jose shooting Sam Cassidy, 57, has been identified by police as the shooter who opened fire at a California light-rail maintenance facility Wednesday, before turning the gun on himself.  Cassidy worked at the Valley Transportation Authority facility in San Jose. Police confirmed he took his own life as police closed in on him. No motive for the shooting or information of the type of gun used has been released by authorities.  One person was wounded in the shooting and is in critical condition at a local hospital.  President Joe Biden…

At least 46 politicians murdered by Mexican gangs  Authorities are recording record levels of violence against candidates as gangs push to control more territory, making the June 6 election campaign one of Mexico’s bloodiest in recent history.  The most recent murder was of mayoral candidate Alma Barragan – who was shot dead on Tuesday, bringing the total number of candidates murdered nationwide to 34.  Mexico has a dark history of election violence, but the campaigning for the June election has become one of the bloodiest in recent history as gangs have kidnapped and murdered dozens of politicians to strengthen their…

Australia: 7-day Victoria lockdown ordered, amid fresh Covid-19 outbreak and slow vaccine rollout  Australia’s second-most populous state Victoria will see nearly seven million people start a snap lockdown on Thursday night as a fresh outbreak doubled overnight.  Officials are blaming the slow vaccine rollout and hotel quarantine failures for the outbreak and emergency measures.  The snap lockdown will be in place for seven days, and people are only allowed to leave their homes for essential work, healthcare, grocery shopping and exercise.  “In the last day, we’ve seen more evidence we’re dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus, a…

Hamas won’t touch aid for Gaza, after US pledge $40m  Hamas has promised not to touch “a single cent” of international aid to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after the 11-day bombardment on the region for 11 days – one of the worst outbreaks of violence between Israel and Hamas in many years.  The head of the group’s political wing in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, promised the “transparent and impartial” distribution of aid. “We welcome any international or Arab effort to rebuild the Gaza Strip,” Sinwar said. “I affirm our commitment not to take a single cent intended for reconstruction and…

French Open: World No 2 Naomi Osaka on press junkets impact on mental health  Four-times grand slam champion Naomi Osaka has said she will not be speaking to the press at this year’s French Open, saying the press conferences put an unfair burden on mental health.  “I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros,” she tweeted on Wednesday. “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.” “We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve…

Matt Hancock to face MPs after Dominic Cummings committee meeting  Health Secretary Matt Hancock will face MPs today, after former PM aide Dominic Cummings unleashed a fierce attack during his committee meeting to discuss the governments handling of the pandemic.  Cummings described Hancock as “completely incapable of doing the job” and said he “should have been fired” for lying. He also criticised Hancock over PPE shortages and “stupid” testing targets.  A spokesman for Mr Hancock said: “We absolutely reject Mr Cummings’ claims about the health secretary.” “The health secretary will continue to work closely with the prime minister to deliver…

Princess Diana: Esty selling replica Princess Diana fashion – her famous  sweatshirts It’s been almost 24 years since Princess Diana’s death but the people’s princess is still a huge influence and her style has over the last few years has seen a resurgence.  Diana showcased many elegant and chic outfits, but her street style has been making a comeback – think Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber copying Diana’s classic cycling shorts and the oversized sweater looks.  If you’re a fan of Diana’s style you can snap up a replica of one of her iconic sweatshirts from Etsy – and it’s fairly…

Dominic Cummings: 10 key claims so far In the highly-anticipated Dominic Cummings committee meeting, the former chief adviser to the PM has made a whole load of explosive claims about how the government handled the pandemic.  Here are 10 key points so far from Cummings’s evidence.  ‘I’m sorry’  Dominic Cummings kicked off the (so far) 6-hour committee meeting with an apology.  “The truth is that senior ministers, senior officials, senior advisers like me fell disastrously short of the standards that the public has a right to expect of its government in a crisis like this. When the public needed us…

Dominic Cummings on the infamous Barnard Castle trip  Barnard Castle Dominic Cummings opened up in his committee meeting about the “infamous trip” to Barnard Castle and the Rose Garden press conference.  Cummings said the whole Barnard Castle episode was a major disaster for the government and for policy.   He says in the autumn of 2019 he had to move out because his family were facing security threats.  “On 28 February when I was dealing with the Covid problem I was down in Westminster when my wife called and said there was a gang of people outside saying they were going…

Dominic Cummings committee: Matt Hancock should be sacked for 15-20 things including lying  The explosive Dominic Cummings committee meeting is in full swing, with the prime minister’s former aide saying Matt Hancock should have been sacked for lying to the public and fellow ministers. During his exposing of a litany of government “failures” to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, he has singled out Hancock, saying he should have been fired for “at least 15 to 20 thing” including lying to everybody on “multiple occasions”. Cummings said he suggested this to the PM and Mark Sedwill.  KEY POINTS: Cummings said Hancock should’ve…