Muslim pilgrims in Mecca have circled the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, and then converged on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The event is returning to its full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. So far, more than 1.8 million pilgrims from all over […]
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There is “no doubt” that events in Afghanistan will have “heartened and emboldened” extremists, the boss of MI5 said as he warned of the potential return of “al Qaida-style” terrorist plots. Director-general Ken McCallum said that, although the Government has pledged to judge the Taliban by their actions, the UK security service and its partners […]
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India’s crematoria and burial grounds are being overwhelmed by the devastating new surge of coronavirus infections tearing through the country, depleting the supply of life-saving oxygen to critical levels and leaving patients to die while waiting to see doctors. For the fourth straight day, on Sunday India set a global daily record of new infections, […]
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Police officers have said they “deeply regret” the upset caused by shutting down a Good Friday church service for breaching coronavirus rules. Two Metropolitan Police officers attended a service at Christ the King in Balham, south London, on Sunday to address worshippers about the incident. Officers had halted the Friday service when they found some […]
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A new temporary mortuary that can hold up to 1,300 bodies has been built in London as the capital faces a growing Covid-19 death toll. A council leader described how the newly-built facility in north-west London acted as a “sobering reminder” of how the pandemic is affecting thousands of lives as he urged people to […]
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The risk of being exposed to Covid-19 is now 100 times greater than it was four months ago, the Department of Health has warned. Deputy chief medical officer Dr Heather Burns appealed for people to stay at home and adhere to public health guidance as the country’s incident rate exceeded 300 per 100,000 population for […]
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Pope Francis apologised to the faithful for not being able to greet them and shake their hands as Italy posted a record spike in coronavirus infections that is threatening to once again spiral out of control. Instead of wading into the crowd to embrace the sick and kiss babies during his weekly general audience on […]
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The Charity Commission has launched a new inquiry into a south London church which was found to be selling a coronavirus “plague protection kit”. Bishop Climate Wiseman, head of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, claimed earlier this year that the £91 small bottle of oil and piece of red yarn would protect people against Covid-19. […]
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We are currently seeing a change and shift in relations between the United Kingdom and the Chinese Communist Party. This on the back of a number of issues that have included Huawei, the Coronavirus crisis, aggressive postures against human rights activists in Hong Kong and the mass internment of Uighur Muslims. For far too long, […]
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he hopes for a Royal Commission into social care after the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to BBC News, Justin Welby said he hoped there would be lessons learned after this crisis, mentioning a Royal Commission, a rarely used form of public inquiry. The archbishop said: “What I hope and pray […]
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