The chair of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry is reportedly prepared to increase the scope of his investigation and consider the "broad" causes of the blaze.
Campaigners have called for Sir Martin Moore-Bick to be replacedafter he said the inquiry would be "pretty well limited" to examining the causes of the fire, how it spread and how to prevent similar fires in future.
However, a source told the Press Association the retired judge was also looking to examine issues tracing back to building regulations at the time the block was erected.
"He is very happy to look at why there were warnings that weren't listened to, these were the allegations," the source said.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Narendra Modi to become first Indian PM to visit Israel
Narendra Modi will become the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel when he arrives on Tuesday.
Mr Modi, who recently said India and the Jewish state share a "deep and centuries-old" connection, is expected to agree military and cyber security deals.
Observers note he will not travel to Ramallah or meet Palestinian leaders, as visiting dignitaries often do.
The visit is seen by some as a turning point on India's position on Israel.
Here is what the focus will be on over the next three days:
Defence deals will be top of the agenda
For years, Israel and India have been working closely together on counter-terrorism and defence issues and India has been a regular customer of arms from the Jewish state.
Working to modernise its military to counter China and Pakistan, India is now Israel's biggest arms market, thought to be worth about $1bn (£770,000) per year, according to Reuters news agency.
Mr Modi, who recently said India and the Jewish state share a "deep and centuries-old" connection, is expected to agree military and cyber security deals.
Observers note he will not travel to Ramallah or meet Palestinian leaders, as visiting dignitaries often do.
The visit is seen by some as a turning point on India's position on Israel.
Here is what the focus will be on over the next three days:
Defence deals will be top of the agenda
For years, Israel and India have been working closely together on counter-terrorism and defence issues and India has been a regular customer of arms from the Jewish state.
Working to modernise its military to counter China and Pakistan, India is now Israel's biggest arms market, thought to be worth about $1bn (£770,000) per year, according to Reuters news agency.
Monday, July 3, 2017
YouTube Star Stevie Ryan Dies at 33
YouTube star Stevie Ryan died over the weekend in her Los Angeles home, in what authorities have ruled a suicide.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office ruled Ryan's death on Saturday a suicide by hanging. Ryan, who was 33, became known for her Little LocaYouTube series and celebrity impersonations. She starred in the VH1 comedy series Stevie TV and was a co-host on Brody Jenner's talk show Sex with Brody.
Ryan had spoken out in recent days about the death of her grandfather.
"The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams. I'll miss you everyday, forever. I love you my Pa," she said in a Twitter post on Friday.
Ryan hosted a podcast about depression, called Mentally Ch(ill). In a recent episode, she also discussed her grandfather's death.
“I’m just worried that this is going to send me into a deeper depression,” she said during the episode, according to People.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office ruled Ryan's death on Saturday a suicide by hanging. Ryan, who was 33, became known for her Little LocaYouTube series and celebrity impersonations. She starred in the VH1 comedy series Stevie TV and was a co-host on Brody Jenner's talk show Sex with Brody.
Ryan had spoken out in recent days about the death of her grandfather.
"The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams. I'll miss you everyday, forever. I love you my Pa," she said in a Twitter post on Friday.
Ryan hosted a podcast about depression, called Mentally Ch(ill). In a recent episode, she also discussed her grandfather's death.
“I’m just worried that this is going to send me into a deeper depression,” she said during the episode, according to People.
Maria Menounos battles brain tumor
Maria Menounos announced on Monday that she will step down as co-anchor of E! News after she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The 39-year-old has held the position since 2015 after she joined the network in 2014.
“Our thoughts and support go out to Maria and her family and we wish them all the best knowing that Maria will tackle this with the same fierce dedication she is known for,” said Adam Stotsky, president of E! Entertainment. “We are grateful for Maria’s many contributions to E! over the past three years.”
The 39-year-old has held the position since 2015 after she joined the network in 2014.
“Our thoughts and support go out to Maria and her family and we wish them all the best knowing that Maria will tackle this with the same fierce dedication she is known for,” said Adam Stotsky, president of E! Entertainment. “We are grateful for Maria’s many contributions to E! over the past three years.”
Donald Trump offers to 'help' terminally ill toddler Charlie Gard
Donald Trump has made an unexpected intervention in the debate over terminally ill toddler Charlie Gard.
The US President said he would be "delighted" to "help" the boy after doctors won a definitive court case to end his life-support treatment.
Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.
Mr Trump waded into the debate by referencing Pope Francis' plea for the toddler's parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".
The US President wrote on Twitter: "If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so."
Image:Donald Trump at a meeting with South Korea's Moon Jae-in on 30 June, 2017.
After, Charlie's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard posted a link to the tweet on their campaign Facebook page with heart emojis and the message: "If he's still fighting, we're still fighting!!! Xxx."
The pair had raised £1.3m in donations to fly Charlie to the US for treatment known as nucleoside bypass therapy.
But medics at Great Ormond Street Hospital fought the bid, saying the operation was experimental and would not help him.
Judges in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ruled against the parents and in favour of the doctors.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene.
Image:Connie Yates and Chris Gard with their son Charlie Gard
Mr Gard and Ms Yates said afterwards that they were told Charlie would have his life support switched off on Friday.
The pair claimed they were denied their final wish to take him home to die.
The US President said he would be "delighted" to "help" the boy after doctors won a definitive court case to end his life-support treatment.
Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.
Mr Trump waded into the debate by referencing Pope Francis' plea for the toddler's parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".
The US President wrote on Twitter: "If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so."
Image:Donald Trump at a meeting with South Korea's Moon Jae-in on 30 June, 2017.After, Charlie's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard posted a link to the tweet on their campaign Facebook page with heart emojis and the message: "If he's still fighting, we're still fighting!!! Xxx."
The pair had raised £1.3m in donations to fly Charlie to the US for treatment known as nucleoside bypass therapy.
But medics at Great Ormond Street Hospital fought the bid, saying the operation was experimental and would not help him.
Judges in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ruled against the parents and in favour of the doctors.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene.
Image:Connie Yates and Chris Gard with their son Charlie GardMr Gard and Ms Yates said afterwards that they were told Charlie would have his life support switched off on Friday.
The pair claimed they were denied their final wish to take him home to die.
Huge gun haul heading for UK stopped at Channel Tunnel
Seventy-nine viable guns have been discovered in a vehicle which was about to enter Britain.
Border Force officers seized the weapons, along with ammunition, from the vehicle's trailer on the French side of the Channel Tunnel at Coquelles, near Calais.
The 4mm and 6mm handguns and bullets were hidden in specially adapted engine blocks.
Image:Two men have been charged in connection with the raid
Officers were acting on intelligence gathered over a number of days.
Two men, Janusz Michek, 59, and Denis Kolencukov, 23, have been charged in connection with the raid, which was part of a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and detectives from Scotland Yard's organised crime unit.
Michek, a Polish national, was one of seven people in the vehicle and was held at the scene.
Image:The vehicle was stopped in France as it prepared to enter Britain
Kolencukov, originally from the Czech Republic but residing in Slough, was arrested as he arrived in Dover from Dunkirk.
The pair were charged with two firearms offences and remanded in custody after appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court.
No further action will be taken against six Polish nationals arrested in Coquelles - four women aged 58, 41, 17 and 15 and two men aged 26 and 22.
Image:Officers carried out the raid acting on intelligence gathered over a number of days
Graham Gardner, the NCA's deputy director of investigations, said: "Our recent threat assessment highlights that handguns are still commonly favoured by some criminal groups in the UK.
"They may not be the largest firearm, but they are easily concealable and lethal in the hands of anyone prepared to use them."
Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gallagher, from the organised crime unit, said: "I have no doubt that a number of these weapons were destined for the streets of London, where they would have caused misery and unspeakable damage to the community."
Border Force officers seized the weapons, along with ammunition, from the vehicle's trailer on the French side of the Channel Tunnel at Coquelles, near Calais.
The 4mm and 6mm handguns and bullets were hidden in specially adapted engine blocks.
Image:Two men have been charged in connection with the raidOfficers were acting on intelligence gathered over a number of days.
Two men, Janusz Michek, 59, and Denis Kolencukov, 23, have been charged in connection with the raid, which was part of a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and detectives from Scotland Yard's organised crime unit.
Michek, a Polish national, was one of seven people in the vehicle and was held at the scene.
Image:The vehicle was stopped in France as it prepared to enter BritainKolencukov, originally from the Czech Republic but residing in Slough, was arrested as he arrived in Dover from Dunkirk.
The pair were charged with two firearms offences and remanded in custody after appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court.
No further action will be taken against six Polish nationals arrested in Coquelles - four women aged 58, 41, 17 and 15 and two men aged 26 and 22.
Image:Officers carried out the raid acting on intelligence gathered over a number of daysGraham Gardner, the NCA's deputy director of investigations, said: "Our recent threat assessment highlights that handguns are still commonly favoured by some criminal groups in the UK.
"They may not be the largest firearm, but they are easily concealable and lethal in the hands of anyone prepared to use them."
Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gallagher, from the organised crime unit, said: "I have no doubt that a number of these weapons were destined for the streets of London, where they would have caused misery and unspeakable damage to the community."
President Donald Trump's most memorable tweets
Donald Trump is more attached to his Twitter account that any US president since the social media website's invention.
Whether it is advertising his latest appearance on Fox and Friends, railing against the "Fake News Media", or his regular refrain of "Make America Great Again" (tweeted in caps, of course), barely a day goes by when this President doesn't tweet.
Among his most controversial recently is the tweet of a clip showing him punching a person with a CNN logo on his face before walking away unscathed, a tweet that some have said promotes violence against those in the media.
The "Fake News Media" is a regular subject of Mr Trump's tweets - whether it's CNN, print giants the New York Times and Washington Post or, indeed, any media outlet that does not say what he thinks it should.
He abused TV hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, branding him "psycho" and her "crazy" and claimed she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" when he saw them at his Florida estate in December.
Sometimes his tweets provoke anger, such as his criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the days following the terror attacks in London.
Mr Trump was widely slammed for taking the Mayor's remarks out of context and for further tweets that appeared to use the attacks to promote his own agenda.
Other times the Trump Tweets spark confusion, such as the bizarre term "covfefe".
He wrote "Despite the constant negative press covfefe". That tweet was later deleted but not before it naturally set friends and foes alike on an excited (but ultimately pointless) search for the word's meaning.
Memes were born and the mystery word even trended but what he meant by tweeting such nonsense was never clarified.
Various celebrities have come in for the Trump Twitter Treatment, among them Arianna Huffington, Sir Alan Sugar and Rosie O'Donnell, who has enjoyed a decade-long feud with The Donald.
Actress Meryl Streep ("overrated") and ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was "even worse" on The Apprentice) are among the latest.
He also spreads the fun around other countries, with Germany especially coming in for criticism for not paying up defence-wise. He also hit out at Sweden for its immigration programme.
Rapper Snoop Dogg shot a toy gun at his likeness in a music video and Mr Trump was having none of it.
And, speaking of Mr Trump predecessor, Barack Obama gets accused of making bad deals, spending too much money and, most often, spying on the Trump campaign during the election. Mr Trump thunders: "This is McCarthyism!".
It's no secret that the US President is very proud of his daughter Ivanka. He has used Twitter to praise and protect her, saying that she was "treated so unfairly" by a business that decided to stop selling her fashion brand.
But one of the most common themes of Mr Trump's tweets is America's security.
He praises veterans and the military while occasionally relaying the number of crimes in Chicago for his 33 million followers. He saves most of his frustration (and capital letters) for his comments on the long-running saga of his beloved travel ban. "See you in court!"
Whether it is advertising his latest appearance on Fox and Friends, railing against the "Fake News Media", or his regular refrain of "Make America Great Again" (tweeted in caps, of course), barely a day goes by when this President doesn't tweet.
Among his most controversial recently is the tweet of a clip showing him punching a person with a CNN logo on his face before walking away unscathed, a tweet that some have said promotes violence against those in the media.
The "Fake News Media" is a regular subject of Mr Trump's tweets - whether it's CNN, print giants the New York Times and Washington Post or, indeed, any media outlet that does not say what he thinks it should.
He abused TV hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, branding him "psycho" and her "crazy" and claimed she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" when he saw them at his Florida estate in December.
Sometimes his tweets provoke anger, such as his criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the days following the terror attacks in London.
Mr Trump was widely slammed for taking the Mayor's remarks out of context and for further tweets that appeared to use the attacks to promote his own agenda.
Other times the Trump Tweets spark confusion, such as the bizarre term "covfefe".
He wrote "Despite the constant negative press covfefe". That tweet was later deleted but not before it naturally set friends and foes alike on an excited (but ultimately pointless) search for the word's meaning.
Memes were born and the mystery word even trended but what he meant by tweeting such nonsense was never clarified.
Various celebrities have come in for the Trump Twitter Treatment, among them Arianna Huffington, Sir Alan Sugar and Rosie O'Donnell, who has enjoyed a decade-long feud with The Donald.
Actress Meryl Streep ("overrated") and ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was "even worse" on The Apprentice) are among the latest.
He also spreads the fun around other countries, with Germany especially coming in for criticism for not paying up defence-wise. He also hit out at Sweden for its immigration programme.
Rapper Snoop Dogg shot a toy gun at his likeness in a music video and Mr Trump was having none of it.
And, speaking of Mr Trump predecessor, Barack Obama gets accused of making bad deals, spending too much money and, most often, spying on the Trump campaign during the election. Mr Trump thunders: "This is McCarthyism!".
It's no secret that the US President is very proud of his daughter Ivanka. He has used Twitter to praise and protect her, saying that she was "treated so unfairly" by a business that decided to stop selling her fashion brand.
But one of the most common themes of Mr Trump's tweets is America's security.
He praises veterans and the military while occasionally relaying the number of crimes in Chicago for his 33 million followers. He saves most of his frustration (and capital letters) for his comments on the long-running saga of his beloved travel ban. "See you in court!"
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