Brexit: 2018 Queen's Speech cancelled by government

There will be no Queen's Speech next year to give MPs more time to deal with Brexit laws, the government says.

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said the next parliamentary session was being doubled in length to two years.

The highly unusual move would allow MPs to scrutinise "substantial amounts of legislation", she said.

This year's Queen's Speech was due on Monday but has been put off until Wednesday as Theresa May's minority government seeks a deal with the DUP.

'Broad consensus'

The Queen's Speech traditionally takes place during the ceremonial State Opening Of Parliament, setting out the government's proposed legal programme for the coming year.

The last time it was cancelled was in 2011 by the then Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

That decision, the first time it had been taken since 1949, was criticised at the time by Labour as an "abuse of power" aimed solely at easing the passage of controversial legislation.

Announcing the scrapping of the 2018 event, Mrs Leadsom said the European Union exit legislation would begin with the "Great Repeal Bill".

She said: "We will build the broadest possible consensus for our Brexit plans, and that means giving Parliament the maximum amount of time to scrutinise these bills by holding a two-year session of Parliament.

"It will mean we can work together to deliver a successful Brexit deal and a strong social legislative programme that delivers justice and opportunity to everyone."

The government also wanted to pass "a domestic agenda which aims to tackle the social injustices in our country", she added.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused the government of being "in no position to negotiate a good deal for Britain" with the EU.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, he said that if the prime minister "can't command the support of Parliament, we are ready to take that responsibility".

BBC NEWS

Indian teen builds world's 'lightest satellite'

An Indian teenager has built what is thought could be the world's lightest satellite, which will be launched at a Nasa facility in the US in June.

Rifath Shaarook's 64-gram (0.14 lb) device was selected as the winner in a youth design competition.

The 18-year-old says its main purpose was to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fibre.

Rifath told local media his invention will go on a four-hour mission for a sub-orbital flight.

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•  

During that time, the lightweight satellite will operate for around 12 minutes in a micro-gravity environment of space.

"We designed it completely from scratch," he said. "It will have a new kind of on-board computer and eight indigenous built-in sensors to measure acceleration, rotation and the magnetosphere of the earth."

The satellite has been named KalamSat after former Indian president Abdul Kalam, a pioneer for the country's aeronautical science ambitions.

His project was selected in a challenge called Cubes in Space, organised by education company idoodle with support from Nasa and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

Newcomer scientist Rifath comes from a small town in Tamil Nadu and now works as lead scientist at Chennai-based Space Kidz India, an organisation promoting science and education for Indian children and teenagers.

The KalamSat is not his first invention: at the age of 15, he built a helium weather balloon as a part of nationwide competition for young scientists

 

BBC NEWS

Schiaparelli: Crashed lander was ill-prepared for Mars

The crashed European spacecraft Schiaparelli was ill-prepared for its attempt at landing on the surface of Mars.

That's the conclusion of an inquiry into the failure on 16 October 2016.

The report outlines failings during the development process and makes several recommendations ahead of a rover mission to Mars set for launch in 2020.

That mission will require more testing, improvements to software and more outside oversight of design choices.

The Schiaparelli module was intended to test the European Space Agency's (Esa) capability for atmospheric entry, descent and - finally - landing on the surface of Mars.

The report confirms some details already released in the preliminary findings. For example, during the descent - and after the parachute had been deployed - a component called the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensed rotational accelerations in the probe that were larger than expected.

This led to the IMU data becoming "saturated". When this information was integrated by the onboard guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software, the probe erroneously updated where it thought it was in the descent.

The mistaken measurement was propagated forward, and at one point the GNC software calculated a negative altitude for the probe - it thought that Schiaparelli was several metres below the surface of Mars, even though it was still falling.

The descent thrusters turned off and the test module was destroyed as it slammed into the ground in Mars' Meridiani Plain at a velocity of about 150 m/s. But the authors believe the craft could still have landed safely after the wrong handling of the IMU data if other checks and balances had been in place.

The report suggests a number of root causes leading to the failure. These include:

• insufficient computer modelling of the parachute dynamics
• the saturation limit for the IMU was set too high
• inadequate handling of IMU data by the guidance software
• an inadequate approach by team members towards detecting faults
• problems with the management of subcontractors

In order to ensure that lessons are learned before a joint Esa-Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) rover is sent to land on Mars, the inquiry panel made several recommendations.

The report authors catalogue a series of necessary upgrades to onboard software, as well as suggesting improvements to the modelling of parachute dynamics.

They also recommended a more stringent approach - including better quality control - during the procurement of equipment from suppliers.

Crucially, the inquiry also recommends greater outside oversight of the design process for the upcoming rover mission by partner organisations with specific competencies.

These suggested partners include Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - which has already overseen the successful landing of several robotic missions on Mars

 

BBC NEWS

Turbulence on Paris-China flight injures 26

At least 26 people were injured, four seriously, when turbulence hit a China Eastern Airlines flight from Paris on Sunday, state media reports.

The turbulence struck as flight MU774 was on its way to Kunming, in the southern Yunnan province.

Passengers suffered broken bones, cuts to the scalp and soft tissue injuries, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

China Eastern Airlines later said it was crucial passengers wear seatbelts as flights descend.

"I was on the flight, and I felt like I would not survive," the Hong Kong- based South China Morning Post quoted one passenger as saying on the Weibo microblogging site.

"Many people were injured, and among them, many had not buckled up."

Xinhua said (in Chinese) that two violent bumps and many small bumps occurred over about 10 minutes.

It said that during the turbulence, several passengers' heads and shoulders collided with the luggage racks, some luggage racks broke from the impact, and some luggage fell off the racks and hit customers.

The airline said on its Weibo account (in Chinese) that the Airbus A330, that had taken off from Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, landed safely in Kunming.

A week ago, a China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai had to turn back to Sydney after a technical failure which left a hole in an engine casing.

The pilot reported problems with the engine of the plane, another Airbus A330, about one hour after taking off. Passengers told media they smelt something burning inside the aircraft.

BBC NEWS

North Korean soldier swims across river to defect

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the man had swum across a particularly narrow part of the fast-moving river after attaching foam to his shoulders to help him stay afloat.

Last week, a North Korean soldier walked across the heavily-guarded border that separates the countries.

Soldiers had previously been defecting at the rate of about one a year.

The latest defector, thought to be in his early twenties, was spotted at Gimpo, just west of the southern capital Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.

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He screamed "Don't kill me, I am here to defect", at a South Korean marine who had seen him, Yonhap said.

The soldier will now be questioned by military officials.

North and South Korea are technically still at war, since the conflict between them ended in 1953 with a truce, not a formal peace treaty.

Seoul says more than 30,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the end of the Korean War, the majority via China, which has the longest border with the North.

BBC NEWS

Grenfell Tower fire: Government staff sent in to Kensington and Chelsea Council

Government staff have been drafted in to bolster the official response to the Grenfell Tower disaster in west London.

The move follows widespread criticism of the local council's performance.

Residents condemned the relief effort as "absolute chaos" and complained that Kensington and Chelsea Council had provided little support or information.

The council said it would cooperate "in full" with the government's inquiry into the fire, in which at least 58 people are believed to have died.

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• 'Where is the council?'
• 'Outrageous' lack of help for victims
• What we know so far
• Who are the victims?

Many have been left homeless by the massive fire that engulfed the 24-storey block of flats on Wednesday.

Police fear the number of the dead could increase. The BBC understands the death toll could rise to about 70 people in total.

As part of the new move by the government, a team of civil servants has been embedded into the council office.

Other measures outlined by the prime minister following a meeting with residents on Saturday, included more staff covering phone lines and ground staff wearing high-visibility clothing so they could be easily found.

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At the scene

By BBC reporter, Mark Lobel 

 

The residents here are now telling us the volunteers are at breaking point.

There are expected to be government civil servants down here, on the ground, helping out.

Whether they are in hi-vis jackets or whether they are meant to be replacing the volunteers, there has been no sign of them so far.

I've been speaking to residents, speaking to people who've been here all morning, I've been speaking to the police and they haven't noticed a change yet.

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The Home Office said it was making arrangements for the family of civil engineering Mohammed Alhajali, who died in the fire, to travel from Syria to the UK for his funeral.

Questions continue to be asked about why the fire spread so quickly, with some suggesting new cladding fitted during a recent refurbishment could have been to blame.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said a criminal investigation would examine whether building regulations had been breached when the block was overhauled.

The public inquiry set up by the government following the tragedy would also examine if rules had been broken, he told BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

Asked whether the government had revised building regulations, as recommended by a coroner, following another deadly fire in south London tower block in 2009, Mr Hammond said the government had responded "correctly and appropriately" to the recommendations.

He said if the public inquiry found something needed to be done to make buildings safe, it would be done, he added.

Asked about his council's poor response, leader Nicholas Paget-Brown said staff were "working closely" with the government, charities, volunteer and resident groups and the emergency services to help re-house and assist those affected.

"People rightly have questions about the causes of the fire and why it spread so quickly and these will be answered," he said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told ITV's Peston on Sunday that the council seemed to "lack the resources to deal with a crisis of this magnitude", despite being the country's "wealthiest borough".

'Suspicion'

Meanwhile, Labour MP David Lammy, whose friend Khadija Saye is among the dead, has called for urgent action to make sure all documents relating to the refurbishment and management of the Grenfell Tower fire are protected.

After speaking to residents, he said: "Suspicion of a cover-up is rising.

"We need to make sure that the emails, minutes of meetings, correspondence with contractors, safety assessments, specifications and reports are not destroyed," he added.

Theresa May has also come in for a barrage of criticism over her own response to the disaster.

On Friday, she was jeered on a visit to the North Kensington estate, and protesters marching on Friday and Saturday called for her resignation.

First Secretary of State Damian Green defended the prime minister, saying she was as "distraught as we all are".

So far in the investigation:

• Six victims have been provisionally identified by police
• Three have been named so far, including Syrian refugee Mohammed Alhajali, 23, five-year-old Isaac Shawo, and artist Khadija Saye
• Of those killed, one died in hospital
• Eighteen people remain in hospital, nine in critical care
• A criminal investigation has been launched
• The government has committed £5m for clothes, food and emergency supplies for the victims
• UK councils are carrying out urgent reviews of their tower blocks, the Local Government Association says
• A British Red Cross appeal is launched to raise money for those affected
• The emergency number for people concerned about friends and family is 0800 0961 233

The fire broke out at the tower block, which contained 120 one and two-bedroom flats, shortly before 01:00 BST on Wednesday.

It tore through all floors of the building and took more than 200 firefighters 24 hours to bring under control.

Two neighbouring Tube lines are partly suspended until 14:00 BST on Sunday amid safety concerns of debris falling on to the tracks.

The Hammersmith and City Line has been suspended between Edgware Road and Hammersmith, and the Circle Line is also closed, Transport for London said.

 BBC NEWS

Iraqi forces attack Mosul's Old City

Iraqi forces say they have launched an assault on Mosul's Old City, the last district held by so-called Islamic State.

Special forces are advancing on the district from the west and federal police are on the southern front, a statement said.

The UN says as many as 100,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the densely populated Old City.

They have been told to leave the area if they can.

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IS media outlets say the militants have foiled an advance by Iraqi troops to advance into one neighbourhood and carried out dawn attacks on federal police positions.

Iraqi forces have told the BBC that they do not know how many IS militants are holed up inside the Old City.

About 230 civilians have been killed in western Mosul in the past two weeks, the UN says, some in air strikes and rocket attacks, and others shot dead by IS snipers as they tried to flee.

Residents who have recently escaped from the area have described desperate conditions, with many people running out of food and water.

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The beginning of the end - BBC Middle East producer Joan Soley

Different parts of the Iraqi security forces have been creeping closer on all sides. They will not be able to stop now until they have taken back all of the Old City.

Although Iraqi and coalition sources have said there is a "humanitarian corridor" running out of the city along the river, the sheer number of people still inside means there will inevitably be significant casualties - civilians, Iraqi forces and IS fighters.

For the Iraqi government, retaking the Old City is akin to crossing the finish line. The powerful image of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi speaking inside its Nuri mosque three years ago is one they are desperate to replace with a picture of "victory" - whether that means Iraqi flags and forces taking selfies at that same spot or blowing the mosque to smithereens.

Afterwards there will still be fighting to be done. The area between Mosul and the Syrian border has to be secured and the town of Hawija, between Baghdad and Mosul, remains under IS control.

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Escape from west Mosul - Nafiseh Kohnavard, BBC Persian

 

We were in contact with three families inside a house right next to an IS sniper position. They had no more food or water. Among them were a woman who was nine months pregnant and elderly people.

They feared that their house would be bombed. A nearby house had already been hit. We passed their address to the US-led coalition, which located it on a grid to avoid striking it. Federal police worked on a plan to get them out.

Overnight the exhausted families told us they were on the point of giving up hope. But they used a nearby explosion and the smoke and dust as cover from the IS sniper and reached safety.

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The US-backed offensive to retake Mosul - Iraq's second city - is now in its ninth month. Iraqi forces retook the eastern part of the city in October.

Thousands of Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen, assisted by US-led coalition warplanes and military advisers, are involved in the offensive

IS overran Mosul in June 2014, routing the Iraqi army, and shortly afterwards declared it was establishing a caliphate over the territory it then controlled.

BBC NEWS