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Ministers are looking at how to relax coronavirus restrictions so families can celebrate Christmas together. The government's medical adviser on Covid, Susan Hopkins, said they were working on a plan and wanted Christmas to be "as close to normal as possible". BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said any rule change would be for a limited time, maybe just a few days. Cabinet minister Alok Sharma said it was too early for "conclusions" but he wanted to see his family for Christmas. It comes after the Sun reported that families may be able to mix indoors for five days from Christmas Eve. All four UK nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are trying to work out a common approach to Christmas so families spread across the UK can still meet up. Our correspondent said any final decisions would not be made for a few weeks while health chiefs wait to see whether cases have started to come down during the lockdown in England. But, he said, the advice was likely to urge families not to hold big gatherings and to travel by car, rather than public transport. Scientific advice indicates that for every day that measures are relaxed, five days of tighter restrictions would be needed. The government has recorded another 19,609 Covid cases in the UK and 529 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test. England is expected to come out of its second national lockdown on 2 December and return to the tier system of localised restrictions, with household mixing banned indoors in the top two tiers.

Hundreds of birds are to be culled at a farm in Kent where an outbreak of avian influenza of the H5N2 strain has been detected. A 1km restricted zone has been placed around the premises near Deal "to prevent the disease spreading". Public Health England (PHE) said the risk to the UK population was "very low" but it was "looking for evidence of spread to control and eliminate it". All 480 birds at the site are to be "humanely culled". PHE's chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: "Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and all remaining poultry and captive birds at the farm will be culled." There will be no impact on food supply as the farm does not supply poultry, meat or eggs commercially, she added. Bird keepers have been told to remain alert for signs of disease and to report suspected cases immediately. "We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it," Ms Middlemiss said. Dr Gavin Dabrera, consultant in acute respiratory infections at PHE, said bird flu was an "uncommon infection" in humans. But he advised people not to touch sick or dead birds and to wash hands thoroughly with soap after contact with any animal. The Food Standards Agency said properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, were safe to eat.

The PM will meet his cabinet later as he considers a month-long lockdown across England - in the hope that measures could be eased by Christmas. A new "stay at home" order could be announced on Monday, with schools, colleges and universities exempt. Documents seen by the BBC suggest the UK is on course for a much higher death toll than during the first wave unless further restrictions are introduced. Deaths could reach more than 4,000 a day, one of the models suggests. This figure is based on no policies being brought in to slow the spread of the disease, but most of the models peak at about 2,000 a day. Downing Street said Boris Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting at 13:30 GMT to discuss the government's coronavirus response. Are we heading back into a full lockdown? Covid spreading faster than 'worst-case scenario' Winter virus plans revealed in leaked Sage report At the height of the pandemic during the spring, deaths in the UK reached more than 1,000 a day. Infection rates are currently soaring across much of Europe, prompting new forms of lockdown in Belgium, France and Germany. The papers, understood to be part of a presentation by the government's pandemic modelling group SPI-M shown to Boris Johnson, feature several different projections of the likely course of the disease. All models predict that hospitalisations are likely to peak in mid-December, with deaths rising until at least late December before falling from early January. And a separate document circulating in government - based on NHS England modelling from 28 October - warns that the NHS would be unable to accept any more patients by Christmas, even if the Nightingale hospitals are used and non-urgent procedures cancelled. The document warns that south-west England and the Midlands will be the first to run out of capacity, potentially within a fortnight.

Thousands have attended rallies across France in support of Samuel Paty, the teacher beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. People in the Place de la République in Paris carried the slogan "Je suis enseignant" (I am a teacher), with PM Jean Castex saying: "We are France!" A man named as Abdoulakh A was shot dead by police on Friday after killing Mr Paty close to his school near Paris. An 11th person has now been arrested as part of the investigation. No details have been given about the arrest. Four close relatives of the suspect were detained shortly after the killing. Six more people were held on Saturday, including the father of a pupil at the school and a preacher described by French media as a radical Islamist. President Emmanuel Macron said the attack bore all the hallmarks of an "Islamist terrorist attack" and the teacher had been murdered because he "taught freedom of expression". The murder comes as a trial over the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo - a satirical magazine that has published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad - is under way. Where have the rallies been taking place? The Place de la République in Paris filled with people rallying in support of Mr Paty, 47. Mr Castex and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo joined them. The square was the scene of a huge demonstration in which 1.5 million people showed solidarity with Charlie Hebdo following the deadly attack of January 2015. One protester on Sunday carried a sign reading "zero tolerance to all enemies of the Republic", another "I am a professor. I'm thinking of you, Samuel." Another told Le Figaro she was a French Muslim who was at the rally to express her disgust at the latest killing. A minute's silence was followed by the playing of the Marseillaise. All the protesters were wearing masks to protect from coronavirus. Mr Castex tweeted the rendition of the anthem, along with the words "you do not scare us... we are France!"

The US has imposed travel restrictions on foreign nationals who have been to Brazil in the last 14 days. The South American nation recently became the world's second major hotspot for coronavirus cases. Brazil currently has more than 347,300 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data. A White House spokeswoman said the restrictions would help ensure new cases are not brought into the US. "Today's action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. Non-Americans who have been in Brazil in the two weeks before they request entry to the US will be denied that entry. The restriction will not affect trade between the two countries. The suspension is to take effect on May 28 at 11:59 PM EDT (03:59 AM GMT). The travel ban will not apply to US citizens, or to the spouse, parent, legal guardian, or child of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, and most siblings under the age of 21. "The potential for undetected transmission of the virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States from [Brazil] threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure and the national security," said the suspension order published by the White House on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, White House National security adviser Robert O'Brien told CBS "Face the Nation" that travel restriction for Brazil were expected shortly. "We hope that'll be temporary, but because of the situation in Brazil, we're going to take every step necessary to protect the American people," Mr O'Brien said. He added that "we'll take a look at the other countries on a country-by-country basis for sure". US President Donald Trump suggested earlier this week that he was considering imposing a ban on travel from Brazil. The US currently leads the world in coronavirus cases. It has over 1.6 million known cases and is nearing 100,000 deaths linked to the virus. Other US travel restrictions Sunday's announcement is the latest travel restriction imposed by the US in a bid to combat the spread of the virus. Foreign nationals who have recently visited China, Iran, the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are already barred from entry to the US. Canada and the US also recently agreed to extend the closure of their shared border to non-essential travel. What is the situation across Brazil? Brazil recently overtook Russia with regards to known cases of the virus. President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly dismissed the risks posed by the virus. The number of deaths in Brazil has been doubling roughly every two weeks, compared to about every two months in the UK, four months in France, and five months in Italy. Expert have warned that the real figure may be far higher due to a lack of testing.

The death in Italy of a Moroccan model who was a regular guest at former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex parties is being treated as a possible murder, magistrates say. Imane Fadil, 33, died in a Milan hospital on 1 March, a month after being admitted with stomach pains. At the time she told friends and her lawyer that she had been poisoned. She testified at the 2012 trial of Mr Berlusconi, who was accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute. Mr Berlusconi was initially convicted but then acquitted on appeal. He was later convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to carry out community service. Milan chief prosecutor Francesco Greco told Reuters news agency there were "several anomalies" in Ms Fadil's medical records. "The doctors have not identified with any certainty any pathology which can explain the death," he said. Ms Fadil was writing a book about her experiences and magistrates investigating her death have obtained a copy of the manuscript, Italian newspapers report. Mr Berlusconi's reputation was tarnished by allegations about the parties at his private villa. In October 2010, it emerged that Mr Berlusconi had called a police station asking for the release of a 17-year-old girl, Karima "Ruby" El Mahroug. She was being held for theft and was also said to have attended his so-called "bunga-bunga" parties. In June 2013 he was found guilty of paying her for sex, and of abuse of power. The case was eventually overturned in 2014. Mr Berlusconi has always maintained he is "no saint" but firmly rejects claims he has ever paid for sex with a woman, saying: "I never understood where the satisfaction is when you're missing the pleasure of conquest." Article created by „bbc”.

A number of women's rights activists have gone on trial in Saudi Arabia in a case that has raised questions about the kingdom's human rights record. Those due to appear include Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent figure in the campaign to win Saudi women the right to drive. She was detained last May. Charges they face are said to include supporting "hostile elements" and could carry long prison sentences. Demands for the women's release have come from around the world. Last week more than 30 countries at the UN Human Rights Council criticised Saudi Arabia for detaining the women. Scrutiny of human rights in the kingdom has intensified since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October. As many as 10 women were expected to appear at the criminal court in Riyadh on Wednesday. As well as Ms Hathloul they include fellow rights activists Aziza al-Yousef, Eman al-Nafjan and Hatoon al-Fassi. Journalists and diplomats are not allowed to attend the hearing. If you wanna read more about this please visit the following link : click. Article created by „bbc”.

Venezuela's government has ordered schools and businesses to remain closed on Monday as a power cut drags into a fifth day. The opposition says at least 17 people have reportedly died as a result of the blackout. Residents in the capital, Caracas, told the BBC's Will Grant of their growing despair. Each hour that passes without power in Venezuela brings more havoc and stress to a country already on edge. Pro-government motorcycle gangs, known here as "colectivos", roam the dark streets enforcing order at gunpoint while there were sporadic episodes of looting amid the desperation. By its very nature, a clear picture of the blackout has been difficult to obtain over the past four days. Many parts of the country are still cut off and it is hard to get a full account of their situation. Even when the electricity returns, it is often patchy and only lasts for a few hours before dropping out once again. What is clear, though, is that since the power outage hit on Thursday, huge swathes of Venezuela have been struggling to cope. Without internet, mobile phones, banks, credit-card machines, electric cookers or air-conditioning, ordinary life is bordering on the unbearable for many people, especially in low income communities. On the edge Little wonder some are ready to snap. "I have a two-year-old son. Yesterday evening there was nothing to eat," Majorie says, visibly angry outside a supermarket in the Terrazas del Club Hípico neighbourhood in Caracas. A shop near her home was looted, she says, and a neighbour gave her some boiled rice. "I liquidised it, added a little sugar and fed it to my son. But today when he asks me for food, what am I going to give him? I can put up with the hunger. As adults, all we need is a glass of water. But what's a child supposed to do?". Behind us as we speak, a group of mothers, equally desperate and distressed, start to bang on the doors of the shuttered supermarket, demanding to be let in. Inside, the cash registers and card machines were not working and the staff were only accepting US dollars in payment. "We don't use dollars in this country, we don't earn in dollars, we earn in Bolivars", says Majorie, her voice rising once more. "We don't want to loot stores, we don't want to cause problems. What we want is food. We're hungry." If you wanna read more please visit the following link : click. Article created by „bbc”.