Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, PA MediaBy Sam HancockBBC NewsThe hospital where Catherine, Princess of Wales, underwent abdominal surgery has said “any breach” of patient information would be investigated. It follows reports that staff tried to access her private medical information.The London Clinic – frequently used by royals – said it had “no place” for those intentionally breaching the trust of patients or colleagues.Earlier, the Information Commissioners’ Office said it had received a “breach report” and was making inquiries.Al Russell, chief executive of the London Clinic, said in a statement that all his employees were “acutely aware” of their “individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality”.”We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day,” he continued.”We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.”On Tuesday, the Daily Mirror reported that “at least one member of staff was said to have been caught trying to access” Catherine’s medical notes.The paper said an internal investigation had been launched at the private hospital, which has treated both the princess and King Charles III in recent months.Mr Russell’s statement made no direct reference to the claims about the Princess of Wales.Image source, PA MediaThe UK’s privacy and data protection watchdog has already confirmed receipt of a so-called breach report.In a statement, the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) said it was “assessing the information provided”.The Data Protection Act 2018 makes it a criminal offence in the UK to knowingly or recklessly obtain, disclose or retain personal data without the consent of the data controller.This specific part of the law was most commonly used to prosecute those who had accessed healthcare and financial records without a legitimate reason, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).When asked about the alleged breaches at the London Clinic, Downing Street said there were clearly “strict rules on patient data that must be followed”.”I think we all want to get behind the Princess of Wales, and indeed the Prince of Wales, and we obviously wish her the speediest of recoveries,” the prime minister’s official spokesman added. Catherine had abdominal surgery in January, spending almost two weeks at the London Clinic, and has stepped back from public duties while she recovers.Kensington Palace previously said she would take time away from public-facing engagements until after Easter.But the princess’s absence has led to weeks of online speculation and conspiracy theories about her health.At the end of February, her husband William unexpectedly withdrew from a memorial service for his godfather – with a “personal matter” being blamed. Despite assurances from Catherine’s spokesperson that “the timelines of the princess’s recovery” had been made clear, curiosity around her whereabouts grew – particularly on social media. This came to a head in early March when an image of Catherine and her three children was posted on the official X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, to mark Mother’s Day. It was found to have been edited, leading to picture services around the world withdrawing it. The princess subsequently apologised “for any confusion”, saying she “occasionally” experimented with editing photographs.On Monday, a blurry video of Catherine and William leaving a farm shop was published by the Sun newspaper but instead of quelling suspicion, the footage has seemed to fuel it. Social media users suggested the woman in the video was in fact a body double, but there was no evidence to suggest this was the case. Kensington Palace has not denied the royal couple’s outing, a trip clearly intended to be private.Sign up to the BBC News Royal Watch newsletter for insider stories and expert analysis each weekMore on this storyHow Kate body-double conspiracy theory spread on social mediaPublished22 hours agoWhy William and Kate video won’t stop online rumoursPublished23 hours agoCan royals move on from Kate photo media storm?Published12 MarchWhat alterations might have been made to Kate’s photo?Published11 March

Published3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Sam HancockBBC NewsChristian politicians in Iraq are attempting to overturn legislation banning the import and sale of alcohol.Customs officials were given orders on Saturday to enforce the ban. It became law last month despite opposition. The group, which has five seats in Iraq’s parliament, filed a lawsuit saying it was undemocratic.Public alcohol consumption is frowned upon in Iraq, a predominantly Muslim country, but it can be bought at liquor stores or licensed bars.The law, originally passed by parliament in 2016, imposes a fine of up to 25m Iraqi dinars (£14,256). It prohibits the sale, import or production of alcohol – and only became official last month, seven years since it was passed, after appearing in the official gazette.It remains unclear how strictly the law could be enforced, and whether the country’s Federal Supreme Court will knock it back.In their appeal to the court, members of the Babylon Movement insisted the legislation was unconstitutional because it ignores the rights of minorities and restricts freedom.It also contradicts a government decree, adopted less than a week before the gazette was published on 20 February, setting duty at 200% on all imported alcoholic drinks for the next four years, they say.Sarmad Abbas, an estate agent based in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, told the AFP news agency that the ban would merely push alcohol sales onto the black market.He acknowledged that Muslim teachings forbid the consumption of alcohol. “But these are personal freedoms that you cannot forbid citizens from practising,” he said.According to reports at the time, the bill was originally proposed by Mahmoud al-Hassan, then a judge and lawmaker for Iraq’s State of Law Coalition.He said it was in keeping with Article 2 of Iraq’s 2005 constitution, which prohibits any legislation that goes against Islam, the AP news agency wrote.More on this storyIraq in ‘surprise’ move to ban alcohol23 October 2016

Published1 hour agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Sam HancockBBC NewsWorkers have broken out of Apple’s largest iPhone assembly factory in China after a Covid outbreak forced staff to lockdown at the workplace.Video shared online showed about 10 people jumping a fence outside the plant, owned by manufacturer Foxconn, in the central city of Zhengzhou.Chinese people and businesses are continuing to grapple with President Xi Jinping’s rigid zero-Covid policy.It is not clear how many cases of Covid have been identified at the factory.However in the last week, Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s Henan province, reported 167 locally transmitted infections – up from 97 the week before, according to Reuters news agency. The city of about 10 million people was partially locked down as a result, as China continues to use strict lockdown measures to deal with Covid.Foxconn, which acts as a supplier to US-based Apple, has hundreds of thousands of workers at its Zhengzhou complex and has not provided an official count of how many are infected. The Taiwan-based company claimed on Sunday that it would not stop workers from leaving.’We feel numb’: Wuhan back in China Covid lockdownVideos emerge of rare Covid protests in TibetDo I need to isolate if I have Covid? However, in footage shared on Chinese social media, and by the BBC’s China correspondent Stephen McDonnell, workers were allegedly filmed escaping from the grounds to begin lengthy walks back to their hometowns in a bid to avoid being caught on public transport.One 22-year-old worker, surnamed Xia, told the Financial Times it was “total chaos in the dormitories” he and colleagues were being kept in. “We jumped a plastic fence and a metal fence to get out of the campus,” he added. Workers also claimed the area surrounding the plant had been locked down for days, with Covid-positive workers being subjected to daily testing and quarantines to try to contain the outbreak.Last week, on 19 October, Foxconn announced it was banning all dine-in catering at the Zhengzhou plant and required workers to eat meals in their rooms.At the same time, the company told reporters it was maintaining “normal production” as the plant ramped up production of the latest iPhone 14 models.”The government agreed to resume dine-in meals to improve the convenience and satisfaction of employees’ lives,” Foxconn said in a statement on Sunday. It added that for those wanting to return home, “the [plant] is co-operating with the government to organise personnel and vehicles to provide a point-to-point orderly return service for employees from today”.The BBC has reached out to Foxconn for comment. Under China’s strict zero-Covid policy, cities are given powers to act swiftly to quell any outbreaks of the virus. This includes anything from full-scale lockdowns to regular testing and travel restrictions. Many had hoped President Xi would drop the legislation before the end of the year but at the recent 20th Communist Party congress, he made clear this was unlikely to happen anytime soon.More on this storyVideos emerge of rare Covid protests in Tibet2 days agoUniversal Resort shuts due to Beijing Covid cases4 days agoXi speech: Zero-Covid and zero solutions16 October