News- UK

Sudanese teenager found dead on beach near Calais Campaigners blame UK asylum policy after body of 16-year-old washes up at Sangatte A Sudanese teenager who disappeared at sea has been found dead on a beach near Calais, a French minister has said.Marlene Schiappa, who is in charge of citizenship in France’s government, said the 16-year-old was found on the beach of Sangatte on Wednesday morning. Continue reading... Go to Source

Matt Hancock: abolishing PHE is 'best thing to do right now' Health secretary rejects suggestion move will cause disruption as country continues to fight Covid-19 Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMatt Hancock has defended abolishing Public Health England and replacing it with a new body to tackle Covid-19, claiming the controversial move will not lead to disruption.Ministers have been warned by major health bodies that axing PHE and launching a National Institute for Health Protection in its place is a hugely risky move that will distract staff who are working hard to prevent a second wave of coronavirus. Continue reading... Go to Source

Team Ineos: Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas dropped for Tour de France Team Ineos cut pair after poor form at Critérium du DauphinéFroome was desperate to win fifth yellow jerseyChris Froome and Geraint Thomas have been dropped from Team Ineos for this year’s Tour de France after paying the price for their poor form at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné.Froome, who was desperate to win an historic fifth yellow jersey after coming back from a horrific crash last year, will instead race the Vuelta a España in late October. The 2018 winner Thomas, meanwhile, will head Ineos’s challenge in the Giro D’Italia in early October. Continue reading... Go to Source

Bookmakers 'helped gambling addict squander injury compensation' Lawyers claim Ladbrokes and Paddy Power let Liam McCarron’s losses reach £500,000Two leading bookmakers helped a severely disabled gambling addict fill out betting slips as he squandered his compensation from a botched operation, it has been claimed.Lawyers for Liam McCarron say that Ladbrokes Coral and Paddy Power failed to intervene over more than three years as his losses reached at least £500,000. Continue reading... Go to Source

Democrats formally nominate Joe Biden for president Second night of Democratic convention saw 17 rising stars in party deliver the keynote and an elevator operator nominate BidenDemocrats formally nominated Joe Biden for president during an emotional second night of their party’s virtual convention, warning that Donald Trump was an “existential threat” to America who had failed to get a grip on the coronavirus pandemic.The official nomination elevates a historic ticket that includes his vice-presidential running mate Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to be nominated for national office by a major party. Continue reading... Go to Source

Wednesday briefing: More Trump-Russia links laid bare 2016 campaign manager’s secretive ties to Kremlin spy … Joe Biden formally receives Democratic nomination … honey really is best thing for sore throatHello, Warren Murray here, let’s shine some morning light on the news. Continue reading... Go to Source

Another two years lost to climate inaction, says Greta Thunberg Two years on from her first school strike, activist attacks ‘ignorance and unawareness’Greta Thunberg: the world is still in a state of climate crisis denial Two years on from Greta Thunberg’s first solo school strike for the climate, she says the world has wasted the time by failing to take the necessary action on the crisis.Thunberg’s strike inspired a global movement, and on Thursday she and other leading school strikers will meet Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the European council. They will demand a halt to all fossil fuel investments and subsidies and the establishment of annual, binding carbon budgets based on the best science. Continue reading...

World Bank calls for greater debt relief for poorer countries in wake of Covid-19 President David Maplass says inequality has worsened as depression looms over poorer nationsThe head of the World Bank has called for a more ambitious debt relief plan for poor countries after warning that the Covid-19 recession is turning into a depression in the most challenged parts of the globe.In an interview with the Guardian, David Malpass raised the prospect of the first systematic write-off of debts since the 2005 Gleneagles agreement as he said fresh Bank figures due out next month would show an extra 100 million people had been pushed into poverty by the crisis. Continue reading... Go to Source

Parents and teachers have lost faith in Gavin Williamson, government told Unions and MPs say education secretary is unfit to oversee safe return of pupils in EnglandParents and teachers have lost faith in Gavin Williamson’s competence to lead a safe return of pupils to England’s schools within two weeks, trade unions and senior MPs from across the divide have warned.Following the education secretary’s role in the exam results fiasco, Robert Halfon, the Conservative chair of the education select committee, said the prime minister must personally lead the back-to-school campaign in order to ensure confidence. Continue reading... Go to Source

US Senate report goes beyond Mueller to lay bare Trump campaign's Russia links Bipartisan intelligence panel says that Russian who worked on Trump’s 2016 bid was career spy, amid a stunning range of contactsA report by the Senate intelligence committee provides a treasure trove of new details about Donald Trump’s relationship with Moscow, and says that a Russian national who worked closely with Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 was a career intelligence officer.The bipartisan report runs to nearly 1,000 pages and goes further than last year’s investigation into Russian election interference by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. It lays out a stunning web of contacts between Trump, his top election aides and Russian government officials, in the months leading ...

Oldham feared to be on brink of 'catastrophic' coronavirus lockdown Exclusive: council leader warns move would be ‘premature’ but could happen in next 48 hoursCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOldham in Greater Manchester is 48 hours away from potentially being ordered into a “catastrophic” and “premature” local lockdown, its council leader has warned.Ministers are expected to decide on Thursday whether to order the closure of the town’s bars, restaurants and gyms in the first local lockdown in England since hospitality businesses reopened last month. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump tells Michelle Obama 'sit back and watch' after DNC speech - live updates Democrats show unity on first night of virtual conventionMichelle Obama picks Trump apart in DNC speechJulián Castro warns Democrats of ‘potential slide of Latino supportSign up to our First Thing newsletter 6.45pm BST Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has just announced he will delay planned operational changes to the US Postal Service until after November’s presidential election.In a new statement DeJoy said he still believed the changes he proposed, which prompted accusations that he and Trump were trying to hamper voting by mail, were necessary. 6.33pm BST This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Lauren Aratani.The Senate intelligence committee released a bipartisan report on Rus...

Reports of rough sleeping in UK rose sharply during lockdown Exclusive: increase came despite government claim 90% of homeless people had been helped off streets Case study: ‘I was thinking dark thoughts’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageReports of people sleeping rough rose sharply during lockdown, despite claims by government that more than 90% of homeless people had been helped off the streets at the height of the pandemic, the Guardian can reveal.While the government launched a multimillion pound scheme to rehouse people during the Coronavirus crisis, charities said the pandemic had also led to a new cohort of people being made homeless as the services and facilities that they normally relied on closed. Continue reading... Go to Source

Belarus president hints at fresh repression to keep grip on power Alexander Lukashenko hits out at opposition plan in sign he hopes to outlast protestsThe embattled Belarusian president has hinted at a new wave of repression, in another sign he is seeking to outlast a protest movement that has brought him face-to-face with former supporters calling on him to resign.Alexander Lukashenko described an opposition plan to form a “coordination council” that would oversee a political transition in the country as “an attempt to seize power”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Depression in British adults doubles during coronavirus crisis Study shows almost 20% experienced depression, with female, younger and disabled adults most affectedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of adults in Great Britain experiencing depression has doubled during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Almost one in five (19.2%) of the 3,500 participants in the survey experienced depression in June, almost double the 9.7% of the group who had symptoms of depression in the nine months to March. Continue reading... Go to Source

Covid: Matt Hancock unveils National Institute for Health Protection Health secretary says body will protect public against pandemics, infectious diseases and external threatsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s new public health agency will protect the public against external threats to the UK, pandemics and infectious diseases, Matt Hancock has pledged.The health and social care secretary made the announcement on Tuesday as he unveiled the National Institute for Health Protection, which is being created following the controversial scrapping of Public Health England (PHE). Continue reading... Go to Source

Court overturns man's conviction for girlfriend's Bestival drug death Ceon Broughton was found guilty of killing Louella Fletcher-Michie, who died after taking 2C-PThe rapper Ceon Broughton has had his conviction for the manslaughter of his girlfriend overturned by the court of appeal.Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, died after taking the drug 2C-P at the Bestival musical festival in September 2017. Continue reading... Go to Source

China's Xi Jinping facing widespread opposition in his own party, insider claims Exclusive: Cai Xia, who has been expelled from the elite Central Party School, says president’s ‘unchecked power’ has made China ‘the enemy of the world’ Transcript: ‘He killed a party and a country’A former professor at China’s elite Central Party School has issued an unprecedented rebuke of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, accusing him of “killing a country” and claiming that many more want out of the ruling Chinese Communist party.Cai Xia, a prominent professor who taught at the school for top officials, was expelled from the party on Monday after an audio recording of remarks she made that were critical of Xi was leaked online in June. The schoo...

US politics: Trump tells Michelle Obama 'sit back and watch' after DNC speech - live updates Democrats show unity on first night of virtual conventionMichelle Obama picks Trump apart in gripping DNC speechUS recorded 542 coronavirus deaths and 40,022 new cases yesterdayAndrew Cuomo to publish October book on Covid-19 leadershipFlorida, Alaska, Wyoming holding primary electionsSign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.39pm BST Brendan Farrington has been looking for the Associated Press at the understandable uptick in requests to vote by mail in today’s Florida primary.He spoke to Catharine Skipp, who voted by mail for the first time because she has largely confined herself to home during the pandemic. She told him she also had another new experience: her ballot was challenged. 12.2...

Gavin Williamson seeks to blame Ofqual for exams debacle Education secretary forced into humiliating reversal on A-level and GCSE grades in EnglandWhat does the UK government’s U-turn on exam results mean?U-turn on exams may create new set of problems in EnglandGavin Williamson has tried to lay the blame for the exams fiasco at the door of the regulator Ofqual after a humiliating climbdown that overturned up to 2.3m grades but left thousands of pupils in limbo.Two days after saying there would be “no U-turn, no change”, the education secretary apologised and ordered a complete reversal whereby pupils in England will be able to revert to the A-level grades recommended by their teachers, if those are higher. Continue reading... Go to Source

Dido Harding to run agency replacing Public Health England Tory peer has been widely criticised over responsibility for England’s test-and-trace systemCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDido Harding, a Conservative peer who heads up England’s widely criticised test-and-trace system, has been chosen to run a new institute to replace Public Health England, after the controversial decision to axe the agency.Harding will be named as the chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, which will be charged with preventing future outbreaks of infectious diseases, despite the poor performance of NHS test and trace, which she has led since May. Continue reading... Go to Source

A-level and GCSE results in England to be based on teacher assessments in U-turn Williamson and Ofqual apologise, scrapping standardisation model after outcryGavin Williamson and Ofqual have apologised to students and their parents, as they announced that all A-level and GCSE results in England will be based on teacher-assessed grades.In a spectacular U-turn, the education secretary announced the government would scrap the controversial standardisation model drawn up by the exams regulator to award grades in lieu of exams. Continue reading... Go to Source

US chickens 'literally sitting in each other's waste' says RSPCA Chlorination of hens and use of pig sow stalls among disparities highlighted by charity ahead of post-Brexit trade talksUS hens have half the living space of UK birds and are dipped in chlorinated water after slaughter to kill bacteria growing on them as a result of the birds “literally sitting in each other’s waste”, according to a new video being launched today by the RSPCA.Aiming to highlight the welfare differences between US and UK farm animals as trade talks resume between the two countries in September, the UK’s largest animal welfare charity is taking the unusual step of releasing a video that “exposes the realities of animal welfare” and warns consumers against US dairy, egg and...

A-level results: No 10 hints algorithm will be ditched in England Boris Johnson holds talks with ministers and senior officials after days of political pressureDowning Street has dropped a heavy hint that ministers are preparing to ditch the algorithm used to standardise last week’s A-level results in England after days of intense political pressure.Boris Johnson held a phone call with ministers and senior officials from his holiday in Scotland on Monday morning, his spokesman said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Microplastic particles found in human organs by US scientists Researchers find pollutants in all samples of lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys examinedMicroplastic and nanoplastic particles have been discovered in human organs for the first time. The researchers found the tiny plastic pieces in all 47 samples of lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys they examined.Microplastic pollution has affected the entire planet, from Arctic snow and Alpine soils to the deepest oceans. The particles can harbour toxic chemicals and harmful microbes and are known to harm some marine creatures. People are also known to consume them via food and water, and to breathe them, But the potential impact on human health is not yet known. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Resign!': Alexander Lukashenko heckled by factory workers in Minsk Embattled Belarus president looked shaken as people yelled ‘liar’ in fresh blow to regime‘We will win’: vast Belarus rally adamant Lukashenko must go Alexander Lukashenko’s grip on power in Belarus has taken a further hit, as workers heckled him during a visit to a factory on the outskirts of Minsk.The visit to the the state-owned MZKT military vehicles factory on Monday was meant to show the Belarusian president was still in control and retained the support of workers at the vast factories that are the backbone of the country’s neo-Soviet economy, a day after the biggest rally in the country’s recent history against his rule. Continue reading... Go to Source

British spy's account sheds light on role in 1953 Iranian coup Interview given by MI6 officer in 1980s was discovered in research for new documentaryA first-hand account of Britain’s role in the 1953 coup that overthrew the elected prime minister of Iran and restored the shah to power has been published for the first time.The account by the MI6 officer who ran the operation describes how it took British intelligence years to persuade the US to take part in the coup. Meanwhile, MI6 recruited agents and bribed members of Iran’s parliament with banknotes transported in biscuit tins. Continue reading... Go to Source

‘It will be different’: virtual Democratic convention kicks off with emphasis on unity Four-day event where Biden will formally accept the presidential nomination begins today and will take place from remote locationsThe Democratic national convention begins on Monday with a star-studded lineup and heavy emphasis on unity aimed at presenting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the US’s best hope for healing a deeply divided nation reckoning with the parallel crises of a global pandemic and racial injustice. Related: From Oakland to the White House? The rise of Kamala Harris Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson urged to intervene as exam results anger escalates Labour calls on PM to cancel planned break as Tory MPs deluged with complaintsBoris Johnson has been urged to get a grip on the exams crisis as Labour and backbench Conservatives united in their criticism of the botched handling of A-level results in England and headteachers came out in favour of a Scotland-style solution using teachers’ assessments.The government’s attempt to placate angry parents and students backfired over the weekend when the exams regulator Ofqual scrapped rules allowing pupils to appeal against their grades using the results of mock exams, hours after the rules had been published and endorsed by ministers. Continue reading... Go to Source

Dawn Butler police stop 'rooted in bias', says UK chief of black police officers Exclusive: Andrew George calls for urgent reform of system that views black people as ‘criminals or drug dealers’The police stop of the Labour MP Dawn Butler was rooted in systemic racism that is damaging the legitimacy of policing, the leader of black police officers has said.Inspector Andrew George, the new interim president of the National Black Police Association, also called for urgent reform of “a biased system that views black people as criminals or drug dealers”. Continue reading... Go to Source