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Experts call for stronger measures as UK daily coronavirus cases hit four-month high Official figures show 4,422 people tested positive in past 24 hours, the highest daily total since 8 MayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDaily coronavirus cases in the UK have reached a four-month high for the second day in a row, the latest government figures show. A total of 4,422 people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours – 100 more new cases than on Friday and the highest daily total since 8 May. A further 27 people died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus as of Saturday, bringing the UK toll to 41,759. Continue reading... Go to Source

Hurricane Ianos turns towards Crete after sweeping across Greece Two dead, one missing and nearly a thousand rescued as floods damage ThessalyAfter pounding parts of western and central Greece meteorologists have predicted a rare Mediterranean hurricane is headed south towards the island of Crete.Authorities struggling to contain the impact of the cyclone – a so-called Mediterranean hurricane named Medicane Ianos – said two people had died and at least one was missing as torrential rain and gale-force winds wielded a trail of destruction. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: death of liberal justice gives Trump chance to reshape the US for generations President pledges to fill supreme court vacancy ‘without delay’Democrats cry foul, citing case of Merrick GarlandUS politics – live coverageOpinion: Ginsburg changed US before she joined supreme courtThe death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has sparked a titanic political fight that could shape the future of US supreme court decisions on abortion rights, voting rights and other fundamental issues for a generation. Related: What does Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death mean for the supreme court? Continue reading... Go to Source

Home Office plans to evict thousands of refused asylum seekers People in England whose cases have been refused will be given 21 days to leave UK, letter statesThousands of asylum seekers currently accommodated in hotels are facing removal from the UK, the Home Office has announced.A letter from the Home Office, seen by the Independent, states that evictions of refused asylum seekers will take place “with immediate effect” and charities have reported an increase in people being held in immigration detention centres. Continue reading... Go to Source

Labour donor who quit over antisemitism is ready to rejoin Sir David Garrard, one of the party’s biggest private supporters, is optimistic about Keir Starmer’s reformsOne of Labour’s most generous private donors, who dramatically quit the party over antisemitism, has signalled he is ready to rejoin in a further sign that Keir Starmer is winning back Jewish supporters.Sir David Garrard revealed he had quit in 2018 as Labour struggled with accusations of antisemitism within the party. He said at the time that he no longer felt “any affinity or connection” with the party, adding that the Labour he joined “no longer exists”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supreme court justice, dies aged 87 Stalwart of court’s liberal bloc had survived four cancer treatmentsDeath of justice gives Trump chance of third appointmentThe supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of pancreatic cancer, the court said Friday. She was 87. Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties, reproductive rights, first amendment rights and equal protections under the law. Continue reading... Go to Source

Mitch McConnell vows US Senate will push on with Trump's pick to replace Ginsburg McConnell says vote will go ahead despite refusing Obama’s, as Biden says next president should choose replacementMitch McConnell, the US senate majority leader, vowed on Friday to move forward quickly with Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court, setting the stage for an extraordinary political battle just six weeks before election day.Shortly after the 87-year-old justice’s death was announced, the Republican released a statement removing any doubt about his intention to act, though the timeline for doing so remained notably vague. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed America long before she joined the supreme court | Moira Donegan She spent her extraordinary career fighting for women’s rights and ensuring the promise of the constitution applied to allThe most important feminist lawyer in the history of the American republic has died. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a supreme court justice and singularly influential legal mind, was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993, the court’s second-ever female justice, and served for nearly 30 years. She passed away due to complications from cancer on Friday. She was 87.Strategic, contemplative and disciplined, but with a passion for the feminist cause that is rarely admitted into the halls of power, Ginsburg established an impressive legal legacy long before she became a judge. Over the course of...

England-wide Covid lockdown needed 'sooner rather than later', says former adviser Prof Neil Ferguson says new rules needed to minimise deaths in ‘perfect storm’ second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe epidemiologist whose modelling helped shape Britain’s coronavirus lockdown strategy has said new restrictions will be needed in England “sooner rather than later” if the government is to prevent infections surging again.Prof Neil Ferguson, who resigned from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the country was facing a “perfect storm” after controls were eased over summer. Continue reading... Go to Source

Engagement with anti-vaccine Facebook posts trebles in one month Exclusive: Guardian analysis prompts calls for new drive to combat conspiracy theories Medical experts v anti-vaxxers: the Covid-19 information battle Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEngagement with anti-vaccine posts on a sample of UK Facebook pages trebled between July and August, analysis by the Guardian has found, triggering calls for a major new push to tackle conspiracy theories.Interactions on posts expressing scepticism or hostility towards vaccines on six UK Facebook pages increased from 12,000 in July to 42,000 in August, according to the analysis, conducted using the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle. Continue reading... Go to Source