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Pupils with special needs 'forgotten' as English schools reopen Study says 20,000 Send children are unlikely to resume classes because of safety concernsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePupils at special schools in England have been “forgotten about” in the rush to restart full-time education, with 20,000 children with special needs unlikely to return to school because of safety concerns, according to a study.Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) said they were concerned about sending their children back to school in September because their children were medically vulnerable or because their child’s needs mean they cannot adhere to social distancing and safe practice. Continue reading... Go to Source

Friday briefing: Eat out to help out budget blowout August gorge gobbles up £500m scheme … secrecy over Brexit preparations condemned by auditor … and the best things to do around the UK right nowGood morning – Warren Murray with the news to accompany your morning beverage of choice. Continue reading... Go to Source

Suspect in Portland killing of far-right protester 'shot dead' by US marshals Federal and local officers were trying to arrest Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, on an arrest warrant, says sheriff’s officeThe man being investigated over the death of a far-right protester in Portland has been shot dead by US marshals in Washington state, according to local law enforcement officials.Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, a regular attendee during weeks of protests that have brought the Oregon city to a standstill, was killed during an encounter in Lacey, Washington, south-west of Seattle on Thursday evening, Pierce county sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said, according to the Olympian news site. Continue reading... Go to Source

Government secrecy hindered Brexit plans, watchdog says National Audit Office study also highlights failure to get to grips with scale of challengeExcessive secrecy about the government’s Brexit negotiating objectives and a failure to get to grips with the scale of the challenge hindered preparations for the UK’s exit from the EU, according to Whitehall’s spending watchdog.Departments issued non-disclosure agreements when discussing plans that were meant to inform the public and the business community, the National Audit Office said. More than 22,000 workers were deployed across Whitehall departments on the preparations, which cost £4.4bn. Continue reading... Go to Source

HS2: construction of £106bn high-speed rail line officially starts Boris Johnson claims London to Birmingham rail link will bring 22,000 building jobs and ‘fire up economic growth’HS2 has announced the formal start of construction of the high-speed rail line between London and the West Midlands, which it claims will create 22,000 jobs.The prime minister, Boris Johnson, was expected to attend a ceremonial launch of the first shovels in the ground on Friday for the main civil engineering contracts. Continue reading... Go to Source

Eat out to help out sees diners claim 100m cut-price meals in August Last-minute rush means Treasury scheme will cost more than the £500m set aside to help hospitality industry in pandemicAt least 100m subsidised meals were eaten by diners in the UK in August following a last-minute rush by the public to take advantage of the government’s month-long “eat out to help out” scheme, the Treasury stated.The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, praised the public for helping to save jobs in the vulnerable hospitality industry as it emerged that the meal discount scheme had exceeded expectations and would cost more than the £500m he set aside in the July mini budget. Continue reading... Go to Source

No 10 urged to revoke trade role for 'misogynist' Tony Abbott Calls grow to block the appointment of former Australian PM as trade adviserBoris Johnson is under mounting pressure to backtrack over the appointment of Tony Abbott as a trade adviser, amid growing condemnation of his misogynistic and homophobic comments and his dismissal of the climate crisis.Facing the prospect of another potentially embarrassing U-turn, Downing Street insisted on Thursday that “no decisions” had been taken over the choice of the former Australian prime minister. Continue reading... Go to Source

Greece and Portugal stay on England's list of quarantine-free travel But Wales removes mainland Portugal, Gibraltar and more Greek islands from its listCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEnglish tourists in Greece and Portugal have been spared the cost and chaos of rushing back to the UK after the British government defied expectations and maintained quarantine-free travel from both countries for the time being.But in another break from the previous UK-wide approach to the issue, the Welsh government added mainland Portugal and Gibraltar to its quarantine list, and expanded the number of Greek destinations subject to the rules. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Reach in' to help victims of domestic violence, urges Duchess of Cornwall Camilla says Covid pandemic may make it impossible for some victims to reach outCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Duchess of Cornwall has urged anyone worried that a loved one or friend could be suffering from domestic violence to “reach in” and help them, as the coronavirus pandemic may make it impossible for them to reach out.Writing in the Guardian, Camilla cited “deeply troubling” statistics showing a sharp increase in domestic violence since March, with cases globally escalating by 20%. More than a third of specialist services in the UK have reported an increase in requests for support. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Scotland's R number 'probably now above 1' and could be 1.4, says Nicola Sturgeon News updates: Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish R number ‘probably above 1’; 20-minute test could be available ‘in coming weeks and months’, says HancockUK may reimpose quarantine on travellers from PortugalMass weekly testing of population to be trialled in EnglandChildcare crisis risks pushing women out of workforce, says TUCGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.50pm BST Q: Why is Scotland applying quarantine from arrivals from the whole of Greece when the Welsh government’s quarantine policy just covers arrivals from Zante?Sturgeon says test and protect provides a lot of information about where cases are coming from, and there have been a lot of positive cases in Scotland in people who h...

Labour urges UK government not to hire Tony Abbott as trade envoy Australian ex-PM ‘wrong person for job’ because of views on women and equal marriage The UK government is facing increased pressure over its proposed appointment of Tony Abbott as a trade envoy because of his views about women, equal marriage and climate change, with Labour calling for the idea to be scrapped.“I have real concerns about Tony Abbott and don’t think he’s the right person for the job,” Keir Starmer said in a TV clip. “And if I was prime minister I wouldn’t appoint him.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Merkel pressured to end Nord Stream 2 support after Navalny poisoning German opposition calls on chancellor to use gas pipeline project to pressurise Kremlin Angela Merkel is under growing domestic pressure to end her support for the joint German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline project over the confirmed poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.The German Green party called on the chancellor to use the nearly completed infrastructure project to pressure the Kremlin into answering allegations over what Merkel called the “silencing” of Navalny with a novichok nerve reagent. Continue reading... Go to Source