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Coronavirus cases in England increase by 27% in a week Number of people testing positive hits highest level since mid-June despite fall in testsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOfficials in the UK’s second city have called on the public to do all they can to avoid a second lockdown as the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England rose by 27% in a single week, hitting its highest level since mid-June.Between 6 August and 12 August, 6,616 people tested positive for the virus even though testing dipped by 2% – staying broadly steady at about 1.2m, which is half the weekly capacity of almost 2.4m tests.In an indication that the NHS may be again facing an increased demand from people with Covid-19, it was the first time there ha...

'No relief': families of Manchester Arena bombing victims react to verdict Sentencing of Hashem Abedi for 22 counts of murder brings mixed reactions from grieving relativesAfter three years waiting for justice for the deaths of those who were killed in the terror attack at Manchester Arena, families of the victims, survivors and city leaders can hope to find a sliver of closure.On Thursday, Hashem Abedi, the brother of bomber Salman Abedi, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 55 years at the Old Bailey for 22 counts of murder, attempted murder, and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Scotland records highest number of daily cases in almost three months Nicola Sturgeon confirms Scotland will remain in phase three of four-part plan for easing lockdown restrictionOfqual ignored exams warning a month ago amid ministers’ pressureDisadvantaged pupils will be biggest winners from GCSE resultsFollow global coronavirus developments See all our coronavirus coverage 12.40pm BST Nicola Sturgeon says that Scotland is not moving to the next stage of a route out of lockdown, as she announced that there have been 77 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, the highest number of new cases in three months.There were 27 new cases in Tayside overnight, and the outbreak there at the 2Sisters chicken factory, Coupar Angus, has now reached 43 in total. The army...

EU rejects British plan for post-Brexit return of asylum seekers UK set to lose right to transfer refugees to other EU countries under Dublin regulationEU negotiators have rejected a British request for a migration pact that would allow the government to return asylum seekers to other European countries.When the Brexit transition period expires on 31 December, the government will lose the right to transfer refugees and migrants to the EU country in which they arrived, a cornerstone of the European asylum system known as the Dublin regulation. Continue reading... Go to Source

GCSE results: proportion of entries with highest grades soars Proportion awarded grades 7, 8 and 9 rises from 21.9% last year to 27.6% as exams regulator accepts school assessmentsGCSE results: news and reaction - live blogThe proportion of the highest GCSE grades awarded in England this year has jumped by 26%, in the wake of the government’s examinations U-turn, according to figures released by the regulator Ofqual.Following the government’s decision to scrap calculated grades and replace them with school-assessed grades in most cases, the proportion awarded of grades 7, 8 and 9 – equivalent to the old A and A* grades – awarded to Year 11 pupils rose from 21.9% last year to 27.6% this year. Continue reading... Go to Source

Covid cases top 5.5m as Joe Biden prepares for big DNC night - US politics live Kamala Harris accepts vice-presidential nomination on historic DNC nightObama delivers searing Trump attack warning of grave threat to democracyTrump tacitly endorses baseless QAnon conspiracy theory1,294 deaths and 42,932 new Covid-19 cases reported yesterdaySign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.38pm BST Also writing about race in America today are Laura Barrón-López and Alex Thompson, who observe that the attention paid to racial injustice and systemic racism at the DNC would have been unthinkable even four years ago:The combination of Democrats’ reaction to Donald Trump’s presidency, the most diverse presidential field in history and years more of activism, however, made race ...

Kamala Harris accepts vice-presidential nomination on historic night Democratic nominee urges voters to reject Donald Trump and says: ‘We can do better and deserve so much more’Obama delivers withering attack on TrumpKamala Harris, a California senator and daughter of immigrants who has broken racial barriers at every step of her political career, made US history on Wednesday night as she became the first Black woman and first Asian American to formally accept a major party’s vice-presidential nomination.In the most consequential speech of her career to date, Harris urged voters to reject the divisive and destructive leadership of Donald Trump, calling him a president who “turns our tragedies into political weapons”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Thursday briefing: Kamala Harris secures nomination for White House and history Biden running mate condemns Trump’s ‘failure of leadership’ … outcry after boy drowns in Channel … Vigo in Spain boasts of world’s best Christmas lightsHello, Warren Murray here, let’s quick-march through the news. Continue reading... Go to Source

Firm linked to Gove and Cummings hired to work with Ofqual on A-levels Exclusive: Public First was given communications contract without competitive tenderA company run by long–term associates of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings has been working behind the scenes with the exams agency Ofqual on its disastrous strategy for determining A-level results, the Guardian can reveal.Public First, a policy and research firm owned by James Frayne and Rachel Wolf, who both formerly worked for Gove, has been involved on the project with Ofqual since June after being granted a contract that was not put out to competitive tender. Continue reading... Go to Source

Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition figure, unconscious in hospital, says aide Politician may have been poisoned by toxic substance in his tea, says press secretary The Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny is “unconscious” in hospital after allegedly being poisoned with a toxic substance in his tea, according to his press secretary.Navalny, 44, an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, was reported to be returning to Moscow by plane from Tomsk in Siberia when began to feel ill, his press secretary, Kira Yarmish, said on Twitter. Continue reading... Go to Source

65% of minority ethnic Britons say police are biased against them Poll suggests problems of trust and legitimacy for criminal justice systemTwo-thirds of minority ethnic Britons believe the police and criminal justice system are biased against them, a new poll finds.Coming after racial injustice protests swept across Britain in recent months, the poll for the charity Hope Not Hate shows the level of concern about bias in policing among minority groups. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ofqual ignored exams warning a month ago amid ministers' pressure Exclusive: Agency said to have been told of risk of erratic outcomes, but was under government pressure on grade inflationOfqual was warned at least a month ago of flaws in the exams algorithm that left thousands of students devastated, but the regulator pressed ahead amid longstanding ministerial pressure to prevent grade inflation, the Guardian understands.External advisers told the regulator that its formula for deciding England’s pupils’ A-level and GCSE results after the cancellation of exams was “volatile” and risked producing erratic outcomes, sources said. Continue reading... Go to Source