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Covid-19: UK economy plunges into deepest recession since records began GDP falls 20.4% – the worst of any G7 nation in the three months to JuneUK falls into recession – live business updateAnalysis: a full recovery from the Covid slump will be slowHow does UK’s Covid recession compare with previous ones?Britain has entered the deepest recession since records began as official figures on Wednesday showed the economy shrank by more than any other major nation during the coronavirus outbreak in the three months to June.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic prosperity, fell in the second quarter by 20.4% compared with the previous three months – the biggest quarterly decline since comparable reco...

Serious injuries reported after train derails near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Smoke seen billowing from track near Stonehaven amid reports of an engine fireEmergency services have been called to a major train derailment near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, where smoke can be seen billowing from the track amid reports of an engine fire and serious injuries.About 30 emergency vehicles, including an air ambulance, are reported to be at the scene already, with more continuing to arrive. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: teachers push back on minister's claim there is 'no confusion' over A-level grades Last-minute inclusion of mock exam results in England follows U-turn over Scotland gradesA-level appeals in England will benefit only ‘small group’, says ministerCould England and Wales follow Scotland’s exam grades U-turn?Parents and young people: how are you feeling about exam results?UK economy plunges into deepest recession since records beganGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.45pm BST Speaking in Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, where he has been meeting teachers to discuss school reopening plans, Starmer added:The idea of using mock results is deeply flawed. Talking to teachers today, it’s obvious that they expect, across the piece, that young people...

Asylum seeker removal flight to go ahead despite last-minute court action Home Office says up to 20 people who came to UK on small boats will be sent to mainland EuropeA charter flight to remove asylum seekers who recently arrived in the UK on small boats is due to take off despite last-minute high court actions in the early hours of Wednesday morning and other interventions which have led to at least 19 people not boarding the plane.The Home Office said up to 20 people would be placed on the charter flight destined for France and Germany. The Guardian knows of 19 who either had their removal directions deferred by the Home Office or stayed by the high court a few hours ago, or who believed they would be on the flight but then found out that the Home Office had never set removal directi...

'Good day for our country': Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick Party leaders and progressive groups appear largely united behind Joe Biden’s choice of running mateDemocrats from all corners of the party appeared largely united behind Joe Biden’s selection of the California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday.The responses came almost immediately after Biden unveiled Harris as his choice for the vice presidential nominee, less than a week before the Democratic national convention, where Biden will be formally nominated as the presidential candidate for his party. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ministers bid to quell revolt over England A-levels by allowing mock exam results Gavin Williamson announces that pupils may use mock results if unhappy with gradesMinisters made an 11th-hour bid to stave off a revolt over the handling of exam results on Tuesday night, granting pupils in England the right to use mock exam results if they are unhappy with their grades.The intervention, on the eve of the release of 730,000 A-level results decided by an algorithm on Thursday, follows growing alarm in Downing Street. Continue reading... Go to Source

Kamala Harris named as Joe Biden’s running mate – live VP pick updates Full story: Biden picks Harris as his running mate in historic firstBiden: California senator is a ‘fearless fighter for the little guy’Trump says ‘China will own the US’ if he losesPresident says empty seats at a rally won’t ‘look great’Investigation: finding every US healthcare worker who dies fighting Covid-19US health secretary expects vaccine by DecemberSign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.10am BST Joe Biden had promised to choose a woman as his running mate, but his naming of a Black woman as his vice president is not only historic but also an acknowledgment that Black women’s voting power — and how crucial Black women are to Democratic candidates succes...

BBC and Sky accused of 'voyeurism' in coverage of migrant boats Live footage of people crossing Channel to UK is like ‘grotesque reality TV’, says MPBritain’s television news broadcasters have been criticised by opposition MPs and campaigners over their coverage of migrants crossing the Channel, with claims that some of their reports dehumanise those taking the risk to make the journey.Footage of Sky News and BBC Breakfast teams approaching and filming small boats trying to navigate the busy waters of the Dover strait was widely condemned on social media. The Labour MP Zarah Sultana said: “We should ensure people don’t drown crossing the Channel, not film them as if it were some grotesque reality TV show.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Over 100,000 Scottish exam grades to be reinstated after row John Swinney to face no-confidence vote after being forced to make U-turn on resultsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScotland’s education secretary is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament after being forced to reinstate more than 120,000 Scottish exam grades following days of protests by pupils, teachers and opposition parties.John Swinney made an emergency statement at Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon after a furious row last week when the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) announced it had downgraded 124,000 exam results, moderating the recommendations of school teachers in nearly a quarter of all awards. Continue reading... Go to Source

Stephen Lawrence's father seeks to overturn decision to end active murder hunt Met police chief announces there are no further lines of inquiry into murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993The father of Stephen Lawrence will attempt to overturn a decision by Scotland Yard to end the active hunt for his son’s murderers, saying it would leave racist killers out on the streets.Neville Lawrence was speaking after the Metropolitan police shifted the status of its search for at least three white men who were part of the gang that attacked Stephen, saying active work to catch them would cease. He and his ex-wife, Doreen, Stephen’s mother, expressed dismay at the decision. Continue reading... Go to Source

Covid live news: New Zealand reports first new cases in community; Russia approves vaccine Coronavirus updates: New Zealand records first new local cases in 102 days; deaths likely to pass 750,000 this week, says WHORussia approves coronavirus vaccine despite testing safety concernsGlobal cases pass 20m as WHO points to ‘green shoots of hope’Lost on the frontline: the 900 US healthcare workers who have diedUK coronavirus updates – live 12.37pm BST Vietnam has reported 16 more infections and one new death, taking the total number of cases in the south-east Asian country to 863, of which 16 have been fatalities.Most of the new cases are linked to the central city of Danang, where the new outbreak began late in July after Vietnam had been more than three months without do...

Dover MP refuses to back fellow Tories' ‘invading migrants’ rhetoric Natalie Elphicke distances herself from letter to home secretary about Channel crossingsThe Conservative MP for Dover has distanced herself from rhetoric used by fellow Tories in a letter to the home secretary, in which they referred to “invading migrants” amid an increasingly fraught debate over the rise in Channel crossings.A group of 23 Conservative MPs and two peers on Monday wrote to Priti Patel to demand “stronger enforcement” efforts to combat a “surge in illegal immigration” as the number of arrivals in small boats surpassed the 4,100 mark so far in 2020. Continue reading... Go to Source

Debenhams ready to cut 2,500 jobs in new blow to high street Beleaguered retailer says trading remains slow after reopening 124 storesDebenhams is to cut a further 2,500 jobs in its department stores in the latest blow to hit the high street.The beleaguered retailer is reducing the number of shop assistants in its stores as trading remains slow despite the reopening of 124 of its stores after lockdown. Continue reading... Go to Source

Belarus opposition candidate in Lithuania after second night of protests Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s low score in official election results has prompted two nights of unprecedented protest actionSvetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition candidate in Sunday’s disputed elections in Belarus, has left the country as clashes between heavily armed police and demonstrators escalated during a second night of protests.Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, told the Guardian that she had been detained by Belarusian authorities for seven hours after filing a complaint against vote-rigging. She crossed the border towards morning, he said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Race equality chief faces legal challenge over appointment Exclusive: anti-racism group cites Tony Sewell’s attempt to downplay institutional racism as grounds for disputeThe academic chosen to lead the prime minister’s new racial equality commission, despite having cast doubt on the effects of institutional racism and making homophobic comments in the past, is facing a legal challenge to his appointment.Tony Sewell, the former head of an education charity, is Downing Street’s choice to lead the commission it set up in July as a response to the global Black Lives Matter protests, through which demonstrators have demanded racial equality. Continue reading... Go to Source