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Covid-19 test a week after UK arrival 'could halve quarantine time' Scientific modelling shows different approaches to testing could catch up to 94% of casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTesting travellers a week after their arrival in the UK could catch 94% of coronavirus cases and halve quarantine times, scientific modelling has suggested, as ministers consider proposals to reduce the 14-day self-isolation for those coming from high-risk countries.Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Europe was beginning to experience a second wave of Covid-19 infections, increasing the pressure to find measures to prevent the spread of cases to the UK. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson says 'signs of second wave of pandemic' in parts of Europe British PM’s warning comes after Spain is critical of UK for extending non-essential travel advice to Canary and Balearic islands Brexit will deliver double shock to UK economy, study findsBerlin couple test positive for coronavirus after Manchester visitWhich countries can UK holidaymakers visit without restrictions on arrival?Global coronavirus live: latest updates 12.49pm BST 12.48pm BST Sturgeon is now taking questions at the briefing.Q: What is happening with regard to enforcement of quarantine rules? How many fines have been issued?All of that leads me to pretty much advise to be very, very cautious about foreign travel now. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit will deliver double shock to UK economy, study finds Exclusive: LSE report says even sectors unscathed from coronavirus crisis will be severely impactedA Brexit hit is looming for sectors that have emerged relatively unscathed from the Covid-19 pandemic, new data has showed.A report from the London School of Economics says Brexit will deliver a double shock to the economy – with worsening business conditions for those sectors that have survived the impact of coronavirus and lockdown measures – whether Boris Johnson secures a deal with the EU or not. Continue reading... Go to Source

Madeleine McCann: German police search garden in Hanover German police said last month they identified a 43-year-old German citizen as a suspectGerman police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007 have searched a garden plot in the northern city of Hanover in connection with their investigation, prosecutors said.Julia Meyer, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig confirmed reports on Tuesday that police investigators had been at the site since Monday with an excavator in connection with the case. Continue reading... Go to Source

BAME representation in UK's top jobs has barely risen in past three years Colour of Power survey finds issue not addressed despite government-backed targetsThe proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in some of the 1,100 most powerful jobs in the UK has barely moved over the past three years, according to a study that highlights the lack of non-white representation across key roles.Only 51 out of the 1097 most powerful roles in the country are filled by non-white individuals, an increase of only 1.2%, or 15 people, since 2017, the Colour of Power survey by consultants Green Park and not-for-profit organisation Operation Black Vote said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Residents to get new decision-making powers in cycling 'revolution' Measures include watchdog to ensure quality and safety of walking and cycling routesCycling ambitions for England move up a gear with No 10 plansResidents will get powers to banish through-traffic from local streets and councils will be prevented from building substandard cycle lanes under what Downing Street has billed as a revolution for cycling and walking in England.The plans will see the creation of a watchdog to ensure new cycle and walking routes are up to standard, intended to act as a transport equivalent of the schools inspectorate, Ofsted. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: NHS could take over social care, swelling budget to £150bn Exclusive: former Cameron policy chief drafted in to help with Johnson’s pledge to fix social care in England Camilla Cavendish: the woman charged with shaking up social care Social care could be brought under the control of the NHS in England in a controversial move that would cause the health service’s budget to soar to £150bn, the Guardian has learned.Downing Street has drafted in David Cameron’s former policy chief Camilla Cavendish to help finalise proposals designed to honour Boris Johnson’s pledge to “fix the crisis in social care”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Foreign Office neglected Britons abroad after Covid-19 travel bans, says report MPs say ‘cost-cutting’ to blame for government’s slowness to charter repatriation flightsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) neglected British citizens stranded abroad during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, failing to organise charter flights swiftly or communicate meaningfully with those marooned, a damning report by MPs has said.Efforts to repatriate 1.3 million British nationals stranded overseas amid global travel bans, were too slow, too impersonal with “clear failings” in the government response, the foreign affairs committee concluded. Continue reading... Go to Source

Cut in stamp duty has only really benefited London, says Zoopla Property website says sales jumped by 27% in first two weeks of stamp duty holidayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s stamp duty cut to reboot Britain’s virus-stricken property market has benefited London most and had little impact elsewhere so far, according to Zoopla.In a reflection of the disproportionate benefit for wealthier buyers, the property website said that agreed house sales in the capital jumped by 27% in the first two weeks of the stamp duty holiday. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK extends Spain non-essential travel advice to holiday islands Thousands more holidays to be cancelled in latest coronavirus blow to tourism industryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThousands more holidays are set to be cancelled after the UK government’s recommendation against all but essential travel to mainland Spain was extended to include the Canary and Balearic islands.The news will come as a further blow to the tourism industry and the Spanish government, which had lobbied hard for the removal of quarantine restrictions for tourists returning from the islands. Continue reading... Go to Source

Met uses software that can be deployed to see if ethnic groups 'specialise' in areas of crime Exclusive: Origins software produced by Trevor Phillips’s firm allows users to profile suspects, says companyThe Metropolitan police have been using software that can be deployed to help identify whether different ethnic groups “specialise” in particular types of crime, the Guardian can reveal.The Origins programme, produced by Webber Phillips, a consultancy run by Prof Richard Webber and the former Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Trevor Phillips has been described by the former as conferring the ability “to profile perpetrators and victims” of crimes. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: oil giants help fund powerful police groups in top US cities Investigation portrays fossil fuel industry as common enemy in struggle for racial and environmental justice in AmericaBig corporations accused of driving environmental and health inequalities in black and brown communities through toxic and climate-changing pollution are also funding powerful police groups in major US cities, according to a new investigation. Related: Trump is using federal agents as his 'goon squad', says Ice's ex-acting head Continue reading... Go to Source

Cheshire prison worker warned of problems before death of baby Manager of mother-and-baby unit at Styal Prison wrote to politicians about her concerns for pregnant inmatesThe former manager of a prison mother-and-baby unit warned just months before the stillbirth of a baby there that such a tragedy was likely to happen because of concerns about conditions for pregnant women at the prison, the Guardian has learned.Tamsin Morris, a lawyer, who previously managed the mother-and-baby unit at Styal Prison in Wilmslow, Cheshire, wrote to the MP for the area, Esther McVey, to the Ministry of Justice and to the mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, in February of this year, raising concerns about conditions for pregnant women at the prison in the wake of the stillbirth of a baby at HMP Bronzefield...

British retailers issue warning over potential online sales tax Shoppers will pay more if chancellor goes ahead with digital levy in England and Wales, says lobby groupAn online sales tax would push up prices for consumers, the British retail industry lobby group has warned, after it emerged that Rishi Sunak is exploring plans for a levy to protect high street shops from mounting competition.Against a backdrop of rising retail job losses and store closures triggered by the coronavirus crisis, the chancellor is looking at taxing internet shopping for England and Wales as a potential replacement for business rates, the levy on companies based on the premises they occupy. Continue reading... Go to Source