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Ministers urged to overhaul early years services in England Children’s commissioner says whole pre-school sector needs reform as well as more fundingThe children’s commissioner for England has called for a complete overhaul of early years services, plus a government-funded rescue package to prevent mass closures of nurseries and childcare providers that could go under as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.The childcare sector has been hit hard by lockdown, with surveys suggesting as many as one in four nurseries and pre-schools could close within the year, rising to one in three in the deprived areas where children benefit most from early intervention. Continue reading... Go to Source

Friday briefing: Plea for rescue of early years education Nurseries and childcare providers at risk of going under, says children’s commissioner … hackers hit vaccine projects … and can Twitter be trusted?Hello, I’m Warren Murray with the stories that are moving the meter this morning. Continue reading... Go to Source

Data shows 900 women in UK affected by tax credit 'rape clause' Figures on two-child cap on benefits reveal women had to disclose child was result of sexual assaultOfficial figures show 900 women were forced to disclose their child was conceived as a result of rape to claim social security help under the government’s two-child cap on benefits.The government figures reveal in its first three years, 243,000 households containing 911,000 children were affected by the controversial policy, which was designed to deliver £1bn in welfare savings. Continue reading... Go to Source

Barr condemns Disney and Hollywood for 'kowtowing' to China Attorney general’s speech is part of continuing Trump administration offensive against BeijingThe US attorney general, William Barr, has assailed the Walt Disney Company and Hollywood studios, accusing them of “kowtowing” to the Chinese Communist party.Barr’s allegations are part of a sustained diplomatic and public relations offensive by the Trump administration against Beijing, which the attorney general accused of engaging in “economic blitzkrieg – an aggressive, orchestrated, whole-of-government (indeed, whole-of-society) campaign to seize the commanding heights of the global economy and to surpass the United States as the world’s pre-eminent superpower”. Continue reading... ...

DfiD merger will 'severely impact' UK's status, concludes cross-party inquiry Commons committee chair warns of ‘damage beyond repair’ over abolition of overseas aid department A cross-party committee of MPs has said Boris Johnson’s “rushed and impulsive” merger of the Foreign Office and Department for International Development will “severely impact the UK’s superpower status”.Attacking the prime minister’s decision as “coming out of the blue”, a report published on Thursday from the Commons international development committee (IDC) said it was likely it would be disruptive and “incredibly costly”. Continue reading... Go to Source

PM to give NHS extra £3bn to prepare for winter coronavirus Funds expected to be used to maintain Nightingale hospitals and increase testing in EnglandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson is to announce £3bn of extra funding for the NHS in England as he tries to reassure an anxious public that the government is prepared in the event of a second wave of Covid-19 cases this winter.The funds will be available to NHS England immediately, and are expected to be used to keep the emergency Nightingale hospitals open until March, and increase testing capacity to the 500,000 a day he had previously promised. Continue reading... Go to Source

Race commission head Tony Sewell apologises for anti-gay comments Exclusive: Concerns over role on panel of charity boss who rejects institutional racismThe newly appointed chair of the government’s commission on race and ethnic disparities has been forced to apologise after the Guardian unearthed controversial comments he wrote referencing “tortured queens playing hide and seek”.The apology from Tony Sewell came after Downing Street announced the former education charity boss would lead the commission set up in the wake of the Black Lives Matters protests. Continue reading... Go to Source

Russian state-sponsored hackers target Covid-19 vaccine researchers UK National Cyber Security Centre says drug firms and research groups being targeted by group known as APT29Analysis: Raab acknowledges Russian threat – why now?Russian state-sponsored hackers are targeting UK, US and Canadian organisations involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine, according to British security officials.The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said drug companies and research groups were being targeted by a group known as APT29, which was “almost certainly” part of the Kremlin’s intelligence services. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK government orders halt to Randox Covid-19 tests over safety issues Care homes and members of public told to immediately stop using firm’s kitsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government has instructed care homes and members of the public to immediately stop using coronavirus testing kits produced by a healthcare firm after safety problems were discovered.Randox was awarded a £133m contract in March to produce the testing kits for England, Wales and Northern Ireland without any other firms being given the opportunity to bid for the work. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Leicester's mayor 'angry and frustrated' as city kept in partial lockdown Pubs, restaurants, bars will remain closed in city, but restrictions on schools lifted; Patrick Vallance says government was advised to impose lockdown week before it did; 66 coronavirus deaths recorded in UKRussian state-sponsored hackers target Covid-19 vaccine researchersGovernment orders halt to Randox Covid-19 tests over safety issuesVaccine: Oxford team aim to start lab-controlled human trial soonExclusive: England’s face mask law could backfire, says EU expertGlobal coronavirus updates – live 6.56pm BSTHere’s a roundup of today’s key UK coronavirus developments: 6.21pm BSTTwo of Manchester’s popular music venues have closed for good as a result of the econo...

Closest ever images of sun reveal it is covered in miniature flares Solar Orbiter images shot from between Venus and Mercury orbits show ‘campfires’ in coronaThe closest ever images of the sun reveal its surface is speckled with “campfires”, miniature versions of the dramatic solar flares visible from Earth.The observations, beamed back from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which is a joint Nasa and European Space Agency (ESA) mission, could help resolve why the sun’s atmosphere is so staggeringly hot compared to the surface – a central paradox in solar physics. Miniature flares have been proposed as a theoretical explanation for the so-called coronal heating problem, but until now no telescope has had a good enough resolution to observe the sun’s ...