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California closes bars and indoor dining across state as Covid-19 cases surge – live Trump says plan to paint Fifth Avenue will ‘denigrate’ itCuomo urges Trump to ‘admit you were wrong’US reports record one-day increase in cases as Trump stays silentSign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.17am BSTThe heads of four big tech firms – Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook – have agreed to participate in a House Judiciary Committee hearing in late July. The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee has been investigated whether the market power of these tech giants poses a threat to competition. 11.38pm BSTThe Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign raised $131m in June, eclipsing the total they raised in any month in 2016, according to the RNC. T...

UK should prioritise green projects to kickstart economy, says IMF Chief economist tells committee that coronavirus recovery is an opportunity to create jobs and greener planet The British government should prioritise spending on green projects to create jobs and kickstart the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis, the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist has said.Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s economic counsellor, said that mounting unemployment triggered by the Covid-19 crisis would require swift action to prevent lasting damage, and that spending on low-carbon projects could be used in response. Continue reading... Go to Source

China may block Hongkongers from moving to UK, admits Dominic Raab Foreign secretary says Britain can do little to ‘coercively force’ China to let citizens leaveBritain could do little to “coercively force” China if it tries to block Hongkongers from coming to the UK to take up a government visa pledge, the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has admitted.Boris Johnson has said he will honour a promise to offer nearly 3 million residents of the former British colony the right to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship after Beijing imposed a controversial new national security law. Continue reading... Go to Source

Police in England and Wales facing 'new era of austerity' London mayor among those fearing imminent financial crisis mainly caused by Covid-19Police are facing a “new era of austerity” with some forces potentially facing their worst ever annual budget cuts fuelled by the coronavirus crisis.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has warned the funding crisis endangers the government’s pledge to recruit 20,000 extra officers to fight crime and risks leaving police “with one hand tied behind their back”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Exclusive: water firms discharged raw sewage into England's rivers 200,000 times in 2019 Untreated effluent flowed into waterways for more than 1.5m hours, data showsEngland’s privatised water firms paid £57bn in dividends since 1991Water companies in England discharged raw sewage into rivers on more than 200,000 occasions last year, according to data obtained by the Guardian.The analysis reveals untreated human waste was released into streams and rivers for more than 1.5m hours in 2019. Continue reading... Go to Source

Data reveals coronavirus hotspots in Bradford, Barnsley and Rochdale Exclusive: figures reveal locations with highest levels of new infections after LeicesterCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBradford, Barnsley and Rochdale can be revealed as the places with the highest levels of new Covid-19 infections after Leicester, as fears grow of further local outbreaks and the UK heads towards Saturday’s lifting of more lockdown restrictions.The official data, which has not been previously published on Public Health England’s online dashboard, comes amid complaints from local health officials and medics that a lack of detailed testing about local outbreaks is causing delays in attempts to curtail them. Continue reading... Go to Source

Hong Kong: hundreds arrested as security law comes into effect Teenager waving independence flag among those held as thousands take to the streetsHong Kong protests: latest updates – liveMore than 370 protesters have been arrested as police fired teargas, pepper spray and water cannon at thousands of people protesting against a national security law imposed by Beijing.The extent of Beijing’s mandate was made clear as full details of the law were released late on Tuesday, giving authorities sweeping powers to crack down on dissent and allowing China new levels of control over the semi-autonomous territory. Continue reading... Go to Source

Hong Kong protests: more than 180 arrested as security law comes in; UK opens pathway to citizenship Police use water cannon and pepper spray as people take to the streets to protest new security law introduced by ChinaProtesters arrested on first day of Hong Kong’s hated new lawsAnalysis: security laws usher in new era of Chinese controlHow are you being affected by protests in Hong Kong? 12.36pm BSTBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new security law in Hong Kong is a clear breach of China’s obligations. He added that the UK will now create a new route for people in Hong Kong with a British National overseas passport to come to the UK and have a path to citizenship. 12.29pm BSTThe British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has accused China of a “clear an...

Man, 18, arrested over death of two sisters in London park Man held in south London on suspicion of murder of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa HenryAn 18-year-old man has been arrested over the killing of two sisters in a London park, the Metropolitan police said.The man was arrested at an address in south London overnight on suspicion of the murders of Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, at Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London, in the early hours of 6 June. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson denies Leicester lacked infection data at PMQs Keir Starmer questions PM over lack of local infection data; government minister warns more local lockdowns to be expectedRising infections in pockets of UK raise fears of further local lockdownsSome Leicester factories ‘stayed open and forced staff to come in’UK house prices fall as Covid-19 job losses surge – business liveEvictions could treble due to coronavirus rent debts, activists warnGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.41pm BSTJohnson says the Department for Education has been working with the Department for Transport on ensuring children can use buses to return to school in the autumn.And PMQs is now over. Snap verdict coming up soon. 12.41pm BSTJohnson says he does think t...

Injured boy 'stopped and searched' by Met officer he asked for help Teenager attacked in London by rightwing opponents of Black Lives Matter movementRights groups have criticised police after a boy of 16, attacked by far-right opponents of a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, said he was stopped and searched by the policeman he had asked for help.The teenager, who is black, said that even though he had been injured in the attack, the police officer he approached for protection looked him over, searched him and told him to find medical help elsewhere. Continue reading... Go to Source

English councils breaking law in 'secretly' relocating homeless people Many do not notify new local authority and flout guidance to keep people in neighbourhoodsCouncils across England are systematically breaking the law by relocating hundreds of homeless people outside of their boroughs without notifying the authorities receiving them.An investigation found that schools are being overwhelmed, with northern cities such as Bradford having received at least 290 households from 31 different boroughs in the past two years, many of them from London, Kent and Essex. Continue reading... Go to Source

US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at leastCoronavirus – latest US updatesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe US has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs proven to work against Covid-19, leaving none for the UK, Europe or most of the rest of the world.Experts and campaigners are alarmed both by the US unilateral action on remdesivir and the wider implications, for instance in the event of a vaccine becoming available. The Trump administration has already shown that it is prepared to outbid and outmanoeuvre all other countries to secure the medical supplies it needs for the...