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Reopened pubs in England may require drinkers to check in Health secretary refuses to rule out diners and drinkers having to register as they enter venueCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCustomers in England may be asked to check in when they arrive at pubs and restaurants as part of the the government’s plan for reopening the hospitality sector, Matt Hancock has said.Appearing on Sophy Ridge on Sunday on SkyNews, the health secretary confirmed the government hoped to reopen pubs and restaurants on 4 July, in line with Boris Johnson’s roadmap, published last month. Continue reading... Go to Source

Donald Trump sows division and promises 'greatness' at Tulsa rally flop US president’s much hyped return turned to humiliation when he failed to fill arena in Republican stronghold of OklahomaDonald Trump declared “the silent majority is stronger than ever before” at his comeback rally on Saturday, but thousands of empty seats appeared to tell a different story.The US president’s much hyped return to the campaign trail turned to humiliation when he failed to fill a 19,000-capacity arena in the Republican stronghold of Oklahoma, raising fresh doubts about his chances of winning re-election. Continue reading... Go to Source

DfID staff 'devastated and demoralised' by Foreign Office merger No 10 accused of exploiting Covid-19 pandemic to rush through Whitehall mergerLatest politics newsDowning Street is facing growing anger from staff at the Department for International Development, some of whom accuse it of exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic by pushing through the merger with the Foreign Office.Plans had long been mooted to combine the two Whitehall departments but insiders were shocked by the timing and manner of the announcement – which came without union consultation, with many staff finding out via an apparent leak to the media. Continue reading... Go to Source

Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India? The brutal ambush in the Himalayas is the latest aggressive move from Beijing by a nation battling crises on several fronts The ambush set up by Chinese soldiers for an Indian patrol was medieval. In the high-altitude Himalayan no man’s land claimed by both countries, their forces have agreed not to carry guns, to diminish the chance of the long-running territorial dispute flaring into open war.So the People’s Liberation Army had dammed up mountain streams, which they unblocked as the Indian troops approached. The rush of water knocked many off their feet, and then the Chinese soldiers swept down, brandishing sticks encrusted with nails, Indian media reported. Continue reading... Go to Source

Reading stabbing: three dead as UK police investigate possible terrorism link Counter-terrorism police assisting investigation and one man has been arrestedCounter-terrorism police have joined the investigation after a stabbing attack in Reading left three people dead and two critically injured.Thames Valley said officers and other emergency services were called to reports of “multiple stabbings” at a park in Forbury Gardens, Reading at 7pm Saturday evening. One man, who is understood to be Libyan, has been arrested. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump lands in Tulsa for first campaign rally since March – live President ignores experts and local concerns to stage eventOklahoma experiences Covid-19 increase as it reopensProtesters topple Confederate statue in Washington DC US attorney refuses to resign despite Barr announcement 12.43am BSTThe Trump campaign blamed “radical protesters” for stopping some of the president’s supporters from attending today’s rally. Our southern bureau chief, Oliver Laughland, is on the ground tonight and saw no evidence of that.I didn’t see a single person being blocked from entering the rally and was outside for about 5 hours. https://t.co/O9Tc5qkMpN 12.38am BSTMike Pence has entered the arena in Tulsa to big cheers from the crowd. He will address the president’s ...

Geoffrey Berman, US attorney behind inquiries into Trump allies, resigns after Barr announces firing Berman had initially refused to resignTrump ‘not involved’ though only he has authority for moveThe US attorney general, William Barr, said on Saturday Donald Trump had fired Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the southern district of New York who has overseen investigations and prosecutions of key Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen. Related: John Bolton: judge declines to block tell-all Trump book Continue reading... Go to Source

Met to refer itself to watchdog after black man was kneed in face Teenager was kneed in head in April after being pursued by officers in Hackney, east LondonThe Metropolitan police is to refer a stop and search incident in which one of its officers kneed a handcuffed black man in the head to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following pressure.Video footage of the 18-year-old shows him shouting “I’m not resisting” and “I didn’t do anything” before receiving a knee to the head on 22 April in Hackney after a pursuit by officers who had repeatedly requested him and two other men on bicycles to stop for a weapons search. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Product of theft': Greece urges UK to return Parthenon marbles The New Acropolis Museum wants to display antiquities removed on the orders of Lord ElginThe New Acropolis Museum was purpose-built to host the one thing every Greek government will always agree on: the Parthenon marbles being returned from London.On Saturday, as the four-storey edifice marked its 11th anniversary, Athens reinvigorated the cultural row calling the British Museum’s retention of the antiquities illegal and “contrary to any moral principle”. Continue reading... Go to Source

NHS Covid app developers 'tried to block rival symptom trackers' Developers claim government technology unit was hostile to other groups, hampering the fight against the diseaseCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNHSX, the health service technology unit responsible for the government’s failed contact-tracing app, attempted to block rival apps to protect its own, hampering efforts to track the early spread of the coronavirus.Developers were urged to stop work by NHSX and the Ministry of Defence, who told them their apps might distract attention from NHSX’s app when it was launched. Last week the app was abandoned after three months, with work beginning on an alternative design without any deadline. Continue reading... Go to Source

Cross-party group urges chancellor to consider four-day week for UK MPs sign letter arguing policy could be powerful tool to help nation recover from Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA group of cross-party MPs have urged the government to consider a four-day working week for the UK post Covid-19, arguing the policy could be “a powerful tool to recover from this crisis”.The MPs – from Labour, the Scottish National party and the Green party – have written a letter to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, asking him to set up a commission to explore the option, similar to Scotland’s post-Covid-19 Futures Commission which is looking at the possibility of a four-day working week to generate more jobs. Continue reading... Go to ...

Coronavirus live news: Spain will not quarantine visitors from UK Brazil passes 1 million infections; Australia struggles with new cases; Greta Thunberg says similar urgency needed for climate change as for Covid-19 Spain will not quarantine UK visitorsNearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peakFrom celebration to dismay: the week coronavirus re-emerged in New Zealand 6.28pm BSTLike in many other countries, Black Lives Matter protests in small towns as well as big cities in the UK continued taking place this week, with people often defying appeals from the government to refrain from gathering in large numbers.My colleagues Kyri Evangelou, Alex Healey and Katie Lamborn report. 6.17pm BSTSpain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez has said that Br...

Portugal hoping to be among first countries with quarantine-free 'air bridge' to UK The PM is expected to announce travel agreements with a small number of countries within daysCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePortugal could become one of the first countries to agree to an “air bridge” with the UK, allowing citizens travelling between both countries to avoid quarantine measures.Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portugal’s ambassador to the UK, said the nation was keen to come to an agreement that would allow British tourists to return this summer. Continue reading... Go to Source

Travel clinic: what you need to know about your summer holidays From flights, ferries and quarantine to staycations and insurance, the lowdown on your rightsThe Ryanair email sent out to millions of people this week was certainly enticing, advertising up to 250,000 seats from £29.99 each on one of the 1,000 flights a day that the airline will be running from 1 July. Reading the long list of destinations on offer, you could almost forget that the UK government is still advising against all holiday travel. But it is, so if you have a trip planned – or are desperate to get one in the diary – here’s what you need to know. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus UK live: review of England's 2-metre rule due in days and announcement on pubs coming next week - latest updates Culture secretary tells BBC review of rules on physical distancing likely to conclude in the coming days as pressure mounts to ministers to relax them Coronavirus – latest global updatesUK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peakSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.44pm BSTA group of senior cross-party MPs from Labour, the SNP and the Green Party have written a letter to the government urging them to explore a four-day working week for the UK post Covid-19.The MPs, including the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, SNP MP Mhairi Black and Green MP Caroline Lucas, are urging the government to set up a commission to explore the options for a four-day ...

Britain beyond lockdown: could the country be healthier? As the economy grinds back into life, Jonathan Watts goes on the road to find out if there is a lasting appetite for changeIn a near-deserted plaza near Birmingham’s Bull Ring shopping centre, local artist Diane Wiltshire considers the imminent return of traffic and pollution after lockdown with a feeling close to dread.Wiltshire suffers chemical sensitivity – severe intolerance to pollutants, which give her breathing problems, affect her eyesight and disrupt her digestion. Doctors and immunologists are divided about the causes of her condition, but that makes little difference to the trauma felt by the 42-year-old as the old economy starts to rev up again. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: pandemic is accelerating, says WHO chief Brazil passes 1 million infections; Australia struggles with new cases; Greta Thunberg says similar urgency needed for climate change as for Covid-19 Nearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peakFrom celebration to dismay: the week coronavirus re-emerged in New Zealand 12.19pm BSTPope Francis has held his first audience for a group of people since Italy lifted its coronavirus lockdown, granting it to health workers from the Italian region most affected by the pandemic. “You were one of the supporting pillars of the entire country,” he told doctors and nurses from the Lombardy region gathered in the Vatican’s frescoed Clementine Hall, which had not been used for months be...

Drinkers may order pints via apps under Covid-19 plans for England Pubs could also be patrolled to ease 2-metre rule after alert level reduced to threeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDrinkers would be encouraged to order pints on smartphone apps and pubs could be patrolled to ensure social-distancing measures are enforced under plans to ease the lockdown for the hospitality sector.Boris Johnson is expected to make an announcement next week on pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels – with their reopening in England an ambition from 4 July to start reviving the ailing economy. Continue reading... Go to Source