Tuesday, July 28
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Britain beyond lockdown: could the country be healthier?

News, News- UK
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

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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

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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

Nearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peak

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Nearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peak Official toll passed a thousand on 22 consecutive days – far more than daily briefings saidThe UK’s darkest days of the coronavirus crisisEight of the lives lost on UK’s worst day of pandemicMinisters have been accused of playing down the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic after it emerged that more than 1,000 people died every day in the UK for 22 consecutive days – in stark contrast with daily tolls announced by the government.According to an analysis of official figures, the darkest day came on 8 April as the country prepared for Easter under lockdown, when a record 1,445 people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chaos and a car crash: Tories begin to fear Boris Johnson has lost his vim

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Chaos and a car crash: Tories begin to fear Boris Johnson has lost his vim Missteps, U-turns and fears for the PM’s health leave senior party members openly muttering he may have to goAt prime minister’s questions this week, Boris Johnson appeared to be fired up. He scored a point against Keir Starmer, needling the Labour leader about whether he would say schools were safe to return to, and claiming Starmer had been silenced by the teaching unions.Several MPs on his own side remarked how pleased they were to see him back to what Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, of the 1922 executive committee, called “such robust form”. Continue reading... Go to Source

England to drop class ‘bubbles’ and pupil caps from September

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England to drop class 'bubbles' and pupil caps from September Government wants all pupils back full-time in new school year, education secretary saysCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters plan to drop restrictions on classroom “bubbles” to let all pupils attend school full-time in England from September, the education secretary has said.Gavin Williamson said lifting the 15-pupil cap and expanding the size of protective bubbles would enable whole classes of 30 to be taught together, overcoming the lack of space that has resulted in schools having to rotate year groups. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Matt Hancock hails ‘big moment’ as Covid-19 alert level reduced from 4 to 3

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UK coronavirus live: Matt Hancock hails 'big moment' as Covid-19 alert level reduced from 4 to 3 News updates: Education secretary to reveal details of £1bn funding package for schools to help pupils catch up on lessons missed during the coronavirus lockdown English schools to get £1bn to help pupils catch up after lockdown4.5m people in UK forced to become unpaid carers due to Covid crisisCoronavirus global updatesAll our coronavirus coverage 12.40pm BST 12.37pm BSTA total of 2,470 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by six from 2,464 on Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon said.Speaking at the Scottish government’s virtual coronavirus briefing, the first minister said 18,104 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 27 fr...

‘It’s a basic equality issue’: home learning gap between state and private schools

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'It’s a basic equality issue': home learning gap between state and private schools Lessons continue online at Manchester grammar school while nearby St Ambrose buys textbooks for disadvantaged pupilsIt is 9.30am in the staff room at Manchester grammar school (MGS) and the head of chemistry, Fay Roberts, is settled in the windowless cupboard where she now does much of her teaching. All of her year 12s have turned up online to learn about the acid-catalysed elimination of an alcohol. “They’re pretty good at getting out of bed, but they’re 17-year-old boys,” she says. “If one is missing, I get one of their friends to text them and they soon turn up.”Like all teachers at the UK’s biggest independent boys’ school, Roberts has been offering a fu...

UK borrowing hits record £55bn in May; retail sales rebound -business live

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UK borrowing hits record £55bn in May; retail sales rebound -business live Rolling coverage of the latest business news, as new public data reveals the growing costs of the Covid-19 pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.30pm BSTThe CEO of crisis-hit payment group Wirecard has resigned just a day after the company said that €1.9bn worth of cash seemed to be missing. (That’s roughly a quarter of its total balance sheet.)In an incredibly short market statement, Wirecard said: In mutual consent with the Supervisory Board of Wirecard AG, Dr. Markus Braun resigned today with immediate effect as member of the management board. The Supervisory Board of Wirecard AG appointed Dr. James H. Freis, Jr., who was appointed yesterday as member of the m...

As UK lockdowns ease, fears grow of return to pre-pandemic crime and pollution levels

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As UK lockdowns ease, fears grow of return to pre-pandemic crime and pollution levels Carbon emissions, crime and air pollution all fell but are now starting to reboundIn a sudden realisation of what climate campaigners have been urging for years, flights were cancelled, vehicle use plummeted and the oil industry found itself in turmoil as lockdown restrictions took hold. Continue reading... Go to Source

Disability campaigners warn of UK’s progress unravelling in the arts

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Disability campaigners warn of UK's progress unravelling in the arts Lockdown has magnified inequality, say activists, just as change seemed to be arrivingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageProgress made in the representation and inclusion of disabled artists and audiences is in danger of unravelling because of the pandemic, campaigners have warned.A new alliance of disabled people and groups working in the UK’s cultural industries, #WeShallNotBeRemoved, has been established to make sure disabled voices are heard as the nation’s devastated arts sector attempts to rebuild after the lockdown. Continue reading... Go to Source