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Enforcing UK lockdown one week earlier 'could have saved 20,000 lives' Former scientific adviser to No 10 says earlier restrictions could have halved death toll Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of coronavirus deaths in the UK could have been halved if the government had introduced the lockdown a week earlier, according to damning testimony from one of the scientists who was advising the government at the time.The stark claim by Prof Neil Ferguson that thousands of lives could have been saved intensified the pressure on the government over its handling of the outbreak, leaving Boris Johnson facing repeated questions at the daily Downing Street press conference. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ofsted chief calls for a more can-do approach to primaries reopening Amanda Spielman says people are ‘perhaps more frightened than they need to be’ about children returning to schoolCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe chief inspector of schools, Amanda Spielman, has expressed her disappointment that primary schools will not be reopening before the summer, amid continuing concern about the government’s failure to prioritise children’s education in the coronavirus crisis.The head of Ofsted said she was saddened that people are “perhaps more frightened than they actually need to be” and called for as much preparation to be done for September reopening as possible before the summer holidays, which start next next month. C...

EU says China behind 'huge wave' of Covid-19 disinformation Brussels shifts position by accusing Beijing for first time of running false campaignsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageChina has been accused by Brussels of running disinformation campaigns inside the European Union, as the bloc set out a plan to tackle a “huge wave” of false facts about the coronavirus pandemic. The European commission said Russia and China were running “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns in the EU, its neighbourhood, and globally”. While the charge against Russia has been levelled on many occasions, this is the first time the EU executive has publicly named China as a source of disinformation.  Continue reading... Go...

Closure of public toilets causing anxiety, distress and frustration across UK Guardian investigation and survey also finds situation is causing significant health riskCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe ongoing closure of many public toilets across the UK is having a serious impact on wellbeing, limiting people’s capacity to exercise freely or visit loved ones, and creating a significant secondary public health risk as people have no option but to relieve themselves in the open, a Guardian survey and investigation has found.With reports of bushes in city parks stinking of urine, and human excrement in sand dunes, readers across Britain have described their anxiety, distress and frustration as public toilet closures – coupled with the absence...

UK firms say they have dramatically scaled back investment plans IoD survey reveals reduced intentions for rest of year due to uncertainty caused by Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBusinesses have dramatically scaled back investment plans for the rest of the year in response to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the UK economy, according to a leading business survey.The Institute of Directors (IoD) said its confidence tracker revealed the Covid-19 crisis had driven down investment intentions among its members for the next 12 months by 11 percentage points to a record low of -43%. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Support bubble' plan lets people living alone in England combine households Boris Johnson announces easing of restrictions for single parents and people living aloneCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAbout 11 million people living alone or as single parents will be allowed to combine with another household to form a “support bubble” in England, Boris Johnson has said.The prime minister announced the new easing of social restrictions at his daily press conference in a move to alleviate loneliness among adults struggling on their own. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK politics live news: Keir Starmer presses Boris Johnson over criminal justice and Windrush at PMQs Latest updates: Rishi Sunak says pupils not returning to school ‘a tragedy’; workers on parental leave can still get furlough paymentsUK economy likely to suffer worst Covid-19 damage, says OECDNHS hospital waiting lists could hit 10 million in England this yearCall for final national clap on NHS’s 72nd birthdayCoronavirus global updates – liveBlack Lives Matter protests – live 12.40pm BSTLabour’s Olivia Blake asks if the PM will agree to a funding boost for local welfare systems.Johnson says many families are facing great hardship. And he repeats what he said earlier about the extra £63m going to councils that he said could help them provide mea...

Mark Duggan shooting: can forensic tech cast doubt on official report? As Forensic Architecture publishes its investigation, explore how researchers are using virtual modelling to challenge the official report Continue reading... Go to Source

Scottish bailout means Trump's golf resorts in line for £1m tax rebate Exclusive: tax expected to be waived as part of emergency coronavirus fundingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDonald Trump’s Scottish golf courses are expected to get a tax rebate of nearly £1m as part of a government bailout for tourism businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis, the Guardian can reveal.The Trump Organization’s golf resorts in Aberdeenshire and Turnberry will benefit from emergency funding from the Scottish government worth £2.3bn, which includes waiving the property taxes paid by hospitality, leisure and retail businesses this year. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK economy likely to suffer worst Covid-19 damage, says OECD Forecast slump in GDP of 11.5% will exceed falls by France, Italy, Spain and GermanyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s economy is likely to suffer the worst damage from the Covid-19 crisis of any country in the developed world, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.A slump in the UK’s national income of 11.5% during 2020 will outstrip the falls in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, the Paris-based thinktank said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: Africa passes 200,000 confirmed cases after Burundi president dies of suspected Covid-19 Asylum applications in Europe fall to lowest level for a decade as borders closed; world faces worst food crisis in 50 yearsBurundi president dies of illness suspected to be coronavirusEU says China behind ‘huge wave’ of Covid-19 disinformationFauci: coronavirus pandemic that ‘took over the planet’ is far from overWHO urges Pakistan to return to lockdown as hospitals struggleUK coronavirus updates – live 12.39pm BSTNearly all economic and social activities have resumed in Malaysia, after nearly three months in pandemic lockdown apparently successfully contained transmission of coronavirus. Malaysians can now travel for domestic holidays, get hairc...

Neville Lawrence: black people still second-class citizens in Britain Exclusive: father of Stephen Lawrence says police’s promises to change have not been metThe father of Stephen Lawrence has said black people are still treated as second-class citizens in Britain, with police breaking promises to change they made two decades ago after being shamed by their failure to find his son’s racist killers.Neville Lawrence used a Guardian interview to back peaceful anti-racism protests, saying he was “pleased” by the mass marches sweeping the country, triggered by the US police killing of George Floyd. Continue reading... Go to Source

George Floyd memorial: Al Sharpton condemns Trump's 'wickedness in high places' – live Biden says ‘Now is the time for racial justice’ in remotely delivered message at memorialTrump nearly fired Esper over dispute about protests – reportTrump says campaign rallies may resume ‘next week’US protesters attacked by cars driven into crowds and men with gunsSign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.20am BSTThe US’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic was far from over, calling Covid-19 his “worst nightmare”.“In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world,” Fauci said, speaking to executives at a conference of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. “And...

Police must view legitimate anger with care – we need to listen to our communities | Neil Basu Officers should stand up to racists, inequality and injustice, says Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Neil BasuNeil Basu, assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard, sent this internal note to his fellow Metropolitan police officers:This message doesn’t come from the head of counter-terrorism policing, an assistant commissioner of the Met police, nor a representative of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. It’s a personal message from me to policing colleagues across the UK. I have worn the badge proudly for 28 years. I also happen to be of mixed Indian and white British heritage, which means that I am the most senior BAME officer in the UK. Continue reading... Go to...

Trump makes baseless claim about man, 75, shoved by police: ‘Could be a set-up?’ Martin Gugino in hospital after being pushed over by policeTrump tweets peace activist could be ‘antifa provocateur’Donald Trump has claimed a 75-year-old man who was hospitalized when police shoved him to the ground at a protest in Buffalo could be “an antifa provocateur” and suggested the incident “could be a set-up”. Related: George Floyd: Trump claims Buffalo man pushed by police was 'Antifa provocateur' – live Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson urged to set out recovery plan for schools in England Ministers warned country may face ‘educational poverty’ if no strategy in place for SeptemberCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson needs an urgent national plan to get all pupils back to school in England from September, with an army of support staff, the requisitioning of public buildings and extra help for disadvantaged students, unions and cross-party MPs have said.As the government admitted that most primary pupils in England would not get back to the classroom before summer, ministers were urged to set out a comprehensive strategy or risk an “epidemic of educational poverty”. Continue reading... Go to Source