Category Archives: UK news

Number of migrants crossing Channel in boats passes 5,000

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UK pursues ‘militarised’ response despite calls for safe routes for asylum seekers

The number of migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats this year has passed 5,000, analysis shows, as the UK government continues to pursue a “militarised” response to the growing numbers.

A further five people arrived in England on Friday, risking their lives in force 8 gales, rain showers and rough seas. It is understood the five men presented themselves as Sudanese and Chadian nationals, and were brought into Dover to be questioned by immigration officials.

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UK’s cheap food could fuel Covid-19 spread, says WHO envoy

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Exclusive: Cramped work and home conditions may be behind infections in factories, says expert

Britain’s demand for cheap food could be fuelling the spread of the coronavirus in factories, a leading health expert has warned, as analysis shows nearly 1,500 cases across the UK.

Cramped conditions in some factories and in low-paid workers’ homes, spurred by the UK’s desire for cheaply produced food, may have driven infection rates in the sector, according to David Nabarro, a World Health Organization special envoy on Covid-19.

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Were Covid hospital admissions figures in England overreported? It’s not that simple

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A Sage member and NHS England have pushed back against criticism of hospital admissions data

Claims that hospital admissions for Covid-19 in England were overreported at the peak of the outbreak may not be telling the whole story.

According to government figures, the daily hospital admissions for Covid-19 patients in hospital rose from 1,541 on 3 March to 17,172 on 12 April. On 20 August the figure was 516.

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‘We lost the love’: UK nightclubs using Covid crisis to reassess scene

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With 750,000 jobs at risk, some see pandemic as chance to reset industry and dance music

In front of an old mechanic’s workshop in Tottenham a collection of trestle tables, a makeshift bar and a pair of palm trees are being battered by an unseasonal downpour as remnants of a tropical storm soak north London.

The wilted greenery and sodden tables are part of Costa Del Tottenham, a tongue-in-cheek temporary outdoor venue in Tottenham Hale, which Stuart Glen and his business partners have created in an empty space next to the warehouse that houses their nightclub, The Cause.

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Time-wasting UK makes post-Brexit deal unlikely, says Barnier

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Brussels’ chief negotiator says talks often go backwards as UK fails to grasp EU red lines

Michel Barnier has accused the British government of “wasting valuable time” and warned that a post-Brexit deal between the EU and the UK looks “unlikely”.

With two months to go until the EU-imposed deadline of October, the EU’s chief negotiator said: “Frankly I am disappointed and I am worried.” Barnier said he was “a little surprised” because Boris Johnson had told EU leaders earlier this summer he wanted an outline deal by July.

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Coronavirus live news: Lebanon imposes partial lockdown after Beirut blast; India nearing 3m cases

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Lebanon enters partial lockdown to counter infections; pressure grows in India over rise in infections; concern over cases in Berlin schools

Spain has reported 3,650 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing its total caseload to 386,054, while three more people have died, the health ministry said on Friday.

On Thursday, cases increased by 3,349. A further 125 people have died from the virus over the past seven days.

Italy registered 947 new infections on Friday, the biggest daily Covid case rise since 14 May, when the country was still in lockdown.

The total number of cases is now up to 257,065. Nine more people have died with the virus and the death toll now stands at 35,427.

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UK weather: Met Office warns of winds up to 70mph to hit coast

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Storm Ellen’s strongest winds are expected across south-west England and west Wales

Emergency services have urged the public to be aware of the dangers posed by strong winds in the wake of Storm Ellen.

Gusts of up to 70mph could hit coastal areas on Friday, which when combined with high spring tides may trigger large waves and flooding.

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Behind the Channel crossings: migrant stories of life or death in tiny inflatables

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Two refugees’ efforts to reach Dover reflect persecution in Sudan and rising tensions over migrants in Europe

On the night he attempted to cross the Channel, Abdulfatah Hamdallah left his blanket and bicycle behind at the camp in Calais.

They were the only possessions he would leave behind: his backpack was lost at sea when he drowned attempting to make the perilous crossing over the Dover Strait to England in a dinghy, with shovels for oars.

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Lockdown fears for Birmingham amid sharp rise in UK coronavirus cases

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City sees ‘extremely concerning’ rise to 30 cases per 100,000 as positive tests in Britain hit highest level since mid-June

Police and officials in Birmingham have warned the public to act now to avert a city-wide lockdown as the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England rose 27% in a week, hitting its highest level since mid-June.

The UK’s second city, which has a population of more than 1 million, has seen a rise to 30 cases per 100,000 up from 22.4 the week before and 12 at the start of the month, its director of public health said.

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Performers could sing or play softly to reduce Covid risk, study shows

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Research suggests musicians can reduce infections by decreasing volume

Sing softly and don’t shout to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread, new research suggests, offering a ray of hope for musicians who have been restricted from performing in public.

Music makers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with singing, as well as playing of woodwind and brass instruments deemed to be a potential high risk for spreading the disease – a concern fuelled by outbreaks in choirs.

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UK coronavirus: top GCSE grades surge to record high in England – live news

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Nearly 550,000 pupils in England receive GCSE results awarded entirely by assessment for first time, but BTec students face further disruption

My colleagues Pamela Duncan and Tobi Thomas from the Guardian’s data unit report discrepancies in today’s GCSE results:

A rising tide lifts all boats and this year’s algorithm-to-teacher-graded-U-turn has resulted in an increase in top grades across every subject. However, some subjects’ boats were lifted higher than others.

After all the uncertainty of the exams fiasco, head teachers across the country are celebrating their pupils’ GCSE success, but they say recent experiences have damaged relations with the Department for Education (DfE).

Jules White, head teacher of Tanbridge House secondary school in Horsham, West Sussex and leader of the Worth Less? education funding campaign, was with pupils this morning, watching with delight as they found out their grades.

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People are dying in the Channel because of politicians, not smugglers | Maya Goodfellow

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Priti Patel’s recognition of a child’s humanity in death is hollow when he was stripped of it in life by cruel border policies

The human cost of the government’s border policies has been made appallingly and painfully real: a 16-year-old boy from Sudan was found dead on a beach near Calais on Wednesday after trying to make it across the Channel. When people die trying to cross borders, the response from politicians is almost always the same: they say they are shocked and saddened and then carry on as usual. Yesterday was no different.

Related: Calais-based volunteers condemn UK for death of Sudanese teenager

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UK weather: winds of more than 70mph expected as Storm Ellen arrives

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Met Office issues yellow weather warning and says potential power cuts and travel delays possible

Britons on camping holidays have been warned of the possible danger of falling trees as parts of the UK brace for winds of more than 70mph to hit.

The arrival of Storm Ellen in Ireland and western parts of the UK on Wednesday evening signalled conditions more akin to autumn and winter.

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Boris Johnson’s proposal for York parliament during restoration is rejected

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Repairs body says it will not review idea of temporary move as decision is for MPs and peers

Boris Johnson’s suggestion of moving parliament to York while a multibillion-pound restoration of the Palace of Westminster takes place will not be considered by a body reviewing the plans.

The prime minister had requested that a “possible location outside London” be looked at as a place for parliament to sit while the crumbling palace is revamped at an estimated cost of £4bn.

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Teenager found dead tried to cross Channel in dinghy with shovels for oars

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Sudanese teenager, found near Calais, attempted crossing with another boy in inflatable dinghy

A Sudanese teenager who disappeared at sea has been found dead on a beach near Calais on Wednesday morning, after trying to cross the Channel with another boy in an inflatable dinghy using shovels for oars.

The French citizenship minister, Marlène Schiappa, said the body was found on the beach of Sangatte, near to the former site of the notorious “jungle” refugee camp, and was believed to be that of a 16-year-old boy, although some uncertainty remains over his age while authorities are continuing to investigate the matter.

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Heathrow’s rapid Covid test centre ‘could replace quarantine’

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Travel industry pins hopes for an end to 14-day isolation on new two-stage testing scheme at airport, with results delivered in hours

A new Covid test centre is ready to start rapid testing of inbound passengers arriving at Heathrow airport’s Terminal 2, as soon as the government gives it the go-ahead. Arrivals would find out results within 24 hours of being tested, replacing the need for a 14-day quarantine.

More than 13,000 passenger tests a day can be carried out in the facility, launched by aviation services firm Swissport and the Collinson Group, which runs airport lounges. A second test centre will be ready at Terminal 5 by the end of August, and operators say both centres are scalable according to demand.

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Google Maps gets worldwide visual overhaul

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Updated version promises ‘more vibrant’ representation of natural features and built environment

Google Maps is getting a visual overhaul worldwide, finally letting users distinguish forest from floodplain, and desert from snowfield, at a glance.

Alongside the changes to natural environments, a new set of maps will be rolling out in major cities, beginning with London, New York City and San Francisco, aiming to more accurately represent the built-up environment to help pedestrians and cyclists navigate.

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Coronavirus live news: Spain and Italy report high increase in cases; Mykonos bans parties and festivities

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Spain sees more than 3,700 new cases as Italy records 642 new infections; Iran death toll exceeds 20,000; strict restrictions imposed on Greek island

The 25th edition of France’s Colmar Jazz Festival, scheduled for September, has been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus epidemic, the city said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Current progress in the health crisis does not allow us today, realistically, to consider staging concerts in September,” the statement says, adding that this edition of the festival will now take place in 2021.

American Indians and Alaska Natives have been hit harder by Covid-19 than the white US population and have been more likely to become infected by coronavirus at a younger age, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed on Wednesday.

The incidence of laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases among people identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives was 3.5 times that of non-Hispanic whites, making them one of the racial and ethnic minority groups at highest risk, according to the study based on data from 23 US states from 22 January to 3 July.

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Hancock defends appointment of Dido Harding to lead new health body – as it happened

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Health secretary defends Tory peer’s appointment after speech about axing PHE; Williamson plans to keep role and tries to blame Ofqual for exams mess

Here’s a roundup of this afternoon’s key UK coronavirus developments:

Pizza Express has confirmed plans to close 73 of its restaurants, impacting 1,100 members of staff, as part of a major business rescue plan.

The chain has formally launched a proposal to reduce its restaurant estate and rental cost base through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA).

Today we have confirmed that 73 of our pizzerias are proposed to close permanently.

“In most cases, there is another Pizza Express nearby, either already open or reopening soon, to welcome our customers. Our focus is on our people whose jobs are impacted and we will be doing everything we can either to redeploy them or to support them in finding roles elsewhere.

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Coronavirus live news: Jacinda Ardern says Trump’s ‘patently wrong’ on New Zealand’s Covid cases

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Trump described NZ’s ‘terrible’ surge, despite 90 active cases in country; Ibiza to ban pool parties, as Spain infections surge. Follow the latest

These look like scenes of yesteryear but thousands of people packed out a water park in Wuhan, China, over the weekend as much of the rest of the world remained under lockdown restrictions.

VIDEO: Crowds packed out a water park over the weekend in the central Chinese city of #Wuhan, where the #coronavirus first emerged late last year, keen to party as the city edges back to normal life pic.twitter.com/SJFBmx5sU8

The Philippines’ health ministry confirmed 4,836 novel coronavirus infections, the seventh consecutive day of reporting more than 3,000 daily cases, Reuters reports.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases had increased to 169,213, while there were seven additional deaths – bringing the total toll to 2,687.

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