As airline moves to cut 12,000 jobs, senior crew told they will get 80% of current basic pay
British Airways has started carrying out its threat to fire and rehire thousands of workers – days after unions joined talks with a plan to save jobs.
Long-serving cabin crew were served notice this week to either accept an enhanced redundancy package within three weeks, or risk losing it by reapplying for a similar job at much lower pay.
Continue reading...Exploitation occurring in UK farming, construction, contract cleaning, fishing, recycling and domestic work, say labour organisations
The labour abuses and sweatshop conditions reported in factories in Leicester are occurring “at scale” across the UK’s garment, manufacturing and farming industries, campaigners warn.
Reports of similar exploitative conditions and labour abuses alleged to be occurring in Leicester have also been linked to garment factories in Birmingham, Manchester and London, among other places.
Continue reading...The Guardian’s picture editors select highlights from around the world
Continue reading...From Nicola Sturgeon’s tartan to Michael Gove’s fog, politicians find masks to match their personality
Nicola Sturgeon set the template for face mask diplomacy almost three weeks ago with a £10 tartan mask, which raised money for Shelter Scotland. Her endorsement sparked staggering sales and promoted Scottish culture, charity and business in one photo op, while making a clear message about public health. In other words, she played a blinder.
Sturgeon also sparkled a trend of sorts, with Jackson Carlaw, the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party, wearing an even toastier-looking tartan face mask to pour himself a patriotic pint a few weeks later.
Continue reading...Marriage to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi followed social distancing guidelines, says palace
The Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice has married the property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret ceremony attended by the Queen and close family.
In what is believed to be the first family gathering that the Queen and Prince Philip have attended since lockdown, the wedding of Beatrice and Mapelli Mozzi took place at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor, after being initially delayed from 29 May due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Findings could give medics advance warning for hospital care and respiratory support
Symptoms of Covid-19 appear to fall into six different groupings, researchers have revealed, in work they say could help to predict whether a patient will end up needing a ventilator or other breathing support.
The team say the findings could give healthcare providers several days advanced warning of demand for hospital care and respiratory support.
Continue reading...The UK government's chief scientific adviser has said working from home is still the best option where possible to maintain physical distancing, as he acknowledged that the outcome of Britain's response to the Covid-19 outbreak 'has not been good'. Sir Patrick Vallance's advice during a two-hour appearance before the science and technology select committee contrasts with Boris Johnson's recovery 'roadmap' under which the prime minister is encouraging more people to return to their workplaces in an effort to help city centre economies recover
News updates: PM set to make announcement in press conference on Friday
The news that the court of appeal decided yesterday to allow Shamima Begum to return to Britain makes many front pages this morning, and is now under discussion on the Today programme.
Richard Walton, former head of counter terrorism command at the Met, says the court has made a “profound mistake”. “It’s quite alarming to see the court of appeal taking over the home secretary’s job of deciding who should be allowed into the UK,” he says.
With much discussion today of how to encourage people to embrace the reopening of the economy, Joanna Partridge reports grim findings for England’s pubs, bars and restaurants. Figures released overnight find that sales since they reopened are about 40% down compared on the same period last year.
On the other hand, argues Karl Chessell, director of the consultancy CGA which released the findings, that’s actually better bounceback for the sector than in many other countries. You can read more about that here:
Related: England yet to embrace reopened restaurants and pubs, data suggests
Continue reading...Increase of 237,743 cases globally; EU ‘no closer to agreeing rescue package’; Brazil cases pass 2m
That’s where we might leave this blog for now. You can keep up to date with global news on The Guardian website or come join me on the new Guardian live blog launching soon.
Labor MP Amanda Rishworth is also speaking with ABC. She agrees the parliament must follow medical advice, but says the cancellation of this sitting fortnight makes it difficult for the opposition to scrutinise government.
Question time is a really important forum which the opposition can ask the government questions, and every MP has a chance to raise their voice in parliament. So this is critically important that we have parliament sitting. It is a really important vehicle.
Yes, there is the Covid committee, but parliament itself is the opportunity for every MP from around the country to bring the concerns of their constituents. So it does make it more challenging [if it is not sitting].
Continue reading...Startup firm Britishvolt, serving energy storage and electric cars, plans 30GWh battery plant at Bro Tathan
A startup company with plans to build Britain’s first gigafactory to make batteries for electric cars has chosen a site in south Wales for the plant after discussions with the Welsh government.
Britishvolt, which in May launched an ambitious effort to create a £1.2bn factory, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Welsh government ahead of signing a lease for a former Royal Air Force base at Bro Tathan business park, south Wales.
Continue reading...Model and activist signs six-figure contract to publish Transitional, ‘a manifesto for how I see society changing for the better, bringing us all closer’
The first book by Munroe Bergdorf, a manifesto on gender by the black transgender activist and model, has been bought for a six-figure sum after a bidding war between 11 publishers.
Bergdorf’s Transitional will be published by Bloomsbury in 2021. Exploring six different facets of human experience – adolescence, sexuality, gender, relationships, identity and race – the book will draw on Bergdorf’s own experiences, including growing up in a mixed-race family, going to an all-boys school and starting her transition at the age of 24. In it, she will argue that transition is an experience every person faces in every phase in life, “and that only by recognising this can we understand times of change”.
Continue reading...Tracker finds sales about 40% down on same period last year among venues that reopened
People have not embraced an easing of lockdown restrictions in England’s pubs, bars and restaurants, according to figures that showed a drop in sales of about 40% among venues that opened their doors at the beginning of the month.
Pubs that were open in the week beginning 6 July posted a 39% decline in sales compared with the same period last year, while bars were down 43% and restaurants down 40%.
Continue reading...Commons committee chair warns of ‘damage beyond repair’ over abolition of overseas aid department
A cross-party committee of MPs has said Boris Johnson’s “rushed and impulsive” merger of the Foreign Office and Department for International Development will “severely impact the UK’s superpower status”.
Attacking the prime minister’s decision as “coming out of the blue”, a report published on Thursday from the Commons international development committee (IDC) said it was likely it would be disruptive and “incredibly costly”.
Continue reading...Foreign secretary accuses Russia of seeking to interfere in last year’s general election by amplifying an illegally acquired NHS dossier that was seized upon by Labour during the campaign. Raab also confirms reports that Russian state-sponsored hackers are targeting UK, US and Canadian organisations involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine, describing it as ‘completely unacceptable’.
Israel reports new daily record of cases; 125 million in India under new lockdown; Beijing Winter Olympics under threat
The news that there may be a delay in re-opening pubs in Ireland has been described as a “hammer blow” by the Licensed Vintners Association, which represents pub owners, who said the future of 7,000 pubs and 50,000 jobs hung in the balance.
Ireland has paused its phased easing of lockdown and extended rules on face coverings amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Leo Varadkar, the tánaiste (deputy prime minister), told parliament today that pubs, nightclubs and other venues will open no sooner than 10 August, and possibly later.
Covid-19 was found to be the direct cause of death among 89% of the pandemic’s victims in Italy, according to a report on Thursday by the country’s higher health institute and national statistics agency.
The study was based on the death certificates of 4,942 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 and carried out until 25 May, by which time 31,573 people were officially reported to have died of the disease.
Continue reading...British foreign secretary says Russia amplified an illicitly acquired NHS dossier on social media
Russian actors “sought to interfere” in last winter’s general election by amplifying an illicitly acquired NHS dossier that was seized upon by Labour during the campaign, the foreign secretary has said.
Related: Russian state-sponsored hackers target Covid-19 vaccine researchers
Continue reading...Chief scientific adviser gives evidence to science and technology committee; Scotland records first Covid-related death in eight days
Vallance told the committee that SAGE advised the government to impose lockdown measures “as soon as possible” on the 16 or 18 March.
He said this happened as soon as data showed further restrictions were needed. “Looking back, you can see the data may have preceded that but the data was not available before that.”
Back to the Science and Technology committee, where chief scientific adviser has said the coronavirus lockdown “carries risks” to the public’s mental and physical health.
He told the committee it was “crucially important” that the indirect impact of the measures on people’s health were fully understood.
Continue reading...Care homes and members of public told to immediately stop using kits produced by firm
Care homes and members of the public have been instructed by the government to immediately stop using coronavirus testing kits produced by a healthcare firm after safety problems were discovered.
Randox was awarded a £133m contract in March to produce the testing kits for England, Wales and Northern Ireland without any other firms being given the opportunity to bid for the work.
Continue reading...UK National Cyber Security Centre says drug firms and research groups being targeted by group known as APT29
Russian state-sponsored hackers are targeting UK, US and Canadian organisations involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine, according to British security officials.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said drug companies and research groups were being targeted by a group known as APT29, which was “almost certainly” part of the Kremlin’s intelligence services.
Continue reading...Twenty-year-old has won right to return to UK from Syria to challenge citizenship decision
The case of Shamima Begum, the now 20-year-old woman who fled to Syria to join Islamic State as a child, has sparked fierce debate over how the UK should deal with “foreign fighters”.
Opponents of her return say she is a threat to the country’s security and must live with the consequences of her actions, while critics of her exile say greater human rights principles are at play, and the UK must not shirk its responsibility to administer justice for any alleged crimes she may have committed.
Continue reading...