Duchess sues publisher of British newspapers over use of letter to father Thomas Markle
A newspaper was accused of “stirring up” issues between the Duchess of Sussex and her estranged father, Thomas Markle, then using it to justify publishing a “private and confidential” letter, a court heard.
Lawyers representing Meghan said she was distressed at the realisation that Associated Newspapers had an agenda of “intrusive and offensive” stories about her, a judge was told.
Continue reading...NHS chiefs and No 10 endorse the health secretary as flaws emerge in the structure he leads
Matt Hancock sounded tetchy and exhausted on Friday morning as he took to the airwaves once again to explain the latest swerve in the government’s strategy for tackling coronavirus: recruiting an army of contact-tracers in an attempt to track its spread.
Asked whether his self-imposed target of testing 100,000 people a day by the end of next week would be met, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. The health secretary knows there’s a lot in the balance: the health of millions, his standing among the public and colleagues, perhaps even his career.
Continue reading...EU negotiator expresses frustrations at UK refusal to discuss key issues of transition
Michel Barnier has suggested the UK is running down the clock in talks over the future trade and security relationship with the EU.
The claim by the bloc’s chief negotiator during a virtual press conference at the end of a difficult week of videoconference talks was swiftly denied by the government.
Continue reading...Leaked National Security Risk Assessment describes threats posed by flu- and non-flu-type infectious diseases
Careful analysis of the National Security Risk Assessment document illustrates how the Covid-19 pandemic represents a hybrid of two of the major threats to the UK anticipated by the British government.
The first, an influenza-type disease pandemic, predicts waves of a novel flu virus striking several months apart. This type of threat represents the basis of the UK government’s blueprint for how it would respond to a pandemic.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Scientists examine whether this route enables infections at longer distances
Coronavirus has been detected on particles of air pollution by scientists investigating whether this could enable it to be carried over longer distances and increase the number of people infected.
The work is preliminary and it is not yet known if the virus remains viable on pollution particles and in sufficient quantity to cause disease.
Continue reading...Belgium appears hardest hit on paper, but not all countries count non-hospital fatalities
Every day, the statistics bring more grim headlines: “Italian death toll passes 20,000”, “Record UK daily death toll”, “Europe’s fatalities pass 100,000”. Across the world, people await national updates on the coronavirus – and compare their country with others.
The comparison game has been especially marked in Belgium, which on paper has the unhappy title of highest number of Covid-19 deaths per capita in Europe. Belgium – population 11.5 million – has counted at least 6,675 deaths since the start of the outbreak, more than Germany, which is nearly eight times more populous.
Continue reading...30 British attendees at Panama event criticise embassy and say they fear being stuck for months
It must have seemed like a dream adventure: a two-week festival on a beach in central America, camping out under the stars at night in what organisers called “paradise on Earth”.
But because of the coronavirus outbreak, a group of 30 British workers and volunteers at the festival are stranded in a makeshift camp facing nonstop rain, a difficult relationship with the British embassy, and a sewage problem.
Continue reading...MPs and peers told to come up with a clear plan after previous business case was rejected
MPs and peers in charge of parliament’s restoration have been told by Whitehall’s spending watchdog that they must ensure that costs do not slip amid deepening concerns about public finances in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has called on the group tasked with the Palace of Westminster’s multibillion-pound overhaul to take a firm grip on the process. The budget for Big Ben’s construction works alone rose by 176%, auditors said.
Continue reading...As the UK faces what may be its worst ever recession, we begin a monthly series exploring the financial shock to business and living standards
One month after a national lockdown was declared in an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19, it is clear that Britain is heading for the deepest recession in living memory.
Boris Johnson’s government launched unprecedented restrictions on 23 March, telling the British public that they must stay at home and bringing life as the nation knew it to an abrupt halt.
Continue reading...For the fifth week running, people across the UK came to their doorsteps, balconies, windows and gardens to clap for frontline workers
Continue reading...Mark Drakeford will announce proposals to ease restrictions as number of new cases stabilises
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, is due to set out plans on how the nation will aim to lift its coronavirus lockdown.
The Labour politician will announce on Friday a new framework for easing restrictions and seven questions that need to be addressed to help lead Wales out of the pandemic.
Continue reading...Mick Jagger says new single will ‘resonate through the times we’re living in’ and references coronavirus with the lyric: ‘Life was so beautiful, then we all got locked down’
The Rolling Stones have released their first original music since 2012, a new – and rather apocalyptic – single called Living in a Ghost Town.
Mick Jagger said the band were “recording some new material before the lockdown and there was one song we thought would resonate through the times that we’re living in right now. We’ve worked on it in isolation. And here it is.”
Continue reading...A slow start, a top-down approach and long-term cuts to local services meant target was always going to be ambitious
On 2 April, the day he emerged from quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, Matt Hancock stood at the Downing Street podium for the daily coronavirus press conference and made an announcement that was greeted in some quarters by a sharp intake of breath.
“I’m now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. That is the goal and I’m determined we’ll get there,” said the health secretary, who had tested positive around a week earlier.
Continue reading...Alan Jope predicts continued growth in online shopping and continued higher sales of cleaning products
The coronavirus pandemic will trigger “lasting changes” in shopping behaviour, according to one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of grocery brands.
Unilever’s chief executive, Alan Jope, said the health crisis would accelerate the growth of online food shopping. He also predicted a permanent increase in demand for soap and other cleaning supplies as improved hygiene became a priority for households.
Continue reading...Scotland must adjust to the 'new normal' of living with Covid-19, which may include moving in and out of strict lockdowns at short notice, according to a document published on Thursday by the Scottish government, which sets out its framework for progressing beyond the current lockdown restrictions
Continue reading...Car hits wall close to where car driven by US diplomat’s wife collided with 19-year-old
A car driven by an active duty airman has crashed close to the scene of the death of Harry Dunn, the 19-year-old motorcyclist who died after a collision with a car driven on the wrong side of the road by the wife of a US diplomat.
The report of the new crash highlights concerns that overseas personnel are not trained sufficiently about UK driving laws, especially driving on the left.
Continue reading...Leaked German government report shows Britain has been requesting special access
The British government is making impossible demands over access to Europol databases in the negotiations over the future relationship with the EU, according to a leaked assessment of the UK’s position drawn up by the German government.
As talks between the two sides resumed via video calls this week, Britain’s negotiators not only refused to extend the transition period because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also stated the UK side’s eagerness to continue taking part in EU-wide data-sharing arrangements and even expanding their reach.
Continue reading...Unemployment in US up by 4.4 million to a total of over 26 million; world has ‘a long way to go’, warns WHO chief; Iran reports lowest new daily infections for a month
Peru’s reported coronavirus cases have rapidly increased this week, reaching 20,914 on Thursday. The country has the second highest number of cases in South America after Brazil despite introducing tough lockdown measures.
The health ministry says it expects patient numbers to peak within the following week, as hospitals strain to deal with the sharp rise in infections. Reuters reports cases of bodies being kept in hallways, masks being reused, and protests from medical workers concerned about their safety.
Hello, I’ll be taking over the live blog for the next few hours. As always, tips and suggestions are most welcome. You can reach me via Twitter DM @cleaskopeliti or by email at clea.skopeliti.casual@guardian.co.uk. Thanks in advance.
Continue reading...Foreign Office accepted US claim that as the wife of a CIA agent Sacoolas had immunity
Britain agreed to let Anne Sacoolas, the driver charged with killing 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn, return to the US on the basis of an “apparently illogical” interpretation of the law on diplomatic immunity, according to the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office.
The description of this interpretation given to the foreign affairs select committee by Sir Simon McDonald, the permanent under-secretary and head of the diplomatic service, will add fuel to the efforts of the Dunn family to mount a judicial review of the Foreign Office’s decision-making in the case.
Continue reading...Social distancing will be needed until at least the end of the year to prevent fresh outbreaks of coronavirus, the government’s chief medical officer has said. Prof Chris Whitty said it was important to be realistic that 'highly disruptive' social distancing would need to be in place for 'really quite a long period of time'.