Category Archives: UK news

Coronavirus live news: UN warns of ‘biblical’ famine; first case seen in Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

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Trump to halt immigration for 60 days initially; 256m people could starve, says UN; cases worldwide pass 2.5 million

A Chinese citizen journalist who was missing for almost two months after posting videos from Wuhan during the coronavirus outbreak has re-appeared, claiming that he was detained by police and forcibly quarantined, Lily Kuo reports from Beijing.

Li Zehua was one of three Chinese journalists who had been reporting in Wuhan during some of the worst weeks of the epidemic. He was last seen on 26 February after posting a video in which he was chased by a white SUV and an hours-long livestream that ended when several agents entered his apartment.

我是李泽华Kcriss，这是2月26日至今关于我的一些情况。I'm Kcriss, here is something about me si... https://t.co/ETjY7QaacY via @YouTube

Related: Missing Wuhan citizen journalist reappears after two months

Airlines in Europe have applied for €12.8bn (£11.3bn) in government support since the start of the coronavirus pandemic with no binding environmental conditions attached, according to an analysis of the sector’s bailout pleas, Sandra Laville reports.

By Tuesday this week, airlines including easyJet, Scandinavian Airlines and Tui had secured loans and other financial support amounting to €3.36bn. A further €9.47bn is being sought by other airlines, data tracking by Transport & Environment, Greenpeace and Carbon Watch reveals.

Related: Coronavirus: airlines seek €12.8bn in bailouts without environmental conditions attached

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Court hearings via video ‘risk unfairness for disabled people’

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UK equalities watchdog warns move amid virus to focus on online sessions could hamper rapport and access to justice

Remote video trials could disadvantage people with learning disabilities, the equalities watchdog has warned, as courts switch to online hearings during the coronavirus crisis.

An interim report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has highlighed concerns about the impact of conducting cases without defendants being present in court.

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Failure to protect: who is to blame for Britain’s coronavirus crisis?

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A number of prominent people are being criticised for their shortcomings over Covid-19

The UK’s Covid-19 crisis has reached the blame phase, with Boris Johnson, ministers, civil servants and scientists coming under criticism that they underestimated the threat, were slow to act and are bungling the country’s response amid a wave of deaths.

So who is in the line of fire – and why?

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Spanish police arrest former British rapper turned Isis extremist

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Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, from Maida Vale, was one of most wanted militants in Europe

Spanish police have arrested a former British rapper turned Islamic State extremist, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, one of the most wanted militants in Europe, in a counter-terrorism swoop on Tuesday.

British and other sources confirmed his identity a few hours after the national police agency in Madrid said it had arrested an Egyptian national and two other men in a flat in the southern Spanish city of Almeria.

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Nurse shortage causes Nightingale hospital to turn away patients

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Exclusive: Covid-19 patient transfers to new London facility cancelled owing to lack of ICU nurses

Dozens of patients with Covid-19 have been turned away from the NHS Nightingale hospital in London because it has too few nurses to treat them, the Guardian can reveal.

Epidemics of infectious diseases behave in different ways but the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more than 50 million people is regarded as a key example of a pandemic that occurred in multiple waves, with the latter more severe than the first. It has been replicated – albeit more mildly – in subsequent flu pandemics.

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Our hospital, our NHS: what it was like to photograph an ICU in the Covid-19 crisis | Jonny Weeks

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A week in a Coventry hospital documenting the work of NHS staff brought the human dimensions of this crisis home to me

Like many people around the country, I stand on my front doorstep at 8pm every Thursday to clap for carers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet when I did so for the first time last month, not knowing for sure if my neighbours would join me, I realised I knew little of the people for whom I was clapping.

Who are the nurses, doctors, cleaners, clerks, porters, researchers and consultants on whom so many lives depend?

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Royal family posts private footage of Queen as child for 94th birthday

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Video comes on low-key day without usual gun salutes as Queen isolates during coronavirus lockdown

The royal family’s Twitter account has posted private behind-the-scenes footage of the Queen as a child in tribute for her 94th birthday.

It showed her as a toddler in a push-chair, and playing with sister Princess Margaret as a child. She is seen learning to ride, gardening with her mother, and dancing onboard a yacht.

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What do you want the post-coronavirus future to look like? – video

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The impact of the coronavirus crisis could ripple through every layer of our social fabric. 

We want to hear what you are concerned about, hopeful for, or even looking forward to in a changed future, for a Guardian video series in which we will discuss how life may be different. What are the best things about our society that should be protected for future generations, and where can we see a need for change?

Click here to submit your thoughts.

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Amazon given €294m in tax credits as European revenues jump to €32bn

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Company says it made a loss last year due to investment and the competitive market

Amazon received €294m (£258m) in tax credits last year that it can deduct from future bills for its European business, as revenues at the online retailer rose significantly to €32bn.

The company said it received the tax credits because it made a loss last year due to its investment programme and the highly competitive retail environment across Europe and the UK.

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Ronan O’Rahilly, Radio Caroline founder who inspired UK pop and pirate radio, dies aged 79

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O’Rahilly, who also managed pop stars and James Bond actor George Lazenby, was diagnosed with dementia in 2013

Ronan O’Rahilly, the Irish founder of the notorious Radio Caroline that popularised pop music on British radio, has died aged 79.

His death was announced by the radio station that is still broadcasting, who said: “In a pastime populated by unusual people, Ronan was more unusual than all of them combined.” He had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013.

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UK coronavirus live: parliament returns amid mounting criticism of government

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MPs expected to approve plans for ‘virtual’ sittings of the Commons as questions continue over PPE provision

Morning all. I am running the live blog this morning, so please do get in touch if you would like to share any news tips of information with me this morning. Your thoughts, comments and insight are always very welcome. Thanks in advance.

Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

UK job vacancies dived in the three months to March as the labour market contracted in the face of the coronavirus, official statisticians have revealed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of job vacancies plunged by 52,000 to 795,000 for the quarter.

It said the manufacturing and retail sectors reported the largest decline in hiring over the period.

The ONS also revealed that growth in the number of people on British companies’ payrolls slowed to 0.8% in March from 1.1% in February, according to preliminary tax data.

Economists also revealed on Tuesday that unemployment increased by 22,000 to 1.36 million in the three months to February, before Covid-19 gripped the UK.

Meanwhile, employment for the quarter to February jumped by 352,000 against the same period last year, rising to a record high of 33.07 million. It said this was heavily driven by a jump in the number of women in work, which rose by 318,000 to a record high of 15.73 million.

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Global confirmed Covid-19 cases pass 2.5m but Italy sees first significant fall in infections – as it happened

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This blog is now closed.

We’ve launched a new live blog at the link below where we’ll be bringing you the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic:

Related: Coronavirus live news: UN warns of 'biblical' famine as White House prepares immigration halt

In today’s White House press briefing Trump said the US has “tested more than any country in the world, even put together.”

This is false.

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Grenfell Tower inquiry could resume by Zoom videolink

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Inquiry solicitor sets out options for restarting hearings during coronavirus crisis

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster could resume in virtual form with evidence taken by Zoom videolink, its senior legal adviser has told bereaved people and survivors.

An online system has been successfully tested by role-playing barristers, and hearings could be restarted within weeks if the option is chosen following a consultation launched on Monday.

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Kingfisher Airlines tycoon loses appeal against extradition to India

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Multimillionaire ‘king of the good times’ Vijay Mallya faces allegations of £1bn fraud

The Indian multimillionaire businessman Vijay Mallya has lost his appeal against a decision to extradite him to India to face allegations of a £1bn fraud at his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

High court judges on Monday rejected Mallya’s appeal against a 2018 decision granting his extradition, ruling that there was a “prima facie case of fraud by false representation”.

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Museums hold Twitter showdown to find world’s creepiest exhibit

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Locked-down institutions go online for Yorkshire Museum’s weekly ‘curator battles’

A zombie blowfish, a hideous mermaid and a lucky charm made out of a dead man’s finger are all competing to be crowned the creepiest exhibits in the world after an archaeological museum in the north of England challenged curators during the lockdown to showcase their most sinister objects.

Since its closure due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Yorkshire Museum in York has launched a weekly #curatorbattle on social media to challenge museums and visitors to put forward objects related to a particular theme.

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Met police face legal action over death of PC Keith Palmer

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Officer stabbed and murdered during a terrorist attack on parliament in March 2017

The Metropolitan police are facing legal action over the death of PC Keith Palmer, murdered during a terrorist attack on parliament.

An inquest in October 2018 concluded with the coroner, Mark Lucraft QC, ruling that the officer’s death may have been prevented had armed officers been closer.

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Priti Patel bullying row: ex-Home Office chief launches tribunal claim

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Sir Philip Rutnam takes action under whistleblowing laws, claiming constructive dismissal

Priti Patel is facing legal action under whistleblowing laws after her former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam lodged an employment tribunal claim on Monday saying he was forced from his job for exposing her bullying behaviour.

Rutnam claims he was constructively dismissed from his role as Home Office permanent secretary after informing the Cabinet Office that Patel had belittled officials in meetings and made unreasonable demands on staff.

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Prince Harry pleaded with Thomas Markle on eve of wedding, court papers show

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Harry repeatedly tried to contact Meghan’s father, warning that talking to press would backfire

Prince Harry pleaded with his then future father-in-law, Thomas Markle, to stop talking to the newspapers and blamed the media for the collapse of Markle’s relationship with the royal couple, according to a series of text messages sent on the eve of the Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle.

The messages, revealed in court documents filed at the high court on Monday, show Harry repeatedly tried to make contact in the days before the televised royal wedding in May 2018. Thomas Markle, who lives in Mexico, had been expected to walk his daughter down the aisle in the ceremony at Windsor Palace, and was revealed by the Mail on Sunday to have helped stage paparazzi pictures of himself preparing for the wedding.

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