Commons rebellions expected at votes on curfew and rule of six

Conservative and Labour MPs are unhappy with lack of evidence behind 10pm closing time

MPs could signal growing discontent with the government’s coronavirus restrictions at key votes on the regulations this week, amid growing calls for the government to publish the scientific advice behind the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants in the UK.

Conservative and Labour MPs have signalled they could withdraw backing for implementing the rule of six regulation and the curfew at votes expected this week.

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Boris Johnson to unveil plan to power all UK homes with wind by 2030

PM vows to make Britain world leader in low-cost clean power with ‘Build Back Greener’ drive

Boris Johnson will promise to power every home in the UK with offshore wind energy within a decade, pledging to make the coronavirus pandemic a catalyst for green growth.

In a speech to the virtual Conservative party conference on Tuesday, he will say that the government will invest in a clean energy future to create “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs” in the next decade.

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Police arrest 10 people after four drug-related deaths in north-east England

Investigation launched into deaths of three Newcastle students and 18-year-old in Washington

Police and university leaders have issued alerts over illegal drugs after four suspected drug-related deaths in north-east England last weekend.

One of the victims, 18-year-old Newcastle University student Jeni Larmour, was described as a “spirited” and “model pupil” by her former school.

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UK court overturns ruling on $1.8bn of Venezuelan gold

Appeal court sets aside ruling that gold could not be released to Nicolás Maduro-backing bank

A battle for the control of more than $1.8bn worth of Venezuelan gold stored at the Bank of England has swung in favour of the government of Nicolás Maduro after an appeals court in London overturned an earlier high court ruling concerning whom the UK recognised as Venezuela’s president.

The court of appeal granted an appeal by the Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) and set aside July’s high court judgment, which had found that Britain’s recognition of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the “constitutional interim president of Venezuela” meant the gold could not be released for the Maduro-backing bank.

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Ministers accused of putting lives at risk with Covid data error

Matt Hancock says no lockdowns need to be changed because of 16,000 unreported cases

Ministers have been accused of “putting lives at risk” through data failures which led to nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases going unreported in England, but Matt Hancock insisted the problem had been addressed.

Updating the Commons after it emerged that data transfer errors between laboratories and Public Health England (PHE) meant 15,841 positive results were left off daily figures between 25 September and 2 October, the health secretary said just over half those missed were now having their contacts traced.

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Priti Patel faces tribunal questioning over alleged bullying

Exclusive: lawyers for Patel’s former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam push forward constructive dismissal claim

Priti Patel is facing the possibility of being questioned before a 10-day employment tribunal hearing next September after lawyers for her former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam pushed forward with a claim for constructive dismissal.

The home secretary, her department, and Downing Street are also being asked to disclose all correspondence related to Rutnam’s departure following claims that he was forced out of his job for intervening in her alleged bullying of fellow civil servants.

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Decoy turtle eggs put in nests to track illegal trade in Costa Rica

Quarter of fakes were stolen with some eggs tracked from thief to trafficker to consumer

Decoy eggs made by a 3D-printer and fitted with satellite tags have been placed in sea turtle nests on beaches in Costa Rica to track the illegal trade of their eggs.

A quarter of the fake eggs put among 101 turtle nests on four beaches in Costa Rica were stolen, with some eggs successfully tracked as they moved from thief to trafficker to consumer.

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Families ‘devastated’ after man dies and two fall sick during Turkish dental trip

Sister of Richard Molloy, from Northern Ireland, travels to resort to repatriate his body

The families of a Northern Irish man who died and two of his friends who fell critically ill after a dental tourism trip to Turkey desperately want to bring their sons home, their local MP has said.

Richard Molloy, 33, was found dead on Saturday in the Turkish port city of Marmaris. His two friends , Declan Carson and Aaron Callaghan, fell critically ill and were reportedly found unconscious in the trio’s rented apartment.

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Amazon near tipping point of switching from rainforest to savannah – study

Climate crisis and logging is leading to shift from canopy rainforest to open grassland

Much of the Amazon could be on the verge of losing its distinct nature and switching from a closed canopy rainforest to an open savannah with far fewer trees as a result of the climate crisis, researchers have warned.

Rainforests are highly sensitive to changes in rainfall and moisture levels, and fires and prolonged droughts can result in areas losing trees and shifting to a savannah-like mix of woodland and grassland. In the Amazon, such changes were known to be possible but thought to be many decades away.

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US police used British anti-riot gear at Black Lives Matter protests

Revelation contradicts official assurance that no UK-made equipment was used to repress peaceful demonstrations

US law enforcement officers used British anti-riot gear to strike protesters during their controversial policing of Black Lives Matter demonstrations, despite assurances from the Conservative government that no UK-made equipment was used to repress peaceful protest.

Officers deployed at demonstrations in Washington DC hit protesters and in one case a journalist using shields made by the British-based firm DMS Plastics. Video and photographs suggest, and a lawsuit alleges, that officers charged at protesters, rather than acting in self-defence. US forces deny the allegations.

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Did early focus on hand washing and not masks aid spread of Covid-19?

Increasing number of scientists believe risk from contaminated surfaces may have been overplayed

From the moment coronavirus reached UK shores, public health advice stressed the importance of washing hands and deep-cleaning surfaces to reduce the risk of becoming infected.

The advice was informed by mountains of research into the transmission of other respiratory viruses: it was the best scientists could do with such a new pathogen.

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Coronavirus live news: global cases pass 35m as Walter Reed physician calls Trump drive ‘insanity’

UK reports 22,961 new cases, says figure ‘artificially high’; nine New York neighbourhoods headed for lockdown; Ireland health experts recommend moving to highest level. Follow the latest updates

In non-coronavirus news, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,382 to 300,619, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

The reported death toll rose by five to 9,534, the tally showed.

The New York Times, citing medical experts, reported on Sunday that Trump’s medical treatments suggest that the president has a “severe” case of Covid-19.

The times report, which asks several doctors to decipher how ill Trump may be – amid confusing and contradictory reports from his medical staff and the White House – based on the treatments he is taking.

Some experts raised an additional possibility: that the president is directing his own care, and demanding intense treatment despite risks he may not fully understand. The pattern even has a name: V.I.P. syndrome, which describes prominent figures who receive poor medical care because doctors are too zealous in treating them — or defer too readily to their instructions.

Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody therapy: On Friday afternoon, the White House said in a letter that Trump was treated with an 8-gram dose of the experimental antibody therapy cocktail made by the biotechnology company Regeneron. The investigational cocktail, known by its investigational name REGN-COV2, has been in clinical trials since June.

Remdesivir: President Trump is being given a five-day course of the antiviral drug remdesivir, one of the doctors treating him said during a briefing on Saturday. The treatment is intended to shorten recovery time for Covid-19 patients. In a Phase 3 clinical trial, remdesivir was found to speed recovery in moderately ill patients with pneumonia from Covid-19, according to results published in the medical journal JAMA in August.

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Coronavirus live news: Irish government ‘to reject new lockdown recommendation’; Paris bars to close

Ireland’s health chiefs called for highest level of restrictions late on Sunday; restaurants in Paris can stay open but bars cannot

French health authorities have reported that the number of patients being treated in intensive care units (ICUs) for Covid-19 has gone beyond the 1,400 threshold for the first time since 28 May.

The latest figure comes the day before Paris is to be placed on maximum Covid-19 alert, meaning bars will be forced to close for two weeks, partly because of the sharp rise of the number of people in ICUs.

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona has been tested for the coronavirus, his lawyer said on Twitter on Monday.

The results of the former striker’s test are expected within 24 hours, his lawyer Matias Morla said. Morla shared a photo of a medical worker swabbing Maradona at his home.

Cumpliendo con los protocolos y para tranquilidad de Diego y de su familia, Maradona fue hisopado este mediodia en su domicilio. Los resultados estarán en las próximas 24 horas. pic.twitter.com/BTCLVgyc0c

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Two arrested over murder of doctor and teenage daughter in Burnley

Men, aged 51 and 56, arrested on suspicion of rape, arson and murder in case of Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi and Vian Mangrio

Police have arrested two men on suspicion of rape and murder in connection with the deaths of a doctor and her teenage daughter.

The men, from Burnley, aged 51 and 56, were detained at about 7pm on Sunday, both on suspicion of two counts of murder, two counts of rape and one of arson with intent to endanger life.

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Leak reveals possible harsher three-tier Covid plan for England

Exclusive: government documents suggest potential pub closures and stricter social contact rules

A new three-tier lockdown system is being planned for England, with leaked government documents paving the way for potential harsher restrictions including the closure of pubs and a ban on all social contact outside of household groups.

The draft traffic-light-style plan, seen by the Guardian, is designed to simplify the current patchwork of localised restrictions, which apply to about a quarter of the UK. It also reveals tougher measures that could be imposed by the government locally or nationally if Covid cases are not brought under control.

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One dead and two critically ill after dental treatment trip to Turkey

Trio from Northern Ireland reportedly found unconscious in apartment in Marmaris

A Northern Irish man has died and two of his friends were left critically ill after a dental treatment trip to Turkey, it is understood.

The trio, who were described by their MP as “three fit and healthy young lads”, were found in the Turkish city of Marmaris on Saturday.

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Coronavirus restrictions may continue beyond Christmas, says Boris Johnson – video

Boris Johnson has said the UK's coronavirus restrictions could continue beyond Christmas in a sobering interview on the Andrew Marr Show. The prime minister said the outlook would be very different by spring 2021, but that things would 'continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond'

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Summer spending boosted Britain but winter job cuts have yet to bite

Reductions in government support as the original furlough scheme ends point towards a brutal round of redundancies

The UK economy continued its rapid rebound from the depths of the coronavirus lockdown in August, the latest official data on growth is expected to show on Friday, but many economists are braced for a grim winter as job losses mount.

The Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane, predicted last week that GDP would be “only around 3-4% below its pre-Covid level” by the end of the third quarter, covering July to September.

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Memo to the Home Office: a little humanity goes a long way | Kenan Malik

Delivering migrants to an offshore location is more about spectacle than solution

Dump them on Ascension Island. Or in Moldova. Imprison them in disused ferries. Build “marine fences” across the Channel. Deploy water cannons to make huge waves to swamp their boats.

And so it goes on. All apparently ideas from Home Office “brainstorming” sessions on how to deal with asylum seekers and cross-Channel undocumented migrants.

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Conservatives turn on Boris Johnson over handling of UK’s Covid-19 crisis

As virtual party conference gets under way, Tories rebel on both wings and PM’s popularity plunges to a record low


Boris Johnson’s reputation among Conservative members has plunged to a record low, it has emerged, as the party enters its annual conference facing accusations of a “chumocracy” at the top of government.

With Tory MPs restless over the government’s performance, which has seen it lose a huge poll lead over Labour since the start of the pandemic, the prime minister has recorded his first ever negative satisfaction rating among a survey of Tory members on the ConservativeHome website. He recorded the second-lowest score of any cabinet member, with only education secretary Gavin Williamson performing worse.

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