ONS says deaths peaked on day of record 40C temperatures, and Covid deaths were also higher on hot daysThe daily number of deaths in England was higher during the July heatwave than in the rest of the month, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show.On average there were 1,224 deaths a day during July’s three “heat periods”, as labelled by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which was 7% higher than the daily average across the rest of the month. Continue reading...
Strike over pay leaves city centre bins overflowing, disrupting arts festivals and providing food for verminHeritage leaders have warned that Edinburgh faces a surge in rat infestations after a refuse workers’ strike resulted in mountains of food waste, overflowing bins and rubbish accumulating in the city centre.The city’s refuse workers started a 12-day strike last week in an attempt to force Scottish council leaders to improve on a “derisory” 3% pay offer, with the industrial action timed to hit Edinburgh’s fringe and arts festivals, when visitor numbers peak in the city centre. Continue reading...
Abortion Act to be amended from 30 August after ministers forced to ditch plans to scrap ‘pills by post’ serviceWomen in England and Wales will be able to permanently access early medical abortions at home from next week after ministers were forced to abandon plans to scrap the “pills by post” service.The move will benefit thousands of women who wish to take the tablets needed to end a pregnancy in the privacy of their own home, rather than having to take the first pill at a clinic or hospital. Continue reading...
Airport says it will not extend capacity restraints next month, before cancelling easyJet flights owing to staff absenceGatwick airport has said it will not need to extend its capacity restraints beyond the end of the month, hailing a return to “business as usual” – before promptly cancelling another 26 flights.The company said on Tuesday that normal operations had resumed after months of strain on airports and airlines across Europe amid a surge in demand and staff shortages as pandemic restrictions eased. Continue reading...
Monday’s figure surpasses previous record from last November and brings total this year to 22,600A record 1,295 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Monday, heightening concern that the Home Office’s aggressive policies have failed to curb the numbers making dangerous journeys to the UK.It was the highest number in a single day since records began in 2018, surpassing 1,185 on a day in November last year. The Ministry of Defence said 27 boats made the crossing on Monday. Continue reading...
Half of UK households could be in fuel poverty by January unless government steps in, says managing director for customersThe UK faces a “dramatic and catastrophic winter for customers” as energy prices soar, according to a stark warning from the head of EDF Energy’s retail business.Philippe Commaret, the energy firm’s managing director for customers, called for extra government intervention, including help for households to insulate their homes and a VAT cut for small businesses as prices jump to record levels. Continue reading...
Merseyside police searching for gunman after ‘abhorrent crime’ at property in Knotty AshPolice in Liverpool are hunting for a gunman who entered a house and fatally shot a nine-year-old girl in the chest.Two other people were taken to hospital with gunshot injuries after the incident on Monday evening, the latest in a number of killings involving guns and knives on Merseyside over the last week. Continue reading...
New viral infection detected in dozens of children in Kerala, and now also in Tamil Nadu and OdishaAn outbreak of a new viral infection referred to as tomato flu that was first detected in children in the southern Indian state of Kerala in May has spread to two other states.According to an article in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 82 children aged under five had been diagnosed with the virus in Kerala as of 26 July. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson in Taipei and agencies on (#62SVQ)
Democracy activist and Apple Daily founder will stand trial without jury and could face up to life in prisonThe founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, will stand trial without a jury in Hong Kong, after he told a court he would plead not guilty to national security charges.On Monday, prosecutors told a case management hearing that Lai would challenge the accusations but six fellow executives and manager from the now defunct Apple Daily or its parent company, Next Digital, intended to plead guilty. Continue reading...
Entrepreneur prompted government investigation in May after raising stake in UK telecoms company to 18%The billionaire Patrick Drahi will not be forced to cut his stake in BT after the UK government ruled the investment did not pose any national security implications.The entrepreneur, who moved to France as a teenager and holds Israeli, French and Portuguese citizenships, is BT’s biggest shareholder and has previously pursued debt-fuelled deals to buy assets in France, the US, Portugal and Israel. Continue reading...
by Adam Morton Climate and environment editor on (#62STD)
Save Our Songlines accuses environment minister of ‘false conclusions’ and ‘faulty reasoning’ about support for development and says it risks ‘another Juukan Gorge’
Kehinde Andrews calls for ‘national memorial’ to mark history of atrocities that has legacy of poorer economic and health outcomesOne of the UK’s leading experts on race has described the government as “the most racist” in his lifetime, and called for a public holiday to remember the horrors of the slave trade.Speaking on Slavery Remembrance Day, Prof Kehinde Andrews said one day was “not even close to enough” to acknowledge the UK’s links to the historical transatlantic slave trade. Continue reading...
Protests follow appearance of ‘tortured’ writer on state television, while human rights group warn forced confessions on the rise as hijab laws hardenedThere were protests and condemnation last week after an Iranian woman who was arrested for defying newly hardened hijab laws appeared on state television to give what observers claimed was a forced confession as a result of torture.Sepideh Rashno, 28, was arrested in July soon after footage of her being harassed on a bus over “improper clothing”, was circulated online. Continue reading...
Anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia reported by schools, suggesting education still not back to normal after the pandemicPupils who sat GCSEs this year were so nervous about their exams that they suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia, according to headteachers.The heads also said they had never seen a year group face so much uncertainty over grades and progression to sixth-form. Continue reading...
BMA reports six in 10 are going without food, clothing and heating, raising fears some will drop out and worsen NHS staffing crisisMedical students are having to stop spending on essentials such as food, clothing and heating because of “astronomical” debts, a “broken” student finance system and a spiralling cost of living crisis, a survey has suggested.Six in 10 UK medical students report cutting or ceasing spending on necessities, according to a British Medical Association (BMA) poll. Many are questioning their decision to go into medicine and some are considering quitting before they qualify. Continue reading...
The last public holiday of summer comes during a weekend of sport events and festivals such as Reading and LeedsAn amber traffic warning has been issued for this weekend, when an estimated 15m bank holiday leisure trips are scheduled.The AA published the alert, which is only the second such warning to be issued by the motoring association, because it expects 45% of UK drivers to embark on at least one noncommuting journey between Friday and Monday. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin in Taipei on (#62SPT)
Police forces in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam have launched major operations to rescue their citizens and shut down trafficking syndicatesHundreds of Taiwanese are among unknown numbers of victims being held captive and forced to work in telecom scam networks by human trafficking operations in south-east Asia, authorities have said.Police forces in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam have launched major operations to rescue their citizens and shut down the trafficking syndicates. Continue reading...
by Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington on (#62SP5)
PM Jacinda Ardern said caucus voted to expel Sharma over ‘repeated and calculated’ breaches of its rulesJacinda Ardern and her Labour colleagues have expelled MP Gaurav Sharma from caucus, the first time in more than a decade that the party has taken such action.The expulsion of Sharma, who was elected as the member for Hamilton West in 2020, came after nearly two weeks of the MP making public allegations of bullying and misconduct against his own party. Continue reading...
Minister fires head of National Meteorological Service after storms it predicted would hit Budapest missed the capitalThe Hungarian government fired the head of the national weather service and her deputy, two days after a fireworks display to celebrate a national holiday was delayed for fear of storms.Technology minister Lazlo Palkovics, under whose remit the National Meteorological Service (NMS) falls, relieved president Kornelia Radics and her deputy Gyula Horvath from their duties on Monday, but did not provide a reason. The ministry did not immediately return AFP’s call for further details. Continue reading...
TBI recommends English schools focus on aspects such as critical thinking and creativity to ready pupils for jobs in digital worldGCSEs and A-levels should be scrapped in favour of a system that better prepares school-leavers for the workplace, a report has suggested.The study conducted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) has recommended that the education system in England be radically changed so that students can thrive in a work environment that is becoming increasingly shaped by automation and artificial intelligence. Continue reading...
Deputy PM Richard Marles says whatever the legal advice from the solicitor general, former prime minister should pay the price for ‘flouting’ Westminster cabinet system
Pedro I declared independence from Portugal in 1822, and relic is now at the centre of politically charged election year celebrationsNearly two centuries after it was cut from his corpse and preserved in formaldehyde, the heart of Emperor Pedro I, who declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal, has returned for politically charged commemorations of the South American country’s 200th birthday.Dom Pedro, a beloved figure in both Brazilian and Portuguese history, has been divided between the two countries in death – his heart enshrined in a church in Porto, Portugal, and the rest of his remains in an independence monument in São Paulo, Brazil. Continue reading...
Tributes were paid to council worker Ashley Dale, 28, who police believe was killed in a mistaken identity attackTributes have been paid to a 28-year-old woman who was shot dead in her home in Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday, seven years after her brother was also fatally shot.Ashley Dale was shot in the back garden of her home in what is believed by police to have been a mistaken identity attack. Her younger brother, Lewis Dunne, was killed in 2015 at age 16 after a gang mistook him for a rival gang member. Their deaths are not believed to be connected. Continue reading...
Pause in crossings recorded between Friday and Sunday as almost 5,000 made journey to Dover in AugustBabies and young children are among some of the people who have crossed the Channel in small boats to the UK in the last 24 hours after a three-day hiatus in arrivals.
Met hurriedly apologised and withdrew images that it initially said showed missing woman in a shopThe Metropolitan police issued pictures of the wrong black woman in an early appeal for information about the missing student nurse Owami Davies, it has emerged.As the force’s handling of the case faces increased scrutiny, it has come to light that Scotland Yard issued CCTV images on 3 August that it said showed Davies in a shop in Croydon, but in fact showed another woman. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#62SAA)
Daniel Finkelstein may fall foul of legal anomaly despite using drug in state where it was allowed, says lawyerA Conservative peer may have damaged his chances of being allowed back into the US after legally smoking cannabis in Colorado, a leading immigration lawyer has said.Daniel Finkelstein wrote in the Times on Monday of how he smoked marijuana for the first time at a friend’s house in the state, where buying limited quantities of the drug for recreational use has been allowed for almost a decade. Continue reading...
Editor of state-owned RT network Margarita Simonyan appears to contradict Kremlin position in post about Darya Dugina killingThe influential head of Russia’s RT news network has hinted at Russia’s role in the poisoning of the former spy Sergei Skripal, in a remarkable post that contradicts the Kremlin’s official position on the incident.In a post on her Telegram channel on Monday, Margarita Simonyan appeared to acknowledge Russia’s part in the Skripal poisoning when she wrote that Russian “professionals who want to admire spires” should travel to Estonia to go after the alleged killer of Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who was killed in a car bomb on Saturday night. Continue reading...
Light of India balti house in Ellesmere Port enjoying moment in the spotlight as Hollywood actor sings its praises on InstagramWedged modestly between a glazing shop and a credit union in the Cheshire town of Ellesmere Port, the Light of India balti house does not seem to be the sort of place a Hollywood A-lister would gravitate towards.But the restaurant and takeaway is enjoying a moment in the spotlight after the actor Ryan Reynolds, the star of the Deadpool films, extolled its virtues to his 44 million followers on Instagram, declaring it to serve the “best Indian food in Europe”. Continue reading...
Presenter had earlier announced exit from BBC after nearly 20 years and will take on three-hour slot from SeptemberVanessa Feltz has announced she is joining TalkTV after leaving the BBC after nearly 20 years on its radio stations.Feltz, 60 will replace Jeremy Kyle as presenter of the fledgling network’s three-hour drivetime show from 5 September. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#62RWN)
Figure also includes Home Office’s £500,000 ‘strategic communications’ deal, with hearings due to start next yearBills for the Covid-19 public inquiry have already hit £85m despite hearings not starting until next year, after the government hired top legal and public relations firms.Departments making key decisions during the pandemic have hired leading law firms on multimillion-pound contracts alongside specialist firms tasked with sifting through millions of sensitive documents and emails for disclosure. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#62S7F)
Relatives of Oladeji Omishore say Met’s actions contributed to 41-year-old’s death in London in JuneThe Metropolitan police were wrong to Taser a man on Chelsea Bridge and their “excessive and unnecessary force” contributed to his death, his family have said.The family of Oladeji Omishore, 41, used a Guardian interview to tell of the “nightmare” and grief they were suffering and vowed to spend the years necessary to battle for justice. Continue reading...
Airline’s winter short-haul schedule is cut by 8% as airport continues to struggle with staffing problemsBritish Airways has announced another round of cancellations, axing 10,000 flights to and from Heathrow until the end of March next year as it adapts to the persistent staff shortages that have hit aviation.The carrier’s decision to shrink its short-haul timetable by 8% comes after the London airport extended the summer’s 100,000 daily cap on passenger numbers by another six weeks until the end of October and asked airlines to sell fewer flights. Continue reading...
Tory leadership candidate says he is focused on race for No 10; energy bosses call for end to battle so new PM can tackle bills crisisBoris Johnson is in the final fortnight of his premiership and, according to Downing Street, later today he will be meeting the chief executive, Ilan Gur, and the chair, Matt Clifford, of the new UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria). This is the body set up to fund high-risk scientific research. It is an odd choice for a legacy visit because Aria was only established because of pressure from Dominic Cummings, who was Johnson’s chief adviser in No 10 until he left to become one of the most vocal, and effective, campaigners for Johnson’s removal from office.Mel Stride, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons Treasury committee and a Rishi Sunak supporter in the leadership contest, told LBC this morning that Liz Truss would be “flying blind” if she held an emergency budget in September without updated forecasts from the OBR. (See 9.27am.) He said:Liz is coming forward with an emergency budget shortly after September 5th. And there’ll be a number of very significant tax measures within that, plus some spending measures as well as yet undetermined. And at the moment the Liz camp are saying that there will not be any OBR forecasts produced at that time. And that’s like flying blind. It means that you do all these dramatic things on tax etc but you don’t actually know what the independent forecaster believes the impact will be on the public finances. And I think that’s quite a serious situation were that to come about. Continue reading...
Auditing firm worker says he faced ‘heavy pressure’ to attend after-work drinking event in 2019The auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is being sued by a UK employee who lost half of his skull after taking part in a “pub golf” work event that involved excessive drinking.The employee, 28-year-old Michael Brockie, filed a personal injury claim against PwC for alleged negligence, having suffered a brain injury and been put into an induced coma in early 2019. Continue reading...
Raila Odinga submits file to supreme court in move that could heighten the country’s political disputeKenya’s longtime opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has filed a case with the country’s supreme court to challenge the results of the 9 August presidential election in which his opponent, William Ruto, was declared the winner with 50.49% of the vote.Ruto, who has served as deputy president since 2013, was named president-elect amid protests from four of the seven electoral commissioners, who renounced the results, calling them “opaque”. They claimed that the chair of the electoral commission, Wafula Chebukati, had hijacked the process leading up to the announcement and declared the results unilaterally. Continue reading...
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