Summary

  • UK firms slash 11,000 jobs in two days in retail and aviation sectors

  • Department store John Lewis says it has “too much store space”

  • Station snack bar operator Upper Crust says 5,000 jobs could go

  • Aerospace giant Airbus to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide including 1,700 in UK

  • The US has bought almost all the world's upcoming supply of Covid-19 treatment drug remdesivir

  • Top US health expert Dr Anthony Fauci warns cases in the US could reach 100,000 a day

  • EU borders are reopening to people from 15 countries but the US is excluded

  • The UK has the third highest Covid-19 death toll globally, after the US and Brazil

  • Worldwide there have been 10.5m confirmed infections and more than 509,000 deaths

  1. Sturgeon condemns Johnson's 'ridiculous political comments'published at 16:30 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Nicola Sturgeon and Boris JohnsonImage source, AFP/EPA

    Nicola Sturgeon has criticised Boris Johnson's "absurd and ridiculous political comments" claiming there is no Scottish border.

    Scotland's first minister has said she would not rule out people having to quarantine if entering Scotland from other parts of the UK, if they're suggested by public health evidence.

    But speaking at Prime Minister's Questions earlier, the prime minister said he found such a suggestion "absolutely astonishing".

    He went on to say: "There is no such thing as a border between England and Scotland."

    But Ms Sturgeon later said this was "such an absurd statement", adding: "What there definitely is, is a geographical boundary to my powers as first minister.

    "If the prime minister is questioning that now, I'm not sure what he would say if I pitched up in Newcastle and started to try to implement Scottish government policies in Newcastle."

    She said there were no current plans to implement the quarantine rules, but said: "Given the nature of what we're dealing with right now - just to remind the prime minister: an infectious virus - I would not be doing my job properly if I ruled things out that, as we see from countries around the world, are being used selectively in appropriate circumstances to try to contain a virus."

    There's more on the story here.

  2. People in Leicester 'confused' by new rulespublished at 16:23 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    People walking on the street in LeicesterImage source, PA Media

    People in Leicester say they're confused about new rules in the city as shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth accuses the government of failing to give resident enough information about the local lockdown.

    It was announced on Monday night that residents would face tighter restrictions over the next fortnight because of a recent spike in coronavirus cases.

    Ashworth, MP for Leicester South, said residents were anxious.

    People from Leicester have expressed frustration at what they see as a lack of guidance, telling the BBC they're confused about who they can and can't see - and what constitutes essential travel.

    What has caused the spike in Leicester?

    In short, our health correspondent Nick Triggle says, the virus was still present and there was not enough social distancing. Density of population was also bound to be a factor.

    While there was nothing necessarily unique to Leicester, infections there are on quite a different scale to other local flare-ups, our correspondent adds.

  3. 'Right response' seen in vaccine trialspublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    The right sort of immune response has been seen in trials for a potential Covid-19 vaccine at the University of Oxford, a parliamentary hearing has been told.

    The trials have now entered the Phase III clinical stage.

    Sarah Gilibert, professor of vaccinology at the university, told the government committee that the trial had enrolled 8,000 volunteers for the next stage.

    She could not give a timeline for when the vaccine - which was licensed to AstraZeneca - might be ready, as it depends on the results of the trial.

  4. EU equipment scheme emails 'sent to defunct addresses'published at 16:07 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    An NHS worker wearing personal protective equipmentImage source, Getty Images

    The UK missed out on the chance to take part in EU schemes to source medical equipment during the coronavirus outbreak because the information was sent to an outdated email address, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said.

    He suggested that a failure by EU officials to update their records might have been to blame for the situation.

    The EU started to co-ordinate the purchasing of personal protective equipment, testing kits and ventilators in February.

    In a letter to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Raab said: "The relevant EU committee, the Joint Procurement Agreement Steering Committee [JPASC], was relaunched by the European Commission in September 2019, after three years of not meeting.

    "The UK provided up-to-date contact details for the UK representatives to the JPASC in September 2019.

    "Despite this, however, we understand from the commission that the UK contact details on their circulation list for issues relevant to joint procurements at the time of the Covid-19 outbreak were still those of the previous UK representatives, ie those who had last attended JPSAC in 2016."

    Raab said "unfortunately those email addresses no longer existed" because of changes in departmental structures and government IT systems.

  5. Tracking the global outbreak in graphicspublished at 15:59 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 10 million confirmed cases in 188 countries. More than half a million people have lost their lives.

    This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus.

    The virus, which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

    It then spread quickly across the globe in the first months of 2020, reaching 10 million confirmed cases towards the end of June.

    Europe and North America saw the first major outbreaks in April but as they began to ease, Latin America and Asia started seeing an increase in cases.

    In the last few weeks, North America has seen a resurgence of infections mostly driven by new outbreaks in the US.

    Global cases
    Daily deaths in the US graphic
    Covid-19 continents graphic
    US states graphic
  6. Leicester lockdown boundary 'stupid', say residentspublished at 15:52 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Paula Meadows
    Image caption,

    Paula Meadows said the boundary made no sense

    Residents on a street cut in half by the Leicester lockdown boundary line have branded it stupid.

    Some addresses on Bowhill Grove, Scraptoft, are now subject to the tighter restrictions introduced on Monday, while others are not.

    One resident said people living in the lockdown area could walk over the line to a nearby local pub, which may open.

    Leicestershire County Council said the boundary had been drawn up rapidly and was "an imprecise science".

    A map showing the boundary of the lockdown zone was made public on Tuesday morning before a postcode tool, external allowing people to check whether they lived inside the affected area was launched.

    Leicester's new lockdown rules at a glance

  7. Another 176 people die with coronavirus in UKpublished at 15:41 British Summer Time 1 July 2020
    Breaking

    A further 176 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community in the UK, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

    This brings the total to 43,906 as of 17:00 BST on Tuesday.

    The government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK.

    The DHSC also said in the 24-hour period up to 09:00 BST on Wednesday, 226,398 tests had been carried out or dispatched, with 829 positive results.

    Overall, a total of 9,662,051 tests have been carried out and 313,483 cases have been confirmed as positive.

    The figure for the number of people tested has been "temporarily paused to ensure consistent reporting" across all methods of testing.

  8. Wigan Athletic go into administrationpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Wigan AthleticImage source, Rex Features

    Wigan Athletic have gone into administration, becoming the first English professional club to do so since the coronavirus pandemic began.

    The administrators said the suspension of the Championship season because of the coronavirus pandemic has had a "significant impact on the recent fortunes of the club".

    The English Football League has said Wigan will be deducted 12 points. The sanction will be applied at the end of this season if the Latics, 14th in the Championship, finish outside the bottom three after 46 games.

    Should Wigan finish in the relegation zone, the penalty will be applied during the 2020-21 season instead.

    Wigan have won all three of their league games since the resumption of the Championship season on 20 June.

    Read more here

  9. Families of children with special needs 'abandoned' during school closurespublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    A boy hugging his dadImage source, Getty Images

    Families of children with special educational needs feel they have been "utterly abandoned" during school closures, an MPs' committee has been told.

    Those with extra educational, physical or emotional needs saw support "fall off a cliff" during the coronavirus.

    Risk assessments for Covid-19 were used by some schools to prevent special educational needs and disability (SEND) pupils from attending, the committee heard.

    There was also concern national catch-up plans did not mention SEND children.

    Ali Fiddy, chief executive of the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice, said her organisation was seeing families who were "very clearly struggling".

    There was definitely not enough support being offered for parents, she said, with many families feeling "utterly abandoned".

    Children with special needs plans were part of the group of children who were invited to continue schooling.

    But, Fiddy said, in some cases the risk assessment process tied to the coronavirus outbreak was being used as an excuse to offer no services and keep pupils out of school.

    Read more here

  10. The Kenyan teens overcoming learning inequalitiespublished at 15:19 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Media caption,

    Coronavirus: Learning inequalities during Covid-19

    Kenya's national exams normally take place in November but it's now likely they'll be postponed until next year due to the pandemic.

    Unequal access to technology and electricity has prevented some students from keeping up with their learning online.

    Yet one group of young people in Nairobi have found their own way to make up for lost time.

  11. Immunity may be more widespread than tests suggestpublished at 15:11 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Rachel Schraer
    BBC Health Reporter

    CoronavirusImage source, Science Photo Library

    People testing negative for coronavirus antibodies may still have some immunity, a study has suggested.

    For every person testing positive for antibodies, two were found to have specific T-cells which identify and destroy infected cells.

    This was seen even in people who had mild or symptomless cases of Covid-19.

    But it's not yet clear whether this just protects that individual or if it might also stop them from passing on the infection to others.

    Researchers at the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden tested 200 people for both antibodies and T-cells.

    Some were blood donors while others were tracked down from the group of people first infected in Sweden, mainly returning from earlier affected areas like northern Italy.

    This could mean a wider group have some level of immunity to Covid-19 than antibody testing figures, like those published as part of the UK Office for National Statistics Infection Survey, suggest.

    Read more here

  12. Global cases pass 10.5 millionpublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has now surpassed 10.5 million.

    The US has by far the largest number of confirmed cases of any country, with 2.6 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

    More than 127,000 people have also died there.

    Brazil, meanwhile, has recorded 1.4 million cases and almost 60,000 fatalities.

    Media caption,

    Coronavirus: Six months that changed our world

  13. Another 50 people die with coronavirus in Englandpublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 1 July 2020
    Breaking

    Another 50 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total to 28,759, NHS England said.

    Patients were aged between 52 and 97 years old.

    Two patients, aged 52 and 63, had no known underlying health conditions.

    No deaths were recorded in the South West region in the latest figures.

  14. 'Hundreds' of five-a-side footballers flout lockdown in Scotlandpublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Chris McLaughlin
    BBC Sport Scotland

    CCTV footage shows players taking part in full-contact gamesImage source, GOALS
    Image caption,

    CCTV footage shows players taking part in full-contact games

    Hundreds of people are flouting lockdown rules every week by breaking into five-a-side pitches to play football, BBC Scotland has been told.

    The owner of one complex in Glasgow says vandals have burned their way through perimeter netting and even stolen astroturf.

    An unofficial tournament featuring up to 50 teams also had to be broken up.

    The Scottish government has said lockdown restrictions mean pitches will not reopen until at least 24 July.

    But CCTV footage from one football centre shows players taking part in full contact games.

    They can then be seen further breaching hygiene and social-distancing rules by shaking hands at the end of their match.

    Read more here.

  15. A recap on the remdesivir buy-uppublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Gilead logoImage source, Reuters

    In case you're just joining us, here's a reminder that the US has secured almost all of the forthcoming global supply of a drug shown to help people recover faster from Covid-19.

    Remdesivir is produced by the US firm Gilead Sciences and is the first drug to have been approved by authorities in the US to be used to treat the disease.

    The US administration is set to receive 500,000 doses - or 100% of the company's supply production in July, 90% of it in August and 90% in September.

    On average, a course of remdesivir requires 6.25 vials.

    A statement from the Department of Health and Human services, external praised President Donald Trump's "amazing deal" with Gilead.

  16. Walkers confirms 28 Covid-19 cases at Leicester sitepublished at 14:34 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Sonia Kataria
    BBC News

    Snack firm Walkers has confirmed 28 positive cases of Covid-19 at its site in Leicester.

    Walkers, which employs 1,400 people across the site in Beaumont Leys, said during June it has seen a "steady increase" in the number of confirmed cases.

    The Leicester-based company said its track and trace procedure indicated the transmission of the virus was "not in our factory".

    It believes the rise "coincides with the roll-out and uptake of testing" in the city.

    Walkers crisp packets

    "We have seen an increase in the number of confirmed cases, reflecting the situation in the local community and coinciding with the roll-out and uptake of testing," a Walkers spokesperson said.

    The company said they have shared their data and analysis with health authorities, who they say support the view that the firm's situation reflects transmission in the community and we "do not have a transmission issue on site".

    A spokesperson added employees with a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 were self-isolating on full pay.

  17. Spotting the next spike in Englandpublished at 14:25 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Daniel Wainwright
    BBC England Data Unit

    We now know that Leicester has had the most cases per population, but we don't know who is currently seeing their cases rise or increase the most.

    Public Health England has now published for the first time the full figures of positive cases in each local authority in England in the week to 21 June.

    This shows why the government was so worried - Leicester's rate of new infections was more than double the next highest, Bradford. These figures are now 10 days old, however.

    Chart showing rates of infection by local authority

    What's come as a surprise to many people is that the government's public data on cases, external, updated daily, shows a much lower rate of infections in Leicester.

    This is because it only includes so-called Pillar 1 tests - those in hospitals and involving healthcare workers.

    The bulk of Leicester's infections have been discovered under Pillar 2 tests done outside of hospital.

    Having this new breakdown of both sets of test results is going to be vital in determining where else may need to be subject to local lockdown.

  18. Cross-border 'cluster' reported in Scotland and Englandpublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    The Scottish borderImage source, Getty Images

    A cross-border "cluster" of coronavirus cases has been identified across south-west Scotland and north-west England.

    NHS Dumfries and Galloway has confirmed nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Gretna and Annan areas since Monday.

    It said everyone was self-isolating and work was taking place to identify any recent contacts.

    National clinical director Prof Jason Leitch described it as a "complex but small cluster".

    He stressed that the last positive cases in the Dumfries and Galloway health board area had come on 22 June.

    Read more here

  19. Six more people die with coronavirus in Walespublished at 14:09 British Summer Time 1 July 2020
    Breaking

    Six more people with coronavirus are confirmed to have died in Wales, taking the official total to 1,516.

    Figures from Public Health Wales also showed there were 32 new cases reported, meaning 15,775 people have tested positive for Covid-19.

    To date, 139,248 individuals have been tested for coronavirus in Wales, with 123,473 testing negative.

    A total of 185,111 tests have been carried out, with some people having been tested more than once.

    PHW publishes daily statistics of deaths, mostly occurring in hospitals, but only when the virus has been confirmed by laboratories.

    Wales map of coronavirus deaths
  20. Thai children return to school at lastpublished at 14:02 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    A student wearing a face shield lines up at a school in ThailandImage source, AFP

    It may be later than planned but children in Thailand are finally able to begin the new school term.

    New measures have been introduced to help stop the spread of the virus, including the use of masks and social distancing between pupils.

    And it's not just schools that are opening up - bars and clubs will also start welcoming customers again from Wednesday.

    Thailand has recorded fewer than 4,000 coronavirus cases and just 58 deaths since the pandemic began.

    A Thai student sits in a socially distanced classroomImage source, EPA
    Children reach out between their spaced desks
    Image caption,

    Children reached out between their spaced desks

    Tourists pose at the Wat Arun temple in BangkokImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Visitors posed at the Wat Arun temple in Bangkok on the first day of its reopening