| 300,000 suspected of breaking Covid travel rules |
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| | | The UK's traffic-light system for overseas travel has been one of the pandemic's more controversial developments, with changes to the status of destinations disrupting thousands of holidaymakers and the tourism industry complaining of uncertainty. But figures seen by the BBC suggest nearly a third of people arriving in England and Northern Ireland as the Delta variant took off may have broken rules on isolation. Between 17 March and 31 May, more than 300,000 cases were passed to investigators, with the Home Office saying it aimed to pay home visits to anyone suspected of breaking the rules. But the government has been unable to say how many were found to have done so, or could not be traced. People arriving from high-risk - "red list" - countries had to quarantine in a hotel. Those coming from "amber list" areas were required to self-isolate for 10 days, with call handlers checking in. When people ended a call, refused to co-operate, indicated they would break rules, or could not be contacted after three attempts, they were referred to Border Force investigators and police. But Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, says the quarantine system "very much relied on the honesty of people to do the right thing". Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds says the figures "confirm our worst fears" about "lax border policy". A government spokesman said contractors visited 99% of cases referred by NHS Test and Trace after 26 April. | |
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| North Korea tests long-range missile |
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| North Korea has tested a long-range cruise missile over 1,500km (930 miles), suggesting it's capable of hitting much of Japan, state media says. It's prompted the US military to say its commitment to defending its allies "remains ironclad", ahead of a meeting with Japanese and South Korean counterparts. This type of missile isn't subject to UN Security Council sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear programme. However, our Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker says their description of the missile as a “strategic weapon” usually means the regime hopes to put a nuclear warhead on it. "Analysts aren't sure yet if North Korea can miniaturise a nuclear warhead to fit on a cruise missile," she says. But she adds: "No one would bet against it." | |
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| Britney Spears gets engaged |
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| Singer Britney Spears has announced her engagement to long-term boyfriend Sam Asghari by showing off the ring on Instagram. It comes days after her father filed to end a 13-year conservatorship, imposed over fears for her mental health, which sees him control her personal life and finances. Spears has previously said the arrangement barred her from marrying Mr Ashgari, a 27-year-old personal trainer and actor, or having more children, and accused her father of "conservator abuse". But last week, Jamie Spears said in court papers: "If Ms Spears... believes that she can handle her own life, Mr Spears believes that she should get that chance." The singer, 39, has two children with dancer Kevin Federline, who she divorced in 2007. | |
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| | | | | Angela Merkel is, by far, the longest-serving among current EU leaders. She's participated in an estimated 100 EU summits, not infrequently being described as "the only grown-up in the room". True, too: she memorably helped steer the bloc through the migration crisis, the euro crisis, Covid-19 and, to an extent, even Brexit. But this is a tale of two Merkels. Her European legacy, like her domestic one, is mixed. The criticism levelled at her back home - that during her 16 long years at Germany's helm, she was a Krisenmanagerin, or crisis manager, typically waiting till the last moment to act; a pragmatist but no visionary - can also be applied to her record on the European stage. | |
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| | Katya Adler | Europe editor |
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| | | | Few papers miss the chance to feature Emma Raducanu showing off her US Open tennis trophy on their front pages. But, as usual, coronavirus news features prominently. Boris Johnson will say he is "dead set" against another lockdown, as he unveils his winter plan, abolishing Covid laws that are no longer needed and scrapping the travel traffic light system, the Daily Telegraph says. The i says the prime minister is banking on boosting the immunity of the most vulnerable with a third vaccine dose for millions of older people. The Metro, meanwhile, leads on the heath secretary rejecting "vaccine passports" as a requirement for entry to nightclubs and sports events. | |
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| | | Tobacco British giant negotiated bribe for Mugabe, papers suggest |
| | | | Activists Record number of environmental campaigners murdered |
| | | | Housing The epicentre of Britain's pandemic property boom |
| | | | Tennis Medvedev beats Djokovic to win US Open |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| If you've had primary-school-age children at any point over the past 30 years, there's a fair chance you'll be acquainted with Biff, Chip and Kipper. Now the characters of the much-loved learn-to-read series are appearing on the small screen. We visit the set. Or, if you prefer gazing out of the window to gawping at the gogglebox, check out Ola Maddems' stunning selection of pictures snapped at night in her back garden. Using a motion-activated remote camera, she recorded seldom-seen sights, such as an inquisitive young fox sniffing at a hedgehog. | |
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| | | 2001 Iain Duncan Smith wins 61% of the votes to beat Ken Clarke in the Conservative Party leadership contest. |
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| Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | |
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