Plus, Prince's Sign O' The Times: An oral history
| Sunak to unveil emergency jobs scheme |
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| | | Almost 10 million jobs have at some point been supported by the furlough scheme, which uses taxpayers' money to cover some of the wages of those forced on leave because of coronavirus. But that's due to end next month. And with business lobby groups calling for a replacement, and pubs and restaurants in particular fearing the impact of new restrictions on their trade, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has - we've been told - been working on "creative and imaginative" solutions. At 12:30 BST, we'll find out what they are. Our report looks at the potential models, with a salary top-up scheme - similar to those already operating in France and Germany - thought to be under consideration. "We also expect extensions by weeks or months of the various loan guarantee schemes offered by the Treasury," says our economics editor, Faisal Islam. Our explainer looks at the support that's already on offer post-furlough. | |
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| Contact-tracing app for England and Wales |
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| As coronavirus cases continue to rise, with the 6,178 reported yesterday representing a daily increase of 1,252 since Tuesday, the government is urging over 16s in England and Wales to download the official contact-tracing app. NHS Covid-19 instructs users to self-isolate for 14 days if it detects they were in close contact with someone who has the virus. It also has a check-in scanner to alert owners if a venue they have visited is found to be an outbreak hotspot. Health chiefs believe a change to calculations used by the app should help minimise the problem of "false positives", by taking into account when virus-carriers are at their most contagious. However, technology policy analyst Rachel Coldicutt argues: "Not only is the app late to launch, but it will be hindered by the delays in the testing system." Our Q&A has the details on how it works. | |
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| Brexit supporters may have waved flags, sung patriotic songs and cheered Nigel Farage in Parliament Square when the UK officially left the EU on 31 January. But we're still almost 100 days out from the start of Brexit proper, when the UK is due to emerge from a transition period that has kept the country abiding by most EU rules. Talks aimed at striking a trade deal to come into force on 1 January go on but, as global trade correspondent Dharshini David explains, large areas of disagreement remain. While the British Chambers of Commerce warns only just over half of UK companies that trade internationally have considered the impact of Brexit, we hear from business figures in north-east England. Some see an opportunity. But one, who fears he might have to move some of his business to Europe, tells us: "Covid has been a nightmare - all consuming. And now we've somehow got to find the extra time and resources to plan for Brexit... I know I should be doing something to get ready, but I don't know what that is." Confused? Here's our simple guide to the Brexit process And we sum up seven ways life will change, from extra holiday planning to the return of duty-free shopping Meanwhile, BBC Radio 4's Money Box explains why thousands of Brits living abroad will lose their UK bank accounts | |
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| | | | | Seven-year-old Johnny was about to lose it. Peter had to act fast to get his foster son out of the restaurant before a loud tantrum would erupt. As he carried Johnny to their car, the child wriggled moodily in his embrace, and was still agitated as Peter put him down to open the car door. A woman approached them, frowning. "Where is this boy's mother?" she asked. "I'm his father," Peter replied. The woman took a step back and stood in front of Peter's car. She looked down at his number plate and took out her phone. "Hello, police please," she said calmly down the phone. "Hey, there's a black man. I think he's kidnapping a little white kid." | |
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| | Megha Mohan | Gender and identity correspondent | |
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| | | | Several front pages focus on how Chancellor Rishi Sunak will continue support for businesses and workers, once the furlough scheme ends. The Daily Telegraph says a wage-subsidy scheme will top up the pay of employees who work at least half their normal hours. The "German-style" scheme, says the Times, aims to encourage companies to keep on workers in viable jobs, while ensuring others are not retained in "zombie posts". The Guardian says the measures come amid mounting pressure to act after the prime minister announced new coronavirus restrictions. Industry groups believe Boris Johnson's U-turn on his "back to work" message could significantly affect struggling high streets, says the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the Metro hones in on the anger of Pret A Manger founder Julian Metcalte, who accused the PM of "spouting Churchillian nonsense", while risking companies' futures by asking people to work from home again. | |
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| | | | | | | US election Trump won't commit to peaceful transfer of power |
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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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| | | 1975 Dougal Haston and Doug Scott become the first Britons to reach the summit of Mount Everest – watch our archive report on their expedition up the mountain's previously unclimbed south-west face. |
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