Plus, can you work from home overseas?
| Face coverings U-turn for England schools |
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| | | There's been increasing pressure on the government to clarify its advice that teachers and pupils should not wear masks in England's secondary schools. Now, as many students prepare to return to their desks next week, it has reversed its guidance for parts of the country. The new advice is that face coverings will be compulsory in communal areas, like corridors, in schools in places with local lockdown measures, such as Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. For other parts of England not in lockdown, the Department of Education is keeping its recommendation against face coverings in schools - but now says that head teachers will have the "flexibility" to introduce masks for staff and pupils if they want to. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says the new guidance follows updated advice from the World Health Organization. BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake says how this new policy is received by parents, teachers and students and whether it evolves will be crucial if the government is to achieve its aim of getting all children back to school in September. What's happening in the rest of the UK? Scotland earlier this week brought in advice for secondary school pupils to wear masks in corridors or shared areas from next week, and Northern Ireland then followed. In Wales, a decision on updating the guidance is due later. Find out more about the rules around face coverings here. | |
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| Melania Trump's plea for racial harmony |
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The normally limelight-shunning Melania Trump has taken centre stage to urge Americans to stop making assumptions based on race and to think critically about US history. The US first lady made the heartfelt speech to the Republican Party's convention live from the White House. "I also ask people to stop the violence and looting being done in the name of justice, and never make assumptions based on the colour of a person's skin," she said as protests continue over the police shooting of a black man in Wisconsin. Before Mrs Trump, perhaps reluctantly, spoke, two of Donald Trump's children also gave convention speeches. Eric Trump railed against "radical Democrats" - a theme of the convention so far - while Tiffany Trump accused the media of manipulating Americans. Find out what other young Republicans think of the US president, with less than two months left until poll day. | |
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| No plans for a return to office for millions |
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Working from home may be here to stay for many. Fifty of the biggest UK employers, ranging from banks to retailers, have told the BBC they have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future, while almost half of the firms said they had no plans to return workers to the office at all. We've also looked into how easy it is to work from home while you're overseas. | |
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| | | | | When Nathaneal's employer told him in March he'd be getting a 20% pay cut he took it on the chin. The 35-year-old software tester from York has a family to support and is still paying off loans and credit cards he took out when he returned to university as a mature student. He could not afford any loss of earnings. But it could have been a lot worse. Up until then the firm had been discussing a 40% pay cut for staff, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept around the globe. "I was more relieved that the company wanted to keep us on and make sure there were jobs to come back to," he says. "Usually I'm all over my workers' rights, but I think I bypassed that a bit because it seemed like the company wanted to do the right thing by everyone." | |
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| | Mary-Ann Russon & Lucy Hooker | BBC Business | |
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| | | | The government's decision to change its guidance on face coverings in England's schools features on many of the front pages. The i says the government has performed "yet another U-turn on education", while the Guardian says the PM "bowed to pressure" from head teachers. Ministers are exploring whether the government can pay for the cost of masks in schools where they're mandatory, according to the Times. Many of the papers also carry the story of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire's conviction and suspended jail sentence following a brawl in Greece. The Metro goes with the provocative headline "Man U are so guilty Harry". The Mirror says the footballer will be appealing, having claimed: "If anything, myself, family and friends are the victims." | |
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| | | Aberdeen bars and restaurants reopen as lockdown is lifted |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you watch 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’re wishing you could travel but can’t, take a look at this way to virtually escape without leaving your home. The WindowSwap project involves people around the world sharing videos of what’s outside their windows. And as the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme nears its end, customers tell us how they have made the most of it, saving more than £200 on eating out this month. But others, like some restaurant staff, are glad it’s finishing. | |
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| | | 1962: American Sherri Finkbine heads home amid a storm of controversy after having a legal abortion in Sweden. She had been denied an abortion in her home state of Arizona. |
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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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