Top story: Hotspot advice ‘updated without announcement’
Hello and welcome to this Tuesday edition of the briefing, with me, Alison Rourke.
Ministers are being urged to clarify public health advice after all but essential travel was discouraged in eight areas in England where the variant first identified in India is believed to be spreading fastest. According to the guidance, which appears to have been updated on 21 May and is not law, journeys to and from Bedford, Blackburn and Darwen, Bolton, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow, and North Tyneside should be avoided “unless essential”. Exemptions include travel for work, where working from home is not possible, and education. There appears not to have been any official announcement and it’s understood local leaders and public health directors were unaware of it. “I’m just gobsmacked,” said Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East. “They’re making such an important announcement and they don’t even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents.”
NHS data obtained by the Guardian shows up to 8,700 patients died after catching the virus in English hospitals. You can read the story of two women who died from hospital-acquired Covid here and our health policy editor, Denis Campbell explains why the weaknesses in the system that led to the deaths remain.
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EU Belarus sanctions – The EU has imposed new sanctions on Belarus targeting individuals involved in the “hijacked” Ryanair flight. It came as opposition blogger Roman Protasevich was paraded on TV, apparently confessing to crimes against the state. European heads of state called on EU carriers to avoid Belarusian airspace and agreed “to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports” in a major blow to the country’s national airline. UK and European flights over the country’s airspace have already been suspended. Late on Monday, Joe Biden condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the operation to arrest Protasevich, calling it “a direct affront to international norms” and called for his release. He welcomed EU sanctions, adding that his team was assessing “appropriate options”.
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Civilian cost – More than 90% of those killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas worldwide over the past 10 years have been civilians, according to a study by Action on Armed Violence. The group’s executive director, Iain Overton, said when explosive weapons are used in towns and cities, civilians will be harmed, adding: it is as “true as it is today in Gaza as it was a decade ago in Iraq and beyond”.
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Donald Trump – A majority of Republicans still believe the former president won the 2020 US election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on baseless claims of illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The 17 to 19 May national poll found that 53% of Republicans believe Trump, was the “true president” now, compared with 3% of Democrats and 25% of all Americans. About a quarter of adults believe the vote was tainted by false allegations of illegal voting, including 56% of Republicans.
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‘A huge surprise’ – A giant river otter feared extinct in Argentina has been seen for the first time in the country since the 1980s, thrilling conservationists. “It was a huge surprise,” said Sebastián Di Martino, director of conservation at Fundación Rewilding Argentina. “I was incredulous. An incredible feeling of so much happiness.” On the Bermejo River, where it was sighted, none have been seen for more than a century. Its appearance has bolstered the argument that if wild, natural areas are protected, animals will return and life can thrive again.
Today in Focus podcast: Lives changed by George Floyd’s death
A year ago, the murder of George Floyd caused outrage in Minneapolis – and kicked off a protest movement that spread across the world. How do the young Black people at the heart of the story live with his legacy? Anushka Asthana speaks to Guardian contributor Amudalat Ajasa, who was still a student when she heard the news, about how the crisis has changed her sense of her city and why she felt compelled to document the movement as it took shape.
Lunchtime read: The secret deportations
During the second world war, Chinese merchant seamen helped keep Britain fed, fuelled and safe – and many gave their lives doing so. But from late 1945, hundreds of those who had settled in Liverpool suddenly disappeared. Now their children are piecing together the truth.
Sport
Tributes from across the motor racing world have been paid to Max Mosley, the former president of the FIA, Formula One’s governing body, who has died of cancer aged 81. Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s Olympic dream is still on track despite a serious achilles injury late last year and she remains capable of winning gold in Tokyo, according to fellow Team GB athlete Adam Gemili. Phil Mickelson’s US PGA Championship triumph at the age of 50 was made possible by dedication and belief, writes Ewan Murray, and there could be more high-profile victories to come.
Colombian Egan Bernal won stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia to strengthen his grip on the overall leader’s Maglia Rosa, as bad weather conditions forced the race from Sacile to Cortina d’Ampezzo to be shortened from 212km to 155km. Lewis Hamilton believes that every point will be vital in the Formula One title fight this season after a comprehensive defeat by Red Bull at the Monaco Grand Prix. Max Whitlock will lead the Great Britain men’s gymnastics team in Tokyo as he aims to become the fourth man in history to successfully defend an Olympic pommel horse title. And our football writers deliver their verdict on the Premier League season – the best players, greatest games and notable signings, plus those that didn’t work out, and what needs to change.
Business
The UK’s half-century legacy as a leading offshore oil and gas hub will be eclipsed by the North Sea’s fast-growing green energy industry within the next decade, according to new research. An academic study by the Robert Gordon University, based in the oil industry capital of Aberdeen in Scotland, has found that by 2030 most of the UK’s offshore energy jobs will be in the low carbon energy industry. The research found that the number of green jobs off the UK’s coastlines is likely to climb from 20% of the country’s offshore energy sector to 65% by the end of the decade in a “significant change for the offshore energy industry”.
The pound is buying €1.159 and $1.417.
The papers
The Guardian says “Britain and EU condemn Belarus over ‘hijacking’”, but saves its splash for “Revealed: 8,700 died after catching Covid in hospital”. The Telegraph says “Vaccination won’t mean an end to self-isolating” and also carries a smaller story on the detention of opposition blogger Roman Protasevich: “Moscow involved in Belarus plane arrest, says Raab”.
The Times gives prominence to “Don’t fly over Belarus after ‘hijacking’, UK airlines told”, but saves its splash for “Rural areas face threat of 400,000 new homes”, reporting that new planning targets will force councils to build on greenbelt sites. The Mail splashes with “Pandemic predators’ £52bn raid on UK firms”, including, it says, British firms worth £36bn being sold to private equity in a high-risk “pandemic plundering” spree.
The Mirror devotes its front page to Marcus Rashford’s push on child food poverty: “Marcus: don’t abandon hungry kids” is its headline. The Express leads with “Bold call! We’ll be on green list in two weeks”, reporting Spain’s tourist chief predicting the UK will ease travel rules, as Britons flocked back to Spain. The Sun splashes on “Little Mix Leigh-Anne robbed of £40k ring”. And the i’s front page is devoted to “the revenge of Dominic Cummings”, saying No 10 is braced for new claims about the PM’s handling of the pandemic.
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