‘R’ number suggests increase in infections

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The “R” number that describes how fast new coronavirus infections are spreading in Britain may have slightly increased and could even be as high as 1, according to new official figures that suggest there is almost no room for further lifting of the lockdown. The latest estimates of the crucial...The “R” number that describes how fast new coronavirus infections are spreading in Britain may have slightly increased and could even be as high as 1, according to new official figures that suggest there is almost no room for further lifting of the lockdown. The latest estimates of the crucial...The “R” number that describes how fast new coronavirus infections are spreading in Britain may have slightly increased and...

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Less than 10% of contact-tracers hired

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Doubt has been cast over whether Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will hit his target of hiring enough people to trace the contacts of coronavirus sufferers next week, after a minister said today that less than 10 per cent of the workforce had been recruited. Downing Street has claimed it is “on course” to recruit the 18,000 people it...Doubt has been cast over whether Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will hit his target of hiring enough people to trace the contacts of coronavirus sufferers next week, after a minister said today that less than 10 per cent of the workforce had been recruited. Downing Street has claimed it is “on course” to recruit the 18,000 people it...Doubt has been cast over whether Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will hit his target of hiring enough people to trace the...

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Change tack or we won’t make a deal, Frost tells Barnier

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David Frost, the prime minister’s chief Brexit negotiator, has given the European Union a two-week ultimatum to change course in trade and fisheries talks and accused Michel Barnier of putting ideology before getting a deal. Post-Brexit talks have hit an impasse just six weeks before a legally binding deadline...David Frost, the prime minister’s chief Brexit negotiator, has given the European Union a...David Frost, the prime minister’s chief Brexit negotiator, has given the European Union a...

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Sun, sea and stun guns at the Hotel de Coren

Apart from food cannon serving meals and robot hornets punishing rulebreakers, it’s just a normal summer holiday

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Backlash over return of hostage who converted to Islam

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Silvia Costanza Romano was all smiles when she stepped off a plane in Rome and hugged her family after 18 months of captivity at the hands of an African Islamist terrorist group. Italy’s prime minister and foreign minister were on the runway to welcome the 25-year-old aid worker. Church bells rang at her home town in Milan as her release prompted celebrations in a...Silvia Costanza Romano was all smiles when she stepped off a plane in Rome and hugged her family...Silvia Costanza Romano was all smiles when she stepped off a plane in Rome and hugged her family...

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Cash crisis forces UN to cut Yemen aid

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The United Nations is to start closing most of its aid programmes in Yemen for lack of money just as coronavirus...The United Nations is to start closing most of its aid programmes in Yemen for lack of money just as coronavirus starts to spread unchecked through the country. Yemen is in the middle of two civil wars and already experiencing widespread hunger and disease, and has now also begun recording deaths from the virus on...The United Nations is to start closing most of its aid programmes in Yemen for lack of money just as coronavirus starts to...

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Invesco fund manager quits ‘by mutual agreement’

The beleaguered fund manager Mark Barnett has left Invesco in an abrupt departure that follows years of investment underperformance by the stockpicker. Invesco said that it had “mutually agreed” with Mr Barnett, who was a former protégé of the fallen fund manager Neil Woodford, that he should...The beleaguered fund manager Mark Barnett has left Invesco in an abrupt departure that follows years of investment underperformance by the stockpicker. Invesco said that it had “mutually agreed” with Mr Barnett, who was a former protégé of the fallen fund manager Neil Woodford, that he should...The beleaguered fund manager Mark Barnett has left Invesco in an abrupt departure that follows years of investment...

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Royal Mail chief steps down

Royal Mail has announced the immediate departure of its chief executive, Rico Back. Mr Back, who is German and lives in Switzerland, leaves the job after agreeing his departure with the board. He took over the role in June 2018 from Dame Moya Greene and received a £5.8 million “golden hello” to lure him from Royal Mail’s GLS parcels...Royal Mail has announced the immediate departure of its chief executive, Rico Back. Mr Back, who is German and lives in Switzerland, leaves the job after agreeing his departure with the board. He took over the role in June 2018 from Dame Moya Greene and received a £5.8 million “golden hello” to lure him from Royal Mail’s GLS parcels...Royal Mail has announced the immediate departure of its chief executive, Rico Back. Mr Back, who is German and lives in...

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Clock was ticking for Woodford protégé

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Was he pushed or did he jump? No matter, because the departure of Mark Barnett from Invesco seemed inevitable from the moment Neil Woodford’s empire collapsed last year. Mr Barnett was a protégé of Mr Woodford when the Invesco Income and High Income funds were the star performers in the asset management world. He...Was he pushed or did he jump? No matter, because the departure of Mark Barnett from Invesco...Was he pushed or did he jump? No matter, because the departure of Mark Barnett from Invesco...

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Britain is ripe for an employee ownership revolution to aid Covid recovery

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Lockdown has created an economic twilight zone, a half imagined existence where 7.5 million jobs are artificially...Lockdown has created an economic twilight zone, a half imagined existence where 7.5 million jobs...Lockdown has created an economic twilight zone, a half imagined existence where 7.5 million jobs...

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Man who bet big on disruptors lambasts Buffett’s risk aversion

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The investment philosophy espoused by Warren Buffett has been a disaster for pension savers, according to one of...The investment philosophy espoused by Warren Buffett has been a disaster for pension savers...The investment philosophy espoused by Warren Buffett has been a disaster for pension savers...

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‘Bundesliga is showing football the way out of lockdown’

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“All eyes are on the Bundesliga,” Ademola Lookman says with a smile. The RB Leipzig attacker is still in his kit, quarantining in his training-ground bedroom, preparing for the resumption of German football this weekend. The 22-year-old Londoner is straight from practice, flecks of sweat still on...“All eyes are on the Bundesliga,” Ademola Lookman says with a smile. The RB Leipzig attacker is still in his kit, quarantining in his training-ground bedroom, preparing for the resumption of German football this weekend. The 22-year-old Londoner is straight from practice, flecks of sweat still on...“All eyes are on the Bundesliga,” Ademola Lookman says with a smile. The RB Leipzig attacker is still in his kit, quarantining...

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Plan to show English Premier League matches on BBC for the first time

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The BBC would be given an unprecedented opportunity to broadcast some Premier League matches live under a plan to make many of the behind-closed-doors games free to air. The proposal for playing the remaining 92 matches of the season in empty grounds would mean all the games televised. Of these, 47 have already been allocated for TV...The BBC would be given an unprecedented opportunity to broadcast some Premier League matches live under a plan to make many of the behind-closed-doors games free to air. The proposal for playing the remaining 92 matches of the season in empty grounds would mean all the games televised. Of these, 47 have already been allocated for TV...The BBC would be given an unprecedented opportunity to broadcast some Premier League matches live under a plan to make many of...

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‘Gascoigne should have had two reds’ – rewatching the 1991 FA Cup final with a Premier League referee

It is one way to keep a Premier League referee sharp in lockdown although I did worry that watching, in its entirety, the 1991 FA Cup Final might frazzle the brain of Chris Kavanagh. Kavanagh, 34, tried really hard to justify the startlingly relaxed style of Roger Milford, the referee at Wembley for the game between...It is one way to keep a Premier League referee sharp in lockdown although I did worry that...It is one way to keep a Premier League referee sharp in lockdown although I did worry that...

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The days of superstar signings in English rugby could be numbered

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The transfer news that broke yesterday morning was that Malcolm Marx, the Springbok hooker, has cancelled his...The transfer news that broke yesterday morning was that Malcolm Marx, the Springbok hooker, has...The transfer news that broke yesterday morning was that Malcolm Marx, the Springbok hooker, has...

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McIlroy: I will never play golf with Trump again

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Rory McIlroy has said that he would not play another round of golf with Donald Trump after accusing the US President...Rory McIlroy has said that he would not play another round of golf with Donald Trump after...Rory McIlroy has said that he would not play another round of golf with Donald Trump after...

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James Beggs

Imposing military veteran who became head of Nasa during the Reagan space shuttle years that ended with the Challenger disaster

Her role as a galactic adventurer in Barbarella aside, Jane Fonda had few links to space travel. That changed when the space shuttle Challenger lifted off on June 18, 1983, with a crew including Sally Ride, who was to become the first American woman in space. Fonda was married at the time to Tom Hayden, a Democratic politician whose constituents in Santa Monica...Her role as a galactic adventurer in Barbarella aside, Jane Fonda had few links to space travel.Her role as a galactic adventurer in Barbarella aside, Jane Fonda had few links to space travel.

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Dr Judith Darmady

Dr Judith Darmady arrived at a seedy hotel in Uganda where the electricity supply was at best erratic. This was...Dr Judith Darmady arrived at a seedy hotel in Uganda where the electricity supply was at best erratic. This was potentially life-threatening because she suffered from sleep apnoea, which results in breathing stopping at night. She needed to power the machine that regulated her breathing as she slept. Not for the...Dr Judith Darmady arrived at a seedy hotel in Uganda where the electricity supply was at best erratic. This was potentially...

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‘I know we’re both single now’ — how it began for Marianne and Connell

Marianne and Connell, the stars of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, now the hit TV series, first appeared in At the Clinic, a short story published in 2016 in The White Review. We republish it here

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No intervals. One-act operas. Socially‑distanced divas — can a radical plan save the Royal Opera House?

As the Royal Opera House faces financial crisis, its bosses Alex Beard and Antonio Pappano tell Neil Fisher their radical plans for its emergence from lockdown

What next for the music industry after lockdown?

Musicians, festival organisers and record label bosses tell Will Hodgkinson how the pandemic has changed their lives

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The fear factor has to recede for the shows to get back on the road

A survey showed that persuading people to return to the theatres will take a huge leap of faith

Landlords’ coronavirus questions answered

We report on what the government’s updated guidance for property transactions means for landlords

Renters’ coronavirus questions answered

We report on what the government’s updated guidance for the property market means for tenants

Build an outdoor cinema in your back garden, plus the best films to watch

Set up a projector and screen, then settle down with a bowl of popcorn

Save & Splurge: our pick of the best serving trays

SAVE
Blue and white Hydrangea tray in birch veneer with a melamine finish, £33, above, emmabritton.net The...
SAVE
Blue and white Hydrangea tray in birch veneer with a melamine finish, £33, above...
SAVE
Blue and white Hydrangea tray in birch veneer with a melamine finish, £33, above...

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Create a lasting impression with a painting of your own home

When Sir Tom Jones was filmed for the One World: Together at Home concert, the image on the wall he turned to wasn’t...When Sir Tom Jones was filmed for the One World: Together at Home concert, the image on the wall...When Sir Tom Jones was filmed for the One World: Together at Home concert, the image on the wall...

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Care workers with Covid-19 ‘should finish shift’ if short of staff

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Care home workers who test positive for Covid-19 should finish their shift if there are staff shortages, Scotland’s health authority has said. The number of care homes that have at least one suspected case of the virus today increased by 48 to 488, the highest number that has been recorded in...Care home workers who test positive for Covid-19 should finish their shift if there are staff shortages, Scotland’s health authority has said. The number of care homes that have at least one suspected case of the virus today increased by 48 to 488, the highest number that has been recorded in...Care home workers who test positive for Covid-19 should finish their shift if there are staff shortages, Scotland’s health...

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Two thirds trust Sturgeon’s handling of outbreak

The majority of Scots have “markedly” less faith in UK ministers than in Nicola Sturgeon to stave off a second outbreak of coronavirus, a survey suggests. Sixty-two per cent believed Holyrood ministers were capable of preventing a second wave of Covid-19, while 37 per cent said they were confident in the UK government doing so. When...The majority of Scots have “markedly” less faith in UK ministers than in Nicola Sturgeon to stave off a second outbreak of coronavirus, a survey suggests. Sixty-two per cent believed Holyrood ministers were capable of preventing a second wave of Covid-19, while 37 per cent said they were confident in the UK government doing so. When...The majority of Scots have “markedly” less faith in UK ministers than in Nicola Sturgeon to stave off a second outbreak of...

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Half of Scotland’s homeless to be given permanent shelter

Half of Scotland’s long-term rough sleepers have been rehoused permanently, ending a cycle that some have endured for decades. One of Scotland’s biggest housing associations will provide tenancies for 100 homeless people being put up in hotels across Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Wheatley Group will also flip the...Half of Scotland’s long-term rough sleepers have been rehoused permanently, ending a cycle that...Half of Scotland’s long-term rough sleepers have been rehoused permanently, ending a cycle that...

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Clashes over virus response ‘inevitable’

Tension shows our commitment, says Holohan

The chief medical officer said it was inevitable that tensions would arise between bodies such as the HSE and the Department of Health and that if there were none it would be a sign that “we’re not pushing ourselves”. Tony Holohan said the response to Covid-19 is a “pressurised situation for all...The chief medical officer said it was inevitable that tensions would arise between bodies such as the HSE and the Department of Health and that if there were none it would be a sign that “we’re not pushing ourselves”. Tony Holohan said the response to Covid-19 is a “pressurised situation for all...The chief medical officer said it was inevitable that tensions would arise between bodies such as the HSE and the Department of...

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Scout leaders ‘protected child abusers for decades’

Senior figures in Scouting Ireland helped to cover up cases of child sex abuse and some had a “sexual interest in young people”, a damning review of the organisation has found. The body apologised yesterday, admitting that it had failed victims, many of whom had previously attempted to come forward. “Individuals who had a sexual interest in...Senior figures in Scouting Ireland helped to cover up cases of child sex abuse and some had a “sexual interest in young people”, a damning review of the organisation has found. The body apologised yesterday, admitting that it had failed victims, many of whom had previously attempted to come forward. “Individuals who had a sexual interest in...Senior figures in Scouting Ireland helped to cover up cases of child sex abuse and some had a “sexual interest in young people”...

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A damning verdict, but there is more to be found

Yesterday’s damning review into Scouting Ireland, and the organisation’s subsequent apology, will hopefully be some relief to the hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse. Not only did it confirm a legacy of abuse and cover-up spanning decades, it also found that victims had previously tried to come forward but had...Yesterday’s damning review into Scouting Ireland, and the organisation’s subsequent apology, will...Yesterday’s damning review into Scouting Ireland, and the organisation’s subsequent apology, will...

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