Coronavirus news – live: Vaccine before Christmas ‘unlikely’ says Whitty, as Hancock makes preparing for winter ‘a priority’
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Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has warned that the chances of a “highly effective” vaccine being ready for distribution by Christmas are “very low”.
Giving evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee on Tuesday, Prof Whitty said although he was “cautiously optimistic” there would be a vaccine this side of Christmas, the chances of it being “actually highly effective is in my view very low.”
It comes as a Nobel Prize winning geneticist has warned the UK government risks sleepwalking into a “winter of discontent” unless clear governance structures are implemented for the remainder of the pandemic. Professor Sir Paul Nurse, a distinguished scientist and director of the Francis Crick Institute, criticised what he described as the government’s “pass the parcel” approach. Matt Hancock has since told MPs preparing for winter was a 'priority' for his department.
US officials square off on new coronavirus aid
US officials have headed into a day of negotiations on Capitol Hill aimed at hammering out an agreement on new coronavirus aid legislation as infections and deaths surged to record levels across the country.
The Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled House of Representatives have less than two weeks to agree on a legislative package before assistance runs out for tens of millions of Americans made jobless by the coronavirus pandemic.
But the two sides remained far apart over how much money to spend and which priorities to spend it on, as the United States led the world with more than 3.8 million coronavirus cases and over 140,900 deaths.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans would unveil a new coronavirus bill soon, adding that it would include $105 billion for schools; assistance for small businesses; direct payments to individuals and families; help for businesses to meet the cost of protecting employees and customers; money for vaccines, diagnostics and treatments; and liability protection for businesses, healthcare facilities, churches, charities and government agencies.
Democrats are proposing $175 billion to help elementary and secondary schools cope with the pandemic and have said they are determined to fight for provisions in a $3 trillion bill that passed the House in May and includes aid to state and local governments, extended unemployment insurance and protections for workers.
Ministers accused of ’sidestepping’ issue of low pay for social care workers
Ministers have been accused of “sidestepping” the issue of low pay for care workers while providing 900,000 professionals in the public sector an above inflation pay rise.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, announced on Tuesday hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in England will benefit from the one-off above-inflation pay rise, including teachers, doctors and police officers.
The measure includes armed forces, soldiers, dentists and senior civil servants, but not nurses and healthcare assistants, who are covered by the three-year pay deal agreed in 2018.
More below:
Zimbabwe to have night curfew enforced amid rising infections
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his government would impose a night-time curfew and tighten other measures to tackle rising coronavirus infections, adding that anyone who challenged the rules faced severe punishment.
Critics and the opposition said the new steps were linked to anti-government protests planned for next week.
On Monday police arrested an opposition official and a journalist, accusing them of inciting violence ahead of July 31 demonstrations by activists who say government corruption has exacerbated economic hardship.
"As of tomorrow, Wednesday, ... all our security services must enforce a dusk-to-dawn curfew set to come into force daily between 1800 hours and 0600 hours," Mr Mnangagwa said in a televised address to the nation.
Republicans remain deeply divided over how to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as party leaders enter negotiations on a fifth package of relief legislation this week, muddying the waters for bipartisan talks that also involve Democrats and senior Trump administration officials.
Several Senate Republicans emerged from their caucus lunch on Tuesday frustrated by the meeting, which exposed lingering concerns among deficit hawks over how much the federal government has already spent on the Covid-19 response and how much more it can afford to do.
"A lot of people were expressing serious concerns that we are spending too damn much money," Senator Ted Cruz told reporters.
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Attorney general claims tweet supporting Dominic Cummings was 'not a legal view'
The attorney general has denied that she offered a “legal view” by tweeting her support for Dominic Cummings while he was under police investigation during the height of lockdown.
Suella Braverman faced calls to resign after the prime minister’s chief adviser was found to have broken coronavirus laws with his trip to Barnard Castle.
While the investigation was ongoing on 23 May, she responded to a Downing Street statement saying “Mr Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally”.
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Trump calls on nation to wear masks
President Donald Trump, in a shift in rhetoric on facial coverings, encouraged Americans to wear a mask if they cannot maintain social distance from people around them in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In his first briefing focused on the pandemic in months, he told reporters at the White House that the virus will probably get worse before it gets better.
Mr Trump has been reluctant to wear a mask himself in public.
Jordan to begin reopening airports in bid to restart tourist sector
The Jordanian government says it will begin reopening airports to international travelers in August after sealing its borders in March to help halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Travelers from a list of approved, low-risk countries must pass a coronavirus test at least 72 hours before departure and will get a second test upon arrival in Jordan, Transportation Minister Khaled Saif says.
Jordan will require incoming tourists to download Aman, the government's contact-tracing mobile application, for the duration of their stay in the country.
Jordan is heavily reliant on tourism and shutting its borders in response to the pandemic has impacted the economy. But the measures have resulted in 1,218 confirmed cases and 11 deaths from COVID-19.
Trump - outbreak will get worse before it gets better
President Donald Trump has resumed the White House's coronavirus briefings, returning to the podium in the hopes that he can shore up support for his administration's work amid flagging poll numbers.
He used the televised event to say the administration is doing well with vaccine and therapeutic development.
He added the country had learned so much about the disease, and "my administration will stop at nothing to save lives and shield the vulnerable, which is so important."
Mr Trump also warned the virus outbreak "will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better - something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is."
Southern US sees legislative battle over coronavirus measures despite high infection rates
In the south of the US the governors of Texas, Florida and Georgia have pushed back hard against local leaders who want to impose tighter restrictions to control the runaway spread of the coronavirus in their areas.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott overruled a county that wants residents to stay home, saying existing measures on wearing masks and social distancing were enough to keep businesses open in the Rio Grande Valley on the border with Mexico.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp squared off against the mayor of his largest city to stop Atlanta from enforcing a mandate that people wear face coverings in public. A court hearing on a mask lawsuit filed by the governor against Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms personally was postponed on Tuesday after the judge recused herself at the last minute.
In Florida, a teachers union is suing Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials to halt his ordered full reopening of classrooms in a few weeks. The state has reported over 10,000 daily new coronavirus cases for six out of the last seven days.
What the EU recovery package and budget deal means for the future of Europe
After a gruelling long-weekend summit, EU leaders managed to strike a deal on the bloc's coronavirus recovery package and budget in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
It was one of the longest meetings ever held by the union, second only to the 2000 summit in Nice, which lasted 20 minutes longer.
The gathering of leaders was made even more notable by the fact it took place under social distancing rules.
Here is our Diplomatic Editor Jon Stone with what it means for the present and the furute of the union:
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