Coronavirus - 5th September

Summary for Saturday, 5th September


Newspapers delayed as Extinction Rebellion blocks printing presses

Protesters gathered outside the sites - including Broxbourne in Hertfordshire - owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation

Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists have delayed the distribution of several national newspapers after blocking access to three printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch.

More than 100 protesters targeted Newsprinters presses at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, Knowsley in Merseyside, and near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Newsagents said some of the papers - which XR accuse of failing to report on climate change - have arrived late.

Seventy-two people have been arrested.

XR used vehicles along with individual protesters chaining themselves to structures to block roads to the presses
The Sun tweeted saying copies of the paper would be delayed arriving at newsagents, adding the blockade was an "attack on all the free press".

:tweet:  The Sun:  :Left Quotes:
 

The presses print the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp titles including the Sun, the Times, the Sun on Sunday, the Sunday Times, and the Scottish Sun. They also print the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard.

XR used vehicles along with individual protesters chaining themselves to structures to block roads to the presses.

Vans were covered with banners including "Free the truth" and "Refugees are welcome here".

Some protesters chained themselves to bamboo structures to block the road outside the building in Hertfordshire

Newsprinters also condemned the protests as an "attack on all of the free press", which it said had affected workers going about their jobs and others such as newsagents who faced "financial penalty".

"Thanks to other industry partners, printing was transferred to other sites," it said.

Hertfordshire Police said officers were called to Great Eastern Road near the Broxbourne plant at about 22:00 BST, where they found about 100 protesters who had "secured themselves to structures and one another".

And Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted the overnight action by XR was an "attack on democracy".

:tweet:  Priti Patel:
:Left Quotes:  This morning people across the country will be prevented from reading their newspaper because of the actions of Extinction Rebellion.

This attack on our free press, society and democracy is completely unacceptable.

:tweet:  The Times:
:Left Quotes:  We apologise to readers who may be unable to buy their usual newspaper this morning.

Overnight printing of The Times was disrupted by Extinction Rebellion - alongside other newspapers.

We are working to get newspapers delivered to retailers as soon as possible.

By 06:00 BST, 13 arrests had been made with police expecting more to follow, but delivery lorries had still been unable to leave the site to distribute papers.

Officers in Hertfordshire said by about 09:30 42 people had been arrested.

Merseyside Police tweeted on Saturday morning officers were still at the Knowsley plant.

Officers said the site had been cleared of protesters by about 10:30 and 30 people had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.

Protesters at the Knowsley site had been cleared by about 10:30 BST

Police Scotland said in a statement the protest at the Eurocentral plant near Motherwell "was peaceful and there were no issues".

XR has accused the newspapers and their owners of "failure to report on the climate and ecological emergency" and "polluting national debate" on dozens of social issues.

The Federation of Independent Retailers condemned the demonstrations, saying members left without supplies of papers were having "to deal with angry customers who are unable to get their daily newspaper".

National president Stuart Reddish said it also meant retailers were unable to get papers to elderly and vulnerable customers.

"Newsagents have played a critical role during Covid-19 in getting newspapers into the hands of readers and this is not helpful at a time when every sale counts," he added.

Extinction Rebellion accused some of the papers of failing to report on climate change

Extinction Rebellion has planned 10 days of action and demanded the government declare a climate and ecological emergency.

On Thursday, more than 300 people were arrested during protests in central London.

Meanwhile, climate change protesters have been warned they risk large fines if they fail to comply with coronavirus rules banning gatherings of more than 30 people.

A procession of activists that set off walking from Brighton a week ago is due to march the final stretch to Parliament later.

The Met Police said risk assessments of the march in Westminster "did not meet the required standard" and have banned XR from taking a 20ft model boat named after teenage activist Greta Thunberg to the streets of Westminster.

Source

Tracking the global outbreak
By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News
Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 26 million confirmed cases in 188 countries. More than 870,000 people have lost their lives.
Cases of the disease are continuing to surge in many countries. Some that had apparent success in suppressing initial outbreaks have seen infections rise again.
However, the number of confirmed cases during the spring peak is likely to be an underestimate of the true level of infection, as widespread testing was not available in many countries earlier in the year.

Where are cases and deaths rising?

Latin America and Asia are the continents that currently have the highest number of daily confirmed cases.


In Latin America, Brazil has recorded the highest number of deaths, with more than 125,000 so far - that's the second highest number of cases in the world, after the US.
Newly confirmed cases in the region are also rising in Argentina.
In Asia, India saw cases increase by almost two million in August, the highest single-month rise reported anywhere in the world during the pandemic.
The country's death toll, at more than 69,000, is the world's third highest.




In the Middle East, Iran has been badly affected by the virus and documents leaked to the BBC Persian service suggest the death toll there is more than double the official total, which currently stands at more than 22,000. Neighbouring Iraq has also seen a spike in cases.
Cases are also continuing to rise in Indonesia and the country has recorded almost 8,000 deaths - the highest number in South East Asia.
Africa has recorded more than a million confirmed cases, although the true extent of the pandemic in the continent is not known. Testing rates are reported to be low, which could distort official estimates.
South Africa and Egypt have seen the largest recorded outbreaks so far, with South Africa one of only eight countries in the world to record more than 600,000 confirmed cases.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned: "No country can just pretend the pandemic is over."

Coronavirus cases rising again in Europe

France and Spain have recorded their highest numbers of daily cases since the spring recently, and the WHO has warned of a possible resurgence of the disease in Europe in October and November.
Hans Kluge, the director general of the WHO's Europe office, has likened Covid-19 to a "tornado with a long tail" and warned that rising cases among young people could spread the disease to more vulnerable older people.


A number of countries have re-imposed local lockdowns in their worst-affected regions, and there have been renewed appeals for people to wear face coverings and follow social distancing rules.


The pattern of rising infections following the end of lockdown restrictions is not limited to Europe.
Other countries that have seen a resurgence of the virus include Peru, Israel, South Korea and Australia.


Read more here

Dominic Cummings row doctor gives book royalties to charity
Thomas Mackintosh BBC News, London

Dominic Cummings drove 260 miles to County Durham with his wife and child during the lockdown

A doctor who quit in protest at Dominic Cummings' controversial trip to Durham said all royalties from a book he wrote about his Covid-19 experiences will go to charity to support NHS workers.

Dr Dominic Pimenta said royalties from his book Duty of Care will go to a charity to support NHS workers

Read more here

Coronavirus: Arrests at Australia anti-lockdown protests

About 300 people marched through the city

Australian police have made dozens of arrests amid anti-lockdown protests attended by hundreds nationwide.
In Melbourne, the centre of Australia's outbreak, about 300 people marched in defiance of tough measures that have been in place for a month.
Smaller protests took place in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Read more

Hove pupils self-isolating as teacher tests positive

The secondary school is one of the largest in the south-east of England

Two classes at a school are self-isolating after two days of term because a teacher has coronavirus.
The member of staff at Cardinal Newman school in Hove was contacted by track and trace on Thursday and told they had tested positive.
Principal Claire Jarman alerted parents on Friday and 45 pupils in two Year 7 classes were affected by the news.
Chairman of governors Geri Silverstone said the school was doing all it could to keep pupils and staff safe.
Four year groups returned to school last week, with the whole cohort due back on Monday.
Ms Jarman wrote to parents: "We fully appreciate this is not the start to the new term any of us would have wished for."
Five members of the learning support team are also self-isolating.
Read more

Coronavirus cases in Wales: How many people have died?
One person has died with coronavirus, according to a daily update from Public Health Wales (PHW).
And there have been 77 new cases, meaning 18,283 people have now tested positive.
The total number of people who have died with Covid-19 is 1,597.
Fifteen people have tested positive in Rhondda Cynon Taff, 14 in Caerphilly, nine in Swansea and eight in Cardiff in the last day.
No new cases were reported in six out of 22 council areas covering Anglesey, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, and Vale of Glamorgan.

'Critical moment' as students return to university
A leading epidemiologist has warned the country is at a "critical moment" in the coronavirus pandemic, as students prepare to return to universities.
Dame Anne Johnson, of University College London, told the BBC data showed the highest number of detected infections was in young people.
It comes after government scientific advisors said "significant outbreaks" linked to universities were likely.
Universities have said steps are being taken to minimise risks on campuses.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dame Anne, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at UCL, said: "We are now seeing the highest number of infections or at least detected infections in younger people aged 20 to 29 and also going up to 45-year-olds."
She added that the data was "not surprising", as young people, she said, were more likely to have socialised with friends and family after lockdown restrictions were eased.
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Confusion over Scotland football match as Czechs cancel game but UEFA insists it's on
The Scotland football team will play their Nations League match on Monday, UEFA has insisted - after the Czech Republic said the game was off without telling the opposition.
The Czech football association announced on Friday that the fixture had been cancelled due to the "current situation with the COVID-19".
The Scottish FA was taken by surprise by the announcement, saying it had "not received any official notification" that the match was off.
It came after two Czech footballers were told to self-isolate following contact with a backroom staff member who tested positive for coronavirus.
A spokesman for UEFA, European football's governing body, insisted on Saturday that the game will be played.
"The match is going ahead as scheduled," he said.
The Scotland squad, led by manager Steve Clarke, were due to travel to the Czech city of Olomouc on Sunday.
Read more