Coronavirus news UK: Sunak urged to consider four-day week to boost economy, as Spain says will not quarantine UK visitors
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Your support makes all the difference.The UK’s chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was urged to consider introducing a four-day working week to as a means of overhauling the British economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas are among the signatories of a letter sent to Mr Sunak and seen by The Independent arguing for reducing working hours to provide greater opportunities amid growing levels of unemployment, borrowing an idea from New Zealand’s popular prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
Spain has decided to accept UK travellers from Sunday without a retaliatory two-week quarantine, while Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, has said a review of the current two-metre social distancing rule will be finishing “shortly” after Boris Johnson told the public to “watch this space”.
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Greta Thunberg urges world to tackle climate change with same urgency as Covid-19
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has called on governments to treat the threat of climate change with the same urgency as coronavirus.
The 17-year-old said that, as a result of the pandemic, it feels like the world has passed "some kind of social tipping point".
She said she hopes coronavirus will open up the discussion about deaths caused by climate change, such as the thousands who die prematurely in London every year due to air pollution.
Additional reporting by Press Association
UK government urged to build 'air bridges'
Portugal’s ambassador to London has called for a swift “air bridge” deal to avoid people coming back from holiday having to self-isolate for two weeks, writes Simon Calder.
Manuel Lobo Antunes made the demand as pressure grows on the government to ease the UK’s blanket quarantine rules.
Anti-racism protests take place around UK
Anti-racism protests are happening in the UK for a fourth weekend in a row despite a ban on large gatherings due to coronavirus.
Demonstrations were taking place Saturday in cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Images show protesters wearing face masks holding signs and taking a knee.
Protesters take a knee as they gather for a Black Lives Matter demonstration in George Square in Glasgow on Saturday (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Additional reporting by Associated Press
UK sees 128 more coronavirus deaths
Health ministry figures show a total 42,589 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK as of Friday afternoon - up by 128 compared to the day before.
German slaughterhouse cases rise to more than 1,000
The number of workers infected in a coronavirus outbreak at a German slaughterhouse has risen from 803 to 1,029, a local official has said.
The regional government has issued a quarantine order for all 6,500 workers and managers at the Toennies firm's meat-processing facility in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck and for their family members.
Want to know more about coronavirus and meat plants? Take a look at our report here:
Court backlog soars to half a million cases
The backlog of court cases waiting to be heard in England and Wales has rocketed to more than half a million during the coronavirus pandemic, Lizzie Dearden reports.
Some trials are not expected to start until December 2021, amid warnings that victims may drop out of delayed prosecutions.
Rihanna and Twitter CEO join forces for charity
Rihanna and Jack Dorsey have teamed up to donate millions of dollars to mental health services amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sarah Young has the full story:
Russia's coronavirus death toll tops 8,000
More than 8,000 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Russia, according to the country's official death count.
The national coronavirus task force reported more 161 deaths on on Saturday, bringing the national total in the pandemic to 8,022.
Russia also recorded 7,889 new confirmed cases, marking the third consecutive day that the number of new cases dipped below 8,000.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Kyrgyzstan to tighten coronavirus restrictions
Kyrgyzstan will shut down public transport in the capital Bishkek and the routes between all of its provinces every weekend, the prime minister has said.
The move came as the number of new coronavirus cases in the Central Asian country rose by 192 and senior officials including the capital's mayor and a member of parliament tested positive.
"We must ensure the country's full readiness for a worsening of the epidemiological situation," PM Kubatbek Boronov said on Saturday. "We see daily growth in new Covid-19 cases."
Additional reporting by Reuters
Lockdown break ups
Mending a broken heart is tough at the best of times. In lockdown, it can be unbearable, writes Olivia Petter.
The traditional tonics – going out, spending time with friends, moving on with new people - are either impossible or illegal.
She asks people what it is like to go through a break up during the pandemic:
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