The Guardian

Pressure grows on ministers over England A-level results 'mess' (Tue, 11 Aug 2020)
39% of teacher predictions may be downgraded and poorer pupils hit hardest Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Ministers are under immense pressure over the botched handling of English A-level results after Scotland announced a dramatic U-turn and major research showed that high-achieving pupils from poorer backgrounds are likely to be hardest hit. The universities minister was writing urgently to vice-chancellors, asking them to be lenient with their offers and keep places open for pupils pursuing appeals amid fears that this year’s results will not truly reflect pupils’ abilities. Continue reading...
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Trump escorted from briefing by Secret Service after shooting outside White House – live (Tue, 11 Aug 2020)
President abruptly departs briefing after just minutes Mnuchin: ‘If we can get a fair deal, we’ll do it this week’ New data shows huge uptick in infections of children US passes 5m Covid-19 cases Street fridges of free food help Americans survive pandemic US PPE shortage could last years, experts warn Sign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.54am BST Trump is reportedly considering new immigration restrictions that would allow the US to temporarily block American citizens or legal permanent residents from returning to the US if authorities believe the individual could have coronavirus, according to the New York Times. The president’s previous Covid travel restrictions have exempted American and legal permanent residents. A draft of the proposal reviewed by the newspaper says that that the government could block a citizen or legal resident from crossing the border if an official “reasonably believes that the individual either may have been exposed to or is infected with the communicable disease”. It’s unclear how long the ban could extend. Barring American citizens from the United States is unconstitutional. The Trump administration has rolled out one border ban after another — most recently on children and asylum seekers — using Covid-19 as an excuse, while failing abysmally to get the virus under control in the United States. The rumored order would be another grave error in a year that has already seen far too many.” 12.41am BST We were less than three minutes in with the president holding court on one of his favourite subjects – mail-in voting – when pandemonium broke out. A Secret Service agent – grey suit, shaved head, earpiece with squiggly wire – leaned in and spoke quietly to Donald Trump, asking to step outside. “Excuse me?” asked the president. Surprised, he turned, stopped, looked askance for a moment, then followed the agent out of the White House briefing room at a leisurely pace. Continue reading...
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Belarus opposition candidate rejects election result after night of protests (Mon, 10 Aug 2020)
‘I will believe my own eyes,’ says Svetlana Tikhanovskaya after commission says Alexander Lukashenko won landslide Share your reaction on the Belarus election result At least one person has been killed and dozens injured in clashes between riot police and protesters in Belarus in the second night of protests against Alexander Lukashenko after the president claimed victory in elections amid accusations of vote-rigging. The fighting late on Monday appeared to escalate as police once again employed rubber bullets and stun grenades against demonstrators, while some shot back with fireworks and several Molotov cocktails, according to a Guardian reporter who estimated the crowd at several thousand people. Continue reading...
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