Covid live news: UK lockdown-ending date concerns continue; Australia and New Zealand leaders meet face-to-face

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8.49am BST08:49 Malaysia is planning to set up more mega vaccination centres and get private doctors to join immunisation efforts, after five consecutive days of record daily coronavirus infections, Reuters reports. Science minister Khairy Jamaluddin told a virtual news briefing on Sunday that the government will set up another five mega vaccination centres around the … Read more

UK Covid live news: Starmer says public inquiry needs to be fast-forwarded to examine Cummings’ claims

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Surveillance indicators suggest that at a national level Covid-19 activity increased slightly in [the week ending Sunday 23 May]. Case rates have increased or stayed level across all age groups. Case rates … were highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a case rate of 55.2 per 100,000 population. The lowest case rates continued … Read more

Dominic Cummings tells MPs it was ‘crazy’ that he and Boris Johnson had so much power during Covid pandemic – live

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Greg Clark is asking the questions now. Q: Did you engage in unauthorised briefings? Cummings says generally he did not engage with the media. He says that drove the media mad, because in the past people in his position had not done that. But he says he did speak to Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’s political … Read more

Covid live: Matt Hancock says ‘high degree of confidence’ vaccines work against Indian variant, but urges caution

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Good morning. Caroline Davies in London here. Welcome to the coronavirus liveblog. I will be steering you through developments over the next few hours. You can contact me on caroline.davies@theguardian.com. As England sees a significant easing of restrictions from Monday, UK prime minister Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to reconsider the relaxation of Covid … Read more

Coronavirus live news: India variant found in 44 countries – WHO; Taiwan faces new outbreak

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Another record rise in India deaths; samples show UK is most affected by B.1.617 strain outside India; Taiwan outbreak ‘could lead to tighter curbs’ Spike in India variant poses threat to UK reopening, scientists say Australia: fresh outbreak blamed on hotel quarantine leak Explainer: the deadly ‘black fungus’ seen in Covid patients in India See … Read more

Starmer’s reshuffle bid to demote Rayner described as ‘despicable act of cowardice’ – politics live

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have declared that eight new English freeports – announced in the Budget – will be a “transformational” benefit from Brexit. But officials disclosed on Sunday that recent post-Brexit trade agreements with 23 different countries included clauses that specifically prohibit manufacturers in freeport-type zones from benefiting from the … Read more

Covid live news: EU not renewing orders for AstraZeneca jabs after June; lockdown extended in New Delhi

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International aid has poured in for India, where record infection rates have overwhelmed hospitals, depleting medicines, oxygen tanks and other supplies. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways also airlifted 300 tonnes of aid free of charge from Doha to India. Emirates will provide free spare capacity to transport supplies from charities based in Dubai, divisional senior … Read more

Elections 2021: anger from Labour MPs after Angela Rayner sacked as chair – live

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The Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, has won a seat on the Highlands and Islands regional list. Ross will be joined by returning Tory MSPs Edward Mountain, Jamie Halcro Johnston and Donald Cameron. The Tories increased their share of MSPs on the list, taking a seat from the Labour party, with only Rhoda Grant returning … Read more

Coronavirus live news: two more Indian states go into lockdown; UK ‘could be protected from Covid by August’

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Germany’s anti-lockdown movement has co-opted the image of Sophie Scholl, the Germany resistance fighter who was born 100 years ago on Sunday, to the dismay of their opponents. Scholl, who was executed by the Nazis for distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets, is an emblem of courage and a national hero in Germany. She has, perhaps inevitably, been … Read more

Elections 2021: Conservatives win Hartlepool byelection, dealing blow to Labour – live

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There’s something in what you’re saying here but I don’t think it’s fair to pin this result on one individual. Paul [Williams] was a good, credible candidate … The problem runs far, far deeper than that. People don’t trust the Labour party. I’ve seen focus group holding where people were presented with a policy and … Read more