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Main article: Prime Minister ‘deeply concerned’ by police tactics
Good morning to all. I am Martin Farrer and these are the best stories of today.
Boris Johnson has summoned Met Police Chief Cressida Dick to a meeting today to discuss the handling of the force of protests over the death of Sarah Everard after expressing “deep concern” over the horrific scenes in London on Saturday. Also present at the meeting of the government’s crime and justice task force will be Interior Secretary Priti Patel, who said she was “personally upset” by the images showing police immobilizing women on the ground in the protest in Clapham. Dick has faced resignation calls amid another protest Sunday in Westminster that police allowed to take place without any intervention. So far, the prime minister and Patel have indicated that Britain’s top police officer retained their confidence. Patsy Stevenson, the woman pictured on the ground by officers, said the police tactics were “disgraceful.” It comes as ministers face warnings from charities, unions and religious groups that a new law is being rushed to give the police more powers to crack down on protesters. In Australia, tens of thousands of people attended demonstrations across the country calling for an end to gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace.
Vaccine paused – The Netherlands joined Ireland and several other European nations in suspending the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for fear it could cause bleeding. The drug company said tests of 17 million people who received the vaccine found no evidence of blood clotting. With the slow roll out of vaccination chasing European efforts to contain a third wave of the virus, Italy recorded 27,000 cases yesterday and will enter another strict lockdown starting this morning. France registered 26,000 cases, but its prime minister said he would do “everything” to avoid a new blockade. Spain’s attempts to deal with the pandemic have accelerated a pilot plan to test a four-day work week. UK ministers have been harshly criticized for their handling and sharing of Covid-19 data in a report by a committee of parliamentarians. In Cheltenham, business owners are counting the cost of the absence of crowds at this year’s horse racing festival, which starts tomorrow. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma has performed an impromptu performance to mark the reception of his second dose of vaccination at a center near his home in Massachusetts. You can catch up on all the events overnight in the pandemic on our live blog.
Everard death – Police investigating Sarah Everard’s death cordoned off a section of a road in Sandwich in Kent last night. The marketing executive disappeared while walking to her apartment in Clapham, south London, almost two weeks ago. His body was found in Kent a week later.
‘Darkest moment’ – Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared marital law in parts of the larger city of Yangon after dozens of people died in one of the bloodiest days since the generals took power on February 1. The UK and the United Nations led the junta’s condemnation after at least 39 people were killed in the “gruesome” violence. A group of ousted deputies urged citizens to defend themselves during the nation’s “darkest moment”. Photographic evidence seen by The Guardian suggests that an activist, Zaw Myat Lynn, was tortured to death in custody after being dragged out of his home last week.
Bus boost – Boris Johnson will today unveil a £ 3 billion shakeup of England’s bus sector to increase frequency and lower fares, and to aid his government’s so-called “leveling off” strategy. The plan will also include more new bus lanes, daily price capped fares, more evening and weekend service, and all buses that accept contactless payments.
Merkel’s reverse – Angela Merkel has suffered further setbacks in regional elections as her center-right ruling coalition paid the price for the slow launch of vaccines in Germany and a corruption scandal over the mask purchase deals. With the country facing federal elections in six months, Merkel’s CDU party fell to record lows in polls in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate yesterday.
HIS big night – The women claimed a slew of awards at the 2021 Grammys in Los Angeles overnight, with ELLA taking home song of the year for Black Lives Matter’s anthem I Can’t Breathe and Taylor Swift becoming the first woman to win. album of the year three times. . Beyoncé became the most decorated singer (male or female) and female artist of all time after winning for her remix of Savage with Megan Thee Stallion, who also won best new artist. British star Dua Lipa won the award for best pop vocal album for Future Nostalgia. Here is a complete list of the winners.
Podcast Today in Focus
The Dutch cabinet resigned in disgrace earlier this year after admitting it falsely accused thousands of citizens of cheating the benefits system. Then a second strict lockdown sparked riots. Now Dutch voters are going to the polls, but are they in the mood for a change of government?
Today in focus
Dutch scandal, riots and elections
Lunchtime Reading: Tim Berners-Lee on www and Facebook
Tim Berners-Lee, father of the world wide web and one of the few people who has fundamentally changed the way most of us live, talks with John Harris about his early 30s, the rise of the toxic internet, and whether Facebook should be broken.
Sport
José Mourinho accused some of his players of “hiding” during Tottenham’s North London derby loss to Arsenal, pointing to a lack of intensity that led to Gareth Bale and Tanguy Nbombele being substituted early in the second half. . Manchester United was hardly an irresistible football buzz, but they did enough in a 1-0 win over West Ham to stay ahead of Leicester, who beat Sheffield United 5-0 on Sunday in the Blades opener. since Chris Wilder’s departure. Chelsea beat Bristol City 6-0 to retain the League Cup trophy, with a hat-trick by Sam Kerr and two goals by Fran Kirby. Eddie Jones believes Owen Farrell was able to rediscover his best form in England’s thrilling Six Nations victory over France due to a deliberate policy of staying away from the referee. Johnny Sexton scored a penalty between the posts with three minutes remaining to secure Ireland’s 27-24 victory against Scotland.
Rookie Ishan Kishan at 56 and captain Virat Kohli, unbeaten at 73, helped India secure a seven-wicket victory against England in the second T20 international match. Justin Thomas won the Players Championship by a shot from Lee Westwood, who finished second for the second week in a row. Funds in excess of £ 16 million will be made available for the return of grassroots football later this month through a joint initiative created by the Premier League, the Football Association and the government Football Foundation. Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that Red Bull represents a real threat to his hopes of breaking records for the eighth Formula One world title this season. And Drew Brees ended one of the most successful careers in NFL history with his retirement from the New Orleans Saints.
Deal
British carmakers tried in vain to persuade the government to delay the ban on gasoline and diesel cars on the grounds that the plan could hurt sales and put jobs at risk. In written submissions to the government obtained by The Guardian, manufacturers argued strongly against advancing the ban from 2040 to 2030. It appears that the FTSE100 will rise 0.6% at the open this morning, while the pound will buy you $ 1,394 and € 1,165.
The papers
Cressida Dick’s refusal to resign as Met Police Chief is the main guardian – “The head of Defiant Met refuses to resign and attacks the critics of the ‘armchair'”, as well as the Times: “Defiant Met boss fights for work after waking chaos.” the Telegraph has “The courtyard chief defends the repression of the vigil” while the Mail goes with “Shaming of the Met” in its splash about the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s vigil surveillance. the Mirror has “Pain and anger” and the I The headline reads “Streets Safer for Women: PM Acts as Police Chief and Faces Investigation.”
the Fast acknowledges that “the ‘British spirit’ is overtaking Covid”, but the Star He worries that people will block the reservation of pub tables before they reopen: “Cough before dinner.” the Scottish leads Covid easing – “Restaurants demand an early end of social distancing” – and the Herald says “Johnson fails to deny SNP Indyref2”. the FOOT Splash is about the stratospheric rise of fintech company Stripe, now Silicon Valley’s most valuable private company: “Stripe taps e-commerce growth wave to get a $ 95 billion valuation”
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