Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 5 Jul 2020

1. Brits sink 15m pints as pubs reopen on ‘Super Saturday’

Britons drank 15million pints as pubs reopened after 104 days yesterday. Although the day largely ran in an orderly fashion, large crowds gathered in several areas, including London's Soho district, and there were cases of disorder in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire that forced bars to close early. The Sunday Mirror says revellers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, were seen strewn on the floor, vomiting and struggling to stay awake.

2. NHS says Rishi Sunak has broken his spending promise

NHS bosses say Rishi Sunak has broken his pledge to give the health service “whatever it needs” after he refused to provide a £10bn cash injection necessary to avoid the health service being crippled by a second wave of the coronavirus. The news puts more pressure on the chancellor to find more money for the NHS ahead of his summer statement on Wednesday.

3. Kanye West says he will run in the presidential election

The rap star Kanye West has declared his candidacy for US president. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West wrote on Twitter. “I am running for president of the United States.” It is not it clear whether the 43-year-old has filed any official paperwork to appear on state election ballots.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Was Covid-19's closest relative discovered in a mine?

The world’s “closest known relative” to the Covid-19 virus was found in 2013 by Chinese scientists in an abandoned mine, reports The Sunday Times. The virus found in its depths was part of a faecal sample that was frozen and sent to a Chinese laboratory for analysis and storage. Nearly seven years later it “erupted” as Covid-19.

5. Maxwell said Andrew's BBC interview was ‘the end’

Ghislaine Maxwell believed that Prince Andrew’s interview with Newsnight was “the end” for her. According to the Sunday Mirror, the socialite repeatedly warned Andrew not to speak to the media about their sex offender friend Jeffrey Epstein. Her friend Laura Goldman says Maxwell told her after his interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis it was “the beginning of the end.”

6. Trump boasts of US progress on Covid-19 as cases spike

Donald Trump has boasted of America’s “progress” against Covid-19, despite a nationwide spike in cases. The US president said China must be “held fully accountable” for the pandemic before praising “our nation's scientific brilliance”. In a combative turn, he also vowed to defeat the “radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters”.

7. Sport and film events can go ahead after quarantine reform

Major sporting events, as well as TV and film productions, will be allowed to go ahead this summer after quarantine rules were further loosened. Some sports teams and production crews will not have to quarantine upon arrival in England if they are essential to the event or production, say ministers. Formula One, international football, golf and snooker tournaments will be able to return.

8. Boris Johnson ready to u-turn on Huawei technology

Boris Johnson will begin phasing out the use of Huawei technology in Britain’s 5G network within months, claims the Sunday Telegraph. A report from GCHQ, due this week, is expected to conclude that new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risks impossible to control. The prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to order an about-turn as a result.

9. Police investigate shooting of man in broad daylight

Police are investigating the fatal shooting in broad daylight of a man yesterday. Officers and paramedics were called to Roman Way beside Pentonville prison in Islington at 3.20pm on Saturday, where a man was suffering from gunshot injuries. An eye-witness said: “I heard around seven shots, ran to the window, and a guy on a bike or moped rode off.”

10. Leicester clothing workers paid as little as £3:50 per hour

Workers in Leicester making clothes for the fashion giant Boohoo are being paid as little as £3.50 an hour, reveals The Sunday Times. An undercover reporter spent two days working in the factory where he was told to expect £3.50 an hour. The minimum wage in Britain is £8.72. The factory, which displayed the sign Jaswal Fashions, was operating last week during the local coronavirus lockdown.