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Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is self-isolating after being identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid-19.She said she will be self-isolating pending a PCR test result.Under coronavirus rules, double-vaccinated adults and all children can avoid self-isolation if they are a close contact of someone with coronavirus so long as they are symptomless and provide a negative PCR test.The First Minister had her second dose of a coronavirus vaccine in June.On Sunday evening Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “I’ve had notification tonight that I’ve been identified as a close contact of someone who is positive for Covid.“Accordingly, and in line with the rules, I’ll be self-isolating pending a PCR test result.“My thanks to all the contact tracers working so hard in NHS Test & Protect.”Scotland has recorded another record number of new coronavirus cases, with 7,113 people testing positive for the first time, according to Scottish Government figures published on SundayThe number of patients in hospital with recently confirmed coronavirus infections has also risen for the ninth consecutive day, reaching 507, with 52 in intensive care.Earlier Ms Sturgeon urged people to follow health advice and take sensible precautions to keep themselves and others safe.She tweeted: “We are seeing a rising curve of cases in Scotland.“It’s reassuring that vaccines are preventing the levels of serious health harms that case numbers like this would once have caused.“However, we can’t be complacent and are monitoring carefully.“In meantime, please take care.” More

A network of food banks have warned they are bracing for “what looks set to be the busiest and most difficult winter on record”, with a “perfect storm” of impending policy changes expected to push even more people into poverty.While the coronavirus crisis was estimated to have forced tens of thousands of people to turn to food banks for the first time last year, the forecast from the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) – which represents more than 500 food banks in the UK – for the second winter of the pandemic appears bleaker still.The group’s co-ordinator, Sarah Goodwin, pointed to three “devastating” changes, all planned for October: the overnight loss of the £20 Universal Credit uplift; the end of the furlough scheme; and a “dramatic” increase in energy prices as the regulator Ofgem raises a cap on the most widely-used tariffs.“The scale of the disaster about to unfold cannot be overestimated,” Ms Goodwin wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Thursday.“Independent food banks have come to expect a busy August as the UK’s social security safety net continues to be eroded,” she added. “As parents try to find ways of scraping together the cost of new school uniforms and taking care of their children through the school summer holidays, money for food runs dry. “But this summer is different – there is a sense of foreboding among members of the Independent Food Aid Network.”Despite the work of campaigners, Ms Goodwin warned “matters are about to get much worse”. She added: “Food banks are trying to prepare as best they can for what looks set to be the busiest and most difficult winter on record.”Some 15 million households are expected to see their bills increase by at least £139 in October, in what has been reported as the largest hike in energy prices in a decade. Ofgem has blamed the increase of the cap – first introduced in January 2019 to tackle “rip-off” prices – on a 50 per cent spike in wholesale energy costs over the past six months. This rise occurred as inflation jumped amid the easing of pandemic restrictions.Speaking earlier this month, the regulator’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, admitted it was “extremely difficult news for many people”, but said: “Across the sector the profit margin is actually zero, so right now companies are making what it costs them to sell the energy they sell. What we can’t do as a regulator is ask them to sell the energy for less than it costs them to buy.”And with the furlough scheme set to end on 30 September, having helped fund 11 million people’s wages since the pandemic began, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research predicts the official unemployment rate will rise around half a percentage point after furlough ends – totalling 160,000 more people out of work.Meanwhile, campaigners and MPs have furiously opposed the government’s planned removal of the Universal Credit uplift, which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) warned on Thursday would hit more than one in three working-age families with children in nearly every constituency across the country.The charity described the move – confirmed by Boris Johnson last month – as the “biggest overnight cut in benefits since the Second World War”, which it said will have “deep and far-reaching consequences on families with children across Britain”.The chair of Kirkcaldy food bank, Joyce Leggate, was quoted in the BMJ as saying: “Very few of our clients are able to withstand any reduction in their benefit level, never mind this savage cut as winter is approaching and household bills will rise again. “As a food bank, we do not know if and how we will be able to provide the support that will inevitably be needed.”Citing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data which suggested that, between April 2019 and March 2020, some 43 per cent of households relying on the pre-pandemic rate of Universal Credit were food insecure, Ms Goodwin said the government’s own statistics “reveal that the £20 increase to Universal Credit payments was essential”.And demand for food banks has already been rising. According to the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank provider, it distributed 2.5 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021. This represented a 33 per cent increase on the previous year, and some 980,000 of these parcels went to children.Both the IFAN and JRF urged the government to abandon its plans to axe the uplift – a call supported by six former work and pensions secretaries and reportedly scores of Tory MPs. “It’s poverty that is at the heart of the ever-worsening food insecurity crisis and only bold actions that increase people’s incomes will make the difference that counts,” Ms Goodwin added.Katie Schmuecker, deputy director of policy and partnerships at the JRF, said: “Plunging low-income families into deeper poverty and debt, as well as sucking billions of pounds out of local economies, is no way to level up.“It’s not too late for the prime minister and chancellor to listen to the huge opposition to this damaging cut and change course.”But speaking on Thursday morning, Mr Johnson indicated the cut was still set to go ahead, saying: “My strong preference is for people to see their wages rise through their efforts rather than through taxation of other people put into their pay packets.”Citing a December 2020 report linking austerity to a post-pandemic health crisis, Ms Goodwin said: “The impact of the pandemic on pre-existing health inequalities is already widely recognised. The cut to Universal Credit will inevitably deepen health inequalities, yet further.” A DWP spokeperson said: “The temporary uplift to Universal Credit and furlough scheme are part of a £400bn support package which has helped families through the financial disruption of the toughest stages of the pandemic, and our £429.1m Covid Local Support Grant was introduced to support families with food costs.“We extended them beyond the easing of restrictions. Now, with record vacancies available alongside the successful vaccination rollout, it’s right that we focus on our Plan for Jobs, helping claimants to increase their earnings by boosting their skills and getting into work, progressing in work or increasing their hours, with Universal Credit providing a vital welfare safety net.” More

The government should ban on new intensive poultry farms in an effort to save rare animal species from being wiped out, experts say.Ministers must declare “peak poultry” within a year, phasing out industrial chicken from school and hospital menus, because the meat is damaging biodiversity and fuelling the climate crisis, it’s claimed.Chicken are reared on vast quantities of soya, grown in South America, where swathes of forests are cleared to produce feed for industrially farmed animals.Campaigners from the Soil Association say species being put at risk of extinction because their habitats are being lost include jaguar, northern tiger cats, giant anteaters, giant armadillos and three types of monkey.The damage has shot up because the UK’s consumption of poultry has risen significantly in recent years as consumers have switched away from red meat on health and environmental grounds.UK consumers eat nearly a billion chickens a year, reared in at least 1,000 intensive poultry units nationwide, an increase of more than 30 per cent in a decade, research has shown.The Soil Association is calling on the government to ensure UK consumption and production of poultry peaks within 12 months, then falls. The organisation’s chiefs want ministers to:Phase out industrial chicken meat from schools and hospitalsImmediately ban new intensive poultry unitsAnd support producers to switch to nature-friendly and higher-welfare production systemsThe government says it is introducing “world-leading” legislation banning products grown in illegally deforested areas and is forcing businesses to examine their supply chains.Rob Percival, Soil Association head of food policy, said: “We’re gobbling our way through some of the planet’s most precious ecosystems, sacrificing iconic wildlife for the sake of soya and an ultra-processed chicken nugget.“Just as the climate crisis demands we rapidly reach ‘peak oil’ and transition to renewable sources of energy, the nature crisis demands we reach ‘peak poultry’ and transition to more nature-friendly, sustainable farming systems.”An Ipsos Mori poll this month found six in 10 UK adults wanted a ban on imports linked to deforestation, and a Soil Association survey found strong support for a ban on industrial livestock units.Research from Greenpeace among others has repeatedly highlighted the destruction caused by soya production on rainforests, savannah and wetland ecosystems – vital wildlife habitats – in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Mr Percival called it devastating.

There simply isn’t enough land to go aroundRob PercivalDr Flavia Miranda, professor at the University of Santa Cruz-UESC and an IUCN-affiliated wildlife veterinary expert, said: “Soyabeans have been destroying our country due to the loss of critical wildlife habitats.“In just a few decades, nearly half of Brazil’s landscapes have been transformed into pastures and agricultural land, leaving only about 22 per cent of the biome.”The UK’s overseas “soya footprint” covers an area approaching the size of Wales, according to the Soil Association.Mr Percival added: “We need roughly a tennis court of soya per person to fulfil our demand for grain-fed meat.“With UK poultry consumption roughly double the global average, and demand for grain-fed meat rising globally, there simply isn’t enough land to go around. Our diets need to change.”Last year international scientists suggested introducing taxes on meat consumption and production to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises.And the UK Climate Change Committee called for a 20 per cent drop in meat and dairy consumption by 2030.If the UK is to be a credible host for the Cop26 climate talks, Mr Percival said, it was vital to “address our contribution to deforestation and wildlife loss abroad and get our industrial poultry problem under control”.A government spokesperson said: “The UK has a long and proud history of supporting action to combat deforestation and promote sustainable land use. Our new due diligence measure in the Environment Bill will clean up our supply chains by making it illegal for UK businesses to use key commodities produced on illegally deforested land. “This is just one piece of a much larger package of measures we are putting in place to tackle deforestation, and we are working internationally to tackle the drivers of deforestation and protect the world’s vital intact forests. “As part of our presidency of Cop26, we are building a global alliance of countries committed to working together to tackle this important issue, and this new dialogue will be instrumental in making this happen.” More

Black people were more likely to be subjected to prolonged Taser discharge compared with white people, according to a new review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).The watchdog also uncovered evidence that some officers made inappropriate comments, including derogatory remarks, during these incidents, in an analysis of 101 investigations involving Tasers between 2015 and 2020.Some 60 per cent of Black people involved in Taser discharges were subjected to continuous discharges of more than five seconds, compared with 29 per cent of White people; the longest length of continuous use was 67 seconds. Police risk “losing the trust and confidence of the communities they serve” if they do not address serious concerns over the use of Tasers, the IOPC further warned.Mr Michael Lockwood, Director General of the IOPC, said: “Tasers are available to more officers than ever before. Our engagement with communities has highlighted a stark difference between their expectations about when a Taser should be used, and the situations in which Taser can be used under current national guidance, particularly on those who are vulnerable. “Police forces must be able to explain this clearly or risk further eroding public confidence – it is a gap which must be closed,” he said.“In particular, people from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic backgrounds deserve a clear and transparent answer from police on why such disproportionality still exists – failure to address this risks undermining the legitimacy of policing. He added: “I welcome the research announced in December last year by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to understand and tackle the root causes of racial disproportionality in police use of Taser.” The IOPC also raised concerns about the increased use of Tasers on children and the mentally ill, and said there were several examples of “missed opportunities” for police to de-escalate the situation before drawing the weapon, which works by sending electric pulses through the body, causing temporary incapacitation.Mentally ill people who were Tasered were more likely to be Black and aged 25 years or younger while cases where mental health was a factor were much more likely to result in death or serious injury investigation.On one occasion, police Tasered a 14-year-old individual, of an ethnic minority background, who was known to have a learning disability after one officer said the individual “had an attitude from the off”, “looked like he wanted to fight”, and had “unbelievable strength”. Another case involved a Black 17-year-old, who was an in-patient at a mental health centre for young people. After approaching officers in distress and repeatedly stating that they had mental health concerns, the situation escalated and they were Tasered three times, struck with a baton over 20 times and subjected to incapacitant spray and restraint.The report comes amid ongoing concern over the disproportionate use of Tasers in cases involving Black people.The weapon also featured prominently in the recent court case of police officer Benjamin Monk, who was convicted of manslaughter when he kicked former footballer Dalian Atkinson in the head, following an “excessive” 33-second Taser deployment.This comes after the watchdog called for greater scrutiny of Tasers last May, warning that the weapons are being used disproportionately against Black men and mentally ill suspects.Black people were also seven times more likely to be involved in incidents involving Tasers than white people outside London, and five times more within London, Home Office figures show.Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST, welcomed the review but said the recommendations do not go far enough to create the systemic change needed. “Tasers are highly dangerous weapons which have resulted in serious injuries, harm, and deaths. They are increasingly used as a first not last resort; the disproportionate and inappropriate use of Taser against Black people, people with mental ill health, learning disabilities and Autism, and children underscores longstanding concerns about racism and discrimination in policing,” she said.“We don’t just need more scrutiny, community oversight, or training or guidance. We need the IOPC, police chiefs and oversight bodies to hold police officers to account when they abuse their powers and to confront the reality presented by this evidence.Alison Lowe, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners lead of equality, diversity and human rights, said: “Disproportionality in the use of Taser and other police powers has many complex causes, which we are committed to addressing through the APCC Race Disparity Working Group. “We can help all the communities we represent have greater confidence in the police by ensuring transparent and inclusive scrutiny processes are in place.According to Amnesty International, some 18 people in the UK have died after a Taser was discharged against them by police since the weapons were introduced 16 years ago. More

The UK government has been urged to implement a national day of remembrance for the abolition of slavery, in an effort to help “once and for all stamp out racism.” Monday is recognised globally as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, an initiative introduced by UNESCO in 1998. It recognises the millions who suffered as a result of the Transatlantic slave trade, highlighting the impact this has had on generations of Black people around the world.The day itself is geared at helping to advocate for an end to modern day slavery in its various iterations and Unite, one of the largest trade unions in the UK, has echoed this motion, and called for a UK-specific day of remembrance. “Unite calls on the government to support the organisation of an annual remembrance day and commit resources for education and raising awareness to mark this high profile event,” the union said in a written statement. “We recoil at the leftovers of slavery still evidenced in our society today (…) The legacy of the Slave Trade continues to manifest itself in different forms, through colonialism, apartheid, racism, poverty, economic and social deprivation, unfair trade agreements and huge debts owed to developing countries to the rich developed nations. The ongoing disgraceful treatment of the Windrush generation is a prime example of this shameful legacy.”Earlier this year, the Government-appointed Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) published a report which concluded that Britain is no longer a country where the “system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”.The findings were widely condemned by prominent figures across British politics, media, academia and by organisations including the United Nations.The commission’s chairman, Tony Sewell, was further accused of putting a “positive spin on slavery and empire” when explaining its recommendation on teaching history in schools when he wrote the following in the report’s foreword: “There is a new story about the Caribbean experience which speaks to the slave period not only being about profit and suffering but how culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain.” More

The unemployment rate for Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers has risen at three times the speed of the unemployment rate for white workers, new figures reveal.Fresh latest employment figures published by the Office for National Statistics have shown that over the last year the percentage of people from these communities who are out of work has risen from from 6.1 to 8 per cent, compared with 3.6 to 4 per cent among white people.Frances O’Grady, the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, said: “BME workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic. They’ve been more likely to be in low-paid, insecure work and have been put at greater risk from the virus. They’ve also been more likely to work in industries that have been hit hard by unemployment, like hospitality and retail.“As we emerge from the pandemic, we can’t allow these inequalities in our jobs market to continue. Ministers must take decisive action to hold down unemployment, create good new jobs and challenge the discrimination that holds BME workers back.“And our recovery is still fragile, with more than a million workers on furlough. Instead of pulling the rug out from under the feet of businesses and workers, the chancellor must extend the furlough scheme for as long as is needed to protect jobs and livelihoods – and work towards setting up a permanent short-time work scheme to deal with future crises.”ONS figures also published on Tuesday show the number of people on zero-hours contracts has fallen slightly from 1.08 million in April-June 2020 to 917,000 in April-June 2021. Ethnic minority women are twice as likely to be on these low-paid, insecure contracts than white men.To combat this disparity, the TUC is now calling on the government to extend furlough and ban zero-hours contracts.The number of UK workers on payrolls rose by 182,000 between June and July, although at 28.9 million it is still 201,000 lower than before the pandemic struck, while the overall rate of unemployment had dipped to 4.7 per cent for the three-month period to the end of June.Analysts had predicted that the unemployment rate would stay flat at 4.8 per cent for the quarter.The ONS also reported a further surge in job vacancies as firms seek to fill roles following the reopening of the economy, rising by more than 290,000 against the previous quarter.It added that, at 953,000, the number of vacancies was the highest estimated figure since records were started in 2001. Arts, leisure and food service firms particularly contributed to the surge in job openings, it added.This comes after research earlier this year revealed that young Black people have been the hardest hit by the rise in unemployment during the pandemic.The Resolution Foundation (RF) said before the pandemic, the unemployment rate among young people with a black background was 25 per cent, compared with 21 per cent for those from an Asian background, and 10 per cent for those from a white background.However, during the crisis that rose by more than a third to 35 per cent for young black people, as against 24 per cent for those with an Asian background and 13 per cent for those who are white. More

Environment secretary George Eustice said it is an “arduous but necessary endeavour” to cull animals which test positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB), as he defended the decision to put down Geronimo the alpaca.Helen Macdonald’s animal has been ordered for destruction after twice testing positive for the disease, but she has repeatedly questioned the tests used to condemn him.Mr Eustice said his own farming family had suffered the “soul destroying” slaughter of a cherished cow, Rose, due to bTB but he underlined the need to prevent the spread of the “insidious” disease.Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Eustice said: “There has been a great deal of focus on the case of Geronimo the alpaca this week.“However, each week on average, we have to remove more than 500 cattle from herds due to infection in England alone. Behind every one of those cases is a farmer who has suffered loss and tragedy.“Farmers understand that infected animals are a risk to the remainder of their herd, so while the loss of individual animals is always a tragedy, the farming communities have worked with our Government vets in this arduous but necessary endeavour.”Mr Eustice said he first looked at Geronimo’s case more than three years ago and has examined it several times since.“Geronimo tested positive twice using a test called the ‘Enferplex’ test. It is the test that was requested by the British Alpaca Society at the time.”The test is “over 99 percent accurate with a ‘false positive’ in only 0.34 percent of cases”, he said.While it is accurate, it is not very sensitive – so in around 30 percent of cases it will not detect an infection even if the animal has bTB.“Two consecutive positive test results is a very strong indicator of the presence of the disease,” he said.Geronimo had four skin tests before he was exported from New Zealand, all of which were negative. The animal then had two blood tests and a skin test in the UK which were all positive.Ms Macdonald, a vet and alpaca breeder, who has a farm in south Gloucestershire, has claimed the UK tests carried out on the New Zealand-born male alpaca were inaccurate.She told the PA news agency on Friday: “It’s a total load of lies, the testing has never been validated.”She said if Mr Eustice is “willing to kill a healthy animal in front of the whole world without testing him properly first, then it’s a sorry state of affairs”.“And it will be for the world to see. Because if he sends some poor person down here with a gun to shoot Geronimo then it will get filmed by the world’s media,” she added.PA More

The government has begun talks with the food industry over moves to ban foie gras in the UK. MPs told the government last month they were losing patience over its lack of action on outlawing imports of the controversial delicacy made from the fattened livers of geese and ducks that have been repeatedly force-fed.The cross-party group of MPs told environment secretary George Eustice and animal welfare minister Lord Goldsmith they were unhappy at not receiving a response after lobbying them earlier this year, warning: “The UK public is growing impatient, as are we.”The government has repeatedly hinted it will ban imports of foie gras, which is considered so cruel that it is illegal to produce in the UK, although an estimated 200 tonnes is imported from mainland Europe each year.In its animal-welfare action plan published in May, the government pledged to gather evidence to shape a decision on imports. It had long said that banning imports was impossible while Britain was in the EU.But now sources have confirmed to The Independent that the government is holding talks with interested parties, including leaders in the UK food industry and animal welfare organisations.In an open letter to the ministers, the MPs, including Conservative backbencher Henry Smith, called for an urgent meeting.“Following our letter dated 26th March 2021, we continue to await receipt of a) a roadmap and b) a proposed timeline confirming when a ban on the importation of foie gras produced by force-feeding will be implemented (covering all sales of foie gras in the UK),” the letter said.It noted that in June the European Parliament called on the European Commission to draw up plans to prohibit the “cruel and unnecessary” force-feeding of ducks and geese.The letter, seen by The Independent, added: “We call on the UK to make the most of this unique opportunity to lead the way; we urge you to put in place this landmark legislation for animals and, in turn, encourage the rest of the world to follow suit.The signatories complained they had received little information on the government’s next steps or when a ban was likely to be written into law.For the new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill to hold “significant meaning and weight in reality”, the letter warned, “the UK cannot continue to support torturous practices such as force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras – practices known to induce undeniable anguish and pain for the sentient animals involved.“There is, and always has been, strong public momentum behind this issue, with over 200,000 people backing a petition – led by animal-protection organisation Animal Equality UK – to abolish this cruel product from our shores.”As well as Mr Smith, Labour’s Hilary Benn, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas, SNP MP Lisa Cameron, Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse, Plaid Cymru’s Ben Lake and the DUP’s Jim Shannon all signed.Ms Lucas said: “We have no right to call ourselves a nation of animal lovers until foie gras is banned, once and for all.”The Animal Equality organisation, which has had several meetings with government officials to discuss issues including their call for a ban, says it is optimistic Mr Eustice and Lord Goldsmith will agree to discuss the next step.Executive director Abigail Penny said: “The science is clear: force-feeding is without a doubt absolutely agonising for the animals involved. “I invite cabinet ministers and government officials to a roundtable discussion with Animal Equality and the signatories of our open letter.”Lord Goldsmith, who is thought to support a ban, said: “There is no doubt that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force-feeding raises very serious welfare issues. The practice is rightly banned in the UK as it is incompatible with our own welfare standards.“As an independent nation, we now have the opportunity to go further, and through our action plan for animal welfare we have committed to looking into a ban on the import or sale of foie gras – and are building an evidence base to inform that decision.” More