UK Edition
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Russian hackers 'tried to steal UK's vaccine research'
Russia has been accused by the Government of trying to steal Britain's research into a Covid-19 vaccine in a state-sponsored cyber attack. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) told Boris Johnson it had the "highest level of confidence" the Kremlin was behind the "ongoing" attack, which was also verified by the US and Canada. Both Oxford University and Imperial College London, the two British teams trying to develop a vaccine, are understood to have been targeted. Security sources refused to say whether any attempts to steal information had been successful. The NCSC said the hack was part of an ongoing campaign of "malicious activity" that began in around February or March when coronavirus became a pandemic. Gordon Rayner has the details.
It comes as Russia is separately accused of having tried to influence the General Election in December last year, by amplifying the leaked US trade deal documents touted by Jeremy Corbyn during the campaign. "Extensive analysis" has led the Government to conclude that "it is almost certain" Russians tried to meddle in the 2019 vote, Dominic Raab has said in a written ministerial statement. Documents relating to the UK-US Free Trade Agreement were "illicitly acquired" before the election and disseminated online via the social media platform Reddit, the Foreign Secretary said. The Telegraph revealed such concerns back in December. Harry Yorke has the latest after Mr Raab updated the Commons.
Vallance hits back: 'The outcome has not been good'
The UK's coronavirus outcome "has not been good", the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser has told MPs. Sir Patrick Vallance, attending the Commons Science Committee, was asked his views on the UK's response to the pandemic - specifically how it is not "the most admired in the world". Sir Patrick said it would have been "preferable to have had much greater testing capacity earlier on" and also stressed that adequate "data systems" need to be in place so that authorities have the information they need to deal with emergencies like the pandemic. Our liveblog has his testimony. It comes as Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, told the Commons some of the lockdown restrictions in Leicester are being lifted, with the rest reviewed in a fortnight. He also revealed some coronavirus tests used by the NHS may be unsafe and have been halted.
British-built probe takes closest ever pictures of Sun
Strange mini-flares dubbed 'campfires' have been photographed on the Sun for the first time after a British-built spacecraft sent back the closest ever images of our star. The Solar Orbiter probe, a joint venture between The European Space Agency (ESA) and Nasa, launched in February on a two-year mission to learn more about the nuclear furnace at the heart of our solar system, and also the devastating space weather it produces which can wreak havoc on our communications systems. The first images released today were taken as the probe made a close pass of 47 million miles in mid-June and shows miniature solar flares, dubbed "campfires", near the surface of the Sun. Read on for details.
At a glance: Latest coronavirus headlines
- Pizza Express | Dozens of restaurants to close in virus fallout
- Quarantine plan | Scottish hotels lose bookings after Sturgeon's words
- Plastic visors | Claims they aren't safe and should be worn with masks
- Normal People podcast | Project fear is 'one truly effective policy'
- River cruises | Exemption secured from blanket travel ban
Also in the news: Today's other headlines
IS bride | Shamima Begum should be allowed to return to the UK to challenge the deprivation of her British citizenship, senior judges have ruled. Ms Begum - one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State group (IS) - travelled to Syria in February 2015 and lived under IS rule for more than three years before she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year. Read what today's ruling means.
- Johnny Depp | Picture shows injuries 'inflicted by Amber Heard'
- Twitter hack | Why disastrous breach could have been much worse
- Madeleine McCann | Suspect 'made the most of open borders'
- Huge fire | Ruptured crude oil pipeline sets off giant blaze - video
- Matterhorn climb | 11-year-old now youngest Briton to reach peak
Around the world: Ireland delays opening all pubs
Ireland has delayed the opening of the rest of its pubs after a significant rise in coronavirus infections among the young forced its government to delay the phase four of the easing of lockdown. Micheal Martin, the Taoiseach, announced the move after public health officials identified a rise in the re-infection rate from below 1 to between 1.2 and 1.8. Read how officials identified clusters of infection caused by large gatherings.
Thursday interview
'I've turned the Skype ringtone into a dance track'
Comedian Bill Bailey tells Tristram Fane Saunders about how he is hoping to make audiences laugh about lockdown
Comment and analysis
- Rosa Silverman | End of commuting isn't just about fear - life's better
- Tom Harris | Going back to work is another front in virus culture war
- Sherelle Jacobs | No 10's Orwellian approach to The Science is chilling
- John Longworth | Perhaps we should bin Boris' 'oven-ready' Brexit
- Shane Watson | Guests will judge on these nine bathroom objects
Editor's choice
- The future of meat | Plant-based, lab-grown and goodbye to the abattoir
- Former gym junkie | 'After 100 days 'gym free' I might never go back'
- Have a laugh | The 50 best jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe over the years
Business and money briefing
Jobs crisis | The scale of the unemployment challenge facing the UK is beginning to emerge after the number of employees plunged by 649,000 since lockdown began in the fastest slump on record, while pay has also begun to fall. Read on for details of the latest statistics, while these five charts show how the unemployment dam is about to break.
- Private island | How to buy one for the price of a London flat
- House deposit | Struggling to save? A 'pardner' scheme could help
- On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day
Sport briefing
Jofra Archer | Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been excluded from the second Test for breaching England's strict biosecure protocols by going to his house in Brighton without permission. Archer is understood to have travelled to his house on Monday when the players were given strict instructions to drive direct from Southampton, the venue for the first Test, to Manchester. Nick Hoult outlines how the incident shows Archer must understand what is expected of him, as much as England must learn how to handle this unique talent. For the latest from the first day of the second Test, where England are battling, follow our liveblog.
- Liverpool's post-title comedown | Why teams always struggle
- Transfer window | Which Premier League clubs plan to spend big
- Rugby union | Owen Farrell commits to playing in Championship
Tonight's TV
Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed?, ITV, 8pm | In 1999, the Macpherson Report stated that the police response to the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence was "institutionally racist". Twenty years later, how much has really changed? Read more.
And finally... for this evening's downtime
Too brutal, too fascistic, too British | The Sylvester Stallone adaptation of Judge Dredd, now 25 years old, was a box-office bomb, while Karl Urban’s reboot was underwhelming too. Will Hollywood ever get Judge Dredd right - and why is it so hard?