Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty at the announcement of the government’s new three tier lockdown system
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Boris Johnson this week unveiled a new “three tier” system aimed at simplifying localised lockdowns restrictions, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the UK.
The previously leaked measures have met with fierce resistance in the North of England, with local leaders accusing the government of failing to provide adequate information or financial support.
But calls are growing for a circuit breaker lockdown following the publication of documents which show that the prime minister ignored advice from the government’s scientists to implement an immediate shutdown in early September. Johnson is now under pressure to order a two-week England-wide shutdown to coincide with the upcoming half-term break.
The PM is also busy trying to broker a trade deal with the EU. His self-imposed deadline for reaching an agreement by Thursday has come and gone, with disputes over state aide and fishing rights continuing to be stumbling blocks at this week’s crunch summit in Brussels.
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On the other side of the Brexit aisle, officials in Brussels warned the UK against trying to divide the block ahead of the talks, accusing the government of trying to “bilateralize” the negotiations.
In the US, with less than three weeks until the presidential election, Joe Biden has bucked a trend set by previous Democratic candidates by investing $6m (£4.6m) in an advertising blitz in Texas, a traditionally red state that was considered a lost cause by his predecessors.
Meanwhile, on the global stage, rights groups are furious after a string of nations with long histories of human rights violations, most notably Russia and China, won seats on the UN Human Rights Council.