Top story: Speakers unleash ‘extreme fear porn’
Good morning, Warren Murray with the news tamed and corralled for your inspection.
Republicans in the US have opened their convention with dark warnings about the future of America. Monday night’s theme was officially the “land of promise” but the collection of speeches offered an almost apocalyptic vision, arguing that re-electing Donald Trump in November is the only way to save the country from falling into socialism, economic ruin, violence and anarchy. “They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite [street gang] MS-13 to live next door,” said congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida about the Democrats.
Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle warned in a loud, inflammatory speech: “The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools.” The dark tone was apparent to political observers – “[the] campaign said the convention would be about hope and light but so far most of the speeches are extreme fear porn”, said one veteran of Republican presidential campaigns.
Speaking earlier in the day after officially receiving the party’s nomination, Trump addressed delegates in Charlotte, North Carolina, and claimed without evidence that Democrats planned to use the coronavirus crisis to “steal” the election. Usually former presidents attend the nominating convention, but George W Bush, the only living former Republican president, is not attending or offering a taped video. All three former living Democratic presidents participated in last week’s Democratic national convention, and several Republicans lined up to endorse Biden.
Coronavirus latest – Boris Johnson must meet families whose relatives have been killed by coronavirus and fund research into the longer-term effects, known as “long Covid”, MPs have said. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on coronavirus has heard from more than 1,100 people and MPs say they have noted 18 recurring symptoms of what may be long Covid from more than 600 submissions including lasting breathing problems, purple toes, aching muscles and exhaustion. Lost to the virus, our series on coronavirus victim, today remembers Belly Mujinga, who died after allegedly being spat at on a train concourse. A suspect was released without charge – but regardless, a family is without a wife and mother.
Coverage of the global pandemic continues at our live blog. This morning we report on the situation in Spain, where there has been a surge in cases but businesses are warning of ruin if there is another lockdown and psychologists says people are still grappling with the mental health impact of the last one.
Coffee risk to unborn? Pregnant women should cut out coffee completely to help avoid miscarriage, low birth weight and stillbirth, according to a peer-reviewed study in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. It says that in contradiction to official guidance in the UK, US and Europe, there is no safe level of caffeine during pregnancy. It found “persuasive confirmation of increased risk … for at least five major negative pregnancy outcomes: miscarriage, stillbirth, lower birth weight and/or small for gestational age, childhood acute leukaemia, and childhood overweight and obesity”. Most pregnant women consume caffeine, which is also found in energy drinks and at lower levels in cola, chocolate and tea. The British Coffee Association, whose members include Costa and Caffè Nero, said the study did not establish cause and effect. The association argued pregnant women could stick to existing guidelines that allow two medium-strength cups a day.
Stop and search surge – Stop and searches in London rose by 40% during lockdown while a lower proportion led to arrests, figures show. Scotland Yard said the drop in crime at the height of the pandemic meant more officers had been able to go on the frontline and target drug dealers and violent gangs. But only one in five stops led to an arrest, fine or caution. The statistics have prompted renewed concerns that police are using the power indiscriminately. A Met spokeswoman said: “Stop and search results in drugs and dangerous weapons being taken off the streets as well as acting as a deterrent in itself, and officers will continue to use this tactic lawfully and ethically where there are grounds to carry out a search.”
Law would protect rainforest – The government has announced plans to prohibit larger businesses operating in the UK from using products grown on land that was deforested illegally. Businesses would also face fines if they fail to carry out due diligence on their supply chains by publishing information to show where key commodities – including rubber, soil and palm oil – come from and that they are produced in line with local laws protecting forests. Deforestation accounts for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Elena Polisano from Greenpeace UK says the proposals are “seriously flawed … some commodity producers may have one ‘sustainable’ line but continue to destroy forests elsewhere, which just shifts the problem into someone else’s backyard.”
African continent beats polio – Africa is expected to be declared free from wild polio after decades of work by international health bodies, national and local governments, community volunteers and survivors. Four years after the last recorded cases of wild polio in northern Nigeria, the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) is expected to certify that the continent is free of the paralysing and life-threatening virus. The achievement is the result of a campaign to vaccinate and monitor children in Borno State, the final front of polio eradication efforts on the continent, and the heart of the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria. “It’s been a momentous, massive undertaking, with amazing persistence and perseverance, coming in the face of moments when we thought we were just about there, then we’d have a reversal,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization regional director for Africa.
Today in Focus podcast: Revisited – Britain’s racism reckoning
UK Black Lives Matter protests have taken place across the country. They have not just been about solidarity with the US or racism in the UK today, but also about the need to address Britain’s past and the impact of that legacy.
Revisited – Britain's racism reckoning
Today in Focus is revisiting episodes examining race and racism after a summer of protests across the world in reaction to the killing of George Floyd.
Lunchtime read: The tyranny of chairs
“We design them,” writes design historian Galen Cranz, repurposing a famous line of Winston Churchill’s, “but once built, they shape us”. Cranz says there is “considerable evidence that all sitting is harmful”. Not all sitting, of course – for example, wheelchairs – and sitting itself is not the culprit; any unchanging, repetitive motion or posture fails to give the body the variation it needs.
But Cranz is one of many researchers who have been saying for decades that in sedentary societies chairs are a major cause of pain and disability. Sitting for hours and hours can weaken your back and core muscles, pinch the nerves of your rear end and constrain blood flow. Cranz notes correlations with “back pain of all sorts, fatigue, varicose veins, stress and problems with the diaphragm, circulation, digestion, elimination and general body development”. So is a better chair possible?
Sport
Chris Silverwood has urged England’s Test cricketers to sign off from their epic summer in the bubble with a final‑day victory against Pakistan that rewards their efforts and, in an ideal world, gets Jimmy Anderson past 600 wickets. The England wing Marland Yarde has said some of his Sale teammates have received death threats after choosing not to take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter. Andy Murray produced his biggest win since undergoing a second hip surgery, by recovering from 4-5 down in the final set against world No 7 Alexander Zverev to reach the third round of the Western & Southern Open.
The world’s fastest man Usain Bolt is in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 just days after a party for his 34th birthday, which was attended by England footballer Raheem Sterling and several other sports stars. Premier League clubs will be presented with a resolution to accept the standings as final if Covid-19 forces next season to a halt with at least 50% of fixtures played. Barcelona and Wolfsburg meet in the Women’s Champions League semi-final with Barça looking for revenge after losing 5-0 to the German side in 2014. And Harry Maguire is eager to be selected on Tuesday by Gareth Southgate in the England squad to face Iceland and Denmark early next month, because he believes he is in the right frame of mind to play despite the scandal that has built around his arrest and trial for “serial bodily harm” and “serial insult” in Greece.
Business
Asian shares have mostly been higher as investors hang on to hopes the coronavirus pandemic may come under control as treatments are developed. The Hang Seng edged down by 0.2%. The FTSE is predicted to open around 0.3% higher this morning while the pound is worth $1.310 and €1.109 at time of writing.
The papers
Our Guardian print edition leads today with “Systemic racism blamed for ‘lost generation’ of TV industry talent”. The historian and broadcaster David Olusoga says this has led to a preponderance of unrepresentative programmes that fail to reflect modern Britain.
The Telegraph has “BBC Proms row as it plays Rule, Britannia without the words” – Aunty says there will be no singers because of Covid-19 restrictions, though the BBC has been accused of doing it in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The Mail is strident, calling it a “Surrender!” and the Express has “BBC backs down in Last Night of Proms battle”, saying the PM stepped in to stop the song being axed altogether.
The Metro has the government’s generous Covid-19 offer of “A £120 fine if you keep kids home”. The i reports “Vaccine race raises fears over safety” while the Times splashes on “Defence chiefs face battle over plan to scrap tanks”. The Mirror has that “Shock health advice”, namely “Mums-to-be told: no tea or coffee”. And lastly the FT leads with “Tesco to create 16,000 jobs after pandemic drives shoppers online”.
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