7:40 am, November 8, 2020
- Here are the headlines for Sunday, November 8
Biden pledges to unify, not divide
Joe Biden has pledged to be a president ‘who seeks not to divide, but to unify’ in his maiden address as president-elect of the United States.
He beat Donald Trump after securing more than 270 of the electoral college votes needed to become the 46th president. His running mate Kamala Harris, meanwhile, will become the USA’s first female vice-president.
Congratulating Biden and Harris on their victory, Boris Johnson, who was a Trump ally, said he looked forward to ‘working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security’.
U-turn over free school meals
England footballer Marcus Rashford and child poverty campaigners are celebrating after the government made a U-turn over providing free meals to disadvantaged children during the Christmas holidays.
The prime minister phoned the Manchester United star after he played in his team’s Premier League clash against Everton yesterday (Nov 7) to alert him to the decision to lay on £170m of extra funding for the measure.
The money will pay for the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support families over the season, while the Holiday Activities and Food programme will be extended to cover the Easter, summer and Christmas breaks in 2021.
Scaled-back Remembrance Sunday
People across the UK will be privately paying their respects today (Nov 8) as they mark Remembrance Sunday at home this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The annual service at the Cenotaph in London will go ahead, with the ceremony being held outdoors and invited guests required to observe social distancing.
Although the public are unable to attend, the event will be broadcast live, with people encouraged to take part in the two-minute silence at home.
World War Three a risk because of pandemic, says UK defence chief
The economic fallout during the coronavirus pandemic has made the prospect of World War Three ‘a risk’, the UK’s most senior military commander has said.
General Sir Nick Carter, the chief of the defence staff, said Britain and the rest of the world would need to ‘learn’ from history and the international missteps that led to the previous world wars, given the uncertainties caused by Covid-19.
He made the comments when asked by Sky News in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday whether he feared the global economic crisis brought on by coronavirus could lead to war.
First BAC Mono R delivered in classic WipEout livery
The first BAC Mono R has been delivered to a customer in Europe and has what the firm calls ‘one of the most unique and outrageous liveries ever produced by the company’.
The design is inspired by the classic PlayStation game WipEout, which sees players race in anti-gravity ships along a futuristic race course.
The blue, yellow and white paint scheme, which replicates the livery of the best in-game team Feisar (Federal European Industrial Science and Research) took 10 days to complete, using 400 graphics across the body work.
Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home in administration
Two of the four brands in high street clothing chain Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s stable have fallen into administration, with 866 jobs gone and a further 1,821 jobs under threat.
Administrators from FRP said 56 Edinburgh Woollen Mill stores have now permanently closed along with eight Ponden Home sites.
The remaining 328 Edinburgh Woollen Mill and 65 Ponden Home stores will continue to trade, Covid-19 restrictions permitting, while a buyer is sought.
Weather outlook
It’ll be cloudy for much of the UK today, says BBC Weather, with a band of showery rain moving north and east, although there will be some sunny spells.
Tonight will be mild for most people, although some showers will push into central areas from the south-west. Northern regions of Scotland will experience clear spells.
Monday will be breezy and cloudy but generally dry, although showers are likely in the south-west. The northern parts of Scotland will have brighter spells but it’ll feel mild for most of the country.
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