Coronavirus live news: UK at ‘critical point’ in pandemic as US nears 200,000 deaths
England’s chief medical officer to warn of a ‘very challenging winter’; more than one in five Covid-19 deaths globally is in US; Lebanon sees record case rise. Follow the latest updates
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If you want to follow developments in the UK more closely, and in particular events leading up to today’s coronavirus briefing by Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, at 11am, turn over to our UK politics blog with Andrew Sparrow.
He will be keeping us updated on the latest developments in the UK, with a particular focus on politics, while on this blog we will now turn to focus more on news from elsewhere in the world.
Related: UK coronavirus news: Whitty and Vallance to present data showing how ‘trend in UK heading in wrong direction’
The UK government has extended emergency funding measures for rail companies for the next six to 18 months to help them get through the Covid-19 crisis, as a first step towards a complete overhaul of the railway system, writes Julia Kollewe for the Guardian’s business desk.
The Department for Transport said the move had ended franchising after 24 years as the first step in bringing Britain’s fragmented network back together. It hailed the emergency measures as a “transitional stage to a new system, the biggest change to the railways in a quarter of a century”.
The model of privatisation adopted 25 years ago has seen significant rises in passenger numbers, but this pandemic has proven that it is no longer working.
Our new deal for rail demands more for passengers. It will simplify people’s journeys, ending the uncertainty and confusion about whether you are using the right ticket or the right train company.
Related: UK government extends Covid-19 rail rescue measures
