Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 9 Jun 2020

Government admits schools may not reopen in September

The government has hinted that all schools may not be able to reopen fully even in September. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the “current working plan” was that September was now the “earliest” that secondary schools will be able to open. He admitted that ministers have yet to “work out” how they would manage this, saying that it was “going to require ingenuity”.

George Floyd suspect Derek Chauvin’s bail is set at $1.25m

The former Minneapolis policeman accused of killing unarmed black man George Floyd has made his first court appearance. Derek Chauvin’s bail was set at $1.25m (£1m) after prosecutors cited the “severity of the charges” and public outrage for the figure. Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other arresting officers are charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Prosecutors hit back in transatlantic row over Prince Andrew

Prosecutors in New York have challenged Prince Andrew’s claim that he cooperated with their Jeffrey Epstein probe. The Duke of York had earlier denied claims he has failed to engage with the American investigation but US attorney Berman responded strongly, saying: “Today, Prince Andrew yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate.”

Harvard says Covid-19 may have broken out last autumn

Satellite imagery and internet searches suggest Covid-19 may have broken out in Wuhan earlier than previously thought. The Harvard Medical School research found that the number of cars parked at major Wuhan hospitals last autumn was much higher than the preceding year. It also found that local searches for information on known symptoms such as “cough” and “diarrhoea” spiked on the Chinese search engine Baidu around the same time.

Tories accepted donation from ‘NHS price gouger’

The Conservative Party accepted a £50,000 donation from a pharmaceutical boss who “ripped off” the NHS, says The Times. Amit Patel, who accepted a five-year ban from standing as a director for breaking competition law, donated the money during the June 2017 general election campaign led by Theresa May. A year earlier, Auden Mckenzie, the company Patel founded, was accused of hugely increasing the prices of old drugs.

Daniel Radcliffe hits back at JK Rowling's transgender tweets

Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe says he hopes JK Rowling’s recent comments about the transgender community will not “taint” the series. Following Rowling’s tweets, Radcliffe said: “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”

Ku Klux Klan leader arrested over reckless driving claim

A man who describes himself as a Ku Klux Klan leader has been arrested for allegedly driving his car into a group of Black Lives Matters protesters in the US state of Virginia. Harry Rogers, 36, is accused of driving “recklessly” towards a protest in Henrico County on Sunday. Prosecutors say he “revved the engine” before driving into protesters.

Johnson says Britain has made ‘huge strides’ on racism

Boris Johnson says Britons should “work peacefully, lawfully” to beat racism. The prime minister said the UK has made “huge strides” in tackling racism but more had to be done. He added that although the government could not ignore the anger and “undeniable feeling of injustice” sparked by George Floyd’s killing, the anti-racism cause could be "undermined" by a minority of those attacking police.

British dentists warn of drastically reduced service

Dentists have warned there will be a drastically reduced service due to the coronavirus pandemic. The British Dental Association has written to the government demanding urgent support to keep the service afloat. The union warned there is no chance of the service carrying out anything more than a fraction of the 39.72m courses of treatment that were provided by NHS dentists in England in 2018-19.

German official says Madeleine McCann is dead

A senior German official has revealed there is “evidence,” that Madeleine McCann is dead. The prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Sky News: “After all the information we got, the girl is dead. We have no information that she is alive. All indications we have got that I can’t tell you points in the direction that Madeleine is dead.” A 43-year-old German man, named in reports as Christian B, is the new suspect over her disappearance.

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