Top story: Saving scheme launches after years of delay

Hello, Warren Murray again with the news to tide you over for a while. 

A government savings scheme offering a 50p bonus for every £1 put away is being launched today for people on lower incomes.  An estimated 3.5 million people receiving working tax credits or universal credits will be able to deposit between £1 and £50 every month over a term of four years – accruing up to £2,400 and a maximum £1,200 bonus. 

The idea was first brought in by Labour as a pilot programme after 2001; then cancelled as too costly by the Tory chancellor George Osborne in 2010; before being put back on the policy agenda by David Cameron in 2016. “ It has enabled me to build up a savings pot and the bonus is very good value,” said Paul Hughes, who took part in one of the pilot projects. 

Meanwhile, the government is being shamed by Labour after cancelling a scheme to help needy students go to grammar school.  Funding of £5.5m to help with their transport costs to and from school has been ripped out of the education budget and put back into the Treasury coffers. 

‘A spanking you will feel in your liver’ – Russia’s national guard chief, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, has bizarrely threatened the country’s leading opposition politician in a video rant posted online. “ I promise in several minutes to make a nice, juicy steak out of you,” said Viktor Zolotov, a former bodyguard to the president, in a message directed at Alexei Navalny. 

Play Video 0:45 'I'll make a nice, juicy steak out of you': Putin ally's bizarre threat to Alexei Navalny – video

“Nobody has ever given you the spanking you deserve, so hard that you felt it in your liver,” said Zolotov, as he denied corruption allegations raised by Navalny.  The opposition leader was unable to respond – he is in jail, where he periodically ends up when elections, protests or other events challenge Putin’s authority. 

Midweek catch-up – Let’s get you up to date on some of the stories going round …

> Michel Barnier is angry after the UK government snuck out a letter to EU member states asking them for side deals on transport if there’s a no-deal Brexit.  The head of Jaguar Land Rover has warned of “tens of thousands” of job losses in car manufacturing if Britain crashes out. 

> Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the US east coast.  Donald Trump says authorities are well prepared but is being criticised for characterising Hurricane Maria as an “incredible unsung success” for his government when nearly 3,000 people died. 

> The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has promised Labour would put basic trade union rights back into law.  It would also ban zero-hours contracts and bogus self-employment, and boost gig economy workers’ rights, he told the TUC conference. 

> The US state department has said it is “deeply worried” over China’s “worsening crackdown” on the Muslim Uighur people.  The administration is discussing sanctions against Beijing in what would be a rare intervention over human rights. 

> New York fashion week is under way and Jaws have dropped at a Calvin Klein show themed after the movie of that name. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Calvin Klein runway show at New York fashion week.  Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Models wore red beanies like shark hunter Martin Brody, wetsuits, ripped skirts and Jaws shirts while walking up and down a red catwalk with their hair looking damp. 

Under-over qualified – One in four university graduates in England and Northern Ireland are working in jobs that do not require a degree, according to an OECD report.  The reason: they are not coming out of uni smart enough. “ When you test the skills of those people you actually see that those people don’t have the kind of skills that would be associated with a university degree,” said Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s education director.  The report points out that tuition fees in England – at £9,250 a year – are higher than any other OECD country apart from the US. “ A government that asks students to pay significant fees should also have a hard look at the quality of the services that are being provided to deliver for those students.” 

Who dairies wins – Dairy products may protect against heart disease and stroke, a Canadian study in the Lancet suggests.  They have been shunned for containing saturated fat that raises “bad” cholesterol levels in the body, but cheese and milk also contains good things like amino acids, unsaturated fats, vitamins and calcium. “ The message of the study is moderation,” says researcher Mahshid Dehghan.  Here is what amounts to a moderate intake.  To back all that up, here are 25 tips on how to get fit and stay there. 

Lunchtime read: Tarnished image of Aung San Suu Kyi

The posters depicted Aung San Suu Kyi haloed by a sunburst and surrounded by the phrases “Freedom to lead”, “Support human rights”, and “Democracy in Burma”.  When they went on sale in 2009, proceeds went to rights groups petitioning Myanmar’s then-ruling generals for her release from house arrest. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A poster of Aung San Suu Kyi, with a note attached in the wake of the Rohingya crisis.  Photograph: Phil Robertson/Human Rights Watch

Nine years later Myanmar’s military stands accused of genocide against Rohingya Muslims, and Aung San Suu Kyi herself is being blamed.  Within Myanmar she remains popular – but elsewhere the posters have lost their sheen.  US aid worker Simon Billenness took his down off the wall so his NGO colleagues couldn’t see it on Skype. “ To me, it now represents the hopes that we projected onto Aung San Suu Kyi.  The portrait is certainly not representative of her performance in power.” 

Sport

After a fairytale final week as an England cricketer, Alastair Cook looked to divert some of the adulation on to his old friend Jimmy Anderson by describing the newly crowned leading seam bowler in Test history as the country’s greatest ever cricketer.  England’s players conducted an angry inquest at half-time after what Danny Rose described as an embarrassing first‑half display against Switzerland, before Marcus Rashford’s goal ensured victory for the World Cup semi-finalists. 

In Elche, Marco Asensio and Saúl Níguez inspired a new-look Spain to a 6-0 drubbing of World Cup finalists Croatia, awakening hope that maybe new coach Luis Enrique can return the team to previous heights.  The Wasps fly-half Lima Sopoaga believes the player drain from New Zealand to Europe will increase because the lure of the All Blacks jersey no longer outweighs the financial incentives on offer in the northern hemisphere.  And Premiership Rugby has declined to accept a £275m offer from the private equity firm CVC for a 51% share because the clubs are fearful of handing control to a third party. 

Business

Ten years ago, Lehman Brothers went belly up and the Great Recession began.  Despite a huge policy response by central banks in the form of quantitative easing, many of the systemic problems that caused the crash remain, writes Professor Robert Skidelsky.  He says banks must be made to rein in risky lending and governments must run a more active fiscal policy.  So, it’s not a very propitious day for the markets and that’s reflected in Asian shares languishing at a 14-month low thanks to investor neuralgia about a US-China trade war.  The FTSE100 – which is due to open flat today – has lost 5% in the past month. 

The papers

The Guardian’s splash today is “Jaguar chief warns May: thousands of jobs at risk from your Brexit tactics”.  The i has the same story with “Tens of thousand of UK jobs at risk, May told”. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Guardian front page, Wednesday 12 September 2018. 

Drugs are the lead in the Times – “Police catch 11-year-olds being used to sell drugs” – and the Mirror, which has a report on the drug spice under the headline: “Britain’s zombie drug epidemic”.  The Telegraph splashes with: “Greenest farmers first in line for grants”, the Express has the Met police commissioner attacking ministers for not backing a pay rise, with “Police pay snub was ‘punch on nose’”.  The FT’s lead is “McDonnell lays out Labour stall with vow to boost workers’ rights”.  The Sun reports that a man has finally had sex after surgeons fashioned him a penis, or as they dub it, “The bionic manhood”.  And the Mail’s headline is “Obesity Britain” after a report that only two of 53 European nations are fatter than the UK. 

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