Top story: Racism towards EU pupils increases

Hello, I’m Warren Murray, your news point-person this morning. 

Eastern European pupils in schools in England and Scotland have experienced increased levels of racism and xenophobia since the Brexit vote, with some accusing their teachers of failing to protect them and even joining in, according to research led by the University of Strathclyde.  One pupil told researchers: “At my last school someone made xenophobic comments about my nationality and tried to burn my hair.  Last year, in my current school, a group followed me around chanting ‘Ukip’ and that I should f**k off back to my country.”  Another said: “My teacher would say ‘give it up for Poliski boy’ and they’ll all laugh.  I’m used to it now.” 

Emmanuel Macron is expected to ensure the blame for any no-deal Brexit lies squarely with Boris Johnson and his government, as the two meet for a “frank” working lunch today.  Ahead of it, Macron said the EU had negotiated with Britain for two years and a no-deal would be the “responsibility of the British government” and “Britain’s doing, always”.  Expect a smattering of Johnson’s “barbarian French” – which in 2013 he employed to tell a radio interviewer that if there were a Brexit referendum, “I would vote to stay in”. 

Libby Squire murder arrest – A 25-year-old man is being questioned by detectives on suspicion of murdering Libby Squire, 21.  The Hull University student was last seen alive around 12.09am on 1 February near her home on Wellesley Avenue, Hull, having returned home from an evening out.  Her body was recovered from the Humber estuary by detectives on 20 March.  Humberside police said the suspect was being questioned by detectives. 

Climate efforts too slow – The government should discourage personal vehicle use, ban sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035 instead of 2040, and reward energy-efficient homebuilding with stamp duty relief to meet its legally binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a report by cross-party MPs says.  In the fight against plastic pollution, Tesco has said it will “reserve the right not to list” products with too much non-recyclable packaging from 2020 onwards. “ But to close the loop on packaging, more needs to be done,” writes Dave Lewis, the Tesco CEO, in the Guardian today. “ We need a standardised national collection and a truly complete and national recycling infrastructure.”  Separately the World Health Organization has published its assessment that based on current science microplastics in drinking water pose no known health risk to humans – but adds that further research is needed. 

Pill plethora risk to elderly – About 7 million elderly people in the UK are at risk of life-threatening harm from medications that could clash with each other or cause dangerous side-effects, Age UK has warned.  Care home residents take an average of at least eight medicines, with a one in 10 risk of a mistake; while one in five prescriptions for elderly people living at home are incorrect.  They should have regular reviews of their drugs, says Age UK.  Meanwhile even a small increase in light activity by older adults can reduce their risk of an early death, according to a review of eight studies covering thousands of participants wearing activity trackers.  The group with the highest levels of light physical activity – achieving about 380 minutes a day – had a 62% lower risk of death than the group that did the least, according to findings published in the British Medical Journal. 

What happened to Robert Maxwell? –  Almost 30 years before Jeffrey Epstein’s demise, Ghislaine Maxwell was caught up in another shocking and scandal-ridden mystery when her father drowned in the night after falling from his £15m yacht off the Canary Islands. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ghislaine, Robert and Betty Maxwell at the Cannes film festival in 1987.  Photograph: Steve Wood/Rex/Shutterstock

Even now there is talk of suicide, or murder – perhaps by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service.  Caroline Davies reviews the life of flamboyant press baron and shyster Robert Maxwell, and the theories surrounding his death. 

Sticky situation – Disney/Marvel and Sony have split over their arrangement for Spider-Man to appear in the Avengers movies and vice-versa.  For those who don’t know their SUMC from their MCU: Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man, but a deal was struck for the character (played by Tom Holland) to appear in films of the Disney-run Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Now that the relationship between the studios has broken down, and with Spider-Man’s character woven in alongside Tony Stark, Captain America and the Avengers, have we seen the last of the Iron Spider? 

Lunchtime read: Rise and fall of Brand Trudeau

Thanks to his clever use of social media, Canada’s Justin Trudeau was dubbed the first prime minister of the Instagram age.  He cultivated an impression that he both serves the masses and is adored by them.  But after four years in power, cracks in his image have started to show.  Canada’s ethics watchdog recently found he broke the country’s conflict of interest law to try to get a giant engineering and construction firm out of a corruption trial. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister.  Photograph: Lars Hagberg/AFP/Getty Images

Far from progressive, transparent government, the scandal suggests that, like previous Canadian governments, Trudeau’s administration remains in thrall to the “Laurentian consensus” – the web of political, business and intellectual elites in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal whose name is a nod to eastern Canada’s St Lawrence river.  Ahead of a federal election in October, Trudeau’s approval ratings have plunged from a high of 65% in 2016 to about 32% in July. “ Brand Trudeau was squeaky clean and fresh and new and a different kind of politics,” says Shachi Kurl, a pollster from the Angus Reid Institute. “ And it’s turned out that Brand Trudeau is: ‘Welcome to the new politics, just like the old politics.’” 

Sport

Joe Root believes England are ready to pounce on the absence of Steve Smith and heap more pressure on Australia by using Jofra Archer when the third Ashes Test gets under way at Headingley today.  Ben Te’o has effectively brought an end to his England rugby career by signing for Toulon on a short-term contract, having been left out of Eddie Jones’s World Cup squad.  Manu Tuilagi has revealed how he could have avoided more than a year of his injury layoff if he had come clean regarding his initial groin problem.  World Rugby has rebranded its men’s and women’s World Cups in an effort to achieve gender neutrality in the sport.  And Major League Baseball has warned its players about the “very real risk” of over-the-counter sexual-enhancement pills after at least two players attributed their positive drug tests to substances found in the unregulated products. 

Play Video 1:28 England's Joe Root on Jofra Archer, Steve Smith and the third Ashes Test – video

Business

A serious question is hanging over the HS2 rail link project after the government launched a review into the £55bn scheme with a longstanding critic on the panel.  An even more mind-boggling number from the US where federal deficit will top $1tn next year, according to a congressional report.  And that’s before Donald Trump plans any more tax cuts or giveaways ahead of the 2020 election.  On the markets, the FTSE100 is seen starting the day off about 0.1%.  The pound is trundling along at $1.212 and €1.093. 

The papers

Angela Merkel’s “30 days” deadline for Boris Johnson to produce a workable alternative to the Irish backstop is all over the front pages, with some creative interpretations. 

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Guardian front page, Thursday 22 August 2019. 

The Mail sees the declaration as a “Brexit boost for Boris” and enthuses “Ja, we can! …  Merkel says backstop CAN be ditched”.  The Express thinks Johnson has won a “major concession” and has the PM welcoming Merkel’s “blistering deadline”. 

The Mirror, though, says in its intro that Merkel has “called Boris Johnson’s bluff” and straplines the story as a “Brexit ultimatum” to the PM (why didn’t the Mirror put “Chancellor meets chancer” in its headline?  Must try harder).  The Guardian, the Telegraph, the i and the Times are all straitlaced: think various constructions involving 30 days, Brexit, deal, backstop, Johnson, Germany, Merkel … Over at the FT they’re on about how lower borrowing costs have prompted calls for spending on public projects to rev up the economy, while a pic slot goes to the chancellor and the prime minister. 

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• This article was amended on 22 August 2019 because it is the US federal deficit, not debt, which has been predicted to top $1tn next year.  This has been corrected.