Top story: Report highlights ‘shocking’ lack of trust

This is Alison Rourke bringing you Monday’s top stories.

Forty per cent of people think British culture is undermined by multiculturalism and that migrants do not properly integrate, according to a new survey. Conducted by ICM as well as 60 citizens’ panels, carried out on behalf of the thinktank British Future and the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate over the past two years, the report reflects widespread frustration at the government’s handling of immigration; only 15% of respondents felt ministers have managed it competently and fairly. More than a quarter of people believe MPs never tell the truth about immigration and half the population wanted to see a reduction in the numbers of low-skilled workers coming into Britain from the EU. “The lack of trust we found in the government to manage immigration is quite shocking,” said Jill Rutter, the director of strategy for British Future. “People want to have their voices heard on the choices we make, and to hold their leaders to account on their promises.”

Novichok all-clear – Police gave the all-clear in Salisbury overnight after two people were taken ill in a restaurant. The major incident was stood down after fears of a third exposure to novichock were proved to be unfounded. A cordon had been set up around the Prezzo Italian restaurant close to where the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal collapsed after being poisoned with the nerve agent. Meanwhile, the MoD has announced it is to introduce robots and drones to investigate chemical attacks to avoid exposing emergency workers to dangerous chemicals. A trial involving scientists from the military research unit Porton Down took place at the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire, including a drone that can relay 3D images and detect chemical agents using a laser system.

Labour MP selections – More than three-quarters of Labour delegates back Momentum proposals to make sitting MPs stand against rivals for reselection. The grassroots group said the vast majority of delegates attending next week’s Labour conference in Liverpool support their proposal for MPs to have to stand in open contests in order to run again for a seat. But senior Labour politicians, including Jeremy Corbyn loyalists in the shadow cabinet, are understood to be cautious about the proposals.

Predicting child abuse – Vast quantities of data on hundreds of thousands of people is being used to construct computer models in an effort to predict child abuse and intervene before it can happen, the Guardian has learned. Amid mounting financial pressure, local councils are developing “predictive analytics” systems to algorithmically identify families for attention from child services, allowing them to focus resources more effectively. Critics say it’s likely to be hugely controversial due to its potential to intrude into individual privacy and there are fears it could risk accidentally incorporating and perpetuating discrimination against minorities.

Flooding fallout – Seventeen people are now known to have died in the US in chaos caused by former hurricane Florence, while the now tropical storm Mangkhut killed four in China, after 64 people lost their lives in the Philippines. Catastrophic flooding in North Carolina prompted the mayor of Fayetteville, Mitch Colvin, to tell reporters “the worst is yet to come” as the state’s governor, Roy Cooper, said Florence had “never been more dangerous than it is now”. Meanwhile, Mangkhut battered the heavily populated Guangdong region, having skirted Hong Kong by just 62 miles. China Central Television said the former typhoon triggered storm surges as high as 3 metres. In the Philippines, dozens of people, mostly small-scale miners and their families, are feared to have been trapped by a landslide in Itogon, 300km north of Manila.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A volunteer rescues panicked dogs that were left caged by an owner in North Carolina, in the wake of Florence’s catastrophic flooding. Photograph: Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Child poverty – More than 14 million people, including 4.5 million children, are living below the breadline, with more than half trapped in poverty for years, according to a new measure of disadvantage in the UK. The Social Metrics Commission found poverty is especially prevalent in families with at least one disabled person, single-parent families, and households where no one works or that are dependent for income on irregular or zero-hours jobs. The study concluded that 12% of the total UK population is in “persistent” poverty, meaning that they have spent all or most of the last four years below the breadline.

Tale of five squirrels – A wildlife centre in the US state of Wisconsin has faced the unusual task of having to untangle the tails of five baby squirrels, which had become entwined with each other and parts of their nest. “You can imagine how wiggly and unruly (and nippy!) this frightened, distressed ball of squirrelly energy was, so our first step was to anaesthetise all five of them at the same time,” the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at the Wisconsin Humane Society wrote on its Facebook page. With the animals sedated, the centre worked to unravel the “Gordian Knot” of tightly tangled tails and nest material. All five recovered and will be looking for acorns in the near future.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The ‘Gordian Knot’ of squirrels Photograph: Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Wisconsin Humane Society

Lunchtime read: Sober October: are there any long-term benefits?



Dry January is already popular but sober October is just around the corner. Does it make any difference to your health or should we be finding new ways to drink less, asks Amy Fleming. “It isn’t a detox that resets the clock,” says Gautam Mehta of University College London, the lead author of a study published in the Lancet earlier this year investigating the health gains from a month off alcohol (the only one so far). Mehta’s study looked at moderate to heavy drinkers, all consuming more than the recommendations. After their month of sobriety, their insulin resistance – a marker for diabetes – improved by about 25%. Blood pressure went down and people also lost a little weight (just under 2kg/4.4lb on average).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Can sober October make any difference to your health? Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

The aim of the study, Mehta says, was not to prove or disprove the validity of a month-long abstention, but to show the relationship between alcohol and serious health markers. The government doesn’t advise taking a month off alcohol, favouring instead having alcohol-free days every week. What no one has studied yet though is whether this approach would lead to the same up-front health gains as a month off. “You could postulate,” says Mehta, “that we think that one of the ways alcohol causes damage is by making the gut a bit leaky, allowing bacterial proteins (not whole bacteria) to get through and cause low-level inflammation in the body. Giving up for a few days may improve that, but it’s a bit speculative as to the long-term effects.” Common sense dictates that the ideal plan would be to do Go Sober for October and then introduce weekly booze-free days when you are back on the wagon. Helpfully, it looks as if the former could well pave the way for the latter.

Sport

British cyclist Simon Yates joined the exclusive club of Grand Tour champions on Sunday and then began plotting the next one, revealing the Giro d’Italia will probably be his priority in 2019.

In the Berlin marathon, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge smashed the world record by 78 seconds.

In football, West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini said Lucas Pérez was left on the bench during the Hammer’s win at Everton as he was not ready to replace the injured Marko Arnautovic.

Pep Guardiola admitted being angry with his Manchester City players despite their convincing 3-0 victory against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium. And in the women’s game Arsenal inflicted a 9-0 drubbing on Lewes at Dripping Pan.

Business

The British Chambers of Commerce have downgraded the UK’s growth prediction to 1.1% this year (down from 1.3%) and 1.3% in 2019 (down from 1.4%), amid Brexit uncertainty. By 2020 the UK economy will have suffered its second weakest decade of average economic growth on record as business investment and export growth slow, said the BCC. The figures chime with most other mainstream forecasters, though they follow upbeat official figures that showed the economy expanded by 0.6% in just three months to the end of July.

The pound is buying $1.308 and €1.124.



The papers

Photograph: The Guardian

The Guardian’s splash today is: “Council algorithms use family data to predict child abuse risk”, revealing how predictive analytics are used to find families that might need attention from social services.

The Daily Mail leads with news that hundreds of children are enslaved by drug gangs – “Scandal of the ‘child slave’ drug runners”.

The Daily Express reports on the “Danger of a daily aspirin” and the Sun has news that the BBC is offering Strictly Come Dancing star Zoe Ball the Radio 2 breakfast show previously hosted by Chris Evans: “It’s Ball yours, Zoe”.

The Daily Mirror’s splash is: “Elderly care timebomb” – on the soaring costs of caring for a growing elderly population.

Brexit features on several front pages, including that of the Times: “Boost for May as EU backs Irish border plan”, the FT: “Deutsche set to shift more assets and ringfence UK unit after Brexit” and the i: “Brexiteers throw down challenge to PM’s plan”. The Daily Telegraph splash (“May’s Irish Brexit plan is a disaster, warns Boris”) is a write-off of Boris Johnson’s regular Monday column for the third week running.

For more news: www.theguardian.com

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