Friday morning news briefing: University coronavirus alert

Danny Boyle
A police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard at a Beijing station - 2020 Getty Images
A police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard at a Beijing station - 2020 Getty Images

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Death toll rises as China battles to contain coronavirus

British universities are on high alert for coronavirus today. As the first suspected cases were reported in the UK, students returning from China are warned they face quarantine. One in five international students in Britain are Chinese. Public Health England revealed last night that 14 patients have been tested in Britain - with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting results. Among them were five patients isolated at hospitals in Scotland suffering from flu-like conditions after returning from the city of Wuhan in the past fortnight. "Many more" cases are likely elsewhere in the UK. It came as China effectively quarantined 20 million people in what could be the largest disease-control operation in history. The death toll has now risen to at least 26. Crystal Reid made it out of Wuhan just before the lockdown. Read her dispatch from the city in chaos as ground zero of China's epidemic.

Is quarantining the answer? Professor Tom Solomon argues that it might already be too late. What else can be done to stop the deadly virus? Sarah Newey answers your questions, including: do face masks really work? All the symptoms of coronavirus are listed here. And this is the latest Foreign Office travel advice for anyone planning to visit China.

Police give up on thieves as offences 'decriminalised'

Police and prosecutors have been accused of undermining justice as it emerged some forces are not charging any thieves. New data shows that the chances of a theft resulting in a charge have halved to 5.4 per cent and to 1.3 per cent for personal theft. In the most dramatic example, four force areas brought no charges for personal theft in the three months to September 2019 - despite 300 crimes being recorded. As Charles Hymas reports, the Criminal Bar Association warned that effectively theft was being "decriminalised" as police were failing to pursue prosecutions.

Scientists help mummy to talk like an Egyptian

When Egyptian priest Nesyamun died more than 3,000 years ago, his last wish was that he be allowed to speak in the afterlife so he could address his gods and be granted entry into eternity. Now, with the help of science, the holy man has indeed found his voice after death. British academics scanned the mummy of Nesyamum, 3D-printed his vocal tract then played soundwaves through it to create an impression of how the priest might have sounded. Listen for yourself here.

News digest

Gallery: The big picture

Inspiring | A drone sent above Salisbury to picture the city shrouded in dense fog captured the 404ft cathedral spire poking through the clouds as the sun rose. View our picture editor's choice of more striking images.

It took 15 sunrise attempts to capture the image. CREDIT: DECLAN SPREADBURY - Credit: DECLAN SPREADBURY
It took 15 sunrise attempts to capture the image Credit: DECLAN SPREADBURY

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Business and money briefing

'Tax the rich' | Three businessmen who signed a letter demanding higher taxes on the rich have been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged they lobbied to reduce bills related to their own firms. Tom Rees names the most well-known millionaire signatories of a letter to the World Economic Forum in Davos calling for higher taxation of the wealthy.

Sport briefing

Wolves 1 Liverpool 2 | Roberto Firmino's late strike at Wolves continued Liverpool's fairytale season to move them 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League. As Sam Wallace writes from the Molineux, these are the days of wonder for the league leaders.

And finally...

Can you spot the beetle hiding in plain sight? | Brightly coloured beetles are not just gaudy to attract a mate - but their shiny surfaces actually work as camouflage, a new study has shown. As scientists find the new technique, can you spot the beetle in this picture?

 

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