Decades

• Even Northumbria, with its old Viking capital of Jorvik, is now ruled as York by the Saxon king.
• There are rumblings that his crown will pass to the upstart Duke William of Normandy, but the powerful Saxon lords will surely oppose it.
• Published by Page Publishing, JL Sosa, MD's engrossing book is a fast-paced and compelling choice for avid historical fiction readers.
• Page's accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating.

• Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: Day after day for the last four months, our NHS staff have been the heroes of the hour looking after our friends and family at very great risk to themselves.
• In these challenging times we have seen the best of our NHS and the brilliant staff who make it what it is.
• The Houses of Parliamentlit up in NHS blue from 21:30 on Saturday, 4 July.
• Follow the @HouseofCommons on Twitter and @UKHouseofCommons on Instagram, for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber and more.

• The virtual training program is designed to take a holistic approach to middle distance and distance running by not only providing weekly training guidance but also teaching each athlete about general training philosophy, teamwork, nutrition, strength, injury prevention, and recovery.
• All athletes will be provided training instruction, but it is optional to follow if they have training provided from there normal coach.
• All athletes are still able to benefit from a breadth of training philosophy discussion, team environment, and holistic running sessions.
• US Sports Camps (USSC), headquartered in San Rafael, California, is America's largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps.

Analysis of the latest UK and international economic indicators

Download the full report

Economic update: Unprecedented fall in GDP marks low point of recession

The magnitude of the recession caused by the coronavirus outbreak is now more evident. GDP was around 25% lower during the depth of the crisis in April than in February. While a recovery is underway, there is uncertainty over how fast economic activity is regaining lost ground and how high unemployment levels will rise.

GDP falls by a quarter

• GDP, which is the total value of all goods produced and services provided in the UK, was 25% lower in April compared to February.
• From March to April, GDP fell 20.4%.
• This is by far the biggest decline in the official monthly GDP data series (available from 1997).

Some sectors hit particularly hard

• The services sector experienced a 24% drop between February and April, while manufacturing output declined by 28%.
• The largest decline was in the accommodation and food sector, with output 92% lower in April compared with February.
• Output in the arts and entertainment sector dropped by 47%, while in construction it was 44% lower.
• Output in the information and communication sector was down by 15% and financial services saw a 6% decline.

Recovery is under way…

• For example, most non-essential retailers have been allowed to reopen from 15 June.
• Retail sales were up 12% in May compared to April, underpinned by rising sales from DIY stores (as they re-opened) and internet sales.
• Overall retail sales levels were still 13% below pre-Covid-19 levels.
• The closely-watched purchasing managers index (PMI), often used as a proxy for GDP growth, bounced back in May and June.

…but how strong will it be?

• These include mobility reports, from Google and Apple among others, and data from debit and credit card spending.
• The initial rebound from the depths of the recession was to some extent expected as the economy reopened.
• The key question is how long will it take consumers and businesses to return to pre-Covid 19 levels of spending?
• The continuation of social distancing and the possibility of the spread of the virus accelerating, pose serious risks to the speed of the recovery.

The risk of unemployment

• Unemployment has increased, hours worked fallen and job vacancies declined.
• Over 9 million jobs have been supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the furlough scheme), with 2.6 million self-employed workers also receiving financial support.
• 79% of businesses surveyed by the Office for National Statistics say they have applied to use the furlough scheme.
• The average forecast from economists is for the unemployment rate to reach 8% by the end of 2020, double its pre-virus rate of 4%.

Government policy announcements

• In an effort to boost the economic recovery, the Government is announcing a series of policy initiatives.
• On 30 June, the Prime Minister announced the Governments plans to bring forward around 5 billion of infrastructure spending.
• The Chancellor is scheduled to provide a summer economic update on Wednesday 8 July, with further details of the Governments plans set to be announced.