Thursday evening UK news briefing: Britons bound for Mexico find out mid-air they face hotel quarantine

Your evening briefing from The Telegraph
Your evening briefing from The Telegraph

Up to 6,000 Britons face a race to return home from red listed Mexico in a bid to avoid hotel quarantine that kicks in at 4am on Sunday.

They have just three days to arrange flights and Covid tests, after which anyone returning from Mexico will have to pay up to £1,750 per person to quarantine in a Government-approved hotel.

Read how some British travellers only found out while they were mid-air or shortly after arriving in Mexico.

Here are the good, the bad and the ugly of the latest travel announcement and read this guide to the countries that are open to UK travellers with no quarantine or restrictions.

After France left the amber-plus list, here are 18 reasons we should head back double-quick.

Meanwhile, the number of people being told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid app has fallen by 43 per cent in a week, new figures have shown.

A total of 395,971 alerts were sent in the week to July 28 telling people in England and Wales that they had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus.

Yet there has also been a big decrease in the number of check-ins to venues using the app.

Elsewhere, Sadiq Khan wants failing to wear a face mask on the London Underground to become a criminal offence. Our liveblog has more.

Team GB surpass unofficial Olympics medal target

Great Britain has surpassed its unofficial Olympic medals target as Tokyo 2020 became the team's second most successful Games on foreign soil. Matt Walls won Britain's first gold medal of the week in the velodrome, with his victory in the omnium followed by Holly Bradshaw taking bronze in the women's pole-vault, bringing the national total to 51, matching the haul at Beijing 2008, which will be surpassed as Britain has two medals guaranteed in the boxing. Clearly Team GB is not run "by a radical group of leftist maniacs" - or at least that is what you might assume Donald Trump would think after his outburst at the US women's football team after their bronze medal. Elsewhere, the talk has been about Tom Daley and his new cardigan, which he had been knitting throughout the Games and unveiled on social media. Australian Olympians who prompted a complaint over "excessive drinking" on their flight home have hit back by saying: "Who cares who f------ threw up, it's not World War III?" Read analysis in our Olympics Briefing newsletter.

Sherwood Forest locals upset by merry band of nudists

As far as the legend goes, the Sheriff of Nottingham never had to contend with brazen displays of nudity from Robin Hood and his Merry Men during their epic struggle for control of Sherwood Forest. But the tranquility of the modern day site has been shattered by just that. Read how some of the visitors attracted to Sherwood Forest every year – where the flora and fauna includes the Major Oak, a 1,000-year-old oak tree – have suffered a nude awakening - and what is being done about it.

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

Charges over boy found in river | The stepfather of the five-year-old boy pulled from a river in south Wales has appeared in court accused of his murder and the child's mother and another boy, 13, have been charged over his death. Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, was found with multiple injuries including a torn liver, an internal head injury and a broken collarbone. Read the latest.

Around the world: Wildfire fears for Ancient Greek site

Greek firefighters battled to bring under control two major fires raging near Olympia and on the island of Evia today as the country swelters in a record-breaking heatwave. More than 170 firefighters, around 50 trucks, six helicopters and water-bombing aircraft were deployed near the ancient archeological site, the birthplace of the Olympic games. See a map showing how wildfires have taken hold of southern Europe.

Thursday interview

'There will be a black Mary Poppins at some stage'

Richard Eyre - Jason Alden
Richard Eyre - Jason Alden

As he brings the famous nanny back to the West End, director Richard Eyre talks to Dominic Cavendish about colour-blind casting and his own dysfunctional family

Read the full interview

Comment and analysis

Editor's choice

  1. 'The best I've ever tasted' | William Sitwell reviews Kerridge's Fish & Chips, London

  2. Music's great vaccine divide | The rockers who refuse to get the jab

  3. 'A suicide machine' | How Boris Johnson's pet designer created a $200 million disaster

Business and money briefing

Cost of living | Britain is facing its highest inflation for almost a decade as the economy recovers from the pandemic, the Bank of England has warned. Its latest forecasts showed the Consumer Prices Index benchmark, which stands at 2.5pc, is set to hit 4pc by the end of the year - the highest level since December 2011. Read on for details.

Sport briefing

England v India | Rain interrupted play on day two of the first Test at Trent Bridge after England's bowlers made some solid progress during India's first innings reply. Click here to follow the live score.

Three things for tonight

And finally... for this evening's downtime

Sweet 60 | A new study shows men and women are happiest with their looks in their seventh decade and beyond. Sian Lloyd and Justin Webb reveal why 60 is the body satisfaction sweet spot.

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