Friday newspaper round-up: Covid-19 shielding, Trump, TalkTalk, BHS, Netflix

Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people face being told to stay at home this winter as ministers plan to resume shielding in infection hotspots. Advice for clinically vulnerable people to avoid others could be included in the top tier of a simplified local lockdown system to be announced next week, as concern mounts about rising infection rates in the north of England. - The Times

Donald Trump, who is still recovering from Covid-19, has suggested he might organize a rally in Florida on Saturday, while continuing to ignore questions on whether he has yet tested negative for the disease. On Thursday night, Trump said: “I think I’m going to try doing a rally on Saturday night if we can, if we have enough time to put it together.” - Guardian

A takeover of TalkTalk is edging closer after the telecoms group agreed to talks over a £1.1 billion cash approach from Toscafund, a hedge fund and one of its largest shareholders. The board of the FTSE 250 company is in discussions with Toscafund over a preliminary 97p-per-share offer along with TalkTalk’s advisers Barclays and Deutsche Bank. - The Times

The businessman Dominic Chappell evaded tax on the £2.2m income he received from buying the failed BHS high street chain from retail tycoon Sir Philip Green, a court has heard. He ended up in this position because “he was simply too busy” to sort out his business dealings properly and he was “let down by others”, a jury at London’s Southwark crown court was told. - Guardian

Rishi Sunak will announce a local furlough scheme today in which the government will subsidise two thirds of the wages of workers in pubs, restaurants and other businesses that are forced to close to stop the spread of coronavirus. Pubs and restaurants in northern England will be shut next week in an effort to stop hospitals being overwhelmed by the rising number of Covid-19 cases. - The Times

Keir Starmer has called for an end to the government’s “serial incompetence” throughout the pandemic as concerns grow over the possibility of further restrictions being introduced. The Labour opposition leader, writing in the Telegraph, decried the leaking of plans for tougher measures and said it had led to confusion about Downing Street’s approach. - Guardian

Netflix is investing in a new London headquarters as part of its aggressive expansion plans in Britain. The streaming service will treble its office space in the capital to 100,000 sq ft when it moves into the Copyright Building in the West End. - The Times

Passenger journeys on Britain’s railways fell during lockdown to the lowest level since the mid-19th century, according to official figures. The rail industry regulator said 35m journeys took place from April to June, which was just 8% of the total for the same period in 2019. - Guardian