Signing These Petitions Can Help Reopen the Cases of Slain Black People

The worldwide protests calling for justice for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Brianna Hill, and Tony McDade are reaffirming that Black Lives Matter has already made a lasting impact on society. In the past few months alone, the protests, social media posts, petitions, and countless donations have led to the arrest of all four officers involved in Floyd’s murder, an FBI investigation into Taylor’s case, plans to defund the Minneapolis police, and the passing of Breonna’s Law, which limits no-knock warrants. But the fight for justice doesn’t stop here, and many on social media are calling to reopen the cases of Black people who were senselessly killed and deserve justice.

If you want to continue fighting for Black lives and the many we’ve lost already, sign these petitions, which call to reopen Tamir Rice’s, Trayvon Martin’s, and Sandra Bland’s cases, among others:

Most of these petitions are *this close* to reaching their signature goals, so take five minutes and make your voice heard.

Here are guides for how to demand justice right now, how to find mental health resources if you’re a Black woman, how to talk to your relatives about Black Lives Matter, how to spot a fake protest story, and how to protest safely.

Businesses and customers: share your experiences of ‘eat out to help out’

The government’s ‘eat out to help out’ scheme has meant more than 64m meals have been claimed since the beginning of August.

When introduced, its aim was to incentivise the public to dine at restaurants by allowing customers to claim a half-price discount up to a cost of £10.

We’d like to hear how you feel the scheme has been so far.

Share your experiences

Have you seen an increase in customers, and do you think the scheme is effective? Do you have any concerns?

You can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions.

One of our journalists will be in contact for publication before we publish, so please do leave contact details.

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European Economics Preview: ECB Minutes Due

The account of the monetary policy meeting from the European Central Bank is due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is scheduled to issue Germany’s produce prices for July. Economists forecast prices to drop 1.8 percent on year, the same rate of decline as seen in June.

At 3.30 am ET, Statistics Sweden releases unemployment data for July. The jobless rate is forecast to remain unchanged at 9.8 percent.

At 4.00 am ET, Norges Bank is set to announce its interest rate decision. The bank is set to hold its key rate at zero percent.

In the meantime, industrial production and producer prices are due from Poland. Economists forecast industrial output to fall 1.2 percent on year in July, following a 0.5 percent rise in June. Producer prices are forecast to drop 0.5 percent annually in July.

At 5.00 am ET, Eurostat releases euro area construction output for June.

At 6.00 am ET, the Confederation of British Industry is slated to release Industrial Trends survey data.

At 7.00 am ET, Turkey’s central bank is set to announce its interest rate decision. Economists expect the bank to hold the key rate at 8.25 percent.

At 7.30 am ET, the ECB publishes the minutes of the governing council meeting held on July 15 and 16.

Putin Poll Rating Jumps as Virus Situation Steadies, Levada Says

President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating jumped six percentage points this month to the highest level since February as Russia continued to recover from the coronavirus epidemic, according to new data from the independent Levada Center pollster.

“There’s overall relief that the uncertainty is over and the payments have come through,” said Levada analyst Denis Volkov, referring to government benefits aimed at easing the impact of the pandemic. “But it’s hard to say if it will continue rising in the coming months — a lot will depend on the economy.”

Putin’s approval ratings had dropped to the lowest levels in years this spring as the spread of the disease led to lockdowns and a deep recession. But the situation has improved over the summer, with new infections and deaths stabilizing at relatively low levels even as the country has reopened. Early this month, Putin announced a new vaccine that will begin to be distributed in the next few weeks.

Levada’s latest survey, conducted Aug. 20-26 among 1,601 people, found 66% approved of Putin’s performance as president, up from lows of 59% in April and May. In February, before the epidemic hit, 69% of Russians said they approved of his performance.

The survey also showed a 10-point jump in the approval rating of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to 60% in August.

Five-Year Note Auction Attracts Above Average Demand

After reporting above average demand for its auction of two-year notes on Tuesday, the Treasury Department revealed on Wednesday that this month’s auction of $51 billion worth of five-year notes also attracted above average demand.

The five-year note auction drew a high yield of 0.298 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.71.

The Treasury sold $49 billion worth of five-year notes last month, drawing a high yield of 0.288 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.32.

The bid-to-cover ratio is a measure of demand that indicates the amount of bids for each dollar worth of securities being sold.

The ten previous five-year note auctions had an average bid-to-cover ratio of 2.46.

The Treasury Department is due to announce the results of its auction of $47 billion worth of seven-year notes on Thursday.