TIG Post

Tag: U.K

  • Prince Harry Pens Letter to Military Children Who Have Lost a Parent: ‘We Share a Bond’

    Prince Harry is connecting with military children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.

    In honor of Remembrance Sunday, the Duke of Sussex penned a letter to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a U.K. charity for bereaved military children and young people. Having lost his mother Princess Diana at age 12, Prince Harry said, “We share a bond even without ever meeting one another, because we share in having lost a parent. I know first-hand the pain and grief that comes with loss and want you to know that you are not alone.”

    He continued, “While difficult feelings will come up today as we pay tribute to heroes like your mum or dad, I hope you can find comfort and strength in knowing that their love for you lives and shines on. Whenever you need a reminder of this, I encourage you to lean into your friends at Scotty’s Little Soldiers. One of the ways I’ve learned to cope has been through community and talking about my grief, and I couldn’t be more grateful and relieved that you have amazing people walking beside you throughout your journey. We all know some days are harder than others, but together those days are made easier.”

    “Today and every day, I admire and respect all the men and women who have given their lives in service of us — especially those in your family,” Harry said. “I am also incredibly proud of you for being the best example in remembering them.”

    On Sunday, 55 members of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers and their parents marched in the National Service of Remembrance parade in London, sporting yellow and black scarves.

    “When you march together in today’s parade, wearing your yellow and black scarves, I know it will be hard, but equally important to do,” Prince Harry wrote. “Today you will bring new awareness to young people, just like you, who will benefit from this community of support. I salute you for serving others in need, in the most honourable memory of your parent.”

    He signed the letter, “With my deepest respect, Harry.”

    Scotty’s Little Soldiers said on their website, “Prince Harry knows November can be a proud but emotional time for bereaved British Forces children, and he understands what it is like to experience the death of a parent. He has been involved with the charity for several years, and today he wrote this special letter for our members at Remembrance.”

    Scotty member 14-year-old Samuel Hall, who was only 3 years old when his dad Lt Cdr Andrew Hall died by illness in 2012, said: “It’s comforting to know Prince Harry understands how we feel and cares about us. It was great to receive the letter. Remembrance is a difficult time and being with Scotty’s helps me and the other members know people are there for us.”

    Georgia Paterson, a 14-year-old girl whose father Cpl Norman Stevenson died when she was 7 years old, said: “It’s amazing knowing someone as important as Prince Harry has reached out to us. To know he’s thinking about us and our parents means a lot. I feel able to relate to him as he understands what we have been through.”

    The charity was set up by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010 following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan the previous year.

    “We are so grateful to Prince Harry for his continued support,” Scott said in a statement. “Our members know that he truly understands what it’s like to grow up without a parent and it means so much to them to know his thoughts are with them. To receive his letter on Remembrance Sunday has given them a huge boost on a proud but difficult day.”

    The Duke of Sussex met Nikki and some of the charity’s members at 2017’s Party at the Palace. When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, Scotty’s was selected as one of the charities to benefit from donations to mark the couple’s wedding.

    Princess Diana and Prince Harry.Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty

    Prince Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, marked Veterans Day in the U.S. and Armistice Day in the U.K. on Friday by sharing a new post on their Archewell Foundation website. The couple shared a photo by Chris Allerton, their wedding photographer, where they face military personnel, including one holding an American flag.

    “On this Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, we honor service members across the world,” they wrote. “These brave men and women, as well as their families, have made tremendous sacrifices and embody duty and service. We are proud to work with so many organizations that support veterans and military families, including: The Invictus Games Foundation, The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation. Today and every day, thank you for your service.”

    Last year, Meghan and Prince Harry made a surprise visit to a New Jersey military base to mark Veterans Day after attending the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. In a speech at the gala, Prince Harry discussed the isolation service members often feel when returning home and stressed the importance of supporting veterans.

    “My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with — wherever in the world we were,” said Harry, who served a decade in the British army and undertook two tours in Afghanistan. “But in war, you also see and experience things you hope no one else has to. These stay with us, sometimes like a slideshow of images.”

    He went on to welcome the 2021 Intrepid Valor Award honorees, who he said “are part of an everlasting bond. You are part of the team of teams. And we will always have your backs. You are not alone.”

  • UK to roll out millions of 90-minute ‘rapid tests’

    Britain is set to roll out millions of new, 90-minute “rapid tests” for the novel Coronavirus and other viruses common in winter, the country’s health ministry has said.

    Starting next week, hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories will have access to some 5.8 million tests analysing DNA and another 450,000 swab tests.

    Neither requires medical training to administer, meaning they can be performed in non-clinical environments, the ministry said in a statement released on Monday.

    This would be a significant increase on current testing capacity in the country and would aim to limit community spread of the virus before the cold months, when people are more vulnerable to viruses

    “The fact these tests can detect flu, as well as COVID-19, will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others,” Health Minister Matt Hancock said.

    Approximately 5,000 machines that will be used for the analysis of DNA collected in nasal swabs will be distributed to government hospitals from September.

    “We have been able to successfully adapt our in-store consumer DNA testing technology – which identifies genetic risks for chronic conditions related to obesity and type 2 diabetes – and validate it for detecting COVID-19 with gold-standard accuracy,” said Chris Toumazou, CEO and co-founder of DnaNudge, the company the produced the DNA-based tests and associated machines.

    Meanwhile, almost half a million of the new swab tests, called LamPORE, will be available at elder care settings and labs from next week, with millions more to be rolled out later in the year.

    With more than 300,000 cases of infection recorded, the UK has been hit hardest in Europe by the pandemic in terms of the death toll.

    More than 46,000 people have died from COVID-19, according to official figures, the fourth-highest toll in the world.

    Britain’s healthcare system has come under severe strain during peaks in the outbreak.

    Separately, the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS) said it would be offering “COVID-friendly” treatments to cancer patients, including drugs that do not have a big impact on the immune system.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Coronavirus: Spain races to save tourism as cases surge

    Spain is fighting to save its embattled tourism industry after the UK government imposed a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from the country.

    Spanish officials insist the virus is under control and want certain areas exempt, including the Balearic Islands.

    The UK said it had no plans to change its decision, and extended its travel advice, telling nationals to avoid non-essential journeys to all of Spain.

    About 18 million Britons travelled to Spain in 2019.

    Junior UK health minister Helen Whately defended the quarantine decision, telling the BBC that after all the “sacrifices” made during the lockdown, the UK could not take the risk of going back to a situation of rising virus rates across the country.

    Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez said on television on Monday evening that the UK’s decision was “misguided” and that he would continue to try to negotiate.

    Spain’s rate of infection has jumped in recent days. While the outbreak remains under control in many parts of Spain, certain areas – in particular Catalonia in the north-east and the neighbouring region of Aragón – have seen a huge spike in infections.

    According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the country recorded 39.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks.

    The UK and neighbouring France both have a figure of 14.6 infections per 100,000 residents.

    What’s the latest from Spain?

    Local authorities have issued stay-at-home orders for some four million residents in Catalonia, including in the regional capital Barcelona. On Monday, Catalonia’s President Quim Torra said even stricter lockdown measures could be imposed if infection numbers did not improve in the next 10 days.

    “We are facing the 10 most important days of summer,” he said. The region recorded 5,487 infections last week compared to 3,485 the week before, Mr Torra told reporters, adding that the situation was “very critical”.

    But Mr Torra also assured people that the region remained safe for tourists. Speaking in English, he said that “measures had been taken” and people “can visit most of the region safely”.

    Spain imposed one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns in March to tackle coronavirus. The tight restrictions helped curb the infection rate, but also severely damaged the economy – in particular tourism.

    Tourism accounts for about 11% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and a huge number of visitors come from the UK.

    As a result, the country has been desperate to bring back visitors to help revive struggling towns and resorts.

    On Monday, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the government was working with UK authorities to exclude the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands from the quarantine, as both regions have low rates of infection.

    “What we’d like is for quarantines to be lifted on the islands as early as possible, and we hope it will be today rather than tomorrow,” she said.

    But a UK government source later told the BBC there were “no plans” to introduce air bridges with the Spanish islands to exempt them from the 14-day quarantine.

    In fact, the Foreign Office toughened its travel advice. Its earlier warning against all-but-essential travel had applied only to mainland Spain, but now includes the island groups too.

    Prime Minister Sánchez said decisions should be made on Spanish regions individually, according to “epidemiological criteria”.

    Other Spanish leaders have criticised the UK’s quarantine move as disproportionate, given the low rate of infections in many areas.

    Ximo Puig, leader of the Valencia region, told a local radio station that “our epidemiological data is better than the UK’s”, and said the quarantine order was “not justified”.

    Source: BBC

  • M&S to cut 950 jobs as high street struggles

    UK high street stalwart Marks and Spencer has announced that it plans to cut 950 jobs.The store said “proposed changes would affect 950 roles across central support functions in field and central operations and property and store management”.

    It is reported the company has begun consultation with its “employee representative group” and will initially offer voluntary redundancy to those affected.

    M&S food stores remained open throughout the lockdown, but trade in other parts of the business has been severely affected. In May, the company said clothing sales had been down by more than 80% year-on-year at the lowest point.

    It comes amid reports on Monday that 500 jobs will go at fashion retailer Ted Baker. Both part-time and full-time roles will be affected, with about 200 jobs expected to go at its London headquarters and the rest from its shops and store concessions across the UK and Europe.

    Many other high street retailers have announced job cuts this month due to the pandemic. They include:

    • 4,000 jobs at Boots
    • Up to 1,300 at John Lewis
    • Up to 700 jobs at Harrods
    • About 600 workers at shirtmaker TM Lewin

    Source: bbc.com

  • Statue of UK slave merchant replaced with Black Lives Matter protester

    The statue of a slave trader that was torn down and thrown into a river last month in Bristol, England, was replaced overnight by a sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protester with a fist raised to the sky.

    The new statue of Jen Reid, who helped pull down the statue of 17th-century slave merchant Edward Colston in June and was photographed in the same pose, was secretly installed by the team of artist Marc Quinn at dawn on Wednesday.

    A cardboard sign saying “Black lives still matter” was placed beneath the work, which the artist titled “A surge of power (Jen Reid) 2020.”

    Quinn and Reid, who collaborated on the work, have said the installation was intended to be temporary.

    Source: cbsnews.com

  • Coronavirus: Face masks mandatory for Uber passengers and drivers

    Ride-sharing giant Uber is to make it mandatory for passengers and drivers to wear face coverings from Monday in the UK.

    The minicab app firm said it was taking measures “to help everyone stay safe” and had introduced measures to give drivers access to protective equipment.

    Face coverings will become compulsory on public transport and in hospitals in England from Monday.

    It comes after a study suggested masks could cut Covid-19 spread by up to 40%.

    Uber drivers in London will have to submit a picture of themselves to verify they are following the new rules before they can begin working.

    Other measures include trialling in-car partitions in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, distributing more than two million masks to drivers and sending out 54,000 units of cleaning spray and hand sanitiser.

    Uber’s regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe, Jamie Heywood, said: “For months we’ve been urging people to stay home, for their safety and the safety of drivers who make essential trips.

    “Now, as cities begin to reopen and people start moving again, we’re taking measures to help everyone stay safe and healthy every time they use Uber.

    ” ‘Potentially useful tool’ Research on face coverings has been described as “slim” by many authorities, and for health professionals there’s always been the fear of a rush to snap up medical-grade masks.

    But studies in laboratories have shown not only how far droplets can be spread by coughs but also how various kinds of materials can dramatically reduce how many of those droplets do get through.

    A homemade mask will not do a great job of protecting you but may reduce the chances of you infecting others.

    And if enough people follow that advice, the risks of the infection spreading are brought down.

    There have been passionate disagreements over this within the world of science.

    And even advocates would agree that the public wearing masks will not defeat the virus on its own; but it’s a potentially useful extra tool as we come out of lockdown.

    From Monday, face coverings will be compulsory on public transport in England.

    Scotland already recommends wearing coverings in shops and on public transport.

    People in Wales are asked to wear three-layer face coverings on public transport and other situations where social distancing is not possible.

    Face coverings on public transport are also recommended in Northern Ireland.

    According to government figures, the average person in England made 10 taxi or private hire vehicle trips last year with an average duration of 20 minutes per trip.

    More than a third of all licensed vehicles in England are registered in London.

    Uber said its platform was used to complete 10 billion trips worldwide in 2018.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Outrage at UK story ‘justifying’ JK Rowling abuse

    Domestic abuse campaigners on Friday expressed outrage at a front-page story in Britain’s The Sun tabloid where the ex-husband of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling defended hitting her.

    Rowling revealed this week that she suffered domestic abuse in her first marriage and a “serious sexual assault” in her twenties.

    The Sun carried an interview on Friday with the British author’s first husband, Jorge Arantes, under the front-page headline: “I slapped JK and I’m not sorry.”

    It said that when asked about her comments, he said: “I slapped Joanne – but there was not sustained abuse. I’m not sorry for slapping her.”

    Jane Keeper, director of operations at domestic abuse charity Refuge, said the headline “is as irresponsible as it is disappointing”.

    “What this has done is give national media coverage to a perpetrator of domestic abuse to attempt to justify his actions,” she said.

    She said the headline was particularly “shocking” given the timing, with calls to Refuge’s abuse helpline increasing by 66 per cent during the coronavirus lockdown.

    “What sort of message does this front page send to survivors? That their abuser will be given national media headlines to justify their actions? That their abuse is legitimate? That it doesn’t matter?” she asked.

    Scottish Women’s Aid, a charity in Scotland where Rowling now lives, said the front page was “repulsive”.

    “Hundreds of thousands of women and children in Scotland who are living with, or have survived, the terror and trauma of domestic abuse just got a virtual slap by The Sun. For-profit,” it said.

    For decades, victims of abuse have chosen not to speak out because the community around them “would minimise their pain and betrayal and use their words against them”, it said.

    “Their abuser would use the platform to shame and blame them. And nothing would change. Today The Sun is that abuser,” it said.

    In a statement, The Sun said it was “disgusted” by the comments made by Rowling’s ex-husband and noted it had branded him “sick” in its coverage.

    “It was certainly not our intention to ‘enable’ or ‘glorify’ domestic abuse, our intention was to expose a perpetrator’s total lack of remorse. Our sympathies are always with the victims,” it said.

    Rowling revealed her abuse in a lengthy blog post in which she sought to explain her comments about transgender women, which have sparked controversy.

    She has emphasised the importance of biological sex and expressed concern about women-only spaces, but has been accused of being transphobic and faced intense abuse on social media.

    Source: france24.com

  • Schools delay in UK means ‘inequality will go up’

    Labour leader Keir Starmer has told BBC Radio London that the government’s proposal for pupils returning to school is “completely in tatters”.

    Starmer said ministers should have built a consensus and listened to the “common sense” concerns of headteachers. He accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of making an announcement about the reopening without consulting schools.

    Now, after the government abandoned plans for all primary schools to return before the summer break, Starmer says many children face a six-month absence from school, meaning “inequality will go up”.

    Taking questions from listeners, he said “we want to support the government where we can” but Labour does “have to challenge” it on issues such as the lack of protective equipment in care homes.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Holiday firm reverses coronavirus refund policy

    The UK’s Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), which oversees consumer protection laws, has chalked up a significant win for travellers whose holiday bookings have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The CMA stepped in following complaints about the company Vacation Rentals – which operates Hoseasons holiday parks and the short lets website Cottages.com. Customers said that the firm had failed to offer full refunds after bookings were cancelled.

    The company has now voluntarily changed its policy, but the CMA says it is continuing to investigate the actions of other holiday companies through its COVID-19 Taskforce.

    If you’d like to know more about your consumer rights during the pandemic, click here.

    Source: bbc.com

  • £2.5m musicians’ fund runs out of cash

    A £2.5m ($3.17m) fund set up to help musicians in the UK during the coronavirus crisis is set to run out of cash after just five days.

    More than 3,500 people have applied for financial assistance since Friday, says the charity Help Musicians UK.

    But with the fund reaching capacity, and live music a distant prospect, other applicants may be left stranded.

    “It’s a bigger, longer crisis than any of us could have thought possible,” said the charity’s chief executive, Jack Ainscough.

    Touring and gigging musicians have been particularly affected by the lockdown, as months of work simply vanished in mid-March.

    Many of them (up to 25%) are not covered by the government’s scheme to support freelancers, and have no other source of income.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK daily deaths drop to pre-lockdown level

    The UK has recorded its lowest daily rise in the number of Coronavirus deaths since before lockdown on 23 March, the latest government figures show.

    A further 55 people died after testing positive with the virus as of 17:00 BST on Sunday, taking the total to 40,597.

    This included no new deaths announced in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the second consecutive day.

    However, there tend to be fewer deaths reported on Mondays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend.

    The number of new UK cases on Monday – 1,205 – is also the lowest number since the start of lockdown.

    On the day lockdown began, 23 March, there was a rise of 74 deaths.

    The UK is only the second country – after the US – to pass the milestone of 40,000 deaths.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Scrap quarantine and start testing at UK airports – Labour

    People coming into the UK should be tested for coronavirus “within days” of their arrival, the leader of the Labour opposition party, Sir Keir Starmer, has said.

    From Monday, most people arriving in the country must quarantine for 14 days.

    Starmer said the new rule was a “blunt instrument” used too late, at a time when other countries were lifting travel restrictions.

    “I actually would much prefer to see some sort of testing regime at the airport” or “within days of [people] coming in”, he told LBC Radio.

    The quarantine has also provoked fierce criticism from the aviation and travel industries, with the boss of Ryanair labelling it ineffective and a “political stunt”.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the measures were designed “to prevent a second wave” of coronavirus.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK travel quarantine rules come into effect

    New rules requiring all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days have come into effect.

    Those arriving by plane, ferry or train – including UK nationals – will have to provide an address where they will self-isolate and face fines of up to £1,000 if they do not follow the rules.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel said the laws were designed “to prevent a second wave” of coronavirus.

    But some industries have warned they will be severely impacted by the rules.

    Anyone arriving from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man does not have to complete the form or enter quarantine.

    There are also exemptions for workers in some industries such as road haulage and medical professionals who are providing essential care.

    All other travellers have to fill in a “public health passenger locator” form on arrival. Failure to do so could lead to a penalty of £100, or travellers may be refused entry.

    If they are unable to provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller’s expense. There will also be checks to see whether the rules are being followed.

    The government has faced criticism from the aviation industry and some Tory MPs over the measures, but Ms Patel said the measures were “proportionate” and being implemented “at the right time”.

    “The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases being brought in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave,” Ms Patel said.

    Those arriving in England and Northern Ireland could face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to self-isolate for the full 14 days, while they face a £480 fine in Scotland. The maximum fine for repeat offenders in Scotland is £5,000. The enforcement rules in Wales are not clear.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK to change immigration rules for Hong Kong citizens if China passes law

    Britain will change its immigration rules and offer millions of people in Hong Kong “a route to citizenship” if China imposes new security laws, Boris Johnson has said.

    Writing in the Times, Mr Johnson said the UK would “have no choice” but to uphold its ties with the territory.

    China is facing mounting criticism over its planned law.

    Many people in Hong Kong fear it could end their unique freedoms, which the rest of China does not have.

    The UK is already in talks with allies including the US and Australia about what to do if China imposes the new law – which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority – and people start fleeing Hong Kong.

    In the Times on Wednesday, the prime minister confirmed that if China passes the law, people in Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports will be allowed to come to the UK for 12 months without a visa. Currently they are allowed to come for six months.

    Around 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently already have a BNO passport, but 2.6 million others are also eligible.

    Passport-holders would also be given further immigration rights, including the right to work.

    This “could place them on a route to citizenship,” Mr Johnson said.

    ‘Britain will not walk away’
    The prime minister added that the immigration changes “would amount to one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history”.

    “If it proves necessary, the British government will take this step and take it willingly.

    “Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life, which China pledged to uphold, is under threat.

    “If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative.”

    The last British governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten, said the offer of support from the UK government was “morally and politically right”.

    He accused China’s ruling Communist Party of employing “bullying” tactics, adding: “Sooner or later with a bully you have to stand up to them, otherwise you’ll get knocked about.”

    Asked whether the UK was entering a new Cold War with China, Lord Patten told the BBC’s World at One: “I think we’re entering a period of realism with China…

    “This is not us against China, it’s the way in which the Chinese Communist regime can’t stand us, and they’ve cracked down on Hong Kong because it represents all the things which [President] Xi Jinping dislikes.”

    Hong Kong is a former British colony. It was handed back to China in 1997.

    As part of an agreement signed at the time, it enjoys some freedoms not seen in mainland China – and these are set out in a mini-constitution called the Basic Law.

    BNO passports were granted to all Hong Kong citizens born before the Chinese handover in 1997 and while they allow the holder some protection from the UK foreign service they do not currently give the right to live or work in Britain.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ghanaian veteran reaches out to UK’s Capt Tom

    A 95-year-old World War Two veteran, Pte Joseph Hammond from Ghana, has sent a video message to fellow Burma veteran Capt Tom Moore, asking him to send a message to other veterans in Africa.

    In the message he said:

    “I fought in second world war in Burma, just like you, and I have been inspired by what you did in Britain to raise funds for the people.”

    The war veteran Capt Tom raised more than £32m ($30m) for NHS charities by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.

    Inspired by this, fellow war veteran Pte Joseph then walked two miles a day around Ghana’s capital Accra, for a week, finishing his challenge in Monday.

    He raised just over £21,000 for front-line workers and veterans in Africa.

    In the video message he said: “I would appreciate a note from you to share with my colleagues, the veterans in Africa.”

    He is one of thousands of Africans, then under colonial rule, who fought for Britain in World War Two.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK minister quits Johnson’s government over Cummings lockdown trip

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government was hit by its first resignation on Tuesday over the controversy surrounding top aide Dominic Cummings’ cross-country trip during the coronavirus lockdown.

    Undermining attempts by ministers to try and move on from the crisis which has dominated British politics for days, Douglas Ross, a minister for Scotland, quit in protest.

    “I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the government,” he said in a Twitter statement announcing his departure.

    “I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior advisor to the government was right.”

    He added that Cummings’ interpretation of government rules was “not shared by the vast majority of people”.

    The resignation will pile more pressure on Cummings, who held an extraordinary press conference Monday to justify driving his wife and young son on a 264-mile (425-kilometre) trip from London to Durham in the northeast of England during the height of the coronavirus crisis.

    Lack of credibility

    Not long after Ross quit, Harriet Baldwin joined a growing list of Conservative MPs calling on Cummings to resign.

    Tory party grandee Michael Heseltine told Sky News that “the lack of credibility” in Cummings’ version of events was “damaging the government”.

    Some members of the clergy have also called on him to stand down as well as opposition party members, who will meet later today regarding the crisis.

    Downing Street said it “regrets” the decision by Ross.

    The resignation came after a cabinet heavyweight defended Cummings and said the controversial aide did not break the law.

    Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said Cummings had acted reasonably in driving from London to Durham and then taking a separate journey to a local beauty spot, Barnard Castle, to — as he claimed — test his eyesight.

    “What’s clear is that he didn’t break the law, he didn’t break the rules, he sought to protect his family and he also sought to ensure that the risk of anyone in his family infecting anyone else was absolutely minimised,” Gove told the BBC on Tuesday.

    Cummings drove to his parents’ home in Durham after feeling ill because he and his wife, who was also feeling unwell, needed possible back-up childcare for their young son.

    Despite calls for him to resign, Cummings has so far resisted and instead defended his actions.

    He told reporters he had acted “reasonably and legally”. The prime minister called Cummings’ actions “plausible”.

    Also on Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics said the number of deaths in Britain “involving” the coronavirus had risen above 46,000, far higher than the 36,914 deaths officially confirmed in the government’s count.

    Source: france24.com

  • UK lockdown easing overshadowed by aide row

    Plans in the UK to ease the lockdown are being overshadowed by claims that an aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke the lockdown rules.

    In March, Dominic Cummings drove 260 miles from London so his parents could help with childcare – Cummings’ wife and later Cummings himself both had to self-isolate with virus symptoms.

    He also later drove around 30 miles from his temporary home in County Durham, apparently after his 14-day self-isolation.

    Boris Johnson has defended his top aide, insisting he acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”.

    The prime minister is this week expected to set out details of plans to lift restrictions. At a news conference on Sunday, he already confirmed the phased reopening of England’s primary schools will begin on 1 June.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Pressure grows on UK PM Johnson as aide faces more lockdown breach claims

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under increased pressure on Sunday to sack top aide Dominic Cummings who was facing allegations that he had breached coronavirus lockdown rules for a second time.

    The British government has so far rejected calls to sack Cummings over allegations he broke coronavirus lockdown rules by travelling across the country with his wife while she was suffering from symptoms of the disease, but even MPs from his own party were calling for him to leave on Sunday.

    Cummings was seen with his young son close to his parents’ home in Durham, northeastern England, more than 250 miles (400 kilometres) away from his London home on March 31, the day after he himself reported suffering symptoms.

    The Observer and Sunday Mirror reported that he had broken lockdown restrictions again and was seen in Durham a second time on April 19, days after he had returned to work in London following his first trip north, quoting anonymous witnesses.

    Cummings strenuously denies the claims and Downing Street said late Saturday said it “would not waste time” responding to “campaigning newspapers”.

    A named witness told the papers Cummings was also spotted in the town of Barnard Castle, 30 kilometres from Durham, on April 12.

    ‘Intolerable’

    Cummings has been a highly divisive figure in British politics since masterminding the successful 2016 Brexit campaign alongside Johnson, who brought him in as his top adviser after coming to power last year.

    Under lockdown rules brought in on March 23, anyone with symptoms must self-isolate in their own homes. And people aged over 70 – as Cummings’ parents are – are not allowed to receive visitors.

    Cabinet ministers had defended his actions, with foreign minister Dominic Raab tweeting that “two parents with coronavirus, were anxiously taking care of their young child.

    “Those now seeking to politicise it should take a long hard look in the mirror,” he added.

    However, Tory MP Steve Baker, a staunch Brexiteer but critic of Cummings, demanded that he be sacked.

    “Enormous political capital is being expended saving someone who has boasted of making decisions beyond his competence and who clearly broke at the very least the guidance which kept mums and dads at home,” he wrote in The Critic.

    “It is intolerable that Boris, Boris’s government and Boris’s programme should be harmed in this way.”

    His criticism was retweeted by fellow Tory MP William Wragg.

    An unnamed minister earlier told the Daily Telegraph: “He’s going to have to go. It’s just arrogance”, but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sunday Cummings would not be resigning.

    Labour shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the BBC that the claims were “extraordinarily serious” and that Downing Street’s denials created “more questions than answers”.

    Police row

    A spokesman for the prime minister said Saturday that Cummings had acted “in line with coronavirus guidelines.

    “Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for” by family, the spokesman said Saturday.

    Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries suggested there was some room for manoeuvre if both parents were ill, saying “all guidance has a common sense element to it, which includes safeguarding around adults or children”.

    Cummings also denied reports in The Guardian newspaper that police had spoken directly to him or his family about a tip off they received on March 31 that he was in Durham.

    The force insists they spoke to Cummings’s father on the telephone, but Shapps said on Sunday that it was the family who had initiated the contact to talk about security arrangements.

    Cummings on Saturday told a throng of reporters while leaving his house that it was “a question of doing the right thing, it’s not about what you guys think”, while rebuking the group for not obeying social distancing rules.

    Downing Street revealed at the end of March that Cummings was self-isolating with virus symptoms. Johnson was also infected and ended up in intensive care.

    Source: france24.com

  • Coronavirus: Toy and vegetable costs rise as fuel price drops

    The UK’s inflation rate fell in April to its lowest since August 2016 as the economic fallout of the first month of the lockdown hit prices.

    The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 0.8% from 1.5% in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

    Falling petrol and diesel prices, plus lower energy bills, were the main drivers pushing inflation lower.

    But the prices of games and toys rose, which the ONS said may be due to people spending more time at home.

    However, there were 92 items in the ONS’s basket of goods and services that it could not measure in April because they were mostly unavailable. These ranged from haircut prices, lemonade, manicures, cinema popcorn, and leisure activities involving sport.

    The ONS said it would monitor the issue for any distortion in the overall picture. But Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the ONS, said: “While the coronavirus limited the availability of some goods and services, its effect on prices was more muted.”

    He said that food prices generally rose no more quickly than other goods and services, “though fresh vegetables did see stronger rises”.

    The ONS said average petrol prices dropped by 10.4p a litre between March and April – the biggest fall since unleaded petrol records began in 1990 – amid a slump in global oil prices.

    Energy prices also pushed inflation lower as regulator Ofgem reduced its default tariff cap.

    The ONS said clothes retailers, hit during the early days of the lockdown by weaker footfall and then the closure of outlets, resorted to more discount sales than usual to try to shift their stock.

    Goods seeing upward pressure on prices included video games and consoles, board games and children’s toys, the ONS said. And the price of knitting wool rose, another sign of the crafts and hobbies popular with people staying at home.

    Long-life products – such as cook-in sauces and frozen fish – also saw price hikes last month as consumers stocked up for life in lockdown.

    Laura Suter, personal finance analyst at investment platform AJ Bell, said it was likely that as shops start re-opening retailers would deeply discount prices, putting further downward pressure on inflation.

    She also pointed to positive news for savers. “For the first time in ages [savers] can now get above inflation interest rates on easy-access savings accounts – from more than one account.”

    Low inflation not always good

    CPI is now far below the Bank of England’s 2% target, used as general guidance to help businesses set the right prices and for people to plan their spending.

    But while low inflation reduces the need for rises in interest rates and gives people a feeling the pound in their pocket stretches further, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

    Low inflation minimises the erosion of debt over the years.

    People (and governments) with borrowing, such as mortgages, don’t see the benefit. That big loan you have doesn’t look so big if wages are keeping up with inflation. So-called deflation actually increases the value the debts.

    But low inflation discourages employers from raising pay (which hits the Treasury’s tax take) and may even encourage them to cut pay in troubled times.

    And if prices are falling, consumers can put off big ticket purchases in the hope the fall will continue – and this slows economic growth.

    Savers are also penalised. Low inflation generally means lower official interest rates – and that means banks and building societies keep their savings rates down.

    It’s why, when inflation remains one percentage point below 2%, the governor of the Bank of England writes to the chancellor to explain how the price index can be brought back on target. There’s a good reason a little inflation is good for the economy.

    Most economists had expected April’s inflation to fall to 0.9%, and have predicted the rate will fall further as the economic fallout of the pandemic continues.

    Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said inflation had taken a “big leap towards zero by the summer” as he said retailers were planning “further large price cuts”.

    He predicted inflation would recover next year but was likely to remain below 2% for much of 2021.

    “The inflation outlook, then, supports the [Bank of England’s] Monetary Policy Committee doing more to stimulate the economy at its next meeting in mid-June – we look for a further £100bn of quantitative easing to be announced,” he added.

    Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, held broadly steady at an annual rate of 1.5%.

    Inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) – an older measure of inflation which the ONS says is inaccurate, but is widely used in bond markets and for other commercial contracts – dropped to 1.5% from 2.6%.

    Source: bbc.com

  • J&J to sell baby powder in UK despite stopping US sales

    Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson says it will continue to sell its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the UK and the rest of the world, despite stopping sales in the US and Canada.

    It said North American sales had shrunk partly because of a “constant barrage” of advertising by lawyers seeking clients to claim against the company.

    J&J has been at the centre of claims for years that its talc causes cancer.

    It has always strenuously defended the product’s safety.

    Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay out billions of dollars in compensation, but has so far always successfully appealed against these verdicts.

    Almost 20,000 people in the US have so far lodged claims against the company.

    Talc is mined from the earth and is found in seams close to that of asbestos, a material known to cause cancer.

    The company said in a statement: “Johnson & Johnson remains steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder.”

    It said “decades” of study by medical and legal experts around the world supported its view, and all verdicts against the company that had gone against it had been overturned on appeal.

    Dampened demand

    It will continue to sell its talc-based products in the US and Canada until stocks have sold out.

    It also sells a cornstarch-based powder which it will continue to sell in North America.

    It said both types of Johnson’s baby powder, talc-based and cornstarch-based, will continue to be sold in other markets around the world where there is “significantly higher” consumer demand for the product.

    The firm said changes in consumer behaviour had also dampened demand for the powder.

    The firm added that the move was also part of a reassessment of its consumer products prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

    It said in October that its testing had found no asbestos in its baby powder after tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration discovered trace amounts.

    The firm is appealing against a 2018 order to pay $4.7bn (£3.6bn) in damages to 22 women who alleged that its talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ghana U-20 defender Nathaniel Adjei signs new deal with UK football agency Base

    Black Satellites (U-20) center back Nathaniel Adjei has signed a new deal with UK firm, Base Soccer Agency to represent and manage his football career.

    The Danbort FC defender, who plays in the Ghana Division one League, chose to sign on with the United Kingdom-based football agency to secure a move abroad.

    His decision to sign with the global agency confirms the player’s intention to play in Europe.

    Base’ clients include for Swansea City and Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew, Kyle Walker of Man City and England, and other top professional footballers across the world.

    The former Ghana U-17 vice captain and current U-20 defender, whose career development will now be managed by Base, is also wanted by top European clubs including Napoli, PSG and Genk to reinforce their defence.

    He was named the 5th best young player in the Scoutsourced Top 60 value players ranking in 2018/19 season.

    Adjei, 17, was described as “a stoic Center Back, completely commanding on the ground and in the air”.

    “Stays on his feet and seems determined to distribute with simplicity, but also able to look long with touch.Be very surprised if he does not get a move soon, as he could already do a job for a Ligue 2 side at 16,” according to Scoutsourced.

    This signing is the first in the initiative involving Mr Ibrahim Sannie of Ghana based AM-I sporting agency and Mr Marcos Serioux of Base Soccer Agency. The collaboration is expected to open the market for the next generation of young Ghanaian footballers for opportunities abroad.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • UK contact tracing will be in place by 1 June, PM says

    At Prime Minister’s Questions today, Boris Johnson promised the UK would have in place a “world-beating” system to test and trace people who may have been exposed to coronavirus.

    He said 24,000 out of 25,000 contact tracers had already been recruited, referring to teams of people who identify who has been in contact with a person who contracted coronavirus, to notify them so they don’t infect others.

    But Mr Johnson did not mention the contact-tracing mobile phone app trialled on the Isle of Wight, which uses Bluetooth to detect and record other app users and notifies you if you’ve been near someone who later develops symptoms.

    BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle says that what launches on 1 June will effectively be a prototype track-and-trace system, not a fully functioning one. While contact tracers will be available, the app may not be ready on day one, he adds.

    Source: bbc.com

  • All over-fives in UK now eligible for virus test

    Everyone over age of five in the UK with symptoms can now be tested for coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

    He was speaking in Parliament after the loss of taste or smell was added to the list of Covid-19 symptoms, alongside a fever and a new persistent cough.

    Mr Hancock said the government was “expanding eligibility for testing further than ever before”, and 100,678 tests had been conducted on Sunday.

    This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Brexit: UK warns ‘very little progress’ made in EU trade talks

    Very little progress” has been made in the latest round of UK-EU trade talks, the UK government has said.

    The UK’s negotiator David Frost said a far-reaching free trade agreement could be agreed before the end of the year “without major difficulties”.

    But it was being held up by the EU’s desire to “bind” the UK to its laws and seek unfair access to fishing waters.

    The EU’s Michel Barnier suggested the UK’s own demands were “not realistic” and warned of a looming stalemate.

    Speaking in Brussels, the bloc’s chief negotiator said: “no progress had been made on the most difficult issues”.

    Asked by the BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler what the chances were of an agreement. Mr Barnier said he was “still determined but not optimistic”.

    The EU, he added, would not accept a deal “at any price” and it was stepping up preparations for a no-deal outcome, in which the two sides would trade with each other under World Trade Organisation rules.

    Insisting the EU would not negotiate “in haste”, he said the UK must consider whether it was feasible to strike a deal before the end of 2020, when the current 11-month transition period is due to end.

    The UK has said it will not extend the process beyond 31 December, despite coming under growing pressure at home to allow more time for a deal due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The two sides have been discussing their future economic and security partnership following the UK’s withdrawal from the 27-member bloc on 31 January.

    In a statement, Mr Frost said there was a “good understanding” between the negotiators but that little or no progress had been on the most “significant outstanding issues”.

    The dancing’s over

    Former EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker used to describe Brexit talks as being like a “dance” and regularly rolled out the stock phrase that “it takes two to tango”.

    There’s no dancing anymore. Today Michel Barnier made clear he’d rejected any such romantic terms for these trade negotiations, telling reporters it was neither “a dance nor a tango or any other kind of dance”.

    He said the teams weren’t “even in the same room” and this wasn’t nearly as effective as getting together around a table.

    The hours of screen time have led to an impasse, with both sides now urging the other to change strategy, and to understand the other’s position more clearly.

    I spoke to Spanish and French diplomats in Brussels. “Quelle surprise” was the view. They believe both sides will “continue to play tough and offer little ground” and that genuine compromise may come in a month, for the fourth and final scheduled round before the summer.

    But few officials here are following the twists and turns with the dedication of the past. The urgency of dealing with the pandemic has reduced the attention to Brexit.

    He said the EU was insisting upon a “set of novel and unbalanced proposals” in relation to competition issues that went well beyond other comparable trade agreements struck with other major economies.

    The UK, he said, would not agree to “a so-called level playing field which would bind this country to EU law or standards, or determine our domestic legal regimes”.

    A level-playing field is a term for a set of common rules and standards that prevent businesses in one country undercutting their rivals and gaining a competitive advantage over those operating in other countries.

    The EU, Mr Frost added, was seeking continued access to UK fishing waters after the transition period “in a way that is incompatible with our future status as an independent coastal state”.

    “It is hard to understand why the EU insists on an ideological approach which makes it more difficult to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” he said.

    “We very much need a change in EU approach for the next round beginning on 1 June.

    “The UK will continue to work hard to find an agreement, for as long as there is a constructive process in being, and continues to believe that this is possible.”

    Open and fair’

    Mr Frost said the UK would make public all its draft legal texts next week so EU member states and interested observers “can see our approach in detail”.

    In his update, Mr Barnier said the EU’s aim was a “modern, forward-looking” agreement which would avoid any tariffs or quotas on trade.

    But he said it was not prepared to “copy and paste” aspects of existing agreements with Canada, Japan and South Korea or do sector-by-sector deals “rooted in past precedents”.

    Tariff-free access to the EU’s single market had to be accompanied by obligations, he added, and the UK could not “pick and choose” which of these it adhered to.

    “You cannot have the best of both worlds,” he said. “Open and fair competition is not a nice to have. It is a must-have.”

    A “new dynamism” would be needed in the next round of talks to deliver “tangible progress”, he added.

    Mr Barnier said he would listen to concerns the UK had about the treatment of British expats on the continent as part of the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement governing the terms of the UK’s exit.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Children affected by rare inflammatory reaction

    Scores of UK and US children have been affected by a rare inflammatory disease linked to coronavirus.

    A number of children have also been diagnosed with the disease – which can cause symptoms similar to toxic shock syndrome – elsewhere in Europe.

    Up to 100 UK children have been affected. Some have needed intensive care while others recovered quickly.

    In April, NHS doctors were told to look out for a rare but dangerous reaction in children.

    This was prompted by eight children becoming ill in London, including a 14-year-old who died.

    Doctors said all eight children had similar symptoms when they were admitted to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, including a high fever, rash, red eyes, swelling and general pain.

    Most of the children had no major lung or breathing problems, although seven were put on a ventilator to help improve heart and circulation issues.

    Doctors are describing it as a “new phenomenon” similar to Kawasaki disease shock syndrome – a rare condition that mainly affects children under the age of five. Symptoms include a rash, swollen glands in the neck and dry and cracked lips.

    But this new syndrome is also affecting older children up to the age of 16, with a minority experiencing serious complications.

    Coronavirus: ‘My son had symptoms of rare syndrome’

    Dr Liz Whittaker, clinical lecturer in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology, at Imperial College London, said the fact that the syndrome was occurring in the middle of a pandemic, suggests the two are linked.

    “You’ve got the Covid-19 peak, and then three or four weeks later we’re seeing a peak in this new phenomenon which makes us think that it’s a post-infectious phenomenon,” she said.

    This means it is likely to be something related to the build-up of antibodies after infection.

    ‘Exceptionally rare’

    Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the majority of children who have had the condition have responded to treatment and are getting better and starting to go home.

    The syndrome is “exceptionally rare”, he said.

    “This shouldn’t stop parents letting their children exit lockdown,” Prof Viner added.

    He said understanding more about the inflammatory disease “might explain why some children become very ill with Covid-19, while the majority are unaffected or asymptomatic”.

    Children are thought to make up just 1-2% of all cases of coronavirus infection, accounting for less than 500 admissions to hospital.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: How many people have died in the UK?

    The number of people who have died because of Covid-19 is nearly twice as high as the figure we hear announced every day.

    By 1 May, the number of coronavirus deaths announced by the UK government was just over 28,000.

    Looking back at death registrations filed then, the figure is higher: just under 36,000 death certificates mentioned Covid-19.

    The measure preferred by statisticians, counting all deaths above what would be expected, was even higher: more than 50,000.

    Each measure answers different questions.

    Why should I not rely on the government’s daily figure? Every day the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) reports on the number of coronavirus deaths that have been reported to it across the UK.

    This is the figure read out at the daily press conference, and the figure used on most international comparison sites.

    But it only includes deaths of people who test positive for coronavirus.

    That is fine for scientists who want to monitor patterns in the growth of the epidemic precisely: the rate of increase and time spent at the peak are useful measures, says Prof Sylvia Richardson, who is president-elect of the Royal Statistical Society and based at the University of Cambridge.

    But it’s a poor measure of the overall death toll because it misses people who never had a test.

    When testing was largely limited to hospitals in the UK, those daily figures were missing most deaths in the community.

    On top of this, different countries use different definitions.

    For example, England excluded deaths outside hospitals from its daily count until a few weeks ago. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland didn’t.

    And Belgium includes suspected cases of coronavirus in its daily count, which makes their figures look unusually high compared to other countries.

    That makes it hard to do precise like-for-like comparisons between countries, and scientists warn against reading too much into small absolute differences in these daily statistics.

    When every country counts things differently, statisticians turn to a different measure – with a simpler definition.

    Looking at all deaths If you look at all deaths in a country, irrespective of cause, you will capture the deaths missed by lab testing, the misdiagnosed deaths and the deaths caused by the strain the virus puts on our society.

    Of course, you’ll capture the heart attacks and car accidents that might have happened anyway.

    But the total number of deaths registered in a week normally follows a predictable pattern.

    It has shot up since the end of March, running far higher than the previous weeks or what would be expected at this time of year. That number has fallen in recent weeks but we’re still seeing more deaths than would be expected at this time of year.

    And it’s these extra or “excess” deaths, the difference between the number we normally see and what we’re seeing at the moment, that statisticians use to capture the true toll of the coronavirus.

    What does it tell us?

    Adding the weekly excess up over the weeks of the epidemic and it comes to just over 50,000 by 1 May, higher than either the number of death registrations that mention Covid-19 or the UK government’s daily count.

    About three-quarters of this excess can be accounted for by deaths that mention Covid-19 on the death certificate – that total was just over 36,000.

    But there are still nearly 14,000 deaths, itself a significant spike, that could be undiagnosed deaths caused directly by the coronavirus or those caused by it indirectly.

    That gives a clearer picture of the total cost of the virus.

    It can also be a better measure for comparing countries because it doesn’t depend on which deaths get counted.

    Making comparisons But it still “needs to be put into perspective” says Prof Richardson.

    The UK releases deaths data every week, but that’s not the case for all countries.

    Some publish data daily, some monthly or quarterly, making it difficult to compare from a similar starting point.

    The things that make coronavirus dangerous also differ between countries.

    You would expect to see more excess deaths in Italy, where the average age is 47, than in Ireland, where it’s 40.

    That’s all before you get to the actions that governments take to address the virus: how quickly and how hard they lockdown or how effectively they test and track and quarantine cases of the virus and how the health system copes.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Premier League cleared to resume on June 1 after UK government publish 50-page post-lockdown plans

    The government have published a 50-page document for lifting the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in England which could see the Premier League restart on June 1.

    A guide for exiting the lockdown was released on Monday afternoon, with social distancing measures to remain in place as various activities are resumed across the country.

    Step two of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” clears the way for the current football season get back underway next month, with all remaining fixtures set to be played behind closed doors until public safety can be guaranteed.

    The new document has been titled ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy’, and the lifting of restrictions is conditional upon the continued adherence to protocols which have been put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

    Whether or not supporters will be able to attend matches before the end of the campaign remains unclear, as step three proposes a reopening of venues such as cinemas and hairdressers in July.

    However it also includes the following warning: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.

    “Nevertheless, the Government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows.

    “In order to facilitate the fastest possible reopening of these types of higher-risk businesses and public places, the Government will carefully phase and pilot reopenings to test their ability to adopt the new Covid-19 secure guidelines.

    “The Government will also monitor carefully the effects of reopening other similar establishments elsewhere in the world, as this happens.

    “The Government will establish a series of task forces to work closely with stakeholders in these sectors to develop ways in which they can make these businesses and public places Covid-19 secure.”

    The document continues by stating that fans being granted access to stadiums over the summer “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.

    Some Premier League clubs have already voiced their concerns over ‘Project Restart’, with Aston Villa, Watford and Brighton anxious over the prospect of home advantage being taken out of the equation.

    A number of players have also publicly expressed doubts over returning to the pitch, including Manchester City star Sergio Aguero and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, amid the continued rise of coronavirus cases in England.

    Three Brighton players have been placed in self-isolation over the last week after testing positive for the illness, with Spain and Germany having similar issues as they attempt to reopen doors in La Liga and the Bundesliga.

    Source: goal.com

  • Brexit: UK-EU trade talks resume ahead of June summit

    Talks between the UK and EU over a post-Brexit trade deal will enter their third round later, ahead of a decisive summit next month.

    Both sides are due to decide by the end of June whether the current deadline for negotiating an agreement should be extended beyond the end of December.

    The UK has said it will not agree to an extension, even if the EU requests one.

    The latest round of talks, to be held via video link, will end on Friday.

    After the latest round in April, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said progress had been disappointing, whilst the UK said only “limited progress” had been made.

    There are differences between the two sides on fisheries, competition rules, police co-operation, and how a deal would be enforced.

    BBC Europe Editor Katya Adler said the EU accuses the UK of concentrating on its priorities whilst going slow on issues more important to the 27-member bloc.

    She added that the UK wants to first settle a core trade deal alongside deals on aviation and energy, whilst the EU is keen to focus on fishing quotas and competition rules.

    She added that although the UK has ruled out extending the talks, leaving tricky areas to the autumn could be risky if coronavirus infections peak again.

    Negotiations have been held using video-conferencing technology since last month after face-to-face meetings were cancelled due to the pandemic.

    The UK has rejected the suggestion it is not engaging in all negotiating areas, accusing the EU of making demands not required of its other trade partners.

    Transition extension calls The UK is currently in a transition period under which it must follow most EU regulations, following its legal withdrawal from the bloc on 31 January.

    Both sides exchanged legal text on a future trade deal in March. After the negotiations this week, a fourth round of talks is scheduled to begin on 1 June.

    Under the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU, both sides currently have until 31 December to ratify a trade deal and rules for future co-operation.

    An extension to the December deadline should be made by the UK-EU “joint committee” overseeing the agreement by 1 July.

    Opposition parties including the Liberal Democrats and the SNP have both called on the UK government to extend the transition period beyond December.

    Shortly after becoming Labour leader last month, Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should prolong talks beyond December if “necessary to do so”.

    He added that the December deadline was “going to be very, very tight,” and he thought it “unlikely” the government would finish talks in time.

    But the government insists it is committed to agreeing a deal by December 2020, and an extension would simply prolong disruption for businesses.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ty: UK rapper dies aged 47 after contracting coronavirus

    The Nigerian-British musician died on Thursday after contracting pneumonia while recovering from coronavirus.

    Ty was known for a witty, mature style that owed more to the old-school US rappers than the grittier street sounds of London.

    In 2004, Ty’s second album, Upwards, was nominated for the Mercury Prize alongside Amy Winehouse, The Streets and eventual winners Franz Ferdinand.

    Ty contracted coronavirus earlier this year, and a fundraising page set up in April said he had been “put in a medically induced coma to temporarily sedate to help his body receive the appropriate treatment”.

    He later left intensive care after his condition seemingly improved – but on Thursday, his press team confirmed he had died.

    Writing on the fundraising page, Ty’s friend Diane Laidlaw confirmed he had contracted pneumonia while recovering from coronavirus.

    “Ty’s condition had been improving but last week while on a normal ward he had contracted pneumonia which worsened his recovery and ultimately Ty’s body couldn’t fight back anymore,” she wrote.

    His death was mourned by stars including Ghetts and Roots Manuva.

    DJ Charlie Sloth called him “a friend, a role model and a true foundation to UK rap”.

    “This brother here was truly a good person. Sad to see you ascend from this realm so soon,” wrote Posdnuous, from US rap trio De La Soul, who appeared on Ty’s third album, Closer, in 2006.

    Skip Youtube post by Big Dada

    Warning: Third party content may contain adverts Report End of Youtube post by Big Dada Born Ben Chijioke in London in 1972, he grew up with his sister in a strict household where he was expected to become a doctor or a lawyer.

    But he fell in love with hip-hop and decided to pursue a career as an MC.

    “They didn’t take to it very well at all,” he told the Independent in 2008. “I knew that it was going to happen, but I just continued to do what I did – they just made me do it in secret.”

    After finding a job as a sound engineer, he started recording in the mid-90s, appearing on tracks produced by IG Culture’s New Sector Movement and DJ Pogo, as well as hosting a hip-hop night called Lyrical Lounge.

    He released his debut album Awkward in 2001, but it was Upwards – with its mixture of Afro-funk, Jamaican dub, Latin shuffles and dextrous wordplay – that brought him to mainstream attention.

    The album showcased his relaxed, storytelling style, whether he was talking about relationship problems on Wait A Minute or the more serious dilemma of gun crime on Rain.

    He went on to record three further solo albums, the most recent being A Work of Heart in 2018 and collaborated with dozens of artists from afro-beat drummer Tony Allen to Soweto Kinch and US hip-hop outfit Arrested Development.

    Rapper Ghetts was among the rappers paying tribute, writing on Instagram: “RIP TY. This one’s deep I had a lot of respect for.

    He added that Ty was “one of the first from the older generation to embrace me and show me, love”.

    Roots Manuva simply wrote: “Rest my Brother. You did good”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK lab publishes landmark genetic study on coronavirus

    A UK-based genetics lab on Wednesday announced that it had made important progress in understanding the novel coronavirus, thus helping find clues as to how to develop drugs and vaccines.

    In a study, researchers at the University College London’s (UCL) Genetics Institute analyzed genomes from the COVID-19 virus in over 7,500 people and identified almost 200 recurrent mutations.

    They found that a large part of virus’s global genetic diversity was found in the hardest-hit countries, adding that this suggested it was already being transmitted widely across the world from late 2019, and was in human circulation long before it was first detected.

    The 198 recurring discovered mutations offered clues as to how the virus was adapting, they said.

    Institute Director Francois Balloux, who co-led the study, said: “All viruses naturally mutate. Mutations in themselves are not a bad thing and there is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is mutating faster or slower than expected. So far, we cannot say whether SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more or less lethal and contagious.”

    “A major challenge to defeating viruses is that a vaccine or drug might no longer be effective if the virus has mutated. If we focus our efforts on parts of the virus that are less likely to mutate, we have a better chance of developing drugs that will be effective in the long run,” Balloux said. “We need to develop drugs and vaccines that cannot be easily evaded by the virus.”

    The researchers said that as for the UK, the virus seemed to have entered the country a number of times independently, rather than through a single patient zero case.

    Co-lead author Dr. Lucy van Dorp, also at the institute, said that being able to analyze “such an extraordinary number of virus genomes within the first few months of the pandemic could be invaluable to drug development efforts and showcases how far genomic research has come even within the last decade.”

    The study was carried out by researchers at the UCL Faculties of Life Sciences and Medical Sciences, along with colleges in the UK and abroad.

    British authorities announced on Wednesday that the total number of UK-wide deaths from coronavirus was 30,076, an increase of 649 in 24 hours.

    COVID-19 cases have been reported in 187 countries and regions since it emerged in China last December, with the US and Europe now the hardest-hit areas.

    The pandemic has killed more than 260,000 worldwide, with total infections over 3.72 million, while recoveries surpassed 1.22 million, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

    Source: aa.com.tr

  • UK economy ‘already in sharp recession’

    The Bank of England anticipates the UK economy is already in a sharp recession, having contracted by a significant 3% in the first three months of the year and then an unprecedented 25% in the current quarter ending in June, in its scenario published on Thursday.

    In its Monetary Policy Report, the most significant and thorough look at the economy since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the unemployment rate is expected to double to around 9%. The economic scenario is built on assumptions that the lockdown in the UK and the rest of the world is gradually lifted from early next month over a period of four months.

    While there should be a bounce back in growth later this year, the Bank’s “illustrative scenario” anticipates that this will largely come next year, with the economy this year suffering a record fall of 14%, and then growing by 15% next year.

    The Bank warns that this is not a typical forecast and that “many other scenarios are plausible”. But these numbers provide the sharpest analysis yet of the economic challenge of the virus and its pandemic.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK car sales plunge to lowest level since 1946

    New car registrations almost ground to a halt in April after coronavirus lockdown measures were introduced, the motor industry has said.

    Figures from industry body the SMMT show only 4,321 cars were registered, the lowest monthly level since 1946.

    April’s figure marked a 97% plunge in sales from the same month last year.

    The closure of car dealerships as part of measures to try to combat the disease has hit consumer registrations.

    The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that of the registrations made last month, 70% were by companies buying for their fleets. The cars would most likely have been on order before the lockdown, said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.

    “If you are told to close all your car showrooms for the entirety of April it’s no surprise sales are almost non-existent,” he told the BBC.

    Many of the 4,000 cars sold last month were needed to support key workers and for those who had a pressing need for them, an SMMT spokesman said.

    Those cars would not have been bought from dealerships, but instead, for example, from wholesalers, or directly from manufacturers.

    The 4,000 figure for April compares to 161,064 new cars that were registered in same month last year.

    The industry body said it now expects 1.68 million new car registrations in 2020 compared with 2.3 million in 2019.

    Staff at some UK car manufacturers began returning to work this week, although the start of full production is a long way off, Mr Hawes said. The supply chain is also starting to re-open.

    “Manufacturers are trying to figure out how to start operations in a safe environment,” he said. “But it will be slow and production will be ramped up very slowly.”

    The coronavirus crisis has come at what was already a difficult time for the motor industry, which had been struggling with falling sales and a collapse in demand for diesel vehicles, while struggling to meet tough new emissions targets.

    The figures are certainly dramatic, expected to be the lowest sales since February 1946.

    But since virtually the entire motor industry ground to a halt when the lockdown was introduced, they are not entirely unexpected.

    What matters now is what happens when the restrictions are eased and customers are allowed back into the showrooms.

    You would expect there to be some pent-up demand – after all, dealerships began to close in mid-March, traditionally one of the strongest months of the year for new car sales.

    However, since then harsh economic realities have come into play. Huge swathes of the workforce have been furloughed, and the signs are the country is heading into a deep recession.

    Under those circumstances, with so much uncertainty and so many jobs at risk, how many people will really be willing to buy a new car?

    We can expect a wave of incentive programmes – and quite possibly a wave of new scrappage schemes – as car companies start fighting tooth and nail for every single sale.

    The coronavirus outbreak also halted car production.

    All of the UK’s major car factories suspended work in March, and it is not yet clear when they will reopen.

    Ian Plummer, commercial director at online marketplace Auto Trader, said: “With retailers forced to close the doors to their physical forecourts, it’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see just how dramatic an impact it’s had on the new car market.

    “Some brands have been able to sell remotely, but uncertainty in the government’s guidelines or a lack of the required infrastructure to operate home delivery in a safe way, has limited it to all but a handful of retailers.”

    However, he said Auto Trader data indicated that the market had been paused, rather than stopped.

    He added that there would be a chance “for the industry to accelerate the adoption of low emission vehicles” when restrictions lift.

    “However, it’ll be essential for manufacturers to push more electric vehicles into their UK networks along with greater financial incentives,” such as scrappage schemes, he said.

     

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus mutations: Scientists puzzle over impact

    Researchers in the US and UK have identified hundreds of mutations to the virus which causes the disease Covid-19.

    But none has yet established what this will mean for virus spread in the population and for how effective a vaccine might be.

    Viruses mutate – it’s what they do.

    The question is: which of these mutations actually do anything to change the severity of infectiousness of the disease?

    Preliminary research from the US has suggested one particular mutation – D614G – is becoming dominant and could make the disease more infectious.

    It hasn’t yet been reviewed by other scientists and formally published.

    The researchers, from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, have been tracking changes to the “spike” of the virus that gives it its distinctive shape, using a database called the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID).

    They noted there seems to be something about this particular mutation that makes it grow more quickly – but the consequences of this are not yet clear.

    The research team analysed UK data from coronavirus patients in Sheffield. Although they found people with that particular mutation of the virus seemed to have a larger amount of the virus in their samples, they didn’t find evidence that those people became sicker or stayed in hospital for longer.

    ‘Mutations not a bad thing’ Another study from University College London (UCL) identified 198 recurring mutations to the virus.

    One of its authors, Professor Francois Balloux, said: “Mutations in themselves are not a bad thing and there is nothing to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is mutating faster or slower than expected.

    “So far, we cannot say whether SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more or less lethal and contagious.”

    A study from the University of Glasgow, which also analysed mutations, said these changes did not amount to different strains of the virus. They concluded that only one type of the virus is currently circulating.

    Monitoring small changes to the structure of the virus is important in understanding the development of vaccines.

    Take the ‘flu virus: it mutates so fast that the vaccine has to be adjusted every year to deal with the specific strain in circulation.

    Drug development

    Many of the Covid-19 vaccines currently in development target the distinctive spikes of the virus – the idea is that getting your body to recognize a unique element of the spike will help it to fight off the whole virus. But if that spike is changing, a vaccine developed this way could become less effective.

    At the moment this is all theoretical. Scientists don’t yet have enough information to say what changes to the virus’s genome will mean.

    Dr Lucy van Dorp, UCL study co-author, said being able to analyze a large number of virus genomes could be “invaluable to drug development efforts”.

    However, she told the BBC: “I love genomes, but there is only so much they can say.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK scientist behind lockdown quits after breaking rules

    A top scientist who advised British leaders on coronavirus lockdown measures said on Tuesday he had resigned from a key government panel after admitting to breaking the country’s rules on social distancing.

    Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist on the advisory team helping the UK coordinate its pandemic response, stepped down following media reports that he had allowed a woman to visit him at home.

    “I accept I made an error of judgement and took the wrong course of action,” he said.

    “I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic.”

    The scientist said he had “stepped back” from his role on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. A government spokesman confirmed his resignation.

    Britain, the world’s second worst-hit country after the US with more than 32,000 coronavirus deaths, imposed strict stay-at-home orders in late March.

    The government had ramped up its response to the crisis after research by Ferguson and his colleagues at Imperial College London warned that Covid-19 infections and deaths would spiral without drastic action.

    Ferguson’s resignation came after the Daily Telegraph reported that a woman, said to be his “lover”, came to his home in London on two occasions during the lockdown.

    “I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus, and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms,” the professor said.

    He added: “The government guidance is unequivocal, and is there to protect all of us.”

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalised by the disease and has now recovered, ordered the initial three-week lockdown on March 23.

    Under the measures, “non-essential” shops and services were shut while residents were told not to go out except for exercise and to buy essential items. Police were given powers to fine those flouting the rules.

    The lockdown was extended for another three weeks in mid-April, but Johnson is soon expected to set out his plan to lift the stringent rules, according to media reports.

    Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

  • UK car sales plunge to lowest level since 1946

    New car registrations almost ground to a halt in April after coronavirus lockdown measures were introduced, the motor industry has said.

    Figures from industry body the SMMT show only 4,321 cars were registered, the lowest monthly level since 1946.

    April’s figure marked a 97% plunge in sales from the same month last year.

    The closure of car dealerships as part of measures to try to combat the disease has hit consumer registrations.

    The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that of the registrations made last month, 70% were by companies buying for their fleets. The cars would most likely have been on order before the lockdown, said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.

    “If you are told to close all your car showrooms for the entirety of April it’s no surprise sales are almost non-existent,” he told the BBC.

    Many of the 4,000 cars sold last month were needed to support key workers and for those who had a pressing need for them, an SMMT spokesman said.

    Those cars would not have been bought from dealerships, but instead, for example, from wholesalers, or directly from manufacturers.

    The 4,000 figure for April compares to 161,064 new cars that were registered in same month last year.

    The industry body said it now expects 1.68 million new car registrations in 2020 compared with 2.3 million in 2019.

    Staff at some UK car manufacturers began returning to work this week, although the start of full production is a long way off, Mr Hawes said. The supply chain is also starting to re-open.

    “Manufacturers are trying to figure out how to start operations in a safe environment,” he said. “But it will be slow and production will be ramped up very slowly.”

    The coronavirus crisis has come at what was already a difficult time for the motor industry, which had been struggling with falling sales and a collapse in demand for diesel vehicles, while struggling to meet tough new emissions targets.

    The figures are certainly dramatic, expected to be the lowest sales since February 1946.

    But since virtually the entire motor industry ground to a halt when the lockdown was introduced, they are not entirely unexpected.

    What matters now is what happens when the restrictions are eased and customers are allowed back into the showrooms.

    You would expect there to be some pent-up demand – after all, dealerships began to close in mid-March, traditionally one of the strongest months of the year for new car sales.

    However, since then harsh economic realities have come into play. Huge swathes of the workforce have been furloughed, and the signs are the country is heading into a deep recession.

    Under those circumstances, with so much uncertainty and so many jobs at risk, how many people will really be willing to buy a new car?

    We can expect a wave of incentive programmes – and quite possibly a wave of new scrappage schemes – as car companies start fighting tooth and nail for every single sale.

    The coronavirus outbreak also halted car production.

    All of the UK’s major car factories suspended work in March, and it is not yet clear when they will reopen.

    Ian Plummer, commercial director at online marketplace Auto Trader, said: “With retailers forced to close the doors to their physical forecourts, it’ll come as no surprise to anyone to see just how dramatic an impact it’s had on the new car market.

    “Some brands have been able to sell remotely, but uncertainty in the government’s guidelines or a lack of the required infrastructure to operate home delivery in a safe way, has limited it to all but a handful of retailers.”

    However, he said Auto Trader data indicated that the market had been paused, rather than stopped.

    He added that there would be a chance “for the industry to accelerate the adoption of low emission vehicles” when restrictions lift.

    “However, it’ll be essential for manufacturers to push more electric vehicles into their UK networks along with greater financial incentives,” such as scrappage schemes, he said.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK’s Johnson prepares post-lockdown plan with new workplace rules

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to ease a nationwide coronavirus lockdown next Sunday, media reports said, as new guidance emerged on how to maintain social distancing in workplaces.

    Stay-at-home orders imposed in late March are up for review on Thursday in Britain, one of the worst hit countries in the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government has already said the measures will be eased only gradually.

    New guidance drawn up with company bosses and trade unions, seen by the BBC and the Financial Times, suggests office workers will be encouraged to stay at home for months to avoid overwhelming the transport system.

    But where staff must come in, companies are being urged to stagger shifts, stop people sharing desks or stationery, step up hygiene measures, keep staff canteens shut and restrict the number of people in lifts.

    Shop or bank branch workers dealing with customers must be protected by plastic screens, according to the recommendations, although there is no detail on what kind of protective equipment other employees might require.

    Britons are currently being told to stay at home unless they need to work, buy essentials or take daily exercise, but they must stay at least two metres away from other people.

    Maintaining this social distancing while restarting the economy brings huge problems.

    “It won’t work in aviation or any other form of public transport, and the problem is not the plane, it is the lack of space in the airport,” said the chief executive of London’s Heathrow airport, John Holland-Kaye.

    “Just one jumbo jet would require a queue a kilometre long,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

    A total of 28,446 people have now died after testing positive for COVID-19 in Britain, almost on a par with Italy, Europe’s worst affected country.

    Source: france24.com

  • Malaria ‘completely stopped’ by microbe

    Scientists have discovered a microbe that completely protects mosquitoes from being infected with malaria.

    The team in Kenya and the UK say the finding has “enormous potential” to control the disease.

    Malaria is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, so protecting them could in turn protect people.

    The researchers are now investigating whether they can release infected mosquitoes into the wild, or use spores to suppress the disease.

    What is this microbe?

    The malaria-blocking bug, Microsporidia MB, was discovered by studying mosquitoes on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya. It lives in the gut and genitals of the insects.

    The researchers could not find a single mosquito carrying the Microsporidia that was harbouring the malaria parasite. And lab experiments, published in Nature Communications, confirmed the microbe gave the mosquitoes protection.

    Microsporidias are fungi, or at least closely related to them, and most are parasites.

    However, this new species may be beneficial to the mosquito and was naturally found in around 5% of the insects studied.

    How big a discovery is it?

    “The data we have so far suggest it is 100% blockage, it’s a very severe blockage of malaria,” Dr Jeremy Herren, from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya told the BBC.

    He added: “It will come as a quite a surprise. I think people will find that a real big breakthrough.”

    More than 400,000 people are killed by malaria each year, most of them children under the age of five.

    While huge progress has been made through the use of bed nets and spraying homes with insecticide, this has stalled in recent years. It is widely agreed new tools are needed to tackle malaria.

    How does the microbe stop malaria?
    The fine details still need to be worked out.

    But Microsporidia MB could be priming the mosquito’s immune system, so it is more able to fight off infections.

    Or the presence of the microbe in the insect could be having a profound effect on the mosquito’s metabolism, making it inhospitable for the malaria parasite.

    Microsporidia MB infections appear to be life-long. If anything, the experiments show they become more intense, so the malaria-blocking effect would be long-lasting.

    When can this be used against malaria?

    At the very least, 40% of mosquitoes in a region need to be infected with Microsporidia in order to make a significant dent in malaria.

    The microbe can be passed between adult mosquitoes and is also passed from the female to her offspring.

    So, the researchers are investigating two main strategies for increasing the number of infected mosquitoes.

    “It’s a new discovery. We are very excited by its potential for malaria control. It has enormous potential,” Prof Steven Sinkins, from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, told the BBC.

    This concept of disease control using microbes is not unprecedented. A type of bacteria called Wolbachia has been shown to make it harder for mosquitoes to spread dengue fever in real-world trials.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to update UK on ‘steps to defeat’ the disease

    Boris Johnson has chaired a cabinet meeting and will later lead the daily coronavirus briefing for the first time since his return to work.

    No 10 said the PM, whose fiancee gave birth on Wednesday, will update the UK on the “fight against this disease and the steps we are taking to defeat it”.

    But political editor Laura Kuenssberg said he was unlikely to give “chapter and verse” on lifting the restrictions.

    No 10 also faces the deadline for its target of 100,000 daily virus tests.

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock pledged to reach the goal by the end of April. The latest figures show it reached just over 52,000 coronavirus tests on Tuesday.

    A scientist advising the government on testing, Prof John Newton, said he is “pretty confident” the government will hit the target but warned there will be a lag in the data.

    He said it would not be clear whether the target had been reached until the end of the week.

    However, Justice Minister Robert Buckland admitted the target might not be met by the end of April.

    The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty will appear alongside the prime minister at Thursday’s briefing.

    Mr. Johnson, who has just recovered from Covid-19, returned to work in Downing Street this week but missed Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday following the birth of his son with his fiancee Carrie Symonds.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK raises alarm over virus-related syndrome in children

    Britain’s health minister said Tuesday he was “very worried” at signs of a coronavirus-related syndrome emerging in children but stressed it needed more research and remained very rare.

    The state-run National Health Service (NHS) issued an alert at the weekend about a small number of children presenting an unusual set of symptoms, including abdominal pain and inflammation around the heart.

    They have required admission to intensive care, according to a report in the Health Service Journal.

    “I’m very worried about the early signs that in rare cases, there is an impact of an auto-immune response in children that causes a significant disease,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told LBC radio.

    He added: “It’s a new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the COVID-19 virus.”

    But Hancock said that while some of the children who have this new disease tested positive for the virus, others had not.

    “We’re doing a lot of research now. What I would also stress is that it is rare. Although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small,” he said.

    The Guardian newspaper reported that there had been at least 12 cases.

    According to the Paediatric Intensive Care Society, the NHS alert warned of common overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and atypical Kawasaki disease and blood parameters consistent with severe COVID-19.

    TSS is a serious illness associated with infections while Kawasaki causes blood vessels to become inflamed and is mostly found in children under the age of five.

    The national medical director for NHS England, Stephen Powis, said on Monday it was “too early to say” whether the new disease was linked to coronavirus but the issue was being looked into urgently.

    England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said it was “entirely plausible” that it was linked to COVID-19.

    Children have died from coronavirus but serious complications are rare.

    “Evidence from throughout the world shows us that children appear to be the part of the population least affected by this infection,” said Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

    But he added: “New diseases may present in ways that surprise us, and clinicians need to be made aware of any emerging evidence of particular symptoms or of underlying conditions which could make a patient more vulnerable to the virus.”

    Source: france24.com

  • Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says this is moment of maximum risk

    The UK is at the moment of maximum risk in the coronavirus outbreak, Boris Johnson has said, as he urged people not to lose patience with the lockdown.

    Speaking outside No 10 for the first time since recovering from the virus, Mr Johnson said “we are now beginning to turn the tide” on the disease.

    But he said he refused to “throw away” the public’s “effort and sacrifice” and relax the lockdown too soon.

    More details on any changes will be given in the “coming days”, he added.

    On Tuesday at 11:00 BST, a minute’s silence will be held to commemorate key workers who have died with the virus. Mr Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have both invited the country to take part.

    The latest government figures brought the total number of people who have died with the virus in UK hospitals to 20,732, after a further 413 were announced on Sunday.

    Figures released separately on Monday – which differ slightly from the government’s daily figures because of the timeframe they cover – show a further 329 people have died in England, 13 in Scotland and eight in Wales.

    ‘Invisible mugger’ The PM returned to Downing Street on Sunday after more than three weeks off sick.

    Mr Johnson apologised for being “away from my desk for much longer than I would’ve liked” and thanked his colleagues who stood in for him – as well as the public for their “sheer grit and guts”.

    In the speech on Monday morning, Mr Johnson said he understood concerns from business owners who were impatient to end the lockdown.

    But ending it too soon could lead to a second spike in cases and cause more deaths, “economic disaster” and restrictions being reintroduced, he said.

    “I ask you to contain your impatience,” Mr Johnson added.

    He said there were “real signs now that we are passing through the peak” – including with fewer hospital admissions and fewer Covid-19 patients in intensive care.

    And comparing the outbreak to someone being attacked, Mr Johnson said: “If this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger – which I can tell you from personal experience, it is – then this is the moment when we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor.

    “And so it follows that this is the moment of opportunity, this is the moment when we can press home our advantage, it is also the moment of maximum risk.

    “I know there will be many people looking at our apparent success, and beginning to wonder whether now is the time to go easy on those social distancing measures.”

    Mr Johnson said the UK has “so far collectively shielded our NHS” and “flattened the peak” – but he could not yet say when or which restrictions would be lifted to ease lockdown.

    Once the UK is meeting the five tests for easing restrictions – including a consistent fall in the death rate and making sure the NHS can cope – “then that will be the time to move on to the second phase” in the fight against the outbreak, he said.

    But he added: “We simply cannot spell out now how fast or slow, or even when those changes will be made though. Clearly, the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days.”

    A Downing Street spokesman said there could be more on how the government will judge the country’s ability to “move forward” by the end of the week.

    Speaking at the Scottish government’s daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon said it was “not the time to throw caution to the wind” and lift lockdown measures – although there had been “real signs of progress”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Oil plunges for a second day on gloomy outlook

    The UK benchmark for oil has fallen by more than 10% to around $16 (£13) a barrel.

    It comes the day after the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, fell below zero for the first time ever.

    The falls are a striking illustration of just how much economic activity has slowed around the world.

    Prices have weakened sharply because of a combination of events triggered by a collapse in global demand.

    The knock-on effect has been a supply glut and a worldwide shortage of storage space for oil.

    On Tuesday energy ministers from the Opec and other major oil-producing countries held an unscheduled conference call to discuss the collapse but did not agree any new measures to cut supplies.
    Storage issues

    “This is an unprecedented demand drop. Nobody in their lifetime has seen anything like this,” said James McNally of Third Bridge Group.

    The collapse in physical demand for crude products like petrol and jet fuel has left storage hubs at capacity or, as one trader put it: “They’re close to the brim.”

    Storage at US oil hub Cushing has already grown to more than 15 million barrels in the past month – and is expected to soon be at capacity for the first time ever.

    “Coronavirus is rewriting the rules of the global economy in front of our very eyes,” said Adam Vettese, analyst at eToro.

    “With oil demand virtually non-existent, this quite amazing sell-off is almost entirely down to fears over storage.”

    Will the price of petrol fall?

    While the price of petrol is linked to the wholesale price of oil, it is driven by competition.

    That means that what motorists pay is not directly linked to crude. Instead, suppliers control the prices they sell petrol at.

    Crucially, a key factor affecting the price of fuel is that the biggest proportion of the money you hand over for a litre of petrol in the UK goes to the government in the form of tax.

    Fuel duty is charged at 57.95p per litre. On top of that, you have to pay VAT at 20% on the cost of petrol.

    Below £1 a litre?

    Could this week’s oil price turmoil see prices drift below £1 for the first time since the late 2000s?

    “In theory, petrol prices could fall below £1 per litre if the lower wholesale costs were reflected at the pumps – but at the same time, people are driving very few miles, so they’re selling vastly lower quantities of petrol and diesel at the moment,” pointed out RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.

    This means many forecourts will be reluctant to trim their prices any further, he said.

    At the same time, he said, more price pressure on petrol could hit the viability of independent garages, which provided “a vital service in areas where the supermarkets don’t have a foothold”.

    “It would be bad news all round if these forecourts shut up shop for good.”

    Are pump prices fair?

    Since the end of March, the wholesale price of petrol has been around the 16p a litre mark, according to the AA.

    “Add fuel duty at 57.95p a litre, a generous 9p a litre supplier/retailer margin, plus VAT and the average pump price of petrol would normally be around £1 a litre,” said the AA’s fuel spokesperson Luke Bosdet.

    Instead, the average pump price is higher because the retailers say they need to charge 10p a litre more to offset the lower volumes of fuel they are selling, he pointed out.

    Journey levels are at about 40% of normal during the working week, falling to 20% by Sunday.

    This meant those who were still driving were being “overcharged on average by more than a fiver a tank”.

    “I suspect that when the lockdown comes to an end, coronavirus is beaten and driving starts to return to normal, questions will be asked about the fairness of pump prices during the great oil crash of 2020.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK inflation hits 1.5% as lockdown begins to bite

    The UK’s inflation rate fell to 1.5% in March, largely driven by falls in the price of clothing and fuel ahead of the coronavirus lockdown.

    The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell from 1.7% in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

    Clothing stores had offered more discounts as shoppers began staying at home, it said. Falling oil prices also resulted in cheaper petrol prices.

    Economists warn inflation could slide to 0.5% in 2020 as the economy shrinks.

    The ONS’s latest data was collected on 17 March, just before lockdown started on 23 March. But its head of inflation, Mike Hardie, said there were already signs people were spending less in shops and more on necessities such as food.

    The agency said the average price of clothes and shoes fell 1.2% in the year to March 2020.

    It also said average petrol prices stood at 119.4 pence per litre during the month – the lowest seen since February 2019, while diesel stood at 123.8p

    The UK benchmark for oil has fallen to about $16 (£13) a barrel as economic activity has slowed. That is a fall of about 75% since the start of the year.

    Sarah Hewin, senior economist at Standard Chartered bank, told the BBC’s Today programme: “Normally low inflation would be welcomed as it means people have effectively more to spend in the shop but these are not normal circumstances.

    “The fall in inflation, in addition to low energy prices, is an indication of the steep recession we will see in the coming months.”

    Meanwhile, Andrew Wishart at Capital Economics said: “We suspect a larger fall in CPI inflation, from 1.5% to 0.9%, is in store for April as Ofgem [the regulator] lowers the cap on utility bills to reflect past falls in wholesale energy prices.”

    He added that falling employment, consumer caution and lower energy prices could pull inflation “down to just 0.5% in the second half of this year”.
    ‘More help needed’

    CPI remains below the Bank of England’s 2% target for inflation.

    Inflation is one of the main factors that the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) considers when setting the “base rate”. That influences what interest rate banks can charge people to borrow money, or what they pay on their savings.

    In an emergency move last month, Last month it cut rates from 0.25% to 0.1% to support the economy in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. They are now at the lowest level in the Bank’s 325-year history.

    It also said it would increase its holdings of UK government and corporate bonds by £200bn in an effort to lower the cost of borrowing.

    But Melissa Davies, chief economist at Redburn, said the Bank needs to go further: “It will be a volatile ride for inflation over the next year, with negative numbers a possibility followed by a sharp reversal.”

    She added: “More stimulus is needed, with only limited quantitative easing help from the Bank of England and the Treasury’s lending guarantee scheme falling short. Even the furlough scheme is only delaying an inevitable and large spike in unemployment.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK has ‘no plans’ to stop funding WHO

    UK has ‘no plans’ to stop funding WHO The UK has “no plans” to follow the US and stop funding the World Health Organization.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the WHO had “an important role to play in leading the global health response” adding that the UK had contributed £75m ($93m) towards efforts to stop the coronavirus.

    The spokesman did not comment on US President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to the WHO.

    On the issue of UK care workers, Downing Street said 3,300 had been invited to be tested for Covid-19, although it was not known how many had been.

    Rules would also be changed “straight away” so that patients being discharged from hospital into care homes would be tested for coronavirus before they left.

    The spokesman said “extensive work” was being done on an exit strategy from lockdown restrictions.

    But, he said that, for now, the focus needed to be on getting the public to stay at home while capacity is built in the NHS.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Older people being ‘airbrushed’ out of virus figures

    Many older people are being “airbrushed” out of coronavirus figures in the UK, charities have warned.

    The official death toll has been criticised for only covering people who die in hospital – but not those in care homes or in their own houses.

    Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC the daily figure was based on hospital deaths because “it’s accurate and quick”.

    Meanwhile, scientists will begin a review of the UK lockdown later.

    The evaluation will be passed to the government – but ministers have said it was unlikely restrictions would change.

    The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which include every community death linked to Covid-19 in England and Wales, showed a total of 406 such deaths registered up to 3 April had occurred outside of hospitals.

    That would have added an extra 11% to the official UK figures, based solely on deaths in hospitals, that were being reported at that time.

    Of those extra deaths, 217 took place in care homes, 33 in hospices, 136 in private homes, three in other communal establishments and 17 elsewhere.

    Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer has said details about the number of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes remain unclear, but it was reported last week that there were cases of Covid-19 in 20 care homes across the nation.

    Industry leaders from Age UK, Marie Curie, Care England, Independent Age and the Alzheimer’s Society have written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding a care package to support social care through the pandemic.

    They have also called for a daily update on deaths in the care system.

    It comes after the government confirmed there had been coronavirus outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England – although they did not specify the number of deaths that had occurred.

    The figures prompted the charity Age UK to claim coronavirus is “running wild” in care homes for elderly people.

    “The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don’t matter,” Caroline Abrahams, the charity’s director, said.

    Meanwhile, Britain’s largest care home operator said coronavirus was present in two-thirds – 232 – of the group’s care homes.

    Its director, Sir David Behan, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that coronavirus deaths represented about one-third of all deaths at HC-One’s care homes over the last three weeks. HC-One has 329 care homes throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

    About 410,000 people live in care homes in the UK, living in 11,300 care homes for older people supplied by 5,500 different providers.

    Addressing why deaths in care homes are not being included in the government’s data, Ms Coffey told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the figures published weekly by the ONS is a “fair” way of establishing the “unfortunate picture” of where deaths are occurring.

    England’s care home regulator, the Care Quality Commission, has said it will begin recording deaths in adult social care from this week – asking care providers to give daily updates on the number of confirmed and suspected cases.

    Labour’s shadow social care minister Liz Kendall said daily figures were essential to dealing with the “emerging crisis” in care homes and called for the government to offer social care “whatever resources it needs”.

    Conservative peer and former work and pensions minister Baroness Altmann told Today that “one or two” people in care homes had said to her they felt as though older people are being treated “like lambs to the slaughter”.

    “They [care homes] are left without protective equipment, they are left without testing,” she said.

    She added that “the mark of a civilised society” was “how it treats it most vulnerable and oldest citizens”.

    It comes after Ms Abrahams said care homes were “underprepared” for the outbreak, adding that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing was leading to the spread of coronavirus across the care home sector.

    However, Ms Coffey told the Today programme that the care sector was not being left behind, adding that PPE was being delivered “to over 26,000 care settings across the country including care homes, home care providers and also hospices”.

    On Monday, the UK’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty told the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing that 92 homes in the UK reported outbreaks in one day.

    The Department of Health and Social Care later confirmed 2,099 care homes in England have so far had cases of the virus.

    Care England has estimated there have been nearly 1,000 deaths from coronavirus in care homes, leaving social care as “the neglected front line”.

    The Labour Party has called on the government to publish daily figures of deaths in care homes to highlight the “true scale” of the spread of the virus, which causes the Covid-19 disease.

    The issue has regularly been raised by journalists at the daily Downing Street briefing and the government response has been that the number announced each day is based on hospital figures as this can be quickly gathered and analysed – whereas deaths in the wider community take much longer to be collated after death certificates are issued by doctors.

    The government says it is following the international standard by quoting the hospital figures each day – and that the fuller ONS figures can lag many days behind.

    The latest care homes to confirm residents have died with symptoms of the virus include a home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, a specialist dementia home in Selston, Nottinghamshire, and a home in County Durham where 13 residents have died.

    The Department of Health’s official death number of deaths of people in hospital with coronavirus rose to 11,329 on Monday – up by 717 in a day.

    Lockdown review The BBC’s science editor David Shukman said the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) meeting later in the day will evaluate various ways coronavirus is unfolding in the UK.

    It will look at hospital admissions, the approach to testing, data on intensive care capacity and deaths, the effectiveness of lockdown tactics, and whether or not the public should be advised to wear face masks outdoors.

    Meanwhile, the government has defended itself after reports it missed three chances to bulk-buy PPE for healthcare workers treating virus patients.

    Health workers in 25 EU countries are set to receive deliveries of kit worth £1.3bn in the coming days, according to the Guardian.

    The paper reports the UK missed three opportunities to join the scheme and has not taken part in talks on future purchases.

    The Department of Health said it would “consider participating in future EU joint procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time”.

    “We will continue to work with European countries and others in order to make sure that we can increase the capacity within the NHS,” they said.

    Source: bbc.com

  • MPs summon China-owned firm execs over security concerns

    A leading UK-based firm will be summoned on Tuesday by MPs to answer questions over security concerns.

    There are concerns that the Chinese owner of Imagination Technologies has renewed efforts to transfer ownership of sensitive security software to companies controlled by China.

    Lawmakers worry the coronavirus crisis is diverting attention from controversial technology transfers.

    The fear is that networks in the UK, Europe and the US could be compromised.

    Speaking to the BBC, Tom Tugendhat, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said he was concerned that technology developed by Imagination Technologies, based in Hertfordshire, could be used to fine tune the design of so-called “backdoors” into strategically important digital infrastructure.

    “The world has changed and companies – particularly tech companies – are on the frontline,” said Mr Tugendhat.

    “Whoever writes the code, writes the rules for the world, more than any regulation passed by bureaucrats. There’s no point in taking back control from Brussels, only to hand it over to Beijing.”

    Imagination Technologies was acquired by a US-based but Chinese state-owned investment firm called Canyon Bridge in September 2017, which is in turn owned by a Chinese state-owned investment fund called China Reform.

    Mr Tugendhat said Theresa May’s government approved the acquisition on the basis that Canyon Bridge was licensed and regulated by US law.

    Since then it has moved its headquarters to the Cayman Islands and as such is no longer a US-controlled entity.

    Several senior executives, including chief executive Ron Black, have stepped down recently citing concerns about the future direction and ownership of the company.

    Chief product officer Steve Evans and chief technical officer John Rayfield also resigned recently.

    Mr Evans is understood to have said in his resignation letter: “I will not be part of a company that is effectively controlled by the Chinese government.”

    An attempt by China Reform to stage a boardroom coup ten days ago by appointing four of its own directors were aborted, but the call for evidence comes amid renewed concerns that the Chinese owners of Imagination are preparing a fresh attempt to transfer sensitive technology patents to mainland China.

    As well as designing graphics and virtual reality software for computer chips, industry experts say that Imagination also produces software which can detect whether any weaknesses in sensitive digital networks – so-called “backdoors” are the result of error or intention.

    The UK has already approved the limited use of Chinese-owned Huawei equipment in the construction of new superfast 5G networks that promise to deliver better connectivity for use in autonomous cars, utilities, power stations, the national health service and many others.

    There is no suggestion that Huawei is directly connected to Imagination, or its ultimate owners – the state-owned China Reform investment fund.

    The call for evidence comes a day after EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager warned that companies across the EU – many of which have been or are being pushed the brink of bankruptcy by the economic effects of Coronavirus – are vulnerable to takeover from Chinese companies.

    In the UK, the Treasury is considering plans for the state to take ownership stakes in thousands of businesses, to prevent mass bankruptcies of businesses unable or unwilling to take on extra debt.

    The situation is delicate as many EU countries are gratefully accepting donations of virus-fighting equipment from China. The country, which appears to be “first in – first out”, is now emerging from a crisis from which it bore the initial brunt.

    Neither Imagination Technologies, nor its owner China Reform returned the BBC’s request for comment.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK could be ‘worst affected’ country in Europe

    The UK is likely to be among the European countries worst affected by coronavirus, one of the government’s senior scientific advisers has said.

    The warning, from Sir Jeremy Farrar, comes as UK deaths from the virus are expected to pass 10,000 on Sunday.

    In response, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said countries were on “different trajectories”.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital after being treated for coronavirus.

    On the advice of his medical team, Mr Johnson will not immediately return to work and will continue his recovery at his country residence, Chequers, a No 10 spokesman said.

    He had three nights in intensive care before returning to a general ward on Thursday.

    On Saturday, the UK recorded 917 new coronavirus deaths, taking the total number of hospital deaths to 9,875.

    The figure does not include deaths outside of hospitals, such as in care homes or in the community.

    Ministers are continuing to urge people to stay at home over the Easter weekend to curb the spread of the virus, despite warm and sunny weather across parts of the UK.

    Wellcome Trust director Sir Jeremy Farrar told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show the UK was likely to be “one of the worst, if not the worst affected country in Europe”.

    Currently Italy has the highest number of deaths of any European country – with more than 19,000 deaths – followed by Spain, France and the UK, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

    Germany has kept deaths below 3,000 so far.

    Sir Jeremy, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show the “remarkable” scale of testing in Germany had been key to keeping the number of hospital admissions for coronavirus lower than in the UK.

    Sir Jeremy said testing allowed countries to isolate people with Covid-19, preventing them from transmitting the virus to others, as well as buying time for hospitals to prepare.

    “Undoubtedly there are lessons to learn from that,” he added.

    The UK government has said it wants to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April but has faced criticism for not increasing the number more quickly.

    Sir Jeremy said a second or third wave of the virus “was probably inevitable” and treatment and a vaccine was “our only true exit strategy”.

    He said a vaccine could be available by autumn but it would take longer to ramp up manufacturing to the scale required to vaccinate many millions of people.

    “I would hope we would get [that] done in 12 months but that is in itself an unprecedented ambition,” he said.

    Mortality trend in UK, Italy, Spain and US

    Asked whether he agreed with Sir Jeremy’s analysis of the UK’s death rate, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Different countries are at different stages of this cycle.”

    “What we have done with the advice that we have now set out to people, to stay at home, is precisely because we want to make sure that we have a flattening of the curve, that infection rates aren’t going up, and ultimately people’s lives are being saved,” he told the programme.

    “We are starting to see these measures work,” he added, but said it was too early for them to be lifted yet.

    Prof Keith Neal, emeritus professor in the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said it was likely the UK would have one of the largest numbers of coronavirus deaths because it had the second largest population in western Europe after Germany.

    “The important figure is the death rate per million and not the total number of deaths. On this count Belgium seems to be heading for a serious

    Source: BBC

  • Coronavirus: New UK car registrations plunge by more than 40%

    New car registrations for March saw a steeper fall than during the financial crisis, according to the motor industry.

    Data from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show a drop of 44.4% compared with last year.

    March is usually one of the strongest months of the year for the car industry.

    But the Covid-19 outbreak has taken a heavy toll, forcing potential customers to stay at home for the past fortnight.

    New number plate registrations are released in March and September every year.

    But last month new registrations dropped by about 200,000 compared with the same period last year.

    They fell to the lowest level in March for more than two decades.

    The crisis has come at a difficult time for the motor industry, which was already suffering with falling sales and a collapse in demand for diesel vehicles, while struggling to meet tough new emissions targets.

    The coronavirus outbreak has also halted car production.

    All of the UK’s major car factories suspended work last month, and it is not yet clear when they will reopen.

    In total, 254,684 new cars were registered in March according to the SMMT, a fall of 203,370 compared with March 2019.

    Demand from private buyers and larger fleets fell by 40.4% and 47.4% respectively.

    At the same time, the numbers of petrol and diesel cars reaching the country’s roads were down 49.9% and 61.9% respectively.

    However, registrations of battery electric vehicles rose almost threefold to 11,694 units, accounting for 4.6% of the market, while plug-in hybrids grew by 38%. Hybrid electric vehicles fell 7.1%.

    The SMMT said it now expected car sales of 1.73 million in 2020, 25% lower than last year.

    ‘Stark realisation’

    Larger falls in new car registrations have been reported in other European countries, with Italy down -85%, France -72% and Spain down -69% in March, the SMMT said.

    SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said, “With the country locked down in crisis mode for a large part of March, this decline will come as no surprise.

    “Despite this being the lowest March since we moved to the bi-annual plate change system, it could have been worse, had the significant advanced orders placed for the new 20 plate not been delivered in the early part of the month.

    “We should not, however, draw long-term conclusions from these figures, other than this being a stark realisation of what happens when economies grind to a halt.”

    Mr Hawes added that it was uncertain how long the market would remain stalled, but it would reopen and the products would be there.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: A fifth of smaller UK firms ‘will run out of cash’

    Nearly a fifth of all small and medium-sized businesses in the UK are unlikely to get the cash they need to survive the next four weeks, in spite of unprecedented government support.

    That’s according to research from a network of accountants which suggests between 800,000 and a million firms nationwide may soon have to close.

    Many firms have told the BBC that banks have refused them emergency loans.

    The banks say they are following the rules set out by the government.

    Chancellor Rishi Sunak said two weeks ago that businesses would be able to walk into bank branches and discuss Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs) of up to £5m to help them survive the shutdown.

    The promise from the chancellor was that “any good business in financial difficulty who needs access to cash to pay their rent, the salaries of their employees, pay suppliers, or purchase stock, will be able to access a government-backed loan, on attractive terms”.

    However, thousands of struggling firms can’t get through to their banks by phone or, when they do, are being told by the banks they’re not eligible.

    Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told BBC Radio 5 live that “banks have got to step up” to help small and medium-sized businesses survive during the coronavirus pandemic.

    ‘Disappointment after disappointment’

    Steve Lord runs Belgrave & Powell, a Nottingham-based engineering group employing 120 people and supplying services to customers such as BAE’s Samlesbury site, where the F-35 and Typhoon fighter jets are made.

    Since Salmesbury halted production, his business – like millions of others – is facing the prospect of cash drying up, threatening its ability to pay wages and stay afloat.

    “I was heartened and astonished to see the unprecedented help that was announced by the government two weeks ago,” he said. “But we put one of our most senior people on it and as each day passed it was disappointment after disappointment.”

    He said some of the approved lenders were demanding interest rates of up to 30%, which Mr Lord believes is “taking advantage of the situation”. Meanwhile, he said, High Street banks were charging around 7%, however he was told it could be as long as a month before his firm got the money.

    Mr Lord thinks too much control has been handed to the banks and approved lenders: “The government needs to make it so everyone’s offering the same terms.”

    “It seems to be that if you are lucky you are banking with the right party, if you’re not lucky you’ll end up having to close your business.”

    ‘The loans won’t help’

    Another business owner, Peter Jackson – who runs jewellery shops employing 40 people across the north-west of England – said his bank decided he was ineligible because the firm made a small loss in 2019. But Mr Jackson said his business was viable before the shutdown and expected to make a profit this year. It also owns valuable stock.

    “I thought the whole point of the loans was to help business like mine stay afloat,” he said. “But they’re not going to help.”

    The figures identifying how many businesses would not be able to access cash come from a network of accountants serving more than 12,000 small and medium-sized businesses across the country called the Corporate Finance Network.

    After analysing the government help on offer, those accountants say that 18% of their clients were unlikely to get access to the cash they will need to survive a four-week lockdown.

    The findings echo similar reports from other business groups, estimating that up to a fifth of businesses could close if the lockdown lasts a month or more.

    Bank say they’re following rules set by the government, which mean firms can only get the emergency loans if they can’t borrow in a normal commercial way, like borrowing against the value of a property.

    Businesses wanting to borrow more than £250,000 are being told by banks that directors must sign personal guarantees. That means if the loan goes bad owing to a prolonged shutdown, their personal property is on the line.

    Under CBILs, a business owner’s primary residence is protected but other personal assets could be recovered if the company cannot keep up repayments. Under normal commercial lending, personal guarantees may also put the owner’s home at risk if the loan goes bad.

    Joshua Wade runs a fast-growing ethical cosmetics business, Skin and Tonic. He said lenders were insisting on early repayment penalties as well as personal guarantees.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK delays mass testing after discovering some test kits contained traces of COVID-19

    The United Kingdom has reportedly delayed its plan to embark on mass testing of people after some test kits were found to be carrying the virus.

    The UK has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe with some high ranking members of the Royal Family and Government including Prime Minister Boris Johnson contracting the virus.

    The government has come under pressure to control the spread by mass testing the public to identify and isolate infected persons like the US and Germany have done.

    However, reports indicate that some test kits from firms tasked to produce the resources for the UK had traces of the virus on them making them unfit for use and further delaying the mass testing exercise.

    Source: www.abcnewsgh.com

  • Coronavirus: UK considers virus-tracing app to ease lockdown

    A coronavirus app that alerts people if they have recently been in contact with someone testing positive for the virus “could play a critical role” in limiting lockdowns, scientists advising the government have said.

    The location-tracking tech would enable a week’s worth of manual detective work to be done in an instant, they say.

    But the academics say no-one should be forced to enrol – at least initially.

    UK health chiefs have confirmed they are exploring the idea.

    “NHSX is looking at whether app-based solutions might be helpful in tracking and managing coronavirus, and we have assembled expertise from inside and outside the organisation to do this as rapidly as possible,” said the tech-focused division’s chief Matthew Gould.

    Instant alerts

    The study by the team at the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute and Nuffield Department of Medicine was published in the journal Science.

    It proposes that an app would record people’s GPS location data as they move about their daily lives. This would be supplemented by users scanning QR (quick response) codes posted to public amenities in places where a GPS signal is inadequate, as well as Bluetooth signals.

    If a person starts feeling ill, it is suggested they use the app to request a home test. And if it comes back positive for Covid-19, then an instant signal would be sent to everyone they had been in close contact with over recent days.

    Those people would be advised to self-isolate for a fortnight, but would not be told who had triggered the warning.

    In addition, the test subject’s workplace and their transport providers could be told to carry out a decontamination clean-up.

    “The constrictions that we’re currently under place [many people] under severe strain,” said the paper’s co-lead Prof Christophe Fraser.

    “Therefore if you have the ability with a bit more information and the use of an app to relax a lockdown, that could provide very substantial and direct benefits.

    “Also I think a substantial number of lives can be saved.”

    To encourage take-up, it is suggested the app also acts as a hub for coronavirus-related health services and serves as a means to request food and medicine deliveries.

    The academics note that similar smartphone software has already been deployed in China. It was also voluntary there, but users were allowed to go into public spaces or on public transport only if they had installed it.

    One of the ethics specialists involved in the Oxford study said he did not think similar arrangements would be appropriate in the UK, but added that private enterprises might still impose restrictions.

    “My favourite restaurant might ask me to show that I was low-risk before allowing me into a crowded place, and I think that would be a perfectly reasonable price to pay for this step towards returning to normal life,” Prof Michael Parker told the BBC.

    He added that employers might also be justified in requiring staff to use the app if they worked “in an old people’s home, with vulnerable groups or [were based] in very crowded places”.

    And while he said that the general public should not be compelled to use the app to begin with, he did not rule this out if the majority failed to do so.

    “The key question is – does it require everyone to do it for it to be effective?” Prof Parker explained.

    “It’s not essential that everyone does… but perhaps a high proportion of the population needs to.

    “This is a really unusual situation where lives are at risk, so there is a case to be made to make at least some actions compulsory – but there would need to be a really clear case for that and careful oversight.”

    Extended range

    The paper adds that the app could be updated to tackle the pandemic more aggressively if required.

    For example, it says, the stay-at-home alerts could be expanded to second or even third-degree contacts.

    And while the paper advocates the app being used in conjunction with home tests, Prof Fraser said his team was currently exploring whether it would still be effective if it relied on people using a questionnaire or 111 helpline advisers to diagnose the condition.

    He acknowledged some people might be wary of using the service, but hoped they would do so to “save a lot of lives”.

    “We already have tracking apps on our phones for more trivial tasks – the reason we have live traffic information is because we allow the people that provide the mapping service to track us,” he said.

    “What we’re suggesting here is essentially sharing anonymised information [to] put to good use.”

    Source: bbc.com