news--2020-05-05--Coronavirus: US government whistleblower 'demoted for warning about COVID-19'

A US government scientist has alleged he was ousted after he raised concerns about COVID-19 and a malaria drug pushed by Donald Trump .
Rick Bright , former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , filed a whistleblower complaint which claims he was demoted after speaking out .
The complaint says he was pressured to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine , a malaria drug favoured by the US president despite a lack of evidence that it worked .
He claimed the Trump administration wanted to `` flood '' hotspots in New York and New Jersey with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factories in Pakistan and India that had not been inspected by US regulators .
Mr Bright opposed the use of the drug and felt an urgent need to tell the public there was not scientific evidence to back up its use in coronavirus patients , the complaint states .
: : Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker Last month , the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) warned against prescribing the drug except in hospitals and research studies .
Regulators flagged some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus patients given hydroxychloroquine or the related drug chloroquine .
The drugs are usually prescribed for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and in some cases can cause side effects such as heart rhythm problems , severely low blood pressure and muscle or nerve damage .
The complaint says : `` As the death toll mounted exponentially each day , Dr Bright concluded that he had a moral obligation to the American public , including those vulnerable as a result of illness from COVID-19 , to protect it from drugs which he believed constituted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety . ''
He had felt officials `` refused to listen or take appropriate action to accurately inform the public '' and spoke to a journalist about his concerns .
Mr Bright also said his early warnings on COVID-19 had gone ignored .
His complaint states he `` acted with urgency '' to address the spread of coronavirus following the World Health Organisation 's warning in January .
However he said he `` encountered resistance from HHS leadership , including Health and Human Services Secretary [ Alex ] Azar , who appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Mr Azar had `` responded with surprise at [ Bright 's ] dire predictions and urgency , and asserted that the United States would be able to contain the virus and keep it out , '' the whistleblower complaint said .
The Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the pandemic , including supplies of medical equipment and plans to ease lockdown restrictions in a number of states .
There have been nearly 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and more than 70,000 deaths .

A US government scientist has alleged he was ousted after he raised concerns about COVID-19 and a malaria drug pushed by Donald Trump.
Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, filed a whistleblower complaint which claims he was demoted after speaking out.
The complaint says he was pressured to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug favoured by the US president despite a lack of evidence that it worked.
He claimed the Trump administration wanted to "flood" hotspots in New York and New Jersey with the drug, which had been imported from factories in Pakistan and India that had not been inspected by US regulators.
Mr Bright opposed the use of the drug and felt an urgent need to tell the public there was not scientific evidence to back up its use in coronavirus patients, the complaint states.
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:: Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker
Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned against prescribing the drug except in hospitals and research studies.
Regulators flagged some reports of fatal heart side effects in coronavirus patients given hydroxychloroquine or the related drug chloroquine.
The drugs are usually prescribed for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and in some cases can cause side effects such as heart rhythm problems, severely low blood pressure and muscle or nerve damage.
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The complaint says: "As the death toll mounted exponentially each day, Dr Bright concluded that he had a moral obligation to the American public, including those vulnerable as a result of illness from COVID-19, to protect it from drugs which he believed constituted a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety."
He had felt officials "refused to listen or take appropriate action to accurately inform the public" and spoke to a journalist about his concerns.
Mr Bright also said his early warnings on COVID-19 had gone ignored.
His complaint states he "acted with urgency" to address the spread of coronavirus following the World Health Organisation's warning in January.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:58 'We're past the peak and starting life again'
However he said he "encountered resistance from HHS leadership, including Health and Human Services Secretary [Alex] Azar, who appeared intent on downplaying this catastrophic event."
Mr Azar had "responded with surprise at [Bright's] dire predictions and urgency, and asserted that the United States would be able to contain the virus and keep it out," the whistleblower complaint said.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the pandemic, including supplies of medical equipment and plans to ease lockdown restrictions in a number of states.
There have been nearly 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and more than 70,000 deaths.


news--2020-05-06--Coronavirus: White Stuff cuts jobs as retailers adjust for life after lockdown

Surf-style fashion brand White Stuff is to make `` significant '' redundancies to prepare the company for a reduction in demand and opening hours as a result of the coronavirus outbreak , Sky News has learned .
The retailer , which employs more than 1,500 people in 120 shops , told sales and head office staff it was opening consultation on potential job cuts on Wednesday .
White Stuff declined to say how many jobs would be lost but said the cuts would be significant , and were a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The company believes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trading conditions when lockdown restrictions are eased , and says it is acting to cut jobs now to try and ensure that all its shops remain open .
Insiders said it was clear that social distancing restrictions would remain in place for the foreseeable future .
As a result it is likely stores would be open for shorter hours , have less customers and require fewer staff to keep them open .
The company believes the outbreak has accelerated existing trends in retail away from bricks-and-mortar shops towards online shopping , and says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores when lockdown lifts .
Chief executive Jo Jenkins said : `` For the last eighteen months we have been on a journey to transform our business into a more digitally driven brand .
`` What we were planning on doing to reshape the business , we now need to do more quickly .
`` We need to face into the reality , particularly given the on-going uncertainty of when and how shops might open given social distancing , that we need a leaner , more agile operating model that allows us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White Stuff 's position is informed by its experience of operating in Germany , where its stores have reopened after Angela Merkel 's government began easing restrictions .
Its action comes as concerns grow over the sustainability of the government 's employee support scheme , under which more than six million people have been furloughed with up to 80 % of their wages paid by the state at a cost of around £8bn so far .
The scheme is due to expire in June and the Treasury is considering how to phase out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups that millions could be left unemployed if support is withdrawn before restrictions have eased and consumer confidence returned .
Government sources suggested this week that companies and staff are becoming `` addicted '' to the furlough scheme , despite it having paid just a single month 's wages for businesses ordered to close by the state .
Asked at Prime Minister 's questions when the scheme might end Boris Johnson told Parliament he wanted workers to `` earn their pay packet '' when they can safely and securely return .
White Stuff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the furlough scheme , said the scheme 's current end date of June 30 meant it was not sustainable as an alternative to redundancies .
The company is among the first directly to link staff cuts to the impact of the outbreak on future trading .
There are fears many more retailers will face similar decisions in the coming weeks and months .
Some have predicted the furlough scheme could become a `` waiting room '' for redundancies if the economy does not bounce back sufficiently .
Paul Johnson , head of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` 'If you remove it quickly you risk a wave of unnecessary redundancies .
`` If you are too generous then you risk a longer , deeper recession and a bigger hit to the public finances . ''
The Prime Minister will outline on Sunday how current restrictions will be eased over time , with a phased return of shops currently considered non-essential likely to feature in the medium-term .
White Stuff , which was founded in the 1980s by university friends George Treves and Sean Thomas , recorded a loss of £1.3m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and employs more than 1,900 people overall - including 1,500 in shops .

Surf-style fashion brand White Stuff is to make "significant" redundancies to prepare the company for a reduction in demand and opening hours as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Sky News has learned.
The retailer, which employs more than 1,500 people in 120 shops, told sales and head office staff it was opening consultation on potential job cuts on Wednesday.
White Stuff declined to say how many jobs would be lost but said the cuts would be significant, and were a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company believes the outbreak will have a fundamental impact on trading conditions when lockdown restrictions are eased, and says it is acting to cut jobs now to try and ensure that all its shops remain open.
Insiders said it was clear that social distancing restrictions would remain in place for the foreseeable future.
As a result it is likely stores would be open for shorter hours, have less customers and require fewer staff to keep them open.
The company believes the outbreak has accelerated existing trends in retail away from bricks-and-mortar shops towards online shopping, and says it hopes to reopen all of its stores when lockdown lifts.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 6:09 The process of getting back to work
Chief executive Jo Jenkins said: "For the last eighteen months we have been on a journey to transform our business into a more digitally driven brand.
"What we were planning on doing to reshape the business, we now need to do more quickly.
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"We need to face into the reality, particularly given the on-going uncertainty of when and how shops might open given social distancing, that we need a leaner, more agile operating model that allows us to react to changing customer behaviour."
White Stuff's position is informed by its experience of operating in Germany, where its stores have reopened after Angela Merkel's government began easing restrictions.
Image: Messages left on display by staff at the closed White Stuff store in Bournemouth during the lockdown
Its action comes as concerns grow over the sustainability of the government's employee support scheme, under which more than six million people have been furloughed with up to 80% of their wages paid by the state at a cost of around £8bn so far.
The scheme is due to expire in June and the Treasury is considering how to phase out the scheme, with concern among business groups that millions could be left unemployed if support is withdrawn before restrictions have eased and consumer confidence returned.
Government sources suggested this week that companies and staff are becoming "addicted" to the furlough scheme, despite it having paid just a single month's wages for businesses ordered to close by the state.
Asked at Prime Minister's questions when the scheme might end Boris Johnson told Parliament he wanted workers to "earn their pay packet" when they can safely and securely return.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:46 How Germany is adjusting to life post lockdown
White Stuff, which has placed some staff on the furlough scheme, said the scheme's current end date of June 30 meant it was not sustainable as an alternative to redundancies.
The company is among the first directly to link staff cuts to the impact of the outbreak on future trading.
There are fears many more retailers will face similar decisions in the coming weeks and months.
Some have predicted the furlough scheme could become a "waiting room" for redundancies if the economy does not bounce back sufficiently.
Paul Johnson, head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warned: "'If you remove it quickly you risk a wave of unnecessary redundancies.
"If you are too generous then you risk a longer, deeper recession and a bigger hit to the public finances."
The Prime Minister will outline on Sunday how current restrictions will be eased over time, with a phased return of shops currently considered non-essential likely to feature in the medium-term.
White Stuff, which was founded in the 1980s by university friends George Treves and Sean Thomas, recorded a loss of £1.3m on turnover of £142m last year, and employs more than 1,900 people overall - including 1,500 in shops.


news--2020-05-06--Coronavirus: Why rush to ease lockdown could be catastrophic for US - and Trump

Donald Trump 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has sent jaws dropping across the globe .
But there are just a few places in America where opinions could be consequential for his presidency .
One of them is Johnstown , Pennsylvania .
It 's one of the overlooked , bygone cities that made him president .
The mines and mills that once filled its valleys with jobs have n't been resurrected as he promised .
Things were hardly thriving here before coronavirus - but life in lockdown has brought this city to a complete standstill .
People have had plenty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they elected is handing the crisis that has changed their lives and will ultimately define his presidency .
Mr Trump says he is a wartime president fighting an invisible enemy .
Gale Bala voted for him in 2016 and she agrees .
She is living alone during lockdown and feels fatigued by it all .
She misses her church and she misses company .
She 's been watching the man she voted for closely .
She says his daily briefings are informative but has she ever worried that Donald Trump is putting his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy over people 's health ?
`` No , no , not at all .
Because I think for the most part , he has been listening to his health experts on his team , '' she says .
`` But it 's a dual-edged sword .
You know , if the economy 's ruined , we 're going to suffer that decades from now and people will die just as if they had the virus because poverty does kill people .
So I think it 's good that he has a dual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been out to get him from the start and that what 's happening now is an extension of that .
`` I do n't think any anybody , any world leader , given what they were given , would have done much of anything differently , '' she says .
`` Hindsight is wonderful .
But when he put the ban on travel from China , what did people do ?
Oh , he 's a racist .
`` Oh , he 's a xenophobe .
Oh , he should n't do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries and the other countries around the world would have done the same thing , possibly some of this could have been stemmed . ''
: : Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker One of the most shocking moments to come out of Mr Trump 's briefings was him floating the idea of injecting disinfectant to treat COVID-19 .
I ask her what went through her mind when he said that .
She insists it was all tongue-in-cheek .
`` Sometimes he does that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at least one rally of his .
And , you know , some people do n't get his humour , '' she says .
I ask if a global pandemic is the right time for jokes ?
`` Well , I think if you took everybody 's comments and wrote them down , there are times that might be an inappropriate comment , '' she replied .
Across town , Tammy Fiffick has a different view .
She also voted for Trump in 2016 but for her coronavirus is the last straw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment , she says she was flabbergasted .
`` I actually just was like , really ?
No , he's… yeah , he is serious .
He 's actually serious .
He 's going with this . ''
Like most people Tammy has hardly left her home for weeks .
While she has managed to hold on to her part time job , her husband has lost his .
Times are hard and anxious .
The president , she says , has offered no calm .
`` He 's done a horrendous job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion a platform for him to feed his ego .
To show that he is in charge , that he can be rude to people .
`` And he can also put everyone else down and say how they 've done everything wrong and he 's done everything right and nothing is his fault .
And he takes no accountability for anything . ''
She does n't think Mr Trump acted soon enough and that now he 's acting too quickly when it comes to reopening states .
`` I understand you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support , but who 's going to be really patronising ?
`` And my personal thought is , if you want to go and this just affected you in your family , and it would kill you and your family , then you go .
But when what you do affects me and my family , then we have another issue . ''
While Mr Trump gives himself 10/10 , Tammy gives him two .
But she does n't sense that her change of heart is being felt by many of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plenty of people , Mr Trump is still the saviour .
His impatience to reopen the economy is deeply felt in places like Johnstown - where unemployment was already 70 % above the national average .
A total of 24 counties across Pennsylvania can start reopening at the end of this week , but despite having very few cases this is n't one of them - so places like clothing stores will remain closed for who knows how long .
Frustration is growing .
It is state governors - not Mr Trump - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the polls say most people support ongoing restrictions and keeping families safe is clearly the public 's priority .
Rushing things could be catastrophic for Americans - and for the man who 's leading them .

Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has sent jaws dropping across the globe.
But there are just a few places in America where opinions could be consequential for his presidency.
One of them is Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It's one of the overlooked, bygone cities that made him president.
The mines and mills that once filled its valleys with jobs haven't been resurrected as he promised.
Image: Unemployment is already 70% above the national average in Johnstown
Things were hardly thriving here before coronavirus - but life in lockdown has brought this city to a complete standstill.
People have had plenty of time to observe how the man they elected is handing the crisis that has changed their lives and will ultimately define his presidency.
Mr Trump says he is a wartime president fighting an invisible enemy. Gale Bala voted for him in 2016 and she agrees.
She is living alone during lockdown and feels fatigued by it all. She misses her church and she misses company.
She's been watching the man she voted for closely. She says his daily briefings are informative but has she ever worried that Donald Trump is putting his own political interests in terms of the economy over people's health?
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"No, no, not at all. Because I think for the most part, he has been listening to his health experts on his team," she says.
Image: Gale Bala said she believes Mr Trump's recent comment about disinfectant was tongue-in-cheek
"But it's a dual-edged sword. You know, if the economy's ruined, we're going to suffer that decades from now and people will die just as if they had the virus because poverty does kill people. So I think it's good that he has a dual track."
She thinks the media have been out to get him from the start and that what's happening now is an extension of that.
"I don't think any anybody, any world leader, given what they were given, would have done much of anything differently," she says.
"Hindsight is wonderful. But when he put the ban on travel from China, what did people do? Oh, he's a racist.
"Oh, he's a xenophobe. Oh, he shouldn't do that. Now, if the European countries and the other countries around the world would have done the same thing, possibly some of this could have been stemmed."
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:: Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker
One of the most shocking moments to come out of Mr Trump's briefings was him floating the idea of injecting disinfectant to treat COVID-19.
I ask her what went through her mind when he said that. She insists it was all tongue-in-cheek.
"Sometimes he does that. I mean, I've seen that at least one rally of his. And, you know, some people don't get his humour," she says.
I ask if a global pandemic is the right time for jokes?
"Well, I think if you took everybody's comments and wrote them down, there are times that might be an inappropriate comment," she replied.
Image: Trump's impatience to restart the economy can be felt in Johnstown
Across town, Tammy Fiffick has a different view. She also voted for Trump in 2016 but for her coronavirus is the last straw.
When he suggested disinfectant as a treatment, she says she was flabbergasted.
"I actually just was like, really? No, he's… yeah, he is serious. He's actually serious. He's going with this."
Like most people Tammy has hardly left her home for weeks. While she has managed to hold on to her part time job, her husband has lost his.
Times are hard and anxious. The president, she says, has offered no calm.
"He's done a horrendous job. His daily briefings are in my opinion a platform for him to feed his ego. To show that he is in charge, that he can be rude to people.
"And he can also put everyone else down and say how they've done everything wrong and he's done everything right and nothing is his fault. And he takes no accountability for anything."
She doesn't think Mr Trump acted soon enough and that now he's acting too quickly when it comes to reopening states.
"I understand you have a business, you have a family to support, but who's going to be really patronising?
"And my personal thought is, if you want to go and this just affected you in your family, and it would kill you and your family, then you go. But when what you do affects me and my family, then we have another issue."
While Mr Trump gives himself 10/10, Tammy gives him two. But she doesn't sense that her change of heart is being felt by many of the people who voted for him.
For plenty of people, Mr Trump is still the saviour.
Image: Tammy Fiffick voted for Mr Trump in 2016, but has changed her view
His impatience to reopen the economy is deeply felt in places like Johnstown - where unemployment was already 70% above the national average.
A total of 24 counties across Pennsylvania can start reopening at the end of this week, but despite having very few cases this isn't one of them - so places like clothing stores will remain closed for who knows how long. Frustration is growing.
It is state governors - not Mr Trump - feeling the heat of that anger.
But the polls say most people support ongoing restrictions and keeping families safe is clearly the public's priority.
Rushing things could be catastrophic for Americans - and for the man who's leading them.


news--2020-05-06--Harry Potter: Daniel Radcliffe returns - with help from David Beckham and other stars

Daniel Radcliffe has returned to the Harry Potter wizarding world once again , in a lockdown collaboration with other stars including David Beckham and Eddie Redmayne .
The actor has delighted fans of the series by narrating the first chapter of the first book , The Philosopher 's Stone , for an online hub for children set up by author JK Rowling during the coronavirus pandemic .
Radcliffe , now 30 , rose to fame playing the boy wizard in the film adaptations of the hit books , and has recorded a video of himself reading aloud Chapter One : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whose eight-year-old daughter Harper is a fan of the series , is also among the cast of narrators - and it looks like he has worn his Gryffindor scarf for the occasion .
Gryffindor , of course , is the Hogwarts house that Potter and his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were members of .
The football star is joined by actors Dakota Fanning and Redmayne , who appeared in the prequel Fantastic Beasts films , and Stephen Fry , who narrated the original UK Harry Potter audiobooks .
Claudia Kim , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fantastic Beasts films , and Noma Dumezweni , who starred as Hermione in the original theatre run of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child , are also taking part .
: : Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The story will feature on Rowling 's Harry Potter At Home online hub , launched to help out children , parents , carers and teachers during the COVID-19 lockdown .
It is described as `` an online space for younger children to discover the magic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own , or reading and listening '' with an adult .
Announcing the platform in April , Rowling said she wanted to give back `` a bit of magic '' while people are stuck indoors .
Harry Potter And The Philosopher 's Stone , first published in 1997 , introduced the world to the character of Harry Potter and the world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry .
All 17 chapters will be released over the next few months , with Radcliffe `` the perfect narrator '' to kick off the series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted weekly on the Harry Potter At Home website , with an audio-only version also available for free on Spotify .

Daniel Radcliffe has returned to the Harry Potter wizarding world once again, in a lockdown collaboration with other stars including David Beckham and Eddie Redmayne.
The actor has delighted fans of the series by narrating the first chapter of the first book, The Philosopher's Stone, for an online hub for children set up by author JK Rowling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Radcliffe, now 30, rose to fame playing the boy wizard in the film adaptations of the hit books, and has recorded a video of himself reading aloud Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived.
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Beckham, whose eight-year-old daughter Harper is a fan of the series, is also among the cast of narrators - and it looks like he has worn his Gryffindor scarf for the occasion. Gryffindor, of course, is the Hogwarts house that Potter and his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were members of.
The football star is joined by actors Dakota Fanning and Redmayne, who appeared in the prequel Fantastic Beasts films, and Stephen Fry, who narrated the original UK Harry Potter audiobooks.
Claudia Kim, who appeared as Nagini alongside Redmayne in the Fantastic Beasts films, and Noma Dumezweni, who starred as Hermione in the original theatre run of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, are also taking part.
Podcast Podcast , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Podcast cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Podcast cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Podcast cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
:: Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
The story will feature on Rowling's Harry Potter At Home online hub, launched to help out children, parents, carers and teachers during the COVID-19 lockdown.
It is described as "an online space for younger children to discover the magic of Harry Potter - either on their own, or reading and listening" with an adult.
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Announcing the platform in April, Rowling said she wanted to give back "a bit of magic" while people are stuck indoors.
Image: Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, rose to fame starring in the franchise
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, first published in 1997, introduced the world to the character of Harry Potter and the world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
All 17 chapters will be released over the next few months, with Radcliffe "the perfect narrator" to kick off the series, says Rowling.
Videos will be posted weekly on the Harry Potter At Home website, with an audio-only version also available for free on Spotify.


news--2020-05-04--Coronavirus: Loved ones reunite as some of Europe's hardest-hit countries ease lockdowns

Loved ones have reunited and some cafes and bars are back in business as some of Europe ’ s hardest-hit coronavirus countries ease lockdown restrictions .
Italy and Spain - which have been hotspots for the virus - relaxed measures after recording their lowest daily number of deaths for weeks , although both nations reported an increase in fatalities on Monday .
Italy , which has the world 's second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths , has embarked on a slow return to some kind of normality despite fears of a resurgence of the infection .
Under the new rules , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , construction work can resume and factories are able to revive their long-stalled production .
Some cafes and restaurants have also been allowed to reopen for takeaways .
Sky News Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said : `` In Rome you can now go out to buy an espresso .
It comes from a barista in a mask - but there is an echo here of the life we used to know . ''
The easing of rules comes nearly two months after the Italian government ordered the nation to stay at home in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the world .
Italy has reported more than 29,000 coronavirus deaths .
Meanwhile , Spain has managed to reduce the daily increase of COVID-19 infections from around 35 % in mid-March to 0.16 % following the country 's strict lockdown .
People ventured out for the first time on Monday for haircuts or food takeouts , though many small shops remain closed as owners work on meeting strict health and hygiene guidelines .
Spain 's professional footballers will also be tested this week so they can start training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Basic training was allowed to resume on Monday after the government eased some of the lockdown measures , with plans to finish the La Liga season from June .
The Spanish government is putting pressure on opposition parties , however , to approve another extension of the country 's state of emergency , saying a failure to do so could `` bring chaos '' .
Spain has been one of the hardest-hit nations in the coronavirus pandemic , with more than 25,000 deaths .
Under its strict lockdown imposed on 14 March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave home - to buy food , medicine and other essential goods , and to walk dogs close to home .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker France , where more than 24,000 people have died after contracting coronavirus , is making citizens who return home from abroad face a compulsory two-week quarantine when they arrive in the country .
French horseracing organiser France Galop said police in Paris have given the go ahead for racing to resume next Monday , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown restrictions .
In Berlin , protesters demonstrated against Germany 's strict rules on Saturday , even as playgrounds , museums and zoos were permitted to open for the first time since the lockdown was imposed .
Smaller shops have already opened .
The country has registered more than 164,000 cases and about 6,800 deaths .
Elsewhere in Europe , Iceland reopened hair salons , along with high schools , dentists and other businesses after the country tamed its COVID-19 outbreak .
On Wednesday , Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You can put your questions to Mr Hancock about the coronavirus and its impact live on Sky News .
Email us your questions - or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone - and send it to AskTheHealthSecretary @ sky.uk

Loved ones have reunited and some cafes and bars are back in business as some of Europe’s hardest-hit coronavirus countries ease lockdown restrictions.
Italy and Spain - which have been hotspots for the virus - relaxed measures after recording their lowest daily number of deaths for weeks, although both nations reported an increase in fatalities on Monday.
Italy, which has the world's second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths, has embarked on a slow return to some kind of normality despite fears of a resurgence of the infection.
Image: Domenico di Massa and Mariantonia Gangemi embrace their granddaughter Cecilia in Rome
Image: Two women wearing protective masks take a selfie at Milan's Castello square
Image: Applause in Venice for healthcare workers and in memory of those who have died
Under the new rules, relatives can be reunited with their families, construction work can resume and factories are able to revive their long-stalled production.
Some cafes and restaurants have also been allowed to reopen for takeaways.
Image: Bars have tentatively reopened in Italy
Image: People gather in St Mark's Square in Venice
Sky News Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said: "In Rome you can now go out to buy an espresso. It comes from a barista in a mask - but there is an echo here of the life we used to know."
The easing of rules comes nearly two months after the Italian government ordered the nation to stay at home in an effort to slow down one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the world.
Italy has reported more than 29,000 coronavirus deaths.
Image: People head out on bikes in Valentino Park in Turin
Meanwhile, Spain has managed to reduce the daily increase of COVID-19 infections from around 35% in mid-March to 0.16% following the country's strict lockdown.
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People ventured out for the first time on Monday for haircuts or food takeouts, though many small shops remain closed as owners work on meeting strict health and hygiene guidelines.
Image: People venture out in Majorca, Spain
Spain's professional footballers will also be tested this week so they can start training for the first time since the lockdown.
Basic training was allowed to resume on Monday after the government eased some of the lockdown measures, with plans to finish the La Liga season from June.
Image: A bride chooses her dress in Madrid as lockdown restrictions are eased
The Spanish government is putting pressure on opposition parties, however, to approve another extension of the country's state of emergency, saying a failure to do so could "bring chaos".
Spain has been one of the hardest-hit nations in the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 25,000 deaths.
Under its strict lockdown imposed on 14 March, only adults have been allowed to leave home - to buy food, medicine and other essential goods, and to walk dogs close to home.
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France, where more than 24,000 people have died after contracting coronavirus, is making citizens who return home from abroad face a compulsory two-week quarantine when they arrive in the country.
Image: A cyclist wears a facemask as she crosses The Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris
French horseracing organiser France Galop said police in Paris have given the go ahead for racing to resume next Monday, when the country will begin to ease its lockdown restrictions.
In Berlin, protesters demonstrated against Germany's strict rules on Saturday, even as playgrounds, museums and zoos were permitted to open for the first time since the lockdown was imposed. Smaller shops have already opened.
The country has registered more than 164,000 cases and about 6,800 deaths.
Elsewhere in Europe, Iceland reopened hair salons, along with high schools, dentists and other businesses after the country tamed its COVID-19 outbreak.
Image: Burley and Hancock
On Wednesday, Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q&A with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. You can put your questions to Mr Hancock about the coronavirus and its impact live on Sky News.
Email us your questions - or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone - and send it to AskTheHealthSecretary@sky.uk


news--2020-05-03--Coronavirus: Older people will 'rebel and risk prison' if forced to be locked down longer

Older people will `` rebel and risk prison '' if they are forced to remain in lockdown longer while restrictions are eased , a former Tory pensions minister has warned .
Conservative peer Baroness Altmann argued such a requirement would be `` age discrimination '' and could cost lives as well as threaten social unrest .
Her comments come amid growing concern the over-70s could be told to isolate for longer than the rest of the population when the rules to cope with COVID-19 start to be relaxed .
: : Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , Health Secretary Matt Hancock has underlined the NHS guidance to older people , who are classed as being at high risk from coronavirus .
This stresses the importance of following the advice about staying at home and only leaving if it is essential , such as getting food or medicine .
Speaking to Sky News ' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme , the former pensions minister said : `` I certainly hope as we move out of the current emergency phase of lockdown there wo n't be some kind of blanket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age from leaving their own homes or from being part of the community .
`` Using an age-based criteria would be fundamentally wrong and actually would potentially cost the lives of many people , and risks social unrest . ''
`` There are many over-70s who ca n't bear the thought of having to stay in lockdown a moment longer and have accepted it because everyone else has got to do it .
`` But if they are fit and healthy and they need to get out for their own sanity and physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government will tell them you are under house arrest while everyone else is free ... then I think they would n't accept it .
`` Certainly lots of them have told me they would rebel and they would risk going to prison rather than being forced to isolate at home . ''
She added : `` Of course it 's age discrimination , there 's no other way to look at it .
`` A healthy 70-year-old is probably less risk to society than an unhealthy 40-year-old in terms of vulnerability to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BAME people , sadly , are falling victim to this than others .
`` But somehow it 's not OK to discriminate on grounds of gender , or obesity or colour of skin , but everybody is saying let 's think about somehow discriminating on the basis of age .
`` As if older people are OK to discriminate against and it 's not correct . ''
Next week Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q & A with Health Secretary Matt Hancock .
You can put your questions to Mr Hancock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your life live on Sky News .
Email us your questions - or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone - and send it to AskTheHealthSecretary @ sky.uk

Older people will "rebel and risk prison" if they are forced to remain in lockdown longer while restrictions are eased, a former Tory pensions minister has warned.
Conservative peer Baroness Altmann argued such a requirement would be "age discrimination" and could cost lives as well as threaten social unrest.
Her comments come amid growing concern the over-70s could be told to isolate for longer than the rest of the population when the rules to cope with COVID-19 start to be relaxed.
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:: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has underlined the NHS guidance to older people, who are classed as being at high risk from coronavirus.
This stresses the importance of following the advice about staying at home and only leaving if it is essential, such as getting food or medicine.
Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the former pensions minister said: "I certainly hope as we move out of the current emergency phase of lockdown there won't be some kind of blanket policy to forbid people of any particular age from leaving their own homes or from being part of the community.
"Using an age-based criteria would be fundamentally wrong and actually would potentially cost the lives of many people, and risks social unrest."
"There are many over-70s who can't bear the thought of having to stay in lockdown a moment longer and have accepted it because everyone else has got to do it.
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"But if they are fit and healthy and they need to get out for their own sanity and physical health, then the idea that the government will tell them you are under house arrest while everyone else is free... then I think they wouldn't accept it.
"Certainly lots of them have told me they would rebel and they would risk going to prison rather than being forced to isolate at home."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:37 Contact-tracing app to be trialled this week
She added: "Of course it's age discrimination, there's no other way to look at it.
"A healthy 70-year-old is probably less risk to society than an unhealthy 40-year-old in terms of vulnerability to this illness.
"The reality is more BAME people, sadly, are falling victim to this than others.
"But somehow it's not OK to discriminate on grounds of gender, or obesity or colour of skin, but everybody is saying let's think about somehow discriminating on the basis of age.
"As if older people are OK to discriminate against and it's not correct."
Next week Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q&A with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. You can put your questions to Mr Hancock about the coronavirus and its impact on your life live on Sky News.
Email us your questions - or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone - and send it to AskTheHealthSecretary@sky.uk


news--2020-05-06--Coronavirus: Mistakes made over testing but time for reflection is after pandemic, says minister

Mistakes were made over the UK 's handling of coronavirus - including not scaling up testing fast enough , a senior minister has admitted .
Security minister James Brokenshire told Sky News `` clearly '' there should have been more COVID-19 tests `` earlier '' as the country 's death toll outstripped Italy 's to become the worst in Europe .
He said `` nobody 's trying to duck away that this has been a perfect response '' but insisted the `` appropriate time '' for reflections will come `` once we are through this pandemic '' .
So far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK during the crisis - well past the 20,000 figure the government 's chief scientific adviser said in March would be a `` good result '' .
Quizzed on ministers ' response seven weeks into lockdown , Mr Brokenshire said `` clearly we would want to have had more testing earlier '' .
The latest stats from the Department of Health show that in the 24 hours up to 9am on Tuesday , 84,806 tests were deployed for 69,839 people .
Testing figures peaked on Friday at 122,347 - just in time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reaching 100,000 a day .
However , the total included home test kits sent out but not returned , including several which people were told to bin .
`` We have some of the best labs in the world - what we did n't have at the time was the volume , '' Mr Brokenshire said , recalling back to February .
`` That scaled up rapidly - with all the different drives in testing , the remote testing that has taken place .
`` But we will continue to learn lessons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where there needs to be learning and where mistakes may have been made . ''
He dismissed criticism that Boris Johnson talked about shaking the hands of patients he met in a hospital on the same day the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ( SAGE ) advised against the practice to slow the outbreak .
The prime minister was already `` taking a number of different steps at that point '' and `` clearly he changed his behaviour as we all have done '' , Mr Brokenshire added .
He explained : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been made - no government is going to get everything right .
`` But we will have plenty of time for searching questions , for us to reflect very firmly on the actions that were taken once we are through this pandemic .
`` But our focus has to be on dealing with the immediate issues - the amazing job that our NHS continues to do and the next steps as we look towards the impact . ''

Mistakes were made over the UK's handling of coronavirus - including not scaling up testing fast enough, a senior minister has admitted.
Security minister James Brokenshire told Sky News "clearly" there should have been more COVID-19 tests "earlier" as the country's death toll outstripped Italy's to become the worst in Europe.
He said "nobody's trying to duck away that this has been a perfect response" but insisted the "appropriate time" for reflections will come "once we are through this pandemic".
Image: The latest figures say 84,806 coronavirus tests were deployed on Monday
So far 29,427 people have died with coronavirus in the UK during the crisis - well past the 20,000 figure the government's chief scientific adviser said in March would be a "good result".
Quizzed on ministers' response seven weeks into lockdown, Mr Brokenshire said "clearly we would want to have had more testing earlier".
Image: The UK's death toll has outstripped Italy's to become the highest in Europe
The latest stats from the Department of Health show that in the 24 hours up to 9am on Tuesday, 84,806 tests were deployed for 69,839 people.
Testing figures peaked on Friday at 122,347 - just in time to meet health secretary's self-imposed target of reaching 100,000 a day.
However, the total included home test kits sent out but not returned, including several which people were told to bin.
"We have some of the best labs in the world - what we didn't have at the time was the volume," Mr Brokenshire said, recalling back to February.
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"That scaled up rapidly - with all the different drives in testing, the remote testing that has taken place.
"But we will continue to learn lessons and clearly reflect where there were challenges, where there needs to be learning and where mistakes may have been made."
He dismissed criticism that Boris Johnson talked about shaking the hands of patients he met in a hospital on the same day the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advised against the practice to slow the outbreak.
Image: Boris Johnson talked about shaking hands with people at the start of March
The prime minister was already "taking a number of different steps at that point" and "clearly he changed his behaviour as we all have done", Mr Brokenshire added.
He explained: "There is an acknowledgement that mistakes have been made - no government is going to get everything right.
"But we will have plenty of time for searching questions, for us to reflect very firmly on the actions that were taken once we are through this pandemic.
"But our focus has to be on dealing with the immediate issues - the amazing job that our NHS continues to do and the next steps as we look towards the impact."


news--2020-06-11--Coronavirus: Intu 'administrator' seeks £12m funding

The administrator-in-waiting to Intu Properties , Britain ’ s biggest shopping centre-owner , is seeking a multimillion pound funding line to keep some of the country ’ s best-known malls open during an insolvency process .
Sky News has learnt that KPMG has asked bondholders in the vehicles which directly own the Intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and Manchester 's Trafford Centre for up to £12m in additional funding .
City sources said that without the money , it might not be possible for Intu to continue operating some of its UK shopping centre estate during an administration process .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to `` focus minds '' as Intu 's lenders decide whether or not to grant an 18-month standstill on the company 's £4.5bn debt mountain .
`` Administration would be an expensive option , '' they said .
People close to Intu say a standstill would need to be agreed several days before a June 26 cut-off date in order to take effect in time , which means that the UK 's largest shopping centre group has no more than ten days to secure its immediate corporate survival .
Last weekend , Sky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ KPMG to act as administrator if the company and its plc lenders fail to agree a deal .
Retail property-owners have been plunged into crisis by the coronavirus pandemic , with their sites closed for the last three months .
Intu also owns Lakeside in Essex , and directly employs close to 3000 people .
Its insolvency would be one of the most complex seen in Britain 's property industry for years - and spark fears for a wider commercial real estate sector which has been ravaged by the coronavirus crisis .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its 20 shopping centre assets owned by separate special purpose vehicles against which the listed parent company borrows money to fund its operations .
The company has about £4.5bn of debt , but was trading on Thursday morning with a market capitalisation of barely £100m .
It is one of the London stock market 's worst performers , with its shares down more than 90pc during the last year .
The company is an important player in some of the UK 's largest regional economies , with 102,000 people working in its 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Intu published figures showing that a standstill agreement would leave it with enough cash to continue operating , even after a calamitous rent quarter day in March , when it received less than a third of the money it was owed by retail tenants .
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a vast chunk of Britain 's retail industry to withhold rent payments , with names such as Sir Philip Green 's Arcadia Group , Boots The Chemist , New Look and McDonald 's choosing not to pay landlords .
June 's quarter day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even bloodier for the balance sheets of retail landlords like Intu and Hammerson , which owns big shopping centres in Birmingham and Brent Cross .
In recent months , bondholders within the various Intu SPVs have appointed advisers to represent their interests as a full-scale financial restructuring has become inevitable .
Even if the listed parent company is forced to appoint administrators , the implications for its individual assets are far from clear .
People close to the company believe its lending syndicate is likely to demur from forcing it into insolvency because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occur .
Securing alternative managers of large shopping centres as the retail sector attempts to recover from COVID-19 would be an uncertain process , according to insiders .
It is unclear whether an alternative asset manager with Intu 's expertise or negotiating power would be available .
The company 's fall from grace has been startling .
It was a constituent of the London stock market 's FTSE-250 index until last year .
Its largest shareholder is John Whittaker , the Peel Group magnate who sold the Trafford Centre to what was then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Whittaker could emerge from a restructuring of Intu owning the Manchester shopping destination again .
Earlier this year , Intu tried to raise £1.5bn from an emergency equity-raising , but found its hopes dashed amid turmoil in financial markets caused by the developing coronavirus crisis .
The company recently brought in David Hargrave , a restructuring veteran , to oversee its efforts to stay afloat .

The administrator-in-waiting to Intu Properties, Britain’s biggest shopping centre-owner, is seeking a multimillion pound funding line to keep some of the country’s best-known malls open during an insolvency process.
Sky News has learnt that KPMG has asked bondholders in the vehicles which directly own the Intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and Manchester's Trafford Centre for up to £12m in additional funding.
City sources said that without the money, it might not be possible for Intu to continue operating some of its UK shopping centre estate during an administration process.
Image: Metro Centre PIC: intu
An insider said the funding request was designed to "focus minds" as Intu's lenders decide whether or not to grant an 18-month standstill on the company's £4.5bn debt mountain.
"Administration would be an expensive option," they said.
People close to Intu say a standstill would need to be agreed several days before a June 26 cut-off date in order to take effect in time, which means that the UK's largest shopping centre group has no more than ten days to secure its immediate corporate survival.
Last weekend, Sky News revealed that Intu had lined up KPMG to act as administrator if the company and its plc lenders fail to agree a deal.
Retail property-owners have been plunged into crisis by the coronavirus pandemic, with their sites closed for the last three months.
Intu also owns Lakeside in Essex, and directly employs close to 3000 people.
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Image: A entrance to Intu Lakeside in Thurrock
Its insolvency would be one of the most complex seen in Britain's property industry for years - and spark fears for a wider commercial real estate sector which has been ravaged by the coronavirus crisis.
The company has a complex structure, with its 20 shopping centre assets owned by separate special purpose vehicles against which the listed parent company borrows money to fund its operations.
The company has about £4.5bn of debt, but was trading on Thursday morning with a market capitalisation of barely £100m.
It is one of the London stock market's worst performers, with its shares down more than 90pc during the last year.
The company is an important player in some of the UK's largest regional economies, with 102,000 people working in its 17 UK shopping centres.
Another 30,000 people work in Intu's broader supply chain.
Image: General view of the Trafford Centre in Manchester
Last week, Intu published figures showing that a standstill agreement would leave it with enough cash to continue operating, even after a calamitous rent quarter day in March, when it received less than a third of the money it was owed by retail tenants.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a vast chunk of Britain's retail industry to withhold rent payments, with names such as Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group, Boots The Chemist, New Look and McDonald's choosing not to pay landlords.
June's quarter day, in a fortnight, could be even bloodier for the balance sheets of retail landlords like Intu and Hammerson, which owns big shopping centres in Birmingham and Brent Cross.
In recent months, bondholders within the various Intu SPVs have appointed advisers to represent their interests as a full-scale financial restructuring has become inevitable.
Even if the listed parent company is forced to appoint administrators, the implications for its individual assets are far from clear.
People close to the company believe its lending syndicate is likely to demur from forcing it into insolvency because of the potential value destruction that would occur.
Image: Shoppers walk through the 'Intu' Shopping Centre on January 23, 2017 in Milton Keynes
Securing alternative managers of large shopping centres as the retail sector attempts to recover from COVID-19 would be an uncertain process, according to insiders.
It is unclear whether an alternative asset manager with Intu's expertise or negotiating power would be available.
The company's fall from grace has been startling.
It was a constituent of the London stock market's FTSE-250 index until last year.
Its largest shareholder is John Whittaker, the Peel Group magnate who sold the Trafford Centre to what was then called Capital Shopping Centres in 2011.
Mr Whittaker could emerge from a restructuring of Intu owning the Manchester shopping destination again.
Earlier this year, Intu tried to raise £1.5bn from an emergency equity-raising, but found its hopes dashed amid turmoil in financial markets caused by the developing coronavirus crisis.
The company recently brought in David Hargrave, a restructuring veteran, to oversee its efforts to stay afloat.
Intu and KPMG declined to comment.


news--2020-06-11--Lloyds fined £64m over treatment of hundreds of thousands of customers

Lloyds Banking Group has been fined £64m by the City regulator over its treatment of more than half a million mortgage customers suffering payment difficulties .
The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA ) said Lloyds , along with its Bank of Scotland and The Mortgage Business divisions , did not provide the appropriate level of support to customers in arrears between 2011 and 2015 .
Its investigation found the banks failed to help people who were vulnerable through times of difficulties , including marital splits , the death of a spouse or loss of a job .
One case related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had endured a family member going missing .
On top of the fine - the largest imposed by the FCA for mortgage failures - Lloyds has paid £300m in redress to 526,000 customers , the watchdog said .
The hefty penalty comes at a sensitive time for Lloyds which , along with rival banks , have millions of customers struggling to make ends meet amid the coronavirus pandemic and many of them taking repayment holidays on mortgages .
In its statement , the FCA warned all lenders that the hardship faced by customers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of firms treating customers in financial difficulty fairly and appropriately '' .
Lloyds said that all customers affected had already been contacted and reimbursed .
`` We have since taken significant steps to enhance how we support mortgage customers experiencing financial difficulty , including investing in colleague training and procedures , '' Lloyds said in response .

Lloyds Banking Group has been fined £64m by the City regulator over its treatment of more than half a million mortgage customers suffering payment difficulties.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Lloyds, along with its Bank of Scotland and The Mortgage Business divisions, did not provide the appropriate level of support to customers in arrears between 2011 and 2015.
Its investigation found the banks failed to help people who were vulnerable through times of difficulties, including marital splits, the death of a spouse or loss of a job.
One case related to the treatment of a customer that had endured a family member going missing.
Image: Banks have been offering repayment holidays, under the FCA's guidance, to customers struggling amid the COVID-19 crisis
On top of the fine - the largest imposed by the FCA for mortgage failures - Lloyds has paid £300m in redress to 526,000 customers, the watchdog said.
The hefty penalty comes at a sensitive time for Lloyds which, along with rival banks, have millions of customers struggling to make ends meet amid the coronavirus pandemic and many of them taking repayment holidays on mortgages.
In its statement, the FCA warned all lenders that the hardship faced by customers during the outbreak "only heightens the importance of firms treating customers in financial difficulty fairly and appropriately".
Lloyds said that all customers affected had already been contacted and reimbursed.
"We have since taken significant steps to enhance how we support mortgage customers experiencing financial difficulty, including investing in colleague training and procedures," Lloyds said in response.


news--2020-06-10--Coronavirus lockdown costs Premier League clubs £1 billion in lost revenue

Premier League clubs are set for a combined revenue loss of around £1billion this season because of the disruption caused by COVID-19 , according to analysis by accountancy firm Deloitte .
The Premier League will restart on 17 June after a three-month break enforced by players and staff testing positive for the virus and the wider lockdown .
But , despite the intention to complete all remaining fixtures , club revenue will still be hit hard .
Almost £500m is permanently lost , according to Deloitte 's analysis .
This is primarily due to the loss of match day revenues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The remainder - more than £500m - will be deferred until the 2020/21 financial year , owing to the delay of almost a quarter of the season beyond the 30 June deadline .
Dan Jones , partner and head of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte , said : `` We expect the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to cause significant revenue reduction and operating losses across European football .
`` Football returning - in a safe and sensible way - is clearly important to limiting the financial impact that the pandemic has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responding in different ways and at different paces .
The success of each league 's return , and the strength of each one 's relationships with broadcasters and commercial partners , will have a potentially significant and lasting impact on the financial strength of clubs and leagues . ''
There is no certainty over when fans may be able to return to stadiums again .
A survey of 511 epidemiologists conducted by the New York Times revealed that 62 % believed it would be more than a year before fans could return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar picture in the UK .
The landscape further down the football league pyramid where teams rely on gate receipts is bleak , with some clubs warning they could be forced out of business if fans can not return to grounds before next year .
But the picture is more optimistic for Europe 's football giants with Deloitte 's analysis showing they were in rude health before the pandemic struck .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The 'big five ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ France , Germany and Italy generated a record €17bn ( £15bn ) in revenue in the 2018/19 season , a 9 % increase from the previous year .
Premier League clubs ' revenues rose to more than £5billion ( £5.2bn ) for the first time , an increase of 7 % , driven by growth in the money redistributed by European football 's governing body , UEFA , to English clubs .
The most recent Premier League game was played on 9 March when Aston Villa were defeated 4-0 by Leicester .
Dean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four fixtures before the break and face a battle to avoid relegation .
They will be the first team in action after the resumption when they face Sheffield United on 17 June .
All Premier League players and club staff are now tested twice a week for coronavirus .
The latest round of testing , the seventh in total , saw 1,213 tests conducted of which one individual tested positive .

Premier League clubs are set for a combined revenue loss of around £1billion this season because of the disruption caused by COVID-19, according to analysis by accountancy firm Deloitte.
The Premier League will restart on 17 June after a three-month break enforced by players and staff testing positive for the virus and the wider lockdown.
But, despite the intention to complete all remaining fixtures, club revenue will still be hit hard.
Almost £500m is permanently lost, according to Deloitte's analysis. This is primarily due to the loss of match day revenues and rebates on broadcast and commercial contracts.
The remainder - more than £500m - will be deferred until the 2020/21 financial year, owing to the delay of almost a quarter of the season beyond the 30 June deadline.
Dan Jones, partner and head of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte,said: "We expect the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to cause significant revenue reduction and operating losses across European football.
"Football returning - in a safe and sensible way - is clearly important to limiting the financial impact that the pandemic has had.
"Leagues across Europe have been responding in different ways and at different paces. The success of each league's return, and the strength of each one's relationships with broadcasters and commercial partners, will have a potentially significant and lasting impact on the financial strength of clubs and leagues."
Image: The Premier League was suspended in March
There is no certainty over when fans may be able to return to stadiums again. A survey of 511 epidemiologists conducted by the New York Times revealed that 62% believed it would be more than a year before fans could return to stadiums in the USA and it is a similar picture in the UK.
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The landscape further down the football league pyramid where teams rely on gate receipts is bleak, with some clubs warning they could be forced out of business if fans cannot return to grounds before next year.
But the picture is more optimistic for Europe's football giants with Deloitte's analysis showing they
were in rude health before the pandemic struck.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
The 'big five' European leagues of England, Spain, France, Germany and Italy generated a record €17bn (£15bn) in revenue in the 2018/19 season, a 9% increase from the previous year.
Premier League clubs' revenues rose to more than £5billion (£5.2bn) for the first time, an increase of 7%, driven by growth in the money redistributed by European football's governing body, UEFA, to English clubs.
The most recent Premier League game was played on 9 March when Aston Villa were defeated 4-0 by Leicester. Dean Smith's side had lost their last four fixtures before the break and face a battle to avoid relegation.
They will be the first team in action after the resumption when they face Sheffield United on 17 June. All Premier League players and club staff are now tested twice a week for coronavirus.
The latest round of testing, the seventh in total, saw 1,213 tests conducted of which one individual tested positive.


news--2020-06-11--Coronavirus: Bombardier's Belfast plant to cut 600 jobs

Around 600 jobs will be lost at Bombardier 's aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast as the aviation industry continues to face challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
The company said 400 permanent employees , plus more than 200 contractors who work at the plant , will be let go .
The Canadian firm 's Belfast location , which is the largest high-tech manufacturer in Northern Ireland , will be left with some 2,900 employees after the cuts .
It comes after the Montreal-headquartered company said last week it was planning to shed 2,500 jobs across its plants worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure from the drop in demand for air travel caused by coronavirus , with passenger traffic down by 97 % at Heathrow last month compared to May 2019 .
Governments worldwide have imposed severe travel restrictions over recent months , such as the 14-day quarantine now required by the UK government , in a bid to curb COVID-19 infections .
A Bombardier spokeswoman said : `` We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families , but it is crucial that we resize our business in line with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Toronto-listed firm has agreed to sell its Belfast-based aerospace business to US company Spirit AeroSystems as part of a £840m deal , although the transaction is yet to be completed .
The workforce in Belfast produce wings for the Airbus A220 and employees there will be offered a 90-day consultation period to find other roles and reduce job losses .
Unions are now questioning why the Northern Ireland Assembly has been unable to provide government support to a critical industry for the regional economy .
Susan Fitzgerald , from Unite , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unionised jobs .
The money these workers spend and the supply chain demand from this business plays a vital role in the Northern Ireland economy .
`` Redundancies on this scale will have a devastating impact across the board but in the face of mounting threats to the aerospace sector as a whole , all we have seen is complete inaction from the Stormont Executive . ''
Governments in Europe have offered billions over the past month to shore up their aerospace sectors .
France most recently announced a £13.3bn aid package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supply chain , as well as its flag carrier Air France .
Ms Fitzgerald said similar measures are needed in the UK and Northern Ireland .
`` Unless a specific support package is brought forward soon , including measures such as an aircraft scrappage scheme , then thousands of jobs will be lost and the UK will lose its standing as a world leader in aerospace , '' she said .
`` Public money invested to secure this industry would be recouped through the taxes and contributions of all those who would otherwise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be matched with equity-stakes and tied to a transition to greener aircraft .
`` The action to save this sector needs to come from government .
Where is Stormont 's strategy to safeguard aerospace from the COVID downturn ? ''

Around 600 jobs will be lost at Bombardier's aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast as the aviation industry continues to face challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said 400 permanent employees, plus more than 200 contractors who work at the plant, will be let go.
The Canadian firm's Belfast location, which is the largest high-tech manufacturer in Northern Ireland, will be left with some 2,900 employees after the cuts.
It comes after the Montreal-headquartered company said last week it was planning to shed 2,500 jobs across its plants worldwide.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 8:33 Heathrow Airport: 'We need to start reopening our borders'
The wider aviation sector is reeling under pressure from the drop in demand for air travel caused by coronavirus, with passenger traffic down by 97% at Heathrow last month compared to May 2019.
Governments worldwide have imposed severe travel restrictions over recent months, such as the 14-day quarantine now required by the UK government, in a bid to curb COVID-19 infections.
A Bombardier spokeswoman said: "We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is crucial that we resize our business in line with market realities in these unprecedented circumstances."
The Toronto-listed firm has agreed to sell its Belfast-based aerospace business to US company Spirit AeroSystems as part of a £840m deal, although the transaction is yet to be completed.
The workforce in Belfast produce wings for the Airbus A220 and employees there will be offered a 90-day consultation period to find other roles and reduce job losses.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:35 May 2019: Unions demand job security at Bombardier
Unions are now questioning why the Northern Ireland Assembly has been unable to provide government support to a critical industry for the regional economy.
Susan Fitzgerald, from Unite, said: "Bombardier jobs are high-value-added, unionised jobs. The money these workers spend and the supply chain demand from this business plays a vital role in the Northern Ireland economy.
"Redundancies on this scale will have a devastating impact across the board but in the face of mounting threats to the aerospace sector as a whole, all we have seen is complete inaction from the Stormont Executive."
Governments in Europe have offered billions over the past month to shore up their aerospace sectors.
France most recently announced a £13.3bn aid package for Airbus and smaller companies in the supply chain, as well as its flag carrier Air France.
In May, Germany's Lufthansa received a £8bn rescue package.
Image: Travellers arriving in Britain face 14 days in quarantine
Ms Fitzgerald said similar measures are needed in the UK and Northern Ireland.
"Unless a specific support package is brought forward soon, including measures such as an aircraft scrappage scheme, then thousands of jobs will be lost and the UK will lose its standing as a world leader in aerospace," she said.
"Public money invested to secure this industry would be recouped through the taxes and contributions of all those who would otherwise be forced onto dole queues and could be matched with equity-stakes and tied to a transition to greener aircraft.
"The action to save this sector needs to come from government. Where is Stormont's strategy to safeguard aerospace from the COVID downturn?"


news--2020-06-10--Thirty lives have been saved by post-Grenfell reforms, new London Fire Commissioner reveals

Thirty lives have already been saved thanks to changes in firefighting since the Grenfell tragedy , the new London Fire Brigade commissioner has told Sky News .
There are more straightforward times to take over the running of a major emergency service .
The new London Fire Brigade ( LFB ) Commissioner Andy Roe took on the job at the start of the coronavirus pandemic .
He said : `` I 've got 300 firefighters , co-crewing ambulances .
I 've had over 100 firefighters providing services for people who 've lost their lives in their homes , making sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've had my logistics people distributing their 10 millionth piece of PPE on Friday . ''
But bigger still for his crews is the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy almost three years ago and the subsequent and highly critical report from the first phase of the public inquiry into the fire published last October .
LFB has fully accepted the recommendations made in the report , with the commissioner saying the deaths of the 72 victims `` weigh heavily on him '' .
He says they were `` badly let down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards reform .
Mr Roe told Sky News : `` I am absolutely motivated because of my personal involvement in this incident to drive that change forward .
`` I could not allow a tragedy of this scale in London without making that promise to those families , those people who lost everything . ''
He said changes are already being brought in and have already saved 30 lives across the capital .
`` Even in the middle of this pandemic , they involve changes to equipment , so an increased fleet of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can reach further up a high-rise building ; and the introduction of smoke hoods ( fire escape hoods ) , which means that we can bring members of the public safely down through smoke filled lobbies .
`` And , actually , since their introduction , they have saved the lives of 30 Londoners across approximately 20 incidents .
`` They 've already proven their worth .
So real changes are tangible , '' he said .
But he continued : `` The residents in that tower block were vulnerable people , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to seek refuge from war and other tragedy .
`` They should have been able to feel safe in the environment they were living in .
I think they were badly let down by all sorts of organisations and legislation and years of erosion of good standards . ''
Instead , he said , they woke to a scene of `` utter carnage '' in west London after the fire broke out at 12.54am on 14 June 2017 .
At the time , 297 people were in the tower - 67 of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vertical column of flames had reached the top floor .
At 1.30am the first 999 call was received , reporting the fire had penetrated a flat on the 22nd floor .
But residents were told to `` stay put '' in their flats .
Mr Roe , then deputy commissioner of the fire service , arrived around 2.30am and became Incident Commander .
He said : `` My personal experience of it was that it was the most serious incident I 've ever attended as a professional firefighter or officer .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues who were there and who were risking their lives , time after time , were facing the biggest professional firefighting challenge of their lives .
`` And to be frank , what I saw in front of me was a community torn apart , a failure of the building regulation system and , just actually almost breathtaking , the scale of failure of the building . ''
The external cladding at Grenfell had acted as an accelerant .
Mr Roe told the government inquiry it was like `` a petrol fire '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` stay put '' was `` absolutely unsustainable '' .
The fire had been burning for more than an hour and a half .
Asked if he would have revoked `` stay put '' sooner if he 'd arrived on scene earlier , he said : `` I think it 's impossible for me to say .
`` I can only tell you what my decision was in the very moment and to me , in that moment , it was very clear what the appropriate decision was .
The building completely failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to advise people that they were to stay put and therefore it had to be changed immediately . ''
One of the first things Mr Roe did as commissioner was to meet the victims ' families , he said .
He told Sky News : `` I can not tell you how both moving and humbling that was , in terms of their courage and their great desire to seek the truth and see change , so that other people would n't have to suffer as they did . ''
Rebuilding trust is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledges that it is `` extremely '' tough to get high-rise residents to accept that `` stay put '' is still the correct thing to do .
He added : `` Actually stay put is still the right advice in over 90 % of occasions .
I completely accept that if you live in a high-rise block in London , it is very hard to trust that advice , knowing what happened at Grenfell '' .
In the light of the George Floyd protests , which have challenged trust in police forces in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` working very hard to ensure that the London Fire Brigade properly represents the communities we serve , in diverse , multicultural London . ''
Buildings in the capital with Grenfell-style cladding yet to be removed will be subject to mass evacuation orders and residents will know the drill , he added .
Cladding removal `` has to happen as quickly as possible , '' he says , although a government target of this June to get the work done has been abandoned .
For Commissioner Roe , a Londoner with 18 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his family in the same profession , this is personal .
He said : `` You know , I have family members who live on estates just like that where the tower at Grenfell was .
I 've lived here all my life .
My family is mixed .
It 's very diverse .
`` What it gave me was a great sense of motivation to ensure that it never happens again and to ensure that the men and women of the London Fire Brigade were never put in that position again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a terrible tragedy . ''

Thirty lives have already been saved thanks to changes in firefighting since the Grenfell tragedy, the new London Fire Brigade commissioner has told Sky News.
There are more straightforward times to take over the running of a major emergency service.
The new London Fire Brigade (LFB) Commissioner Andy Roe took on the job at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: "I've got 300 firefighters, co-crewing ambulances. I've had over 100 firefighters providing services for people who've lost their lives in their homes, making sure they're treated with dignity.
"I've had my logistics people distributing their 10 millionth piece of PPE on Friday."
But bigger still for his crews is the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy almost three years ago and the subsequent and highly critical report from the first phase of the public inquiry into the fire published last October.
LFB has fully accepted the recommendations made in the report, with the commissioner saying the deaths of the 72 victims "weigh heavily on him".
He says they were "badly let down", but they have pushed him towards reform.
Mr Roe told Sky News: "I am absolutely motivated because of my personal involvement in this incident to drive that change forward.
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"I could not allow a tragedy of this scale in London without making that promise to those families, those people who lost everything."
He said changes are already being brought in and have already saved 30 lives across the capital.
"Even in the middle of this pandemic, they involve changes to equipment, so an increased fleet of extended turntable ladders, which means we can reach further up a high-rise building; and the introduction of smoke hoods (fire escape hoods), which means that we can bring members of the public safely down through smoke filled lobbies.
"And, actually, since their introduction, they have saved the lives of 30 Londoners across approximately 20 incidents.
"They've already proven their worth. So real changes are tangible," he said.
But he continued: "The residents in that tower block were vulnerable people, many of them had come to this country to seek refuge from war and other tragedy.
"They should have been able to feel safe in the environment they were living in. I think they were badly let down by all sorts of organisations and legislation and years of erosion of good standards."
Instead, he said, they woke to a scene of "utter carnage" in west London after the fire broke out at 12.54am on 14 June 2017.
At the time, 297 people were in the tower - 67 of them were children.
Within 20 minutes, a vertical column of flames had reached the top floor. At 1.30am the first 999 call was received, reporting the fire had penetrated a flat on the 22nd floor.
But residents were told to "stay put" in their flats.
Mr Roe, then deputy commissioner of the fire service, arrived around 2.30am and became Incident Commander.
He said: "My personal experience of it was that it was the most serious incident I've ever attended as a professional firefighter or officer.
"I knew immediately on arrival that my colleagues who were there and who were risking their lives, time after time, were facing the biggest professional firefighting challenge of their lives.
"And to be frank, what I saw in front of me was a community torn apart, a failure of the building regulation system and, just actually almost breathtaking, the scale of failure of the building."
The external cladding at Grenfell had acted as an accelerant. Mr Roe told the government inquiry it was like "a petrol fire" and he said he quickly realised that "stay put" was "absolutely unsustainable".
The fire had been burning for more than an hour and a half.
Asked if he would have revoked "stay put" sooner if he'd arrived on scene earlier, he said: "I think it's impossible for me to say.
"I can only tell you what my decision was in the very moment and to me, in that moment, it was very clear what the appropriate decision was. The building completely failed.
"It was no longer acceptable to advise people that they were to stay put and therefore it had to be changed immediately."
One of the first things Mr Roe did as commissioner was to meet the victims' families, he said.
He told Sky News: "I cannot tell you how both moving and humbling that was, in terms of their courage and their great desire to seek the truth and see change, so that other people wouldn't have to suffer as they did."
Rebuilding trust is key, he says. But he acknowledges that it is "extremely" tough to get high-rise residents to accept that "stay put" is still the correct thing to do.
He added: "Actually stay put is still the right advice in over 90% of occasions. I completely accept that if you live in a high-rise block in London, it is very hard to trust that advice, knowing what happened at Grenfell".
Image: June 2017: Firefighters at the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire
In the light of the George Floyd protests, which have challenged trust in police forces in America, he insisted his team is "working very hard to ensure that the London Fire Brigade properly represents the communities we serve, in diverse, multicultural London."
Buildings in the capital with Grenfell-style cladding yet to be removed will be subject to mass evacuation orders and residents will know the drill, he added.
Cladding removal "has to happen as quickly as possible," he says, although a government target of this June to get the work done has been abandoned.
For Commissioner Roe, a Londoner with 18 years service as a firefighter and six members of his family in the same profession, this is personal.
He said: "You know, I have family members who live on estates just like that where the tower at Grenfell was. I've lived here all my life. My family is mixed. It's very diverse.
"What it gave me was a great sense of motivation to ensure that it never happens again and to ensure that the men and women of the London Fire Brigade were never put in that position again, where they had to respond to such a terrible tragedy."


news--2020-06-11--Darktrace backers shift stakes as cybersecurity giant nears IPO

The private equity giant KKR is increasing its stake in Darktrace , the British cybersecurity company , in another step towards a potential blockbuster stock market flotation .
Sky News has learnt that a reorganisation of Darktrace 's shareholder structure will result in its largest investor , Invoke Capital , modestly reducing its holding .
Invoke was set up by Mike Lynch , the technology entrepreneur whose sale of the software group Autonomy nearly a decade ago has left him facing a battle to avoid extradition to the US , as well as a host of other legal battles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Darktrace 's share register was motivated by a desire to `` tidy it up '' following a string of fundraisings during the seven years since the company was established .
One insisted that the change to Invoke 's stake would be `` very small - low single digits percentage change , at most - and it remains the largest shareholder '' .
A sum of new money understood to be more than $ 100m ( £79m ) is also understood to be being injected into Darktrace by existing investors said to include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private equity firm .
Further details of the changes to its share register were unclear .
Darktrace supplies artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity software to corporate customers , helping them to dictate abnormal behaviour on their networks .
This month , the company said it had passed $ 1bn in `` cumulative bookings '' , suggesting that its order book has been substantially boosted by the coronavirus-inspired switch to remote working for millions of employees of multinational companies .
Growing demand for its products has underpinned some of its investors ' appetite to buy more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies such as easyJet and Honda again reinforcing the extent to which the security of multinationals ' networks and data is now a fixture on boardroom agendas .
Darktrace now employs more than 1,200 people , with 44 offices and dual headquarters in Cambridge and San Francisco .
Darktrace 's customers have included AIG , BT Group , Jimmy Choo , the Science Museum Group and William Hill .
It has made little secret of its desire to go public , with London and New York expected to compete to stage the listing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ value the company at well over $ 2bn and could take place in the first half of next year , according to bankers who are keen to be involved in the flotation .
In February , Darktrace appointed Cathy Graham , who has been involved in a series of technology company IPOs , as its chief financial officer .
KKR and Summit invested in the company as part of previous funding rounds in 2015 and 2016 .
It last raised money in a Series E round in 2018 , when it said Vitruvian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had come on board as a shareholder .
The company is expected to launch further products in the coming months that will strengthen its credentials as a major player in the cybersecurity market for companies grappling with the challenges of remote working .
Mr Lynch stepped down from Darktrace 's board towards the end of 2018 , after he was charged in the US with securities fraud in relation to the $ 11bn sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 .
He was arrested in February as part of the ongoing US criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil trial in London is expected later this year .
The entrepreneur has stepped down from some of his other board roles but remains involved with start-ups such as Luminance , a law-focused AI company .
Poppy Gustafsson , Darktrace chief executive , said earlier this month : `` To eclipse the $ 1bn mark in bookings is a major milestone for Darktrace as organizations around the world accelerate their adoption of AI for cybersecurity .
`` Our self-learning cyber AI remains the only technology on the market that can autonomously adapt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advanced cyber-threats before they do damage . ''
Darktrace and Invoke both declined to comment .

The private equity giant KKR is increasing its stake in Darktrace, the British cybersecurity company, in another step towards a potential blockbuster stock market flotation.
Sky News has learnt that a reorganisation of Darktrace's shareholder structure will result in its largest investor, Invoke Capital, modestly reducing its holding.
Invoke was set up by Mike Lynch, the technology entrepreneur whose sale of the software group Autonomy nearly a decade ago has left him facing a battle to avoid extradition to the US, as well as a host of other legal battles.
Sources said on Thursday that the reorganisation of Darktrace's share register was motivated by a desire to "tidy it up" following a string of fundraisings during the seven years since the company was established.
One insisted that the change to Invoke's stake would be "very small - low single digits percentage change, at most - and it remains the largest shareholder".
A sum of new money understood to be more than $100m (£79m) is also understood to be being injected into Darktrace by existing investors said to include KKR and Summit Partners, a US-based private equity firm.
Further details of the changes to its share register were unclear.
Darktrace supplies artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity software to corporate customers, helping them to dictate abnormal behaviour on their networks.
This month, the company said it had passed $1bn in "cumulative bookings", suggesting that its order book has been substantially boosted by the coronavirus-inspired switch to remote working for millions of employees of multinational companies.
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Image: Darktrace supplies artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity software to corporate customers
Growing demand for its products has underpinned some of its investors' appetite to buy more Darktrace stock, with recent cyberattacks on companies such as easyJet and Honda again reinforcing the extent to which the security of multinationals' networks and data is now a fixture on boardroom agendas.
Darktrace now employs more than 1,200 people, with 44 offices and dual headquarters in Cambridge and San Francisco.
Darktrace's customers have included AIG, BT Group, Jimmy Choo, the Science Museum Group and William Hill.
It has made little secret of its desire to go public, with London and New York expected to compete to stage the listing.
An initial public offering would probably value the company at well over $2bn and could take place in the first half of next year, according to bankers who are keen to be involved in the flotation.
In February, Darktrace appointed Cathy Graham, who has been involved in a series of technology company IPOs, as its chief financial officer.
KKR and Summit invested in the company as part of previous funding rounds in 2015 and 2016.
It last raised money in a Series E round in 2018, when it said Vitruvian Partners, another private equity firm, had come on board as a shareholder.
The company is expected to launch further products in the coming months that will strengthen its credentials as a major player in the cybersecurity market for companies grappling with the challenges of remote working.
Mr Lynch stepped down from Darktrace's board towards the end of 2018, after he was charged in the US with securities fraud in relation to the $11bn sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
He was arrested in February as part of the ongoing US criminal investigation, while the outcome of a civil trial in London is expected later this year.
The entrepreneur has stepped down from some of his other board roles but remains involved with start-ups such as Luminance, a law-focused AI company.
Poppy Gustafsson, Darktrace chief executive, said earlier this month: "To eclipse the $1bn mark in bookings is a major milestone for Darktrace as organizations around the world accelerate their adoption of AI for cybersecurity.
"Our self-learning cyber AI remains the only technology on the market that can autonomously adapt to fast-changing digital environments and protect workforces from advanced cyber-threats before they do damage."
Darktrace and Invoke both declined to comment.