thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--The Absurd Stereotypes Women Face For Dyeing Their Hair

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Too bold! Too radical! Too wild! Many women have encountered judgement for the choices they make with their hair, particularly with colour. Women who dye their hair lime green or peacock purple are scrutinised to the point where their personal and professional worth is measured by this parameter.
And as if that wasn’t enough, culturally imposed dogmatic ideologies make it even worse. “This isn’t our culture.” “What will your in-laws say?” “It is frowned upon in our society.” “People will question your character.” “Only unstable people in our community do this.” Do any of those sound familiar?
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While it’s one thing to have a personal preference for your own aesthetic appearance, it’s another to have your character questioned and to face stereotypes based on preconceived notions.
Whether it’s a professional setting or a personal one, women with wildly coloured hair have to face all kinds of judgments. We spoke with 18 bold and beautiful women who shared the absurd stereotypes they faced after colouring their hair. Hear them out.
Some interview subjects chose not to share their last name for privacy reasons.
Eryn Thacker
Bridget Adams Brewer
“About four or so years ago, I dyed my (platinum at the time) hair pastel for Halloween. It was really cute and I loved it. Since I have coloured hair, tattoos and bright makeup, people think I must be a wild party girl. Nothing could be further from the truth! I don’t drink and will more likely be found sitting at home cross-stitching with my cats on a Friday night as opposed to being out on the town. Oh, and let’s not forget the nice elderly man who came up to me at the grocery ... only to hand me a religious pamphlet about drug rehab.”
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Vritti Goel
Courtesy of Vritti Goel
“I’ve been dyeing my hair since 2015. I was looking for a change. In life, in appearance, in experiences! I’m also at an age at which my parents are looking to help me settle down. ‘What will these parents think?’ ‘Our family doesn’t do this.’ ‘Don’t call so much attention to yourself.’ India’s judgemental culture is not breaking news, but it still surprised me when I was assumed to be kooky and younger than I am in the workplace, ‘going through a phase’ among family and friends, and entirely unfit to be a potential wife and mother — all because I’d decided to dye my hair as a form of self-expression.”
Stacy Bernel
Courtesy of Stacy Bernel
“I started adding red in my late 30s, either as highlights or ombré. I felt like I was getting bolder in my personal and professional life, and I wanted my hair to be a reflection of that. I experienced a sense of, ‘Who does she think she is?’ I live in a pretty conservative community, and in a lot of ways I am a bit of a misfit.”
Jamie Causey
Courtesy of Jamie Causey
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“I went pink and really haven’t ever looked back. I’ve always heard the whole ‘unnatural hair colour is unacceptable’ stereotype. Depending on where we are in the country, my look is received with more or less side eye. I’m from Texas and grew up in a super small, super conservative town. I have to overcome the ‘What kind of mum is this?’ hurdle, the ‘Holy crap, his wife is ... waaaaayyyyyyyy different from him’ hurdle, along with the one where people from more conservative parts aren’t sure if I’m a drug dealer, an addict, a prostitute or some combination of the three.”
Michelle Pham
Courtesy of Michelle Pham
“I coloured my hair because I was never good at doing my makeup and my fashion sense was nonexistent. The first thing about having vibrant hair is that people think you’re either a punk or a bad kid. Second, people think it’s unprofessional and don’t want to hire you. Third, it doesn’t help that I’m Asian, so of course [people who follow tradition] think it’s rude and weird. If I got a dollar for every stare at an Asian market or restaurants! Eventually, people will realise that having pink hair doesn’t stop you from saving lives as a doctor.”
Sheira Argote
Courtesy of Sheira Argote
“The moment I left my parents’ house at age 14, I bleached and dyed my hair red. As a young Hispanic woman, I got a lot of comments from being ‘ghetto’ to a drug addict. I had bright red hair then. As I got older and continued to have all types of colours, I realised in business and at the professional level it was still not accepted. I even had an employer threaten me that if I considered doing my hair purple, they would have to let me go, as it went against their professional policy. I quit and dyed my hair, of course.”
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Stephanie Grey
Jesse Graham
“I have always been pretty creative and artistic, and I see my hair as an extension of that. The downside to having coloured hair, in my experience, is that people can underestimate my intelligence and I sometimes feel disregarded because I may not be ‘serious’ enough. The stereotype of the manic pixie dream girl often comes up, with people expecting me to be a crazy, fun, chill person, but I am actually quite anxious, with frequent health issues that mean that partying is quite low on my radar.”
Julianna Perez
Courtesy of Julianna Perez
“I initially coloured my hair because I was in a deep depression and I was trying to force change out of my behaviour. Unfortunately, there seems to be a belief from society that people who have bright hair are carefree and less inclined to be professional. No one wants to take the brown-skinned girl with bright purple hair seriously. I started noticing how often my ideas were being dismissed. Comments from my coworkers about their assumptions on my life were often being made: ‘Julie doesn’t want to come in on the weekend, she’ll be too busy partying.’ Networking events started to turn into a chance to recite my résumé, because otherwise I was often being questioned about how I even made it into the field. I’ll admit to the fact that the comments were getting to me. There’s only so many times a comment like, ‘Reminder to be professional with this client’ can be made before you’ve had enough.”
Jeanise Aviles
Courtesy of Jeanise Aviles
“Being Puerto Rican, queer and always dressed colourfully, I can run into all kinds of stereotypes. In the last few years, my hair has been neon green because I’m really working on balancing my love chakra. One stereotype that’s hurtful is that some people will assume that because I have bright, colourful hair, that I am crazy. They’ll say, ‘I would never colour my hair a crazy colour like that, you’re crazy,’ and to hear someone put me in a ‘crazy’ category can be really hurtful and shameful. You just never know if someone has experienced trauma that has actually had to be admitted to a psych ward for help. Calling people ‘crazy’ can be very mean.”
Naomi Cooper
Blondies of Melbourne
“I initially coloured my hair for my engagement party, as I loved the look. When I first dyed my hair, I was met by some pushback from a new manager at work who stated that my hair wasn’t appropriate for the ‘high-end’ brand I worked for and suggested that I should be working for a more ‘immature’ or ‘younger’ brand and demographic.”
Bianca Becker
Blondies of Melbourne
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“I’ve always been a little bit different than everybody else, and I feel like it’s another way of expressing myself. I feel as though people with coloured hair are seen as ’80s punk rockers who are reckless and can’t hold down a job. I’ve definitely been viewed as unprofessional and incapable because of my choice of hair colour.”
Roshni Kumar
Courtesy of Roshni Kumar
“I’ve always wanted to colour since I was a child. I’m always stereotyped as either a rebel or a bad girl. People assume I must be doing bad things in life like drugs or lots of men, that I must definitely get a lot of shit from my family because they oppose this, or that I must be doing this to get attention and validation from others. And literally none of those things are true.”
Krista W.
Courtesy of Krista W.
“I coloured my hair because I have always loved the way it allows me to express myself. The most frustrating remark I’ve received was an acting colleague who told me it made me confusing, because the hair reads as dangerous/edgy while my face reads as ‘girl next door.’ And the older man who stared at me and asked if it was Christmas and tried to touch it — it made me feel like an animal in a zoo.”
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Mishana Khot
Courtesy of Mishana Khot
“I just think coloured hair is gorgeous. People think they know all about your lifestyle if you have coloured hair. Women with coloured hair are viewed as ‘trying to get attention,’ ‘must be on drugs,’ ‘have to be flirts,’ ‘is a bloody feminist,’ etc. Colours like purple, blue or green are viewed as too radical, unwomanly or too ‘witchy’ to be accepted easily.”
Pinguino Kolb
Courtesy of Pinguino Kolb
“I started colouring my hair because it looked fun. People thought I could sell or find them drugs based on my hair colour and how I dress, and that was always annoying. I was straightedge for a long time, so it was pretty opposite of how I looked.”
Sarah Wayte
Courtesy of Sarah Wayte
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“The thing is, outward appearances are how I express myself because of my introversion. I do think in the UK (where I’m from), there are assumptions made about people with brightly coloured hair. I was a paramedic and was told I could not have unusual hair colours if I was public-facing. I sometimes felt that I wasn’t taken seriously because of my hair colour, as if I couldn’t be very intelligent, perhaps.”
Maja Amanita
Courtesy of Maja Amanita
“I’d dreamt of colouring my hair blue since I wore a blue wig to a dress-up party. In Poland, on the rural fringe, a store owner abjectly refused to serve me and my cousin, thinking we were lesbians. The woman mumbled and waved us away. I had to deliberately dress ‘elegantly’ (not provocatively) when I had coloured hair.”
Nicey J
Courtesy of Nicey J
“When my hair was neon red and blue, some people would assume I was unable to pay for things in certain stores. Apparently women who shop at such places don’t ever make such bold hair statements. I just kept moving and paid for what I wanted when they thought I could not. I spoke the way an educated woman speaks, even when they thought I may be ‘ghetto’ because of my hair colour.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--I'm Queer But I Don’t Enjoy Anal Sex. We Have To End The ‘Top’ And ‘Bottom’ Binary

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You’re reading Sex Diaries, a HuffPost UK Personal series about how we are (or aren’t) having sex. To share your story, get in touch on ukpersonal@huffpost.com.
“Are you a top or a bottom?”
It’s a question I’m asked on a near-daily basis – by potential partners on dating apps, drunken strangers in nightclubs, and even random passers-by on the street. Sometimes, it’s understandable: clear communication is the key to good sex after all, so I’m always happy to answer if the person asking actually wants to get in my pants.
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But this is rarely the case. Gay sex has been mystified for decades, largely because a combination of criminalisation and prejudice forced it to happen in private. Thankfully, we’ve moved on from that time, yet even in today’s age of increased visibility, the endless popularity of the “top or bottom?” binary says a lot – not just about how gay sex is understood culturally, but also about LGBTQ+ people are treated.
For me, the answer is tricky. I’m neither. I first had oral sex in a car park at 16 years old, and within a few months I had racked up a string of similarly underwhelming and fleeting sexual encounters, usually with total strangers. At 19, I finally met someone I thought I could trust. We dated for three months, during which time he consistently pushed me to have anal sex. I always said no, but reasoned that I had a ‘three-month rule’; that I wanted to ensure the first person I agreed to it with was worth sticking around for.
“I had grown up being told that the only ‘legitimate’ way to have sex was penetrative, so my lack of experience made me feel ashamed.”
The truth was that I was terrified. I had toyed with the idea of anal play before, but the few experiences I did have under my belt were painful and uncomfortable. I know now that this was partly due to a lack of sex education and a reluctance to speak openly about sex (which has clearly disappeared over the years!) but I didn’t feel comfortable telling him any of this. I had grown up being told that the only ‘legitimate’ way to have sex was penetrative, so my lack of experience made me feel ashamed.
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After two-and-a-half months, my then-boyfriend picked a huge fight during foreplay. I caved and, furious, told him to “just get it over with”. He did, with no lube and little warning. I begged him to stop, in tears from the pain. He refused, and he finished. A few days later, so did our relationship.
I spent years repressing this experience and forgoing anal completely, relying on casual hook-ups with guys who wouldn’t ask questions or make demands. When I entered a long-term relationship, I tried to bottle my fears, yet still found myself unable to have anal. Even when I occasionally topped – because my partner desperately wanted penetration and I desperately wanted to please him – I would be consumed with memories of the pain I had felt years earlier. To say it wasn’t enjoyable would be an understatement.
Last year, the trauma fully resurfaced. Another long-term partner wanted sex but pushed a little too hard; I burst into tears and opened up for the first time about what had happened. He was kind, apologetic and understanding, but months later the relationship ended – and again, a lack of anal sex was one of the reasons.
My experiences are obviously unique, especially now I identify as non-binary and present as pretty femme. Femme-shaming in the LGBTQ+ community is notorious, and it’s a problem that persists.
But my femininity means that guys make assumptions: that I’m a submissive ‘bottom’, basically. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that (honestly, who doesn’t like to be consensually dominated from time to time?) but it does become a problem when those assumptions mean a guy thinks he can open a conversation by saying he wants to ‘destroy’ me. Not because I’m a prude – far from it – but because the mental image of a guy ‘tearing me apart’ brings up painful memories that I’d rather forget.
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“Not only does the question reduce LGBTQ+ people like me to nothing other than our sex lives, it props up a boring, binary framework.”
I haven’t dated since that last break-up, and have no intentions of doing so before therapy. But my social media timelines are always flooded with gay culture jokes and memes, which often make admittedly hilarious jokes about ‘tops’ and ‘bottoms’. Although light-hearted and well-meaning, this endless stream of viral content usually filters onto the radar of straight people, who see these memes and use them as justification for asking weird, intrusive questions to gay strangers.
Not only does the question reduce LGBTQ+ people like me to nothing other than our sex lives, it props up a boring, binary framework, and reminds queer people that we’re only palatable when we can be read through an either/or lens. It’s not just gay men, either – anecdotally, I have friends across the LGBTQ+ spectrum who get asked dumb questions like ’which of you is the man in the relationship?’, and ’so…how does it, you know, work between you?’
Let’s be clear: prioritising penetration does straight people no favours, either. It’s a well-known fact that plenty of straight guys can’t (or won’t) bring their female partner to orgasm, and that’s partly because they prefer to pound them into oblivion rather than focusing on their needs. In a society still reluctant to speak about the specificities of good sex, de-centring the ’top or bottom’ binary should be on all of our agendas – it’s basically public service!
That’s not to say the ‘top/bottom’ memes shouldn’t exist – far from it! Ironically, memes and humour more generally helped me to cope with talking about sexual assault. But we need to understand that gay sex is about so much more than just anal, and that throwaway ‘top or bottom’ talk does add to the existing pressure to have penetrative sex, which can be damaging and triggering for sexual assault survivors like me.
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I dream of a world where I can get laid without having to explain why I won’t have anal, or where actual honesty doesn’t hinder my chances of having casual sex. That world doesn’t yet exist – because trust me, nothing kills a potential hook-up’s boner faster than a conversation about being raped.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--My Partner And I Travelled For 17 Months With Our Toddler. Here's What We Learned

HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
When my partner and I first told our friends and relatives we were giving up our apartment to travel full time with our one-year-old son, their reactions ranged from admiration to disapproval. If only I could do that, some said. This will be so enriching for your son, others congratulated. He’ll learn so many languages! You guys are so brave! Others pointed out that babies love routine and he wouldn’t have one. They predicted he’d get sick on planes and buses. They told us we needed to be more realistic about our finances.
Regardless of their stance, everyone was convinced it would be really hard. My partner and I were as worried about the negative things as we were thrilled about the positive. We’d reply that trying this out was our dream, and that we were excited to teach our son to travel.
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The idea began to take shape while we were expecting. We were living in Argentina, where we’d arrived independently some years earlier – my partner as a masters student and me as a backpacker – and extended our stays for work opportunities. We met through an international group of friends where everyone was always talking about other places, and we hadn’t thought about Argentina as a long-term plan. Now that we were having a baby, though, people started to ask us if we were staying. We asked ourselves that as well, and decided that exploring somewhere new as a family unquestionably sounded more interesting.
But where would we want to go? How old would our baby need to be to move countries? How much would we have to save up? We got down to analysing world maps, budget spreadsheets and infant vaccination calendars. The version one plan of spending a very budget-conscious six months in a less expensive country turned into the dream of a year across multiple countries when I got an opportunity to work remotely for part of the trip, and we got inspired to add more places along the way.
“Now that we were having a baby though, people started to ask us if we were staying. We asked ourselves, too, and decided that exploring somewhere new as a family unquestionably sounded more interesting.”
Our initial weeks as nomads, playing house in an airy and colorful apartment just off the beach in the state of São Paulo, were mostly blissful but also stressful. It was off-season and colder than we expected, and we wandered along the almost-empty beaches, refreshed by the breeze and feeling like the place was ours. It was like vacation, even as it was strange to think that we no longer had an actual home that we’d be heading back to.
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When we chose to start our trip in Brazil, we imagined that being in a foreign country where none of us knew the language would be romantic. It was when we were on our own, but something else when it came to needing to talk to people. Not being able to speak Portuguese immediately became a source of stress, starting the moment we touched down. Exhausted from a middle-of-the-night layover in Paraguay, we waited an unnecessary four hours at the airport after multiple unsuccessful attempts to figure out which bus to take. At the bakery the next morning, I felt mute, frustrated that I couldn’t ask about the enticing pastries. I knew a few basics, but the words wouldn’t come out.
A couple weeks into our adventure, during which we mostly kept to ourselves, a woman sitting behind us on a bus one day started to interact with our son, waving at him and chatting him up with questions. He barely had “mama” and “papa” down at this point, but to my amusement, he started to smile and babble right back at her with invented words. By the time we jumped off at our stop, they had conducted a full, apparently very engaging conversation. He didn’t speak any language and certainly didn’t know Portuguese, but he didn’t care. He wanted to communicate and he went at it with confidence – and somehow he and this lady understood each other.
So I tried to copy my one-year-old. Whenever I wanted to talk to someone, I’d focus on projecting myself and my intention to communicate, not my language skills. If I didn’t know, I laughed, tried, used Spanish or English words I hoped they knew – anything to get the point across. And it worked. In Brazil, we navigated signing our son up for activities, signing ourselves up for surf classes, finding our way around big cities, getting locals to take part in our YouTube videos, and ordering all the most delicious pastries. We even made some really good friends.
“We got good at setting up house in different places, baby-proofing and teaching our son to do tricky areas of each apartment, like steps or high beds.”
Six months and eight temporary apartments later, we arrived in Mexico City. By this point, we were getting the hang of nomadism. We got good at setting up house in different places, baby-proofing and teaching our son to navigate the tricky areas of each apartment, like steps or high beds. We were experts in stocking empty kitchens with essential groceries. We had learned to use just about every coffee maker on the planet. And our son was now an expert in turning ordinary objects into toys: colourful Tupperware, fresh fruits and vegetables, empty paper towel rolls and water bottles – you name it.
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But this new apartment threw me for a loop. Trying to make everything fit, the owner had placed items in odd places and used a series of extension cords to get appliances hooked up to their outlets. Every drawer in the apartment was filled with an assortment of small items, including coins and medications. The kitchen had heavy saloon-style doors that swung back forcefully when you pushed them. Virtually everything was a baby hazard, and doing my usual sweep, I was overwhelmed with how many things had to be done to make this place safe and liveable. I literally started to cry.
When I talked to my partner about how I felt that night, he pointed out that having issues with each apartment we rented was almost a habit of mine, and I was embarrassed to admit he was right. I remembered that place with really hard floors just when our son was learning to walk, and that other one with steps between each room before he’d learned to do steps (he got good at it there), a tiny apartment with a mold problem, and a huge one where we could never figure out which room our mobile toddler had run off to.
We’d spend hours on Airbnb checking out the apartments we ended up occupying, but there were always issues we hadn’t predicted. I was dismayed every time, but we were always able to figure it out and get comfortable. Our kid, on the other hand, didn’t have any problem with any apartment. Why would he? Every space had so many cool things to explore! This lifestyle is all about adapting to new places, I thought, and he’s a much better nomad than me.
“As a mom, I’m the one who’s more comfortable with consistency and a specific kind of environment for my child ― but he doesn’t care about that”
Another six months later, we were in Cartagena, Colombia. It was incredibly hot, and the apartment we’d carefully picked out turned out to be the tiniest one yet. In search of an activity for our son, we decided on our go-to: the children’s section of the library! So we trekked across the Walled City, which is a challenge when it’s over 90 degrees, the sidewalk is exactly the width of your stroller, and the high curbs have no ramps whatsoever. We’d promised a library, and we were headed to one whose Google Maps photos showed a promising children’s room.
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When we finally got there, we were told that the library was under renovation, but had a temporary location at a nearby bank. Then when we got there, the children’s section we discovered was literally a square-meter space with two shelves of books, a small chair, and a couple of beanbags. Oh no, I thought, he won’t have fun here. We’d been lucky to discover some really amazing public spaces for kids on our travels, and after experiencing these places, this just wouldn’t work. But it worked. My son was totally happy to plop down and start perusing the dusty books with us, and we spent almost an hour there.
It was no different when we came to another library, this time in Bogotá, the following month. This one had a play area, but it was full of incomplete playsets and broken toys. My son ran straight to the kitchen playset, but apparently all the pots and pans and most plastic foods had gotten lost. I was disappointed for him, but he was fine. Seconds later, he was using some random container to cook a banana on the stovetop, and he was having fun. He didn’t judge or get disappointed that this place wasn’t as nice as some others. I saw that it didn’t matter to him, because toys are toys, and he can have fun anywhere.
Isn’t that what being a good traveler is all about? Communicating, adapting, and having a good time? It’s not always easy for an adult. It means looking past insecurities, worries, and unmet expectations. In 17 months of travel, we’ve visited about 50 cities and towns in 20 states across five countries. And the biggest thing I’ve learned is that as a mom, I’m the one who’s more comfortable with consistency and a specific kind of environment for my child ― but he doesn’t care about that. It comes naturally to him to make himself at home and get down to playing everywhere we go. While I myself have struggled with going outside my comfort zone, my child has led the way.
So far, people’s assumption that it’s hard to travel with a kid has been far from true for us. Instead, our son has inspired us and cheered us up when we’ve faced challenges. He has proved to be the best traveler, and he has taught me a lot about how to do it right.
This article first appeared on HuffPost US Personal
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--8 Intriguing Prints To Look At While You're On The Loo

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HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.
The loo isn’t necessarily the most loved part of our home – or the biggest – so decorating it can be a challenge.
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But as we’re in it multiple times throughout the day, there’s no reason why we can’t spruce up the bathroom with a colourful, funny or unique print.
Brighten up your walls with one of these – and spend your time in there enjoying the art on the wall, instead of mindlessly scrolling on your phone.
HuffPost UK Gin And Tonic Garnish Guide Print, Trouva
If you like your G&Ts, you can scour this gin guide at your leisure. Perhaps it’ll provide inspiration for your next evening off, with a homemade cocktail or two.
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HuffPost UK Perfumes Wall Art, Anthropologie
Don’t have space to fit all your favourite perfumes in the bathroom? Keep the picture perfect version, literally, up on the walls instead.
HuffPost UK Just Chillin Art Print, Iamfy
This busy print is eclectic and colourful enough to keep you interested. Soak it all in while you do your, erm, business.
HuffPost UK Pissing Everywhere Isn’t Very Chanel Print, Etsy
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No it’s not smart or clever, but it is funny. And who says you can’t have a laugh on the loo?
HuffPost UK Bowie, Habitat
Music fans will love this one. It has all the lyrics to the iconic Life On Mars song jumbled together so you can have fun reading along while sitting down.
HuffPost UK Morning Psychedelia Art Print, Iamfy
Who doesn’t love a psychedelic print to try and decipher everytime you pop to the toilet? The vibrant colours and odd shapes get a thumbs up from us.
HuffPost UK Din A4 Art Print Unframed Funny Saying, Etsy
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Funny and practical – this will serve as a reminder to top up your toilet roll whenever you’re running low. You can thank us later.
HuffPost UK Whale Song, Made


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--How To Boost Your Mood In This Endlessly Dreary Weather

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When the sun was shining, the pandemic felt that bit more bearable. Afternoons could be spent exercising outdoors, sprucing up the garden if you’re lucky enough to have one, or enjoying the sun on your face by an open window if not.
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But it seems the sun has given up. xc
Stephen Buckley, head of information at mental health charity Mind, previously told HuffPost UK many of us will experience mood changes in relation to the weather. “It’s not unusual to feel more cheerful when the sun is shining and the days are longer,” he said, “or to find that you eat more or sleep longer in winter.”
The impacts of grey days can feel particularly acute for people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So how can you brighten your mood when the sun shows no signs of playing ball?
Re-think the rain
Instead of shaking an angry fist at the clouds, take a moment to appreciate their beauty as they swirl above your head, or listen, really listen, to the rain drops hitting the window. If you take a step back, it can be an enjoyable sound when you’re warm and cosy inside. You can’t change the weather, but practising mindfulness – being aware and present in the moment – may boost your mood.
“People undertaking mindfulness have shown increased activity in the area of the brain associated with positive emotion – the pre-frontal cortex – which is generally less active in people who are depressed,” according to the Mental Health Foundation.
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moodboard via Getty Images
Try to exercise outside
When it’s damp, it can be tempting to hibernate inside, but numerous studies have linked getting outside in nature with improving mental health, even if it’s just for a quick walk.
If you’ve got into a habit of daily exercise outside during lockdown, try to keep it up. Or if you really can’t bear going out in the rain, make sure you’re still getting that hit of feel-good endorphins with this roundup of our favourite home fitness apps – most of which can be done from your living room.
Help others to help yourself
Numerous studies have linked volunteering with improvements in mental health, suggesting that helping others has the added benefit of helping yourself.
If you’re feeling deflated because the weather is rubbish, make a plan to spread a little kindness – there are plenty of people in need during lockdown. You could volunteer or donate to help NHS workers, or sign up to a local community group.
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Get enough light in your day
Whether you’re experiencing SAD or a more general case of the weather blues, ensuring you’re getting enough light may help. You could try light therapy, which involves using a light box or clock – such as a Lumi alarm clock – that mimics natural sunlight.
JGI via Getty Images
It’s not fully known why sunlight appears to have such an impact on our mood, but Anxiety UK estimates that light therapy can improve symptoms of SAD for 80% of people.
If you don’t want to buy a light, try to sit near windows when you’re indoors (even if it’s grey), and make your work and home environments as light and airy as possible.
Plan some enjoyable activities
The days can easily roll into one at the moment and on grey days, the lack of distinction between day and evening doesn’t help. To differentiate your working day with your downtime at home, plan some fun indoor activities.
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Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--A Love Letter To M&S Footwear, The Choice Of Champions (And Duchesses)

HuffPost UK Well-worn: Team HuffPost in their favourite M&S footwear (models' own).
Those orthopaedic soles, those soft leather uppers, those wide-fit boots! Marks and Spencer shoes are the best on the high street. It’s the hill I’m willing to die on – hopefully in deliciously comfy footwear.
I firmly believe everyone should own at least one pair. Especially as they’re genuinely really stylish. Hear me out: these sell-out trainers were coveted by fashion eds and public alike, and, just this week, the Duchess of Cambridge was snapped sporting a cheeky pair of M&S trainers with a green stripe (£29.50). A relatively cheap and comfortable ode to the Stan Smith.
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In my late teens and even early twenties, it would’ve pained me to say this. I was the kind of carefree soul who wore Primark ballet pumps that left my arches pancake-flat and New Look stilettos that left my toes scrunched and my feet feeling bruised after a night of dancing. Then there were the cheap loafers that blistered my heels, the sandals that chafed between the toes, and the plastic trainers that rubbed a fair few layers of ankle skin off.
Long story short, my shoe shelf was a fast-fashion nightmare. I was the proud owner of about 40 pairs (a figure that now makes me wince), but none were genuinely comfortable – save my walking boots, and I rarely wore those.
It’s pretty bananas how many shoes are actually really uncomfortable. Style almost always takes priority over comfort on the high street – and when we’re young, we’ll often opt for the cheapest, most glam-looking pair.
But when I moved to London in my early twenties, something had to give. My throbbing feet had had enough. Where once I’d hopped in my car – a second wardrobe of sorts, with dozens of shoes for all eventualities sprawled across the boot – I was now walking everywhere. Within a few days of moving, I was in fierce blister territory, my arches were hurting and my legs were in pain. I could no longer teeter about in courts or paper-thin pumps. I needed support.
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For a year or so I managed with relatively comfy H&M flats and a pair of black Nike trainers. But they were wearing out fast and left me high and (not so) dry come winter when both sets became waterlogged and smelly.
Enter M&S footwear. It was the store where my mum (and her mum before her) had shopped in for years, while I’d turned my nose up at its nana reputation. But when I ventured into M&S Marble Arch with my mum during one of her sporadic trips to London, I did a U-turn and haven’t looked back since.
I tried on some boots and, heavens to Betsy, it felt like love. It was like slipping my foot into – well – nothing. They were light, it didn’t feel like I was wearing shoes, but I was. And you know what? They didn’t look like something your Great Aunt Belinda would wear either. They looked cool.
They were fairly inoffensive brown Chelsea boots, wide on the toe, with what looked like a proper orthopaedic sole inside, waiting to comfort my battered, non-existent arches. I wore them to work a couple of times, expecting to feel that unpleasant burning sensation where the shoes rubbed raw at my skin.
But it didn’t come. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I didn’t need to pop to Boots for blister plasters.
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WPA Pool via Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge in her M&S trainers.
I soon found myself frequenting the M&S shoe section at every opportunity. I bought soft leather loafers, I invested in the world’s comfiest military boots (which I wore to the Christmas party just gone, FYI). I even went back and purchased the aforementioned brown ankle boots in black.
The results have been miraculous – I don’t get the foot or leg pain I once had, I’ve saved a fortune on plasters, and it’s probably working unseen wonders, too. Changing your shoes can actually improve your posture. Physiotherapist Sammy Margo recommends switching between low and high so you’re not in one fixed position: “That might mean walking to work in your trainers and doing the working day in a shoe with a slightly higher heel.”
My hope is that 2020 is the year this store gets the proper praise it deserves for soothing a nation’s weary feet. With M&S facing a slump in clothing sales, I also hope that people who are yet to know what true comfort feels like embark on a journey to the retailer’s humble shoe section and lay down some cash. As I write this, my editor is wearing silver brogues from the store, our editor-in-chief is sporting a fetching pair of leopard-print loafers and I’ve got my military boots back on.
But if you’re yet to be persuaded, I’ll leave you with a story from a colleague who used to work 11-hour restaurant shifts in £4 Primark pumps. “I used to come home, near to midnight, and soak my feet in hot water because they were so painful,” she tells me. When her mum found out, she marched her straight to M&S and bought her a pair of smart black shoes for £50.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--How Hidden Mail Enables Domestic Abuse – From Missed Appointments To Mounting Bills

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Shana’s ex-partner would regularly take, and look at, her post to monitor where she was. He’d open her bank statements to see what she spent her money on.
“He found out I was attending a local women’s group,” the 35-year-old mum told Citizens Advice. “He tried to stop me going and controlled where I could and couldn’t go.”
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She and her children experienced physical as well as psychological abuse at the hands of her ex-partner – and checking her post was part of it.
Sadly, her story is not unique. New research from Citizens Advice suggests almost half of survivors of domestic abuse have had their post intercepted, opened or hidden by the perpetrator. This has resulted in isolation from vital support networks, or in some cases, missed medical treatments.
One survivor, Steph, who’s had breast cancer, missed vital appointments for mammogram check-ups when her partner intercepted her post. Another survivor, who wished to remain anonymous, missed hospital appointments for her son’s epilepsy as a result of the perpetrator hiding the appointment letters.
Seb Oliver via Getty Images Pile of mail on doormat
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Citizens Advice estimates that survivors have lost £7.1 billion in the last decade as a result of abusers hiding bills or taking out credit cards in their name.
Hazel suffered this form of financial abuse. “I wasn’t able to open my post so bills were being issued and my bank just started applying charges,” she said. “I think there’s over £2,000 worth of charges applied to my account during the time when things were particularly difficult. That’s something I’m still trying to recover from. That’s actually completely obliterated my credit score.”
Another survivor, named Beth, had no idea her partner was hiding her post until she got a call from HMRC who said they’d fined her for failing to respond to letters about her Self Assessment.
Unbeknownst to Beth, she’d been sent forms to fill out about her earnings. Since she’d not filled them out, HMRC paid her too much child benefit, and they fined her for not informing them about the error. She also had to pay back the money she shouldn’t have received, plus interest.
After this call, she put two and two together, thinking about the birthday cards she didn’t receive and her partner’s questions about things he shouldn’t have known. She searched the house and found around 600 pieces of hidden mail.
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Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images
The latest research also found four in 10 survivors have had their new address disclosed to the perpetrator, despite it breaching data protection regulations. This figure increased to 52% in the case of survivors with children. This is mostly by agencies, such as a survivor’s child’s school or local authorities.
Shana now lives in a different region, but her greatest worry is being found by her former partner. The courts and health service have mistakenly sent post to her old address, she says, which disclosed her current whereabouts to the perpetrator.
“For me, even now a year on, my fear is him coming back into our lives,” she said. “I feel vulnerable, I feel open. It’s like I’m reliving all that again. He can still find me by going through my post. Though my entire family went through rehabilitation from the abuse it doesn’t matter how much you’re rehabilitated, post is still an issue.”
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Citizens Advice is calling for increased provision to help safeguard domestic abuse survivors. The charity recommends that:
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy invests in an ‘Address & Collect’ service, which would work like a PO Box, provided at post offices. This would ensure people in unsafe or untraditional living situations have equal access to post. The Information Commissioner’s Office investigates the significant number of data breaches that put survivors of domestic abuse at serious risk.
Dame Gillian Guy, chief executive of the organisation, said the consequences of post interception can be “dire”.
“We’re urging the government to introduce a secure PO box system and the Information Commissioner to investigate these inexcusable breaches of privacy,” she said. “It’s a vital step to ensure that survivors and their families are able to live without fear.”
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Now There's Medical Evidence Universal Credit Is Bad For People's Health

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There is now medical evidence that the implementation of Universal Credit has led to a decline in people’s mental health.
A nine-year study published on Thursday by the Lancet Public Health Journal shows the controversial welfare reforms have led to an increase in the prevalence of mental health issues among unemployed recipients.
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Not only that, but with 5.5m more people expected to move on to the system in the coming years, there could be a flood of demand around the corner for already stretched mental health and social care services.
The Lancet researchers followed more than 52,000 working-age people from England, Wales and Scotland – and the findings revealed the introduction of Universal Credit was associated with a 6.6% increase in the prevalence of “psychological distress”.
Recipients of the benefit, which combines the six former main welfare payments into one, have reported struggling to make ends meet while waiting weeks on end for their first initial payout, forcing them to resort to turning off their heating or visiting foodbanks.
“Our study supports growing calls for Universal Credit to be fundamentally modified to reduce these mental health harms,” said Dr Sophie Wickham from the University of Liverpool, which led the research.
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“So far, the government has only looked at the impact of Universal Credit on the labour market, and there are no plans to assess its effect on health and wellbeing.
“With a further 5.5m recipients of existing benefits expected to claim Universal Credit over the next few years, this expanding group may exacerbate pressures on already stretched mental health and social care services.”
The Department for Work and Pensions insisted the study didn’t prove a link between Universal Credit and distress.
A foodbank volunteer stores donations at St John's Church before distributing them to local foodbanks in Stalybridge. Anthony Devlin via Getty Images
Experts say the number of people reporting mental health problems in the study would equate to an estimated 63,674 out-of-work people experiencing “clinically significant” levels of psychological distress nationally, of whom more than a third (21,760) may have become clinically depressed.
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The government is currently investigating 69 suicides believed to be linked to the overhaul of the benefits system.
By the end of the study in 2018, 1.6m people were receiving Universal Credit in England, Scotland and Wales, including 73% of unemployed people. That number has since risen to around 2.3m.
It is the first to quantify the possible impact of Universal Credit on mental health – but its authors cautioned that the benefit was implemented as part of broader welfare changes that may also have contributed to the mental health toll.
Researchers analysed data from 197,111 interviews with 52,187 people of working age as part of the Understanding Society UK Longitudinal Household Panel Study.
Mental health was assessed by trained interviewers using the General Health Questionnaire, with a higher score indicating psychological distress. Participants were also asked about their employment status, where they lived, and personal demographics.
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The researchers found all socioeconomic groups were affected similarly, but said the mental health of people with low levels of education was more likely to be affected by the reform, because they are more likely to be unemployed.
DWP headquarters in Westminster. William Barton via Getty Images
Report co-author Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead said: “Given the mounting evidence of substantial mental health harms related to Universal Credit, it is crucial that the government conducts a robust health impacts assessment of all welfare reforms, including Universal Credit.
“With nearly two thirds of households in the UK receiving some kind of welfare benefit, any changes to the welfare system – even those with small individual effects – could have major implications for the nation’s health.”
The authors particularly questioned the five-week wait for initial payments and sanctions for those who deemed not to have met their conditions for receiving the benefit.
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They said future studies should also be carried out on other groups of people, including those in work.
The DWP spokesperson added: “People coming to the Jobcentre are often doing so at a difficult time in their lives, and there is a range of support available for those with mental health conditions.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Harry And Meghan’s Security Costs Soon Won’t Be Covered By Canada

TOBY MELVILLE via Getty Images
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will no longer help with “security assistance” after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle retire as working royals, the office of Canada’s public safety minister confirmed Thursday.
A statement, first reported by CBC News, confirmed that cost-sharing arrangement between the federal police force and the Metropolitan Police in the UK will end “in the coming weeks” in synchronicity with the end of the Duke and Duchess’ royal duties on March 31. The couple have been on Vancouver Island on a part-time basis since November, but have been formally living there since January.
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The full statement from the public safety minister’s office reads: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances. The RCMP has been engaged with officials in the U.K. from the very beginning regarding security considerations.
“As the Duke and Duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as needed basis. At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the Met since the arrival of the Duke and Duchess to Canada intermittently since November 2019. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status.”
Watch: Prince starts last royal duties insisting on informality. Story continues below video.
The Duke and Duchess’ desire to live more independent lives based from Vancouver Island, and to have their finances no longer reliant on public funds, has caused tremendous discussion how such an arrangement could work as members of the Royal Family.
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Members of the Royal Family are considered Internationally Protected Persons, a class of individuals afforded “special protections” under international law.
The statement from the public safety minister’s office settles questions about if Harry and Meghan would still be considered Internationally Protected Persons as private citizens living in Canada.
“This is a tremendous victory for Canadian taxpayers and the Trudeau government for doing the right thing. Canadians were unequivocal that the Duke and Duchess are welcome here, but that they need to pay their own way,” said Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation, in a statement following the news.
The advocacy group had launched a petition protesting the idea that taxpayers should be on the hook for security costs for the soon-to-be ex-royals.
“We wish the Duke and Duchess all the best as they embark on their new, financially independent life in Canada,” Wudrick said.
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The RCMP did not respond to a request for comment asking how much associated security costs for the Duke and Duchess have so far cost Canadians.
Uncertainty reigned in the wake of initial confirmation that the Duke and Duchess were planning to step back from their royal duties to split their time between the UK and North America.
Harry and Meghan are set to participate in their last tour of royal duties. They will both be in the UK to take part in Commonwealth Day celebrations alongside other members of the Royal Family on March 9 — three months to the day after they announced their surprising plan to step back and “carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”
Federal officials have previously been unclear if the pair and their son, Archie, would be eligible for protection services paid for by taxpayers in their new life as private citizens.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was vague when asked in January about who would be responsible for the security bills, saying Canada has “responsibilities” to support the Duke and Duchess’ move to British Columbia.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Why A ‘No-Deal’ Brexit Is Back, No Matter What Boris Johnson Wants To Call It

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Aussie rules
Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns clearly didn’t get the memo, or didn’t read it. Tory whips’ had today drafted hilariously clunky ‘lines to take’ for backbenchers (a leak of which ended up in HuffPost’s hands) when discussing Boris Johnson’s hardball negotiating mandate for trade talks with Brussels. “Do not use phrases such as ‘deal /no deal’,” MPs were told.
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But Jenkyns couldn’t help herself. Like many Leavers, ‘no deal’ holds no fear for her. “It’s great to have a government who plays hardball with the EU,” she tweeted. “No deal back on the table in June if the EU doesn’t agree a trade deal. Great, bring it on!”
The lines-to-take memo had other finger-wagging edicts designed to wipe Mayisms from backbenchers’ memory chips: “don’t use the word ‘partnership’ about the future relationship, still less ‘deep’ or ‘special’ partnership; “do not use the term ‘Brexit’, save as a historical event that took place on 31 January 2020”; “if hyperbole is absolutely essential [my favourite this], only make reference to a deal ‘at least as good as’ CETA [a basic Canada-style free trade deal],”
What was perhaps most striking in the new ‘lexicon’ was a determination not to use Brussels-style language. No.10 officials have for some weeks avoided copying the phrase ‘mandate’ (Eurocrats love that one) to describe their approach to the talks. Instead, the document published by the UK today was simply called ‘The UK’s Approach To Negotiations’.
And most telling of all, given how central this issue is to the whole talks, the Tory whips’ memo had this stern advice: “Use ‘avoiding trade distortions’. not ‘level playing field’.” That level playing field is the EU’s big demand and was indeed part of the political declaration Johnson signed up to last year.
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But the UK points out that the phrase was mentioned in just one paragraph (para 77 to be precise) of the declaration. The EU wanted a much tougher and more extensive section on this but Johnson’s team refused at the time. Unsurprisingly, the EU’s own mandate for coming talks has twenty references to level playing field.
In fact, Johnson believes he signed up to a very narrow definition of this concept, as it applies to a Canada-style deal. It’s the EU which is moving away from what was agreed, not the UK, that’s the firm the feeling in No.10. With the trade talks due to start on Monday, it looks like a tough road ahead.
One genuinely new element in today’s document was a plan for a new public consultation on “the economic implications of the future relationship”, starting “this spring”. However, it is understood that there is no commitment to actually publishing the outcome of the consultation. That suggests the public and business won’t be given a single figure on the financial costs (or benefits) of a Canada-style deal or a no-trade deal outcome.
Speaking of which, the UK’s negotiating guidelines today insist on again using the PM’s own euphemism for a ‘no-trade deal’ (as some refer to it) scenario, calling it the ‘Australia’ option. Australia sounds nice and sunny and full of beach barbeques, but the reality is the UK would be on World Trade Organisation rules and life could get chilly indeed for British business.
Those businesses had better get used to no-trade deal, especially as ministers are planning for new border and port checks. Yet maybe the truth is that a bare-bones Canada deal won’t in reality look much different from a WTO scenario anyway.
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Some trade experts still think the sabre-rattling is just that. But if the Canada deal is so thin that it’s barely distinguishable from no-deal, neither No.10 nor Brussels have much incentive to do anything other than prepare for the worst.
The EU may put the integrity of its own political union ahead of economics, just as the UK looks like putting sovereignty ahead of any medium term economic pain. No matter what you call that, it will leave cross-Channel relations looking fraughter than ever.
Quote Of The Day
“The Paris agreement ought to have been taken into account by the secretary of state.”
Lord Justice Lindblom rules illegal plans for a third runway at Heathrow.
Thursday Cheat Sheet
Plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have been thrown into doubt after the Appeal Court ruled that the government’s decision to allow the expansion was unlawful - because it did not take climate commitments into account.
The Tories raised nearly £40m - nearly three times as much as Labour - in the months leading up to the general election, the Electoral Commission revealed.
Priti Patel attempted to oust one of her most senior officials on Christmas Eve but the Home Office’s top civil servant refused to give the order, HuffPost UK reports.
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Boris Johnson admitted the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough in England is “way too high”, despite new figures showing 4,266 people slept on the streets on one night in autumn 2019, a fall of 9% on the year before. The PM pledged a further £236m to tackle homelessness.
The government should channel an extra £200bn in regional funding if it really wants to “level up” the whole country, Lord Kerslake’s UK2070 Commission said.
Iranian vice-president Masoumeh Ebtekar has been infected with coronavirus, a state-owned newspaper reported.
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This week, former Priti Patel spad James Starkie joins us this week to chat through Brexit, the Home Office and Dominic Cummings (he’s a big fan). Click HERE to hear the full pod.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Exclusive: Young Labour Pressures Keir Starmer Over Donors List

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Labour leadership frontrunner Keir Starmer has been challenged to immediately publish a list of campaign donations by Young Labour.
The group, which represents more than 100,000 party members aged 26 and under, said it is “simply unacceptable” for the frontrunner to keep donations secret while his rivals published voluntarily.
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A letter to the candidates from Young Labour, which has backed shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, urges all candidates to ensure their donors do not have links to fossil fuels firms or private water, energy, rail or mail companies.
It comes after Starmer’s rivals, Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, chose to make their list of donors public before next week, when the next tranche of donations are due to appear on the parliamentary register of members’ interests.
The contest this week reached a critical phase as ballots were sent out and the majority of the party’s grassroots will be casting their vote.
The shadow Brexit secretary is the clear frontrunner to replace Jeremy Corbyn, with a YouGov poll on Wednesday predicting Starmer will win with 53% of the vote.
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Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, published her list of donations over £1,500 on Monday, which showed Len McCluskey’s Unite union had given her £200,000, plus an additional £35,000 from the CWU union and around £100,00 from Momentum.
Wigan MP Nandy, meanwhile, took around £200,000 from a number of individual donors, including from anti-racism campaigner Simon Tuttle, insurance businessman Jason Stockwood and Labour Leave chairman John Mills.
Lisa Nandy joins Rebecca Long-Bailey in publishing a list of all donations she’s had over £1,500. Piles pressure on Keir Starmer to follow suit. pic.twitter.com/GEVJg6gcbU — Kevin Schofield (@PolhomeEditor) February 27, 2020
The letter, seen by HuffPost UK, said a failure to publish “prevents members from being able to make informed decisions and undermines our party’s commitment to transparent, democratic processes”.
Starmer’s team said a list of donors was submitted to parliament in line with the rules set out by the party’s ruling national executive committee, and the list is due to be published next week.
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The letter adds: “During a general election, political parties have to immediately declare individual large donations over a certain amount. It is simply unacceptable that candidates for the Labour leadership are held to a lower standard of transparency than political parties.
“As the party that represents the interests of the majority of people, rather than the interests of corporations and elites, Labour candidates should practice what our party preaches by being open and honest with members about their funding sources.
“As a party, Labour has been at the forefront of campaigning against the influence of money in politics to further vested interests.
“It would be a violation of our party’s fundamental values if a candidate to become leader were to accept donations from individuals who may seek to further the interests of the fossil fuel industry by pressuring our future leader to roll back on our commitment to zero carbon emissions, for example.
“Similarly, individual donors with links to private water, energy, rail or mail companies could lobby a future leader to end our party’s commitment to public ownership of these vital services.”
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Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer q
‘Collective failure of leadership’
The donations row came as the three would-be leaders clashed over the party’s handling of anti-Semitism during a Sky News hustings in West Yorkshire’s Dewsbury.
Nandy said there had been a “collective failure of leadership at the top of the party for years” where high-profile cases had not been dealt with, adding that, as someone who is half-Indian, “I know what racism feels like”.
Taking on Starmer, who is the shadow Brexit secretary, she said: “I believe that you are sincere about this, but if we do not acknowledge how badly the shadow cabinet as a whole got this wrong we will not earn the trust of the Jewish community.”
Starmer immediately hit back telling her: “You were in the shadow cabinet when this issue came up as well.”
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Nandy then shot back: “I spoke out publicly and then I left and I didn’t return.”
Starmer then turned his fire on Long-Bailey, saying: “Rebecca didn’t speak out in the same way that I did, in my view, but I don’t think it’s fair and it’s right for us to try to score points now off each other in relation to this.”
"There were massive rows in the shadow cabinet."@lisanandy and @Keir_Starmer clash over the way complaints of antisemitism have been dealt with by the Labour Party.#LabourDebate
Follow live updates: https://t.co/K0PQbj7Y7p pic.twitter.com/nUKHTgfd7S — Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) February 27, 2020
Long-Bailey told the Sky News debate: “I’m not pointing fingers or making a note of the exact dates and times that particular individuals spoke at shadow cabinet.
“Keir knows that I spoke at shadow cabinet a number of times about this. I was often the shadow cabinet member that did the media to try and explain what was happening, and expressed my concern many, many times about how we weren’t tackling this in the way that I thought we should.”
She added: “We are in a crisis and I know that it’s been soul-destroying for many of our members, because we are not an anti-Semitic or racist party.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Northern Ireland: First Case Of Coronavirus Confirmed In Region

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The first presumed case of coronavirus has been diagnosed in Northern Ireland while two more people have tested positive across the rest of the UK on Thursday.
The new cases bring the total number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK to 16.
Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency announced the case at a briefing in Belfast and said it was “working rapidly” to identify anyone the patient came into contact with to prevent a further spread.
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“Viruses don’t recognise boundaries or borders. We will continue to work to protect the population in Northern Ireland,” Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said.
Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride speaking at a press conference in Belfast after the first case of Covid-19 has been identified in Northern Ireland. PA
Asked how many staff are involved in protecting the public, he said it was a “difficult question to answer” because there are a “whole range” of staff playing different roles.
“I couldn’t put a figure on it but it is many, many hundreds of individuals working in this space in a very compressed period of time in a situation evolving rapidly,” he added.
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Meanwhile one of the new cases – a parent at a Buxton primary school in Derbyshire – contracted the virus in Tenerife, where 168 Britons are being kept in a hotel on the south west of the island.
Another contracted the virus in Italy, which has become the worst affected country in Europe with more than 400 cases and 14 deaths.
One of the patients in England has been taken to the specialist infectious diseases centre at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the other to the Royal Free Hospital in London. The NI Public Health Agency would not confirm where their patient was being held.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Neighbour Of Boris Johnson's Father Dies After Allegedly Shooting Wife With Shotgun

Debbie Zurick, who was shot and killed in Somerset. Facebook
A neighbour of Boris Johnson’s father who was injured in a shooting incident at a Somerset cottage has died in hospital from his injuries, police have said.
John Zurick, 67, was taken to hospital with severe shotgun injuries, believed to be self-inflicted, following the shooting on February 22 in Winsford.
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His wife, Deborah Zurick, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered shotgun injuries and her death is being treated as murder.
Avon and Somerset Police said Zurick died earlier today at a hospital in Devon.
The Zuricks were neighbours of Stanley Johnson – the father of PM Boris Johnson.
Speaking of Deborah’s death earlier this week, Johnson said his family was “shocked, stunned and saddened”.
A 67 y/o man taken to hospital with severe injuries after a shooting incident in Winsford has died. He’s been identified as John Zurick.
Deborah Zurick, 56, died at the scene of the incident on Saturday. Our thoughts are with all those affected.
Update: https://t.co/ikVDFZ4idR pic.twitter.com/HoMUcAy1ai — Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) February 27, 2020
Avon and Somerset Police were called to Winsford by a member of the public raising concerns over the welfare of a woman at 2.30pm on Saturday.
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Deborah Zurick was found outside the property with severe injuries and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said a second woman, being treated as a key witness, was located unhurt nearby.
The force has referred itself to the police watchdog due to previous contact with those involved.
Johnson told the PA news agency: “Both I and my whole family are shocked, stunned and saddened by this tragic incident.
“We very much regret the passing of Mrs Zurick. She was a neighbour and she was much loved.
“She was honorary secretary of the Working Clumber Spaniel Society and was much loved for the work she did, in the society and in Exmoor and beyond.”
The Zuricks had several dogs, including one apparently named after the prime minister.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Dominic Cummings Is Going Nowhere Because He 'Gets S**t Done', Ex-Ally Says

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Dominic Cummings is unlikely to leave Downing Street within the next few months because his ability to “get shit done” is too valuable to Boris Johnson, a former Vote Leave ally of the aide has said.
The prime minister’s senior advisor has been tipped for an early exit from No.10 by some after his botched hiring of a eugenics advocate and for prompting the resignation of chancellor Sajid Javid.
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Bookies last week slashed the odds of Cummings leaving or getting sacked by March 31 to just 3/1 and Tory MPs have voiced concerns about the impact of the advisor.
But former special adviser James Starkie, who worked with Cummings during the 2016 referendum, told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that Johnson will not want to lose an aide who has delivered so much.
Asked about suggestions Cummings could be gone within months, Starkie told Commons People: “I would be shocked if that happened.
“The prime minister himself has done a great job but when he came in - remember how many times you heard ‘nobody is going to change this (Brexit) deal’, how many times did you hear that?
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“Well, the deal got changed.”
He went on: “Then it was getting an election - everyone said ‘I don’t know if you can get an election through this parliament’, we got an election.
“Then it’s like ‘well how close will this election be’ - he’s got a majority of 80.
“Now if I’m the prime minister, I don’t know him, met him a couple of times, don’t know him well, but I’m going to look at this and think all these people are saying all these things about this guy (Cummings) but if I look back over the last... six months, this guy seems to get shit done.
“So if I’m running a department or the country as the prime minister is, I want someone like that about.
“Whatever you think, it’s undeniable - Vote Leave campaign, campaign before that - that Dom gets shit done.”
Dominic Cummings, special adviser for Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson Toby Melville / Reuters
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Cummings is also playing a useful role as a lightning rod, attracting attention and criticism so the PM and his ministers can get on with their job, Starkie suggested.
And this is a role the former Vote Leave boss also performed during the 2016 referendum, telling staff in his victory speech that “all I did was keep people off your backs”.
“That’s how he sees his job,” Starkie said.
“He’s quite happy if (the media) or whoever it is are attacking him, he can deal with it.
“And it lets the PM or whoever else, or the home secretary, get on with doing their jobs.
“I haven’t spoken to him recently about anything like that by my experience of him, certainly on Vote Leave in particular when I worked closest with him, was that he definitely saw part of his role as just letting you get on with what you were doing.”
He added: “I don’t know this but I would suspect, it’s partly an element of ‘oh there’s a bad story, just say I did it’.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Dominic Cummings Is Going Nowhere

Dominic Cummings Is Going Nowhere

Dominic Cummings Is Going Nowhere
Priti Patel’s former special adviser James Starkie joins the team to give his verdict on the explosive briefing war engulfing the home secretary and her officials. The former Vote Leave ally of Dominic Cummings also explains why Boris Johnson’s controversial aide is going nowhere. And the team dissect the UK and EU’s opening negotiating positions to ask: what is the point of the PM’s hardline push for “divergence”? With Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Coronavirus UK: What Parents Need To Know About School Closures

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Schools could be closed for three months under Boris Johnson’s plan to tackle coronavirus in the UK. And some have already closed because of the outbreak of Covid-19.
So what do parents need to know if it happens to their child? Here are the childcare rights you have if their school is affected by the virus.
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Why are schools closing or sending pupils home?
The schools that have closed so far have largely done so as a “precautionary measure”, either because they have pupils or staff who’ve been in contact with a suspected case, or they’ve travelled from an area with a high number of cases.
However, Public Health England (PHE) said its general advice is not to close schools. Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged schools not to close unless they have a confirmed case of the virus.
Some children are advised to stay home to self-isolate, however. The latest government advice says people who have returned from category 1 specified areas in the last 14 days should self-isolate – and “this includes avoiding attending an education setting or work until 14 days after they return”.
People who have returned from category 2 specified areas in the last 14 days are advised to stay at home if they develop symptoms. “All other pupils or students and staff should continue to attend school or university, including their siblings attending the same or a different school (unless advised not to by public health officials),” the government site adds.
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Liam Norris via Getty Images
Can parents take time off if their child can’t go to school?
It’s important to remember only a small number of schools are currently affected by closures. Nevertheless, some parents may be concerned about childcare implications if the virus continues to spread.
Matt Bradbury, an employment expert at Citizens Advice, says if you’re an employee, you have a right to take leave called ‘time off for dependents’ by law. “This is a right to take ‘reasonable’ time off to take care of an emergency relating to a child or other dependent, including school closures, for any reason,” he tells HuffPost UK.
What counts as ‘reasonable’ depends on the circumstances. Coronavirus is a very new challenge experienced by schools, parents and employers, so there isn’t a set rule for it.
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“This right is intended to cover short-term time off, to deal with the emergency and make other arrangements to cover it – for example arranging for a relative to look after a child so that you can return to work,” Bradbury explains.
This type of leave is not intended to cover long periods, he adds, so it may not cover you if your child’s school closes for a full two weeks.
The longer you take off, the less likely it is to be seen as ‘reasonable’, Bradbury explains. “Longer periods are only going to be reasonable if you can show there were no other reasonably workable options, and you had to look after your children yourself.”
Will parents get paid for time off?
This will depend on your workplace.
“The statutory right is to unpaid time off,” explains Bradbury. “Your contract may include a term, or your employer might have a policy, that gives you paid time off in an emergency, so you should check these. A reasonable employer may pay you for a short period of time off, even if it’s not a contractual right.”
What other options do parents have?
If your child’s school, nursery or other provider does close, it may be able to recommend another provider that could offer emergency childcare, says the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY).
“This would be advised at a local level and we would recommend parents talk to the setting and the local authority/health team for support,” a spokesperson tells HuffPost UK.
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“If parents are worried or have questions around coronavirus, they would be encouraged to check the latest government advice and discuss their worries with their childminder.”
Alternatively, Bradbury recommends seeing if you’re able to work from home, change your shift pattern, or take annual leave.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Rescued Baby Koala Clings To Teddy Bear

Rescued Baby Koala Clings To Teddy Bear

Rescued Baby Koala Clings To Teddy Bear
This baby koala was rescued from land damaged by wildfires - and she can't stop cuddling her teddy bear at her first weigh-in.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Britain First Leader Paul Golding Denies Terror Charge, Saying: I Am A Politician

Britain First leader Paul Golding arriving at Westminster Magistrates' Court, London, where he is charged with failing to comply with a duty under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. PA
The leader of far-right political group Britain First told magistrates he was “a politician, not a terrorist” as he denied a terror offence on Thursday.
Paul Golding, 38, was charged under the Terrorism Act after he refused to give police the passcodes for a number of his electronic devices while entering the country last October.
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He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, accompanied by 26 of his supporters, and denied a charge of willingly refusing to comply with a duty under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act.
The court heard Golding was stopped at Heathrow Terminal 4 on October 23 last year when he refused to give the passcodes.
Golding, of Hodder Bank, Stockport, was in the dock wearing a grey suit and red tie and waved as his supporters entered the public gallery.
As he entered his not guilty plea, he told the court: “I am a politician not a terrorist. I think this is a politically-motivated charge.”
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Two uniformed police officers were in the court during the short hearing.
He will appear for trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 20.
The trial is expected to last half a day and will feature live evidence from two police officers involved in the stop.
Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act allows police to interrogate, search and detain anyone for up to six hours at UK ports.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Time In Politics

Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Time In Politics
Priti Patel has seen a meteoric rise within the government since becoming an MP in 2010. However, the home secretary has also packed in numerous controversies in that time in relation to her views, undeclared meetings with senior Israeli officials and the announcement of a controversial post-Brexit immigration policy that has divided many.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--John McDonnell Says He's 'Not Going Away' As Poll Shows Starmer Set To Win Labour Leadership

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John McDonnell has said he and Jeremy Corbyn are “not going away”, as a poll suggested Keir Starmer is on course to easily win the Labour leadership contest.
The outgoing shadow chancellor told a “rally for socialism” event in central-London on Wednesday evening that the left of the party should “never apologise” for the 2019 election policy platform.
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McDonnell said it was ”absolutely key” that Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon win the leadership and deputy leadership of the party.
“There are people who will want to take us backwards. There are people who will want to tear up the manifesto. They may not have the front to say that now. But that certainly what the intention will be,” he said.
McDonnell added the party had to “win an election not for winning’s sake” but to create a “socialist society”.
He said: “Diane [Abbott], I and Jeremy, keep on hearing these tributes on platforms and all the rest of it. It is like listening to your own obituary.
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“We’re not going away. We will play a different role. And I keep saying I am going to become an elder statesman. You better believe it.
“You take the plaudits but you also take responsibility. I let you down. I let you down. We lost that election. When you are in a leadership positions you have to take responsibility. But you learn the lessons as well.”
He added he was “proud of that manifesto” in 2019 but admitted the party “didn’t create an overall narrative”.
“Never apologise for promising we were going to build a million homes. Never apologise that we were going to scrap Universal Credit,” he said.
McDonnell was speaking at the event organised to promote Burgon’s campaign alongside Corbyn allies Abbott and party chair Ian Lavery.
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The three are all backing Long-Bailey in the leadership contest. But despite their support, the shadow business secretary looks to be heading for a heavy defeat.
A YouGov poll published by Sky News yesterday showed Starmer will win the contest in the first round by securing over 50% of the vote.
The survey showed he was currently backed by 53% of party members, ahead of Long-Bailey on 31% and Lisa Nandy on 16%.
McDonnell has said he intends to return to the backbenches when a new leader is elected. Corbyn has not ruled out the possibility of serving in the shadow cabinet if offered a job.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said his "biggest resentment" was about the attempt by Labour MPs to oust Jeremy Corbyn in 2016. PA
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Speaking at the rally, McDonnell said the party would have won in 2017 if it had been united “without coup after coup, attack after attack”.
“My biggest resentment is going back to how close we came in 2017. Literally a few thousand votes and we would’ve been in government now,” he said.
“People need to realise for us was a struggle to survive in opposition. A struggle to survive in the party. It wasn’t just one coup or two coups. There were attempted coups virtually every month.”
He added: “Some of the worst vilification was coming from behind us on our own opposition benches. Some of those we hear have been offered seats in the House of Lords. Ex-Labour MPs. Good riddance.”
Burgon told the meeting the Labour MPs who had tried to oust Corbyn in 2016 “helped to deliver that right-wing” Conservative government as a result of their “indulgence” and “treachery to the members”.
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“It was almost as if some of of them wanted to to lose that election, so opposed were they to the ideas of socialism,” he sad.
“People who weren’t even household names in their own houses resigned from positions people didn’t know they had.”
He added: “I’ll never forget those who betrayed us. I’ll never forget those who handed the victory to the Tories on a plate in 2017. I believe in forgiveness. I believe in people changing their minds. I went to a Catholic school, you see. But to get forgiven you have to confess first.”
Lavery said there must be “no turning back” to the pre-Corbyn policies under a new leader.
“Now we are on the bottom we’ve got to rise again and understand how we have actually shifted politics to the left. We have done it. Be proud. We have actually achieved lots.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-27--Taylor Swift Shades Scooter Braun In The Man Music Video

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If you thought Taylor Swift’s ongoing feud with music manager Scooter Braun was over, then you might want to watch the new music video for her song The Man.
The public beef between the pair is a very complicated one, but the shortened version of it is that the singer was seriously unhappy last summer when she discovered that Scooter had bought her old record label, and therefore owned the masters to her first six studio albums.
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At the time, Taylor claimed that Scooter (and acts he managed) had “bullied” her for years, including at a time she said was her “lowest point”.
And while things between the two seems to have died down in recent months, Taylor’s new music video suggests otherwise.
In the clip – which Taylor directed herself – she undergoes an unbelievable transformation and becomes her male alter-ego, Tyler Swift.
Taylor Swift as Tyler Swift in her new music video Vevo
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One scene in particular has caught fans’ attention, in which the character is seen urinating in a subway station, with her first six album names scrawled on the wall in graffiti.
Written next to the album titles is a sign saying “If Found Returned To Taylor Swift”, which many have interpreted as a dig at Scooter owning her old material.
This scene has sparked a lot of conversation among Taylor's fans Vevo
As if that wasn’t clear enough, there’s also a “no scooters” sign in the same shot, which has certainly not gone unnoticed on Twitter…
Taylor put the names of the albums she made with Big Machine on a subway station wall
Next to the names is “If found return to Taylor Swift”
In the center of the wall is the word “karma”
“Karma is real” - Taylor Swift 2016
This is the ultimate power move #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/X9GQWl0SuP — 𝓛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 (@Swiftness13) February 27, 2020
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So much in 1 picture!
1. Mr. Americana Tyler swift
2. Her albums if found return to Taylor
3. 13 street
4. No scooters (my favorite)
5. Karma pic.twitter.com/WqtbW4OcEF — 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮, Leah 🐧 (@rebes08) February 27, 2020
KARMA IS A BADASS BITCH named Taylor Swift 💪👠💼
No SCOOTERS allowed in 13th Street Station while THE MAN is doing her glittery business. #TaylorSwift #TheManMusicVideo @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/QUcSpSjmY2 — Holly Armstrong (@HollyArmstr0ng) February 27, 2020
the album names with the 'if found return to taylor swift' poster, the no scooters sign, the mr. americana poster, the 'karma' grafitti..........all directed by taylor 😌 im so proud of her! 🥺#TheManMusicVideo @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/gpPgmJcI5i — mai⁷ ✧ track 15: 친구 (@egoteez) February 27, 2020
TAYLOR SWIFT WITH EVERY NAMES OF HER PAST ALBUMS AND WITH THE “NO SCOOTER” SIGN 😭
IM CRYING #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/Iy1SlOgj22 — sam ❁ (@samanthaswft) February 27, 2020
SHE SAID HER ALBUMS ARE MISSING AND IF YOU FIND THEM RETURN THEM TO TAYLOR SWIFT OMGG AND THE “NO SCOOTER” SIGN I- #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/7HwRBvotE4 — Alex (@blankspacebabyd) February 27, 2020
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“If found return to Taylor Swift”
“No Scooters”
this scene means so much, she’s saying scott and scooter completely pissed all over her masters and everyone’s just letting it happen because they’re men. BS!! #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/FZo2yaWJmB — dillan☁-lfw n1 (@secretmoments13) February 27, 2020
Taylor’s past albums with the “No Scooter” sign and “If Found Return to Taylor Swift.” I’m obsessed #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/wcmH7tWQOA — Nora Dominick (@noradominick) February 27, 2020
THIS SCENE IS GENIUS WITH THE NO SCOOTERS SIGN AND THE “MISSING IF FOUND RETURN TO TAYLOR SWIFT” SIGN AND THEN HER ALBUMS WRITTEN ALL OVER THE WALL. SAY IT WITH ME TAYLOR SWIFT IS A GENIUS #TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/qZH7M9XMlJ — caroline (@thinkharryknows) February 27, 2020
What’s interesting is that nestled among the album titles is the word “Karma”, which fans also have some theories about…
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IS KARMA CLUE OR JUST ACTUAL KARMA always double meanings in taylor swift land pic.twitter.com/fzI0yJLlxZ — 𝓛𝑜𝓋𝑒, Anna // Berlin 24.6.20 (@expatswiftie) February 27, 2020
Mind is blown@taylorswift13 played THE MAN
Nods to Wolf of Wallstreet and also @LeoDiCaprio!!! (not a dick but parties in Saint-Tropez)
THE NO SCOOTERS SIGN.
Ts8=karma??
AND THE END “can you try to be sexier and more likeable” ... I died.#TheManMusicVideo — 𝓛𝑜𝓋𝑒, steph 💕🌈🦋 (@taytaytay0515) February 27, 2020
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THE FACT THAT ALL HER ALBUMS EXCEPT LOVER ARE WRITTEN SURROUNDING THE WORD "KARMA" AND THE MISSING IF FOUND RETURN TO TAYLOR SWIFT POSTER. SHES GONNA TAKE BACK WHATS
RIGHTFULLY HERS WITH THOSE RERECORDINGS AND ITLL BE KARMA DOING THE REST. HER MIND!!#TheManMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/aANETW7FLc — 𝓛𝑜𝓋𝑒, mona (@Swiftieatheart2) February 27, 2020
HuffPost UK has contacted Taylor’s representatives for comment.
Taylor previously revealed that she was planning to re-record her first six albums, so she would own the masters to the new versions.
Back in November, Scooter called for an end to the feud, claiming he’d received threats against his wife and children.
In the past, the singer has been known for littering her music videos with easter eggs and hidden messages for fans to decipher, including when she released ME! last year, which was full of clues about her then-forthcoming album Lover.
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Watch The Man music video in full below:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--Coronavirus: What Is A Pandemic And How Can We Prepare For One?

Coronavirus: What Is A Pandemic And How Can We Prepare For One?
Covid-19 has spread across six continents and claimed thousands of lives in a rapid space of time. Are we seeing a pandemic unfold and what can we do to protect ourselves from its spread? We spoke with Dr Freja Jephcott to find out what a pandemic is.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--Can Boris Johnson Ease The Panic Over Coronavirus?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. ASSOCIATED PRESS
You’re reading The Waugh Zone, our daily politics briefing. Sign up now to get it by email in the evening.
Nobody panic!
Last week we were questioning why Boris Johnson had been so absent from the government’s response to the floods.
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And despite being labelled a “part-time prime minister” by Jeremy Corbyn this week, Johnson has again opened himself up to criticism by scheduling his first emergency Cobra meeting on the coronavirus outbreak for next Monday.
This time it was up to shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth to repeat the Labour leader’s line, a rare zinger at PMQs this week, and urge the PM to “get a grip”.
To be fair to Downing Street, the meeting was called for Monday some hours before we learned that a tourist from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan had become the first Briton to sadly die from Covid-19.
But while the government with its 80-seat majority will dismiss Labour’s jibes, the criticism has deepened as concerns and coronavirus cases increase in Britain.
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No.10 pointed out that Johnson spent half the night shift on Thursday visiting Kettering hospital where clinicians talked him through their preparations.
And officials from the Department of Health, Public Health England and other relevant departments were meeting daily to discuss the crisis, while health secretary Matt Hancock had been chairing a weekly Cobra meeting.
Johnson even appeared to do a TV clip on Friday night to insist “the issue of coronavirus is something that is now the government’s top priority”.
But former chancellor George Osborne, whose Evening Standard newspaper has been supportive of Johnson, stressed that an uneasy public needs more open displays of grip and leadership at times of crisis.
Osborne urged the PM to put the government on a “war footing”, chair regular Cobra meetings and put ministers on “all major media shows”.
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“The public is fearful, wants information and needs to know their leaders have got a grip,” he tweeted.
It will be fascinating to see if No.10 heeds Osborne’s advice and lifts its ban on ministers talking to blacklisted broadcast shows such as the Today programme, with its 7.2m weekly listeners, and allow health secretary Matt Hancock to appear on Saturday or Monday.
Gordon Brown’s former aide Damian McBride meanwhile gave a rare insight into the running of government during a health crisis, and in the process highlighted the “stark” contrast with Johnson’s government.
McBride pointed out that during the 2007 foot and mouth disease outbreak, every single day Brown personally chaired Cobra meetings, briefed opposition leaders and the media, and had a minister doing a full round of broadcast interviews.
“And that was just the daily routine to assure the public we were on top of it all,” McBride said.
“If we had something big to announce, like the expansion of the cull zone, or suspending the racing calendar, it was a much bigger exercise.
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“The contrast with the Tories now couldn’t be more stark.”
Of course, the number of confirmed cases in the UK (19 at the time of writing) is relatively small with 7,000 people having been tested.
But with financial markets tanking, experts warning that mass gatherings may need to be cancelled for two months, doctors warning that the NHS is not prepared and several schools sending pupils home over fears of coronavirus contact, Johnson would do well to get on top of any panic.
If he fails to do so, the PM could be facing far worse than being labelled a part-timer.
Quote Of The Day
“For us substance is much, much more important than deadlines.”
– French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin comes to London’s Chatham House to warn that the EU will not water down its Brexit negotiation red lines under time pressure.
Friday Cheat Sheet
A British man who was aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama has died from coronavirus, the first death of a UK citizen during the outbreak.
Brussels will not be pressured by “artificial deadlines” in the post-Brexit trade talks between the EU and UK, France’s Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin warned.
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A Momentum activist who was reported to anti-fraud police over her talent agency business is facing calls for her suspension from a key post within the Labour party, HuffPost UK revealed.
What I’m Reading
Modi can turn India’s crisis to his advantage – The Times (£)
Got A Tip?
Send tips, stories, quotes, pics, plugs or gossip to waugh.zone@huffpost.com.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-28--Coronavirus: British Cruise Ship Passenger Dead In Japan, Government Confirms

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A British man who was aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama has died from coronavirus, the first death of a UK citizen during the outbreak.
The Japanese health ministry said the man – who has not been named – was the first foreigner from the ship to die of Covid-19.
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Confirming the news, an FCO spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Japan and are in contact with local authorities.
“Our sympathies and thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
A guard stands at a restricted area in front of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama SIPA USA/PA Images
It comes as another case was confirmed in the UK brining the total to 20.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said in a statement that the virus was passed on in the UK but the original source of the virus was “unclear”.
It added that there was no “immediately identifiable link” to overseas travel.
Boris Johnson said the coronavirus was now the government’s top priority and told Sky News on Friday that he had met with the health secretary and chief medical officers to discuss the preparations.
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He said: “On the issue of coronavirus, which obviously is a great concern to people, I just want to reassure everybody and say that the NHS is making every possible preparation.”
Johnson said that people were right to be concerned about the virus but the best thing they could do was regularly wash their hands with soap and water.
But he confirmed that “further advice” from ministers would be coming next week, including how the government would deal with a further spread of the virus across the UK.
PM @BorisJohnson on the public health advice for coronavirus prevention. pic.twitter.com/XvwVeb1uMM — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) February 28, 2020
In other developments:
About 83,800 people around the globe have now been infected with Covid-19, while 2,867 people have died after contracting the virus.
The World Health Organisation has upgraded the global risk of the virus spreading to its highest level
There have been 20 confirmed cases in the UK, with more than 7,000 people having been tested.
There have been 18 cases diagnosed in England, one in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.
Although several schools have sent pupils home over fears of Covid-19 contact, Public Health England’s general advice is for them not to close.
Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire, was closed on Thursday because of a case diagnosed in a parent.
Tokyo Disneyland will be closed from Saturday to March 15 due to concerns about coronavirus infections spreading in Japan
The FTSE 100 index of leading British companies has fallen faster this week than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008 – wiping £200bn off its value.
Downing Street confirmed a Cobra meeting would be convened following a sharp increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 in mainland Europe – prompting fears it is only a matter of time before they start rising in the UK.
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth was heavily critical of the decision to delay the meeting until Monday.
He said: “Our part-time Prime Minister needs to get a grip of this escalating situation quickly.
“It shouldn’t take another three days for this meeting to take place.”
The Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama under quarantine after a passenger who had left the cruise tested positive for coronavirus.
With 705 confirmed cases among passengers and crew, it represents the place with the third-highest number Covid-19 cases in the world, behind China and South Korea.
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To date, six people who were on board the ship have reportedly died from coronavirus.
A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises, which operates the Diamond Princess ship that the British man had been holidaying on, said: “All of us at Princess Cruises, including the crew of Diamond Princess, offer our sincere condolences to family members and friends for their loss.
“Our dedicated care team are on hand to provide support.”
Scientists are racing to find a treatment, health crews are scrubbing everything from money to buses, and quarantines are being enforced in places from a beachfront resort in the Atlantic to an uninhabited island in the Pacific as the world battles the spread of a new virus.
Concern is also growing over the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, with work at many factories halted, trade routes frozen and tourism crippled, while a growing list of countries brace for the illness to claim new territory.
Even the Tokyo Olympics, five months away, are not far enough off to keep people from wondering if they will go ahead as planned, PA Media reports.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-01--Teenager Stabbed To Death At Coventry House Party Named

A 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in the street after a row broke out at a house party has been named by police.
Ramani Morgan, from Erdington, Birmingham, was pronounced dead despite efforts to save him by police, paramedics and hospital staff, after he was found injured in the Stoke area of Coventry.
West Midlands Police have arrested two teenage boys, both aged 17 and from Coventry, on suspicion of murder.
Specialist forensic search teams could be seen on Sunday lifting drain covers in Chandos Street, where the party took place, and in nearby Clay Lane, where Ramani was found by a member of the public at about 10.30pm on Saturday.
Commenting on the killing, detective inspector Michelle Allen, of the West Midlands Police homicide team, said: “This is simply tragic. My thoughts remain with the young man’s family and friends at this heart-breaking time.
“They are being supported by our specially trained family liaison officers.
“I’m still keen to hear from anyone who was at the party or anyone who has any information about what has happened last night to get in touch as soon as possible.
“If anyone was driving through the area last night and has dash-cam footage then I’d also ask them to get in contact. A young boy has died and we need to understand exactly what happened.”
Speaking to the media at West Midlands Police headquarters in Birmingham, chief superintendent Mike O’Hara, the policing commander for Coventry, said: “At half past 10 we got a call to say that a young man had been found collapsed in Clay Lane.