thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-11--Covid 'Devastating' Families As 60% Of Single Parents Claim Universal Credit

Victoria Benson, chief executive of charity Gingerbread, which supports single parent families, said the figures highlight “the devastating impact the pandemic is having on single parents”.
She added: “We know single parents have been hit disproportionately hard as they are more likely to work in shut-down sectors, they are more reliant on part-time work and the gaping childcare hole in the government’s response to Covid-19 has forced many to stay at home as they can’t access childcare.
“All of this has put many single parents on a fast track to unemployment. It is also no coincidence that the spike in single parents claiming UC has coincided with the largest decrease in employment in over a decade and the biggest fall in hours worked since records began – both of which were driven significantly by part-time workers becoming unemployed.
“Once again single parents have been marginalised and these figures are a stark reminder of how they have been disproportionately impacted by ruthless and out of touch government policies like the benefit cap. The government must act quickly to suspend the benefit cap, and put in place support for single parents who have lost their job through no fault of their own.”
Save The Children, meanwhile, highlighted that the new ONS figures show that 400,000 more families with children are reliant on UC since Covid hit.
Branding the safety net “inadequate”, Kayte Lawton, head of partnerships and impact for the charity called for a £20-a-week boost to the child element of UC and child tax credit.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-11--Trump Claims Americans Will ‘Have To Learn To Speak Chinese’ If Biden Wins US Election

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President Donald Trump has been demonizing China as a reelection strategy. Susan Walsh/Associated Press
Donald Trump continued his xenophobic warnings about China on Tuesday, claiming that if he loses the election, everyone in the US will have to learn to speak Chinese.
“Look, China will own the United States if this election is lost by Donald Trump,” he said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “If I don’t win the election, China will own the United States. You’re going to have to learn to speak Chinese, you want to know the truth.”
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Demonising China has been central to Trump’s reelection campaign ever since the coronavirus pandemic took hold. The president and his allies have attempted to shift attention away from the White House’s actions by blaming China for the global pandemic.
In late January, Trump put restrictions on travellers from China. And he has repeatedly referred to the coronavirus as the “China virus” and “kung flu.” Yet for weeks, beginning in late January, Trump still praised Chinese officials for their response to the virus.
“China is working very hard,” he said on February 7. “They’re working really hard, and I think they are doing a very professional job.”
“President Xi loves the people of China, he loves his country, and he’s doing a very good job with a very, very tough situation,” Trump added on February 18.
National security adviser Robert O’Brien recently claimed that China is trying to hack into US election infrastructure in an effort to help Joe Biden win the presidency. The claim conveniently fits into another narrative that Trump has been pushing, which is that Biden is catering to Chinese interests.
One ad from the Trump campaign, for example, alleges: “The coronavirus infected millions. Crushed the world economy. One nation deserves the blame: China. They lied about it. Covered it up. Joe Biden coddles China.”
But according to The Wall Street Journal, officials familiar with the matter say that the “US doesn’t currently have intelligence showing that Beijing is directly trying to hack election-related systems.”
“Donald Trump has been the weakest president in American history with respect to China,” Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said on Tuesday. “As the most devastating public health crisis in 100 years rapidly spread, he echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda to downplay the threat and justify inaction ― disregarding warnings from the intelligence community and Joe Biden not to take their word. As a consequence of Donald Trump’s failures, by every metric, China’s position is stronger and ours is diminished.”
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The group Stop AAPI Hate has been tracking the harm caused by demonising China and comments like “kung flu.” According to a July 1 press release from the group, Asian Americans in California reported 832 incidents of discrimination and harassment over the previous three months.
“A man kicked my dog and told me to shut my dog up and then spat at me,” one person reported, “saying ‘Take your disease that’s ruining our country and go home.’”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-11--Bindi Irwin Announces Pregnancy With Sweetest Shirt For Her ‘Baby Wildlife Warrior’

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Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell are expecting their first child in 2021.
Irwin, whose father was the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin, announced her pregnancy on social media Tuesday, revealing she was still in her first trimester and wanted fans “to be part of our journey from the beginning of this new life chapter.”
“Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021,” she tweeted alongside a photo of the parents-to-be holding up a cute shirt for the baby:
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“Becoming a dad is the highlight of my life,” wrote Powell, who tied the knot with Irwin in March in a ceremony that was pared back due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I cannot wait to embark on this new adventure and life chapter with my gorgeous wife,” he added. “Bee, you’re going to be the most amazing mother.”
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Irwin’s mum, Terri Irwin, tweeted it was “the best day ever!”
“While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know that he would be so proud,” she wrote.
Steve Irwin, known as “The Crocodile Hunter,” died in 2006 after being stabbed by a stingray.
This is the best day ever! I am over the moon to announce that @BindiIrwin and @chandlerpowell9 are going to have a baby! Words cannot express the love that is filling my heart. While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know that he would be so proud. pic.twitter.com/K4pTX6kIR6 — Terri Irwin (@TerriIrwin) August 11, 2020
Robert Irwin, Bindi’s brother, called it “the best news ever!”
“I can’t believe I’m going to be an uncle!” he tweeted. “Incredibly excited for this brilliant new chapter and all the fun adventures ahead with a new little Wildlife Warrior!”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-11--Scottish Government U-Turns Over Students' Grades After Outcry

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All school leavers’ grades that were lowered by “biased” computer algorithms in Scotland last week will be withdrawn and replaced by teacher assessments, the SNP-led government has confirmed.
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The major U-turn by Scottish education secretary John Swinney comes amid mounting criticism that poorer students were hit hardest by modelling that gave them unfairly harsh results during the pandemic.
The results for Scotland’s Higher awards were last week branded a “disaster” after the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) downgraded 124,000 results.
Teachers, parents and pupils hit out at the SQA after the results downgraded teachers’ recommended awards for pupils from the poorest 20% of areas by more than 15 points, while recommendations for the best-off pupils were downgraded by just under 10 points.
Swinney, who may still face a vote of no confidence in Holyrood over the issue, has now said all grades moderated down will be withdrawn and new certificates sent out.
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Meanwhile, no results that were moderated up will be cut back as Swinney said it would not “in any way be fair to do so”.
The news will pile pressure on Gavin Williamson, England’s education secretary, to avoid a similar catastrophe south of the border when A-level results are published this week, amid concern the same modelling could be used.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Swinney said he had “listened carefully to young people” and had moved to “fix” the problem quickly.
He said: “Using powers available to me in the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, I am today directing the SQA to re-issue those awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgement.
“Schools will be able to confirm the estimates they provided for pupils to those that are returning to school this week and next.
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“The SQA will issue fresh certificates to affected candidates as soon as possible and, importantly, will inform Ucas and other admission bodies of the new grades as soon as practical in the coming days to allow for applications to college and university to be progressed.”
He said that the SNP-led government was worried that accepting the original estimates from teachers “would run the risk of undermining the value of qualifications in 2020”.
But he then added: “In the light of events, and of listening to young people, we now accept that concern, which is not without foundation, is outweighed by the concern that young people, particularly from working class backgrounds may lose faith in the education system and form the view that no matter how hard you work, the system is against you.
“Education is the route out of poverty for young people in deprived communities and we cannot risk allowing that view to take hold.”
He added that the coronavirus crisis had made 2020 “unique” for pupils.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday apologised to thousands of pupils whose results were downgraded by the moderation process and pledged they would not face an arduous appeals process.
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She accepted that the “burden has not fallen equally across society” and said” “We accept we didn’t get this right and I’m sorry for that.”
As a result of the changes the new Higher pass rate is up 14.4%, the National 5 pass rate is up 10.7%, and the Advanced Higher pass rate is up 13.7%.
Despite the U-turn, Swinney continues to face calls for his resignation including from the former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson.
A total U-turn on the position Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney had doubled down on for days.
Welcome relief for pupils who've been put through the wringer.
But be in no doubt, this is a shambles & an honourable man would have offered his resignation. https://t.co/ujh6J2k0Rm — Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) August 11, 2020
Meanwhile, the news has been welcomed by campaigners, including teenagers hit by the estimated results.
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Erin Bleakley, 17, who organised a protest of around 100 students in Glasgow’s George Square against how the exam results were reached, said: “I think we would all like to say a generous thank you for not only the apology but the results being reverted back to teacher estimates.
“I did not think this day would come.”
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Today’s decision by John Swinney creates huge problems for Gavin Williamson and the English government.
“We now have two qualification systems required for entry into UK universities, operating on completely different criteria with wildly different pass rates. This can only increase the worries that students in England have about the fairness of the grades they will receive on Thursday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-11--Investigation Into Racist Murder Of Stephen Lawrence Now 'Inactive', Met Police Say

Stephen Lawrence Met Police
Police investigating the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence have declared the investigation “inactive” because “all identified lines of inquiry have been completed”.
Met Police commissioner Cressida Dicksaid: “This was an appalling racist murder and I am sad that we have been unable to secure further convictions for Stephen, his family and friends.”
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She added: “The investigation has now moved to an ‘inactive’ phase, but I have given Stephen’s family the assurance that we will continue to deal with any new information that comes to light.”
The investigation into Lawrence’s murder will be periodically reviewed “for any further investigative opportunities”, Dick said.
She added: “We were able to secure two convictions following a determined investigation in 2012 but it is well known that other suspects were also involved in the events which unfolded that night and it is deeply frustrating that we have been unable to bring them to justice.
“As a result of ceaseless campaigning for justice by Stephen’s parents, profound changes have happened in policing, the law and wider society. I pay tribute to them for their courage and achievements.
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”And today my thoughts are with them and all Stephen’s loved ones.”
Lawrence was 18 when he was murdered during an unprovoked racist attack on 22 April 1993.
He was with his friend Duwayne Brooks when he was attacked by a group of men on Well Hall Road in Eltham.
In 2012, prime suspects Gary Dobson and David Norris were jailed for life at the Old Bailey after being found guilty of murder following a trial that hinged on tiny traces of forensic evidence found years after the crime.
The decision to make Lawrence’s case inactive means that it will now be managed by officers within the Met’s Special Casework Team, with two officers from the investigation redeployed to the team.
The case will also be subject to review every two years, the force said.
In a statement, Stephen’s father Neville Lawrence said he was disappointed but not surprised to hear the news.
“I had hoped that the conviction of two of the killers in 2012 would lead to new evidence coming to light and a prosecution of the other suspects,” he said.
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“This has unfortunately not happened and, over the last few years, I have had to come to terms with the reality that some of the killers of Stephen may never be brought to justice for what they did.”
He added that the case “can never be closed to me”.
Neville and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, have campaigned tirelessly for justice for their son.
Baroness Lawrence said “whilst the Metropolitan Police have given up, I never will”.
In a statement, she said: “I am truly disappointed that those others who were equally responsible for my son’s racist killing may not be brought to justice.
“I would like to thank Clive Driscoll who was the senior investigating officer responsible for the conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris which took place after almost 20 years of me fighting for justice. Having Clive Driscoll on Stephen’s case made all the difference to me and had he had the opportunity of continuing to investigate the murder there may have been more convictions.
“I am very sad that a line has now been drawn into the investigation and that it is now in an ‘inactive’ phase. Despite this, I would still urge anyone who has any information that could help me get all of Stephen’s killers convicted, to come forward.
“It is never too late to give a mother justice for the murder of her son. Whilst the Metropolitan Police have given up, I never will.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Black Professionals Call For 24-Hour BBC Boycott Over N-Word Use

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Over one hundred Black British professionals have penned an open letter calling for a 24-hour boycott of the BBC over its use of the N-word.
The InfluencHers, a group of professional British women of African and Caribbean origin, stated that the corporation had much more work to do in making amends after using the racial slur in a news bulletin and a history programme from last year.
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The collective is calling for the public here and abroad to join them on Wednesday August 19 for BBC Black Out Wednesday, starting at 9am BST for 24 hours.
“We are asking all allies to join the boycott. We are asking everyone in the UK and around the world to not access any BBC content i.e. TV, radio, online and social media platforms,” the letter reads.
The group also wants to see the removal of David Jordan, director of editorial policy and standards, and Fran Unsworth, director of news, “for repeatedly bringing the BBC into disrepute and causing trauma, alarm, distress and humiliation to the public, and violating the dignity of Black staff by creating an offensive, degrading and humiliating working environment”.
They also urge the BBC to consult an independent organisation with a proven track record on race matters on all issues regarding race at the corporation.
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On Sunday, the BBC apologised after using the N-word in a report about a racist attack in Bristol.
It came after the broadcaster received almost 19,000 complaints about the incident, as well as numerous complaints from staff and the resignation of BBC 1Xtra’s broadcaster Sideman aka David Whitely.
The letter states: “Dear BBC, on reflection, the eventual apology made by the outgoing BBC director-general Tony Hall on 9th August 2020, is just the beginning and not the end of this N-word controversy. Sadly, it does not go far enough.
“It only addresses the use of the word, not the subsequent defence of its use. This is unacceptable when you consider the damage that it has caused.”
This is the email I received from the BBC. In short they feel the use of the N word was justified in the video clip that was circulating. After my initial complaint, the BBC have since had another reporter use N word... Appalling. pic.twitter.com/mn0b76meGB — Just here (@LErythreee) August 4, 2020
An InfluencHers spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “There can be no justification for using a serious racial slur to prop up a story when it added nothing of value or clarity to the story. What it did instead was to cause trauma to many people who feel that societal prejudice and racism is so ingrained and normalised that an important corporation thought this was valid behaviour.
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“Moreover, the fact that it took the BBC so long to make a statement and accept that it used language which was racially insulting, compounds this trauma because it reinforces the notion expressed amongst many Black people that it seems as though it is open season for racism against them with there being little fear of consequences.”
“The BBC needs now to go further. Whilst reviewing its policy, someone needs to be made accountable, possibly by resigning, and the corporation needs to fully cooperate with any organisations requiring it to do so, including the police, EHRC and community based race monitoring groups. This must never happen again.”
The InfluencHers are also calling for Whitely to be compensated if he feels unable to return to his job, after he described the BBC’s decision to use the N-word, and then to defend its use, as a “slap in the face”.
TV historian Lucy Worsley also said the racial slur while reciting a quote from John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln, in a 2019 documentary repeated three days after the first incident.
Sideman quits BBC 1Xtra over use of racial slur in BBC News reporthttps://t.co/U0lgwylG0u pic.twitter.com/1es8ASf6vT — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) August 8, 2020
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The BBC had previously accepted that using the racial slur had caused offence, but had not apologised for it, saying the use of the N-word was “editorially justified given the context”.
But in a statement, the BBC’s director-general Lord Tony Hall said: “Every organisation should be able to acknowledge when it has made a mistake. We made one here.”
In a email to all BBC staff, Hall wrote: “It should be clear that the BBC’s intention was to highlight an alleged racist attack. This is important journalism which the BBC should be reporting on and we will continue to do so.
“Yet despite these good intentions, I recognise that we have ended up creating distress amongst many people.
“The BBC now accepts that we should have taken a different approach at the time of broadcast and we are very sorry for that. We will now be strengthening our guidance on offensive language across our output.”
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The BBC’s use of the N-word could constitute a race hate crime, the InfluencHers argue.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Stonehaven Crash: Driver Believed Dead After Train Derails In Aberdeenshire

Three people including the driver and conductor have died at the scene of a train derailment in Aberdeenshire amid heavy rain and flooding.
British Transport Police said another six people had been taken to hospital after the incident in Stonehaven, though their injuries are not believed to be serious.
In a statement, BTP said that although formal identification had not yet taken place, the driver of the train was believed to be among those who had died.
Meanwhile, the RMT union, which represents rail workers, said that the train’s conductor was another victim.
ScotRail confirmed the third casualty was a passenger on its 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service.
Chief superintendent Eddie Wylie said: “I would like to reassure the public that this was not a busy service, and from CCTV enquiries and witness statements we believe all passengers have been accounted for.
“However, once the area has been made safe then a full and thorough search will be conducted, which is likely to take some time.”
The news comes after the Scottish government declared a “major incident”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Five Things To Know About Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s VP Pick

Five Things To Know About Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s VP Pick
Kamala Harris has been picked by Joe Biden as his candidate for vice-president should he win the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The California senator has been a trailblazer in her political career but rose to national prominence during the Brett Kavanaugh supreme court hearings and also ran for the democratic candidate but withdrew early on. Here’s more on everything you need to know about Kamala Harris.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--100,000 A-Level Results Could Be Downgraded. Students Like These Are Most At Risk

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Pupils awaiting their A-level results in England say they are “angry” and “demoralised” amid fears their expected grades will be lowered by a computer on Thursday.
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Those who attended school in deprived areas with historically lower-achieving exam performances say they are particularly worried they will be unfairly penalised by the algorithm used by regulator Ofqual.
The government is facing pressure to ensure exam results in England “will not exacerbate existing inequalities” by “biased” statistical modelling after students from poorer backgrounds in Scotland were hit hardest by downgrading last week.
Results for Higher awards north of the border were branded a “disaster” when the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) downgraded 124,000 results. On Tuesday the SNP-led Holyrood government announced all grades that had initially been lowered by the algorithm would be binned and replaced by the original assessments carried out by teachers.
Later that day ministers announced some pupils in England would be allowed to use results in mock A-level exams as the basis for an appeal against the grades they were given, so long as the mocks were held under exam conditions and could be “validated” by the schools.
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Pupils Catalin, Afrina and Rhianna are awaiting their A-level results on Thursday. HuffPost UK
Students will still be able to sit exams in the autumn if they are unhappy with the grades they secured in mock exams, or if they are dissatisfied with results awarded by exam boards on Thursday.
But the appeals process – where individual students in England are dependent on schools and colleges to appeal against results on their behalf – is expected to remain the same.
Labour has warned that Boris Johnson risks “robbing a generation of young people of their future” over the relentless policy changes, U-turns and backpedalling over the last few weeks.
Rhianna, 17, is waiting to hear if she will meet her predicted AAAs in order to meet a conditional offer to study politics at the London School of Economics. She said she had initially been feeling “quite confident” when she first heard her grades would be based on predictions. “I knew and trusted that my teachers would be honest,” she tells HuffPost UK.
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But following the cancellation of exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s A-level and GCSE grades will be determined based on an algorithm that relies on grades submitted by teachers and a pupil’s past exam results – as well as the school’s past exam performance.
“It would be a slap to the face if they didn’t get the results their teachers told them they deserved.” - Jennifer, 18, Belfast
The new model has left Rhianna “disheartened” and made her “really lose confidence in the process”. That her sixth form college in Bristol is “really large and doesn’t perform very well in league tables” has left her “extremely worried”.
If she receives her grade predictions, Rhianna would be the first in her family to go to university; if she doesn’t, she may not be able to afford her rent while she studies for resits in autumn.
“University has always been a really significant step for me, so to lose that due to a statistical model would be really disappointing,” she said. “It would be really devastating for a lot of poorer students who would have really succeeded during normal examinations.”
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The news that her grades will potentially be downgraded has made her “really lose belief” she can start uni in September and she says she has been “hesitant” to make any plans or preparations.
“It angers me how casual the Ofqual are approaching these results, especially since they justify the injustice of the system with the offer of autumn examinations.” she continues. “Not everyone has the luxury of a gap year or will even be able to afford the re-sits.”
She hopes the U-turn over school leavers’ grades in Scotland will mean the exam board in England will consider reforming the grading system.
“The policy reversal around exam results in Scotland has demonstrated that the system doesn’t work and unfairly impacts disadvantaged students. If Scotland has admitted the failures within their similar grading system, then so should Ofqual.”
Rhianna: "As a first-generation university student from a low income background, I am extremely worried." HuffPost UK
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Nearly 40% of A-level grade recommendations by teachers are expected to be downgraded, schools minister Nick Gibb told the Today Programme on Radio 4 on Wednesday morning.
With around 250,000 pupils due to receive their results on Thursday, 100,000 could be at risk of shattered dreams and wrecked plans.
Catalin, from Richmond upon Thames, describes his life as being “on hold” while he waits to hear if he will meet the AAB grades he needs to get into Royal Holloway, University of London.
Historically only 2% of students at his college achieve AAB or higher, and Catalin believes it is “likely” at least one of his grades will be downgraded. “I certainly think both me and my classmates will be affected no matter what our performance could have been,” he said.
By penalising students from poor-performing schools, this year’s results will leave “entire cohorts demoralised”. “The [other years] will see that despite the Year 13s and 11s putting in effort, they will still just get assigned the results of the previous year, shattering the myth of a meritocracy.”
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He added: “The same students who are at a disadvantage because of the school they go to – and by extension their background – are also the ones that don’t have the option of sitting the exams in September and taking a gap year somewhere in a tropical country.
“They also don’t have parents with the know-how to chase after their sixth form and appeal their grades – not that appealing would do much good, either.”
If he does not meet his grade predictions, he will try to find another place through clearing. “Taking a gap year isn’t an option for me as job opportunities are scarce right now and, like many people, I can’t afford to just go live abroad for a year.
“My plans for August have pretty much all been shelved and my life is on hold [because of] the anxiety from waiting and the fact that I have no clue what university I will end up going to.”
Catalin: "My plans have all been shelved and my life is on hold." HuffPost UK
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The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has predicted a record number of students will use clearing to find places at UK universities, with so many students predicted to receive downgraded results.
Afrina, who is predicted AAB, tells HuffPost UK she is worried because her school in Leyton, east London, “doesn’t have the best historical data and is in a disadvantaged area”.
“Students in deprived areas of London are automatically deprived due to how the grades will be assessed,” she says. “Me and my classmates will definitely be affected due to the location of our college. I don’t think it’s fair.”
She was also recently diagnosed with dyslexia, which would have normally given her extra time to take her A-level exams. But because results now depend on her past performance, she worries she will be given lower grades than the ones she deserves.
“My grades went up by two grades for one of the subjects whereby I was given extra time in February,” she adds. “I’m feeling really apprehensive about my results as I’m not too sure what to expect.”
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A study by University College London has found predicting A-level grades is a “near-impossible” task, with researchers only able to accurately predict one in four pupils’ best three subjects.
Comprehensive students were also found to be twice as likely to be under-predicted by modelling than grammar or private schools.
That students from poor-performing schools are the most likely to be downgraded is, in one pupil’s opinion, “one of the most unfair things about the whole situation”.
Afrina: "Me and my classmates will definitely be affected due to the location of our college. I don't think it's fair." HuffPost UK
“It’s not fair to assume that just because someone attends a ‘bad’ school they would probably perform poorly,” Catherine, 18, says. “Cases should be looked at on an individual basis rather than judging a student’s capability by their socio-economic background.”
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Even then, she points out “predictions aren’t an accurate representation of how students would actually perform”.
“A lot of the time, students out-perform their predicted grades, as they tend to really knuckle-down and study during exam season. This means they end up performing significantly better than expected.”
The discriminatory nature of basing results on a school’s past performance has even angered pupils who will less likely be affected. As a student at a high-achieving comprehensive in Belfast with an unconditional university offer, Jennifer, 18, admits she is “lucky to be where I am right now”.
She says she trusts her teachers to give the most accurate predictions of her results. “I felt that as long as the teachers had a say based on their interactions and knowledge of them as students, then I felt that the results would be as fair as it would get.
“That’s why the input of the teacher felt like such an important factor to making these results fair and accurate. They know how their students act and behave, what they achieved in mock exams and their coursework, understand their work ethic, and have been through good and bad moments with them.
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“It does worry me that people in less advantageous situations will be negatively impacted by this.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--These Incredible Dogs Are Being Trained To Sniff Out Covid-19

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Asher, Kyp, Lexie, Tala, Millie, and Marlow. They might sound like characters in an X-Men film – but they’re far more important than that. These names belong to six dogs who’ve been trained to detect Covid-19 by sniffing it out.
In a new study, which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed, the dogs were able to sniff out Covid-19 infection with up to 94% accuracy. They could sniff out samples from people who were asymptomatic, as well as those who had low viral loads.
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The vision is that one day in the future, they (and a team of fellow canines) could be deployed in public places, such as airports and sports stadiums, to identify people who have the virus – including those who don’t show symptoms.
Medical Detection Dogs Asher the spaniel sniffs a sample in the training centre.
Historically, dogs trained at the Medical Detection Dogs HQ in Milton Keynes have detected a range of diseases including cancer and Parkinson’s. They can do this because of their heightened sense of smell – it’s thought 30% of the dog’s brain is dedicated to analysing odour and the percentage of a dog’s brain devoted to analysing odours is 40 times larger than that of a human.
The findings of the study are based on six dogs who tested more than 3,500 odour samples donated by the public and NHS staff. The training method used is reward-based: dogs are given a treat or get to play a game when they make an accurate assessment, so they feel encouraged to detect it again and again.
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The dogs were able to identify infections caused by the coronavirus strain that was dominant in the UK last summer as well as the so-called Kent variant (B117) which appeared later in the year.
Professor James Logan, head of the department of disease control at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), who led the project, told PA Media: “What was great was the dogs that have been trained on the original variant transferred to the new (Kent) variant. They could detect the new variant without any additional training. So this gives us real hope and really suggests that dogs are able to detect different variants of Covid.”
The dogs recruited were a mixture of spaniels and Labradors – and there’s a reason for this. “All dogs and breeds have the capability to detect cancer, other diseases and crisis situations in humans,” the charity’s CEO and co-founder, Claire Guest, told HuffPost UK earlier this year.
“However, because our dogs screen samples on a carousel, we select breeds with a high hunt drive – the kind of dogs that chase a tennis ball 100 times and don’t get bored or tired. Our dogs are chosen according to their ability. It is important they have good noses and love searching and hunting for toys.”
The next phase of the trial will test whether the dogs are able to detect coronavirus on real people in real-world settings such as airports and sports events. It’s been suggested two dogs could screen 300 plane passengers in half an hour.
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Neil Pollock A medical detection dog.
Scientists believe a combination of specially trained dogs, along with a confirmatory PCR test, could help detect more than twice as many cases and halt onward transmission, when compared to isolating symptomatic individuals only, or testing people with a lateral flow test and a PCR test.
Professor Steve Lindsay, from the department of biosciences at Durham University, said: “This is a very exciting result showing that there is a distinct smell associated with Covid-19 and, more importantly, that trained dogs can detect this with a high degree of accuracy.
“Dogs could be a great way to screen a large number of people quickly and preventing Covid-19 from being reintroduced into the UK.
“Trained dogs could potentially act as a fast screening tool for travellers, with those identified as infective confirmed with a lab test. This could make testing faster and save money.”
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“Rapid screening of high numbers of people, even if asymptomatic, will help return our lives back to some sort of normality.”
Trained dogs could also help assess the prevalence of disease among travellers from specific locations including current ‘hotspots’, Professor James Logan, head of the department of disease control at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, previously said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--'No Confusion' Over Last Minute A-Level And GCSE Changes, Claims Schools Minister

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The government has denied that the exam system in England has been thrown into “confusion” following a last minute change to the way A-level and GCSE results will be assessed.
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Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, announced late on Tuesday that students will be able to use their results in mock tests to appeal if they are unhappy with the grades they are given.
The move – less than 48 hours before students receive their calculated A-level results following the cancellation of actual exams amid the Covid-19 crisis – comes in the wake of a dramatic U-turn by the Scottish government.
Scotland’s education secretary, John Swinney, announced that moderated grades would be scrapped following a massive outcry after more than 124,000 results were downgraded.
Nick Gibb, the schools minister for England, admitted that the government was “concerned” about what had happened in Scotland but insisted the system in England was more “robust”.
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He said that only a “small number” of students would be affected by the change and insisted that ministers have nothing to apologise for by acting so late in the day.
“There is no confusion. We have been very clear from the very beginning. We had to have a system in place to award qualifications to young people given that we had cancelled the exams,” he told BBC Breakfast this morning.
“We apologise to nobody for finding solutions, even at the 11th hour, to stop any student being disadvantaged by this system.”
Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said it was only “fair enough” that the government should say sorry.
“What students and their families and teachers are concerned about is getting a fair assessment process,” she said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Amanda Holden Spots The Image Of Simon Cowell On A Wall During Her Hols, And Well, She Has Point

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Spotting an image of Jesus on a piece of toast (and then trying to sell it on eBay) is soooo 2017.
This year it’s all about spying a certain music and television mogul’s face in a stone wall.
Well, according to Amanda Holden it is, and to be fair, she does have a point.
Mandy was probably hoping to get away from her boss Simon Cowell on her family holiday, but then she saw a vision of her Britain’s Got Talent co-star during an al fresco dinner with her husband and two daughters.
Taking to her Instagram Story, Amanda shared a snap of a rock wall – which could be seen between two barrels.
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“Is anyone else seeing @simoncowell here?” she asked her 1.5 million followers.
Spot the Simon. Instagram
Yep, definitely Mr. Cowell, if a little stony-faced.
Amanda’s post comes just days after she sent Simon well wishes following his bike accident in Los Angeles.
On Saturday, the music mogul broke his back after falling from an electric bike he’d been riding in the courtyard of his Malibu home.
Posting a selfie of them on the BGT panel, Amanda wrote: “I’ve been thinking about my dear friend all day and luckily I’m able to say (with blessing) that he’s had his operation and he’s doing really well.
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“Chris Lexi Hollie and me wish you a speedy recovery and send you, Lauren and Eric all our love.”
Simon has since given fans an update after undergoing nine hours of surgery.
“Some good advice,” he wrote. “If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time.”
He continued: “I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages.
“And a massive thank you to all the nurses and doctors. Some of the nicest people I have ever met. Stay safe everyone.”
Simon’s rep previously told Metro: “Simon has broken his back in a number of places in a fall from his bike whilst testing a new electric bike in the courtyard of his home in Malibu with his family.
“He was taken to hospital where they operated overnight [Saturday] he’s under observation and is doing fine.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--A Brit's Guide To Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's New Presidential Running Mate

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Joe Biden ended months of speculation last night when he announced Kamala Harris will be his running mate in this year’s US presidential election.
Regardless of who wins in November, the decision has already made history – Harris is the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket.
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I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
And there’s one other, slightly crass thing that makes it potentially even more significant. If he wins, Biden would be 78 when he is inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency, so the deputy could well find herself being promoted to chief.
A woman has still never served as president or vice president in the United States.
Just two women have even been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties both lost in the elections of those years.
But who is Kamala Harris and what does she stand for?
.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.
I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020
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The basics
Harris is a 55-year-old first-term senator with a background in law enforcement, having served as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco.
Her mother was an Indian immigrant and her father was a Jamaican immigrant and she has described herself as “a proud American” whose African American and Indian heritage “are of equal weight in terms of who I am”.
Future vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris with her younger sister, Maya, and mother, Shyamala, outside their apartment on Milvia Street in Berkeley, 1970. pic.twitter.com/8JKCq53HWL — John McMurtrie (@McMurtrieSF) August 11, 2020
Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Francisco’s district attorney. In the role, she created a reentry programme for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.
She was elected California’s attorney general in 2010, the first woman and the first Black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis.
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The presidential bid
There’s no escaping the fact that vice-president would be something of a consolation prize for Harris, who ran her own campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
After being elected to the Senate in 2016, she quickly gained attention for her assertive questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings.
She launched her campaign in early 2019 with the slogan “Kamala Harris For the People,” a reference to her courtroom work.
Harris was one of the highest-profile contenders in a crowded Democratic primary and attracted 20,000 people to her first campaign rally in Oakland.
In one memorable moment last year, Harris tripped up Attorney General William Barr when she repeatedly pressed him whether President Trump or other White House officials had ever pressured him to investigate anyone.
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At the time, Trump was accused of trying to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to work with Barr in order to investigate Biden’s son Hunter over unfounded allegations of corruption.
But the early promise of Harris’s campaign eventually faded. Her law enforcement background prompted scepticism from some progressives, and she struggled to land on a consistent message that resonated with voters.
Facing fundraising problems, Harris abruptly withdrew from the race in December 2019, two months before the first votes of the primary were cast.
The policies
As a presidential candidate, Harris proposed a government-run system that would still allow private insurers to offer plans; she also supported a fracking ban. Biden has not embraced either proposal, Reuters reports.
Harris’ record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinised during the Democratic primary and turned off some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of systemic racism in the legal system and police brutality.
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She tried to strike a balance on these issues, declaring herself a “progressive prosecutor” who backs law enforcement reforms.
Harris also declined to defend California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage and was later overturned by the US Supreme Court, PA Media reports.
ImageSPACE/MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx
The competition
Biden, who spent eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president, has spent months weighing up who would fill that same role in his White House.
He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would centre on two white men in their 70s.
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Biden’s search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, Florida representative Val Demings, whose impeachment prosecution of President Trump won plaudits, California representative Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, and Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city gained national attention.
The reaction
Republicans immediately tried to portray Harris as a “radical” who embraces allegedly far-left priorities such as sweeping police reform and a ban on fracking.
During a White House briefing on Tuesday, Trump called Harris “the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful” and “most liberal” senator and said she was his “No.1 draft pick” given her unsuccessful presidential campaign.
On a conference call the Trump campaign hosted for reporters, Republican senator Marsha Blackburn asserted that Harris supports eliminating private insurance in favour of Medicare for All and said her selection reflects the “leftist takeover” of the party.
On the Democratic side, former president Barack Obama hailed his former vice president’s running mate selection of Harris, saying: “Joe Biden nailed this decision.”
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“By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgement and character.”
Obama described Harris an “ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead”.
The context
The 2020 race comes a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in the US, far more than the toll experienced in other countries.
Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused an economic collapse. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.
President Trump’s uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the autumn campaign in strong position against the president.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Tops List Of Highest-Paid Actors, As Forbes Shares Annual Top 10 List

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has topped the list of the world’s most highly-paid actors for the second year in a row.
According to Forbes, The Rock – who first rose to prominence as a WWE wrestler, before making the change to acting – pulled in $87.5m (£67m) for his work between June 2019 and June 2020.
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This figure puts him at the top of the list of the business magazine’s annual list of high-earning male actors for the second time, pulling in $89.4 million (£68.6 million) the previous year.
Forbes has claimed that the majority of his $87.5 million sum came from a hefty pay-out from Netflix to star in the upcoming film Red Notice, on which The Rock will also serve as a producer.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the highest-paid actor in the world for the second year in a row NBC via Getty Images
They also claim his Under Armour range Project Rock will have contributed heavily to his annual earnings.
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In second place on Forbes’ list is Ryan Reynolds on $71.5m (£54.5m), with Mark Wahlberg and Ben Affleck behind on $58m (£44.2m) and $55m (£41.9m), respectively.
Lin-Manuel Miranda John Shearer via Getty Images
Check out the full list of highest-paid actors and their earnings below:
1. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – $87.5m (£66.8m) 2. Ryan Reynolds – $71.5m (£54.5m) 3. Mark Wahlberg – $58m (£44.2m) 4. Ben Affleck – $55m (£41.9m) 5. Vin Diesel – $54m (£41.2m) 6. Akshay Kumar – $48.5m (£37m) 7. Lin-Manuel Miranda – $45.5m (£34.7m) 8. Will Smith – $44.5m (£33.9m) 9. Adam Sandler – $31m (£23.8m) 10. Jackie Chan – $30m (£23m)
Forbes’ list of highest-paid female stars will be published in September.
Last year’s was topped by Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson, who earned $56 million (£42.9 million).


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--The World's Last Blockbuster Can Now Be Rented Out On Airbnb

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The world’s last physical Blockbuster store — a lone Oregon-based holdout from the days when the video chain was king — is now available to rent on Airbnb.
Airbnb’s Twitter account made the announcement on Tuesday, and the Blockbuster account — dormant since 2014 — briefly rose from the dead to tell the world that this “90s themed sleepover” was no joke.
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...cause the last BLOCKBUSTER in the world will be offering movie lovers in Bend a 90s themed sleepover for a limited time—only on airbnb. who’s down? 👀https://t.co/dd4yz1UtZP pic.twitter.com/NJEZK2wxeW — Airbnb (@Airbnb) August 11, 2020
i am once again asking are you up @blockbuster — Airbnb (@Airbnb) August 11, 2020
Just checking in. 👋 — Blockbuster (@blockbuster) August 11, 2020
Ok, we've seen enough. Checking out. — Blockbuster (@blockbuster) August 11, 2020
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The Bend, Oregon, store is the only physical Blockbuster location remaining in the world, and only residents of Deschutes County, where Bend is located, are eligible to book the Airbnb listing beginning on Aug 17.
For $4 (about £3) an evening, the listing notes, up to four people can enjoy a “socially-distanced movie night, just like those of decades past,” on either Sept. 18, 19, or 20.
The Airbnb listing comes complete with all the equipment of the era of Covid-19 — face masks, disinfectant and copious amounts of hand sanitiser — as well as all of the nostalgia of Blockbuster stores in the ’90s, including snacks like NERDS and Raisinets.
Bend’s Blockbuster, in service since 2004, pays an annual fee to continue using its name, which is owned by Dish Network. It is staffed by only 12 employees, including general manager Sandi Harding, who is in charge of buying all of the movies on sale.
Frequented by a dedicated legion of local fans and tourists who appreciate the store’s nostalgia value, Bend’s Blockbuster was previously offering delivery due to Covid-19 restrictions. Harding, occasionally known as the “Blockbuster Mum,” told Oregon Live that the Airbnb event came about as a means of thanking supporters who chose to flock to the store instead of depending solely on Netflix and other streaming services.
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“Without the renters coming in every week, we can’t survive,” Harding said, adding that due to the coronavirus, “people want to feel good, and for some, Blockbuster makes them feel better.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Dua Lipa’s Face Says It All After She Makes Awkward Gaffe During Gwen Stefani Interview

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Things took a slightly awkward turn for Dua Lipa when she hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday.
The British singer made a gaffe during a chat with Gwen Stefani as she guest hosted the American chat show from her home.
The 24-year-old mistakenly referred to the No Doubt singer’s boyfriend Blake Shelton as her “husband”, which Gwen quickly corrected her on, and well, Dua’s face said it all…
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Dua Lipa and Gwen Stefani YouTube
“I heard that you’ve been spending quarantine with your husband Blake Shelton at the ranch in Oklahoma. Who else was with you? How was that?” Dua asked.
“Um. Well, he’s not my husband, but that sounded cool when you said it,” Gwen quickly replied.
Oh.
You can see the moment at the 2:28 mark below:
Gwen was previously married to Bush star Gavin Rossdale before their divorce was finalised in 2016.
She has been in a relationship with country singer Blake since 2015, but despite rumours that they tied the knot in secret, the pair have yet to walk down the aisle.
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Blake addressed the marriage rumours during an interview with ET last year, saying: “Anybody that thinks that I’m married to Gwen already, I love it. My God. Who wouldn’t want to be married to Gwen Stefani?”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Trump On Biden Veep Pick Kamala Harris: ‘She’s Very, Very Nasty’

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Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted he was surprised that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden chose senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate, in part because she was “very nasty” to Biden as they vied in their party’s primary race.
“I was more surprised than anyone else because she did so poorly in the primaries,” Trump said at a White House press briefing shortly after the Biden campaign revealed Harris’ selection.
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“Plus, she was very, very nasty … She was probably nastier than even Pocahontas to Joe Biden,” the president added, resurrecting his insulting nickname for senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another of this cycle’s Democratic White House candidates.
He also said Harris “was very disrespectful” to Biden, adding, “It’s hard to pick somebody that’s that disrespectful.”
Despite Trump’s expression of surprise, political analysts of all stripes ― including those in the president’s camp ― for months had pegged Harris as the odds-on favourite to emerge as Biden’s running mate.
Trump also accused Harris of being “extraordinarily nasty” to Brett Kavanaugh during the 2018 Senate Judiciary hearings on his nomination to the Supreme Court. Harris and other committee Democrats hammered Kavanaugh over accusations that he sexually assaulted an acquaintance, Christine Ford, when they were in high school. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations, and the issue became a cause celebre among some Republican lawmakers.
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“I’ve been watching her for a long time. She was extraordinarily nasty to [Kavanaugh],” Trump said of Harris. “She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing ... the way she treated now-Justice Kavanaugh. I won’t forget that soon.”
Trump often uses the word “nasty” to describe women with whom he disagrees and as a way to demean them. He has used the same insult to attack his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, house speaker Nancy Pelosi, PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor, and the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Yulín Cruz.
In May 2019, Trump described Harris as “nasty” when asked about how she questioned attorney general William Barr during a Judiciary Committee hearing.
On Tuesday, Trump also tweeted a short video by his campaign attacking the newly minted Democratic ticket. In line with Trump’s tradition of using derisive ― some have said nasty ― nicknames for his opponents, the video refers to “Slow Joe” and “Phony Kamala.”
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Earlier Tuesday, immediately after Biden announced his running mate, Trump’s campaign had released a statement using the “phoney” label for Harris. The campaign highlighted pointed remarks she directed at Biden on racial issues at the first Democratic primary debate in June 2019.
Harris stressed that while she was not insinuating that Biden was racist, she expressed concern with his opposition during his early years as a senator in the 1970s to federal initiatives to desegregate public schools by busing students to heavily white school districts. She also criticised him for praising the “civility” of his interactions with segregationist senators when he was a young lawmaker.
“I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said to Biden. “And I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.”
That moment turned out to be the high point of Harris’ presidential bid. After failing to gain traction in polls, she dropped out of the race in December.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump’s campaign incorrectly claimed that Harris called Biden “racist” and accused her of “abandoning her own morals” by becoming Biden’s running mate.
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The campaign also attempted to use Harris to show that Biden was not a “moderate” Democratic candidate.
“She is proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left,” senior Trump campaign adviser Katrina Pierson said in a statement.
Harris said she was honoured to run with Biden, saying in a statement posted on Twitter that he “can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Councils Trigger Emergency Support For Rough Sleepers Amid Heatwave

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Councils across London have activated emergency procedures to help rough sleepers as the capital swelters through a heatwave during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The action comes amid warnings from homelessness charities that Covid-19 has made the extremely hot weather even more dangerous than usual to those without shelter.
With temperatures soaring as high as 33C in London, a number of local authorities have initiated their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) – a series of procedures commonly rolled out in the winter amid freezing conditions.
But with the mercury soaring amid a six-day-long heatwave, councils said they had offered emergency accommodation to those needing respite from the heat, with some also opening up buildings to allow rough sleepers to escape the sun during the day.
Outreach teams have also been offering homeless people water, energy drinks, food and suncream, as well as access to toilet and shower facilities.
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Among the councils which told HuffPost UK they were offering rough sleepers extra support during the heatwave were Hackney, Ealing, Lewisham, Newham and Westminster.
Heather Action, a Westminster City councillor, warned that hot weather “can be just as dangerous as the cold” for people living on the streets.
On social media, councillors from Haringey Council and Islington Council also shared details of the local authorities’ SWEP protocols.
In Haringey summer SWEP has been activated all week. we have been providing water, suncream and a shady place to rest at Red House and Green Rooms for people who are still sleeping out. Outreach carry these items on rounds in the mornings and tell people where they can go. https://t.co/gHcU0U2X7s — Emina Ibrahim (@Emina_ibrahim) August 10, 2020
Laura Shovlin, from the homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said that outreach services were vital during extremely high temperatures, but even more so during the coronavirus pandemic.
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“If people are already in poor physical and mental health, then continued exposure to heat, including dehydration, sunburn or heatstroke, can exacerbate problems – even more so during the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
“This is due to an increase in the likelihood of the transfer of fluids as people perspire more or may share water or utensils. NHS findings show transmission has been linked to droplets lingering on surfaces.”
Shovlin added: “People who are sleeping rough are less likely to have access to masks or other protective items which can act as barriers.”
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the government brought thousands of rough sleepers in off the streets to prevent the spread of coronavirus and allow homeless people to be able to self-isolate.
In June, ministers announced £85m of new funding to help homeless people find long-term accommodation.
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But Homeless Link, which represents a number of homeless charities in England, told HuffPost UK that despite many rough sleepers being found somewhere to stay, councils must still activate emergency responses to the heatwave.
Caroline Bernard, head of policy and communications, said: “Not everyone has been brought in off the streets, some people have returned to rough sleeping and others are being forced to sleep rough for the first time as a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a range of other reasons.
“This is incredibly dangerous in this heat, and emergency support will be vital in these cases.”
It’s a call echoed by Matt Turtle from the Museum of Homelessness, a social justice organisation.
“It’s good that some councils are carrying out SWEP activity in the heat, but we want all councils to proactively implement SWEP when there is a danger to life,” he said.
“We need a consistency in how and when SWEP is implemented and better communications with those of us working directly with the homeless community.
“This has always been important but given the extra risks posed by the pandemic we need to ensure we are all working together to save lives.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Ozark Star Julia Garner Impersonates Britney Spears And Gwen Stefani To A Tee

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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Dwayne Johnson Hilariously Fails To Convince His Daughter He Was In Moana

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Dwayne Johnson’s attempts to prove to his two-year-old daughter, Tiana, that he was in Disney’s Moana by singing his character Maui’s signature song didn’t exactly go to plan.
Over the weekend, the actor shared a video on Instagram, writing: “Could this be the glorious day my sweet baby Tia, finally accepts that her daddy is the demigod, Maui from MOANA?”
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The star, AKA The Rock, has no problem redirecting a torpedo and holding a helicopter with one arm, but apparently convincing his daughter he’s the voice of Maui is a far more impossible task, as you can see below:
“Aaaaaaaand that’s a very firm, NO,” he added.
This is just the latest failed attempt in The Rock’s ongoing mission to get some credit from his daughter.
Back in April, he posted another video singing the song with the caption, “And for the 937th time today she wants daddy to sing along with Maui. She has no idea, we’re the same person.”
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Earlier in April, Johnson sang the song as a way to teach her, and everyone else, how to wash their hands while sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--UK Enters Deepest Recession Since Records Began

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Britain has officially entered into the largest recession on record after figures showed the coronavirus pandemic sent the economy plunging by 20.4% between April and June.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed the UK’s nosedive into recession for the first time since the financial crisis after the record-breaking contraction in the second quarter, which follows a 2.2% fall in the previous three months.
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A recession is defined as two successive quarters of decline in gross domestic product (GDP).
Recession Statista
But monthly figures showed the economy bounced back by 8.7% in June, following upwardly revised growth of 2.4% in May, as lockdown restrictions eased.
After the GDP figures were revealed, chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “I’ve said before that hard times were ahead, and today’s figures confirm that hard times are here.
“Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.
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“But while there are difficult choices to be made ahead, we will get through this, and I can assure people that nobody will be left without hope or opportunity.”
Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the ONS, said: “The recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record.
“The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and housebuilding continuing to recover. Despite this, GDP in June still remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus struck.
“Overall, productivity saw its largest-ever fall in the second quarter. Hospitality was worst hit, with productivity in that industry falling by three-quarters in recent months.”
Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds tweeted: “We’ve already got the worst excess death rate in Europe - now we’re on course for the worst recession too.
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“That’s a tragedy for our country and it’s happening on the PM’s watch. A downturn was inevitable after lockdown - Johnson’s jobs crisis wasn’t.”
Recession Statista


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Is A Hotel Or Airbnb Safer In The Age Of Covid-19?

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Five months into the Covid-19 pandemic, people are very much testing the waters when it comes to travel. Many travellers are making longer journeys and staying overnight away from home. This has led to a common question: Is it safer to stay at a hotel or rental property like an Airbnb in the coronavirus era?
If you’re taking a trip, the answer to your lodging question depends on a number of factors and requires some personal research.
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“As we have learned during this Covid-19 pandemic, there is really no absolutely safe haven,” said Daniel Berliner, a physician at the virtual health platform PlushCare. “Life’s realities, however, do and will include venturing away from the relative safety of one’s home. When in a necessary travel situation, taking the steps to make where you stay clean and safe will lead to peace of mind and markedly reduce the risk of becoming ill as a result of your trip and your hotel or Airbnb/home rental stay.”
Below, health experts offer their advice for determining if a hotel or Airbnb is the best way to go during the pandemic ― and explain how to mitigate the risks involved in either choice.
Assess the facility’s policies.
“When deciding to stay at a hotel vs. an Airbnb, I would think about things like cancellation policies, cleaning policies, how they handle things like what happens if the prior individual or group staying there is found to have Covid-19,” said Kuppalli.
Another thing to check is how much time the hotel room or rental property stands empty in between guests. Many hotels and rental property owners keep spaces vacant for a number of days after a guest checks out for extra protection.
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“You want to make sure you understand what the cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention policies are for the facility and what they types of precautions they are taking,” Kuppalli said.
Many believe that major hotel chains have an advantage due to greater accountability, regulations and published policies.
“Public health at a hotel is regulated by the health department, and cleaning will likely be more detailed, especially in chains with multiple locations,” said Brian Labus, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ School of Public Health. “Home rentals do not have this same level of oversight. Major chains have also been very open about the steps they are taking to protect their guests, and you often find detailed plans on their websites. You just won’t find this in a home rental.”
“Lodging is just one piece of the puzzle, so if you are concerned about protecting yourself from Covid, you need to look at your entire agenda and consider your individual health status.” - Brian Labus, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ School of Public Health.
Still, Airbnb has taken steps to adopt Covid-19 compliant cleanliness standards and urging individual property owners to work toward those standards.
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“As we are all human, we know breakdowns can occur ― whether it be in a hotel corporate operation with large numbers of employees or in an Airbnb/home rental environment with owners having different backgrounds and levels of maintenance skills,” Berliner said.
Consider the number of people you’ll encounter.
“Hotels can be riskier due to larger number of people moving around,” said Khubchandani. “They cannot force people to stay at a distance in lifts, around the lobby, near the check-in counter, etc.”
Hotels have attempted to mitigate these risks with measures like virtual check-in, lift capacity limits and spaced out lines. Still, you can’t deny that there are more humans around ― from staff to visitors to fellow guests.
“If you are the only guest in a home rental, you will only have contact with other people when you leave,” said Labus. “A hotel will have more guests and you may come in contact with more of them.”
Analyse your health situation.
As with any decision about leaving home during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to assess your personal health situation.
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“Lodging is just one piece of the puzzle, so if you are concerned about protecting yourself from Covid, you need to look at your entire agenda and consider your individual health status,” said Labus. “If you have recently recovered from a Covid infection and are immune (at least temporarily), you will evaluate things differently than if you are older and have a number of high-risk conditions.”
You should also consider if others in your household are at risk of developing complications if they contract the coronavirus. Your exposure could put them in harm’s way as well.
Hispanolistic via Getty Images “You want to make sure you understand what the cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention policies are for the facility and what they types of precautions they are taking,” Kuppalli said.
Come and go at “off peak” hours.
If you do decide to make the trip and stay in a hotel or Airbnb, there are ways to mitigate the risks involved.
“In regards to the number of people in and out of a building at a hotel, those are things you can try to mitigate by arriving and leaving at ‘off peak’ hours,” Kuppalli said.
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This lowers the number of people likely to be in the lobby or elevator around the same time as you.
Wear a mask and keep your distance.
“All standard precautions for Covid-19 must be followed rigorously,” said Khubchandani. “Stay at a distance from others, wash your hands more often, carry a sanitiser, use sanitisers available around hotel and property, don’t touch your face much, wear a mask, don’t take support of surface, don’t touch many objects, e.g., on check-in counter, etc.”
Berliner advised treating your hotel or home rental as you would your own home where visitors are only allowed when they meet your standards for mask-wearing, social distancing and self-quarantine.
“You need to use these same standards, that you require for your guests, while you reside in your newly cleaned and safe hotel room or home rental,” he said.
“I would be particularly careful when in lifts and would make sure to wear a mask,” advised Kuppalli. “If you are touching the lift buttons, make sure to use hand sanitiser after doing so, or use something like a pen or pencil to choose your floor. I would also be careful in communal locations inside where the ventilation is not good. If eating at restaurants in hotels, I would try to eat outside rather than inside.”
“I recommend that you take your own disinfecting wipes with you and regardless of where you stay that you clean down high touch surfaces when you get to where you are staying.” - Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician
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Ensure accountability.
“For the actual individual traveller, we need to ensure that the place we stay, whether a hotel or Airbnb/home rental, feels and looks clean,” Berliner noted. “If not, make the management aware and have them fix any shortfalls. You can always change stay locations if your comfort level is not met.”
If you arrive at a hotel or Airbnb and something doesn’t look like it’s been cleaned and sanitised, Berliner advised alerting management or the homeowner so that they are aware and can address it.
Sanitise surfaces and yourself.
“I recommend that you take your own disinfecting wipes with you and regardless of where you stay that you clean down high-touch surfaces when you get to where you are staying,” Kuppalli said. “This would include door handles, light switches, closet doors, faucets, counters, remotes, telephones, curtain rods, drawer handles. I would also have hand sanitiser with you so you can make sure to constantly clean your hands and have masks to protect yourself when in public spaces.”
Khubchandani added that you should shower regularly when entering the property from the outside and also give yourself a thorough cleaning after you return home.
Take precautions when you leave.
No matter where you decide to stay, the biggest risk occurs when you leave your accommodations for meals or other activities. The fact that you are traveling doesn’t exempt you from taking the same protective steps you take at home.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--NHS Spent £6bn On Agency And Temporary Staff To Cover Shortages Last Year

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The NHS spent £6bn on agency and temporary staff last year in what Labour called a “sticking plaster” to cover “huge shortages” which left England “ill prepared” for coronavirus.
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In total, £3.8bn was spent on NHS England “bank” staff, who are contracted to take on temporary shifts, and £2.4bn on agency workers in 2019/20.
While there was no increase in cash going to outside agencies, an extra £800m was spent on bank staff than in 2017/18.
Shadow health minister Justin Madders, who obtained the data, said the extra spending highlighted “pressing workforce gaps” which meant England “paid the price” during the pandemic, which left the country suffering one of the world’s worst death tolls.
Medical staff transfer a patient through a corridor at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, in Blackburn, England, amid the coronavirus pandemic ASSOCIATED PRESS
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It comes after the Nuffield Trust health think-tank last month said the NHS had “consistently failed to train and retain sufficient numbers of staff to keep pace with demand” going into the Covid-19 crisis, “leading to chronic workforce shortages and vacancies in key areas”.
The briefing goes on to note that countries with higher numbers of staff going into the pandemic are “likely to be better placed to recover care for everyone who needs it”.
NHS Digital figures released last month showed there were nearly 90,000 vacancies in the health service in England at the end of last year, with 36,083 in nursing jobs.
Nearly one in 10 nursing roles were unfilled in the fourth quarter of 2020.
After Boris Johnson announced a £300m cash injection to help the NHS get ready for winter pressures, Madders said: “For years, the Conservative government has failed to address stark NHS workforce shortages and unfortunately the country has paid the price for this.
“Using costly temporary staff to plug workforce gaps is a sticking plaster to cover up the pressing workforce gaps in our NHS.
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“A decade of Tory inaction left our NHS ill-prepared in the run up to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We now need a proper workforce plan, and urgent and sustained action to train and retain our valuable NHS staff.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government is delivering on its commitment to have more people on the frontline of the NHS with record numbers of doctors and nurses and thousands more on the way.
“Throughout this global pandemic we have ensured the NHS had the resources it needs so that it could expert provide care for everyone who needed it.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--I’m An A-Level Teacher Forced To Grade My Pupils. I’m Dreading Results Day

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Schools thrive on routine: from bells or klaxons every hour, to weekly timetables and the annual plays, prize-givings and sporting events.
But since March, when schools across the country locked-down to a skeleton service, we have lost so many of our punchlines, seasonal celebrations and rites of passage. In my school, there was no shirt-signing last day of term for our pupils. There was no dressing-up for the prom, and no days of silent corridors near the exam hall. This has been incredibly hard on my students, but as a teacher, I too mourn these losses – though they pale in comparison with the loss of life we have experienced in this global pandemic.
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Yet it is with much trepidation that we face the final benchmark this week: A-Level results day. With no exams sat due to the pandemic, it’s classroom teachers like myself who have been put into the unenviable position of grading our own students – not for a weekly essay, but for life.
“How will our students react on the day they open their results, and how can we console them when teachers have been professor, judge and executioner?”
When schools closed with 48 hours notice, our entire job also changed. You will have known about the worksheets, the Zoom calls and the ‘virtual learning hubs’. But at a deeper level teachers have morphed from years of being both strict and also encouraging, from instilling a positive ‘can-do’ approach in our students and telling them that anything really is possible, into a summer term of judging their every move and determining grades which they will have to put on their CVs for the rest of their life.
The burden of judgement weighs heavy on our shoulders. In May, we worried: did we submit high enough teacher-assessed grades? Have we been fair to all students, across all backgrounds, and not just the articulate and well-organised ones? How will our students react on the day they open their results, and how can we console them when teachers have been professor, judge and executioner?
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Yet now it is clear that the results awarded on Thursday may not even be the grades that teachers have spent weeks worrying about. As we witnessed in Scotland last week, the exam boards and OFQUAL are predicted to have downgraded 60% of results based purely on statistical modelling. Our judgment as teachers and professionals has been overruled. Our anxiety is now for the unknown – the results on Thursday are completely unpredictable.
“Reducing our years of hard work, ambition and widening of horizons to an algorithm on a spreadsheet is heart-breaking.”
Teachers like me worry about what will happen to the class of 2020: the positive, dynamic and confident students who worked so hard the last few years. They looked forward to life at university, or to travelling, or to earning their own money – and as teachers it has been our job and privilege to get them on track. But already the class of 2020 have had opportunities taken from them at every turn: no one would choose a socially-distanced first year at university, no one can encourage them to travel the world, and no one can promise them that jobs will be available.
Reducing our years of hard work, ambition and widening of horizons to an algorithm on a spreadsheet is heart-breaking. The government must stop pretending that 2020 is a normal year, trust teachers, and ensure our students have the most positive of A-Level results day which truly reflect their efforts. In a year of broken promises and lost opportunities, our teachers and students deserve a period of celebration – albeit distanced from each other this time.
Vix Lowthion is a sixth form history, classics and geology teacher on the Isle of Wight. Follow her on Twitter at @VixL
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--I Challenged My Daughter's Nursery On How It's Tackling Racism

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This story is part of Black Ballad’s takeover of HuffPost UK, a week-long series by Black women on parenting, family, and our post-Covid future.
In May 2020, when George Floyd’s murder sparked a wave of anti-racism protests around the world, it felt as if I had been forcibly shaken from a dream. I had been living my life in denial; denial that racism in the UK was bad, denial about the racist events that had happened to myself and my loved ones, denial about my children growing up in a world where people didn’t see them as human. This caused a lot of grief and anger – and I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. I want the world to change for the better, but I know I’m merely one person, so I decided I was going to strive for positive change in any way I could.
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Children are our future, therefore I believe nurseries and schools are key in tackling racism. I decided to email my children’s nursery to enquire about their stance on racism and, more importantly, their commitment to the fight against it. It was a sensitive subject to approach. In the past, wanting to deviate from the “angry black woman” stereotype has made me bite my tongue when I should’ve spoken up, but I wasn’t going to let that hold me back anymore – especially in my ambition to do my part to make this a better world for my children.
I needed to know the nursery was taking the necessary steps to deepen their own understanding of the issues, which would mean they could provide the ethnic minority children the support they needed.
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It was a lengthy email. I covered topics such as: are the white members of staff enlightened on the difference between blatant and covert racism? Are there resources within all the nurseries representing a diverse mix of cultures with books available by Black authors? Are films with Black characters shown, and are there Black dolls for the children to play with? Is age-appropriate Black history taught?
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I’ve never had any concerns with my children’s nursery before – in fact, it’s a warm and pleasant environment, but that doesn’t mean these questions shouldn’t be asked. I offered assistance providing resources to them, should they need it, and signed off the email saying I was open to discuss further. I received a prompt response inviting me for a socially distanced face-to-face meeting with the centre director and my daughter’s key worker the following week.
To say I was blown away at the meeting is an understatement. I left feeling reassured and cried when I told my husband about it later that evening.
“Past experiences resulted in me going in there expecting to fight my corner.”
Past experiences resulted in me going in there expecting to fight my corner, so being met with understanding and seeing how proactive the establishment was on the issue took me pleasantly by surprise. All the resources I’d enquired about were present and we had an in-depth conversation about my concerns and the nursery’s initiatives to promote equality. Staff receive training on these issues and actively promote history from different continents, especially focusing on countries the children have heritage from.
It felt amazing to see diverse dolls and books with characters that look like my children, to encourage them and others to love themselves and celebrate differences. It especially touched me because, growing up in a mostly white neighbourhood without these resources, only now do I realise the value they hold for children’s self-esteem. I want my children to love every inch of themselves.
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I made it clear with my daughter’s nursery that I don’t want to intrude on the innocence of children with issues such as racism, but the aim should be to promote equality and positive portrayals of different kinds of people. Children are born innocent, but pick up prejudices from home which, left unchallenged, can have terrible effects.
But just as small children can learn racism, they can unlearn it.
It’s not enough to be not racist, the world needs to be anti-racist. It’s essential childcare providers address the issue of race and that can only be achieved if everyone – myself included – can self-reflect and identify where they can do better.
This article was commissioned for HuffPost UK by Black Ballad, the lifestyle platform that tells stories of human experience through the eyes of Black British women and elevates their voices. If you would like to read more, become a Black Ballad member to get unlimited access to content, events and discounts, and to connect to its community of like-minded women.
Camilla Ru


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-12--Blended Families Showed Up For Each Other In Lockdown. Let's Embrace That

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This story is part of Black Ballad’s takeover of HuffPost UK, a week-long series by Black women on parenting, family, and our post-Covid future.
The nuclear family is often seen as synonymous with achieving optimal citizen status. Our lives are inundated with references to it: celebrations of marriage, talk of “blood ties”, and images of couples with their own biological children.
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I’m certainly not the first to argue against the idea of the nuclear family as the natural pillar of love (see the brilliant US academic Hortense Spillers). We can love and care for biological relatives, of course, but in a rapidly changing society I join many others in calling for an urgent extension of this practice.
Communal living that disrupts the nuclear family has always existed, but many will still find it difficult to imagine this for themselves. However, changes in the home mean that living as part of a blended family is more likely for many of us.
Blended families are nothing new, but living in opposition to ‘the familial ideal’ means positive portrayals of our lives are scarce. Successful blended families are grounded in the love and care of existing children and previous partners – too often, the stigmas surrounding blended families are the product of society’s outdated idylls.
However, as we continue to re-imagine our lives during and beyond Covid-19, the idolisation of the nuclear family is swiftly running out of legitimacy.
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My relationship with my partners’ daughters and their mum is a radical feminist act of solidarity, one I have written about before for Black Ballad. So much of who I am is nurtured by my relationship with these women. While not being related, we have a close bond and their presence is still one of the most unpredictable gifts presented in my life.
In our mealtime chats during lockdown, they continuously pushed me to think more imaginatively about society. So here is a future to ponder: could Covid-19 speed up the possibility of more people rejecting the nuclear family?
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Central to how I think about blended families have been the writings of Black feminists such as Patricia Hill Collins, who has continuously encouraged a critique of our widespread admiration for nuclear families.
Although blended families can still be hostage to the way that inequalities (capitalism!) infiltrate the home, the rich history of Black feminist thought on “family abolition” addresses emancipatory frameworks of love and care, which can offer fundamental lessons for newly blended families.
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This potential for blended families is not about positioning them as beyond criticism – I’m aware that many people reading this will have had negative experiences. Likewise, many will have been part of loving nuclear families.
We can acknowledge this while also recognising that ‘traditional’ families are predisposed to breakdown. And by focusing on the care practised in ‘successful’ blended families, we can start imagining radical possibilities beyond what Sophie Silverstein describes as the “genetic lottery” of the nuclear family.
Throughout most of my childhood my mother’s partner made my home life uncomfortable and abusive. Regardless of a family’s makeup, many young people were locked down in such spaces; many were stuck with adults who they never chose to reside with, who do not love or protect them.
I’ve recently found myself thinking how I would have survived those conditions as my teenage self during the lockdown.
I’ve also been thinking about how happy blended families have been suited to the sudden change in our ways of living and (constantly) being at home. Our collective efforts and the associated skills that have allowed us to live in opposition to tradition could be of critical value in these moments.
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“The time we spend nurturing relationships make blended families ideally situated to adapt to locked-down life – we’ve practised”
Fellow blended family dwellers will tell you about the importance of space, communication and adaptability. Living with the utmost consideration of others when it comes to our interactions is a radical way of approaching relationships. Timing, emotional space, and understanding are not something we can take for granted. The time we spend nurturing these relationships make us ideally situated to adapt to locked-down life – we’ve practised!
For those of us raised in families where adults created oppressive environments, the thought of entering a family with existing children or broken-down relationships is something many of us vow to avoid.
But life happens, and the things we promise to escape as young people re-emerge as the best things to ever happen to us. Rather than relentlessly promoting the nuclear family setup, it’s in these unexpected relationships where society could discover the most compelling case studies and variety of approaches to ‘family’ which prioritise love and care for all.
This article was commissioned for HuffPost UK by Black Ballad, the lifestyle platform that tells stories of human experience through the eyes of Black British women and elevates their voices. If you would like to read more, become a Black Ballad member to get unlimited access to content, events and discounts, and to connect to its community of like-minded women.
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