thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--'Extremely Dangerous' Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall In Louisiana As Category 4 Monster

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Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana early on Thursday as a strong Category 4 storm, bringing maximum winds of 150 mph and dire warnings of extensive damage.
The National Hurricane Center described the hurricane as “extremely dangerous” as it moved across the state, warning of catastrophic storm surges, extreme winds and flash flooding across portions of low-lying Louisiana.
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“Doppler radar images indicate that the eye of Hurricane Laura has made landfall at the coast near Cameron, Louisiana,” the agency said, noting the storm would likely move inland over southwest Louisiana and Arkansas later on Thursday evening.
At 1 am CDT, Hurricane #Laura has made landfall in southwestern Louisiana near Cameron as a category 4 #hurricane. Maximum sustained winds were 150 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 938 mb. Potentially catastrophic impacts will continue. More: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/GVWRnmGejy — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 27, 2020
There were already reports of massive storm surges in Louisiana early on Thursday morning:
More than half a million people in Texas and Louisiana had been urged to flee from their homes as Hurricane Laura hurtled toward the US with maximum sustained winds of 150mph, it’s expected to be the most powerful hurricane to hit the US year so far this year.
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#Laura is now a Category 4 hurricane, with the potential to become a Category 5.
How did we get here? pic.twitter.com/VCDiYkq8mK — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 26, 2020
A storm surge warning is in effect from Freeport, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana, it was reported. Life-threatening surges of up to 20 feet could deluge some areas. Officials have pleaded with residents to evacuate.
“Heed the advice of your local authorities. If they tell you to go, go! Your life depends on it today,” Joel Cline, tropical programme coordinator at the National Weather Service, told The Associated Press. “It’s a serious day, and you need to listen to them.”
Extreme winds are expected in some areas, and heavy rains could inundate communities far inland over the next few days.
EXTREME WIND WARNING: Violent winds are coming ashore in Hurricane #Laura's eyewall. Shelter in the most interior room of the lowest dry floor of your home. Treat this warning like a tornado warning! pic.twitter.com/xbtbdNbWFK — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 27, 2020
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Some parts of Louisiana are expecting record flooding.
The Calcasieu River, for example, which runs through the city of Lake Charles, is forecast to rise to 15.6 feet by Thursday morning. According to CNN, this would far outstrip the previous record of 13 feet, which was set in 1913.
Views of Hurricane Laura taken from @Space_Station today. Stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/KwVvRLA15m — Chris Cassidy (@Astro_SEAL) August 26, 2020
Though the full effects of Laura can’t yet be known, Category 4 hurricanes are capable of causing extraordinary damage. As AP noted, hurricanes of that strength have been known to cause months-long power outages and render entire communities uninhabitable for weeks or even months.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Jacob Blake: Sporting Events Postponed Across US As Stars Stage Boycott Over Police Shooting

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Major US sporting events were called off on Wednesday as athletes protested against racial injustice following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin last week.
Three NBA play-off games, three Major League Baseball matches, three WNBA fixtures and five Major League Soccer games were postponed after player-led actions in response to the shooting of Blake, a Black man, and the civil unrest that has followed.
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Tennis star Naomi Osaka also withdrew from her semi-final at the Western & Southern Open in New York, scheduled for Thursday, saying “before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman”.
And her decision was followed with an announcement the tournament – the last warm-up for the US Open for both men and women – would be put on hold on Thursday.
Blake was shot on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin – 40 miles from Milwaukee – apparently in the back, and the incident was captured on phone video, igniting protests over racial injustice in several cities.
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Former President Barack Obama backed the sports stars, saying: “It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values.
I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values. pic.twitter.com/rUGETgAt7P — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 27, 2020
Wednesday’s multi-sport response began when the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their play-off game against the Orlando Magic.
Leading 3-1 and needing just one more win to move into the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Bucks did not emerge from their locker room for practice ahead of game five.
The NBA swiftly postponed its two other play-off games scheduled for Wednesday night between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Lakers talisman LeBron James tweeted: “FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT”, while the Lakers later posted “#JusticeForJacobBlake”
FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT — LeBron James (@KingJames) August 26, 2020
The Bucks players made this decision in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin, ultimately deciding that they wouldn't leave the locker room for the start of Game 5 against Orlando. https://t.co/COJ6E0aJLj — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Baseball matches between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres in San Diego, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in San Francisco were also postponed.
“The players from the Brewers and Reds have decided to not play tonight’s baseball game,” players from both teams said in a joint statement.
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“With our community and our nation in such pain, we wanted to draw as much attention to the issues that really matter, especially racial injustice and systemic oppression.”
The remaining major league matches scheduled for Wednesday were either in progress or just about to start when the announcements were made.
Former world No.1 Osaka later announced her withdrawal decision on Twitter, hours after qualifying for a semi-final against Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
“Before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman. And as a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” wrote Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, but has lived in the US since the age of three.
“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction.
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“Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hands of people is honestly making me sick to my stomach.”
A few hours after Osaka’s decision, both women’s and men’s tours plus the US Tennis Association (USTA) said the tournament would be paused for a day on Thursday.
“As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States,” the three organisations said in a statement.
“The USTA, ATP Tour, and WTA have decided to recognise this moment in time by pausing tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday, August 27.”
The WNBA followed the NBA’s lead by also postponing its three scheduled Wednesday matches, before Major League Soccer announced the postponement of five of its six scheduled fixtures.
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Bucks senior vice president Alex Lasry wrote on Twitter: “Some things are bigger than basketball. The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen.
“I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”
“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. It is imperative for the WI state legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice https://t.co/7rQrjgimCB — Alex Lasry (@AlexanderLasry) August 26, 2020
The NBA said in a statement on its Twitter account that the league and the National Basketball Players Association were announcing that “in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled”.
The Bucks, whose star man Giannis Antetokounmpo was named defensive player of the year this week, are among the favourites to collect only the second NBA championship in their history.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Sarah Harding’s Girls Aloud Bandmates Rally Around Singer Following Cancer Diagnosis: ‘We Are With Y

Sarah Harding’s Girls Aloud Bandmates Rally Around Singer Following Cancer Diagnosis: ‘We Are With You Every Step Of The Way’

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On Wednesday, the 38-year-old star announced she had breast cancer, which has since spread to other parts of her body.
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Sarah confirmed she is having weekly chemotherapy sessions and told fans: “I am fighting as hard as I possibly can.”
Following the news, her devastated former bandmates Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh led the messages of support.
Girls Aloud on stage in 2012 (L-R) Sarah Harding, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl and Nicola Roberts. Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Cheryl shared a broken heart emoji in response to the news while Kimberley said: “My heart is broken. You are so strong and brave and we are with you every step of the way.”
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Nadine wrote on Instagram: “I love you!!! You have always been able to achieve miracles when needed!! I am here for all the way & always will be!!.”
And Nicola tweeted: “It goes without saying that this is blindsiding. @SarahNHarding you’re so loved and supported.”
It goes without saying that this is blindsiding. @SarahNHarding you’re so loved and supported ♥♥♥♥♥ — Nicola Maria Roberts (@NicolaRoberts) August 26, 2020
Girls Aloud were formed on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and went on to become one of the most successful British girl groups of all time.
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Announcing her diagnosis, Sarah shared a photo of herself in her hospital gown next to machines on Instagram.
She captioned it: “I hope you are all keeping safe and well during these uncertain times. I’ve not posted on here for so long, thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in on me, it really does mean a lot.
“I feel now is the right time to share what’s been going on.
“There’s no easy way to say this and actually it doesn’t even feel real writing this, but here goes.
“Earlier this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a couple of weeks ago I received the devastating news that the cancer has advanced to other parts of my body.
“I’m currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can.
“I understand this might be shocking to read on social media and that really isn’t my intention.
“But last week it was mentioned online that I had been seen in hospital, so I feel now is the time to let people know what’s going on and this is the best way I can think of to do so.”
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She added: “My amazing mum, family and close friends are helping me through this, and I want to say a thank you to the wonderful NHS doctors and nurses who have been and continue to be heroes.
“I am doing my very best to keep positive and will keep you updated here with how I’m getting on. In the meantime I hope you’ll all understand and respect my request for privacy during this difficult time.
“Sending you all so much love….xx”
Sarah Harding PA
Other stars sent messages of support following Sarah’s announcement.
Steps singer Ian H Watkins also commented on her Instagram post, writing: “Sending HUGE” followed by three red-hearted emojis.
He added: “Stay strong xx We’re all behind you xx.”
Loose Women panellist Carol McGiffin, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, voiced her support for Sarah on the ITV show.
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The 60-year-old presenter, who underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy during her own treatment, said telling others was “the hardest thing”.
'I wish her so much love. I just wish her the best.'
We're sending all of our love to Sarah Harding, who has revealed she's been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. pic.twitter.com/zgdvsd85OW — Loose Women (@loosewomen) August 26, 2020
She added: “It’s hard enough getting the diagnosis and you are getting used to that, but then when you have to tell other people, it’s difficult.
“I only told my family and really close friends but with every one of them I had to make a real proper effort to think it through and make a time and place to do it.
“For her to have to do that and put it on social media and tell the world straight away, I feel for her. It’s devastating, especially as she has been given the terrible news that it has actually spread as well.”
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Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, said on Loose Women: “My heart goes out to Sarah Harding. It is really difficult to tell people.
“I remember telling my fellow cast members. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Also having to tell my children, that was really, really hard.”
The 57-year-old was diagnosed at the same time as her character on the ITV soap, Sally Webster, also discovered she had the disease.
She added: “The hardest thing for me was that life was imitating art.”
Girls Aloud went on hiatus on 2009 before splitting in 2013.
Sarah has been largely out of the public eye for the last few years, after winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, narrowly beating singer Amelia Lily, with Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson coming in third.
In 2016 she made her stage debut in Ghost – The Musical, a retelling of the hit 1990 film Ghost, which starred Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Here's What We Know About The Shooting At A Black Lives Matter Protest In Kenosha, Wisconsin

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On Tuesday night, video captured the moment a 17-year-old wielding an assault rifle appeared to shoot two people during a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin following the police shooting of a Black man days earlier. Two people are now dead and a third person is injured. Here’s everything we know so far:
Protests began after officers shot a Black man in his back seven times.
Outrage erupted across the US following another police shooting of a Black man on Sunday. Phone video captured the moment 29-year-old Jacob Blake walked to his car and was shot at least seven times in the back by Kenosha police officers.
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It’s unclear what occurred prior to the shooting, which police have described as a “reported domestic incident.” Witnesses told the Chicago Sun-Times that Blake was trying to break up a fight.
Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul on Wednesday identified Rusten Sheskey as the officer who shot Blake. Kaul said officers were responding to a call from a woman about a domestic issue and had attempted to use a Taser on Blake, but were “unsuccessful.”
The cellphone video shows that Blake was unarmed as he walked toward his car, where his three children ― aged three, five and eight ― were sitting when police shot him. Blake had plans to celebrate his eight-year-old son’s birthday the day he was shot.
Attorney Ben Crump, who has also represented the family of George Floyd, said on Tuesday that Blake is alive but paralysed after the bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae.
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“It’s going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,” Crump said at a press conference.
Blake’s family plans to file a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting.
Protesters clashed with police and the National Guard.
On Monday night, hundreds of protesters defied an 8pm curfew to make their voices heard and to hold the police department that left Blake paralysed accountable.
At least 125 members of the Wisconsin National Guard joined local law enforcement officers in quelling the protests, clashing with demonstrators. By the end of Monday’s protests, 34 fires had been set and 30 businesses were either destroyed or damaged, according to The Associated Press. One of the destroyed buildings was Kenosha’s Department of Corrections, which was torched to the ground.
By Tuesday, Wisconsin’s Democratic governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency and increased the number of National Guard members to 250. At a press conference that same day, Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson, made a plea for peace.
“As I was riding through here, through the city, I noticed a lot of damage. It doesn’t reflect my son or my family,” Jackson said. “If Jacob knew what was going on as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased.”
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She called for prayers and to “examine our hearts.”
“Let’s use our hearts, our love, and our intelligence to work together to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other,” Jackson said.
Armed vigilantes showed up to a protest, and two people were killed.
On Tuesday night, photos and videos captured by demonstrators showed men armed with assault rifles roaming the streets and chumming it up with police. Video showed police throwing multiple bottles of water to one of the armed men. “We appreciate you guys, we really do,” an officer says.
More than 3,000 people had signed up for a Facebook event called “Armed Citizens to Protect Our Lives and Property” that was created by a group calling itself the Kenosha Guard, US media reported.
“Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs?” the event description read. “No doubt they are currently planning on the next part of the city to burn tonight.”
Later on Tuesday night, two people were fatally shot and another was wounded, allegedly by an out-of-state 17-year-old who may have been connected with the group.
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The shooting suspect is 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.
Graphic cellphone footage taken Tuesday night shows what appears to be the shooting suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, running from protesters after a volley of gunshots rings out. He trips, then is seen shooting two protesters who confront him.
As bystanders cry out to police that people have been shot, Rittenhouse is seen walking toward officers with his hands raised in surrender. Police ignore him.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, is accused of killing two people and injuring another during an anti-racism demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. Facebook
Police identified Rittenhouse as the suspected shooter on Wednesday, many hours after Twitter users and those at the protest had already identified him.
Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with murder on Wednesday afternoon.
Public records show Rittenhouse lives in Antioch, Illinois, a village by the Wisconsin border that is about a 30-minute drive from Kenosha.
In an interview with a Daily Caller reporter on Tuesday night before the shooting, Rittenhouse claimed he was there to protect businesses.
“People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” Rittenhouse said in the clip posted to Twitter. “And my job also is to protect people. If someone is hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle; I’ve gotta protect myself obviously. But I also have my med kit.”
I interviewed the alleged shooter before the violence started.
Full video coming soon: pic.twitter.com/G3dVOJozN7 — Richie🎥McG🍿 (@RichieMcGinniss) August 26, 2020
A Facebook profile of Rittenhouse, which was taken down on Wednesday, shows the extent to which the teen appeared to love guns and police. His profile was littered with “Blue Lives Matter” and “Back the Blue” slogans. He was also once a police cadet, and for his birthday asked people to donate to the pro-police “Humanizing The Badge” nonprofit. He also posted photos of himself holding an assault rifle.
Rittenhouse’s level of involvement with the Kenosha Guard group is still unclear, but he was seen standing alongside older armed men who are part of the vigilante group as they claimed to be protecting a parking lot, local media reports.
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The victims who were killed have been identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person is a 36-year-old Wisconsin resident who was shot in the arm and is expected to survive.
Trump ignores the killings, vows to stop “looting.”
Despite the throngs of armed men terrorising the streets of Kenosha, president Donald Trump instead responded to the businesses being looted and set on fire.
“We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence and lawlessness on American streets,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday. “My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistances (Portland should do the same!)”
Trump said in a follow-up tweet that he would send federal law enforcement to Kenosha. Evers authorised sending 500 members of the National Guard to the city.
The escalation of federal troops mirrors that of Portland, Oregon, where Trump sent unidentified federal agents in July to quell anti-racism protests. Militarised police were captured on video taking protesters off the street and putting them in unmarked vans. Other videos showed agents tear-gassing protesters, including the mayor.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Katy Perry And Orlando Bloom Welcome Daughter, Daisy Dove

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Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom said they are “floating with love and wonder” following the birth of their first child together.
The couple announced the arrival of Daisy Dove through Unicef, which the couple are both goodwill ambassadors for.
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“We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter,” the couple said in statement, alongside a black and white picture of them holding Daisy’s tiny hand.
“But we know we’re the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was. Communities around the world are still experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers and every eleven seconds a pregnant woman or newborn dies, mostly from preventable causes.
“Since Covid-19, many more newborn lives are at risk because of a greater lack of access to water, soap, vaccines and medicines that prevent diseases. As parents to a newborn, this breaks our hearts, as we empathise with struggling parents now more than ever.”
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Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom SIPA USA/PA Images
The couple said they have set up a donation page to mark Daisy’s birth, with the money going towards new mothers and their children.
The couple added: “By supporting Unicef, you are supporting a safe start to life and reimagining a healthier world for every child. We hope your (heart) can bloom with generosity.”
Katy and Orlando are engaged and have been dating since 2016.
The I Kissed A Girl singer announced she was pregnant in March, revealing the news in the music video for her single, Never Worn White.
Orlando was previously married to Australian model Miranda Kerr, and they have a son, nine-year-old Flynn.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--32 Tweets That Sum Up Being Single In The Middle Of A Pandemic

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Is it just us or has the coronavirus pandemic really solidified your relationship status? If you’re married, you’re very married and probably going slightly crazy with your spouse, given how little you can leave your house. If you were newly coupled up when the virus broke out, you’re pretty much married now.
And if you’re single, well, you’re very single: On the dating apps, the pickings have never been slimmer. The pickup lines are infinitely worse (“If coronavirus doesn’t take you out, can I?” No, Justin, you can’t) and at this point, you’ve all but forgotten what human touch feels like.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Would You Work From Abroad, Instead Of Home? These People Do

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Working from home has become the new norm. So, if you were told you’d be doing it for the foreseeable future, would you rather be: a) working on an ironing board makeshift standing desk in your tiny flat? Or b) checking emails from a sun lounger with a fresh coconut in hand in the Caribbean?
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More people are choosing to lead digitally nomadic lives – that is, working remotely from anywhere in the world, relying on WiFi in coffee shops, co-working spaces, or hotels to do their jobs wherever they want.
For some, working remotely has lead them to take ‘work staycations’ – choosing holiday rentals nearby to get a change of scenery. But others are wondering what’s stopping them from working in a different country altogether.
The number of digital nomads will reach one billion by the year 2035, predicts research from the Nomad List, the biggest global community for international travellers. Have you thought of escaping the doom and gloom for sun and sea?
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David Brandon, 31, chief technology officer of workforce management company RotaCloud, is from York, but currently working in Verbier in Switzerland. “It started as a short holiday, but it’s turned into a six-week stay,” he tells HuffPost UK. “We’ve been set up to work flexibly for a long time now, so all I need is my laptop to do my job.”
Brandon says the change of environment is refreshing. “Being able to sit outside and have the mountains as the backdrop to my working day is hugely inspiring,” he says. “It hasn’t really changed how I work. The time difference is something that needs to be accounted for, but it has been a positive more than anything!”
The technology officer says he’d recommend it to anyone. “I’ve found very few downsides to working from abroad,” he adds. “I can see it could get lonely depending on who you’re with, but that’s when your work culture kicks in. If you have a supportive workplace and brilliant colleagues, working from abroad is really no different to working from your living room.”
“Working from abroad is really no different to working from your living room.” - David Brandon, 31, is working in Switzerland.
Lee Palmer, 25, an IT assistant, from Bristol, has also turned his tropical Zoom background into a real-life situation. He upped and left for Australia before everything went into lockdown. “I’d been thinking about it for a while and I’m so lucky to be able to work abroad and travel,” he tells HuffPost UK.
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“I didn’t go to university like everyone else. I went straight into work when I was 18 and saved a lot of money for years, so I could have something to fall back on before making the big move.”
It’s not always easy, but the benefits are worth it, says Tara Johnson, 36, from Birmingham. She left the UK without sacrificing her freelance copywriting career – and, since moving two years ago, she’s roamed all over Europe, working in new places and meeting new faces as she goes along.
“I love doing what I do,” she says. “The only thing is, all the freedom can sometimes be paralysing. If you can go anywhere, where do you go? If you can live any type of life, which one do you choose?”
frantic00 via Getty Images
Knowing how to make it work successfully in a foreign country isn’t a walk in the park. Carol Stewart, a career and business coach, says it’s great technology has opened up the world, “but it’s still important to do your research beforehand”.
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There are plenty of things to consider before booking that one-way flight. “It depends on the nature of your business – if you’re self-employed or working for an employer,” says Stewart. “It’s important to know the particular laws of the country on what their income tax is like, any work travel visas required, and what health insurance coverage you might need.”
Commercial Eye via Getty Images
While the digital nomad life might have its ups and downs, there’ve been more incentives like Barbados Welcome Stamp cropping up to entice remote workers to work in beautiful destinations. The Caribbean island is offering those who are successful a new visa for remote workers and a free stay up to 12 months.
“Our year-round warm climate, beautiful countryside, world-class beaches, and countless activities, this is an ideal backdrop for the more sustainable work-life balance many are craving for themselves and their families,” Barbados tourism executive, Petra Roach, said. Sounds idyllic, right? Other countries with floating ‘digital nomad’ visa schemes include Georgia, Estonia, and Bermuda.
And remember, working from abroad doesn’t have to mean you need to relocate completely. If you’re able to work from home, you could book a trip away and work from your holiday home in the weekdays, while exploring the new location during the evenings and on the weekend.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--If You Go On Maternity Leave With A Student Loan, Prepare To Be Screwed By The Interest

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Sabina Kadic-Mackenzie and her husband, Stuart, did the same degree, at the same university, and both graduated in 2006. Stuart has almost paid off his student loan, while Sabina is “nowhere near” repaying the debt – after 14 years of payments.
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The reason? The couple have two children and while loan repayments were paused during Sabina’s maternity leave, the interest continued to pile on – cancelling out years of payments she’d already made.
“A man and a woman with identical degrees, for which I will pay significantly more. Where’s the fairness in that?” she tweeted in a thread, after calling the Student Loans Company and discovering her outstanding balance.
Sabina Kadic-Mackenzie Sabina Kadic-Mackenzie and her husband, Stuart.
Sabina and Stuart, now based in Edinburgh, both studied Journalism at Stirling University in Scotland. They weren’t eligible for free fees, as they were residents in England at the time of taking out their loans. Sabina says her first response to discovering her loan balance was shock.
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“My husband is a feminist, so we’re both dismayed that the system penalises women in this way,” she tells HuffPost UK. “If nothing else, we are raising two daughters who will one day face this issue unless it’s addressed.”
Sabina believes the system is “unfair”, especially when you consider women tend to earn less than men and make up a significant proportion of the part-time workforce. “This means they earn less than their male counterparts and are paying less of their loan before the interest during maternity leave is even taken into account,” she says.
This issue has been raised before. Unison, a public service union in the UK, stated during the 2019 National Women’s Conference: “The only fair way to deal with this (apart from the complete repeal of student loans) is to freeze the student loan and interest accrual for the young woman going on maternity leave, until such time as she returns to work.”
Sam Smethers, chief executive at women’s right’s charity Fawcett, says Sabina’s experience is “yet another example” of a system designed by men for men, and a consequence of the “unequal impact of caring roles resulting in a lifetime of income inequality for women”.
Sabina Kadic-Mackenzie Sabina, Stuart and their two children.
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A spokesperson from the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) agrees, telling HuffPost UK: “The government should take action on this unjust situation where women are penalised for having children as interest piles up on their student loans, especially given that take-up of shared parental leave and paternity leave in the UK are so low.
“We cannot hope to change this whilst men are still more likely to be the higher earners in heterosexual couples and they only receive statutory paternity pay, leaving new parents without a real choice.”
The WEP says a positive step would be for the government to pause interest on student loans during parental leave, although “this would not be enough to really tackle the current situation which discriminates against women”.
Sabina agrees a pause on interest is needed – as is better education around student loans to start with. “Since I shared my story on social media, I’ve been encouraged by the number of men who are equally outraged,” she says.
“The most common response though, from men and women, is surprise that this is even the case. Young people are taking out these loans, which they will be repaying for the majority of their adult working life, without truly knowing the facts about how much it will cost them.”
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“The only fair way to deal with this is to freeze the student loan and interest accrual.” - 2019 National Women’s Conference
The most frustrating response, says Sabina, has been from people – “mostly men, it has to be said” – who argue that it doesn’t matter, because the debt will be written off eventually. “This completely misses the point about the difference in consequences for those taking maternity leave after the birth of a child,” she adds.
When asked about maternity policies, a spokesperson from the Student Loans Company told HuffPost UK: “SLC is responsible for the administration of student funding and repayment policy as directed and agreed by the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.”
The issue has already been raised with the Scottish parliament and an answer is expected on September 7, 2020.
A spokesperson from the Department for Education, said: “We want everyone with the talent and ambition to access higher education, which is why student loans are available to all students regardless of background, financial history or life stages.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Corbyn's Office Ordered 2017 Election Campaign Funding Cuts For 'Moderate' Labour MPs, Ex-Campaigns

Corbyn's Office Ordered 2017 Election Campaign Funding Cuts For 'Moderate' Labour MPs, Ex-Campaigns Chief Reveals

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Jeremy Corbyn’s office ordered that a raft of “moderate” Labour MPs should be stripped of extra campaign funding in the 2017 general election, a senior former party official has revealed.
Patrick Heneghan, who was executive director for elections and campaigns, said that he was asked to withdraw top-up spending earmarked for deputy Tom Watson, Yvette Cooper, Rachel Reeves and a string of other MPs seen as critical of his leadership.
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The 14-strong “hitlist” – seen by HuffPost UK – also included current shadow cabinet ministers Kate Green and Bridget Phillipson, Tony Blair’s successor Phil Wilson, ex-minister Caroline Flint and former leadership hopefuls Dan Jarvis and Angela Eagle.
Heneghan was instead given an alternative list of MPs who should benefit from special central campaigns cash, including close Corbyn allies John McDonnell, Ian Lavery, Andy McDonald, Jon Trickett and veteran leftwinger Paul Flynn.
Seats like Lavery’s and Trickett’s had majorities of more than 10,000, as did many of those held by “Corbynsceptics” such as Watson, Reeves and Jarvis. Many of the constituencies held by both factions had large numbers of Brexit-backing Labour voters who distrusted Corbyn.
In his submission to a party inquiry into alleged “sabotage” of Corbyn’s leadership, the former elections chief admits that he defied the order to axe funds from the prominent MPs.
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He further confirms that and other officials used a secret unit to keep cash and campaigns material going into the seats that internal polling suggested were at risk.
Heneghan defended the move because it was legally authorised by general secretary Iain McNicol, and said that other seats helped by the secret unit – Ashfield, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Barrow, Bishop Auckland and Dudley North – narrowly avoided falling to the Tories.
Corbyn supporters insist that the creation of a secret campaign unit without the knowledge of the leader is clear proof of disloyalty by senior staff.
They argue that many of the “moderates” had big majorities that got even bigger in 2017 after the Labour leader defied the early polls and denied Theresa May her majority.
They also argue that Labour could have won the election if it had put more effort into taking Tory seats than defending its own. Among the seats where more cash was requested by Corbyn’s team were Gower and Derby North, which the party went on to take from the Conservatives.
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But Heneghan insisted that the 2019 election – which saw the loss of safe seats like Watson’s West Bromwich East, Wilson’s Sedgefield and Flint’s Don Valley – proved the need to try and protect such constituencies two years earlier.
Tom Watson and Yvette Cooper during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. PA
The former party official will be a key witness to the independent inquiry by Martin Forde QC into a leaked dossier on the party’s anti-Semitism row that included claims senior HQ staff actively sought to undermine Corbyn.
As part of a 60-page submission to the Forde inquiry, supported by 100 documents, Heneghan also revealed that during his stint leading the People’s Vote campaign he had approached Corbyn’s office in the 2019 election campaign with an offer to work with the Liberal Democrats.
Heneghan suggested that he had feedback from the Lib Dems that they and Labour could agree not to stand against each other in 50 seats, a move aimed at depriving Boris Johnson of a majority.
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However, when he made the suggestion, a key member of Corbyn’s office replied with a blunt message: “We don’t do deals with the Lib Dems. If people are so desperate to stay in the EU rather than have a socialist government that’s their choice.”
Heneghan is one of several former officials who are suing the party for libel and data breaches over the leaked anti-Semitism report, claiming that it selectively quoted private WhatsApp groups out of context and sought to blame them for the 2017 failure to get Corbyn into No.10.
Many on the Left of the party were furious at what they deemed the racist and sexist remarks used in some of the messages and have demanded the suspension and possible expulsion of those involved.
In his first public rebuttal of the claims of “sabotage”, Heneghan admitted that he had helped set up a secret campaigns unit in 2017 – based in Ergon House, Westminster, away from party HQ – but said it was justified because of the threat to safe seats revealed by internal polling.
“We were not prepared to see Labour seats sacrificed on the altar of those clashing egos as happened in 2019,” he said. “We aimed to fulfil the constitution’s number one defining objective as a Party – to win seats in order to maintain a Labour Party in parliament.”
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Heneghan said that just before the 2017 election campaign, a senior official in Corbyn’s office read out to him a list of MPs – by name, rather than their constituency – that should be removed from the key seats that were earmarked for central cash help.
The names, dubbed a “hitlist” by party insiders, were almost all MPs seen as critics of Corbyn.
“On 19th May one of most senior members of Corbyn’s team gave me a list of seats that should be defunded. I countered that our latest polling showed some of these seats as being very marginal. ‘I don’t care’ was the response,” Heneghan said.
The ‘hitlist’ of seats in full: Tom Watson – West Bromwich East
Yvette Cooper – Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
Caroline Flint – Don Valley
Dan Jarvis – Barnsley Central
Kate Green – Stretford and Urmston
Bridget Phillipson – Hougton and Sunderland South
Rachel Reeves – Leeds West
Chris Bryant – Rhondda
Seema Malhotra – Feltham and Heston
Angela Eagle – Wallasey
Kevan Jones – Durham North
John Healey – Wentworth and Dearne
Phil Wilson – Sedgefield
Neil Coyle – Bermondsey and Old Southwark
“I was told if this leaked, I would be ‘going in the Skwawkbox’ [a Corbyn supporting blog]. The seats to defund were largely MPs considered by Corbyn’s team to be political opponents – many of them would fall to the Tories in 2019.
“I was also given a list of seats that needed extra funding. Most of these had majorities of over 10,000 but were strong allies of the leadership.”
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The former party official said that during the election there were “many conversations” within the party about the right balance between being defensive in the early party of the campaign and going on the attack against Tory seats later.
“This is nothing new. Every election campaign involves disagreements about resources. But disagreements are not sabotage – they are part and parcel of any professional campaign,” he said.
“We fought an offensive campaign and a defensive campaign – as that was the only way to ensure any gains were not cancelled out by losing Labour seats. I have heard it said that Labour could have been in power for just over 2000 more votes in the right seats. It’s also true that the Tories could have won a majority by moving a fewer votes the other way.
“Jeremy’s team asked us to expand the target list to include 93 offensive seats. We did. These seats received extra support, extra digital advertising and key seat visits. But just because we were going on the offensive, I considered it highly irresponsible to take other seats off the defensive list.”
Instead, a new internal unit called the “Bespoke Materials Service” or BMS, was set up without the knowledge of Corbyn or his team but with the full approval of general secretary McNicol.
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It maintained cash and other help for the seats on the “hitlist”, with between £10,000 and £40,000 earmarked for each.
“We were in a bind. We felt it was pointless to try and discuss this sensibly with Jeremy’s staff,” Heneghan said. “Apart from the existing attempt to funnel money on a factional basis, Corbyn’s team were simply not prepared to take polling information seriously.
“But we knew we couldn’t acquiesce in allowing these seats to fall. We ensured these constituencies continued to receive support.” Other seats were added when polling showed them particularly at risk. They scraped home with much reduced majorities, and eventually fell to the Tories in 2019.
“The cracks were appearing in the Red Wall and people in the North and Midlands heartlands were to starting to swing to the Tories,” he said.
“But this operation helped us hold on in constituencies like Newcastle Under Lyme, Ashfield, Barrow, Bishop Auckland and Dudley North. Without the defensive campaign we would have lost many more. Indeed, two years later these seats and too many others like them would be turned blue while the Labour campaign hubristically attempted to gain unwinnable safe Tory seats.”
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Heneghan said that canvassing returns and polling showed Corbyn was unpopular in key constituencies and so different campaign materials were needed that focused on the local MP or the Labour brand rather than Corbyn himself.
“This is not sabotage – it was the right approach to win as many votes and seats for Labour as possible. Targeted materials happen in every single election campaign. Our job as organisers is to make objective judgements on what is necessary to win a constituency, not go along with an Emperor’s New Clothes fantasy that the leader is popular in every demographic in every constituency.”
In some cases, MPs like Phil Wilson wrote letters to voters distancing himself from the leader. “I am no supporter of Theresa May and I am no supporter of Jeremy Corbyn – the only people I support are you, the people of Sedgefield constituency,” Wilson wrote.
Heneghan said: “Recent weeks have seen the growth in conspiracy theories suggesting there was some grand plan to ‘throw’ or ‘sabotage’ the 2017 election. This is not the reality but simply a deflection tactic to absolve the architects of the 2019 campaign of their culpability for a disastrous result.
“If Corbyn’s team had learned the right lessons from 2017 then Labour would not have lost so many seats last year. The ‘stab in the back’ myth is their deflection from reality.”
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Heneghan insists that the leaked anti-Semitism report failed to include staff HQ messages of delight when Labour made gains in 2017. One message stated “Amazing, amazing, amazing” when the party won Reading East, while another about “Labour gain Crewe” was followed by “it’s come home”.
But many of Corbyn’s supporters, both among sitting MPs and former staff, are still furious at leaked WhatsApp messages that appeared to show former HQ staff relishing the idea of Corbyn losing the election in order to allow him to be replaced by a more centrist leader.
They argue that while Corbyn himself was undoubtedly seen as a negative among key voters, the real reason for the heavy defeat in Red Wall seats was the party’s backing for a second EU referendum as well as perceptions of splits among MPs.
The mood was summed up in one message sent by a senior Corbyn official to Heneghan last July: “If only ‘moderates’ hadn’t wasted two years obsessed with a fucking second referendum, we could have convinced the north that economic and social transformation [was] more important in their lives.”
Left MPs believe the deliberate decision to direct funds secretly to some seats without the knowledge of the party leader lays bare the disloyalty of party staffers. Many of them argue that no Labour leader could tolerate such conduct.
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The four-person Forde inquiry panel is now expected to report “by the end of 2020”, its website says. Corbyn, McDonnell and other senior figures have all submitted evidence.
When the deadline for submissions closed earlier this month, Diane Abbott tweeted “Officials at the very top of @UKLabour said stuff like “Abbott is truly repulsive” “Abbott literally makes me sick” and conspired with media against me. Now claiming remarks taken out of context. So let’s have full publication of all communications”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-27--Here In Beirut, Coronavirus Is Stopping Us Recovering From Tragedy

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I had just arrived home from a long day when my family and I felt the tremor.
At first we thought it was a bomb. I have two daughters and a son, and having been born long after my country’s brutal civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, they had never heard anything like this before. Terrified, I will never forget them asking “Mum, is Lebanon under attack? Are we safe? Should we leave?”
This time, it wasn’t anything to do with war. Instead it was a tragic explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port, which killed at least 180 people, injured 6,000 more and wiped away the homes of an estimated 300,000 citizens.
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The scale of the blast was immense: the port, which brings in 80% of Lebanon’s food supplies, was destroyed. Surrounding buildings, many of them people’s homes and offices, were ripped to shreds. The noise reportedly travelled as far as Cyprus, 250km away.
The day after the explosion, I joined my colleagues in assessing what needed to be done to help. I could barely describe the devastation: people were crying in desperation, searching among the rubble where their homes once stood, trying to recover whatever they could, taking photos of the damage on their phones. The smell of blood was overwhelming.
“Not only can most people not afford to see a doctor, they cannot even afford the transport to get there.”
As health officer at Islamic Relief Lebanon, my day-to-day work involves liaising with hospitals and public health centres to assess how we can support with medical supplies; and organising the payment of bills and consultations for people who cannot afford it.
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The country’s economic crisis – nearly half of the population are living below the poverty line – has made access to healthcare out of reach for so many people for a long time now. Not only can most people not afford to see a doctor, they cannot even afford the transport to get there.
Most hospitals cannot afford to import drugs or medical supplies, which did not bode well for the start of the coronavirus outbreak – lots of people have suffered because they couldn’t get the treatment they needed. Islamic Relief and other charities are helping out where we can, but we can’t control the economy.
Doctors and nurses were already working to the bone, and after the explosion, hospitals – the ones that hadn’t themselves been damaged – were in even more chaos. Their most urgent need is PPE. At the beginning of the month, Lebanon went into its second lockdown due to a rise in Covid-19 cases, and doctors I’ve spoken to said they had to treat all patients who came in with injuries from the explosion as though they had the virus. They couldn’t afford to take chances.
It was inevitable, with so many coming together to respond, support one another and grieve, and the subsequent protests of the past few weeks, that coronavirus cases would go up again. The lockdown enforced at the start of August was called off – and now we are entering another phase to try and flatten the curve. Last Friday, Lebanon went back into lockdown. Between 6pm and 6am, nobody will be allowed to go outside.
“The economic impact of lockdown means more people will lose their jobs and become reliant on emergency food packs to survive.”
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Luckily my colleagues and I at Islamic Relief are still able to do our bit: the government expects NGOs that are responding to the explosion to continue our work. But we need to make sure we are being particularly careful by wearing PPE, including face masks, visors and gloves, physically distancing by at least 1.5 metres and disinfecting all the food and hygiene packs we are distributing. And of course, the economic impact of lockdown means more people will lose their jobs and become reliant on emergency food packs to survive.
There’s another obvious reason for a rise in cases. In one hospital, the government is now offering free coronavirus tests for those with symptoms – but on a daily basis there are as many as 500 people crowded in reception areas, waiting for tests. There’s no social distancing and masks are scarce. But this is the only place they can go, as all the other hospitals are private, charging at least 250,000 Lebanese pounds – currently about $160 – for a test.
This year has brought unimaginable suffering to Lebanon: economic and political turmoil, a food crisis that has seen even middle class people unable to feed their families, a global pandemic and now this disastrous explosion that has physically ripped apart a city that was already tearing.
All we can do is keep pulling together to help one another. For now, the spirit of life persists.
Sara Bakri is health project supervisor at Islamic Relief Lebanon
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Women Are Becoming 'Hidden Victims' Of Heart Failure. Here's Why.

Listen to our weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? about women’s health, bodies and private lives. Available on Spotify, Apple, Audioboom and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Women are waiting significantly longer to be diagnosed with heart failure than men, a new report has revealed, with delays associated with poorer quality of life, financial losses, mental health issues and avoidable deaths.
Heart failure, when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, often occurs if the heart has become too weak or stiff, says the NHS. An early and accurate diagnosis is critical to ensure rapid access to treatment, reducing the risk of long-term complications and preventing early deaths.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Government U-Turn As £182 To Be Paid To Quarantine In High-Risk Areas

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People on low incomes who need to self-isolate in areas where there are high numbers of coronavirus cases will be able to claim a maximum of £182 from the government, Matt Hancock has announced.
The health secretary has confirmed that as of Tuesday September 1, people on either Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit, who are required to self-isolate and are unable to work from home, in areas with high incidences of Covid-19, will benefit from a new payment scheme.
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Starting with a trial in Blackburn, Darwen, Pendle and Oldham, eligible people who test positive for the virus will receive £130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation.
Other members of their household, who under the current rules have to self-isolate for 14 days, will be entitled to a payment of £182.
The move comes after the Labour Party wrote to Rishi Sunak asking for more help for those who would struggle on statutory sick pay, a request the Chancellor rejected earlier this month.
Statutory sick pay in the UK is just £95.85 a week.
Three weeks ago I wrote to the Chancellor to ask what he was doing to find out how many people will fall into debt if they have to self-isolate without support.
Yesterday I got his reply: nothing. pic.twitter.com/W2W6njSZK6 — Anneliese Dodds (@AnnelieseDodds) August 15, 2020
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Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said “everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate”.
Dodds said: “Effective local lockdowns depend on people self-isolating when they’re supposed to. Labour has been warning for months that the government needs to make sure that people can afford to do the right thing, but once again ministers have taken far too long to realise there’s a problem.
“Just last week the Chancellor suggested there was no need to change the system for people who have to self-isolate.
“Now the health secretary – who confessed that statutory sick pay in the UK isn’t enough to live on – thinks the solution is to offer people who aren’t currently eligible the same limited level of support.
“It’s concerning that this will only apply to a limited number of areas with high rates of Covid-19. The instruction to self-isolate applies to everyone in the country, so everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate.”
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The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “I am pleased they have at last acknowledged this issue but am sorry to say this move goes nowhere near far enough.
“The Health Secretary has already said that he couldn’t live on statutory sick pay at £95 a week. So how can an announcement like this work?
“For many workers in Greater Manchester, this will not provide the support people need to cooperate with NHS Test and Trace.”
The Department for Health and Social Care added that non-household contacts who are advised to self-isolate through the NHS Test and Trace system will also be entitled to a payment of £13 per day up to a maximum of £182, dependent on the length of their isolation period.
The payment will not reduce any other benefits that a person may already receive, the department said.
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Payments will be provided within 48 hours of the eligible person providing all the necessary evidence, and to receive the payment people will be asked to provide a notification from NHS Test and Trace and a bank statement.
To be eligible, an individual must have tested positive for Covid-19 or received a notification from NHS Test and Trace asking them to self-isolate, have agreed to comply with the self-isolation guidance and provided contact details to the relevant local authority, be employed or self-employed, be unable to work from home and be losing income as a result and be currently receiving Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Employed people will be asked to show proof of employment, while self-employed people will be required to show evidence of trading income and that their business delivers services which the local authority reasonably judges they are unable to carry out without social contact.
The department added that checks will be undertaken on all applicants to ensure they are self-isolating.
Local authorities will be able to check the NHS Test and Trace system to confirm an individual has been asked to self-isolate, if an individual is unable to provide this information, and will put in place checks to prevent fraud, the department said.
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It added that there will be a rapid review of the pilot scheme in Blackburn to assess how effectively vulnerable people have been reached and transmission has been reduced.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Suspect Charged With Murder After 2 Shot Dead At Kenosha Protest

Men scuffle during a protest Tuesday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Brendan Gutenschwager via REUTERS
A 17-year-old is accused of shooting three people, killing two, during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after crossing a state border with a semi-automatic rifle and joining up with a group of vigilantes seeking to “protect” public property.
Kyle Rittenhouse was reportedly arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, and charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday. He allegedly fled Kenosha after he was caught on video shooting people after scuffles broke out during the protests.
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Protesters clashed with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse after a local white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times in the back with his children nearby over the weekend.
The third night of demonstrations appeared to turn deadly when heavily armed white vigilantes entered into the mix.
On Wednesday, Kenosha police chief Daniel Miskinis blamed the deaths on protesters for being out after curfew.
“Persons who were out after curfew became engaged in some type of disturbance, and persons were shot. Everybody involved was out after the curfew,” he said at a press conference. “Had persons not been in violation of that, perhaps the situation would not have happened.”
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Police are investigating a group of men with guns who were lined up outside businesses a few blocks down the road from the courthouse, according to The New York Times. Ostensibly, the vigilantes were there to “protect” businesses from fires that had been set during previous nights of demonstrations. Though Rittenhouse’s connection to vigilante groups is unclear, he was quoted before the shooting saying that he considers himself a militiaman and was willing to use his rifle to “protect” people and property.
A now-deleted Facebook page that appears to belong to Rittenhouse featured almost exclusively pro-police imagery and photos of the suspect carrying guns. At some point, he changed his profile image to a “Blue Lives Matter” sign and held a fundraiser for a police nonprofit called “Humanizing The Badge.”
Militia members may have been drawn to the city through a Facebook post by a group calling itself the Kenosha Guard, which encouraged “patriots” to “take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs”, The Verge reported. It was unclear whether the suspect belonged to any militia groups.
In one video circulating social media, a person with a long gun is jogging down a main road when he appears to trip, firing off shots at protesters around him before getting up and trotting toward police vehicles (in the video, embedded below, one person falls to the ground after approaching the shooter and does not get up).
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It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the gunfire late Tuesday and early Wednesday, including whether more than one person fired rounds.
Law enforcement said officers responded to reports of shots fired at 11:45 p.m. and have not yet released the identities of those killed or injured.
One of the deceased was shot in the head and the other was shot in the chest, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The third gunshot victim is being treated for serious yet non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital.
Earlier Tuesday night, protesters set off fireworks and threw bottles against a newly constructed fence encircling the county courthouse. By 10 p.m., police were pushing for people to disperse and head home, firing off tear gas, the Chicago SunTimes reported. Some of the demonstrators then walked in the direction of the armed vigilantes.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was mobilising federal authorities and National Guard troops to Kenosha in response to “lawlessness” and violence there.
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...TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020
Video of Blake’s shooting was released Sunday night and immediately recalled the excessive force used by white police officers against George Floyd, a Black man who died after being pinned to the ground by his neck for several minutes. Protests over Floyd’s death took off nationwide and lasted weeks; in some places they have yet to stop.
An attorney for Blake’s family said the 29-year-old was trying to de-escalate a domestic violence situation when he walked away from police and opened the driver’s side door of an SUV, in which his three children ― ages 3, 5 and 8 ― were waiting. In the video, one officer appears to then shoot Blake seven times in his back.
“They shot my son seven times,” Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr, said Tuesday. “Seven times like he didn’t matter, but my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters.”
Benjamin Crump, co-counsel to the family, said it would “take a miracle” for Blake to walk again. Doctors say he is paralyzed from the waist down, having suffered injuries to one arm, his kidneys, liver and spinal cord.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Meghan Markle Says Prince Harry Is A ‘Beautiful’ Feminist Father To Archie

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When they first met, on a blind date back in July 2016, Harry and Meghan found themselves bonding over a shared love of humanitarian work. Their third date was a “huge leap” because they found themselves, on Harry’s invitation, camping under the stars in Botswana, where the prince is a patron of the animal welfare charity Rhino Conservation Botswana.
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Meghan and Harry have their own particular areas of focus on matters of philanthropy and social change, but they also share a number of concerns. Meghan, for example, has been an advocate for women’s rights since long before she was married, and it seems Harry, too, has fully embraced identifying as a feminist.
In a conversation presented exclusively by MAKERS, which, alongside HuffPost, is owned by Verizon Media, the Duchess of Sussex sat down with feminist icon Gloria Steinem for a little “backyard chat” in California. Sitting six feet apart, with the Duke and Duchess’ new Santa Barbara home standing majestically in the background, they talked about representation and the importance of voting, until the conversation turned, briefly, to Harry.
“Well,” Steinem said, “you can be a feminist and be masculine and a guy.”
“Like my husband! I love that when he just came in he said, ‘You know that I’m a feminist, too, right Gloria? It’s really important to me that you know that,’” Markle said. “I look at our son and what a beautiful example that he gets to grow up with a father who is so comfortable owning that as part of his own self-identification. That there’s no shame in being someone who advocates for fundamental human rights for everyone, which, of course, includes women.”
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“And also that he is a nurturing father,” Steinem replied. “Because then your son will grow up knowing it’s okay to be loving and nurturing.”
Harry being open about his feminism isn’t new, per se. In 2013, for example, at the Nepal Girl Summit in Kathmandu, the prince gave a speech about women’s empowerment.
“While the unique challenges faced by girls is not a topic I have spoken much about in the past, I think it’s important to acknowledge something that has become obvious to me and is already known to everyone in this room: There are way too many obstacles between girls and the opportunities they deserve,” he said. “It cannot just be women who speak up for girls.
Matt Sayles. Copyright the Duke and Duchess of Sussex The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, left, and iconic feminist, Gloria Steinem, discuss voting, racism and feminism in a backyard conversation presented by MAKERS.com.
Oh, and of course there was that time when a fan of the royal family, at Cardiff castle in 2018, told Markle that she thought it was “really lovely to have a feminist in the royal family,” to which Markle responded: “Thank you. [Harry’s] a feminist, too!”
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Markle has previously talked about wanting to raise her baby, regardless of its gender, to be a feminist. In 2019, when she was still pregnant with baby Archie, the Duchess joined a number of influential women on a panel for International Women’s Day. When asked how the pregnancy was going, she shared a moment that had recently moved her.
“It’s funny, I’d actually been joking these past few weeks; I’d seen this documentary on Netflix about feminism and one of the things they said during pregnancy was, ‘I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism,’” she said. “I loved that. So boy or girl, whatever it is, we hope that’s the case.”
And the following month, a source close to the couple said they were planning to raise their baby without gender stereotyping — that the nursery wouldn’t be filled with toy trains and cars if it happened to be a boy.
Well, as it happened, they did have a boy, and, like Markle told Steinem, that boy seems to have a pretty good example of a father. During a roundtable discussion about gender equality in October 2019, at the One Young World Summit, Harry made a surprise appearance.
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“In terms of gender equality, which is something I have championed for a long time, I think that conversation can’t happen without men being a part of it,” Markle said. “You can’t have a conversation of women’s empowerment with just women….Thank you for letting [Harry] crash the party.”
It's official - Prince Harry is a feminist, Meghan Markle revealed today. Jessica Phillips, 23, told Meghan she loved having a feminist in the Royal Family. pic.twitter.com/Ve2jguL5Yi — Jack Royston (@Jack_Royston) January 18, 2018
Well, it looks like baby Archie will be growing up in a home with two beautiful examples of feminist parents — a home where the tough stuff, some of the most important social issues of our world, is tackled head-on, rather than avoided.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Meghan Markle And Gloria Steinem Discuss Voter Suppression In New Interview

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Meghan Markle sat down with feminist activist Gloria Steinem for a conversation in Santa Barbara, California, over the weekend. They discussed the need for representation, the importance of women of color to the Democratic Party, and why it matters that Prince Harry (and little Archie) are also feminists.
The chat, which was organised by Yahoo’s Makers series, marked the Duchess of Sussex’s latest foray into the conversation about American voting rights.
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Photographer and director Matt Sayles, who focuses on “a more inclusive image of beauty” directed the video — in which Meghan and Harry’s two dogs, Guy and Pula, also make surprise appearances.
The Duchess of Sussex and Gloria Steinem pictured in Santa Barbara, with Meghan and Harry's dog Pula. Photo by Matt Sayles; copyright the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Steinem started off the talk by saying that she was “so glad” that the duchess is “home.”
“Me too. For so many reasons,” Meghan responded.
The conversation that followed covered a range of political subjects, but they focused primarily on the importance of voting in the upcoming election.
“We’ve been rescued by women of color in all of our recent elections because of a vote of conscience and compassion,” Steinem said. “The heart of the Democratic Party has been Black women, actually, and now there is a potential vice president who is Black and that’s exciting.”
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Meghan said that she was “excited to see that kind of representation” for very personal reasons.
“You know, for me, being biracial — growing up, whether it was a doll or a person in office, you need to see someone who looks like you in some capacity,” she said.
When the duchess pointed to examples of how the digital space can allow harmful and destructive thoughts about race to fester, Steinem said that the voting booth “is the only place where we are all equal.”
“If you don’t vote you don’t exist,” the longtime activist said, adding that “we not only have to vote but we have to fight to vote.”
Meghan later said she is “very concerned” about voter suppression, and that she had reached out to former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams about ways to combat some of those tactics.
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“I had the chance to speak with Stacey Abrams about this to try to get a better understanding of what to do, for example, if you’re a person of color and you’re in line, for potentially hours on end,” she said. “And during that time someone tries to intimidate you ... And then you think, ‘You know, it’s not worth it.’
“That’s bad enough,” she continued, “but then there’s a ripple effect because whoever is in the back of the line says, ‘Whatever they did to them … I don’t want that to happen to me.’ That, I think, is so frightening. But I wonder how we circumvent that and how we get people to feel empowered.”
Steinem said that just discussing the tactics used in voter suppression efforts will help people be more prepared.
Photo by Matt Sayles; copyright the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Toward the end of the video, Meghan noted that Prince Harry had stopped by before filming and told Steinem, “You know that I’m a feminist too, right, Gloria? It’s really important to me that you know that.”
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That was “wonderful,” Steinem said, and Meghan spoke of the importance of being married to a man who considers himself a feminist.
“I look at our son and what a beautiful example that he gets to grow up with a father who is so comfortable owning that as part of his own self-identification,” she said. “That there’s no shame in being someone who advocates for fundamental human rights for everyone, which of course includes women.”
“And also that he is a nurturing father,” Steinem said. “Because then your son will grow up knowing it’s okay to be loving and nurturing.”
“Well said. I know it’ll mean a lot to him when I share that,” Meghan responded.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Pool/Samir Hussein via Getty Images
With the US election just over two months away, the Duchess of Sussex has repeatedly spoken up about the importance of getting everyone ― especially women ― to the polls.
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Meghan joined a virtual hangout last week organised by the United States of Women and When We All Vote where she spoke about how much “work” there is to be done before November “because we all know what’s at stake this year.” Commentators like Piers Morgan criticised her statement, calling her “brazenly partisan” — despite the fact that she did not mention a party or politician — and saying the Sussexes should lose their titles.
Earlier this month, Meghan spoke with The 19th’s Emily Ramshaw about voter suppression and the 19th amendment, and participated in a Marie Claire feature explaining why she’s voting in the upcoming election.
“I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard,” she told the magazine. “And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard.”
Meghan’s emphasis on voting increased only after she and Prince Harry stepped back as working members of the royal family this year, though she had made her political views known prior to marrying him.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Tory MP Defends ‘Top Bloke’ Praise For 'Aggressive Misogynist' Tony Abbott

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The Tory Party is facing a fresh sexism row after one of its MPs retweeted claims that Australian PM Tony Abbott was “a top bloke” because of his misogynist views.
Backbencher Sir Robert Syms shared to his 9,000 followers a tweet by a self-styled “patriotic Englishman” that ridiculed criticism of Abbott, who is tipped to be hired as Boris Johnson’s new trade guru in coming weeks.
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The posts followed a withering attack on Abbott by shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry – who described him as an “offensive, aggressive, leering, gaffe-prone misogynist”.
Syms, a former government whip who represents Poole in Dorset, retweeted Rod Bishop’s reaction: “I knew he was a top bloke.”
Robert Syms tweet HuffPost UK
Abbott, a climate change sceptic who served two years as Australian PM before being deposed by his party and then losing his seat last year, has been repeatedly accused of sexism.
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Former Australian premier Julia Gillard delivered a famously scathing speech about Abbott in the country’s parliament in 2012, saying that “every day in every way” the then Opposition leader was a misogynist.
Abbott had once suggested that “men are, by physiology or temperament, more adapted to exercise authority or to issue command” than women, and he was accused by Gillard of promoting a sign about her that read “Ditch The Witch”.
Former Australian PM Tony Abbott SIPA USA/PA Images
Gillard’s speech went viral globally, and Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary updated its definition of the term “misogyny”, previously defined as a “hatred of women” to encompass “entrenched prejudice against women”.
Sir Robert defended his decision to share the tweet, stressing that he felt that Abbott deserved more “respect” from Labour.
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“I thought Emily Thornberry’s comment was a gross overreaction and I retweeted this chap because it was quite funny,” he told HuffPost UK. “I think Labour don’t have a sense of humour.
″[Abbott] is quite robust and I’m not saying I agree with all his views. But I think Labour is being disrespectful of a guy who represented 20m Australian citizens.
“If he’s fit to be the Queen’s prime minister in Australia he’s fit for office in Britain.
“We have a long tradition in this country of Commonwealth politicians taking part in government, from [Australian PM Robert] Menzies in the Second World War to [South African Jan] Smuts in the cabinet in the First World War.”
But Thornberry told HuffPost UK: “It’s bad enough that we’ve got Boris Johnson hiring someone like Tony Abbott to represent our country abroad, despite his history of rampant misogyny and sexism, but we now have a Tory MP like Robert Syms actively celebrating the fact.
“As Julia Gillard said to Abbott himself, it’s time the Tories took a good look in the mirror, and realised these kind of attitudes have no place in our public life.”
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The Department for International Trade insisted no decision had yet been made about Abbott, after the Sun reported that he would be given the role of president of the board of trade.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Glasgow Asylum Seeker Mercy Baguma 'Might Still Be Alive If She Had Been White'

Mercy Baguma Positive Action in Housing
A mother living in extreme poverty discovered dead next to her malnourished baby might not have suffered her fate if the colour of her skin had been different, a leading equality campaigner has told HuffPost UK.
Glasgow police found 34-year-old Mercy Baguma dead in a flat on Saturday. She was beside her one-year-old son, weakened from several days of hunger.
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Baguma, an asylum seeker originally from Uganda, is understood to have lost her job at a restaurant after her limited leave to remain in this country expired. She had been relying on food donations from friends and charitable organisations as she lived in extreme poverty.
Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, has told HuffPost UK there is no doubt in her mind that the fact Baguma was a Black female refugee was a factor in her death and in the relative lack of coverage it has received.
“Black women are often seen as expendable,” Reid told HuffPost UK. “Just look at what unfolded during the worst times of Covid-19 and the disproportionate deaths of Black women on the frontline.
“It took a lot of activism, energy and pushing to get that recognised as an issue and investigated and Mercy Baguma’s case is an example of that worrying trend.”
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Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party George Torode
Reid, the first person of colour to lead a UK political party, believes Baguma’s “appalling death” hasn’t received the attention it deserves.
“One of my reflections of this terrible tragedy is that it is not getting the attention it deserves and is going below the radar,” she said. “I found it deeply disappointing that this wasn’t a headline or lead story everywhere and that it wasn’t getting the reverence it deserved.
“The gravity of the situation is such that it needs to be confronted, acknowledged and faced up to.
“I think if Mercy had not been a Black woman and a refugee, her death would have received more coverage and attention.
“If she was a white woman rather than a Black one, I also feel she would have been on the receiving end of more help so her death might have been avoided.”
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““Black women are often seen as expendable... I think if Mercy had not been a Black woman and a refugee, her death would have received more coverage and attention.” - Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
Reid, a candidate for mayor of London, says it is deeply disturbing that in 2020 we “live in a Britain where a woman can perish next to her extremely malnourished baby because she did not have recourse to public funds”.
“Even the most callous people who have a dim view of asylum seekers would not want our country to be a place that completely lacks humanity,” she said.
“If we don’t face up to these things and women like Mercy are seen as collateral damage we can shrug off, it is very depressing and a sign we are heading to darker times.
“We are in trouble when ideology trumps humanity, decency and justice, and this is what seems to be happening in this case.”
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Reid says it is a miracle that Baguma’s baby survived his ordeal – no thanks to the UK’s policies, which clearly have real life and death consequences.
“This is the consequence of an immigration system that tries to keep people out at all costs,” said Reid. “It is also the consequence of more than a decade of austerity cuts that have punished women and minorities.
“They have been at the sharp end of these policies and Mercy’s case shows how deadly they are.
“This is the consequence of an immigration system that tries to keep people out at all costs. It is also the consequence of more than a decade of austerity cuts that have punished women and minorities.” - Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
“It is a miracle her little boy survived. It is so utterly wrong when we are the sixth richest country in the world that a young infant is seen as disposable, expendable and unworthy of support.
“He is a baby. At the very minimum, we have a duty of care to support the most helpless and vulnerable in our society. It is not right that someone has zero access to support to sustain themselves.”
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Reid told HuffPost UK anyone who is not ashamed and embarrassed by the death of an asylum seeker needed to “take a long, hard look at themselves.”
“Lives are being lost and people are suffering and perishing. Their potentials are being extinguished,” she said. “The government has an open goal to adjust the support available to women in Mercy’s situation.
“I urge the prime minister to use his power for good rather than try to stoke a culture war.”
She added: ”I am ashamed and embarrassed and so angry that in contemporary Britain, a mother can perish next to her malnourished baby as a direct result of callous, inhumane government policy.”
Charity Positive Action in Housing revealed that Baguma had pleaded to them for help just over a week before her death and that they contacted her within a day to assess her for a crisis payment from their Emergency Relief Fund.
Its director Robina Quereshi told HuffPost UK there had been complete neglect of responsibility and a failure in a duty of care to this mother and baby.
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“We have a humanitarian crisis in Glasgow and no one is doing anything about it,” she said.
“Why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city? Why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?
“Does society have anything to say about that other than to call them a drain on society?
“Mercy had no money and we are the last resort for so many people. Every day is an emergency for us.
“As a mother with a baby, she was a high priority for a crisis grant and Mercy had applied like hundreds of others left functionally destitute in Glasgow.
“We are working on the ground with the support of volunteers and see first hand the misery being created by the asylum process.
“Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired?
“I’m sure Mercy’s son will want to ask this and other questions once he is old enough.”
“Why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city? Why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?” - Robina Quereshi, director of Positive Action in Housing
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Positive Action in Housing is calling for a full public inquiry into Baguma’s death. The charity has also launched a fundraising appeal for the future welfare of her child.
A separate GoFundMe appeal for Baguma’s funeral expenses has more than tripled its £10,000 target.
Baguma’s death is at least the third tragedy to hit Glasgow’s refugee community in less than four months.
On May 6, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee Adnan Walid Elbi was found dead in his room at a guesthouse. Then, on June 26, a man was shot dead after stabbing six people including a police officer at the Park Inn Hotel. Other asylum seekers had cited concerns about the state of his mental health.
Quereshi said: “The fact is there is no safety net if you’re a refugee or migrant. You are left destitute and without resources. And you’re left silenced by far right rhetoric for being forced to ask for help.
“All our efforts since lockdown began have been focused on trying to help people just survive and retain hope.
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“Home Office asylum policy has created unimaginable hardship for refugees and migrant households in this city.
“We demand a public inquiry and Mercy’s death to be investigated alongside Adnan Walid Elbi and the Park Inn tragedy.”
African Challenge Scotland, an organisation that works to relieve poverty and promote active lifestyles in Scotland through sport and education, has shared a video on social media revealing it provided a food parcel to Baguma in June this year.
Police Scotland has confirmed they had received a report of the sudden death on Saturday. They said it was being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious, and that a report would be submitted to the procurator fiscal – whose role is similar to that of a coroner and public prosecutor in England.
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A Home Office spokesperson said: “This is a tragic situation and our condolences go to Ms Baguma’s family.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--Matt Hancock's Local Lockdown Plan Rejected By Northern Leaders As A 'Recipe For Chaos'

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Matt Hancock’s new plan for drawing up local lockdowns in England has been rejected by northern leaders as a “recipe for utter confusion, division and chaos”.
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The health secretary last week asked council leaders and MPs to reach a consensus on which districts should be freed from coronavirus restrictions and which should remain under lockdown.
But Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and three West Yorkshire council leaders have all rejected the plan following the meetings.
They accused Hancock of making it up as he goes along and pandering to the concerns of backbench Tories rather than listening to local authority leaders.
One Labour MP who was at a meeting to decide on highly localised ward-level restrictions told HuffPost UK MPs were effectively being asked to make decisions on which areas to lock down “based on a PowerPoint presentation” by their local public health director, as they could not access infection data themselves.
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The MPs were also not given guidance from the government on what infection levels are dangerous enough to trigger a lockdown in a certain area, they said.
But one of the Tories involved in the local lockdown meetings described the process as “very productive, wholly evidence based” and leading to “a logical and sensible conclusion”.
The leaders of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees councils in West Yorkshire, which all have restrictions in place, said unlocking certain areas while keeping restrictions in others would make “the already confused local regulations almost impossible to understand”.
They called for the three areas to be brought out of local lockdowns and put in line with national restrictions.
“Step up to your job as national government,” the leaders said.
“Different restrictions ward-by-ward and place-by-place decided by Tory backbench MPs undermines local council leadership and is no way to lead a nation through a national pandemic.
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“You need to set a clear national framework for the nation which local authorities (can) operate within.
“Instead you’re making it up as you go along.”
Here are the latest figures for Greater Manchester 👇
We still need to see further reductions but pleased to say there’s been significant progress over the last week.
I’d like to thank residents across GM for bearing with us & helping to turn things around. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/oZrFH27wEr — Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) August 26, 2020
Burnham said: “I wouldn’t say this was a unanimous position but it was certainly the overwhelming consensus of our meeting that that is not a road we should go down. It is a recipe for utter confusion, division and chaos, and we are saying to the government we do not want to work in that way.
“To play in the concerns of Members of Parliament, obviously they are valid and need to be heard, but you cannot say views from one community alone can dictate what happens for the whole of a borough.
“So we are saying very clearly back to the government today that it is the council leaders and their teams themselves that need to be in the driving seat when it comes to decisions about the lifting of restrictions. People do not want to see a division within particular boroughs.
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“Sadly I think what we begin to see is some people playing politics at a local level with these issues. The view of the leaders was that was entirely the wrong way to go. We will continue to be evidence-based in the way that we approach this and we will take the responsible course as we have done all along.”
The consensus lockdown proposals decided on by council leaders and MPs were being discussed by chief medical officer Chris Whitty and senior advisers on Wednesday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-26--6 Things The Government Might U-Turn On Next

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It’s fair to say that 2020 has been quite a rocky year for the new government, but it’s proved incredibly consistent in one particular area – its ability to perform embarrassing U-turns.
The tally during the coronavirus pandemic stands at 10, with the latest – over the wearing of face masks in schools – coming just yesterday.
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As there’s absolutely nothing to suggest that this avalanche of vacillation, equivocation and befuddlement won’t continue, HuffPost UK thought it prescient to sketch out where U-turns 11, 12, 13 and perhaps even beyond may come.
1) National lockdown
In July Boris Johnson effectively ruled out another national lockdown, instead comparing it to a “nuclear deterrent” to get people to follow social distancing guidelines.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the PM stressed he did now want to see a repeat of the restrictions of March that crushed the UK economy and added: “Nor do I think we will be in that position again.”
Instead the government has enforced a series of local lockdowns in areas such as Greater Manchester and Birmingham.
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What is not clear is what happens if enough local lockdowns are put into place to effectively shut down all of England, but if that did happen, the government might just be able to get away with saying it’s not a U-turn.
2) The furlough scheme
Around one in eight of the UK workforce remain on furlough ahead of the winding down of the job retention programme next month.
From then, the government will only contribute 70% of wages, with this reducing to 60% in October, before the furlough scheme is completely wound down.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has repeatedly ruled out extending the scheme, saying on August 7: “I think most reasonable people will say: ‘Gosh, that’s not something that can carry on forever.’ In common with almost all countries around the world [...] their versions of this are slowly being wound down toward the end of the year.”
But the Scottish government and a number of industries are putting pressure on Downing Street to extend the scheme amid fears that, without a safety net, unemployment will soar.
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In its latest report, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) calculated that the jobless rate would surge to around 10% of the country’s workforce – equivalent to three million people on the dole – by the end of the year.
So if Sunak and the government decide that the cost of another month or two of furlough is worth propping up even some of the millions of jobs that could otherwise be lost, a U-turn could well be imminent.
3) The evictions ban
The government has already done a U-turn of sorts here, twice extending the eviction ban that protected renters during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Announced in March and extended in June, it was due to end in England and Wales on August 23.
But despite doubling down on its insistence that lifting the evictions ban is an “important step” towards ending lockdown and “protect landlords’ important right to regain their property”, it was given another four weeks.
Ministers have been urged to act to prevent a “homelessness crisis” with up to a quarter of a million people at risk when it is finally lifted.
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4) School closures
The government was criticised for taking its time to close schools in March but they eventually closed their doors on March 20.
It resulted in exams being cancelled, Ofsted inspections being suspended, and children – especially those without internet connections, computers and spaces to study at home – left without much if any education for five months and counting.
But earlier this month Williamson vowed that all schools – including those in areas facing local lockdowns – would return in September. Fast forward to Wednesday morning and the education secretary was on the BBC telling listeners: “We never expect to be in a situation where we will be closing all schools down right across the country.”
Yet teachers have warned that the government’s plans to reopen schools are “flimsy” and could result in students being sent home within days if even a single person within a large class “bubble” falls ill – to say nothing of secondary schools, where specialist subject teachers are required to see multiple classes of children.
And if the feared second spike occurs as the year wears on, it is not hard to imagine the government deciding to reimpose the measures it deemed necessary in March.
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5) Face masks in schools
The government has already U-turned on this once, saying on Tuesday pupils at school in locked down areas would need to wear face coverings in communal areas such as corridors (but not classrooms). Just a day earlier a No.10 spokesperson had said: “There are no plans to review the guidance on face coverings in school.”
Asked on Wednesday if he’d consider expanding the rule to classrooms, or schools in other areas, Williamson told BBC Breakfast: “No, no, there’s no intention of extending it beyond that because as both [deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries] said and [schools minister Nick Gibb] said, that actually isn’t what is required.”
It’s not a massive stretch to say he might end up relaxing this, especially if it means keeping schools open (see point 4), given how rapidly the position changed about masks being in schools at all.
6) Gavin Williamson’s job
Sally Collier, Jonathan Slater and a “mutant algorithm” – all these have been blamed and/or sacked for Gavin Williamson’s A-level grading fiasco, while Gavin Williamson himself still has a job.
The education secretary has faced intense pressure to quit, including from several of his fellow Tory MPs, but remains in post following the debacle.
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