thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--I'm A Celebrity's Beverley Callard Left Cringing At Accidental Vernon Kay Dig

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I’m A Celebrity... Get me Out Of Here! viewers were left howling and cringing in equal measure after watching campmate Beverley Callard put her foot in her mouth during a conversation with her fellow contestants.
Tuesday night’s episode saw the soap legend sharing her extremely candid views on the reality show Splash!, apparently forgetting that campmate Vernon Kay was its host.
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“It was a funny show,” Vernon said of the short-lived reality series, which featured contestants including Gemma Collins, Jade Ewen, Joey Essex and Tina Malone. “It got millions and millions of viewers, watching celebrities diving into a swimming pool.”
Apparently only catching one half of the conversation, Beverley then interjected, commenting it was the “most stupid programme ever”.
Poor @beverleycallard really put her foot in it insulting one of @vernonkay's most successful TV shows! 😂🙊 #ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/E8UG17snSn — I'm A Celebrity... (@imacelebrity) November 24, 2020
“It kept my central heating on, though, Beverley,” Vernon responded. “The worst show I’ve ever seen… cheers, Bev.”
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It was at this moment that the penny dropped for the former Coronation Street star, who swiftly apologised for the gaffe.
“Oh no,” she said. “I’m so sorry. Vernon, I am so sorry. I did not know that. Honest to god, I didn’t know.”
Vernon Kay with Gabby Logan and Tom Daley on the set of Splash! Matt Frost/ITV/Shutterstock
She later revealed privately: “I wanted to curl up and die. Poor Vernon. I can’t believe I did that. I’m really notorious for putting my foot in it, and I really did there.”
Fortunately for Beverley, viewers watching at home thought her unfortunate comment was hilarious…
Bev you hero 👌🏼👏🏼 https://t.co/teml5NBFG0 — rachel brown (@brownrach) November 24, 2020
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Bev: 'splash was a terrible terrible show....'
Vernon: 'keep my central heating on......'
Bev:#ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/TokK2HQeSf — Karl Attwood (@Capo_2nd) November 24, 2020
“Hello, I want to report a murder.”
Bev absolutely savaging ‘Splash’ and Vernon’s just sat there. 🤣#ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/kegYRucUiA — Kerrie Cosh (@KerrieCosh) November 24, 2020
Bev after she shit talked Splash in front of Vernon #ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/0mmCZGJ9XE — Eddie Bennett (@EddieBennett73) November 24, 2020
Absolutely cackling at Bev not knowing Vernon co-hosted Splash 🤣
“It kept my central heating on though, Beverley.” #imaceleb — Ryan Love (@RyanJL) November 24, 2020
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Obsessed with Bev telling Vernon Kay, the host of Splash, that she hated Splash #ImACeleb #ImACelebrity pic.twitter.com/EMvRkrb90x — Ryan ✌ (@RyanS_UK) November 24, 2020
Oh my god, Bev slating the programme Splash without realising Vernon presented it. AMAZING 😂 #ImACeleb — Ben (@islandniles) November 24, 2020
Bev dragging Splash infront of Vernon has killed me 😭😭 #ImACeleb — sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) November 24, 2020
vernon laughing at bev calling splash the stupidest show ever #ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/4FAWGH94mf — mae 🧚🏼♀ (@aIexpodium) November 24, 2020
During her time in the I’m A Celebrity castle, Beverley has gone down a treat with viewers, winning praise for her motivational speech to Jordan North and giving the show one of its biggest memes after the first trial of the series.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--The Great British Bake Off Final Was A Rollercoaster And We're Still Recovering

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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
In a year that has tested every single one of us, it was a miracle that we even got a new series of The Great British Bake Off, so it’s no wonder the final was such an emotional rollercoaster.
The final three bakers, Peter Sawkins, Laura Adlington and Dave Friday, sweated it out (literally – it was over 35 degrees in that tent) on Tuesday night’s episode in a bid to be crowned the winner of the eleventh series.
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It’s fair to say, it was one hell of a ride...
Before the bakers had even turned their ovens on, Noel was banished from the tent for his pun-filled intro
If bad baking puns were punished, Twitter would have locked us out of our account years ago! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/iBwvUwYyEt — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Speaking of puns...
🎵 Any Cream Will Do 🎵
It’s Prue and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/hkCoD0jft7 — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
The finalists’ final signature bake was a custard slice. Peter looked confident about his boozy take on the classic...
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times.
He sings the songs that remind him of the best times.#GBBO pic.twitter.com/OKWbzNtld0 — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Yep, he nailed it...
How was Laura getting on?
Oh we’re sure she can rescue them
What is it with this show and lone raspberries doing a runner? #GBBO pic.twitter.com/tuoTEu7Uqc — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Ok maybe not, and it all proved too much...
Keep going, Laura. You’ve done so well to get this far. It’s all about the next bake. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/obhzvPe7bs — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
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Well, we’ve all been there...
Crying into a freezer is very 2020. #gbbo — MostDeaf (@SnoozeActive) November 24, 2020
Thankfully Noel was on hand to get her back on track with this, frankly, incredible pep talk...
A Noel Fielding pep talk is the antidote to this year we didn’t know we needed #gbbo — Martha (@marthamylove_) November 24, 2020
Then came the technical challenge: walnut whirls, which have been in existence for approximately 100 years longer than Peter
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This is what the judges were looking for...
Good to see the 90s boyband centre-parting making a comeback. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/pvWmT7JgRT — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
And this is what they got...
Let’s check in on Laura
Just your average day in the Bake Off Tent. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/B30hBuNavJ — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Oh yeah, she’s fiiiiiiiine. What about Matt?
When the emotions of watching a Bake Off Final get too much… #GBBO pic.twitter.com/Y0extdvBit — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Oh gawd. Even the clouds started crying...
Here comes the grain again. Falling on our tent like a choux emotion. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/OB70MELLTe — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
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Peter’s final showstopper was bonkers...
This from the guy who made an anthropomorphic shuttlecock cake… #GBBO pic.twitter.com/HiLADz2ZS9 — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Dave’s was risky...
But Matt was here for his daredevil approach
Definitely the weirdest exchange in the Bake Off Tent ever. 😂😂 #GBBO pic.twitter.com/Hak4cScJJR — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
As the last few minutes counted down, there was no messing about
The Bake Off Final is going down to the wire! Too tense to make jokes. Must be serious. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/jiiIDzfEyd — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Even Peter’s ever-present smile disappeared momentarily
Don’t find someone who looks at you like Peter looks at his Showstopper. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/UehjO2YXy3 — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
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How’s Dave getting on?
Dave sitting on a stool, eating raspberries and offering to help others as they rush to finish their showstoppers is the chilled out vibe we all need right now. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/4ujlbDVkeY — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
And Noel was soon back to his old silly self too
The 2020 Bake Off Final is so edge of the seat that you’re doing well if you’re still on your seat! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/uT07jPRvkN — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
FINISHED!
Well done finalists! As with many things in life, not everything goes to plan - but you kept going and you gave it your best shot! Now over to the judges… #GBBO pic.twitter.com/gajTyZUSBg — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Laura with her ravishing ‘Rainbow Dessert Tower’ Showstopper from the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/IdiZ6Pwq7E — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
Peter with his brilliant ‘Bonkers Bake Off Bubble Cake’ Showstopper from the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/Q7lLFk4jHr — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
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Dave with his tremendous ‘Tower To Redemption’ Showstopper from the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/2OP4OfZieL — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
But it was Peter who was victorious, becoming the youngest ever winner
The winner of The Great British Bake Off 2020 is… PETER! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/GHfGWyh1D8 — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
And proving that dreams really do come true...
“I’m a Bake Off nerd. I think 12-year-old Peter would be in awe.” #GBBO pic.twitter.com/sWdqEStGyI — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 24, 2020
(P.S. Yes Noel, this did make the cut. Naughty)


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Meghan Markle Describes Having Miscarriage While Holding Baby Archie

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Meghan Markle has spoken about experiencing a miscarriage in July, detailing how she was holding Archie when she realised something wasn’t right.
“After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,” she wrote in a new article on the New York Times.
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“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
The Duchess described laying in a hospital bed later, holding Prince Harry’s hand while being seen by medical staff.
“I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal,” she said.
Markle makes reference to the ITV interview in the piece, where she was asked: “Are you okay?”. “I answered him honestly,” she wrote, “not knowing that what I said would resonate with so many – new mums and older ones, and anyone who had, in their own way, been silently suffering.”
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she added. “In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.
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“Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”
The Duchess also wrote about how this year has “brought so many of us to our breaking points”, describing the devastation of Covid-19 and the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd that sparked the Black Lives Matter protests.
Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Joe Biden Tells Boris Johnson 'To Keep The Irish Border Open'

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US President-elect Joe Biden has stressed the importance of keeping the Irish border open following Brexit.
Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday, he said: “We do not want a guarded border. We want to make sure – we’ve worked too long to get Ireland worked out, and I talked with the British prime minister, I talked with the Taoiseach, I talked with others, I talked to the French.
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“The idea of having a border north and south once again being closed is just not right, we’ve just got to keep the border open.”
Biden discussed Brexit with Boris Johnson earlier in November during one of his first phone calls to other world leaders as president-elect, warning him Brexit must not jeopardise the Northern Ireland peace process.
President-elect Joe Biden, who is proud of his Irish heritage, has stressed the importance of keeping the Irish border open Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Biden previously touched upon the 1998 Good Friday agreement during his presidential campaign, tweeting in September: “We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.
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“Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period.”
Negotiations between the UK and European Union on a post-Brexit trade deal resumed on Monday following technical discussions over the weekend.
Problematic issues including fishing rights, the “level playing field” aimed at preventing unfair competition in areas such as workers’ rights and state subsidies and the governance of any deal are yet to be resolved.
One key collision course with the new look White House is over the government’s controversial UK Internal Market Bill (UKIMB), which gives ministers the power to override international law.
Biden, who is proud of his Irish heritage, has been critical of the controversial legislation which seeks to make alterations to issues relating to Northern Ireland in the Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--I'm A Celebrity Bosses Speak Out Amid Claims Show Is Under Police Investigation Over Use of Insects

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I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! bosses have defended the use of live insects during the current series, amid reports they’re being investigated by the police.
The long-running ITV has had to make some big changes this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, namely moving the show from its usual location in the Australian jungle to its new home in a ruined castle in North Wales.
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One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the use of insects in various challenges , including the first trial of the series, which saw the 10 newcomers attempting to pass plastic stars to one another through a cage, while all manner of insects were dropped on their heads.
According to The Guardian, police are investigating the programme over its use of non-native species of bugs including cockroaches, maggots, spiders and worms.
The newspaper claimed that I’m A Celebrity had potentially breached the Wildlife and Countryside Act if it failed to get a licence for the release of the insects.
Victoria Derbyshire has insects tipped over her during the first challenge of the series ITV/Shutterstock
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In response to this, an I’m A Celebrity spokesperson insisted: “All of the insects used on I’m A Celebrity are non-invasive species. They are only ever released in a contained area and collected immediately after filming.
“The bugs are UK-bred and are commercially purchased in the UK for birds and exotic animal feed for pets and zoo keepers in normal circumstances.
“Our insects have been donated to local wildlife sanctuaries, trusts and zoos for their exotic animal and bird feed after filming.”
I’m A Celebrity has long come under fire from animal rights activists due to the nature of some of its trials, with the show making the decision to axe the eating of living creatures ahead of last year’s series.
A representative for the RSPCA said in a statement earlier in the series: “Throughout the years, we’ve been raising our concerns with the production company about how animals were being treated on the Australia-based programme, but we never received a response from the show.
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“We were very pleased when the show’s production company got in touch with us in the planning stages of this year’s series, set here in the UK. We spoke to them about changing the way they use animals along with the change of continent - perhaps introducing welfare-friendly alternatives to animal use in the trials.
“However, we were really disappointed to be told that they would continue to be using animals in this way during this series. We know that many of you, the animal loving public, agree with us and really dislike the use of animals in this way.”
The original 10 campmates featured in this year's I'm A Celebrity ITV
In response, ITV said (via Digital Spy): “I’m a Celebrity complies with animal welfare law concerning the use of animals and we are proud of our exemplary production practices.
“We have a long working relationship with the RSPCA in New South Wales, Australia and as such contacted their counterparts some months ago when we knew that the programme would be made in the UK, with a view to working collaboratively with them.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--A Minute Of Kindness: Deliberately Letting Nature Take Over Your Farm

A Minute Of Kindness: Deliberately Letting Nature Take Over Your Farm
This wife and husband tried to run a farm for seventeen years, but the soil was against them, so they started to look at their land differently and decided to let nature take over. They reintroduced various wildlife and with minimal maintenance let them take over, which can be fully explored in their book “Wilding: The Return Of Nature To A British Farm”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Sia Lashes Out At Autism Community Over Criticism Of Her Upcoming Movie

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The road to ableism has always been paved with good intentions.
Last week, Sia posted a trailer for her upcoming movie, Music. According to a press release, the Chandelier singer co-wrote the screenplay and directed the musical drama, which stars Maddie Ziegler, Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr. Sia also released a 14-track album to accompany the film, titled Music - Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture.
The news you've been waiting for! 🙌 Music, the movie written & directed by Sia + starring Kate Hudson, @leslieodomjr & @maddieziegler, will be arriving in early 2021! Watch a sneak peek of the movie right here. pic.twitter.com/w38L2UtIhJ — sia (@Sia) November 19, 2020
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The film follows Hudson’s character, who is estranged from her family but suddenly finds herself the sole guardian of her nonverbal autistic half-sister, played by Zeigler. The two sisters also strike up a friendship with their neighbour, played by Odom, according to Variety.
Yet despite the seemingly feel-good content, upon the release of the trailer, many in the disability and autism community expressed concerns on social media.
One criticism is that Sia cast Ziegler — an 18-year-old dancer who has starred in several of the Australian pop star’s music videos — as the lead. Ziegler is neurotypical, and many in the autistic community took issue with the dancer portraying a nonverbal autistic teenager.
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“There’s a lot to be concerned about with this film, including ― but definitely not limited to ― the casting,” Zoe Gross, director of operations at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, told HuffPost via email. “We’re concerned about what messages the film will send about autism.”
“It’s sad to see people investing so much time and money into this outdated approach to telling stories about autism, when there are so many better ways to do it,” she said.
Gross also pointed out that the “focus on guardianship is extremely concerning,” especially if the autistic character in the movie is of legal age.
“Families of young adults with disabilities are often steered towards guardianship, which involves removing a person’s legal rights,” she explained. “Alternatives to guardianship, such as supported decision-making, can be used to help people with all levels of support needs, including nonspeaking autistic people, retain their legal rights while still receiving supports in adulthood.”
Gross added: “These alternatives to guardianship are crucial for helping people with disabilities live happy, self-determined lives, but are often not known about, and this film may represent a missed opportunity to educate people on this subject.”
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“It’s sad to see people investing so much time and money into this outdated approach to telling stories about autism, when there are so many better ways to do it.” - Zoe Gross, director of operations at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network
The entertainment industry has long struggled with the authentic representation of people with disabilities. Films and TV shows have traditionally depicted them as objects of inspiration or pity — which contributes to harmful stereotypes that continue to marginalise them. In 2016, only 2.7% of characters in the 100 highest-earning movies were disabled, according to a report from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Film and TV have also perpetuated the harmful trope that autistic people are savants (think: 1998’s Rain Man or the most recent hit, The Good Doctor), which contributes to the cultural belief that someone with a neurotypical disability is a burden unless they have some kind of superpower.
Another factor that many in the autistic community were troubled by was that Sia consulted with the organisation Autism Speaks for her film.
Autistic people have criticised Autism Speaks for years over its controversial messaging, including a resource on its site called the 100 Day Kit for parents of newly diagnosed autistic children.
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According to ASAN, the kit encourages parents to blame family stress on their autistic child and to spend time with their non-autistic children remembering how things were better before their sibling’s diagnosis. ASAN also notes that the kit encourages families to go through the five stages of grief after learning that their child is autistic, which ASAN characterises as being akin to acting “as they would if the child had died.”
Gross also noted that Autism Speaks is “an organisation without autistic leadership whose advocacy priorities are in opposition to the autistic community.”
Also alarming was Sia’s responses to people’s concerns.
When one Twitter user asked Sia why she cast a non-autistic actor for the lead, she lashed out by listing the neuroatypical and trans people she had cast in her film.
I cast thirteen neuroatypical people, three trans folk, and not as fucking prostitutes or drug addicts but s as doctors, nurses and singers. Fucking sad nobody’s even seen the dang movie. My heart has always been in the right place. — sia (@Sia) November 20, 2020
“I cast thirteen neuroatypical people, three trans folk, and not as fucking prostitutes or drug addicts but as doctors, nurses and singers,” she tweeted. “Fucking sad nobody’s even seen the dang movie. My heart has always been in the right place.”
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This response didn’t go down well.
“So, you got out your ‘token quota’ card when casting?” Dominick Evans, a disability advocate, responded on Twitter.
“We are not objects to be counted to ‘prove you are diverse.’”
So, you got out your "token quota" card when casting?
"I got two queers, a bisexual, and a wheelchair-using crip... I'll see you one autistic and a Deaf person."
We are not objects to be counted to "prove you are diverse." — BDG | Dominick Evans (@dominickevans) November 21, 2020
Another Twitter user pointed out that’s Sia’s attempt at subverting disabled stereotypes also comes off a bit misguided.
“Should all autistic &/or trans people aspire to be doctors, nurses or singers - are we only valid then?” they asked.
Employing neurodiverse people in a film about autism does not give anyone the right to speak over autistic folks.
Should all autistic &/or trans people aspire to be doctors, nurses or singers - are we only valid then?
Sex work is work.
Fucking sad you made the dang movie. https://t.co/7gtkZcpk0a — Kerry/Kez Rush - Positive Change Arts Projects (@PCAPonline) November 21, 2020
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Sia told another Twitter user that she felt that casting an autistic person with her character’s “level of functioning” was “cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community.”
I agree. I’ve never referred to music as disabled. Special abilities is what I’ve always said, and casting someone at her level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community. — sia (@Sia) November 20, 2020
Although some may think this “executive decision” was pragmatic, Gross said ASAN was “alarmed” that Sia thought that casting a nonspeaking autistic actor would be “cruel.”
“It suggests that she thinks that autistic people don’t understand our own lives and aren’t the people who should be telling our own stories,” Gross told HuffPost. “When people tell stories about autism that cut out an autistic point of view, when storytellers view us as objects to tell inspirational stories about, or when autism is treated as a narrative device rather than as a disability community full of real people, the stories that are told fall flat, don’t speak to our reality, and are often harmful to us.”
When another Twitter user asked if Sia had done any research or consulted the autism community at all, she responded: “Duh. I spent three fucking years researching, I think that’s why I’m so fucking bummed.”
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Yet in the course of the research, it seems she never stumbled upon one of the many online critiques of Autism Speaks. Sia said the controversial organization came on board to consult “long after the film was finished.”
I don't understand how someone could spend "three fucking years researching", have "thirteen people on the spectrum in the movie" and never stumble upon the fact that Autism Speaks harms the autism community. pic.twitter.com/0ETHtbaTGF — Raimey Gallant (@raimeygallant) November 20, 2020
A Twitter user appears to have warned Sia about Autism Speaks earlier this year.
She was literally told pic.twitter.com/UywUVyAnPn — Missy Rivas (@missysuxrivas) November 20, 2020
Sia even went as far as telling an autistic actor that “maybe you’re just a bad actor” when the actor tweeted that her reasons for casting a neurotypical actor to play an autistic teen were merely “excuses.”
How is your heart in the right place when your response to an actor with autism is that are a bad actor. What the hell is wrong with you to reply like that? pic.twitter.com/Mf0CF79YWm — London girl (@Londoner_2019) November 20, 2020
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Alaina Leary, an autistic writer, wrote in Refinery 21 that Sia’s rude remark to the autistic actor only adds “to the prevalent assumption that autistic people are unable to act because we’re not neurotypical, which ignores the incredible diversity of the autistic community.”
Leary also pointed out how Sia’s assertion that casting an actor with the character’s “level of functioning was cruel, not kind,” and shows “how little research she has done on autistic people.”
“Describing someone as low-functioning and making assumptions about their abilities based on how they communicate is ableist, not kind,” Leary wrote.
Gross added that her organization had consulted with the team that made Pixar’s movie “Loop” and offered an example of how autistic actors could be included in narratives involving their lives.
“They brought on a nonspeaking autistic voice actress, Madison Bandy, to play a nonspeaking autistic character,” Gross explained. “And they modified their recording process to allow her to participate in a way that worked for her.”
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Gross added that autistic people often need accommodations for work, including in the entertainment industry, “but that doesn’t mean that we are not worth hiring or including.”
“It’s deeply disappointing to see Sia using her platform to attack autistic people who’ve spoken up about their concerns about the film,” Gross concluded to HuffPost. “When you speak over a marginalised community to tell their story without their input, people will object to that.”
She added:
“If Sia truly wants to be an ally to the autistic community, she’d listen to the feedback she’s getting and learn from autistic people about how we want to be represented.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Is It Possible To Get Covid-19 And The Flu At The Same Time?

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As the coronavirus pandemic surges to record highs across the country, flu season is off to an unusually slow start. Usually around mid-November, the flu has a solid footing in the Northern Hemisphere, but right now we’re only seeing a handful of scattered influenza outbreaks. Experts predicted ― and hoped ― this may happen thanks to the measures many are taking to fight Covid-19.
But this doesn’t mean the threat of “twindemic” is behind us. The flu usually doesn’t peak until around February, so there’s still plenty of time for the virus to gain momentum in the nation and converge with Covid-19.
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As infectious disease experts have warned, a twindemic would put even more pressure on our already distressed health care system.
A substantial portion of the population could get sick with both infections within weeks or months of one another, and some very unlucky people could contract both infections at the same time.
Already, a handful of people in the US, UK and China have been co-infected with the coronavirus and influenza. Though data is limited in how the viruses interact with each other and together affect the body, early evidence suggests those who contract both have a rougher go of it.
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How someone could contract both viruses simultaneously
The first thing to know about a coronavirus-influenza co-infection is that it’s possible because the two viruses bind to different parts of the body. They aren’t competing with each other when it comes to infecting our cells.
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Some evidence on influenza co-infections suggests a short window exists in which one viral infection could inhibit a second viral infection from successfully fusing with our cells, according to Dean Winslow, an infectious disease specialist with Stanford Health Care. But that “window is very short and unpredictable,” Winslow told HuffPost.
So while some people may bypass a co-infection if the timing is just right, others may not be so lucky. Winslow said it’s also unclear if that protection exists only between influenza strains or if it holds up with other viruses like the coronavirus.
Co-infections often lead to worse outcomes
The general belief is that a Covid-19 and influenza co-infection could be devastating.
Matthew Heinz, an internist treating Covid-19 patients in Tucson, Arizona, said he’s treated numerous patients who’ve had co-infections with the flu and other common coronaviruses in the past.
“They look worse, they sound worse, they take longer to recover,” Heinz told HuffPost.
Early data suggests the same is true with Covid-19. A study from the UK found that co-infected people typically had bleaker outcomes. Those co-infected had a doubled risk of dying compared with patients infected solely with Covid-19 (and nearly six times greater mortality risk compared with those with neither infection). They were also more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and require a ventilator. Researchers in China and Iran have published similar findings.
Influenza can harm the body similarly to Covid-19 — both cause decreased blood oxygen levels, respiratory issues and inflammation.
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“Really all strains of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are potentially very, very lethal infections,” Winslow said. “Having [these] two infections at the same time could potentially make the inflammatory response much worse.”
The risk is expected to be greater among people more susceptible to each virus — such as older adults and people with underlying health conditions like obesity, cancer and lung disease.
“Those vulnerable groups overlap between both illnesses,” which puts them at an even higher risk, said Onyema Ogbuagu, a Yale Medicine infectious disease doctor.
towfiqu ahamed via Getty Images Even though it's been a quiet flu season so far, experts recommend getting tested for both influenza and Covid-19 and taking the proper precautions.
The immune response may not work on both
According to Ogbuagu, there are both general and specific immune responses that a body mounts to fight a viral infection. In theory, that general immune response may be able to help out with other viruses to some degree.
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“Once that’s revved up, it can mitigate the severity of a second co-infection,” Ogbuagu said.
Unfortunately, for some people, that general immune response might not be enough. And the more targeted response, which our immune system specifically produces for each distinct virus, won’t be effective at fighting other pathogens.
“What [the immune system] throws at one virus doesn’t work on the other, so it has to figure out how to do both. It’s very taxing for the immune system to be fighting off two aggressive and severe respiratory illnesses at the same time,” Heinz said.
Get tested for both illnesses this season
Because it’d be easy to miss one of the infections or misdiagnose one as the other, it’s critically important to get tested for both. The treatments for Covid-19 and influenza are very different, and you definitely want to ensure both infections are appropriately treated.
“Knowing that a person is co-infected and knowing what this does to the overall morbidity and mortality, the whole disease course, you will be more aggressive and more aggressive faster,” Heinz said.
Doctors are still gathering data on co-infections. With flu season just kicking off, researchers suspect co-infections have been underreported. “We just haven’t had enough cases of co-infection to determine if there are better or worse outcomes,” Ogbuagu said.
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As we head into the colder months, we’ll see a clearer picture of how co-infections play out in different people. For now, health experts say the best way to prevent both infections is to continue practicing all the recommended pandemic safety precautions.
“We really need everyone to get a flu shot, and we really need everyone to wear their masks and socially distance and buckle down and stick to it,” Heinz said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--McDonnell Urges Corbyn To ‘Calculate The Pain' Caused To Jews In Anti-Semitism Row

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John McDonnell has urged Jeremy Corbyn and Labour to “keep on apologising” to Jewish people for the pain caused by anti-Semitism in the party.
In a new podcast, the former shadow chancellor said he wanted Corbyn’s reinstatement as a Labour MP but accepted that the “language” and timing of his response to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission report into the issue had caused friction in the party.
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Corbyn was this week warned by Labour chief whip Nick Brown that he had to unequivocally apologise for his claim that anti-Semitism in the party had been “dramatically overstated” for factional gain by his critics.
Defenders of the former leader are backing his legal challenge to Keir Starmer’s decision to withhold the parliamentary whip, arguing that he was factually correct to point out that 0.3% of party members had a case of anti-Semitism against them.
But in an interview for Intelligence Squared’s “How I Found My Voice” podcast, McDonnell made clear that the case numbers were not relevant and the key was to acknowledge the impact of abuse on the UK’s Jewish community.
“Numerically, the number of cases of anti-Semitism within the Labour party might be small, but that’s not the issue. It’s the pain,” he said.
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“The point that Jeremy made ages ago, ‘one anti-Semite in the Labour Party is too many’. So you don’t calculate the numbers, you calculate the pain that’s inflicted, and that’s been immense.”
McDonnell stressed that he wanted the party to “move on” and implement the EHRC’s statutory verdict to improve its processes and root out discrimination, and suggested Corbyn and Starmer shared both objectives.
“The anti-Semitism issue has been a nightmare, we’ve got to come out of this nightmare. it’s been a really dark night,” he said.
“Mistakes have been made, we accepted that. Apologies have been made time and time again and I repeat, even now the number of apologies we’ve made to the Jewish community and we need to keep on apologising to them as well.”
But he pointed out that anti-Semitism had long roots in Labour, stretching back to Oswald Mosley’s time as an MP before founding the British Union of Fascists.
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He also criticised posters trialled during the 2005 election under Tony Blair, which were seen as depicting Jewish Tory leader Michael Howard as a Shylock or Fagin figure.
McDonnell’s remarks echo those of Momentum founder Jon Lansman, who told the LabourList website this month the personal pain he felt at Corbyn’s remarks and their timing.
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Lansman, who took part in Labour disciplinary panels that investigated some of the worst cases of abuse, has called for Corbyn’s reinstatement while stressing his words were “not right”.
“I’ve had lots of antisemitic abuse. I am hurt by that. The hurt has not been exaggerated. The hurt is real. So I think Jeremy’s words were not right. I disagree with them,” Lansman said.
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In the new podcast, McDonnell said that he worried that many younger Labour members who flocked to the party under Corbyn were now leaving it over the anti-Semitism row and its consequences.
“I’m saying that you’ve got to stay in, and take us to the next level of these struggles. Accept that our generation, my generation made mistakes around this. And we need to move on.”
Corbyn was reinstated as a Labour party member by the ruling National Executive Committee earlier this month, after clarifying his comments to say that concerns about anti-Semitism were “neither exaggerated nor overstated”.
But following an outcry among Jewish groups and Labour MPs, Starmer decided not to restore his predecessor as a Labour MP.
On Tuesday, Starmer faced fresh opposition from leftwing members of the NEC amid claims he had tried to block the election as chair of a union official who had signed a letter objecting to Corbyn’s treatment.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Ministers 'Letting Down Whole Generation' With Failure To Fund Nurseries

“During a year in which disadvantaged children have suffered the most from the impact of coronavirus, the Treasury must finally bring the uncertainty to an end and deliver a secure, long-term settlement for maintained nursery schools.”
A survey by Early Education and the unions NAHT, NEU and Unison found that 9 in 10 maintained nurseries were not confident they could stay open after the next financial year.
Sally Leese, head teacher at Castle Vale Nursery School, told HuffPost UK: “Maintained nursery schools are mostly located in areas of high deprivation.
“We focus on early education and on supporting the whole family to narrow the gap between our disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers.
“We want all children to receive the best possible start to their education. We also have a higher proportion of children with special needs and work with these children and families to ensure they can access the right provision for them.
“This is increasingly difficult when we do not know what funding we will receive each term to the next. No other part of the school sector has to plan this way.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to set out his mini-budget this week.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Moving In Together? Here's How To Smush Your Styles And Stuff

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You’re reading Relationships DIY, a series full of tips, tricks and perspective on keeping your relationship healthy and happy during the pandemic.
There’s been a lot of talk of turbo relationships in lockdown. Certainly couples are moving in together more quickly than they might have done. Many friends are also making the leap – nesting up in bubbles instead of staying solo.
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Whether you’re buying a new place together or one of you is moving into the other’s person’s place, redecorating can be a good way of expressing your shared ownership of the space. If everything on the floor or walls is owned or chosen by one partner, it can make the other person feel a bit like a guest.
Moving home is a big life event, so it’s understandable it might stir up some anxiety or cause headaches along the way. Couple that with the stress of decorating and furnishing a new pad to suits everyone’s tastes and budget – and you have a recipe for potential conflict.
Before you spend a miserable afternoon fighting over what to buy in Ikea, here are some top tips from interior designers on where to start and how to seamlessly mesh styles and belongings with your significant other or flatmate.
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Maskot via Getty Images
Communication counts
Like everything else when it comes to relationships, communication counts for a lot. There’s always going to be some give and take when it comes to moving in together. Be prepared and start the move discussion early, so you have time to plan, talk through and budget.
It might be worth agreeing on a joint guiding principle before you start the process. London-based interior designer Lisa Mettis from Born and Bred Studio says she lives by the wisdom of William Morris: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
This is particularly important in times when we have to be very mindful of waste and tend to live in smaller spaces, Mettis points out. “Marrying two different styles with thought and clarity does work. It’s what will make a home yours.”
Edit your inventory
Merging your stuff is often a mountainous task, but it’s a mountain that can be conquered if you know the right way. Both parties should know what they’re dealing with from the outset. Decluttering can be rewarding, if hard work emotionally – so allow yourself a few sessions to work through it.
“A couple of weeks before the big move spend a weekend helping each other do a big cleanse,” suggests Mettis. “Create a ‘keep, charity or sell’ pile. Having a clear out can be very cleansing. There is little point carrying the emotional and physical baggage of the unwanted or unloved to a new collective space.”
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10'000 Hours via Getty Images
Once you’ve decided what to ditch, what to keep and what to buy new, you can move on to the next big hurdle – figuring out if there’s enough space for it all.
“If you both have too much stuff you really want to keep, it’s time to get creative with storage. Full height fitted storage can work really well and we love clever storage furniture like ottoman storage beds and footstools,” explains interior designer Jo Sampson, project manager at Absolute Project Management.
“As a last resort, you may find yourselves more willing to declutter once you are in. Anything you don’t unpack within the first six months is a good candidate to get rid of.”
Clash of the styles
Everyone’s design tastes are different and can be deeply emotional. “Often they are connected to our childhood homes and sense of identity,” says Sampson, who says to keep in mind the reason you are doing this is “to create a home you both love”.
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This is why Trish Scorgie, an interiors consultant at Mel Massey Studio, never recommends her clients start completely afresh. “By throwing everything out, this doesn’t reflect any of their personality,” she suggests.
“The best homes are layers of history that have their own narrative – this cannot be bought off a shelf. What starts off as the history and memories of two individuals will soon develop into one which is shared.”
Talk through why you love your respective styles, be honest, and you’ll work out how you can incorporate elements that everyone’s happy with into your home. Figuring how to be sympathetic and embrace each other’s tastes and distastes can be a fine balancing act, but it’s important to be respectful and considerate, especially if design is something that’s a big priority for either or both of you.
“Establishing a ‘house style’ does take time but if you’re really both into interiors it’s imperative you’re clear,” advises Mettis advises. “Let’s face it, we’re increasingly spending more time indoors and with each other. We need to be looking at four walls we love.”
See the bigger picture
Mood boards, mood boards, mood boards, recommend the experts. Pinterest might just become your best friend. It’s certainly a great place to start, somewhere to find inspiration individually, then figure out together how it works.
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“Working through visual media together is the quickest and easiest way to find the overlap in preferred styles,” says Sampson. “Pinterest, watching shows such as Grand Designs, and flipping through interior design magazines is really useful to get an understanding of where the overlap lies.”
Take baby steps in your research, coming back together to consult one another, and make sure you come to a complete agreement before deciding on the big purchases like a bed, sofa, wardrobe, and dining table.
fizkes via Getty Images
Size matters
Get acquainted with a measuring tape because you’re going to use it a lot. Measure your space, then measure it again and measure once more for good measure to ensure everything fits.
“The biggest mistake we see is clients buying oversized furniture for their space. As well as fitting a space, make sure that you leave sufficient distance between items so that you don’t overcrowd a room,” Scorgie advises. “Only buy things that you love – sometimes a significant amount of research is needed to find the perfect item. Make sure that when you go shopping – even if it’s online – you know what you both want so you can ensure that you have a coherent style.”
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Know when to see a professional
Consider an interior designer as a mediator, if you have the budget. Sometimes you just need an unbiased opinion and more often than not they can help save you time and money in the long run.
“We can pinpoint exactly what you can’t put your finger on, style-wise, particularly when marrying two styles in a new home,” says Mettis. “It’s about ensuring both parties are represented in a timely and cost-effective manner, as well as, getting the job done in a timeframe that’s not a one-day project. Also, most interiors designers are versed as an unqualified couples’ therapist!”
10'000 Hours via Getty Images
Compromise isn’t a bad thing
Don’t think of it as the end of the world if you’re compromising. It’s important to discuss the kinds of things you’d like in your home together and reach fair compromises, whether you decide to meet somewhere in the middle or dedicate different rooms and areas to your preferred styles. Plus, your tastes might end up a lot more cohesive than you thought.
“Compromising between different styles will require both of you to let go of some ideas you are attached to and that can be hard work,” says Sampson.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--The Creamiest Mac And Cheese Recipe From A Total Carbs Addict

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Anyone under the age of five knows that yellow food rules supreme. And it doesn’t get yellower than a good mac and cheese. It might be a basic combination, but that doesn’t make it any less of a comfort food superstar.
In fact, in a recent survey carried out by cake shop, Jack and Beyond, 71% of Brits picked cheesy pasta as their all-time best comfort food (followed by pizza and roast dinner). Clearly, the carbs can’t keep us away. We get why.
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Mac and cheese is the dish that pats us on the tum and tells us it’s all going to be okay. Its key ingredients combine all the best features of comfort food: gooey, rustic, warming... and yellow (because we’re all big kids really).
Food writer Laura Goodman keeps things joyously simple with the macaroni cheese recipe in her brilliant cookbook, Carbs. “There are recipes out there that do things like use cottage cheese instead of sauce, insist that cheddar needs help from obscure French friends, and allow only 37g of macaroni per person,” says Goodman, who suggests none of this is really necessary.
“For a classic macaroni cheese you can count on, you need to stand over a large pot of béchamel and personally load it with cheddar and some key accessories,” she adds. Read on for a guide to how it’s really done.
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Macaroni Cheese
Serves: 5–6 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 35 mins
Louise Hagger
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Ingredients:
500g macaroni pasta
100g unsalted butter, plus 3 tbsp for the top
75g plain (all-purpose) flour
1.2 litres milk
275g mature Cheddar cheese, grated, plus 50g for the top
1 tbsp English mustard
1⁄2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
50g breadcrumbs salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and get some salted water boiling for the macaroni.
2. Cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet indicates, drain it, and leave it to one side, keeping back half a ladle of pasta water.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat. When it’s melted, add the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and beautifully beige. Add the milk bit by bit (about 100ml at a time). It’ll take you on a whole journey, thickening up before it smooths back out again. All you have to do is keep stirring. Switch to a whisk if it helps. Once you’ve added all the milk, keep the sauce on the heat and stir through the cheese, followed by the mustard and nutmeg, and then salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add the macaroni to the sauce, along with the pasta water, and stir until even. Tip this straight into a wide, shallow oven dish, using a flexible spatula to get to all the sauce.
5. Melt the extra butter and mix it with the extra cheese and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle this mix over the macaroni cheese.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Cyberbullying Is Rising In Lockdown. I’m Fighting To Stop That

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Growing up, I had many difficult, traumatic experiences of bullying.
It started in primary school, where I felt left out and saw myself as ‘the girl who never gets picked’. Looking back now, it was all very minor, but at nine it felt like the end of the world. Moving to a different primary school gave me something of a safe bubble, but that burst once again when I started secondary school with the ‘big kids’.
There, I had my first encounters with keyboard warriors and the hate that comes from social media and anonymous forums. Despite having my GCSEs then A-Levels, my attendance dropped to the point I was missing almost a day every week.
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The bullying not only tainted my learning experience; it had a big impact on my mental health. It was like I had no safe space, in real life or online. Without exaggerating, it was like a clip out of a teenage chick flick: I spent most of my time in the toilets waiting for the bell to ring so I could go straight to my lessons and avoid the common room, or worse ringing my mum begging her to come and pick me up.
I left school to try and finish my A-levels at home, where the internet proved to be both a distraction and a passion. I began filming some YouTube videos every now and again I’d make video uploads. Leaving school after my AS Levels to create on YouTube full-time was never the plan, but it allowed me in a far better environment to flourish, be creative and find myself.
“Factor in the isolation and social distancing and it’s no surprise if there has been an increase in bullying online”
It was through my followers that I learned my experience with bullying was far from unusual. Like me, a lot had experienced issues with social media, where, from anonymous forums to fake accounts, bullies aren’t accountable in any way for what they say and do.
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The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t helped. Naturally, we’re all aware that young kids experience cyberbullying, but factor in the isolation and social distancing and it’s no surprise if there has been an increase in bullying online. Many people, whether children or adults will be bullied through comments, posts and messages and finding that safe space in lockdown has proved harder than usual.
Inspired by my followers’ stories, I decided to do something about it. That’s how, two years ago, my ‘DM group chats’ came to life, where I hang out once a week with a group of followers in need. Sometimes we chat for up to three or four hours, sharing stories, we talk about things you would with your friends. It’s all very casual and I’ve come to feel like a big sister to thousands of young women. I’d usually see their faces at events and meets up, but we haven’t had that this year, so it’s great to be able to use technology to bring us together instead of dividing us.
“The thought of other young people going through what I did – especially if they don’t have an outlet or safe space, or have to go through it alone – breaks my heart.”
More recently, I created a chat on instant messaging platform Discord, which over 3,000 young people have joined. It’s a safe place to pop in and out of for a chat, a moan or even a movie recommendation, monitored for safety, and I’m in there chatting daily too.
Creating my chats has not only brought me so much closer to the people that support me, but it’s given them something that I wish I had when I was younger: someone to laugh at a meme with, someone to ask which outfit they prefer on me. Things that, when you’re being bullied, you don’t tend to have.
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The famous line that “you never know what’s going on behind closed doors″ couldn’t be more relevant right now. More than ever, we never know what people are dealing with – and in the middle of this pandemic, that hate comment you post out of frustration or boredom could have detrimental effects.
The thought of other young people going through what I did – especially if they don’t have an outlet or safe space, or have to go through it alone – breaks my heart. I know I can’t stop people being bullied, but what I can do is offer anyone going through it an ear and a positive community where they feel safe and welcome.
Emily Canham is a YouTube creator and anti-bullying activist. Follow her at @emilycanham on Twitter and Instagram


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Why We Will Still Need Mass Testing Even When There's A Vaccine

This month has seen three major vaccine breakthroughs, giving hope that an end to the pandemic is in sight.
The latest of these – the Oxford University and AstraZeneca jab – was bolstered this week by prime minister Boris Johnson indicating the “vast majority” of people most in need of protection would be able to receive vaccination by Easter.
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With such positive developments, you might be forgiven for wondering whether the government needs to plough ahead with its estimated £40bn plan for mass coronavirus testing.
The answer, it turns out, is a big yes. We spoke to the experts to explain why.
It will buy us time
But getting people vaccinated will be a major logistical undertaking and health secretary Matt Hancock’s increasing confidence that life will be closer to normal by spring could be premature.
“It’s going to take time – months at very least. And that’s assuming everything goes well,” said Professor Rowland Kao, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Edinburgh. “So we just need to temper our expectations in terms of how rapidly things go.
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“That’s not a reason to think all of this isn’t fantastically good news. It just means that when the vaccine is being rolled out, we need to remain careful initially as to what that vaccine is actually doing.”
This is where mass testing comes into the equation, according to Dr Joshua Moon, a research fellow at the University of Sussex. “Eradication will require an understanding of where the virus is most prevalent and where to target vaccine resources.
“The spread needs to be monitored and measured geographically through testing to ensure vaccine resources are being targeted to where they are needed most.”
“We need to temper our expectations in terms of how rapidly the vaccine will be rolled out.”
Widespread testing is needed for experts to understand coronavirus better in order to tackle it. “The reason we know about co-infection [what happens when people are infected with more than one type of virus at once] is that some people have been randomly screened when they’ve got on a flight,” said Professor Sally Cutler, a medical microbiology lecturer at the University of East London.
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“We’re learning all this information because of the continual screening of the population in order to look at viral circulation, so we really must keep doing that at this point in time so that we can build up that database.
“Testing should be permanent on the list of things we need to carry on doing, so we can generate the data to understand the efficacy of the vaccines and the virus itself.”
Mass testing will also help us tackle – and prevent – future outbreaks of other deadly viruses. “This was not the first global pandemic and, with climate shifts affecting virus and vector geography, it won’t be the last,” said Moon.
“Countries will need to prioritise the building of health systems capable of caring for populations in the event of another novel pathogen. This includes an ability to test for pathogens and support case isolation in the event of another global pandemic.”
A pedestrian wearing a face mask. TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
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There is a lot we don’t yet know about the vaccines
The government has said it is ready to start vaccinating in December, provided at least one vaccine is approved by regulators. The problem is that hasn’t happened yet.
For one thing, none of the data from the experimental vaccines have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. “It’s a shame and that is not the best way to go about good science,” said Dr Angela Raffle, a social and community medicine lecturer at the University of Bristol.
“The news about vaccines is all very promising,” said Cutler. “But I’ve got a lot of questions over efficacy and safety that I haven’t seen any data for yet.
“If you actually look at the data from the various trials you realise the numbers [of volunteers] are so small, as well as the fact that you don’t know how many cases have occurred through community transmission.
“Another thing I’m really worried about is that the people who generally volunteer for vaccines will have been relatively healthy in all other aspects. What about the people in the general population that may have co-morbidities: the diabetics, the people with cancer and immunosuppressive therapies?
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“The ones who are going to be top on the priority list are vulnerable, and I’m really nervous about what is going to happen with these groups. How are they going to respond to the vaccine? We just don’t know because we don’t have the data on that.”
Kao agreed there is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the vaccines. “One of the most important things to note at the moment is that there is still a lot of things we don’t know about any of the candidate vaccines.”
Key to controlling the spread of Covid-19 is breaking transmission, and it is not yet known what role the vaccines will play in that.
“It’s really good news that people are being protected from getting symptoms or testing positive, but it doesn’t tell you whether or not these individuals are also prevented from being infectious and giving the virus to others,” he continued. “It doesn’t guarantee that transmission might go on for quite a long time even after a vaccine is deployed.”
There is also a question mark over the form and length of immunity that is generated from Covid-19, and what antibodies are needed to mount an effective response. “We don’t know anything about the duration of the vaccines’ protection,” said Cutler.
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“Some people who have been naturally infected with the virus are actually coming down with reinfections, so if the vaccine is going to be the same then that is quite concerning.”
A lateral flow immunoassay diagnostic device. Ben Birchall - PA Images via Getty Images
There is no silver bullet to ending the pandemic
Cautious optimism should rule, instead of placing all our hopes in the vaccine basket. “You have to be careful not overhype any individual thing as being the thing that’s going to solve everything,” said Kao.
“The point is that this isn’t a ‘one silver bullet’ kind of situation – it’s about the different tools we have at our disposal that will help us, which hopefully means we will get things back to something close to normal sooner, rather than later.”
The problem with mass testing in the UK is that – in its current form – it is extremely flawed. “Mass testing will help give that broad overall population-level perspective. The problem is the current testing programme has not been sufficient. It needs to be faster and it needs to be able to convince people to comply with things like self-isolation.”
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As Cutler puts it, the model of an infectious disease such as Covid-19 is like an iceberg. “You only get the peak sticking up above the water, and that’s just symptomatic individuals. The problem with earlier testing was that you could only get a test if you were symptomatic.
“The bulk of people under the surface feel fine and didn’t get tested, so a lot of people out there in the community carried on life as normal, potentially spreading infection with them. The way testing is being rolled out now and broadened to be more accessible is finally positive.”
It’s also very expensive. “If you look in the BMJ [British Medical Journal], you will see the level of disquiet from highly-experienced health professionals at the way the government has gone about its decision-making,” said Raffle.
“Testing should be permanent on the list of things we need to carry on doing.”
“Ministers can wake up one morning and decide they’re going to spend £100bn on a mass testing programme, without even asking their very own national screening committee.
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“For mass testing to be a worthwhile use of resources, we need to evaluate it really carefully. You need to be ethical. You need to respect people’s autonomy; treat them like adults. No coercion, no persuasion.”
There’s also the concern that widespread testing could give people a false sense of security, as rapid Covid tests don’t detect 100% of cases and a person can risk being infected after taking one.
“When you do mass testing, the impact of telling people who are negative could actually wipe out any potential benefit, because all those negative people might go: ‘Oh I don’t need to worry so much,’” said Raffle.
“Unless we really impress on everybody who is negative that negative is not really a guarantee, then mass testing could actually be counterproductive.”
Although that glimmer of hope on the horizon isn’t entirely misplaced, Cutler admits our race to find the Covid-19 vaccine could potentially be a “double-edged sword”. “The world is crying out for vaccines but the public will absolutely crucify anyone if something goes wrong.
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“The danger is that bad news for one vaccine would be really bad news for all vaccination campaigns, because a lot of the general public will see something bad happening in one vaccine and think that applies to all vaccines.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-25--Windrush Scandal A 'Shameful Stain On British History', Says Equality Commission

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The Home Office’s “hostile environment” immigration measures contributed to serious injustices faced by the Windrush generation, a damning report has found.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the Home Office failed to comply with equality law when implementing a series of policies first introduced in 2012 by then home secretary Theresa May, and labelled the Windrush scandal a “shameful stain on British history”.
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The idea was to make staying in the UK as difficult as possible for people who do not have leave to remain in the hope they will depart of their own accord.
The commission found that negative consequences of the policy on Black members of the Windrush generation were constantly ignored, dismissed or their severity disregarded after it looked into how the Home Office complied with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
It was also discovered that there was limited engagement with representatives of the Windrush generation, even as the severe effects of hostile environment policies began to emerge.
Exceptions to the PSED for immigration were found to have been interpreted incorrectly or inconsistently in many cases, and there was a general lack of commitment from the Home Office to equality, the report said.
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The findings of the assessment support the view of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review that the experiences of the group were “foreseeable and avoidable”.
Caroline Waters, interim chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “The treatment of the Windrush generation as a result of hostile environment policies was a shameful stain on British history.
“It is unacceptable that equality legislation, designed to prevent an unfair or disproportionate impact on people from ethnic minorities and other groups, was effectively ignored in the creation and delivery of policies that had such profound implications for so many people’s lives.
“Our review has identified where the Home Office fell short of its legal obligations.”
The Home Office has committed to entering into an agreement with the EHRC to make clear the actions the department will take to avoid similar events occurring.
The EHRC has recommended the department should consider the historical context and cumulative implications around immigration policies and take meaningful action to fully understand and comply with the PSED.
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Home secretary Priti Patel and permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft said in a statement: “We are determined to right the wrongs suffered by the Windrush generation and make amends for the institutional failings they faced spanning successive governments over several decades.
“This report highlights a number of important areas for improvement by the Home Office, building on the work we are already doing in response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review to apply a more rigorous approach to policy making, increase openness to scrutiny, and create a more inclusive workforce – including by launching comprehensive training for everyone working in the Home Office to ensure they understand and appreciate the history of migration and race in this country.
“We are working closely with the EHRC on an action plan designed to ensure that we never make similar mistakes in the future.”
It comes as MPs launched a new inquiry into the Windrush Compensation Scheme amid concerns the scandal’s victims have experienced “serious delays” and problems with claims.
As well as facing long delays in receiving payouts, applicants have also complained of having to struggle with complex forms.
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Labour’s Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said: “This is a damning report from the EHRC which shows how much the Home Office needs to change.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Met Police Officers May Face Criminal Charges Over Photos Of Sisters Killed In Wembley Park

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Two Met Police officers may face criminal charges over inappropriate photographs of two sisters who had been stabbed to death in a north-west London park.
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) believes a criminal offence may have taken place and has handed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which will now decide whether to bring charges.
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Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were killed in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, in June after meeting friends to celebrate Henry’s birthday.
Later that month allegations emerged that two police officers had taken inappropriate photos at the crime scene and subsequently shared them. The case was referred to the IOPC by the Met.
The watchdog also launched a separate investigation to examine the conduct of a further six officers who allegedly were either aware of, received, or viewed the inappropriate photos and failed to challenge or report them, as HuffPost UK reported in August.
The two officers, who have not been named, were initially detained on June 22 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. They were released under investigation and suspended from duty.
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The IOPC is also examining other potential instances of misconduct in relation to this case which include allegations officers shared or utilised answers prior to a police exam, the use of discriminatory language and an allegation one officer took an inappropriate photo at the scene of a sudden death and subsequently shared it.
In total some 13 officers have been informed their conduct is under investigation for potential breaches of standards of professional behaviour.
Moreover, the IOPC has recommended that the Met takes steps to ensure all officers within a police station in the north-east area conform to the expectations of their behaviour under the Code of Ethics at all time.
It also suggests that the Met should review whether supervisors and senior management at that police station are taking personal responsibility to identify and eliminate patterns of inappropriate behaviour.
Nicholas Free via Getty Images
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A separate investigation into how the Met handled a number of calls from the family and friends of Smallman and Henry, who were concerned about their whereabouts, remains ongoing.
IOPC regional director for London Sal Naseem said: “As a result of our enquiries so far we have made two fast-time recommendations to the Met. These seek to ensure that police officers, their supervisors and senior management teams all take responsibility for a culture that is in line with the Police Code of Ethics and where inappropriate behaviour can be openly challenged.
“Last month we also referred one strand of our investigation to the CPS as the evidence we have gathered indicates a criminal offence may have been committed. A report has also been sent to the Met to consider its next steps in terms of potential disciplinary proceedings for the two officers.
“Uppermost in our mind remain the family of Nicole and Bibaa, and we continue to provide them with regular updates. We also ensure the officers involved are aware of developments in our investigation.”
Danyal Hussein, 18, of Guy Barnett Grove in south-east London, was charged with the sisters’ murder on 2 July. He was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon. A provisional trial date has been set for October 2021.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Explained: The Row About Oxford's Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Results

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Oxford University and AstraZeneca have acknowledged a manufacturing error meant some trial participants received only a partial dose of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
The announcement has raised questions about why researchers did not mention the error when they claimed the jab was “highly effective” just days ago.
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It has also raised some concerns about the part of the study which showed a 90% success rate. Oxford and AstraZeneca have since addressed these issues and explained the next steps for the jab, to ensure its safety and effectiveness.
Here is what we know:
The study
On Monday, Oxford and AstraZeneca announced preliminary results from trials showed an average efficacy of 70% – a figure reached by pooling the results from two different dosing regimens.
One month apart, one set of volunteers received two identical doses while the other received a half-dose, and then a full dose. In the first group, the efficacy was 62%. In the second, 90%.
The results were hailed a success, but it has since been revealed that some volunteers were only given a half dose because some of the vials did not have the right concentration of vaccine.
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Mene Pangalos, R&D lead at AstraZeneca, admitted to this dosing error to Reuters on Monday.
The manufacturing error was only caught when some of the people in the study did not show the usual adverse effects. Oxford has said it discussed the problem with regulators and completed the late-stage trial with two groups.
The second subgroup – the one that had a 90% efficacy – was also limited to participants aged 55 and below.
In a statement on Wednesday, Oxford acknowledged a difference in manufacturing and measurement processes meant later phases of its clinical studies resulted in half a dose being administered instead of a full one.
“The methods for measuring the concentration are now established and we can ensure that all batches of vaccine are now equivalent,” it said.
What this could mean
Boris Johnson during a visit to the Jenner Institute in Oxford where he met scientists who are leading the vaccine research. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Some parts of the scientific community have responded to the news with confusion and discontent, with Oxford and AstraZeneca coming under fire for lack of transparency.
Experts have said the relatively small number of people in the low dose group – 2,741 compared to the 8,895 people who received two full doses – means it is difficult to know if that average efficacy is accurate.
The fact that the low-dose group were all aged 55 and under has also sent alarm bells ringing. Younger people are generally at a lower risk of developing severe Covid-19, so the results of the group could merely reflect this stronger immune response.
This is a particularly significant problem because many people on the list of groups to be prioritised to receive a Covid-19 vaccine would fall into the category of over the age of 55.
Experts have also highlighted the fact that the results of the Oxford vaccine trials came out of two separate studies: one in the UK and one in Brazil.
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In the UK, participants who were not given the vaccine were administered a meningococcal vaccine. In Brazil, the equivalent group was administered a saline placebo.
The variation in “control” injections in volunteers has led to concerns that the data is not standardised and cannot be combined into a single efficacy result.
Experts have said this error – as well as some other irregularities - have damaged confidence in the reliability of the results.
“We just don’t have all the information we need to tell whether these results are reliable,” Natalie Dean, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida, told the Financial Times.
“We certainly don’t have enough information in the public domain to decide whether this half dose is really working.”
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Another point of confusion comes from a decision to pool the results to reach an average 70% effectiveness, said David Salisbury, and associate fellow of the global health program at the Chatham House think tank.
“You’ve taken two studies for which different doses were used and come up with a composite that doesn’t represent either of the doses,” he told Associated Press. “I think many people are having trouble with that.”
By combining two separate trials into one combined data, Oxford/AstraZeneca could be indicating results from each were not clear enough to release on their own, Wired magazine reported, calling the incident a “scientific red flag with flashing lights”.
This could also mean the Oxford vaccine might not receive regulatory approval as soon as hoped.
John LaMattina, a former president of Pfizer’s global R&D unit, said it would be hard to believe regulators in the US would issue an emergency-use authorisation for the vaccine.
Hard to believe that the FDA will issue an EUA for a vaccine whose optimal dose has only been given to 2,300 people. More data for this dosing regiment will be needed. https://t.co/WfxYkGNCXu — John LaMattina (@John_LaMattina) November 24, 2020
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What have Oxford and AstraZeneca said?
A spokesperson from AstraZeneca said the trials were “conducted to the highest standards” and met their primary efficacy endpoint.
Details of the trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and provided to UK regulators. These will provide a more complete picture of how effective the vaccine really is, and help regulators decide whether to authorise its distribution.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson from Oxford University said: “During the phase III trials, our UK study used two dose levels.
“The initial dose selection, which was agreed with regulators, was based on the same measurement of the concentration (using spectrophotometry) used in the phase I study, but, as a result of a difference in the manufacturing process for the later study, this method was subsequently shown to over-estimate the dose on the new batches of vaccine resulting in a half dose of the vaccine being administered as the first dose.
“We have different ways of measuring the concentration of the vaccine and when it was apparent that a lower dose was used, we discussed this with the regulator, and agreed a plan to test both the lower dose/higher dose and higher dose/higher dose, allowing us to include both approaches in the phase III trial.
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“The methods for measuring the concentration are now established and we can ensure that all batches of vaccine are now equivalent.”
What about the other vaccines?
The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech experimental vaccines only involved single trials and released trial protocols weeks ahead of time for expert scrutiny.
But neither of the jabs have been tested for whether they break transmission of Covid-19, only for whether they stop people from developing Covid-19 symptoms or testing positive.
Despite this recent news, the Oxford vaccine is still the best hope for many countries as it is cheaper than the mRNA vaccines and can be stored in a refrigerator instead of a freezer.
It is also the UK’s best chance for mass vaccination by the end of spring, as the government has already ordered 100 million doses to vaccinate 50 million people.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--US Billionaires Grow Wealth By Over $1 Trillion Since Coronavirus Pandemic Began, Says Report

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Billionaires in the US have grown their wealth by over a third — or by more than $1 trillion — since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the nation in March, a new report finds.
At the same time, the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has left millions of Americans jobless and struggling to pay their mortgages, rents and food bills.
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A report released Wednesday by the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies tracked the net worth of the over 650 of the wealthiest Americans from March 18 to November 24, and found that dozens joined the ranks of billionaires during this period and that 29 saw their wealth double amid the pandemic.
The net worth of this minuscule group is twice the amount of wealth of the bottom 50% of US households — about 160 million people, per the report.
Billionaires have hit a disturbing milestone:
ONE TRILLION DOLLARS in wealth gains during the pandemic.https://t.co/Za4TttVtl8 pic.twitter.com/Qqr6A3Duqd — Inequality.org (@inequalityorg) November 25, 2020
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An Amazon spokesperson told HuffPost that “nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees,” adding that the company pays workers at least $15 per hour and has provided masks and gloves, as well as on-site Covid-19 testing in certain locations.
Bezos is one of five “centi-billionaires” in the world — people with a net worth over $100 billion — alongside Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Three years ago, there were no centi-billionaires, according to the report.
The US unemployment rate was nearly 7% last month — with over 11 million Americans considered unemployed — nearly twice the level of February, before the pandemic hit.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Washington Post Editorial Board Tears Into Donald Trump: 'A Total Disgrace'

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The Washington Post editorial board slammed President Donald Trump for “leaving the White House just as he entered it: a total disgrace.”
The newspaper’s board tore into Trump in its latest column published Wednesday for pardoning Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying during the Russia investigation, “in what we can only hope will be his last official degradation of his office.”
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The board, a frequent critic of the outgoing president, said that “at least for a couple more months” in Trump’s America “guilty is innocent; lies are truth; traitors are patriots.”
But the question “is not whether Mr. Trump has degraded the presidency,” it continued. “The question is how much long-term damage he has done.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Joe Biden Defends His Cabinet Choices: 'This Is Not A Third Obama Term'

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In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Tuesday evening, President-elect Joe Biden addressed critiques that his administration is relying upon too many figures who previously served under former President Barack Obama.
“This is not a third Obama term because we face a totally different world than we faced in the Obama-Biden administration,” Biden said when Holt asked if his upcoming tenure as commander-in-chief would largely be an extension of the 44th president’s.
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“President Trump has changed the landscape. It’s become ‘America First’; it’s been ‘America Alone.’ We find ourselves in a position where our alliances are being frayed. ... That’s why I’ve found people who joined the administration and keep points that represent the spectrum of the American people as well as the spectrum of the Democratic Party.”
Biden’s incoming administration includes Obama-era politicians like former Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Alejandro Mayorkas, who previously served as the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The president-elect has tapped the men for secretary of state and homeland security secretary, respectively.
When Holt asked if he would consider nominating any Republicans who had previously supported Trump, Biden responded that he had no timeline on such an announcement, but would be open to it to help unite the country.
“The purpose of our administration is once again uniting,” Biden said. “We can’t keep this virulent political dialogue going. It has to end.”
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Holt also asked Biden about potentially appointing former Democratic opponents like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Biden said nothing was off the table but that keeping progressive allies in the House and Senate was foremost in his mind.
“I’ve talked to them,” Biden said. “As I’ve said, we already have significant representation among progressives in our administration, but there’s nothing really off the table. But one thing is really critical. Taking someone out of the Senate, taking someone out of the House, particularly a person of consequence, is a really difficult decision that would have to be made. I have a very ambitious, very progressive agenda, and it’s going to take really strong leaders in the House and Senate to get it done.”
Biden added that he’d spoken with over 20 world leaders who were pleased that “America was going to reassert its role in the world and be a coalition-builder.” He championed his appointees’ experience as evidence that “America is back.”
Nevertheless, the president-elect’s picks have gotten flak from Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), who tweeted this week that the Biden’s Cabinet was filled with typical career politicians with Ivy League diplomas who would ultimately leave the U.S. reliant on foreign powers such as China.
Watch Joe Biden’s remarks below.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--BBC Defends Have I Got News For You After Jeremy Corbyn 'Bombing' Joke Sparks Complaints

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The BBC has spoken out in defence of Have I Got News For You, following complaints over a joke in the most recent episode of the panel show.
Last week, comedian Fin Taylor appeared on the long-running BBC show as a guest panellist and discussed his opinions of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
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“My relationship with Corbyn is like Bob Dylan, in that I only hate him so much because of his fans,” Fin said, going on to refer to certain Corbyn supporters as “fanatics”.
He added: “All you’ve got to do is, next year, bomb Glastonbury. Hopefully Dylan’s headlining. Two birds, one stone.”
The BBC has since revealed that their Executive Complaints Unit has received multiple complaints from viewers “who felt that a guest’s comment about bombing Glastonbury to get rid of Jeremy Corbyn supporters was inappropriate, and could incite violence”.
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Fin Taylor on Have I Got News For You BBC
In response to these complaints, they said: “After more than 30 years on air, Have I Got News For You is a well-established comedy series that has built a reputation for irreverent humour and satire.
“Regular viewers expect the panellists to make jokes and understand that contributions are intended to be funny and amusing, and this edition was no exception.
“It was clear that comedian Fin Taylor was talking about an utterly absurd scenario, in which he compared Jeremy Corbyn to Bob Dylan, and was in no way whatsoever to be taken seriously.”
Regular Have I Got News For You panellist Ian Hislop with Fin Taylor BBC
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Earlier in the year, Have I Got News For You attracted complaints from viewers who felt the show was “biased against Dominic Cummings”, which were dismissed by the BBC at the time.
“We don’t consider that this story received disproportionate coverage on the programme,” they said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Covid Tier Checker: Here Are The Rules In Your Area

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England is now almost entirely in Covid tiers 3 and 4, with more areas joining the south-east and east in the harshest level of social restrictions from New Year’s Eve.
The government will review measures for all areas every two weeks.
Here is everything you need to know about what tier your area is in from New Year’s Eve and what the rules are.
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What tier is my area in?
Tier 1: Medium alert
South-west
Isles of Scilly
Tier 2: High alert
Nowhere in England remains in this category.
Tier 3: Very high alert
East Midlands
Rutland
North-west
Liverpool City Region
South-east
New Forest
South-west
Bristol
North Somerset
South Gloucestershire
Bath and North East Somerset
Cornwall
Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
Areas covered by Dorset Council
Wiltshire
West Midlands
Herefordshire
Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin
Worcestershire
Yorkshire and The Humber
The Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull/Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire
South Yorkshire (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotheram, Sheffield)
West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield)
City of York and North Yorkshire
Tier 4: Stay at home
East Midlands
Derby and Derbyshire
Leicester City and Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
East of England
Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
Cambridgeshire
Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock
Hertfordshire
Norfolk
Peterborough
Suffolk
London
All 32 London boroughs plus City of London
North-east
North East Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland)
North of Tyne Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland)
Tees Valley Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees)
North-west
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool
Warrington and Cheshire
South-east
Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, West Berkshire and Wokingham)
Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex
Buckinghamshire
Hampshire (all local authorities except New Forest, which is in tier 3), Southampton and Portsmouth
Kent and Medway
Oxfordshire
Surrey
Isle of Wight
New Forest
South-west
Gloucestershire (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester City, Stroud and Tewkesbury)
Somerset (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, and South Somerset)
Swindon
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
West Midlands
Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton
Coventry
Solihull
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Warwickshire
What are the different rules in different tiers?
Tier 4
All non-essential shops, gyms and leisure facilities, hairdressers and salons, and hospitality venues are closed.
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People are ordered to stay at home unless they have a “reasonable excuse”. The list of reasonable excuses is vast and detailed in full on the government website, but mostly boils down to work, shopping, exercise, education, childcare and healthcare.
You can go shopping for food or collect items ordered through click and collect; other reasonable excuses include depositing or obtaining cash; fulfilling a legal obligation; attending education or childcare settings; caring for the vulnerable or seeing someone in a support bubble; for respite care; for medical reasons; or for worship and “life events” (like weddings and funerals).
Household mixing indoors is strictly prohibited and only one person can meet up with one other outdoors.
Nobody can travel in or outside of tier 4 unless essential. No tier 4 resident can stay overnight away from their own home.
Nurseries and places of worship will remain open.
The support bubble policy for single person households still applies.
Tier 3
Household mixing both indoors and outdoors is banned. The rule-of-six for gatherings in public gardens or parks applies.
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Shops, gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons and leisure centres will be open.
Hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants, hotels and indoor entertainment venues will be forced to close. Delivery and takeaway services will be permitted, however.
Attending indoor and outdoor sport events is banned.
People should avoid travelling outside their area except for work, education or health reasons.
People should work from home where possible.
Tier 2
Mixing of households indoors will be banned and the rule-of-six for social gatherings applies for outdoors.
Shops, gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons and leisure centres will be open.
Pubs and restaurants can open but alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal, with the same opening times restriction as in tier 1.
Collective worship and weddings can take place, with a maximum of 15 guests.
Outdoor sports can take place but there is a maximum crowd of 50% of overall capacity or 2,000, whichever is smaller.
Indoor sport can take place with a maximum of 1,000 spectators.
People should work from home where possible.
Tier 1
The rule-of-six for social gatherings, both indoor and outdoor, will be enforced, unless for work and education purposes.
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Shops, gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons and leisure centres will be open.
Pubs and restaurants can open, but there is table service only and venues must take last orders at 10pm and close their doors at 11pm.
Collective worship and weddings can take place, with a maximum of 15 guests.
Outdoor sports can take place but there is a maximum crowd size of either 50% occupancy of the stadium or 4,000 spectators, whichever number is smaller.
Indoor sport can take place with a maximum of 1,000 spectators.
People are encouraged to minimise travel and to work from home where possible.
How are tiers decided?
The government has said the tiers are non-negotiable but will be reviewed every 14 days.
What areas are in which tiers are decided using five criteria:
1. An analysis of cases among all age groups
2. An analysis of cases among the over-60s, who are more vulnerable to coronavirus
3. The R rate and how quickly cases are rising
4. How many cases per thousand of the local population


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Government Coronavirus Postcode Tier Checker Crashes Immediately

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A postcode checker on the government website for people to determine which lockdown tier they are in has crashed.
It initially showed that areas including Manchester would be in the toughest tier 3, with London and Liverpool in tier 2 – but people checking later were faced with the message: “Sorry, we’re experiencing technical difficulties.”
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The full list outlining which parts of England will be in which tier when the national lockdown ends was due to go live at 11.30 but did not materialise until several minutes later.
Commons Leader Sir Lindsay Hoyle said it was “not acceptable” that news of the postcode checker was revealed in the media before Parliament.
Labour’s shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz said: “At 11.14am it was announced that you could find out which tier you were in via a journalist rather a statement to the House,” adding: “I think this is an absolutely appalling way to treat parliament.”
government website .
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Sir Lindsay replied: “This House should be informed first. We keep telling the government that is the way that good government should treat and respect this chamber. It is not acceptable to put it online.
“The only good thing about the government [website] is it’s crashed so it’s not helpful, so might be that we do get the statement first.”
He added: “This House should hear it first.”
It is not the first time the government has experienced technical difficulties, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
A daily allowance of 5,000 home test kits – to be posted out to people – was to be made available as part of the push, but the gov.uk/coronavirus site ran out within two minutes.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--Public Sector Faces 'Another Bout Of Austerity', Warns IFS

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The public sector has been warned it should brace itself for “another bout of austerity”.
In an analysis of Rishi Sunak’s spending review, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) sharply criticised the chancellor for his decision to freeze some public sector pay as being driven by “politics not by economics”.
More than one million nurses, doctors and others working in the NHS will get a pay rise as a result of Sunak’s announcements on Wednesday.
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Some 2.1 million public sector employees earning below the median wage of £24,000 will also receive at least £250 extra.
But an estimated 1.3 million public sector workers will see their pay frozen.
This move will negatively impact on firefighters, teachers, the armed forces, police, civil servants, council and government agency staff.
It will mean a real terms cuts in their wages next year.
Sunak said he “cannot justify a significant, across-the-board” pay increase for all public sector workers given the difficulties faced in the private sector amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But the IFS said on Thursday this would probably save only between £1 and £2 billion next year.
“The chancellor has perhaps picked a big fight over not very much money,” IFS director Paul Johnson said.
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“And as ever in the public sector the decisions look driven by politics not by economics or the need to spend money either equitably or efficiently.”
He added: “Two teachers working half time on £20,000 each will each get a £250 pay rise.
“A full-time teacher doing the same job for £40,000 will get nothing. This is no way either to spend public money or to treat public sector workers.”
Johnson also said some areas of the public sector would have a “tougher time” than expected especially after next year.
“Once you account for the government’s various commitments on health, defence and so on, things look extremely tight for everything that remains,” he said.
“This may not quite be a return to austerity, but for some public services it may not feel much different.
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And he added: “Some of those areas could well be facing another bout of austerity if the chancellor does in fact stick to his spending plans.″
Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds condemned the pay freeze for public sector workers and claimed the spending review “takes a sledgehammer to consumer confidence”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-26--How This Slightly Terrifying Covid Robot Is Helping Out At A Hospital

Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters
Introducing Cira 3: a rather scary-looking, remote-controlled robot designed to run a series tests on suspected Covid-19 patients.
The robot is reportedly being trialled to test people for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. It can also take people’s temperatures and tell them to wear masks at the hospital in Tanta, Egypt, where it’s based.
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(And if that robot came rolling down the corridor and told you to wear a mask, let’s face it, you would.)
Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters
Cira 3 has a human-shaped head with bulging eyes, and a computer where its chest would be (if it were human) – this displays people’s test results.
It has wheels so it can move around the hospital and various attachments to help take extra readings of people’s health. It can take blood tests, and perform heart scans and X-rays.
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The designer of the robot, Mahmoud el-Komy, hopes his invention can help limit people’s exposure to infection and prevent the transmission of the virus in Egypt, which is currently facing a second wave.
Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters
El-Komy told Reuters: “I tried to make the robot seem more human, so that the patient doesn’t fear it. So they don’t feel like a box is walking in on them.
“There has been a positive response from patients. They saw the robot and weren’t afraid. On the contrary, there is more trust in this because the robot is more precise than humans.”
Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters