thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-07--UK To Resume Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia In Decision Branded 'Morally Bankrupt'

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The UK will resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the trade secretary ruled that the kingdom was not regularly deliberately breaching international law in the Yemen conflict.
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Liz Truss said a fresh analysis of whether Saudi air strikes were compliant with international humanitarian law concluded any alleged breaches were “isolated incidents” and so there was no “clear risk” in resuming arms sales.
But the decision was branded “morally bankrupt” by campaigners whose legal action forced the government to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia in June 2019, after the Court of Appeal ruled continuing sales would be “unlawful”.
The decision – coming the day after the UK imposed sanctions on 20 Saudi nationals linked to the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi – was condemned as “rank hypocrisy” by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which brought the original case.
It followed claims that Saudi warplanes fighting in the coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels had repeatedly targeted civilian gatherings including weddings, funerals and markets.
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People inspect a school after airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, on Feb. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Hani Ali) (Photo by Xinhua/Sipa USA) SIPA USA/PA Images
In its judgment, the court said the government had failed to make any concluded assessment of whether the Saudis and their allies had committed violations of international humanitarian law and had “made no attempt to do so”.
In her statement, Truss said an analysis had now been carried out of “all credible incidents of concern” and had concluded the Saudis had a “genuine intent” to comply with international humanitarian law and that military exports could resume.
While some had been assessed as “possible” violations of international humanitarian law, the analysis had not revealed any “patterns, trends or systemic weaknesses”.
Truss said: “On that basis, I have assessed that there is not a clear risk that the export of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
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Trade secretary Liz Truss speaks at the City of London international trade dinner at the Guildhall in London. PA
Andrew Smith, of the CAAT, said its lawyers would now be looking at “all options” to challenge it.
“This is a disgraceful and morally bankrupt decision,” he said.
“The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and the Government itself admits that UK-made arms have played a central role in the bombing.
“Only yesterday, the government was talking about the need to sanction human rights abusers, but now it has shown that it will do everything it can to continue arming and supporting one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world.”
Truss said the government would now begin the process of clearing the backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners that had built up since last year.
Shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry called on Truss to come to the Commons on Wednesday to explain the decision which “flies in the face of a Court of Appeal decision last year”.
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Thornberry said Truss must “answer questions” from MPs as soon as possible as there is “huge interest” in the issue.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-07--Johnny Depp Accuses Ex-Wife Amber Heard Of Repeatedly Punching Him And Severing His Finger With A Vo

Johnny Depp Accuses Ex-Wife Amber Heard Of Repeatedly Punching Him And Severing His Finger With A Vodka Bottle

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Johnny Depp has accused ex-wife Amber Heard of repeatedly punching him in the face and severing his finger by throwing a bottle of vodka at him.
On Tuesday, Depp began the first day of his libel action against The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor Dan Wooton, over an article the tabloid published in April 2018 in which they called him a “wife beater” and referred to “overwhelming evidence” that he attacked Heard during their relationship.
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Depp has always vehemently denied being violent towards Heard, and has branded accusations that he had subjected her to “torture and other abuse” as “sick” and “completely untrue”.
He also dismissed claims that he has an “overbearing, manipulative or controlling personality”, alleging that Heard had an “obsessive need” to control him during their relationship.
Johnny Depp during a break in his hearing at the High Court in London PA
In one of his witness statements, Depp claimed that “rage-filled violent incidents on planes were common with Amber”.
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The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor went on to detail one such alleged incident during a chartered flight in late 2014 or early 2015, during which he said she branded him a “pussy” and “spineless” for “running away” from fighting with her.
“Then she became physically violent and repeatedly punched me in the face. As I moved towards the back of the plane to get away from her, she followed me into the plane’s bedroom and punched me again in the face and the head,” he said.
“I pushed her away from me, onto the bed. I then grabbed a pillow and locked myself in the bathroom, where I slept for the duration of the flight.”
Amber Heard arriving in court on Tuesday PA
He also described an incident in which he said she severed his finger by throwing a vodka bottle at him, an injury she has said was caused by him smashing a telephone into a wall.
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According to Depp: “Amber severed my finger with the second of two thrown vodka bottles at me in the early afternoon of Sunday March 8. Amber claims this was on the second day of a ‘three-day hostage situation’.
“Amber claims that during these three days, I subjected her to a variety of what sounds like torture and other abuse. These sick claims are completely untrue.”
Instead, Depp has maintained that Heard did not sustain any injuries during the period of time she described, while he suffered “grievous” injuries including the severed finger and a cigarette being stubbed out on his face.
“As to the other ‘details’ which Amber has now added, I did not urinate throughout the house, I did not paint Amber’s clothes, nor did I hide raw meat around the house,” he added.
Both Depp and Heard wore face covering as they arrived in court Empics Entertainment
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Depp is suing NGN and Dan Wootton over an the article, published in April 2018, with the headline: “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”
The following morning, the words “wife beater” were removed from the headline in question, though he has said the piece caused “serious harm to his personal and professional reputation”, as well as “significant distress and embarrassment”.
NGN is defending the article as true and said that Depp was “controlling and verbally and physically abusive towards Ms Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs” during their three-year relationship.
The former couple attending the premiere of The Danish Girl in 2015 JB Lacroix via Getty Images
The former couple split in 2016 - the year after they married, with Heard filing for divorce in May of that year.
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They reached a settlement three months later, and issued a joint statement calling their relationship “intensely passionate and at times volatile but always bound by love,” adding that “there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.” Heard went on to donate the $7 million (around £5.57 million) settlement to charity.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-07--Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive For Coronavirus

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of a handful of world leaders who has spent months downplaying the coronavirus pandemic and flouting social distancing and health guidelines, has tested positive for the disease.
The 65-year-old far-right leader told reporters he had begun feeling ill on Sunday but was in good health despite running a fever. He added that an examination had shown his lungs were “clean”.
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Bolsonaro has previously dismissed coronavirus as a “little flu”, even as he oversaw a botched government response to the disease which has killed more than 65,000 Brazilians.
It is the second highest death toll in the world behind the US and has forced the digging of mass graves in parts of the country.
Last month he said: “We are sorry for all the dead, but that’s everyone’s destiny.”
The country has more than 1.6 million confirmed cases, overwhelming the country’s healthcare system and pushing some hospitals to the point of collapse.
Despite this he has pushed ahead with the easing of the country’s lockdown and, like Donald Trump, continued to step out in public without any major precautions such as wearing a face covering.
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He has even ventured into crowds to shake hands with the public.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro adjusts his mask as he leaves Alvorada Palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil May 13. Adriano Machado / Reuters
Bolsonaro was tested at least three times for the virus in March after meeting with US President Donald Trump, and all those tests came back negative.
Over the weekend, Bolsonaro attended several events and was in close contact with US Ambassador Todd Chapman during July 4 celebrations, Reuters reports.
Pictures showed neither wearing a mask.
The US embassy in Brasilia said via Twitter on Monday that the ambassador had lunch on July 4 with Bolsonaro, five ministers and the president’s son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro.
The ambassador had no symptoms, but would undergo testing and is “taking precautions”. the embassy said.
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A Brazilian judge ordered the far-right president to wear a mask in public last month after he attended a spate of political rallies without one, even as cases surged throughout the country. At the time, the judge said no one was “above the law” and that Bolsonaro had a “clear intent to break the rules.”
In June, Brazil removed detailed numbers on coronavirus cases from the Health Ministry’s website, claiming without evidence that the figures had been inflated by local officials.
The country’s Supreme Court ordered the data to be restored days later amid claims that Bolsonaro’s government had attempted to mask how severe the outbreak had grown in the country.
The government’s efforts to interfere with coronavirus data came even as positive tests spread through the top echelons of the Brazilian government. In March, Bolsonaro’s top press secretary tested positive for Covid-19.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-07--Draconian Lockdowns Target Low-Income Immigrant Communities

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On Saturday, without warning, more than 500 armed police officers surrounded nine public housing towers in Melbourne, Australia, and placed them under “hard lockdown,” after a number of residents tested positive for coronavirus. Under the hastily imposed restrictions, the harshest in the country so far, the buildings’ 3,000 residents have been banned from leaving their homes for any reason.
Government officials have argued that the draconian measures are necessary in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading throughout the buildings, which are home to many poor, minority residents. Daniel Andrews, the premier of the Australian state of Victoria, said that the government would provide food, health care and other essential services for residents of the tower blocks.
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“You will not be allowed to leave your unit, your dwelling within that tower, for any reason,” Andrews said. “This is not going to be a pleasant experience for those residents, but I have a message for those residents: This is not about punishment but protection.”
Those living in the towers say that the promised government support has failed to materialise, however, and that they have been unfairly singled out, and intimidated by the police presence.
After largely bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control, the virus has surged back in Australia in recent days. On Tuesday, 199 new cases were reported nationally, the biggest one-day rise since early April. Victoria was responsible for 191 of those cases — many of them in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city.
In response, the government is imposing a six-week, citywide lockdown beginning at midnight on Wednesday. But in contrast to the residents of the nine towers, other Melbourne residents will be allowed to leave their homes for work, exercise, grocery shopping and other essential business.
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“This is overt classism and racism,” Tigist Kebede, a mental health counsellor who used to live in the apartment complex and still has family there, wrote on Instagram. “This is not how we treated any other suburbs, apartment building or demographic of people.”
People play tennis near a block of public housing towers that residents have been banned from leaving, on Tuesday. Daniel Pockett via Getty Images
A similar dynamic is playing out in other countries that have largely managed to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. As government authorities move away from broad, national lockdowns and toward more targeted interventions, the new restrictions often affect low-income, immigrant communities the most.
In Germany, hundreds of residents of an apartment building in Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood, many of them poor, migrant families, were placed under quarantine last month following a coronavirus outbreak in the building. In the city of Göttingen, local authorities placed 700 residents of a housing complex in lockdown and erected a chain-link fence around the property, prompting clashes between residents and police.
The Italian government sent soldiers to the southern town of Mondragone, near Naples, last month to seal off a group of apartment buildings occupied by hundreds of migrant laborers, many of them Bulgarians who had come to the town to work as seasonal fruit pickers in the nearby fields.
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The situation has created a tense standoff. Italian residents have gathered outside the sealed off area and chanted “Mondragone is ours,” while workers have protested what they say is racist discrimination.
Singapore, too, saw a surge in coronavirus cases in April, after successfully bringing the pandemic under control. The new cases were traced back to migrant worker dormitories on the outskirts of the city, where crowded rooms could house as many as 20 people. After initially placing dormitories under quarantine, the government is now racing to create additional housing for about 60,000 migrant workers by the end of this year, in order to reduce density in the dormitories.
A man looking out a window of the locked-down housing complex on Monday in Melbourne. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
The situation in Australia highlights the way in which outbreaks among some of society’s most vulnerable people are often met by a heavy-handed government response.
“I looked outside from my window and no nurses, no cleaners, no food — just lots of cops,” Emel Evcin, a 42-year-old mother of two told Reuters by phone from her two-bedroom flat. “This is not a lockdown, this is a lockup.”
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“It doesn’t matter how well we behave, we’re still police and we’re everywhere. Of course it’s frightening,” a police officer at the apartment complex told the Guardian. “But we were the only ones here for the first 12 hours.”
Days after the nine apartment towers were placed in quarantine, residents say they are still struggling to obtain food and other support from the government, and what little food has been provided was often expired or culturally inappropriate for Muslim residents.
“We’re in survival mode,” Kebede told HuffPost Australia.
When the lockdown was announced on Sunday, the government anticipated that it would take at least five days to test every resident for coronavirus. But Andrews said the quarantine could potentially remain in place for 14 days.
“The strategy here is to complete the testing and then as soon as possible, once that testing is complete, to have those nine towers removed to the same footing that the rest of Melbourne will move to,” Andrews said on Tuesday.
Police officers in Göttingen, Germany, face a group of residents quarantined inside a residential housing complex, June 20. picture alliance via Getty Images
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In the absence of more robust government support, local volunteers and community groups have stepped in to provide fresh meals for residents.
“Despite early reports from the premier’s office, there has been minimal presence of officials from the Department of Health and Human Services on the ground, no clear chain of command amongst the deployed police officers, and no access to regular health care workers that residents rely on for their wellbeing,” a coalition of residents said in a statement on Tuesday, according to HuffPost Australia.
“Hundreds of community members have been left to plug the gap left by the Andrews Government’s punitive response and mismanagement,” the group said.
Indeed, residents have banded together — sharing food and medicine, and translating information about the lockdown restrictions and public health measures into 10 different languages in 24 hours.
They say the government’s response — essentially criminalizing low-income residents rather than helping them — shows a lack of trust and understanding on the part of local authorities, and serves only to stigmatize them while other members of society are burdened with fewer restrictions.
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“The community has lived through the pandemic with the rest of Australia. Residents have been supporting each other to manage the risk of the pandemic since its outbreak in March,” the coalition of residents said.
“There shouldn’t be one rule for some and another rule for others in the same postcode.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-07--Here’s A Quick Lesson On Why You Should Never, Ever Approach A Bear

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A woman in Romania tried to nab a quick photo with a wild bear. The bear had other plans.
The footage captured last week in Bacău showed the woman inching closer to the bear while someone nearby attempted to take a photo.
The bear suddenly lunged forward and the woman ran.
The unnamed person who took the video told licensor Viral Hog that in fleeing the bear, the woman leaped out into the road “risking getting herself hit by a car.” Fortunately, there were no cars and the bear did not give pursuit.
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Romania has the largest bear population in Europe ― and the most bear attacks ― according to a study in the journal Nature published last year. That study found 11 deaths blamed on bear attacks between 2000 and 2015, a number that has since risen.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Ian Wright Says I'm A Celebrity Bosses 'Let Him Down': 'If I Could Take That Time Back I Would'

Ian Wright has admitted that he would take back his time on I’m A Celebrity last year given the opportunity, claiming he feels “let down” by producers over how he was portrayed.
The former footballer was among the campmates on last year’s series of I’m A Celebrity, finishing in eighth place overall.
However, in a new interview with Red magazine, Ian revealed that he was unhappy with how he came across during his time on the show, claiming viewers were not given an opportunity to see “the whole picture”.
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“To be totally honest, if I could take that time back I would,” he explained. “They let me down by not showing the whole picture of who I am. We had so many brilliant in-depth conversations that were never shown.”
Ian Wright appearing on I'm A Celebrity last year ITV/Shutterstock
Ian continued: “People sometimes see this persona of me where I don’t seem like I’m vulnerable but I’ve always been a person in touch with my emotions. I’m never far away from feeling like I could cry.
“I have very deep feelings that I’ve had to learn to deal with, but I still have my moments. I’m still working in a field where people are looking for mistakes to end you. I’m lucky I have a good circle of people around to look out for me and I’ve got my missus.”
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HuffPost UK has contacted ITV for comment.
During his time on I’m A Celebrity, Ian made headlines after rowing with fellow contestant Andrew Maxwell, leading some viewers to suggest the former England star was “bullying” the comedian.
Speaking after his elimination, Ian told Ant and Dec: “I feel it is time [to leave]. I got to the [point]... it is becoming more and more difficult to be positive and there are people around you that need to be positive.
“Towards the end, especially young people, I wasn’t positive enough in the end. I feel like my time has come and it has been unbelievable, I swear to god.”
Ian Wright leaving camp ITV/Shutterstock
He added: “The challenge I got [in the jungle], wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be the [trials], but it was more a mental [challenge], I found the mental side of me, I have a lot of work to do on it, I learned a lot about myself being in there.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Rishi Sunak Cuts VAT And Backs 'Eat Out To Help Out' Vouchers In Boost For UK Hospitality

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak will cut VAT by 15% and introduce “eat out to help out” meal vouchers in a bid to save the Covid-hit UK hospitality sector from disaster.
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Unveiling his mini-budget in the Commons on Wednesday, Sunak said he would cut VAT from 20% to 5% for the hospitality and tourism sectors from July 15 until January 12.
The “eat out to help out” discount will also offer 50% off, up to £10 per head, on meals out on certain days of the week during August.
He said the measures would help to protect as many as 2.4 million jobs in a sector of the economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
The temporary VAT cut does not include alcoholic drinks, however, and is therefore likely to anger pubs.
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And while the 50% meal discount can be used “unlimited times” on eligible days, it is only valid for non-alcoholic drinks, the Treasury documents add.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves number 11 Downing Street, to deliver a financial announcement to the Houses of Parliament ASSOCIATED PRESS
Echoing comments made by Boris Johnson when lockdown measures were eased, Sunak said he wants to see pubs, restaurants, cafes and B&Bs “bustling again”, telling MPs: “At the moment, VAT on hospitality and tourism is charged at 20%.
“So I’ve decided, for the next six months, to cut VAT on food, accommodation and attractions.”
Sunak added: “This is a £4 billion catalyst for the hospitality and tourism sectors, benefiting over 150,000 businesses, and consumers everywhere.”
He added that the meal vouchers would help get customers back into restaurants, cafes and pubs.
He told the Commons: “Meals eaten at any participating business, Monday to Wednesday, will be 50% off, up to a maximum discount of £10 per head for everyone, including children. Businesses will need to register, and can do so through a simple website, open next Monday.
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“Each week in August, businesses can then claim the money back, with the funds in their bank account within five working days.”
Responding to the measures in Sunak’s mini-budget, shadow chancellor Annaliese Dodds said “fear is hurting our economy”, with many people still worried about going out to spend again.
She urged the government to get the public health response, including the NHS Test and Track system, “right”, adding: “The best the government can do to boost demand is to give consumers and workers the confidence and psychological security that they can go out to work, to shop, and to socialise in safety.
“So please chancellor work with your colleagues so the public health response catches up with that operating in other countries.”
Labour’s shadow business secretary Ed Miliband also pointed out that the voucher scheme was limited.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Boris Johnson Refuses To Say Sorry For 'Blaming' Care Home Workers For Covid-19 Spread

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Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to apologise to care home workers amid claims he is attempting to blame them for the spread of coronavirus.
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Labour leader Keir Starmer pushed the PM to say sorry in the Commons several times after he sparked fury for saying “too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures” during the crisis.
The PM and his ministers have said that Johnson was referring to the fact asymptomatic transmission between patients was not known about, but he stands accused of “insulting” front line workers.
The virus has spread rapidly among care homes as the disease disproportionately affects the elderly and 257 care workers have also lost their lives.
Martin Green, the boss of Care England, is among many who say the government had a “policy of emptying hospitals and filling care homes” when coronavirus began to grip the country in order to protect the NHS.
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Claiming “the last thing I wanted to do was blame care workers for what has happened”, the PM said: “When it comes to taking blame, I take full responsibility for what has happened.
“But the one thing that nobody knew early on in this pandemic was that the virus was being passed asymptomatically from person to person in the way that it is and that’s why the guidance and the procedures changed.”
At least 20,000 people have died from Covid-19 in care homes.
Residents went without tests. Staff were left without PPE. And all after a decade of cuts to social care.
Shameful of Boris Johnson for trying to blame others for his government's failures. pic.twitter.com/toOO657ycJ — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 7, 2020
“That’s not an apology and it just won’t wash,” Starmer countered.
“It was clear what he was saying and the prime minister must understand just how raw this is for many people on the front line and for those who have lost loved ones.”
The Labour leader then quoted Mark Adams, who runs the charity Community Integrated Care, to the PM.
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Adams had called Johnson’s comments “cowardly” and said the PM was guilty of a “travesty of leadership”.
Johnson again refused to apologise and said he would invest in care homes, before branding Starmer “captain hindsight”.
“By refusing to apologise, the prime minister rubs salt into the wounds of the very people he stood at his front door and clapped,” Starmer said.
“The prime minister and the health secretary must be the only people left in the country who think they put a protective ring around care homes.
“Those on the front line know that that isn’t the case.”
Johnson went on to say he would bring forward long-awaited reforms to the social care sector, something which has been promised by the Conservatives since the party took power 10 years ago.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Employers To Get £1,000 Bonus For Every Furloughed Worker Kept On Staff

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Rishi Sunak has announced the government will pay employers a £1,000 bonus for every person they bring back from furlough.
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The furlough programme has seen the state pay the wages for nine million jobs
The chancellor confirmed on Wednesday the scheme, introduced as the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK, would be wound down “flexibly and gradually” until October.
But delivering a new set of economic measures today, Sunak revealed a new “jobs retention bonus”.
“If you’re an employer and you bring back someone who was furloughed - and continuously employ them through to January - we’ll pay you a £1,000 bonus per employee,” he said.
For businesses to get the bonus, the employee must be paid at least £520 on average, in each month from November to the end of January.
Sunak said: “We’ll pay the bonus for all furloughed employees. So if employers bring back all nine million people who have been on furlough, this would be a £9 billion policy to retain people in work.
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“Our message to business is clear: if you stand by your workers, we will stand by you.”
Unveiling his mini-Budget, Sunak warned that “hardship lies ahead”, but insisted that no-one will be left “without hope”.
He told MPs that the government will do “all we can” to keep people in work.
Sunak said his “plan for jobs” would help protect livelihoods after the economy contracted by 25% in just two months.
He also announced an “eat out to help out” discount offering 50% off, up to £10 per head, on meals out on certain days of the week during August.
Other measures included a £2 billion scheme of taxpayer-funded work placements for 16-to-24-year-olds on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
He also revealed £3 billion green package, with grants for homeowners and public buildings to improve energy efficiency.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Hillingdon Hospital A&E Closes As 70 Staff Members Self-Isolate Following Covid-19 Outbreak

The Hillingdon Hospital Cathal McNaughton - PA Images via Getty Images
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A London hospital has closed its doors to emergency admissions following an outbreak of Covid-19.
Around 70 staff at Hillingdon Hospital are isolating after an outbreak of the virus.
The hospital serves Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
A spokesperson for Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said an outbreak of coronavirus was declared on Friday, July 3.
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“As of Tuesday, July 7, 70 members of staff are now isolating, a number of whom have tested positive for Covid-19,” they said.
“As a result, the trust has taken the precautionary decision to close Hillingdon Hospital to emergency ambulances and emergency admissions.
“The trust is managing the outbreak in line with Public Health England (PHE) guidance.”
In a further statement, a spokesperson for the hospital said the closure would not cause any disruption to current patients.
They said: “A number of our staff have either tested positive for Covid-19 or are self-isolating and as a precaution, in line with arrangements we have in place to maintain safe and high quality care, the London Ambulance Service has been asked to take new patients to neighbouring hospitals to get the treatment they need.
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“Any impact on patient care has been kept to an absolute minimum and there is no disruption to the care of our current patients.”
PHE said the situation at Hillingdon Hospital was an isolated incident.
Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE’s London regional director, said: “We are supporting Hillingdon Hospital after a number of staff who are now self-isolating tested positive for COVID-19.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--What Is Cottagecore – And Why Is It Having A Moment In Lockdown?

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Cottagecore is having a moment – but if you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. The trend has been around for years but, more recently, has been popular on TikTok, because lockdown has pushed its ethos to the forefront.
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So what actually is it, and why are so many people talking about it now? Here’s what you need to know.
Westend61 via Getty Images
What is cottagecore?
Think: idyllic country life, cosy interiors, rolling fields, flower print, straw hats, homemade baked goods, growing plants, raising animals, and flowers.
Simply put, the cottagecore aesthetic is a romanticised interpretation of rural life. It shines the spotlight on self-sustainability, the idea of a more simple life and being in harmony with nature.
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It’s no wonder it’s especially fitting during lockdown, when people have baked so much to the point of a flour shortage and appreciated the beauty of nature around them on daily exercise walks. We’ve embraced home comforts and yearned to leave our usual chaotic lives.
Cottagecore is a celebration of a calming world that brings comfort as people shelter in their homes. It’s easy to see the appeal of a sun-kissed fantasy escape to a twee countryside cottage surrounded by lush forests. Sounds dreamy, eh?
“Think: idyllic country life, cosy interiors, rolling fields, flower print, straw hats...”
Who is doing it?
By the looks of social media, so-called cottagecore devotees include the likes of David Beckham, Millie Bobby Brown, Halsey, and Harry Styles. They’re some of the famous faces leading the way as a prime example of cottagecore, which has started to trickle into the mainstream during lockdown.
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When Little Women came out in 2019, many said the March sisters were “peak” cottagecore. People who find themselves drawn to the aesthetic are using it as a way of grounding themselves and seeking out a calming escapism.
Search the hashtag on any social media site and you’ll see how people are getting in on the trend.
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How can you achieve the cottagecore look?
Whether you’re brand new to the cottagecore aesthetic – or ahead of the curve because you’ve been self-isolating with grandma for months – there’s plenty of ways to embrace the simple farm lovin’ lifestyle.
A cottagecore colour palette consists of mostly muted colours. If you’re looking to spruce up your walls with a DIY lockdown job, opt for pale or muted tones of greens, yellows and warm whites.
Deck out your home with house plants to purify your home’s air and give the illusion that you’re in the middle of a forest. Clothing wise, the must-haves are embroidery, florals, check prints, and chunky comfortable knits. Just keep in mind that if it looks like something your grandparents would wear, then you’re probably on the right track.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Kasabian Ex-Frontman Tom Meighan's Sentencing Is An Insult To Domestic Violence Victims

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Kasabian singer, Tom Meighan, was yesterday sentenced to 200 hours of community service for a sustained physical attack on his girlfriend. The judge commented that “I could have sent you to prison.” Why on earth didn’t he?
Meighan’s actions should have qualified for the most serious category of assault. The attack was sustained over a period of time until the police arrived, and the fact that he tried to strangle his girlfriend means that there was clear evidence of intention to cause greater harm. There were plenty of aggravating factors too, yet, somehow, he skipped prison, sending a message to the millions of women who experience domestic abuse every year that these crimes against us are not serious.
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Kasabian's Tom Meighan ASSOCIATED PRESS
The music industry has long had intersecting problems with drug and alcohol abuse and violence, propped up by the damaging but enduring template of a Rock God (next time you sing along to Delilah or Hey Joe, consider for a moment the words beneath the song). Unlike other industries, it is yet to have its #MeToo reckoning and there are elements of this case that might explain why.
In his sentencing decision, the judge noted that the publicity that the case would invariably attract was “added punishment.” What he failed to see is that Meighan’s fame, wealth and power are part of the unequal context in which the abuse took place – and if reputational damage is a mitigating factor, then surely powerful men will always get away with domestic violence?
Other mitigating factors were that Meighan does a bit of charity work from time to time, and that he accepted responsibility for his crime at the earliest opportunity. Well, not quite. He denied it until he sobered up and saw the CCTV footage and, according to former bandmates, who until yesterday were still describing his departure as a struggle with “personal issues”, he misled fans by choosing not to tell them what he had done. Instead, he thanked them for their love and support and promised he’d see them very soon. That doesn’t exactly scream remorse to me.
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Something that was not a mitigating factor was his girlfriend’s decision not to support the prosecution. The judge was very clear that he could draw no inference from her decision and that it should not mean the crime is treated any less seriously. This might seem odd, but it is one of the things our justice system has right when it comes to domestic violence. Victimless prosecutions, as they are unhelpfully misnamed, recognise that the controlling nature of domestic abuse can make it really hard for a victim to testify, and that the prosecutor has a responsibility to consider the public interest. There is no doubt in my mind, therefore, that the sentencing in this case was too lenient.
The coronavirus pandemic has seen a surge in reported domestic abuse cases, which has shifted public consciousness because people are finally able to imagine what it would be like to be trapped at home with an abuser. As we emerge from lockdown, it is vital that women are able to trust the criminal justice system to take these crimes seriously – as things stand, most of these cases never even reach court. According to the CPS’ own figures, last year there was a 15% drop in prosecutions across domestic abuse and sexual offences. The whole system is letting women down, which is why the Women’s Equality Party is calling for a root-and-branch review of how the Criminal Justice System handles cases involving violence against women.
Despite this, there is hope: this week the Domestic Abuse Bill finally passed into law and buried in the detail of the text was a clause that may have significantly changed the outcome of this case. Thanks to survivors and campaigners, non-fatal strangulation will carry a separate and more serious charge in recognition of the fact that strangulation is the second most common cause of death in domestic violence cases. I only wish it had come sooner.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Piers Morgan Slams Government's Plans To Reinstate NHS Staff's Parking Charges

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Piers Morgan has torn into the government over plans to reinstate parking charges for NHS staff members at the hospitals they work in.
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Arga said: “The provision of free parking for NHS staff by NHS Trusts has not ended and nothing has changed since the announcement on 25 March.
“However, free parking for staff has only been made possible by support from local authorities and independent providers and this support cannot continue indefinitely.”
Responding on GMB, Piers began: “It seems to me utterly ridiculous that doctors and nurses and surgeons and everybody else in the healthcare system have to pay for the privilege of going to hospitals to save our lives.
“This struck me as completely ridiculous, and particularly obscene when [...] a global pandemic strikes this country, and they’re risking their own lives.”
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Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Wednesday's GMB ITV
He continued: “We know that several hundred NHS workers have died risking their lives for us. So what’s their reward? We get to July, and the first wave appears to have, thankfully, calmed down, and their reward is [the government is] now going to start charging… all the people who are working in our health system for parking again at hospitals.
“So, you’re not only going to risk your life, and there may be another wave coming, and we don’t know – not only do you risk your life, you have to pay for the privilege of risking your life… [it’s] utterly disgusting.
“I wonder how many times Edward Argar went and clapped the NHS,” Piers added. “We had all those videos of Matt Hancock [applauding], Boris Johnson… and this is how they reward them. Isn’t it extraordinary? First thing we’re going to do to reward you is to make you pay to park at hospitals again.”
Boris Johnson applauding NHS workers in May ISABEL INFANTES via Getty Images
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The subject of NHS staff’s parking is one that Piers was particularly passionate about when the pandemic first hit the UK, even going as far as to offer to pay any fines that hospital workers accrue during the pandemic.
“I will say now, to any health worker during the future of this crisis, however long it lasts, if any of you get a parking ticket, at a hospital where you’re working, I will pay it for you,” he said.
“I will pay it, and I will then go to the government, and have the battle, and you don’t get involved. Send it in to Good Morning Britain, and I will pay the parking ticket. If that’s what it takes.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--A Minute Of Kindness: The Students Who Rallied To Help Frontline Workers

A Minute Of Kindness: The Students Who Rallied To Help Frontline Workers
This group of over 100 students spent lockdown volunteering everywhere they could, bringing care packages to frontline workers, as well as support with research and childcare.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--'I Live With Pain': The Vaginal Mesh Review Finally Listened To Women

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Listen to our weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? about women’s health, bodies and private lives. Available on Spotify, Apple, Audioboom and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Debbie Cox was a teacher, but vaginal mesh complications forced her into early retirement. The 56-year-old, from Tyne and Wear, was fitted with mesh – which is designed to hold pelvic organs in place – in 2001 following childbirth.
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Five years later, she started to have adverse side effects including bladder and pelvic pain, which grew so severe she couldn’t work. For almost 10 years, Cox says her pleas for help went largely unanswered.
“I was in so much pain and things were becoming unbearable,” she says. “I had a full removal on March 12, 2020. I am recovering now. And only four months on, the difference is outstanding.”
Sadly, Cox’s story is not unique. Thousands of women have come forward to share their experiences of life-changing complications due to vaginal mesh in recent years, but only now are their voices being heard.
A long-awaited review into the the procedure confirms it has caused “anguish, suffering and many ruined lives [that] could have been avoided” – but women regularly had their experiences dismissed by medics as “women’s problems”.
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PA Debbie Cox
A vaginal mesh implant, sometimes referred to as a “sling implant”, is a controversial treatment previously given to women who experienced pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, particularly after childbirth.
It was once common in the UK, with more than 92,000 women receiving a vaginal mesh implant between April 2007 and March 2015 in England alone. But the treatment was “paused” and The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review was ordered by the then health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in 2018 amid concerns about the operations. “We met so many women with limited mobility having to rely on a wheelchair or crutches to move around, unable to sit for periods at a time, unable to play with their children or carry their grandchildren,” the review, overseen by Baroness Julia Cumberlege states. “The effects of these procedures have caused fractured relationships for some and placed some women and their families in dire financial straits. In short, the system does not know the true long-term complication rate for pelvic mesh procedures.”
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Women told the review team of “excruciating chronic pain feeling like razors inside their body, damage to organs, the loss of mobility and sex life and depression and suicidal thoughts”. Despite this, women often felt dismissed when reporting complications, the report says, detailing the “unacceptable labelling of so many symptoms as ‘normal’ and attributable to ‘women’s problems.’”
While there’s relief that women have finally been listened to, the findings of the report will come as no surprise to the women who have long sought help.
Karen Preater, 42, from Rhyl, North Wales, previously told HuffPost UK she had to leave her job due to the intense pain she suffers following vaginal mesh surgery and the drowsiness caused by her painkillers.
“I live with pain 24 hours a day, simple activities like walking upstairs can make the pain more severe, I’ve lost my confidence, my purpose and rely on others to help me out,” she said. “It’s also taken a toll on my mental health, I’ve had times when I just want to fall asleep and not wake up.”
Karen Preater Karen Preater
Beverley Burrows, from Wrexham in North East Wales, had vaginal mesh surgery at the age of 38 due to urinary incontinence after having three children. She told HuffPost UK she still walks with a stick, despite having her mesh removed, due to the longterm damage.
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“Living with a chronic condition can be debilitating; both physically and mentally,” she said. “In some ways I feel like it’s robbed me of hope for the future. I can feel worthless and a burden to my family and I can feel sad, because of the realisation that the life I once knew is now different.”
Beverley Burrows Beverley Burrows
Mandy Bridge, 52, from Lancashire, was a busy mobile hairdresser before having vaginal mesh inserted in 2015. But the procedure left her unable to walk long distances, forcing her to use a wheelchair on days out.
She previously told HuffPost she experienced a stabbing pain from the mesh immediately after the operation, but it took three years of multiple doctors appointments for anyone to listen.
“I couldn’t put one leg across the other,” the mum-of-two said. “To be crude, if I put my finger inside myself I could feel it, it felt like toothbrush bristles. My husband could feel it during sex. It ripped condoms.”
Mandy Bridge Mandy Bridge
The new review accuses medial professionals of displaying “an institutional and professional resistance” to changing practice, even in the face of mounting safety concerns.
The report concluded that “those harmed are due not only an apology, but better care and support through specialist centres”.
Commenting on the review, Kath Sansom, founder of the campaign group Sling The Mesh, said the report “makes it very clear that our medical establishment is deeply entrenched in institutional denial and misogyny”.
“While we welcome all of the recommendations, there is no glory in knowing thousands of women have been maimed by mesh since the late 1990s then ignored when they asked for help suffering debilitating, life-altering and irreversible pain,” she added.
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MP Emma Hardy, who has campaigned for women affected by mesh complications, said: “After many years campaigning and many years of pain, their voices are now finally heard.
“This battle was an uphill one that faced constant dismissal of repeated appeals from many women suffering appalling pain and the mishandling of complaints. However, the repercussions and effects of surgical mesh implants will for many be with them for the rest of their life.”
Health minister, Nadine Dorries, said the experiences of patients affected by mesh, made for “harrowing, but vital” reading. The government would set out a response after giving the review careful consideration, she added.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Met Police Apologises To Team GB's Bianca Williams For 'Distress' Caused By Stop And Search

Julian Finney - British Athletics via Getty Images
The Met Police has apologised to athlete Bianca Williams for the “distress” caused by a stop and search which she claims was a result of racial profiling.
The force’s commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, said that although two reviews of the incident had found there was no apparent misconduct, it had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of “the level of public concern”.
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Speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday, she said: “We apologised yesterday to Ms Williams and I apologise again for the distress this stop clearly caused her.
“Yesterday two of my officers spoke on our behalf to Ms Williams, and I think all of us watching could empathise with somebody who is stopped in a vehicle, who has a young child in the back, who does not probably know what exactly is going on, and is subsequently found, together with her partner, not to be carrying anything illicit.”
A video of the incident, which saw the Great Britain sprinter and her partner Ricardo dos Santos pulled from their car in a London street, was posted online by former Olympic medallist Linford Christie.
Williams has said she believes officers racially profiled her and dos Santos – a Portuguese 400-metre runner – when they were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son.
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Dame Cressida said she has asked a senior officer to review the Met’s handcuffing practices to make sure it hasn’t become a “default”, and has set up an “oversight group” looking at the use of force, PA Media reports.
“Every time we see a video that is of concern we review them, we see if there are any lessons learned,” she told MPs.
“My senior officer has said… I’m sorry to Ms Williams for the distress, it has clearly caused her, and I say that, too.
“So, if there are lessons to be learned from it, we will learn them, and I’m looking at handcuffing as a specific issue.”
Nothing was found in the search, which the Met said was carried out by officers patrolling the area in response to an increase in violence involving weapons.
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The force also said the vehicle was seen driving suspiciously, including on the wrong side of the road, and that the driver sped off when asked to stop.
But this account was rejected by Williams, who has said she is considering legal action against the Met.
“I feel very hurt by their actions, and to witness my partner being taken away and for me to be taken away from my son, my heart hurts,” she said.
IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said the watchdog will be looking at whether the use of stop and search was “appropriate and proportionate”.
He added: “We will also investigate if racial profiling or discrimination played a part in the incident.”
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Diane Abbott, who sits on the committee, asked Dame Cressida whether she accepted one of the reasons the case resonated with communities was because it was “such a common occurrence”.
She said: “You’re a Black man, you’re driving a nice car and the chances of you being stopped, because a police officer thinks you’re a drug dealer or violent criminal, are so much higher.”
She added: “You don’t seem to have a perspective on how this looks to communities. It looks as if – and everyone’s had that experience, in my family, people I know – you’re a Black man in a smart car, you get stopped. And this is what Bianca Williams thought happened to her.”
Dame Cressida said she would be interested to see the results of a wider IOPC review into stop and search, adding: “What you say is not new to me, of course. I have heard it on and off throughout my service.
She added: “I don’t believe that is what is happening now, but I do understand that is people’s perception and we need to respond to that.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Kasabian Condemn Ex-Frontman Tom Meighan In Fresh Statement After Domestic Violence Conviction

The singer pleaded guilty to assaulting Vikki Ager as he appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after it was announced he’d left the band.
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In a new statement, Kasabian said they had “no choice” but to ask Meighan to leave the group as there was “absolutely no way” they could condone his actions.
Tom Meighan at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment,” the band said.
“No one in the band wanted this to happen. We have all worked so hard for the past 23 years and had big plans for our future together. We’re completely heartbroken.
“But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable.”
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Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from the band. Full statement below. Kasabian x pic.twitter.com/vP7Y61sxQA — KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 7, 2020
Prior to his court appearance, Kasabain said that Meighan was quitting the group to focus on “personal issues” and “getting his life back on track”.
Following his conviction, the band said they had decided they “could no longer work with him” as soon as they found out about the charges.
“Unfortunately we had to hold back this information until he was found guilty in court,” the band – who are now made up of guitarist Serge Pizzorno, bassist Chris Edwards and drummer Ian Matthews – explained.
“We were led to believe that Tom would hold his hands up and in his statement tell everyone what he’d done but he chose not to, misleading a lot of fans”.
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(Left to Right) Ian Matthews, Tom Meighan, Serge Pizzorno and Chris Edwards of Kasabian PA
The statement added: “Ultimately, as much as Tom has hurt us all, we’re not the victim in all of this. Domestic violence is something that can never be excused.”
Kasabian’s statement came as domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid criticised Meighan’s sentence of 200 hours of unpaid work.
In court, it was heard how Ms Ager suffered bruising to her knees, left elbow, outer ankle and big toe as well as a reddening around the neck, which she confirmed to officers was as a result of the assault.
Prosecutor Naeem Valli told the court the offence “could be argued to be relatively serious”, describing it as a “sustained assault”.
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Nicki Norman, the acting chief executive of Women’s Aid, called it an “inappropriate” sentence.
She told the Guardian: “Robust sentencing is important for ensuring abusers are brought to justice and for improving survivors’ confidence in the criminal justice system – which far too often they tell us fails to protect them.”
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Covid-19 Droplets May Linger In The Air And Travel Long Distances

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Airborne transmission of Covid-19 “cannot be ruled out”, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said, after 239 scientists penned an open letter warning against underestimating the possibility of this mode of transmission.
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There’s emerging evidence that suggests the virus might linger in the air after being expelled from a person’s nose and mouth – this can occur when a person breathes, talks or coughs.
People release these micro-droplets – also known as aerosols – which are small enough to float around in the air, say scientists, and they pose a risk of exposure at distances beyond 1-2 metres from an infected individual.
Studies have found these small droplets could actually travel tens of metres in indoor settings. The worry is people could then breathe in these droplets and potentially fall ill.
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“We are advocating for the use of preventive measures to mitigate this route of airborne transmission,” scientists wrote in the open letter.
Since the letter was published, the WHO has acknowledged that airborne transmission is a possibility. Something that, up until now, it said there was no evidence to prove.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, Benedetta Allegranzi, technical lead for infection prevention and control at the WHO, said the possibility of airborne transmission in public settings – particularly crowded, closed and poorly ventilated areas – “cannot be ruled out”.
“However, the evidence needs to be gathered and interpreted, and we continue to support this,” she added.
What has been said previously about airborne transmission of Covid-19?
Up until now, it’s been widely agreed Covid-19 can spread from person to person through larger droplets expelled from the nose or mouth when a person coughs, sneezes, exhales or speaks. These droplets could be inhaled by an individual close by or land on surfaces around the person, and we can then catch the virus by touching these surfaces, then touching our eyes, nose or mouth.
But whether or not the virus is airborne has been fiercely contested – the World Health Organisation previously suggested there wasn’t enough evidence to show the disease is airborne – in an analysis of 75,465 Covid-19 cases in China, airborne transmission was not reported.
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It did suggest, however, airborne transmission “might be possible” in healthcare settings, especially during certain procedures or treatments (for example, disconnecting someone from a ventilator). This is why personal protective equipment (PPE) is so vital for healthcare workers.
Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert and Professor in Medicine at University of East Anglia, previously told HuffPost UK: “Although droplets actually have to move through the air [to infect someone], they don’t tend to be airborne.”
Airborne, in this sense, would mean the viruses could stay in the air for a long period of time and travel long distances to infect somebody, he said. “Although it is possible that Covid-19 is in certain circumstances airborne, it probably doesn’t happen very often,” he stressed.
That said, scientists in Finland used modelling to show aerosol particles could remain in the air for several minutes after a person expels them – either through coughing, sneezing or speaking “then end up in the respiratory tract of others in the vicinity,” according to Ville Vuorinen, assistant professor at Aalto University.
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What could be done to prevent airborne transmission?
Scientists who signed the open letter said certain measures should be taken to factor in the airborne transmission risk. One such measure is to provide “sufficient and effective ventilation” to indoor spaces – through supplying clean outdoor air and minimising recirculated air – particularly in public buildings, workplace environments, schools, hospitals, and care homes.
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Other ideas include supplementing general ventilation with airborne infection controls such as using filters that can actually sift out the virus or ultraviolet lights that can kill the virus. And lastly, telling people to avoid overcrowding, particularly on public transport and in public buildings, they said.
Face masks and covers were not mentioned in the open letter. They wouldn’t necessarily help to protect against this mode of transmission.
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: “They [surgical masks] do not protect the wearer from inhaling small particles that can remain airborne for long periods of time. Surgical masks are effective barriers for retaining large droplets which can be released from the wearer through talking, coughing, or sneezing.”
It’s widely agreed that face masks don’t protect the wearer but protect other people from the wearer’s germs. As Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, previously explained: “Wearing a face covering is an added precaution that may have some benefit in reducing the likelihood that a person with the infection passes it on.”
N95 type respirators would be better equipped to filter out smaller airborne particles, however due to global shortages and a great need to keep this PPE back for healthcare workers, members of the public are advised against buying them.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Coronavirus Means Rishi Sunak Has No Choice But To Tax The Rich

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“We need to limit the arbitrary tax advantages of the richest individuals in our society,” is a soundbite that could be straight from the Labour Party playbook.
However, it’s actually from the manifesto that propelled Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson to an 80-seat majority in last year’s general election.
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That phrase looms large today as Sunak confronts a pandemic that is hitting the disadvantaged hardest, while its economic fallout is decimating the dreams of another generation of young people.
It’s important to keep this all in mind when reflecting on the Labour Party’s seemingly mixed messaging about a net wealth tax in the last few days. Because the truth is all politicians are being forced to take the UK’s entrenched inequalities seriously.
And given the way Covid-19 has revealed the fragility of our public services and its disproportionate impact on disadvantaged people, it is surely proper that both political parties grasp this nettle.
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A man sleeps on the pavement in Westminster in London, British people have been told to stay home to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, Friday, March 27, 2020. Local Authorities in England have been asked by the prime minister's homelessness advisor to house all homeless people by the weekend, to help stop the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today’s mini-budget will focus on dolling out more cash to combat the effects of shutting down our economy. In the short term, a combination of cheap debt and money creation will get us through this immediate crisis. Over the longer term, Boris Johnson has promised repeatedly that there will be no return to the failed austerity of the past that left the country badly unprepared when the coronavirus crisis hit.
Johnson would be wise to make good on his promise. On the eve of lockdown polling by my organisation, Tax Justice UK, revealed a country fed up with cuts, tax avoidance and the type of clever accounting loopholes open to big companies and wealthy individuals.
As we emerge from the pandemic there is a chance to reshape our economy so it better serves all of us. This has to involve investment in high quality public services, tackling our entrenched levels of inequality and measures to deal with the climate emergency.
And taxing wealth more effectively will be key to this. A recent study found that some of the richest people in the country pay lower tax rates on the income they receive from their wealth, than the average nurse or hospital cleaner.
If politicians are to tap the enormous growth of wealth the UK has accumulated in recent decades then the public will need to be reassured that corporations and the very wealthy are paying their fair share too. Sunak could start by equalising the tax that people pay on income from shares and dividends at the same rate as the tax people pay for going out to work. This is a reform of wealth taxation that Margaret Thatcher backed when it was introduced in 1988, hardly radical stuff.
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The mixed messages from the Labour party on a high net wealth tax are a sign that the politics of wealth taxation are really shifting. And the truth is that this is a conundrum for the Conservatives just as much as it is for Labour.
Even before coronavirus the Conservatives promised significant investment to “level up” the country. In the long run, this means that tax rises are on the cards. Support for progressive tax reform is starting to emerge in Conservative ranks, while public opinion is supportive of reform. Sajid Javid, a former Chancellor, and usually associated with the small government wing of the party, recently called for a shift away from taxing income to focusing on property and pensions, the two biggest stores of private wealth in the UK.
Make no mistake, reform will be a tough job for a Conservative government simultaneously beholden to new working class voters in the Red Wall, who feel neglected, and shire Tories who have grown used to a diet of tax cuts. But it is a task that, politically, the Conservatives cannot afford to avoid. The alternative is that those who want lower taxes and a bonfire of regulations succeed and leave the country even less prepared for the next big crisis.
Some on the right have long argued that inequality is not as severe as we might think. The editor of the Spectator magazine, Fraser Nelson, points to official statistics showing that income inequality has been flat, or even falling, over the last few decades. But new research has exposed that we’ve been underestimating inequality for 20 years at least.
After 2008, considerable effort was put into arguing that the nation was “all in it together” and that among the losers in the age of austerity were the ultra-rich. As it turns out, this argument was wrong. However, today there is an extraordinary political opportunity to roll back some of the race-to-the-bottom in tax policy that we’ve seen since the 1980s, alongside encouraging more responsible tax practices by business and enacting higher taxes on wealth.
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Sunak has already shown that he can think big when faced with a crisis. As the country builds back better, increasing taxes on wealth will seem like the obvious choice.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Jess Glynne Addresses Restaurant 'Discrimination' Post After Facing Backlash: 'It Wasn't The Right W

Jess Glynne Addresses Restaurant 'Discrimination' Post After Facing Backlash: 'It Wasn't The Right Word'

On Monday night, the Hold My Hand singer claimed staff had refused her entry to the Sexy Fish restaurant in Mayfair because of her outfit, which included a grey hoodie, a black baseball cap and trainers.
After many on social media took issue with her use of the word “discrimination” to describe the incident, in an Instagram video Jess has now admitted “it wasn’t the right word” to have used.
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“OK, I feel I need to come on here and just like pull up on what I posted yesterday,” she began. “Look, I used the wrong word, ‘discrimination’. I take that back, it wasn’t the right word, it was wrong. But I just want to highlight the reason why I posted what I did.”
Jess continued: “Basically, all I wanted to say was that I felt it was very rude and disrespectful in the way that the Sexy Fish staff were towards me and my friend yesterday, and I don’t believe anybody should be spoken to like that. And that’s what I wanted to highlight.
“You know, I’m so understanding and respectful of dress codes and etiquette, a hundred percent. Like, listen, I have been turned away from numerous places in my life, that does not bother me, that’s not why I was upset.
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“What I was trying to highlight for them, you know, so that they can better themselves, is just that there’s ways of dealing with human beings, and being respectful and having manners. Because it doesn’t cost anything, you know? And that’s all I wanted to say.”
She ended the video saying: “So yeah, I hope you guys understand and let me know when it’s safe for me to come back out.”
Jess Glynne performing last year zz/KGC-247/STAR MAX/IPx
In a statement, Sexy Fish told HuffPost UK after Jess’ original post: “Sexy Fish supports individuality and style but respectfully ask all our guests to acknowledge our dress code which is published on our website.
“We are huge fans of Jess, and her music and feel sorry that she feels that she has been treated insensitively.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--JK Rowling Joins High-Profile Figures Signing Letter Warning Of ‘Intolerant Climate’ For Free Speech

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JK Rowling has joined figures from the arts world including Sir Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood in signing a letter warning of an “intolerant climate” for free speech.
The 150 high-profile signatories say recent protests for racial and social justice are a “needed reckoning” but decried what they describe as the weakening of open debate in favour of “ideological conformity”.
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J.K. Rowling Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The letter, published in Harper’s Magazine, comes amid a debate over so-called cancel culture, where public figures face criticism for perceived acts of offence.
It states: “The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted.
“While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.”
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As well as the Harry Potter creator and The Handmaid’s Tale author Atwood, others to put their name to the statement include academics and intellectuals Noam Chomsky, Gloria Steinem and Garry Kasparov.
Margaret Atwood Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Rowling has attracted stern criticism recently for her comments on biological sex, though she strongly denies being transphobic.
And Atwood, a two-time winner of the Booker Prize, has placed herself on the opposite side of the debate, telling fans to “Rejoice in Nature’s infinite variety!”
The letter in Harper’s Magazine criticised the current state of public debate and the “swift and severe retribution” dealt out to any perceived wrongs.
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It said: “We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters. But it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought.
“More troubling still, institutional leaders, in a spirit of panicked damage control, are delivering hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms.”
It adds: “Whatever the arguments around each particular incident, the result has been to steadily narrow the boundaries of what can be said without the threat of reprisal.
“We are already paying the price in greater risk aversion among writers, artists, and journalists who fear for their livelihoods if they depart from the consensus, or even lack sufficient zeal in agreement.”
The letter quickly sparked debate online. A social media user suggested the signatories were responding to a loss of “relevance” while others said it was a coded attack on trans rights activists.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Jair Bolsonaro's Positive Test Will Only Escalate His Coronavirus Culture War

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As far-right Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro finished announcing on Tuesday that he had tested positive for coronavirus, he backed away from a small group of reporters and removed the mask covering his face.
“Look at my face,” Bolsonaro said. “There is no need to panic.”
And with that, it was clear that one of the world’s chief coronavirus skeptics – a man who’s inaction and ineptitude have helped foster the planet’s second-worst Covid-19 outbreak – would not change course. Not even his own infection could inspire empathy for the more than 65,000 Brazilians who have already succumbed to the disease.
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Any such hope was always faint, bordering on impossible. Bolsonaro is not an empathetic man, and he does not change tune. The desperate calls for him to act like a normal president, like someone he isn’t and has never been, are as futile as the similar pleas directed at US President Donald Trump, the man on whom Bolsonaro has modelled himself, his administration, and his response to the pandemic.
Confusion, chaos and violence – be it from the state’s actions or, in the case of the pandemic, its total lack thereof – are central to the Bolsonarismo movement. So the president’s positive test will do little to slow the spread of the virus. Rather, his reaction seems likely only to make the situation worse on every front, as he and his supporters bunker down and the response becomes more politicised and chaotic than it already was.
The Brazilian leader has spent the last four months downplaying the virus at every turn, dismissing it as a media conspiracy and a “little flu,” forcing dissenters, including two health ministers, out of his government, and publicly feuding with governors and other public officials who advocated an aggressive response as Covid-19 spread across the country.
He did not change his tune when nearly two dozen members of the Brazilian government tested positive for the virus after he headed a contingent traveling to Florida in March to meet with Trump. He refused to wear a mask until a judge forced him to, and vetoed a push to mandate facial coverings among the Brazilian public. He has flouted social distancing measures to meet with crowds of supporters and right-wing protesters outside the presidential palace in Brasilia; this weekend, he met with US ambassador to Brazil Todd Chapman to celebrate the Fourth of July, with nary a mask in sight. (Chapman has no symptoms but will be tested, the US embassy said.)
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Much as in the US – the only country with more infections and deaths than Brazil – Bolsonaro’s response to the pandemic (or utter lack thereof) has created a climate of confusion and polarisation around the virus. States and cities have enacted a broad array of social distancing measures and business lockdowns that he has largely undermined. Public health officials have made recommendations that he has ignored.
Many Brazilians who want to take the pandemic seriously don’t know how to; many others cannot afford to. Many of the rest, particularly those who count themselves as Bolsonaro’s most ardent supporters, have no desire to, and at his urging, they have helped turn Covid-19 into just another front in the country’s ongoing culture war.
Bolsonaro has rivalled Trump in downplaying the seriousness to the pandemic. Adriano Machado / Reuters
Even when he announced that he tested positive, Bolsonaro treated the disease with disdain.
“This virus is almost like rain, it will hit you,” he said, as if to suggest there was nothing one could do to stop it. His insistence that everyone “relax” as he tore off his mask was a return to the same machismo-laden playbook that he and fellow right-winger Trump have relied on in their dismissive approach to the virus.
Bolsonaro’s insistence that he was already feeling better thanks to a treatment regime that included hydroxychloroquine was a thinly-veiled attempt to continue advocating for the anti-malarial drug that he and Trump have touted as an effective therapeutic for Covid-19 – despite no conclusive proof of that and amid concerns that it could harm some users.
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Indeed, Bolsonaro has just posted a video touting the supposed healing powers of hydroxychloroquine pic.twitter.com/F5CU4YaHcB — David Biller (@DLBiller) July 7, 2020
His supporters took the cue: Already many have insisted that his positive test is no big deal. Bolsonaro will recover from the gripezinha – the little flu – with ease, several said on social media. His “history as an athlete,” which Bolsonaro previously has suggested would help him should he test positive, will carry him through now, some said. If his condition worsens from the mild symptoms, there will be no problem, they argue: Hydroxychloroquine will fix it.
And were he to die, some may see that as just his unavoidable destiny – Bolsonaro himself proclaimed last month, “Sorry for all the dead, but that’s everyone’s destiny.”
Bolsonaro’s infection, like those of the other 1.6 million Brazilians who have come down with the virus, is inseparable from the larger tragedy that has befallen the nation, one his recklessness and wilful incompetence have only worsened.
“I am sorry for the more than 1.6 million infected and the fact that we have the worst crisis manager in the world among us,” Fernando Haddad, the former Sao Paulo mayor who lost the 2018 election to Bolsonaro, tweeted on Tuesday. “I want everyone to recover, including Bolsonaro. To the relatives of those who left amid the neglect of the government, my sincere feelings.”
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Bolsonaro insisted on Tuesday that he would follow social isolation protocols, suggesting, if only momentarily, that the positive result has at least forced some change of habit from a leader who broke quarantine while waiting for the results of his last test.
But so much of the damage is already done, and so much more seems still to come.
Bolsonaro’s bad example gave ammunition for the population to follow him. His traipsing around Brasilia to eat hot dogs last month drew crowds of adoring supporters and made doing so seem safe (and at the least made warnings that Brazilians should not do so seem hysterical). His appearances at right-wing demonstrations to shake hands and greet what seems a dwindling base of supporters gave license to other Brazilians to ignore pleas that they socially distance and stay at home. His belief in the ability of unproven drugs to make up for his own refusal to act, and his suggestion that only the elderly and the sick were truly at risk, helped sell the idea that most had nothing to fear.
Bolsonaro’s efforts to undermine social distancing and economic lockdowns have worked: Across the country, cities and states have started to reopen bars and restaurants and other businesses, as well. So have his attempts to turn the pandemic into a political battle rather than a public health problem: His most ardent supporters long ago made it clear they would never take the virus seriously, and they will surely continue to echo Bolsonaro’s insistence that it is no big deal. Worse, many of them have already decided it is their job to fight back against those who do take it seriously. Last weekend in Rio de Janeiro, a couple angrily confronted public health workers who were conducting virus surveillance efforts in the city.
Bolsonaro told the supporters who regard him as a mythic, heroic figure that the coronavirus panic was just the latest conspiracy to bring him down. So they treat it that way.
It’s a familiar story for anyone watching from the US. Together, the two nations led by right-wing authoritarians who refuse to take the virus seriously are now responsible for roughly half of the world’s new cases each day. In Brazil, there are still likely months to go before the outbreak reaches its peak.
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But as Bolsonaro’s latest decision not to keep his mask on prove, little seems set to change. It is impossible to humble a movement that views its lack of empathy and humility as their defining qualities.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Kate Garraway Makes Emotional Return To GMB: 'It’s Like Coming Out Of A Little Bubble Of Sadness'

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Kate Garraway has made an emotional return to Good Morning Britain, amid her husband’s fight to recover from coronavirus.
The presenter has been off screen since seriously ill Derek Draper was hospitalised in March after contracting the virus.
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Kate said it was “like coming out of a little bubble of sadness” as she joined colleagues Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan on Wednesday morning.
Kate Garraway returned to Good Morning Britain on Wednesday ITV/Shutterstock
Revealing she was feeling “really emotional”, she said: “As soon as I walked in I thought, ‘Oh god, this is no good, I’m gonna cry now, hold it together.’
“It’s so lovely to see your faces, it’s lovely to be back, it’s like coming out of a little bubble of sadness. It’s just so strange to still be in the situation.”
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Kate also confirmed she’ll be making a more permanent return to the ITV breakfast show to cover for Piers and Susanna when they go on their annual summer break next week.
She said: “It’s life, it’s livelihood, it’s fear and anxiety, I have got to get on and do the things I’m good at. I’m going to come back on Monday, if you’ll have me, you two are going. I’ve not quite got the fight to be a Piers Morgan but I’m gonna be with Ben Shephard.
“The doctors have said I’ve got to get on, they’ve been worried about me.”
Kate appeared in the studio with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid ITV/Shutterstock
Although she revealed at the weekend her husband was out of his induced coma, Kate said he is still “desperately” ill and in a “minimal state of consciousness”, with doctors telling her they’ve never treated anyone so sick.
She said: “His eyes are opening but we have no knowledge of what he can see or hear.
“It’s a very desperate situation, it’s very difficult and of course there’s fantastic hope he is still alive... the doctors keep saying it is a miracle he’s still alive.”
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Kate's husband Derek has been in hospital since contracting Covid-19 in March James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
She continued: “I was speaking to somebody yesterday, a doctor who has treated him in two hospitals and he said, ‘He’s as sick as anyone I’ve ever seen in 35 years of medicine, never mind Covid, and some of those people are no longer here.’
“It’s great that he’s here, there’s flickers of hope, his lungs are starting to recover, his kidneys and liver are doing better but they don’t know how much better he can get and there’s nothing to compare it to.”
The couple, who are both 52, married in 2005 and have a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, Darcey and William.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--Californians Who Allegedly Defaced Black Lives Matter Mural Face Hate Crime Charge

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Two residents of Martinez, California, who allegedly vandalised a Black Lives Matter street mural on Independence Day have been charged with a hate crime, officials said Tuesday.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office said Nichole Anderson, 42, and David Nelson, 53, face three misdemeanour charges, including vandalism, for allegedly painting over the mural on Saturday ― shortly after it was completed by community members outside a county courthouse in Martinez.
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If convicted, Anderson and Nelson face up to a year in county jail, Becton’s office said.
A local resident had obtained a permit from the city to paint the mural, police said.
A couple spent the 4th of July painting over a portion of the Black Lives Matter street mural in downtown Martinez. It happened about 2:30 this afternoon and a bystander captured it on video. Caution: graphic language #BLM #BlackLivesMatter #FourthofJuly pic.twitter.com/Kq8PuXgJ44 — Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) July 5, 2020
Video of the defacement, captured by an onlooker, shows a woman in a red shirt with an American flag design using black paint and a roller to cover part of the mural.
A man in a MAGA hat and T-shirt that reads “Trump” and “Four More Years” accompanied the woman and recorded onlookers as they shouted at them to stop vandalising the mural.
“There is no racism,” the man said in the video. “It’s a leftist lie. It’s a lie from the media, the liberal left.”
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BREAKING: The #Martinez couple caught on video painting over the approved #BlackLivesMatter mural on #FourthofJuly are being charged with a hate crime, according to a release from the #ContraCostaCounty District Attorney's office. pic.twitter.com/9L21byNsE1 — KCBS 106.9 FM/740 AM (@KCBSRadio) July 7, 2020
The mural was a “peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-08--US Woman Filmed Coughing On Baby Loses Her School District Job

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A California school district employee who appeared to deliberately cough on a 1-year-old boy in a store last month no longer has her job, according to the school district that employed her.
“As many know, there have been allegations that a District employee was involved in a videotaped incident in which the person appeared to have intentionally coughed on a baby at a local Yogurtland,” the Oak Grove School District said in a statement. “We want to inform our community that the District employee who was alleged to have engaged in this conduct is no longer an employee of our District.”
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“The Oak Grove School District’s highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve. We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child’s safety.”
The district did not identify the employee by name.
Last month, the San Jose Police Department said it was searching for an assault suspect described as a white female in her 60s who allegedly coughed on a baby in a San Jose store on June 12 after a dispute with the child’s mother.
“The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect was upset the female was not maintaining proper social distancing, so the suspect removed her face mask, got close to the baby’s face, and coughed 2-3 times,” a press release from the San Jose Police Department stated at the time.
The child’s mother, Mireya Mora, who is Latina, told local news outlets she believed the incident was motivated by race.
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“She said, ‘So you don’t understand, and do you even understand what I’m saying,’ like I’m not even speaking English,” Mora told NBC Bay Area at the time.
The San Jose Police Department told CNN late last month that the woman accused of coughing on the baby would not be named since there was no warrant for her arrest.
“We can’t release the names of suspects until there is a warrant for their arrest, they were booked into jail, or they were issued a criminal citation,” San Jose police Sgt. Enrique Garcia said at the time. “We are not sharing additional information at this time. The investigation is ongoing and we are following up on tips.”