thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--Chief Nurse Was 'Dropped' From No.10 Briefing After Saying Dominic Cummings Should Follow Covid Rule

Chief Nurse Was 'Dropped' From No.10 Briefing After Saying Dominic Cummings Should Follow Covid Rules

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England’s chief nurse has confirmed that she was “dropped” from a No.10 press conference after warning that she would say Dominic Cummings should follow coronavirus lockdown rules like everyone else.
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Ruth May was suddenly ditched from a planned appearance at the daily Downing Street briefing after earlier taking part in a preparation session in which she made clear she would answer frankly about Cummings.
Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, was at the time facing heavy criticism for his trips to Durham and Barnard Castle during lockdown.
The senior nurse had been due to appear alongside the health secretary Matt Hancock at the height of the fallout from Cummings’s decision to follow his “instincts” and breach rules forbidding travel.
Chief Nurse Ruth May PA
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She told the Commons public accounts committee on Monday that she was asked in the preparatory session for her view of the lockdown rules and the actions of Cummings.
“We talk about lots of these preparations questions. Yes of course I was asked about lockdown and rules to lockdown, yes.”
Asked for her view of Cummings’ conduct, she told the MPs: “I believe that in my opinion the rules were clear, they were there for everyone’s safety and they applied to us all.”
Pushed again to confirm that included the PM’s chief aide, she replied: “They certainly applied to all of us.
“I don’t know why I was dropped from the briefing, I’m afraid you would have to ask other people that.”
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Dominic Cummings makes a statement in the No.10 Rose Garden PA
In her absence, Hancock presented the daily slides on Covid-19 himself for the first time, alongside Professor John Newton from Public Health England.
The incident came two days after England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam sparked headlines by saying that lockdown rules “apply to all” when asked about Cummings. He has not appeared at the press conferences since 30 May.
Pressed on a report in the Independent that she had been dropped from the June 1 briefing, May said on Monday: “It is indeed true that I was dropped from the briefing. But that happens to many of my colleagues.
“I was also asked to attend another briefing later in June but I got stuck in traffic for that.”
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told HuffPost UK: ”It’s scandalous that the nation’s senior nurse was silenced at the height of the pandemic because she wasn’t prepared to parrot Downing Street spin about Dominic Cummings’ blatant rule breaking.
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“As the CNO [Chief Nursing Officer] indicates, it’s unacceptable that’s there was one rule for Johnson’s elite friends and another for the rest of us.”
When Hancock was asked directly by Ashworth in the Commons if he had personally “acquiesced” to the decision to drop May, the health secretary failed to answer.
No 10 has in the past strongly denied the claims that May had been dropped because of her views on Cummings.
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Boris Johnson is happy to hide behind experts when it suits him, but we now know that as soon as they don’t stick to his script he gags them.
“This is why we need to see the timetable for the independent inquiry he agreed to last week, so we can get the truth out in the open.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--Amber Heard Alleges Johnny Depp ‘Threatened To Kill Her Many Times’, As She Begins Evidence In Libel

Amber Heard Alleges Johnny Depp ‘Threatened To Kill Her Many Times’, As She Begins Evidence In Libel Case

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Amber Heard has claimed that Johnny Depp threatened to kill her “many times” during their relationship.
On Monday morning, Heard began the first of three days of questioning as part of her ex’s ongoing libel action against The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN) and its executive editor Dan Wootton.
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Depp took issue with an article published in April 2018 in which the tabloid called him a “wife beater” and referred to “overwhelming evidence” that he attacked Heard during their relationship. He denies the allegations.
With the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor having already given evidence last week, on Monday it was her turn to face questioning.
Amber Heard arriving in court on Monday JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
In a witness statement submitted to court, Heard accused Depp of subjecting her to verbal and physical abuse, including punching, slapping, kicking, head-butting and choking her, as well as threats and “extremely controlling and intimidating behaviour”.
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She alleged: “Some incidents were so severe that I was afraid he was going to kill me, either intentionally or just by losing control and going too far.
“He explicitly threatened to kill me many times, especially later in our relationship.”
Describing Depp’s alleged controlling behaviour, Heard claimed he would repeatedly accuse her of having affairs with co-stars, “demanded” to know about romantic scenes in films she was appearing in and complaining “about how people can watch [her] ‘get fucked on camera’”.
“He would insist every male actor was trying to sleep with me and/or that I had had an affair with them, that he’d spoken to people and knew all about it,” Heard said.
“He would try and catch me out by taking my phone or telling me someone had told him I was having an affair and act as if he had information proving it – when I really hadn’t.
“He accused me of having affairs with each of my co-stars, movie after movie: Eddie Redmayne, James Franco, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Costner, Liam Hemsworth, Billy-Bob Thornton, Channing Tatum; even women co-stars like Kelly Garner.”
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Heard went on to claim Depp had disparaging nicknames for actors he considered to be “a sexual threat” that she auditioned alongside and appeared in films with.
“For example, Leonardo DiCaprio was ‘pumpkin-head’,” she said. “Channing Tatum was ‘potato-head’ and ‘Jim Turd Sturgess’.”
Johnny Depp ASSOCIATED PRESS
“His rules got tighter every year we were together about what nudity or scenes were acceptable, wanting descriptions of every detail, every aspect of scenes and how they were covered, placing increasing restrictions on what I could and couldn’t do,” Heard claimed.
She went on to say that she eventually found herself turning down work, and began being offered less money for every year she was in a relationship with Depp.
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A court sketch of Amber Heard facing questioning ASSOCIATED PRESS
Heard alleged that Depp would sometimes “use racial epithets about the men I would be – or deserved to be – assaulted by”, as well as calling her “fat ass”, to which she would retaliate by branding him “old man” and “limp dick”.
She also claimed that Depp began referring to her “possessively” as “my woman” during their relationship, stating: “[He] made comments that he wished he had found me before I had slept with anyone else, joking he would have locked me away at 14.
“He would obsess about how I dressed. If I wore a low-cut dress, then he would say things like ‘my girl is not gonna dress like a whore’. Over time, I stopped wearing revealing dresses for red carpet events: it just wasn’t worth the verbal and psychological abuse.
“He demeaned me anytime I tried to wear anything that could be seen as sexy, calling me a ‘whore’, ‘slut’, ‘fame-hungry’ and ‘an attention whore’, but it got worse over time.
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“He started saying things like ‘well I’m going to have to watch you get raped’ and ‘I hope you get railed by a bunch of fucking fellas’.”
Depp has always denied allegations of abuse towards his ex-wife.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard at the premiere of The Danish Girl in 2015 mpi23/MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx
Depp’s case against NGN and Wootton arises out of the publication of an article on The Sun’s website on April 27 2018 with the headline “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”.
His lawyers say the article bore the meaning there was “overwhelming evidence” Depp assaulted Heard on a number of occasions and left her “in fear for her life”.
NGN is defending the article as true and says Depp was “controlling and verbally and physically abusive towards Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs” between early 2013 and May 2016, when the couple split.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine 'Safe' And Showing 'Promising Results'

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A vaccine against coronavirus has shown “promising” results, findings of the first phases of the study suggest.
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The early-stage trial showed the vaccine is “safe, causes few side effects, and induces strong immune responses”, results published in The Lancet said.
However, scientists warned it is still too soon to know if the results are enough, and larger trials are currently under way.
The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, is called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and is delivered via a chimpanzee virus, called the vaccine vector.
It is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees, which is then engineered to express the coronavirus spike protein to trigger a strong immune response in the human body.
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The government has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine.
Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine produces a good immune response, reveals new study.
Teams at @VaccineTrials and @OxfordVacGroup have found there were no safety concerns, and the vaccine stimulated strong immune responses: https://t.co/krqRzXMh7B pic.twitter.com/Svd3MhCXWZ — University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) July 20, 2020
Trials involving 1,077 healthy adults between April 23 and May 21 showed the injection led to them making antibodies and white blood cells that can fight Covid-19. It did not produce any serious side effects.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, from the University of Oxford, UK, said: “There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise.
“As well as continuing to test our vaccine in phase-three trials, we need to learn more about the virus - for example, we still do not know how strong an immune response we need to provoke to effectively protect against Sars-Cov-2 infection.
“If our vaccine is effective, it is a promising option as these types of vaccine can be manufactured at large scale.
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“A successful vaccine against Sars-Cov-2 could be used to prevent infection, disease and death in the whole population, with high-risk populations such as hospital workers and older adults prioritised to receive vaccination.”
NEW—UK’s #COVID19 vaccine is safe and induces an immune reaction, according to preliminary results https://t.co/rDPlB9fDKr pic.twitter.com/z2t9Aubjim — The Lancet (@TheLancet) July 20, 2020
Scientists behind the trial said the current trial is “too preliminary” to confirm whether the new vaccine effectively protects against coronavirus.
An ideal vaccine should be effective after one or two vaccinations, work in target populations including older people and those with preexisting health conditions, offer protection for a minimum of six months, and reduce transmission of the virus to contacts.
Phase 3 trials for the vaccine are now underway in Brazil, South Africa, while combined phase 2/3 trials are continuing in the UK.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--Boris Johnson's Cabinet To Meet In Person Without Face Coverings

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Boris Johnson’s 26-strong cabinet will meet in person, indoors, on Tuesday without wearing face masks, Downing Street has revealed.
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The prime minister has summoned his top team to a large room in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, reported to be the grand Locarno suite, instead of cramming them around the usual coffin-shaped table in No.10.
They will each sanitise their hands on entry and exit and will have individual water jugs and glasses.
But the PM’s official spokesperson said he was “not expecting” the ministers to wear masks.
It is the first time the cabinet has met in person since March 17, when the coronavirus was accelerating towards its first peak.
And it comes after Johnson on Friday announced plans to end guidance that people should work from home if they can, starting on August 1, to help get the stalling UK economy moving.
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The meeting will follow “all the Covid-secure guidance that we set out for businesses when they are having this kind of meeting”, the spokesperson said.
But the government’s current guidance states that remote working tools like video conferencing should be used to avoid in-person meetings.
“Only absolutely necessary” participants should attend and maintain social distancing, it also says.
While socially distancing, Boris Johnson (centre) stands with cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill (left) and chancellor Rishi Sunak (far right) in the cabinet room inside 10 Downing Street to observe a minute's silence in a tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA
The long meeting table in the Locarno room at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Richard Baker via Getty Images
Interior of the ornate ceiling in the Locarno suite at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mike Kemp via Getty Images
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“As we move forward with the coronavirus recovery and more people return to work in person, the PM felt that it was right for the cabinet to come together and have a face-to-face meeting,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s a large room that’s been chosen in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and it will be properly ventilated.
“In terms of the steps which are being taken, there will be a ready supply of hand sanitiser and members of the cabinet will have individual water jugs and glasses and they will be socially distant – that will be to a minimum of one metre.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--UK Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong, Announces Dominic Raab

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Dominic Raab has announced he has immediately suspended the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong, amid rising tensions with China.
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The foreign secretary made the move in response to the imposition of a tough new national security law by Beijing which restricts civil liberties in Hong Kong.
The UK has said it violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration which was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong’s way of life for 50 years after the handover of the former British colony in 1997.
Scrapping the extradition treaty would prevent China from asking the UK to return any Hong Kong dissidents who have fled to Britain.
Raab also told MPs an arms embargo on China will be extended to Hong Kong.
“Let me be really clear about this – we want to work with China,” he said.
“But as we strive for that positive relationship, we are also clear sighted about the challenges that lie ahead.”
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The UK has already offered a path to citizenship for three million Hong Kong residents eligible for British National (Overseas) passports – a move that enraged China.
Boris Johnson earlier today said he would be “tough” with China in some areas but would not “completely abandon our policy of engagement”.
“China is a giant factor of geopolitics – it’s going to be a giant factor in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren,” he said.
“There is a balance here. I’m not going to be pushed into a position of becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe on every issue, somebody who is automatically anti-China.
“But we do have serious concerns. We have concerns about the treatment of the Uyghur minority, obviously – about the human rights abuses.”
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Yesterday Raab also accused Beijing of committing “gross, egregious human rights abuses” against the country’s Uighur population in the north-western Xinjiang province.
The Chinese ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, told the BBC the UK was “dancing to the tune” of the US and accused Western countries of trying to foment a “new cold war”.
In the combative interview he also refused to explain drone footage of people handcuffed and blindfolded in China.
Beijing was already smarting over the UK’s decision last week to exclude the tech giant Huawei from the UK’s 5G network – reversing a decision in January allowing it a limited role.
It has been reported that in response Chinese-owned TikTok could scrap plans to open a global headquarters in Britain.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-20--UK Government Signs Deals For 90m Extra Doses Of Coronavirus Vaccine

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The government has announced it has signed new deals which will provide more than 90m doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
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In a statement from business secretary Alok Sharma, the government said it has secured an agreement for 30m doses of a vaccine being developed – and currently at phase two trials – by BioNTech and German firm Pfizer.
Sharma said the government has also done an in-principle deal done for 60 million doses of an antibody treatment that is being developed by France’s Valneva for vulnerable patients who cannot receive vaccines.
The partnerships mean England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could have access to enough doses to vaccinate and protect priority groups such as those at increased health risk and frontline workers.
Sharma said the new agreements would “ensure the UK has the best chance possible of securing a vaccine that protects those most at risk”.
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However Kate Bingham, chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce, warned that despite progress, there are still no guarantees that a successful vaccine will be found.
“We have to be very cautious because there has never been a vaccine against a coronavirus and there may never be one. What we have been tasked to do is to protect the UK population against Covid-19 through vaccination and do so as quickly as we can,” she told Sky News.
“And the announcements this morning show that the UK is absolutely at the forefront of global efforts to source and develop vaccines from across the world, across as range of different technology.”
The figure of 90m is in addition to the 100m doses of vaccine that are being developed by Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca, as well as another at Imperial College London which started human trials in June.
Initial data from the Oxford/AstraZeneca trial – which is now in its third phase of human trials in Brazil – is due to be released on Wednesday, with high expectations over its efficacy.
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A general view of AstraZeneca offices and the corporate logo in Cambridge, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
This comes after campaigners warned last week that AstraZeneca could price poorer countries out of a British coronavirus vaccine in the future, due to a loophole in the non-profit agreement it signed with Oxford University.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty encouraged people to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials, adding that the willingness of patients to take part has already led to improved care around the world.
Whitty said: “Now that there are several promising vaccines on the horizon, we need to call again on the generosity of the public to help find out which potential vaccines are the most effective.”
Health secretary Matt Hancock said every volunteer “will be doing their bit towards finding a vaccine for Covid-19 that will have the potential to save millions of lives around the world and bring this pandemic to an end”.
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The human trial of the coronavirus vaccine started in May. The study was designed to assess whether healthy people can be protected from coronavirus with this new vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
Up to 1,102 participants were recruited across multiple sites in Oxford, Southampton, London and Bristol.
The criteria was that volunteers must be aged between 18 and 55, in good health and not have tested positive for Covid-19.
A recent poll revealed that one third of Britons definitely will not or are unsure about whether they would take a vaccine for coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Boris Johnson's Refusal To Probe Brexit Vote Is 'Green Light For Russian Meddling'

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Boris Johnson has been accused of giving the “green light” to Russian interference in UK politics by refusing to assess whether Russia tried to influence the 2016 Brexit referendum.
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The prime minister has rejected one of the key recommendations in the long-awaited Russia report – to publish an assessment of whether Moscow tried to influence the EU vote.
The intelligence and security committee made the recommendation after finding that Tory ministers and intelligence agencies did not do enough to investigate or protect the UK from possible Russian interference in the referendum.
But the government said that with no evidence of interference to date, a “retrospective” assessment was “not necessary”.
The government’s refusal was sharply criticised, with Johnson facing allegations that he has exposed himself “to the charge of complicity in distortion of our democratic process”.
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Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Boris Johnson refusing to launch an inquiry into Russian election interference is a green light for them to do it in the future.
“The government has been told by a cross-party group of MPs that we must establish what role Russian interference played in the Brexit referendum in order to protect our democratic process, but still refuse to pursue it.
“You cannot hope to deal with interference if you do not even check if it is happening.
“Rather than sticking his head in the sand, Boris Johnson must ask the intelligence community to launch a wide-ranging and properly funded investigation so that we can understand just what influence Russian interference had on our democracy.”
Boris Johnson campaigning for Leave during the 2016 EU referendum. PA
Tory former cabinet minister Stephen Dorrell, who now chairs the European Movement, said:
“The report’s conclusion that the government ‘did not take action to protect the UK’s process in 2016’ is extraordinary.
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“The European Movement does not challenge the result of the 2016 referendum, but it does challenge the government to expose the extent to which Russia sought to influence the outcome.
“Failure to do so exposes the government to the charge of complicity in distortion of our democratic process.
“Those most in favour of the Brexit project love to speak about British sovereignty – yet fall remarkably silent when presented with concrete evidence of foreign interference in our democracy.
“The foreign secretary speaks of ‘hostile actors’; this report challenges him to follow up his words with actions.”
SNP defence spokesperson Stewart McDonald said: “During the election campaign, Boris Johnson claimed ‘there is absolutely no evidence that I know of to show any interference in any British electoral event’.
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“The report – which the prime minister had already read at that point – now makes clear that this is because the Tory government was not looking for it.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Chance Of Coronavirus Vaccine By Christmas 'Very Low', Says Chris Whitty

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The chances of a coronavirus vaccine being available before Christmas are “very low”, England’s chief medical officer has said.
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Speaking to MPs on the Commons health committee on Tuesday, Chris Whitty said there was a “low probability” one would be ready in time for the winter flu season.
On Monday scientists at the University of Oxford announced that preliminary results of a study into a vaccine they were developing showed it was safe and induces an immune reaction.
The “very positive news” was welcomed by Boris Johnson, who has said he hopes for a return to “significant” normality by the middle of November.
The prime minister said last week the remaining social restrictions could be lifted “possibly for Christmas”.
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But Whitty sought to play down hopes that a vaccine could be in use before the end of the year.
“I want to be very clear, we are incredibly excited by and proud of what the UK has done leading the way on vaccine science,” he said.
“But no one would should be under any illusions. The chance of us getting a vaccine before Christmas that is actually highly effective are in my view very low.”
But Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, said he believed a faster timetable was possible.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we will have some vaccine this side of Christmas,” he told the committee.
“It is a utopian dream, it would be wonderful, if we one day we could have combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine in one syringe.”
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Whitty also told MPs he “very much doubts” it will be made compulsory for people to have a coronavirus vaccine but added he would “personally expect” it to be free.
“Forcing people to have vaccines does not seem like a good answer under any circumstances,” he said.
However Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has previously said there was “strong argument” for making vaccines mandatory for children.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Tory Minister Blames Privatisation For Social Care Workers Missing Out On Pay Rise

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Tory minister Kit Malthouse has blamed the privatisation of the social care sector for social care workers missing out on a pay rise amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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On Tuesday, the government announced a boost in wages for almost 900,000 public sector worker for dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, including doctors, teachers and police officers.
But ministers came under fire from unions and opposition MPs for failing to increase the pay of social care workers.
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy – who was echoed by the TUC – said the government must increase local authority funding to ensure an increase in wages for social care workers, calling them “heroes” who had been dealing with “an absolute crisis in care homes”.
Meanwhile, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham tweeted: “So a pay rise for ‘members of the judiciary and senior civil servants’. But no mention of care workers.
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“I wonder how that must make them feel today?”
So a pay rise for “members of the judiciary and senior civil servants”. But no mention of care workers. I wonder how that must make them feel today? https://t.co/dHcpCdX0Dk — Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) July 21, 2020
But policing minister Kit Malthouse blamed the privatisation of the care sector for the government’s inability to boost care workers’ pay.
He told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “The vast majority of social care workers are paid in the private sector so our ability to influence pay rates there is limited.”
Asked whether the government could set special minimum wage limits for social care workers and give local authorities the funds to make up the difference between that and their private sector salaries, Malthouse said ministers were focusing on the national minimum wage instead.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse SIPA USA/PA Images
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“What we have done is raise the level of the minimum wage very significantly over the last few years to get it up towards the £10.50 mark. That, we hope, will push through into these private sector jobs.
“Everybody looks at people who work in social care during coronavirus and thinks they have done a fantastic job in very, very difficult circumstances.
“But that’s the mechanism by which we think we can increase pay in that sector.”
The move by the government has angered many in the care sector and beyond, who pointed to images of ministers “clapping for carers” during the pandemic.
Edel Harris, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said it was “an insult” for the government to suggest that minimum wage was fair pay for social care workers.
“The government shouldn’t suggest that there is little they can do about it when it is their responsibility to set national policy and funding levels,” she said.
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“Support workers have been doing extraordinary work supporting the most vulnerable in our society in challenging circumstances throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Some have sadly lost their lives and yet the social care sector has had to fight every step of the way for parity with NHS colleagues, including when it comes to access to testing and PPE.”
Beyond gestures such as the care badge and clapping for carers, support workers have seen “little recognition for their incredible work on the frontline during this crisis”, Harris said.
“It’s the government’s responsibility to legislate and properly fund support worker pay – they must be valued and paid on par with healthcare workers.”
Labour’s Wes Streeting tweeted: “The Tories will clap for carers but still won’t pay them fairly”.
The Tories will clap for carers but still won’t pay them fairly. — Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) July 21, 2020
But Malthouse said that apart from “nationalising the entire thing”, the minimum wage rate was the best tool the government had to recognise the efforts of care workers.
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“Nationalising the entire thing” is exactly what former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has called for.
The Guardian reported that the influential backbencher is expected to use a speech on Wednesday to call for the creation of a national care service, arguing that the Covid-19 crisis has exposed severe cracks in the system.
Figures from the LSE suggest that there has been a significant shift towards privatisation in the social care sector in recent years.
Writing in 2016, public policy professor Bob Hudson said that 64% of residential and nursing home beds were provided by local authorities or the NHS in 1979. This had dropped to 6% by 2012.
Meanwhile, Hudson said that just 11% of domiciliary care was provided by local authorities by 2012, compared to 95% in 1993.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Humanity Will Have To Live With Coronavirus 'For Decades', Says Sage Expert

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Humanity will be living with coronavirus “for decades to come”, one of the leading scientists advising the government has warned.
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Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust who sits on the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said the illness would “not be done by Christmas”.
Boris Johnson has said he hopes the UK can make a “significant return to normality” from November or “possibly in time for Christmas”.
But speaking to the Commons health committee on Tuesday, Farrar told MPs coronavirus was “not going away”.
“It’s now a human endemic infection,” he said. “Things will not be done by Christmas.”
Farrar said: “Even, actually, if we have a vaccine or very good treatments, humanity will still be living with this virus for very many, many years to come.
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“We need to keep the urgency in place in June, July and August, but we need to move now to a consistent long-term approach to this.
“Because humanity will be living with this infection for decades to come.”
Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, last week said Covid-19 was likely to return in a number of “different waves”.
Professor Sir John Bell, of the University of Oxford, also told the committee today it was unlikely coronavirus could be eliminated.
“The reality is that this pathogen is here forever, it isn’t going anywhere,” he said.
“This is going to come and go, and we’re going to get winters where we get a lot of this virus back in action.
“The vaccine is unlikely to have a durable effect that’ll last for a very long time, so we’re going to have to have a continual cycle of vaccinations, and then more disease, and more vaccinations and more disease.
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“So I think the idea that we’re going to eliminate it across the population, that’s just not realistic.”
It comes after a study suggested a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford was safe and induces an immune reaction.
The government is aiming to build a portfolio of potential vaccines, alongside effective treatments for coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Donald Trump Cries 'Fake News' In Coronavirus Tweet Full Of... Fake News

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Donald Trump has claimed the US is “doing very well” in the fight against coronavirus “by comparison to most other countries”, and suggested the truth is being suppressed from the public by “fake news” media.
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You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well - and we have done things that few other countries could have done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2020
Of course the actual reason this hasn’t been reported is because it simply isn’t true.
While many countries including the UK are making preparations for a possible second wave in the coming months, the US is still in the grip of a first with the situation deteriorating by the day in a number of states.
If California were a country, it would rank fifth in the world for total cases at nearly 400,000, behind the United States, Brazil, India and Russia. The state’s daily increases have already surpassed the highest daily tally reported by any European country during the height of the pandemic there.
Florida has reported over 10,000 new cases a day for the last six days in a row and Texas has reported over 10,000 cases for five out of the last seven days Reuters reports.
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Nobody has heard this because it isn’t true. https://t.co/vuZp3YAoJG — Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) July 21, 2020
Trump’s tweet was immediately pounced upon with the president accused of “lying” and of being a “clown”.
You have not heard or read this because it is not true.
The president is lying. https://t.co/bPQUQiegBa — S.V. Dáte (@svdate) July 21, 2020
You had 62,879 new cases yesterday you clown. https://t.co/pLVxHoJ85f — Matt Haig (@matthaig1) July 21, 2020
New cases, yesterday:
Germany: 642
UK: 580
Japan: 454
France: 350
Australia: 267
Italy: 190
Portugal: 135
South Korea: 26
United States: 62,879 — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 21, 2020
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This is not due to testing. The UK, for example, has done 198 tests per 1,000 residents. The US has done 148 per 1,000.
It’s not due to population, either. The US has 4x as many people as Germany but 98x more cases. And Germany had the highest number of cases on the list. — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 21, 2020
Earlier on Tuesday Trump posted another tweet in which he advocated the wearing of face masks, describing it as “an act of patriotism”.
The tweet follows months of resistance to being publicly seen in the coverings which are deemed vital to slowing the spread of the virus.
We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2020
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In the tweet, he also referred to the coronavirus as the “Invisible China Virus”.
The president’s response comes after a White House debate over how best to deploy its greatest and most volatile asset – him – played out in public with his poll numbers faltering, PA Media reports.
One week after a 2020 election campaign shake-up, the plan is for Trump to again become a regular public presence at the podium as confirmed coronavirus cases spike across America.
The return to briefings has been championed in the West Wing by senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, who advocated publicly last week for Trump to return to the podium to more clearly highlight steps towards economic recovery, but also create a stage to display leadership by addressing Americans’ concerns about Covid-19.
“His approval rating on the pandemic was higher when he was at the podium,” Conway said, in a tacit admission of what is largely unspoken aloud by Trump aides: that he is behind in both public and private surveys.
Trump vs Biden Statista


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Katie Price Praises Ex Peter Andre For 'Stepping Up' Amid Her Son Harvey's Health Scare

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Katie Price has praised ex-husband Peter Andre for “stepping up” amid her son Harvey’s recent health scare.
The 18-year-old was rushed to hospital earlier this month with a fever and difficulty breathing, and it was later revealed that he had been taken into the intensive care unit, where he remained for a number of days.
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With Harvey now out of ICU, Katie has told of her Peter’s wish to pay Harvey a visit.
Peter Andre and Katie Price pictured in 2008 Michel Dufour via Getty Images
Speaking to New magazine, she said: “Over the years we’ve had our ups and downs, but Pete has been really supportive about it.
“He’s asked to go to the hospital. He can’t do it without me, so he’ll come and visit Harvey with me.”
She added: “Regardless of our ups and downs, the fact that he’s stepped it up - I see his feelings as being really genuine.”
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Katie – who was married to Peter from 2005 to 2009 after meeting on I’m A Celebrity – has been keeping fans updated on Harvey’s condition on social media over the last few days.
On Saturday, she posted a video of the two of them in hospital, in which she asks him: “Harv, what do you want to say to all those people who have sent you lovely messages?”
Harvey – who has Prader-Willi syndrome and autism – then expressed his thanks to his supporters, and agreed with his mum that he was doing “a lot better”.
In the comments, Katie and Peter’s son Junior was seen celebrating the fact his “big bro” was “doing so well”, while her ex-husband Kieran Hayler wrote: “Happy he is on the mend. Strong boy.”
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It was recently revealed that Katie and Harvey were to appear in a new BBC documentary, Katie Price: Harvey & Me, which will aim to shine a light on “what it’s really like to be a mum of a disabled child approaching adulthood”, as Harvey moves “from child to adult services”.
Last year, Katie and Peter publicly put aside their differences on Twitter.
She tweeted: “I had a tough year last year! A person stirred trouble with me and Pete which he reacted to protect our children!
“Yes I said things but I was upset and didn’t mean harm! Me and Pete love each other really lol !I’m sorry @MrPeterAndre if I hurt you!”
Peter responded to this with his own tweet, writing: “Do you know what, I really appreciate you saying that. Thank you.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Spy Agencies And Ministers Failed To Protect Brexit Referendum From Possible Russian Interference, M

Spy Agencies And Ministers Failed To Protect Brexit Referendum From Possible Russian Interference, MPs Say

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Tory ministers and intelligence agencies did not do enough to investigate or protect the UK from possible Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, MPs have said in a long-awaited report.
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The Russia report, compiled by parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC), was finally released on Tuesday after months of delay.
But No.10 swiftly rejected one of its main recommendations, which was to publish an assessment of whether Moscow tried to influence the EU vote.
With no evidence of interference to date, a “retrospective” assessment was “not necessary”, it said.
The ISC report found that the UK government “took its eye off the ball” of the Russian threat, underestimated its dangers and is “still playing catch-up” on attempted manipulation of British democracy.
In a section entitled “failure to prepare”, it criticised the intelligence agencies for being slow to spot the threat posed by Russia, saying they may have taken action to protect the EU referendum from outside interference if they had recognised it sooner.
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This was despite “credible” commentary suggesting Russia tried to influence the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in potentially the first post-Soviet Russian interference in a Western democratic process.
The government only “belatedly” realised the the kind of threat Russia could pose to democracy after Moscow’s “hack and leak” operation against the Democratic national committee in the US in the run-up to Donald Trump’s election as president in 2016.
The intelligence community “did learn lessons from the US experience” and the government “recognised the Russian threat to the UK’s democratic processes and political discourse”, the committee said.
But it went on: “Had the relevant parts of the intelligence community conducted a similar threat assessment prior to the referendum, it is inconceivable that they would not have reached the same conclusion as to Russian intent, which might then have led them to take action to protect the process.”
"The government here have clearly let us down" says Kevan Jones MP, over not investigating Russian interference after the 2014 Scottish referendum
He says "serious questions need to be asked"https://t.co/XqUf6IhKR0 pic.twitter.com/WlpEbE88Mj — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 21, 2020
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Protecting UK democracy was regarded as a “hot potato” in Whitehall, with no single organisation taking an overall lead and nervousness on the part of the intelligence agencies to be involved in democratic processes.
The committee said it understood agencies’ reticence but stressed “that does not apply when it comes to the protection of those processes”.
It was noted that MI5 initially provided just six lines of text to the committee’s initial request for written evidence, which has been redacted from the report.
The ISC concludes that MI5 should now take primary operational responsibility for combatting the Russian threat to UK politics, with policy responsibility resting in the Home Office’s Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism.
The MPs said it would be “difficult, if not impossible” to assess whether Russia influenced the outcome of the Brexit referendum.
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But they added: “It is important to establish whether a hostile state took deliberate action with the aim of influencing a UK democratic process, irrespective of whether it was successful or not.”
Calling for agencies to now assess the impact on the EU referendum, the committee said: “Even if the conclusion of any such assessment were that there was minimal interference, this would nonetheless represent a helpful reassurance to the public that the UK’s democratic processes had remained relatively safe.”
ISC members Kevan Jones and Stewart Hosie said that the main responsibility for the failure to pre-empt the Russian threat lay with ministers rather than intelligence agencies.
They were sharply critical of the UK government’s failure to assess whether Russia was trying to interfere in both the EU referendum and the Scottish independence referendum.
“Who is protecting the British public from interference? In a nutshell, we found no one is,” Jones, a Labour MP, told a press conference.
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“No one is prepared to accept an overall lead...Protecting it must be a ministerial priority.”
Jones also said neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor the Electoral Commission had “the weight to tackle a hostile threat to the UK’s democracy”.
Calling for Home Office ministers to work closely with MI5 on future threats, he said: “This needs to be gripped now.
“The outrage isn’t that there was interference – the outrage is that no one wanted to know if there was interference.”
Jones told HuffPost UK: “Ultimately, this was a government decision and a ministerial decision.
“I think to sidestep and say blame the agencies, is not fair because I wouldn’t want to to live in a society where our security services are politically directed that’s going down a road which I don’t think is very healthy for democracy.
“The government have got to take responsibility.”
HuffPost UK understands that many of the recommendations of the report - other than starting a specific probe into the Brexit referendum - are being implemented.
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The SNP’s Hosie said it was difficult if not impossible to prove that Moscow skewed the 2014 Scottish referendum. “It’s worse than that,” he said. “No one in government knew if Russians sought to interfere in or influence the referendum.”
Hosie also seized on the Joint Intelligence Committee 2017 verdict that if the UK had followed the pre-emptive approach shown by US agencies during the 2016 presidential election, it would have reached the same conclusion about Russian interference.
“That if they had done the same investigation they’d have reached the same conclusions: that’s really damning of the government’s subsequent failure not to undertake that investigation or assessment. It’s not that they didn’t know by then what was going on in other parts of the world.”
The ISC also called on the government to create a new protocol with social media companies to bar from their platforms Russian ‘bots’ intent on hostile state activity.
Responding to the report, the government rejected the committee’s call for a retrospective assessment of the EU referendum, insisting there is “no evidence” of successful interference.
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In a lengthy response to the ISC report, the government said: “We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU referendum.
“The intelligence and security agencies produce and contribute to regular assessments of the threat posed by hostile state activity, including around potential interference in UK democratic processes.
“We keep such assessments under review and, where necessary, update them in response to new intelligence, including during democratic events such as elections and referendums.
“Where new information emerges, the government will always consider the most appropriate use of any intelligence it develops or receives, including whether it is appropriate to make this public.
“Given this long standing approach, a retrospective assessment of the EU referendum is not necessary.”
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Asked if Johnson believed the 2016 referendum result was “fair”, the PM’s official spokesman said “Yes absolutely.”
Pressed on whether the government had actually looked for any evidence of interference, he added: “Our intelligence and security agencies produce regular assessments of the threats posed by hostile states including potential interference in past or current UK democratic processes.”
The report’s release is one of the first acts of new ISC chair Dr Julian Lewis, who last week defied attempts by Downing Street to put former cabinet minister Chris Grayling in the post instead.
Both Jones and Hosie heavily criticised Boris Johnson and Downing Street for their repeated claims that more work was needed before signing off the report last autumn.
Jones said that the PM’s claims were “not true”. “Everyone who needed to see the report in government had done so and we were awaiting for the prime minister to agree the report which was sent to him on 17th October,” he said
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But the PM’s spokesman rejected suggestions that he had delayed the report. ”[In] the memorandum of understanding with the Committee...there is no set timetable for a response, nor is it set in legislation.
“The prime minister took the appropriate time to consider publication of a report which by definition relates to matters of national security.”
Last week, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said that “Russian actors” had tried to meddle in the 2019 general election, but this was after the ISC report was finished.
The UK government also said last week that hackers linked to the Russian intelligence services tried to access UK coronavirus vaccine research.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Trump Seen At Event Without Mask Hours After Saying It’s ‘Patriotic’ To Wear One

Donald Trump without a mask. MSNBC
President Donald Trump on Monday called masks “patriotic” and said on Twitter “there is nobody more Patriotic than me.”
But hours later, he was seen without his patriotism.
Footage from a fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel in Washington shows multiple people in attendance, including the president, without a mask.
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Health experts have been calling on people to wear face coverings when in public to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus infection, but Trump has only rarely been seen in one, and has resisted calls for a national mandate.
Trump raised $5 million at the event, according to CBS.
DC Mayor @MurielBowser’s Phase Two guidelines state that all hotel employees and guests wear masks.
This video is from the Trump International Hotel in DC, where Trump attended a fundraiser Monday night. https://t.co/vYCPpTk5DT — Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) July 21, 2020
During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump repeated his unsubstantiated claim that the pathogen will simply “disappear” one day.
Meanwhile, his administration’s top public health officials were sounding the alarm about the virus, which they warned would likely have devastating impacts on American lives for months to come.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Kevin Clifton Speaks Out On False Rumours: 'It's Horrible When You Feel As If The Press Are Going Fo

Kevin Clifton Speaks Out On False Rumours: 'It's Horrible When You Feel As If The Press Are Going For You'

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Kevin Clifton has hit back at false news reports about him and girlfriend Stacey Dooley, insisting that they are actually “the most boring couple in the history of the world”.
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional’s relationship with the documentary presenter has been the subject of numerous tabloid reports since they got together after being paired up on – and subsequently winning – the show in 2018.
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Kevin, who quit the BBC ballroom show earlier this year, has admitted he has found it difficult being the subject of false stories – especially in lockdown – but is now “getting good at ignoring it”.
Kevin Clifton SIPA USA/PA Images
Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “It’s horrible when you feel as if the press are going for you.
“If you read the tabloids, during this lockdown, Stacey has been pregnant, I’ve proposed to her, we’ve had big fights… It’s all been going down.”
“In reality, we are the most boring couple in the history of the world,” he continued. “I will be sitting here doing my Mamet masterclass and saying: ‘What do you think about consciousness?’ And Stacey does her work and then likes to sit and watch things like Selling Sunset on Netflix about estate agents in LA.
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“We don’t even drink and there will be stories about drunken rages … We drink tea.”
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton pictured in 2018 Gareth Fuller - PA Images via Getty Images
He added: “I’m getting good at ignoring it.”
It’s not the first time Kevin has spoken out about false reports about him and Stacey in the press.
The dancer previously blasted tabloid claims she had encouraged his decision to quit Strictly so they could become a “TV power couple”.
He told This Morning: “It’s always the woman’s fault, like I’m incapable of making a decision.”
Stacey also tweeted: “Honestly, we knew this would happen. And so it starts, again...... Utter nonsense.”
She then added: “‘TV power couple’. Give. Me. A. Break. These articles are so, so embarrassing.”
Kevin announced he was leaving Strictly back in March, explaining he’d been offered his dream role in a new production of Strictly Ballroom The Musical.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Kate Garraway Shares Hopeful Update On Husband Derek Draper's Recovery From Coronavirus

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Kate Garraway has shared a hopeful update about her husband Derek Draper’s recovery from coronavirus, revealing he looked “focused and engaged” as nurses put on Good Morning Britain for him to watch.
Derek has been in hospital since contracting coronavirus in March, and suffered a “tough week” last week, suffering from falls in blood pressure.
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However, Kate told GMB viewers on Tuesday that his condition was now stable and that there was an encouraging moment when he watched his wife on the ITV breakfast show.
Kate Garraway Beretta/Sims/Shutterstock
Speaking to co-host Ben Shephard, Kate said: “He did have a tough week, he had two big falls in blood pressure which were worrying staff, and also a swelling in his legs with the concern that it might be clots. It was very very emotional.
“He has had clots in his lungs… I suppose the concern would be is if it was new clots forming.”
She continued: “He is stable and actually yesterday I spoke to nurses and they said they have put Good Morning Britain on and they felt he looked, because his eyes are open, he looked focused and engaged on it.”
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Ben asked: “So he actually watched the programme?” to which Kate jokingly replied: “They didn’t say if [he was watching] me or you.”
She continued: “I found it very emotional. We don’t know if it’s the movement of the light or a familiar voice, but good morning Derek if you are watching, we’re all sending you lots of love... So yeah, your own personal Good Morning Britain.”
Kate added: “It is odd that he seems interested because he’d never really watch me on TV before – or cared – so there’s a big change! But it’s a lovely thought that he’s watching.”
Derek and Kate in Australia last year, shortly after she left the I'm A Celebrity jungle James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
While Derek is now Covid free, he is struggling to recover from the effects of the virus on his body.
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Earlier this month, Kate revealed her husband was out of his induced coma, but said he is still “desperately” ill and in a “minimal state of consciousness”, with doctors telling her they’ve never treated anyone so sick.
The presenter had an emotional weekend as her and Derek’s son Bill celebrated his 11th birthday, with Kate’s friend Myleene Klass arranging a sweet surprise to help him enjoy it without his dad.
The couple, who are both 52, married in 2005 and also have a 14-year-old daughter, Darcey.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--'He Has No Idea What To Do': Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton Hit Out At Trump's Covid-19 Response

Former US vice president Joe Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton lambasted the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, saying the president lacked empathy and had failed the American people as cases of Covid-19 surge around the nation.
The pair both appeared for interviews on Joy Reid’s debut news program on MSNBC, “The ReidOut,” on Monday to discuss Donald Trump’s ongoing response to the coronavirus. Both had harsh appraisals of the federal response amid reports that cases have continued to skyrocket in a majority of the US and that the White House had pushed to block new funding for testing and tracing in the next coronavirus relief bill.
“There is no leadership here. He’s surrendered. He raised the white flag. He has no idea what to do. Zero,” Biden said during a sweeping interview. “It’s only one thing he has on his mind: How does he win reelection. And it doesn’t matter how many people get Covid and/or die from Covid.”
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"He has no idea what to do," Joe Biden says of Pres. Trump's coronavirus response. "It's only one thing he has in mind. How does he win reelection and it doesn't matter how many people get COVID and/or die from COVID ... I've never seen a president who has been so self-serving." pic.twitter.com/ipF3FP7J1Z — MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 20, 2020
Seven states and Puerto Rico reported Monday that a record number of patients were hospitalised with severe illnesses due to the coronavirus. More than 3.8 million people have tested positive for the virus in the US and more than 140,000 have died.
At the same time, Trump has maintained that the coronavirus will “disappear” one day.
“I’ll be right eventually,” the president told Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday. “You know, I said, it’s going to disappear. I’ll say it again: It’s going to disappear. And I’ll be right.”
Such comments prompted Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, to say Trump wasn’t up to the nation’s top job while noting that anyone “who has watched over the last four years has to be concerned.”
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“Clearly he has failed,” Clinton told Reid. “He’s failed at the most fundamental job of being president. He doesn’t seem up to the job. He doesn’t seem capable of having the attention, the concentration, the focus, the discipline, to stay with the problem.”
Hillary Clinton discusses foreign interference in 2016 and 2020 elections: "It's very clear that Russia succeeded. They believe that they were able to influence the minds and even votes of Americans, so why would they stop? They really want to pursue their agenda of dividing us." pic.twitter.com/kDz3y6L29g — MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 20, 2020
Biden added earlier in the hour that Trump appeared to be solely focused on winning the election rather than responding to the crisis, pointing to his calls for the country to reopen against medical advice and the president’s efforts to ostracise those who disagree with him. The White House has in recent days moved to undercut the advice of Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, who has continued to give the public bleak assessments of the pandemic even amid the reopening push from Trump.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Here’s What We Know So Far About The Russia Report

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Russia and the UK are at odds amid reports Moscow attempted to influence the Scottish independence vote and tried to steal details of research into coronavirus vaccines.
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Ahead of the publication of a long-awaited report from an investigation into alleged Russian interference in British democracy, here are some key questions about the latest developments in a complicated relationship.
What is the report?
Sometimes dubbed the “Russia report”, after months of delays it will be published on Tuesday by the Intelligence and Security Committee.
It is based on secret material from Britain’s intelligence agencies and is expected to outline the threat Russia poses to the UK as well as efforts to counter it.
Its publication was delayed by Boris Johnson calling a general election and by the need to re-establish the committee.
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Why was the Russia report commissioned?
Russian interference into the US presidential election of 2016 is well-documented and Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation even indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies on charges related to attempt to influence the vote.
As a result, the UK government thought it proper to establish if similar had occurred in public votes in Britain.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY via Getty Images
What are the findings likely to be?
The Daily Telegraph has reported the probe found “credible open-source commentary that Russia undertook to influence the campaign on Scottish independence” in 2014.
But the paper added the 18-month investigation did not find Moscow played any part in the 2016 Brexit vote.
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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has claimed it was “almost certain” Russia tried to interfere in the 2019 general election.
What happened in 2019?
Raab said last week that “Russian actors” had tried to influence the 2019 contest by “amplifying” stolen government papers online.
The documents, relating to US-UK trade talks, were picked up by then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to back his claims the Conservatives were preparing to “sell off” the NHS.
After Labour highlighted the documents at a press conference in November, Reddit – an online discussion site – said its own investigation had linked the appearance of the documents to a previous Russian disinformation campaign.
The papers were believed to have appeared online some months earlier but attracted little attention until picked up by the Labour campaign.
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How did Russia respond to that allegation?
The Russian Embassy in London said the nation “has not and will never interfere in the internal affairs of the United Kingdom, especially in the context of democratic elections”.
Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show “we do not interfere at all”.
He said: “We do not see any point in interference because for us, whether it will be (the) Conservative Party or Labour’s party at the head of this country, we will try to settle relations and to establish better relations than now.”
How are relations now?
Relations between the UK and Russia have been under severe strain since the Salisbury Novichok poisoning in 2018, which left former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in hospital and led to the death of Dawn Sturgess.
The incident resulted in Russian diplomats being expelled from Britain by then prime minister Theresa May.
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Raab also announced this month, in a move that irked President Vladimir Putin’s administration, that he was imposing sanctions on 25 Russian nationals linked to the death in custody of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in 2009 after exposing massive corruption in the Interior Ministry.
And what was that about attempts to steal coronavirus vaccine research?
Britain, the US and Canada have claimed Russian intelligence-linked hackers tried to steal details of research into coronavirus vaccines.
It was alleged a group of hackers, known as the Dukes or Cozy Bear, had targeted research bodies around the world – including in the UK.
Security Minister James Brokenshire said the National Cyber Security Centre was 95% certain cyber attacks against labs developing a Covid-19 vaccine were carried out by the Russian state.
How did Moscow respond?
Ambassador Kelin told Andrew Marr he did not “believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it”.
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He added: “I learned about their (the hackers) existence from British media. In this world, to attribute any kind of computer hackers to any country, it is impossible.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Pay Rise For 900,000 Public Sector Staff – But Social Care Workers Left Out

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Public sector workers on the front line of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic will be given a pay rise, the chancellor has announced.
Doctors, teachers and police officers are among those who will see extra money in their pay packet after a testing few months since Covid-19 hit the UK.
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But social care workers, who have also been at the forefront of the battle at the deadly virus, are not part of the group being given an increased wage.
The TUC is calling on the government to “urgently announce a pay rise for social care workers, who put their lives on the line to care for others during this pandemic”.
In this Tuesday, June 9, 2020 photo, Doctor Nathalie Dukes dons PPE, personal protective equipment as she tests the measures taken by the practice to receive suspected coronavirus patients at Freshney Green Primary Care Centre in Grimsby, northeast England. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
More than 300 NHS workers have died in England alone after contracting the deadly virus, many doing so while caring for patients.
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Teachers continued looking after the children of key workers throughout the lockdown while police have been enforcing social distancing rules, which at their sternest forbade leaving the house except for specified circumstances.
The above-inflation pay rise announced on Tuesday will see almost 900,000 workers benefit, with teachers and doctors seeing the largest increase at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively, according to the Treasury.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “These past months have underlined what we always knew, that our public sector workers make a vital contribution to our country and that we can rely on them when we need them.
“It’s right therefore that we follow the recommendations of the independent pay bodies with this set of real-terms pay rises.”
Each award is recommended by independent pay review bodies, and this year the government has accepted the suggested rise for each workforce.
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Police, prison officers and National Crime Agency staff will be given a 2.5% rise in pay as a result and members of the armed forces will receive a 2% uplift.
Meanwhile, members of the judiciary and senior civil servants will also see their pay topped up by 2%.
The pay awards for the armed forces, prison officers, senior civil servants and NHS staff will be backdated to April, whereas the pay rise for police and teachers starts in September due to those professions operating on a different pay schedule running from September to August.
Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the pay rise was “good news” but claimed it would not make up for a “decade of real-terms pay cuts” for frontline workers.
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TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady called for social care workers to join the ranks of those being offered a pay rise.
“These rises are welcome, but there’s still a long way to go to restore pay after a decade of real terms cuts,” she said.
“Many public sector workers, like job centre staff and local government workers, aren’t getting these rises. They deserve a decent pay settlement too.
“And the government should urgently announce a pay rise for social care workers, who put their lives on the line to care for others during this pandemic.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Navy Vet 'Man Of Steel' Faces Down Vicious Trump Squad In Shocking Portland Video

A Portland, Oregon, Navy veteran was pummeled with a baton by a member of the federal squads dispatched to the city by the Trump administration — then blasted directly in the face with pepper spray for doing ... nothing.
Chris David, 53, has become a folk hero and hailed as a “man of steel” after a video of the brutal Saturday night confrontation was viewed online by more than 3 million people. (See the video above.)
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“I felt these gentlemen were violating their oath of office” — to uphold the Constitution — “and I wanted to talk to them,” David told the Portland Tribune, which was the first to publish the video. The armed squads, dressed in military-style uniforms but without identifying information, have reportedly been grabbing people off the streets during protests and detaining and questioning them in what some consider extralegal kidnappings.
David, who was wearing his Naval Academy sweatshirt and a Navy wrestling hat, said he “stood there with my hands down by my side, and they just started whaling on me,” he told KOIN-TV.
When that didn’t faze him, one of the squad members, wearing fatigues and a gas mask, sprayed two thick blasts of tear gas into his face from inches away, which David said felt like “a gallon of burning gasoline.”
That’s when he wheeled away from the men and flipped them off as he stumbled toward a park and lost his vision, David recounted. He was aided by a “street-medic angel” who helped him get to a hospital.
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David’s hand was broken in two places. He said he’ll likely need “pins and plates” to fix it.
My hand is pretty damaged. The hand surgeon splinted it for now, but it looks like plates, screws and/or pins await me on Friday. — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 19, 2020
David told CNN that he’s “100% against” the federal squads in the city. “It’s a unilateral move that’s being made in order to generate chaos and great divisiveness” that’s only causing the protests to grow.
David — a US Naval Academy grad who served as a commissioned officer in the Seabees and as a Navy engineer — said he’s not superman.
“I’m a 53-year-old overweight man on blood thinners, and I’ve got a lot of physical damage from my years in the military,” he told KOIN. “I’m no man of steel. They could have killed me ... as my ex-wife and my daughter have reminded me 45 times.”
Still, he added, “I plan to go back. This won’t stop me.”
“It’s just us normal people out there,” he told The Washington Post. “You hear people like Trump say it’s just a bunch of wacko fringe people in liberal cities who are out there, but no way. We’re all just normal people who think what’s happening is wrong.”
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The uninvited federal squads were dispatched to Portland last week by the Trump administration to prevent vandalism at federal monuments and buildings. Instead, they’ve been roving around downtown Portland in unmarked rental vans and snatching residents.
The administration is preparing to send more of the controversial squads to other Democratic cities, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday.
As justification for the assault on Portland, federal authorities have cited a June 26 executive order by Donald Trump directing them to protect federal monuments and buildings. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf has listed “graffiti” concerns by “violent anarchists” in Portland on the DHS website.
Oregon governor Kate Brown has called the attacks on citizens “political theatre” orchestrated to provoke violence in a desperate bid to drum up reelection support for Trump.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has filed a lawsuit demanding an injunction to stop the squads’ blatantly illegal and unconstitutional “kidnap and false arrest” of citizens.
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Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN he was reserving judgment on the David video. He appeared to attempt to smear the Navy vet, saying that his officers operate based on shadowy “intelligence” about “threats to federal facilities.”
David responded that Cuccinelli can’t see “what’s obvious to millions of other people ... that I was standing there peacefully and then they beat me” for “no reason.”
David received a massive outpouring of offers of help after the video surfaced. He declined the offers but urged people instead to help the Black Lives Matter movement and the medic group that helped him.
After an insane two days, I would like some help from the wonderful folks who follow me.
First off, I don't want any money, gifts or remuneration for anything that I have done.
I never did it for that reason. I have a good job and a roof over my head... 1/ — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 20, 2020
...which is way more than many folks right now.
I would like help setting up GoFundMes for both street medics and BLM. Can anyone help me do that?
Also, maybe one for a local food bank. — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 20, 2020
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I would really, really, really like to thank Tav. She's my street medic angel who pulled me out of the park and took me to safety when I couldn't see anything anymore. She stayed with me the whole time and then her and her friends drove me around to find an ambulance. — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 19, 2020
She and her fellow medics are the real heroes here.
I just wanted to thank her from the bottom of my heart. — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 19, 2020
He also put in a plug for the US Navy wrestling team and added: “Go Navy!”
BTW, GO NAVY! — Tazerface (@Tazerface16) July 19, 2020
The outraged Twitterverse fell in love.
This guy in Portland tonight must be made of steel. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/5rg7CEvaKU — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 19, 2020
There is alot of armed Feds in this footage.
But there is only one American soldier. Soldier for us all, defending our freedom.
This guy has more courage in his left leg, the one being clubbed, than all those wannabes in camo. — E. (@E_of_Justice) July 19, 2020
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That man is one of us, people. Regardless your personal ideology, or party, he is an American citizen exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to peacefully protest, and is being beaten and gassed for it. This is not China, this is the USA. — Peter Yianilos (@artysan) July 19, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Jennifer Aniston Shares Friend's Frightening Coronavirus Ordeal

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Jennifer Aniston just doubled down on her campaign urging the public to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Friends star shared a photo of a pal caught in the grips of COVID-19. He appears to be in a hospital ICU hooked up to tubes.
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“This is our friend Kevin. Perfectly healthy, not one underlying health issue. This is Covid. This is real,” Aniston wrote, apparently with former cast mate Courteney Cox. “We can’t be so naive to think we can outrun this...if we want this to end, and we do, right? The one step we can take is PLEASE #wearadamnmask.”
The Morning Show star reported that the photo was from April and that Kevin has since “almost recovered.”
She reinforced her mask-wearing message, writing: “Just think about those who’ve already suffered through this horrible virus. Do it for your family. And most of all yourself. Covid affects all ages.”
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Another photo shows Aniston and Cox wearing face masks.
In a previous post over the weekend, Cox and Aniston used Cox’s dogs in a humorous call for people to wear face coverings to help stop the coronavirus.
Earlier this month, as coronavirus cases resurged, Aniston posted a now-viral photo of her in a mask peering intensely at viewers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Robert Downey Jr. Tries To Outdo Chris Evans' Gift To 6-Year-Old Hero

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We love this 3,000.
Add Robert Downey Jr. to the list of Avengers assembling in honour of real-life hero, 6-year-old Bridger Walker, who saved his sister from an attacking dog earlier this month.
Chris Evans sent Bridger a message on Wednesday, promising to send an authentic Captain America shield. And now, in true Iron Man fashion, Downey Jr. is trying to outdo Cap.
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“Bridger, you’re a rock star,” Downey Jr. says in a video posted on Friday by Bridger’s aunt Nicole Walker. “My name’s Robert Downey Jr. I played Tony, which makes me an old friend of Cap’s. I hear he sent a shield your way. I’m gonna do one better, you call me on your next birthday. I got something special for you.”
He added: “By the way, that’s a promise. A promise beats a shield.”
Bridger also recently had a call from Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, who invited the young hero to the set of the next Spider-Man movie.
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On July 9, Bridger put himself in harm’s way to save his 4-year-old sister from a charging dog. He suffered injuries to his head and face and had to go through a two-hour surgery, according to his family.
His aunt put his story on Instagram, hoping to get some encouragement from his favourite big-screen superheroes. Comicbook.com’s Brandon Davis helped make the Avengers actors aware of Bridger’s story.
Family members say they’ve also heard from Hugh Jackman, Zachary Levi, Mark Ruffalo and the Russo brothers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--It Was Hard Living Paycheck To Paycheck Before Coronavirus. Now It’s Impossible

Empty shelves are seen in the food section of a supermarket store in Alhambra, California on March 15, 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic has affected over 3,100 Americans in 49 states, sparking a buying frenzy. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images
I’m in a special education classroom when I hear the news. They’ve had the first presumptive positive case of the coronavirus in Maine. We talk throughout the day about what that will mean as we wait for news from the superintendent. Will schools close down?
While I am a school employee, I am not a teacher. I am an educational technician. I don’t make enough to cover the expenses for my family, and I’m not contractually paid all year, but rather during the months I work. My husband works in life insurance and investments. His job is hard even without the chaos a pandemic promises to bring.
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Even before Covid-19 arrived, we struggled to pay the mortgage, to cover the rising electric bill, to make the monthly payments for my daughter’s braces, and to juggle the million other expenses that are simply part of living and raising a family. Somehow, we’ve gotten by and felt the comfort of knowing we are not alone in this struggle.
My family is like many others ― we live paycheck to paycheck with a bit stashed away in retirement. A small safety net is the only thing that separates us from financial devastation. I think about this every single day of my life in the best of times.
This is not the best of times. Navigating this new world with even less is a new reality for many of us.
“You need to buy a few things so you can stock up,” my aunt advises via text. I know she’s right, but we budget and cannot spend more than usual — because like so many other families in the same financial situation, there is not much extra money. We do not vacation. We hold credit card debt. We stress over trying to contribute to our retirement and college funds. This is what life is like.
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We accept it, but when something comes along that adds even more pressure to our already-overloaded lives, we feel an overwhelming sense of dread. The powerlessness is unbearable.
“A small safety net is the only thing that separates us from financial devastation. I think about this every single day of my life in the best of times. This is not the best of times.”
But I still go to the grocery store. Standing there, I am first struck by how little is left of certain things. As I begin filling my cart with some essentials and some canned goods, I do the math in my head. This is something I have learned to do in every situation ― adding some items, putting some things back, picking up cheaper versions of items, all while evaluating what we really need versus what is a luxury.
I’ve become quite adept at this skill and have even taught it to my children. “Buy the store brand” and “Look for the cheapest one” are my two most-frequent shopping requests for them. However, on this day at the grocery store, there are no cheap versions of many of the things we normally buy. Other people, probably also feeling the pinch of this pandemic, have already bought all of the lowest-priced things and left behind the versions I never buy. Words like “organic” and “gluten-free,” along with more expensive price tags, flash before me, and I feel hopeless.
Ultimately, we can use my retirement savings if we have to, but there isn’t much there. Luckily, we aren’t worried about the stock market because we didn’t have the money to invest in it. I do worry about my husband and his job. While he can still work, I’m not sure what work remains for him.
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Sure, people need life insurance right now, but he can’t go meet with them. The loss of income for the families he serves will affect what he earns, too, since his job is based heavily on commission. We cannot live on his base salary. In truth, there isn’t much of a base. We’ve had to draw from our retirement fund to live during hard months in the past, which is part of the reason we don’t have much left in that fund.
I also stress about my health. I have asthma, and therefore I’m considered high-risk for potentially experiencing serious difficulties if I end up contracting the coronavirus. Now, each cough or mild body ache I feel causes panic. In the grocery store, I turn down a different aisle when I see someone and I limit my trips in order to avoid contact with other people. I have come to fear people, even as I miss them.
If I get sick, what will it cost? Even those of us with insurance often pay monthly medical bills if a kid breaks an arm or someone needs surgery. It took me over two years to pay off my daughter’s surgery when she fell from a zip line and hurt her wrist. Once that bill was paid off, another one sprung up in its place. With such precarious financial footing, many families will be pushed to their limits if they get sick and need care, especially if they are also in a high-risk group.
Still, I consider myself am lucky: I am home with my kids, and many paycheck-to-paycheck families are worried about child care. With more and more restrictions on what can remain open as we try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, child care options are limited, so many parents are forced to stay home. Often, this means working from home, too. These parents who are juggling work while caring for their kids must now try to help with the online learning program kids are participating in from home.
This is what it is like for so many of us now. We’re trying to balance the needs of our children, the shifting of income we thought we could count on, the fear of sickness and what it will cost, and the budgets we had set up that will now be stretched to the limit ― and possibly beyond. How will we continue to pay bills, juggle child care and work and live on such limited ― and now vanishing ― funds? There are so many reasons to be stressed and worried right now, and it’s already taking a toll.
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“We’re trying to balance the needs of our children, the shifting of income we thought we could count on, the fear of sickness and what it will cost, and the budgets we had set up that will now be stretched to the limit — and possibly beyond.”
I cried on the way to work on Friday. It was my last day for at least six weeks but I didn’t know that at the time. As I cried, I made contingency plans in my head and promised to remember them and make notes when I got to work. They swirled in and out of my head before I got there.
We will make it though. We will. I have to believe that, because I have no other choice. This is also what it means to live paycheck to paycheck: finding reserves of optimism amid financial chaos.
It will take a lot of shuffling finances and pushing things off that we really need and tabling projects that we already couldn’t afford, like fixing our leaky roof and the broken dishwasher. This is the reality now for so many families who were already living paycheck to paycheck. What’s worse ― we’re finding we may have to confront the fact that the paychecks may stop coming altogether or might be much less than they were before.
I promise myself to do a million simple things to cut corners ― cut down on hot water use by showering less or washing the million dishes a family of six generates with cold water or shutting off lights or eating less myself so my children don’t have to, but I don’t know if it will be enough. We know the struggle that we ― and millions of others ― have been through to survive with what we have, and we will make do. We’ll make it through this. We always do. We have to.
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Nicole Johnson is a freelance writer. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-21--Pregnant Women Feel Totally 'Forgotten' With No End Of Lockdown In Sight

HuffPost UK
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Lockdown may be easing across the country, with pubs, shops and beauty salons reopening, but pregnant women say they feel they’ve been “forgotten”.
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Mums-to-be are still finding that routine antenatal appointments are being cancelled or conducted over the phone, HuffPost has heard, while many continue to face scans and difficult face-to-face appointments alone.
Pregnant women have faced significant challenges throughout the pandemic, since they were classed as “vulnerable” in March and were told to abide by stricter social distancing measures. Things looked a little brighter in April, when the NHS set out a six-week plan to resume normal services across healthcare.
But three months later, maternity services in some parts of the country are still heavily restricted and tight limits remain in place on partners attending scans, appointments – and even a baby’s birth.
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“I’ve had to attend everything on my own,” says Stacey Carley from Fleetwood near Blackpool, who is 37 weeks pregnant with her third child. In the past week, Carley, 33, who has experienced complications throughout the pregnancy, was told her daughter is too big and also breach, so will need to be delivered early.
“I wish my partner had have been sat there. I wish anybody had been sat there, to be honest, just to hold my hand and say that it will be okay, but I had to sit there by myself,” she says. “I’ve got to go for an emergency scan at some point this week. He’s still not even allowed to attend that. It’s really upsetting.”
Stacey Carley Stacey Carley
Carley accepts that tight regulations were needed on maternity and antenatal wards at the height of lockdown, but doesn’t understand why they’re still in place when other restrictions are easing.
“You can go and get your hair done, you can go and sit in a pub, but you can’t have your partner with you while you’re having a baby. It’s just not logical,” she says. “I’ve had to go into all these appointments by myself and come out upset and tell him in the car. It’s not nice for him, either – he doesn’t want to hear this stuff in a car.”
Fiona Hall, 32, from East Croydon, London, is 32 weeks pregnant with her first child and is worried that a lack of face-to-face contact with her midwife could mean vital information is missed.
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She had one in-person appointment at 10 weeks, but her 16-week appointment was conducted over the phone and lasted just a few minutes. “I didn’t know what to ask because I’ve never had a baby before. People need to be offering information and I found that that wasn’t really the case,” she says.
Hall says a friend “mentioned in passing that you’re not meant to sleep on your back after a certain number of weeks”. Research shows the risk of stillbirth increases after 28 weeks for women who do so, according to the NHS.
“No one official has told me that – and I’m 32 weeks.”
Fiona Fiona Hall
Hall, who’s part of the Dope Black Mums community group, was able to attend her 12-week scan with her partner, but at the 20-week scan, he was told to wait in the corridor. Her next appointment, at 24 weeks, was cancelled by her GP surgery, who told her to contact her midwife team instead.
“For weeks I couldn’t get an appointment because they just didn’t answer the phone, so I had no 24-week appointment, it just passed,” she says. “No one checked on me, no one called, no blood test, no blood pressure check.”
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Blood pressure is usually checked at every antenatal visit during pregnancy, but Hall didn’t have hers checked between week 10 and week 28 of pregnancy, when she eventually got through to the midwives.
“That’s a long time, especially for a first-time mum who doesn’t know what’s happening, not just in regards to blood pressure, but in terms of having that assistance and having those conversations,” she says.
“No one has spoken to me about alternatives for birthing classes or breast feeding tuition, or anything like that. I’ve been floating for the longest time.”
“No one checked on me, no one called, no blood test, no blood pressure check”
Hall has fibroids and doesn’t yet know if she’ll require a C-section instead of a vaginal birth. So far, her partner has not been permitted to attend any of the appointments where these options have been explained and discussed – and she doesn’t know how long he’ll be allowed to stay with her after the birth. “It’s extremely distressing to me, the possibility of having to have my partner leave straight away after birth,” she says.
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Kerry Langley, 35, from Hertford, Hertfordshire, is 35 weeks pregnant. She also accepted the restrictions at first, telling herself, “it’s going to be a bit shitty, but you’ll be alright.” But at her 20-week scan, she was told she wasn’t even allowed to video call her partner – and that’s when her frustrations started.
When she asked the sonographer why, she was told a video call would go against the data protection rules at the hospital.
“On the news and everywhere there is NHS staff doing TikTok videos. You can see the inside of the hospital pretty clearly. How does that work?’ I just think this is more important than a bloody TikTok,” she says.
Langley’s partner has two children from a previous relationship, while she has one from a previous relationship. This current pregnancy is their first child together but the couple say like they’re not able to enjoy it as a family.
“This is going to be our only baby together – four is enough, I can’t do five – so we won’t have this experience again,” she says.
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Kerry Langley Kerry Langley
Langley is booked in for a C-section and her partner will be present for the delivery and allowed to stay for a couple of hours while she’s in recovery. However, the couple have been told he won’t be allowed on the ward, where she’ll stay with the baby for the rest of the day and overnight.
“It was the other day that it really hit me and I thought: ‘Oh my goodness, that’s going to be horrible’. I know the staff will be amazing – don’t get me wrong, this is never anything towards the NHS staff – but at the end of the day, I want my partner there,” she says. “I’m upset about it, as it’s getting nearer the time, and as all these other restrictions are being lifted, it’s upsetting me more.”
Langley understands the need to kickstart the economy, but says that seeing people stagger out of pubs, when her antenatal appointments have been so restricted, is increasingly difficult.
“It makes me feel frustrated and it makes me feel like me and my partner and all the other pregnant ladies have been forgotten about,” she says.
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A fourth woman who spoke to HuffPost UK and wished to remain anonymous, said her partner hasn’t been allowed to attend any of her scans which has been “really difficult” after she experienced a missed miscarriage in January, which was only picked up at a routine scan.
“Knowing I had to do the whole appointment process – taxis, waiting surrounded by other pregnant women, the actual scan – without the support of my partner added a lot of anxiety into the lead up to the appointments,” the 37-year-old from London says.
“I couldn’t help but think if we were allowed in Primark together, why not for a scan appointment with proper precautions?”
“My partner also felt the same way, mostly helpless as he just had to wait for the information alone at home. And then when the scans went well, there wasn’t the one person I wanted to be there to share the overwhelming joy with.”
The midwives and technicians have been extremely supportive during each appointment, the mum-to-be adds, but she’s still frustrated by the situation.
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“I couldn’t help but think if we were allowed in Primark together, why not for a scan appointment with proper precautions? Especially because our hospital’s maternity wing is separate from the rest of the hospital.”
HuffPost UK has contacted NHS England for comment on the experiences of the women we spoke to and details of when normal services are expected to resume. We will update this article when we receive a response.
In the meantime, the uncertain end to restrictions is making a difficult situation even harder for women approaching their due date. “The anxiety of being pregnant during a pandemic is high anyway and our mental health has suffered,” says Stacey Carley. “I don’t understand why we can’t have someone with us still.
“We’re all taking precautions – using hand sanitiser and masks and doing everything we can – plus I live with my partner. They say you can mix with six other people outside your household, so why is he not allowed to come in? We need that support.”