thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--What Exactly Is The #FreeBritney Movement?

You’ve probably heard rumblings about the #FreeBritney movement over the past few years, but what actually is it?
Even Britney Spears herself appears to have shown support for the movement – which inspired the documentary Framing Britney Spears – in recent times.
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With Britney set to address a US court on Wednesday about the legal conservatorship she’s been under for more than a decade, here’s a look back at the story so far...
What is the #FreeBritney movement?
The #FreeBritney movement was set up by one of Britney’s biggest fans in 2009 when Jordan Miller, owner of the Breathe Heavy fansite, began a campaign to ‘free Britney’ from her conservatorship.
This conservatorship, which she has been placed under since 2008, severely restricts her movement and her ability to control her own finances, namely her estate, which are under the control of her father, Jamie Spears.
A #FreeBritney protest in Los Angeles. Getty
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What Jordan began grew into a movement. The protests staged in Los Angeles draw attention to the conservatorship, which many fans believe is an injustice.
Fresh life was breathed into the movement in early 2019, following reports the singer had checked herself into a mental health facility.
Thousands began using the #FreeBritney hashtag on social media after fan podcast Britney’s Gram reportedly received an anonymous call from a man claiming to be a paralegal working on Spears’s conservatorship, who appeared to validate fears she had been pressured into entering the facility.
Following the call, fans speculated about the singer’s safety and current whereabouts, given she hadn’t posted anything new on social media in an unusually long time.
Then it all took off: Miley Cyrus name-checked the #FreeBritney campaign in a live gig, which went viral and the campaign group also met physically for a giant protest in July 2020 outside the Hollywood City Hall where Britney supporters brandished placards.
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Back up a minute, what is a legal conservatorship exactly?
A supporter of Britney Spears gathers with others outside a courthouse in downtown LA for a #FreeBritney protest as a hearing regarding singer's conservatorship is in session on July 22, 2020. Frazer Harrison via Getty Images
An American legal proposition; a conservatorship is when another individual is given control of a person’s finances, including their estate, as well as most aspects of their daily life.
According to one Change.org petition which has gained over 100,000 signatures, the ruling means Britney is not allowed to drive, hang out with friends, vote, or spend any of her money without gaining permission from her father, her conservator.
The idea is that a conservatorship is put in place to manage the affairs of people with physical or mental limitations, or people that are too unwell to manage their lives themselves.
I didn’t realise she was unwell?
Well that’s kind of the point the fans argue. They say that this is a cynical ploy by people with power around Britney to control her finances, and potentially make more money from her, rather than being actually in the singer’s best interests.
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“There are a lot of people who make money because of the money that Britney makes,” Barbara Gray, one half of the Britney’s Gram podcast team explained to Buzzfeed News. “It would be in their favour to control that money in a certain way.”
Britney herself rarely comments on her own situation or her mental health, which is why her Instagram post on April 2019 made headlines. “My situation is unique, but I promise I’m doing what’s best at this moment,” she said. “What I need right now is a little bit of privacy to deal with all the hard things that life is throwing my way.”
But Britney’s father Jamie Spears has maintained the role of conservator to Britney since 2008 despite the backlash, with the exception of a short period in 2019 after he fell ill. Last year he defended the court ruling in a rare interview.
In July 2020, he said: “The world don’t have a clue. It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”
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“People are being stalked and targeted with death threats. It’s horrible. We don’t want those kinds of fans,” he continued, criticising the approach of some people from within the #FreeBritney movement. “I love my daughter. I love all my kids. But this is our business. It’s private.”
So how unwell is Britney exactly?
Britney had been behaving in ways the courts may have deemed irrational since around 2004, when she gained an annulment after a 55-hour marriage because she “lacked understanding of her actions,” according to one court document.
The story escalated around 2007 when Britney attacked a car window with an umbrella shortly after shaving off her hair, which was all caught by on camera by paparazzi.
Following the erratic behaviour, Britney was sent to see psychiatrists, and the court ordered a conservatorship in 2008, which was given to her father Jamie.
In recent years, fans have shared concern over the singer’s Instagram updates, which frequently show the singer at home, often singing and dancing, but speaking in a frantic way and seeming disconnected.
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Why is the #FreeBritney movement back in the press?
The #FreeBritney campaign has gathered pace in recent weeks. VALERIE MACON via Getty Images
Over a year since the reported anonymous call from a paralegal claiming Britney had been pressured into entering a mental health facility, the #FreeBritney campaign is again in the press.
Over the past 18 months or so, there have been various major updates to the story, the first of which being Britney’s father speaking out.
As we mentioned before, Jamie Spears takes issue with the #FreeBritney movement. He called it a “joke” and a “conspiracy theory” in his Page Six interview published in August this year, which has inflamed the feelings of the movement against her conservatorship.
But Britney herself has reportedly been seeking removal from the conservatorship since last year.
According to a source who spoke to CNN at the annual court hearing in 2019, Britney requested the judge end her conservatorship.
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“Of course she wants it to end, because she’s not of the right mental state to understand her issues,” said the anonymous source. “She has a mental illness and that doesn’t mean she needs to be locked up. It puts her somewhere in the middle. She’s working on it. It’s a struggle on a daily basis.”
Then came some proper clarity...
Supporters of Britney Spears gather outside a courthouse in downtown LA for a #FreeBritney protest as a hearing regarding the singer's conservatorship takes place. Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images
In September 2020, Britney’s legal position was made crystal clear, after her attorney, Samuel D. Inham III reportedly filed documents to the Los Angeles Superior Court reading: “At this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans.”
The statement, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, is significant, because it appeared to confirm Britney’s support for the #FreeBritney movement.
It also clarifies how Britney is seeking at least a change to the conservatorship, which was temporarily signed over to Britney’s sister Jamie Lynn in 2019 after her father briefly became ill. Jamie has been a trustee of Britney’s estate since 2018 so has some say over her finances, and in an August 2020 court filing Jamie Lynn asked for control of money stored in a trust fund for Britney’s children, so she has been getting progressively more involved.
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“Although the sealing motion is supposedly for her ‘protection,’ Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” continued her attorney in the court filing.
“Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James’ aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimise the amount of meaningful information made available to the public,” Inham III said.
The court hearing for the request to change the conservatorship from its current status to a ‘voluntary’ conservatorship, which would allow the singer to nominate her own conservator, took place on 10 November 2020. However, Jamie was not suspended from his role.
During the hearing at a court in Los Angeles, Britney’s attorney told the court she has a fraught relationship with her father, claiming she had told him “on many occasions” that she is “afraid” of him.
He also said the case is now at a crossroads, as Britney and her father have no “viable working relationship” and have not spoken to one another in a “long while”.
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Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Thoreen, dismissed this testimony, claiming the reason Jamie had not spoken to his daughter was because Britney’s attorney had asked him not to.
Thoreen also said it would be “extraordinary” to replace Jamie as Britney’s conservator, saying that under his guidance, the star’s estate has gone from being the subject of tens of millions of dollars of lawsuits to being worth $60 million (£45 million).
In court filings, Britney said she wanted private wealth management firm the Bessemer Trust appointed as “sole conservator”, but Judge Penny only agreed to make the firm co-conservator of the case, with Jamie’s role remaining and the judge stating that she would hear that part of the case at a later date.
The court also heard that Britney will no longer perform as long as her father is still in charge of her estate.
So what next?
Britney’s conservatorship faced renewed scrutiny following the release of the documentary, Framing Britney Spears, in February 2021.
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The New York Times-produced film unpacked whether or not the court-ordered conservatorship is warranted and how it began in the first place. It also delved into the the #FreeBritney movement and the way the singer was treated by the press at the height of her fame.
While the documentary has proved hugely popular, Britney herself seemed less impressed that her personal life was once again making headlines.
A post shared on her Instagram page weeks after the documentary’s release said: “My life has always been very speculated [about]... [I’ve been] watched… and judged really my whole life… I’ve always been so judged... insulted... and embarrassed by the media... and I still am till this day…
“I didn’t watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in... I cried for two weeks and well… I still cry sometimes!!!!”
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A subsequent documentary made by the BBC was also lambasted on Britney’s Instagram page, in a post which accused those in charge of the films of “hypocrisy”.
The post read: “These documentaries are so hypocritical… they criticise the media and then do the same thing????? Damn… I don’t know y’all but I’m thrilled to remind you all that although I’ve had some pretty tough times in my life... I’ve had waaaayyyy more amazing times in my life and unfortunately my friends… I think the world is more interested in the negative!!!!
“I mean… isn’t this supposed to be a business and society about THE FUTURE???? Why highlight the most negative and traumatising times in my life from forever ago???? I mean DAMN…”
At a hearing in February 2021 – just days after the US release of Framing Britney Spears – a judge ruled against Jamie Spears, who lost a bid to retain the power to delegate investment powers for the estate.
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Britney is now set to address a US court about the arrangement at a hearing on Wednesday 23 June, where it’s expected her father’s role as conservator will be discussed in detail.
She last spoke in court about the matter in May 2019, but the judge cleared the room for that hearing. At the time of writing, it’s not known whether Britney’s latest comments will be made publicly.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder After Birmingham Stabbings

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A man and a woman, aged 19 and 32, who suffered serious stab wounds, remain in a critical condition in hospital, police said.
Following the arrest, Birmingham Police Commander Chief Superintendent Steve Graham said: “Officers worked through yesterday and into the early hours of this morning in a bid to trace the man we believe responsible for these terrible crimes.
“We issued CCTV footage of the suspect and had a strong response from the public. I’d like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and who provided information to the investigation.
“One line of inquiry ultimately led us to an address in the Selly Oak area this morning where a man was arrested.
“Clearly this is a crucial development but our investigation continues.
“We still need to speak to any witnesses who saw what happened who’ve not yet spoken to us, or anyone who may have video footage or photos of the incidents or the attacker.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--Serena Williams' Reaction To Seeing Daughter At U.S. Open Is So Pure

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The U.S. Open might’ve ditched the crowd this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Serena Williams couldn’t have asked for a more adorable cheering section.
The tennis pro inched one step closer to taking home her 24th Grand Slam title on Saturday after beating Sloane Stephens on the court in the third-round matchup between the two champions.
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While the usually packed Arthur Ashe Stadium remained almost completely empty over the weekend, players’ friends and family were allowed to watch the matches. So, of course, Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their 3-year-old daughter, Olympia, had front row seats — and both wore masks as a safety precaution.
“I hope that she saw her mama fighting,” Williams told reporters after the match, before saying “Hey, baby,” to her daughter.
But she was quick to joke that perhaps Olympia was a little preoccupied as her mum battled her way to victory.
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“I don’t think she was paying attention, between you and me,” Williams quipped. “She may have been playing with some princesses upstairs.”
Olympia did seem to keep her eyes locked on her mom, as the little girl was seen waving to Williams from her seat while mouthing, “Mama.”
The athlete excitedly waved back to her family as Ohanian readjusted his daughter’s mask to stay over her nose.
“Baby 👋 Mama,” the former Reddit co-founder, who wed Williams in 2017, captioned the all-too-adorable moment on Instagram.
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Ohanian has been a mainstay at the tournament, making the most of his camera time by letting his clothing do the talking.
In recent days, he sported a mask that encouraged everyone watching to vote in the coming presidential election and also wore a T-shirt demanding justice for the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
“Hugging loved ones even harder today,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself holding his young daughter.
Olympia seems to be following in her fashionable parents footsteps, bringing her own sense of style to the court.
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The toddler, who’s known to sport matching outfits with her mom, rocked a denim jacket and neon pink tutu with the tournament credentials around her neck.
Williams will next face off against Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the fourth round on Monday as she gets close to securing another title.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--Birmingham Stabbings: Major Manhunt Underway As Murder Suspect Still At Large


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--Is It Safe For Grandparents To Look After Their Grandkids Right Now?

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Every Monday we’ll answer your questions on Covid-19 and health in a feature published online. You can submit a question here.
This week, HuffPost UK reader Margaret asked: Am I ok to look after my grandchildren for one day whilst their parents are at work? One in four working families relies on grandparents for childcare – well, that was until the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Time-starved parents used to leave their kids with grandma or grandad for a couple of days each week, but all of a sudden the option was snatched away. Those aged 70 and over were urged to take extra precautions not to get sick, which meant forgoing visits with their grandchildren. For months, grandparents and their grandkids weren’t able to see each other (unless they waved at each other through a window), let alone touch.
The latest guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is that people from two different households can meet indoors, which means grandparents can spend time with their grandchildren – but they must socially distance. This guidance is under constant review. Grandparents are also allowed to look after children in areas that have a local lockdown, Matt Hancock announced. Some grandparents living alone have been able to form a support bubble with their grandchildren’s household, which means they can have close contact and don’t have to socially distance. Or, two grandparents may have formed a bubble with a single-parent household. But with kids returning to school and becoming part of whole year group bubbles, could this jeopardise the safety of a bubble at home? Submit a coronavirus health question to HuffPost UK.
Ponomariova_Maria via Getty Images
What are the risks to grandparents?
Whether or not it’s safe for grandparents to see grandkids isn’t a simple answer – rather, a case of weighing up risks.
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The main risk to grandparents is age – we know a person’s risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19 increases as they get older. Those aged 70+ are considered at moderate risk (or clinically vulnerable) by the NHS. Men and people from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background also have a greater risk of becoming ill – so older people in these groups should be more cautious.
People who are considered at highest risk from coronavirus because of underlying health conditions – also known as clinically extremely vulnerable – might want to politely decline the opportunity to provide childcare unless they can guarantee they’ll be able to socially distance from their grandchildren.
This factor will obviously depend on the child’s age – if you’ve agreed to look after a child who is a bit older and can amuse themselves, it’s a lot easier to keep your distance. But with younger babies and toddlers, this is impossible.
“School year group bubbles are separate from support bubbles, DHSC told HuffPost UK.”
School year group bubbles are separate from support bubbles, DHSC told HuffPost UK, as children are urged to socially distance and keep in their year group bubbles to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It’s not a case of one or the other. With this in mind, it’s worth considering whether your grandchild is of an age where they would understand the importance of social distancing from other kids in their class – if they’re quite young, it’s likely they’ll be closely interacting with lots of other children, and potentially bringing germs home.
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We know from studies of schools reopening that primary school children seem to be less at risk of catching Covid-19 and spreading it than secondary school children. We also know kids tend to be asymptomatic – where they don’t show symptoms – far more than adults. This could mean that your grandchild may be carrying Covid-19 without anyone realising it.
When asked about the risks of children returning from school and then seeing their grandparents, Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said during a webinar: “Clearly children can be asymptomatic, children can be infectious, clearly they can carry risk for adults, there is no pretence that they do not. The truth is that appears to be one of the least common ways that adults get infected.”
There’s a very low risk of children becoming severely ill with the virus, but the risk to you as a grandparent would be much higher, the older you are.
Household transmission appears to be the most likely way to catch Covid-19, according to an analysis by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Probably because people relax their hygiene standards and social distancing at home, as they’re in a familiar environment with people they trust.
There are certain environmental conditions that appear to fuel the spread of the virus, too, Quentin Leclerc, a PhD researcher in mathematical modelling of infectious disease, previously told HuffPost UK. Being indoors, having people in close proximity, and poor ventilation seem to facilitate greater transmission, he said. So, to prevent the spread of the virus, we need to avoid close contact settings and closed spaces with poor ventilation.
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So, grandparents shouldn’t hug or kiss grandkids?
Hugging and kissing grandchildren after they come back from school may not be the “most sensible thing to do”, said Prof Viner. “I think if there are highly vulnerable clinically shielding grandparents and others, that actually full-on hugging and kissing your grandchildren after they come back from school may not be the most sensible way to behave,” he said.
“We don’t believe in cutting off all physical contact between children and grandparents, but actually a lot of kissing and that kind of thing might not be the most sensible thing to do.”
Prof Viner added: “Keeping children seeing grandparents is important, making sure they wash their hands etc when they come out of school. Being sensible, being relatively secure, I think is the way forward.”
Advice for looking after grandchildren safely
It’s ultimately up to you whether you choose to look after your grandchild (or grandchildren). If you do, ways to lower your risk of catching the virus include:
Reducing close contact by keeping more than 1m distance from your grandchild as much as possible;
Spending more time together outdoors or in rooms where windows can be opened;
Encouraging your grandchild to wash their hands before and after seeing them, as well as during their stay – after using the toilet, before eating, etc. You should do the same.
If you are really worried about indoor transmission, you could wear a face mask indoors. A study found wearing face (surgical) masks at home, opening windows and frequently disinfecting surfaces helped to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the home.
Wipe down surfaces and touch points (like door handles, light switches, TV remotes etc) after your grandchild has gone home.
You might also want to avoid activities that involve singing and shouting, as this can increase the risk of transmission – there’s potential for virus-laden droplets to be flung further from your grandchild’s mouth and onto you, or nearby surfaces.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--Will Wearing A Face Mask For Covid-19 Also Protect You From The Flu?

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Now that we are many months into the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of the public is infinitely more aware of the precautions necessary to help curb the spread of the infectious disease — mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing.
And as we near flu season ― which runs from about October to early May every year ― questions around expected flu rates during the pandemic are front of mind for many medical professionals. Hope around reduced flu rates are met with concerns of Covid-19 and influenza co-infection.
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Since the pandemic began, the world’s thought process around the spread of infectious diseases has changed, according to Ali Raja, executive vice chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Specifically, the things that we have done, from wearing masks to hand-washing to physically distancing ourselves to even the cleaning,” Raja said.
As with almost everything with the coronavirus pandemic, there is a level of uncertainty around what to expect from this completely unexpected virus. But there is reason to believe that mask-wearing, along with other precautions, may help lower flu rates this year.
Below, experts shared their thoughts on the impact of Covid-19 mitigation measures on flu rates this fall and winter.
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ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images
Mask-wearing, and other public health safety methods, are expected to reduce flu rates overall but may vary by region.
Raja said he is hopeful flu rates will drop as a result of the public health safety measures that we’ve taken to prevent Covid-19. H
However, speaking about the situation in the US, Raja noted that there is a unique set of challenges when it comes to virus mitigation.
“We still have to be ready for a typical flu season,” he said. “A lot of the countries that are reporting their flu data going way down actually have much more rigorous and much more universal precautions in place than we do in the US. While I’m really hopeful that our flu rates will drop the same way we’ve seen other countries in the Southern Hemisphere drop, I’m worried that, at least in certain parts of the country, we may not see much of a drop at all.”
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Flu rates will only decrease if everything is done properly, especially within schools.
James Cherry, distinguished research professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, stated that children are the reservoir when it comes to influenza. The virus most often spreads from children to adults.
He voiced concern around in-person learning and the risks that school could bring if school systems ― and the students, teachers and staff within the school systems ― do not adhere to all government guidelines.
“With school reopenings, if they don’t do things right, children could bring the flu home to parents and high-risk people,” he said.
Cherry added that in order for schools to control influenza and Covid-19, students and teachers need to be wearing masks, social distancing and washing their hands frequently.
RichVintage via Getty Images
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Get your flu jab to help reduce rates of influenza.
To further reduce the spread and risk of the flu, Raja encourages the public to get the flu jab. There are many uncertainties associated with the coronavirus and its emergence during flu season, including the risk of co-infection.
“We don’t know what co-infection with Covid and the flu is going to look like. I’m worried patients may end up more sick than either disease alone,” Raja said.
Protecting yourself, and those around you, from the flu will also only help protect other members of society, which is crucial as Covid-19 continues to increasingly impact Black communities.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--No, I’m Not ‘Using’ My Chronic Illness To Get Out Of Socialising

HuffPost UK The author, Caroline Saramowicz
It’s 7pm on a Sunday, and I’m crying in bed.
I’ve just come off the phone with my best friend, who had gone to a party I was also supposed to attend the night before. She was nattering intently, keen to share all the details I had missed – who hooked up with who, who threw up on the sofa, the usual. Then, abruptly, she came out with words that broke me; “Everyone was talking about you, Caz. They said you were lying about being sick so that you didn’t have to come.” I swallowed, my heart dropping into my stomach. These weren’t just random people at a house party – these were supposed to be my friends.
Though this was the first time I’d been exposed to their opinions so bluntly, it wasn’t the first time my friends were mystified by my condition. I am one of 146,000 in the UK living with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease which affects the large intestine. Symptoms include abdominal pain, urgency to go to the bathroom and bleeding from the rectum, and it comes with a whole host of side effects including anaemia, osteopenia and migraines due to dehydration. It’s difficult to describe how severely this disease transforms your life, but its existence affects your entire body and your mind, not just your stomach.
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I was diagnosed in 2008, a pivotal moment in my young life. I was 18, preparing for my venture into university, when I began feeling intense bouts of pain in my lower abdomen. As an arrogant youth I assumed it was early period pains and carried about my days, drinking with friends and eating cheese (which is a popular trigger for colitis) like it was my lifeline. When I started seeing blood in my stool for more than three days in a row, I knew something was wrong. The pain was so severe, I couldn’t move from the floor. I was admitted to hospital and have been under the incredible care of their gastroenterology team ever since.
“I don’t think my friends truly understood the severity of my condition; they always assumed I would ‘get better’. So did I.”
My friends came to visit me in strands. Hospitals are always scary places for young people and seeing me thin, gaunt and connected to rehydration tubes can’t have been easy for them. They attempted to lift my spirits by bringing me sketch pads, magazines and soft toys, and I received many well wishes from people in my class. Sadly, I don’t think they truly understood the severity of my condition; they always assumed I would ‘get better’. So did I.
Once I was out of hospital and taking more medication daily than a person three times my age, I began to feel more like myself. When university started, I was front and centre at every fresher’s party, launching myself at the dance floor and attempting to outdrink everyone I knew. And then, I got sick again. And again. I began cancelling on my friends, who couldn’t comprehend why I wasn’t able to come to dinner when I was seen on campus a mere two days prior, laughing with my classmates. I missed out on Halloween parties, birthdays, dinners. I almost didn’t make it to my grad ball.
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I became a recluse, ignoring phone calls for fear of upsetting people with my constant cancellations. It took some time, but I finally came to the realisation that this condition wasn’t going anywhere, and the only way my friends were going to accept it was if I did too.
Living with an invisible illness is both a blessing and a curse. When I’m not flaring, I appear fine – I see my friends, drink booze, eat whatever I want and laugh hysterically at nothing in particular. However, the unpredictability of an autoimmune disease results in symptoms appearing almost out of nowhere. One day I could be at a party, the next I’m in bed clutching my stomach and begging my body not to fall apart.
This is one of the main reasons why my friends were so confused by my condition; they were simply unable to comprehend how my body could be so bipolar. Even I couldn’t understand it.
“One of the most important things a friend can do to support someone living with a chronic condition is be empathetic”
Last week, Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe resigned due to ongoing complications with his colitis. The longest serving premier had been suffering with the condition for years, but his symptoms had intensified significantly in the last few months which resulted in his eventual decision to step down and focus on his health. As a regular person, the condition is enough to devastate a person’s physical and mental wellbeing for the long term. Imagine trying to run an entire country.
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I’m incredibly lucky that a few close friends have stuck by me throughout my colitis journey, and who fully understand when I can’t come out because I’m so exhausted my lungs hurt. They handle my complex dietary requirements admirably, recognise my mood swings when I’m on steroids, find me loos when I’m desperate to go, and bring me hot water bottles and tea when I’m collapsed on their sofas in pain. They acknowledge the fact that I may not always attend an event that I’ve accepted an invitation to, no matter how enthusiastic I was at the time – it’s hard when you’re so full of vigour but your body doesn’t align with your mind.
My biggest fear has always been losing people I love, so I would say ‘yes’ to every event, every social gathering, in fear of upsetting anyone or missing out on my youth. Gradually throughout the past ten years, I have taken some of the responsibility on myself and have learned to say ‘no’ more often, especially when I know that a flare is imminent or likely to occur. I’ve also become kinder to myself, and learned to accept feelings of pain and lethargy. Sometimes showing weakness is a strength in itself.
One of the most important things a friend can do to support someone living with a chronic condition is be empathetic. Appreciate that there will be times when they disappear for a few days, fold in on themselves and desire the need to just be alone. Accept that they may have felt great when they initially made plans, but then don’t have the physical capacity to follow through. It’s tough – they look flaky and unresponsive, and it may become frustrating – but they appreciate your tolerance and support more than you know. Chronic conditions are emotionally demanding, and a little compassion goes a long way. That, and a surprise chocolate delivery of course (dairy free, please).
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--This Crispy Tofu With Spicy Sichuan Glaze Salad Recipe Will Win Over Your Kids

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Cooking With Kids is a weekly recipe series on getting creative in the kitchen with the family.
Say goodbye to sad salads and learn how to up your salad game with MasterChef finalist, Sandy Tang’s recipe, which is ideal for either a quick and easy lunch or light dinner.
Whether it’s helping coat the tofu with seasoned cornflour or making the glaze, kids can get involved at almost every step of the way.
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“It’s important to make sure all sides are coated evenly to ensure the tofu doesn’t burn and to get a full burst of flavour with every bite. Once coated, they need to shake off the excess,” Tang says. “They can also be tasked with making the glaze, whilst being educated about what flavours work well together.”
Aside from getting experimental with bold flavours and learning how to balance a tasty combination of savoury, sour and sweet. Kids can learn about the benefits of tofu, which may be a new ingredient to them.
“It’s a versatile and fulfilling meat alternative and is a great source of protein,” she explains. “They can also be introduced to flavours from around the world. Lee Kum Kee’s seasoned rice vinegar, for example, has been made from authentic vinegar from Zhenjiang, a city in eastern China on the banks of the Yangtze river. Pull out a map and give your kids a geography lesson while you’re cooking. Teach them about how cultures and locations influence food and ways of cooking.”
Worried about spice levels for kids? You and your little ones can work together to make adjustments to suit their spice levels, if needed. “Stimulate their palates, allow them to explore the amount of heat they are happy to taste,” Tang adds. “You can also remove the chilli bean sauce from the recipe if you’d prefer a non-spicy version.”
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Crispy tofu with Spicy Sichuan Glaze Salad
Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins
Sandy Tang Crispy tofu with Spicy Sichuan Glaze Salad
Ingredients:
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp salt
500g firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 2cm slices
1 ½ tbsp Lee Kum Kee chilli bean sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee seasoned rice vinegar
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic
For the salad:
2 gem lettuces
½ cucumber
2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee seasoned rice vinegar
1 spring onion, chopped
sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5
2. Mix the cornflour, five-spice powder and salt together. Coat each piece of tofu in the mix, ensuring all sides are coated evenly before shaking off any excess.
3. Bake the tofu slices for 20 minutes, until the coating is crispy.
4. Combine the seasoned rice vinegar, chilli bean sauce, honey and water together in a bowl.
5. Add oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and the baked tofu pieces and lightly sear them for 1-2 minutes.
6. Evenly pour the chilli bean mix over the tofu. Remove from the heat when the sauce is completely reduced, and no excess liquid is left.
7. Make your salad and dress it with the seasoned rice vinegar and give everything a good toss. Place the tofu on top and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--I Called Out Teenage Bad Behaviour And Got Shamed For It. Was I Wrong?

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I had an unpleasant experience with a bunch of teenage girls the other day – but after calling out their bad behaviour online, I found myself accused of “teenager bashing”.
My four-year-old son and I had gone to the local park, and he needed the toilet. So far, so normal – except that on hurrying with him to the public loos nearby, we encountered a large group of girls, aged about 14 or 15, hanging out at the entrance.
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In groups, teens often get a bad rap, and can be unfairly viewed with suspicion. It must be even harder since the pandemic – young people have had nowhere to go or hang out for months. They’ve been without their friends and their usual routines of school and socialising, then had to cope with the GCSE and A-level marking fiasco. In some ways, teens had it worse than anyone in lockdown.
I wasn’t worried when I approached the girls in the park – I simply didn’t think about it. After all, I’ve been a teenage girl. I know their bark is worse than their bite, and I didn’t expect them to bark at all – not at a mum with her young child.
Sadly, I was wrong.
ilyaliren via Getty Images
I was shocked at being told loudly to “fuck off”, after asking them to please move out of the way, because they were blocking the exit. My little boy was desperate, and the loos, as I discovered, were out of order. We needed to get home – fast.
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The collective side-eye and sneering was palpable – and so was the abuse. I stopped and asked if they thought they were setting a good example by swearing in front of a young child, imagining most would shift uncomfortably, that some of the six-strong group might have brothers or sisters at home of the same age. I thought they’d apologise.
Instead, they laughed and told me fiercely and repeatedly to “shut up”.
Don’t get me wrong. I was as stroppy as the next teenager, when I was 15. I remember doing all the usual, horrid things: stomping to my room, slamming the door, shouting “I hate you!”, when of course I didn’t mean it. I once threw the remote control at my dad (sorry, Dad), and got so drunk on cider at my first house party that I threw up all over someone’s mum’s new sofa.
Point being: I understand only too well that teenagers aren’t perfect, and nor should they be. In our teenage years we learn to test boundaries – and often, that involves working out what’s acceptable, and what isn’t.
Plus, teens are under enormous pressure to be part of the ‘in’ crowd and to belong, something that clinical child psychologist Emma Citron says is more obvious when encountering a “pack”.
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“You always get difficult characters in any social group of any age,” she tells me. “As soon as you’re in a pack, it’s a bit like a firing squad – there’s less individual culpability, and more bad behaviour.” But Citron says it’s important to remember the unique impact of not being in school for half the year, too.
“Kids haven’t been in school for a long time, and school can be a check for rough behaviour,” she says. “Many kids experience people swearing or being mean or critical towards them, at home; and are coming out of a hothouse of frustration and boredom and a lack of direction and misery.”
Citron points to studies which show teens have been less stressed and anxious in lockdown, but warns they’re also arguably more frustrated, bored and angry – “a whole different set of emotions”.
“If kids are feeling a bit low or bored, then you’re not seeing the best of them,” she says. “If you saw the same kids in their maths class, you’d probably see someone totally different.”
After my encounter with this particular group, which genuinely left me shaking, I thought long and hard about what to do next. In the end, because it was in front of my young son, I felt I needed to take action. So, I posted an alert on a local Facebook forum and to ask people to “check in” with their teenagers to ask if they were on the high street that day, and were part of what had happened. I wanted fellow parents like me to talk to their kids to remind them to be kind to strangers – and to each other.
There were dozens of comments in response, ranging from sympathetic to rude – but the harshest by far was directed at me. One local mum accused me of “bashing teenagers” to feel better about myself.
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Being shamed for calling out unacceptable behaviour took me completely by surprise. I immediately regretted posting anything at all, then realised that if it were my child I would want to know, so I could address it. Ignorance serves no-one.
ilyaliren via Getty Images
Citron tells me that ‘calling out’ antisocial behaviour is a choice – but when it involves a young child, it might also be a duty.
“There’s an argument for being the ‘bigger person’ and ignoring it, and that way they don’t get the attention they’re craving,” she says. “But swearing is an aggressive act, and if it’s in front of a small child, you need to role model that it’s not appropriate. It’s all about the child; not you, or them.”
But she says we should try to make the messages as positive as possible, because our goal should be improving the fabric of our society. “Teenagers are emerging adults – they need checks on their behaviour, just like the rest of us. They need a wake-up call to know that certain behaviour is not okay, and to consider the effect on a four year old: would it make the child feel anxious and unsafe? Would it make them too scared to use public toilets again?”
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Citron also says we have a moral duty to call out unacceptable behaviour when we see it, or risk being complicit. “Like any boundaries – with family members, friends – when we see they’re stepping out of line we need to call it out, otherwise we are coercing with it,” she warns. “Racism needs to be called out, as does violence, or we are passive participants in antisocial behaviour.”
Of course, it’s easy to be dragged into ‘tit for tat’ arguments, online - something grown-ups are guilty of, as much as teens. I’ve witnessed bullying and name-calling on my primary school parents’ WhatsApp group, and have found myself drawn into virtual rows I wish I’d never been involved with.
Maybe I was wrong, to recount my experience on social media. Maybe I was also wrong for talking back to the teenage girls when it happened, and for telling them they should think about what they were saying in front of a little boy, and for asking them to please move aside and create more space. Maybe I wasn’t as laidback or understanding as I could have been. I was in a rush, but that’s no excuse. Perhaps I should have dealt with it differently.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-07--I Am A Solo Parent. The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Nearly Erased Me.

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It’s another morning in our studio apartment, and my six-year-old son and I fight for my laptop. He has a drawing class ― the only online class I could find where he can talk to other kids ― and I annoy the teacher by banging pans as I try to cook something we are not sick of eating. (I fail.)
I am antsy to finish writing an article for a client, so as I wash the dreaded dishes, I scribble an outline. I finally get the computer back, and my son tries to squeeze in next to me on my chair and nags me to draw a cobra. I snap at him, which I’ve been doing a lot more in the recent months, and he patiently goes on to draw the battle of Titanoboa and Tyrannosaurus Rex while blasting Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.
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I try to work some more. We eat, he begs to go outside ― which we do, but we alternate days ― one for errands like doctors and food shopping, and one to do something he wants. We come home; I teach English online. The day is suddenly over, and at midnight, he will fall asleep, and I will debate whether to watch an Amazon show or to catch up on sleep. (I will never catch up on sleep.)
Then we get up the next day and do it all over again. I rise at 6 a.m. for a part-time job interview. My son gets up too, and accidentally drops the monster truck next to me right in the middle of a question. Fuck! The interviewer now knows I am a mom. I never get a callback. I cry, because I spent three days, unpaid, preparing for that interview.
If that weren’t enough, my head is exploding with decisions I must make on my own: Do we move, and can I afford it? When can I work full-time again? Will schools ever be safe? How will I take care of my child if I get sick? I cry some more. My son hugs me. I feel even guiltier, so I get my act together.
I cannot afford to not work. Because it’s just the two of us, I also cannot afford to get sick, and much less, die. I cry often, mostly because I feel guilty: I am either working or looking for work most days, and my son has been left to his other parent ― my cell phone. I check my history and see videos about the observable universe, the tallest skyscrapers in the world, a documentary on baby harp seals (watched 117 times) and the fights of Indominus Rex with other dinosaurs. Not the worst of the internet, I figure. Then again, yesterday I found my kid watching “how to survive a grenade blast.”
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“I cannot afford to not work. Because it’s just the two of us, I also cannot afford to get sick, and much less, die. I cry often, mostly because I feel guilty: I am either working or looking for work most days, and my son has been left to his other parent ― my cell phone.”
Every other week, I pay a psychologist to listen to me. He’s not particularly good, but he’s cheap. I think of him as my only friend to whom I can honestly say: I am not okay. I am far from okay.
“I’m so glad the pandemic is basically over,” a single friend says to me. Like other friends without kids, he has found a way to go back to almost-normal, with the mask and gel. These friends are taking holidays, having caught up on their reading list, mastered another language or a musical instrument during confinement. I sigh as he says this. My own pandemic experience began in March and is still going full-force and won’t come to an end in the coming months. I haven’t even mastered survival.
So I google. The one article I can find for single parents suggests I focus on “finding time for yourself” (when?) and allowing more screen time (as if I ever had the luxury of banning it). I’m not convinced it was written by a single parent.
The pandemic has been a different experience for those with kids. For most (myself included), our kids are still at home, testing our sanity day in and day out. Many parents have found a way to manage this new normality ― couples describe having to work in shifts as the other parent watches the kids. Many are still having a hard time ― another friend complains about her lack of alone time: just an hour a day, she says, while her husband takes their child for a walk in their suburbia. (It’s an ugly truth to admit, but I’ll say it ― I envy her.) I see articles about this generation of parents worrying about falling behind in their careers and listicles of how to manage psychologically. They make my right eye tick, as does the question, “What do you do in your free time?”
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Day after day, I see news stories and features about moms doing a disproportionate share of the housework and childcare. In reading this conversation ― whether among friends on Facebook or in the media ― a Norman Rockwell-esque picture of a family emerges. Just as I thought we’ve taken a step forward as a society, finally starting to include in our conversation parents who are multiracial or LGTBQ+, parents who fare differently economically, parents who are ... different from the “norm” ― we seem to be doing a lot of backtracking during the pandemic. Coronavirus has put the spotlight back on the struggles of a white family of cisgender parents and their 2.4 children.
Somehow, the stories that acknowledge the fact that different families both exist and may have other challenges in coping are few and far between.
So what about the other families? What about those who are standing in line at the food bank, risking exposure? Those who have been or still are sick and therefore unable to work? Those who are being evicted or fired from their jobs? And, forgive me for being selfish ― but what about me?
I am invisible in this pandemic. As a solo parent ― one is solely responsible for the well-being of a child, one who carries the full burden of the financial, custodial and emotional responsibility ― I feel as if I am excluded for the solutions our governments give us.
For example, on March 14, the Spanish government confined us to our tiny apartments, fully and completely, without the ability to go for walks or to exercise outside. Kids were not allowed to be outside at all. But then, as a solo parent, how was I to do the shopping? Somehow, society did not figure me into their equation.
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I solved that problem by staying up until midnight to get a delivery slot from Amazon, then getting up at 5 am to get a slot from another supermarket. Deliveries often took two weeks and came only partially filled. We had to make do without flour and pasta and some basic goods. Leaving him alone to go to a physical store seemed too dangerous ― and potentially illegal.
I dipped into my savings (and I do recognise the privilege of even having a savings) and I paid double to get the food we need. Others had it worse: A friend I met later had to rely on a local church for food, and as a condition of receiving aid, you had to send it a photo of your family, standing over the food, smiling, as if everything is OK when it’s not.
“A group of married women I’m in touch with share in our Whatsapp group chat that they are planning to take the kids to the countryside as their husbands work in the city. They ask, 'Do you want to come?' 'Let the husbands work in peace,' one laughs. 'Can’t, sorry.' I type. 'I am the husband.'”
At some point during our quarantine, the one-kilometer rule came into effect in Spain: Children could go for walks within 1one kilometer of their house. Adults, on the other hand, could go anywhere. That day, quarantine ended for couples: One parent would stay with the kids as the other would travel wherever they pleased. We, a family of two, one of whom is a child, stayed on a leash. Again, we felt invisible, outside the norm and outside the rules.
I snooze friends on Facebook who post the projects they are doing with their kids as their partner works. A group of married women I’m in touch with share in our WhatsApp group chat that they are planning to take the kids to the countryside as their husbands work in the city. They ask, “Do you want to come?” “Let the husbands work in peace,” one laughs. “Can’t, sorry.” I type. “I am the husband.” The conversation ends there.
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We were all wrong, expecting this pandemic to end a lot sooner. I now have to stretch the little money I make to cover all the illnesses and school closures that will come ― if the schools open at all, that is. I joke that the day my son goes to school, I will sit in silence and stare at the wall. In truth, I probably won’t know what to do with the silence.
I do exist, whether society recognises it or not. So I am raising my hand to say, hello, I’m here. We are here. My six-year understands that families are different ― when it comes to size, sex, gender, race, economic status, etc. Why don’t grown-ups? Why can’t society recognise that families like mine ― and families like many others that do not fit the round hole of this square peg of a conversation ― still do exist and are struggling? And that we wouldn’t mind a little help, even if it comes in the form of acknowledgment. That would be the first step to having a conversation that is inclusive, and therefore, one worth having.
Kat Rossi is a writer living in Barcelona. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--40 Tory MPs Form New Group To Demand Help For Poorer Parts Of UK

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A group of 40 Conservative MPs have formed a new group to keep up the pressure on Boris Johnson to fulfil his pledge to “level up” the more deprived areas of the country.
A study published on Monday revealed earnings in seats the Conservatives won in 2019 are on average 5% lower than in Labour-held seats.
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According to report by the conservative think-tank Onward, houses in Labour seats are also worth on average £62,000 a third more.
Neil O’Brien, the MP for Harborough who is helping lead the new Tory “Levelling Up Taskforce”, said: “The coronavirus crisis has only made the case for levelling up stronger so we can get the economy moving in areas that are less well off.
“Our new Taskforce will be spearheading this vital agenda.”
Onward’s analysis showed of the bottom quarter of seats in Great Britain with the lowest earnings, more are now held by the Conservatives (77) than Labour (74).
The report also highlighted that since the mid-1990s London has pulled ahead of the rest of the country.
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Having been the same size as the economy of the north of England as recently as 2004, the capital’s economy is now a quarter bigger.
In London income before tax and benefits grew two-thirds faster than the rest of the UK, and income before tax and benefits is now nearly 70% higher in London than the rest of the UK, up from around 30% higher in 1997.
Many of the MPs in the new group represent seats taken from Labour’s so-called “red wall” at the election, including Redcar’s Jacob Young and Bishop Auckland’s Dehenna Davidson.
Stoke on Trent Central MP Jo Gideon said there was “a lot of untapped potential” in parts of the country that “have felt left behind for a long time”.
Johnson’s promise to deliver for the people in traditional Labour heartlands was dealt a blow after the A-level fiasco that saw students from poorer backgrounds initially have their results downgraded more than their peers from more affluent areas.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--Brexit With No Trade Deal Will Still Be A 'Good Outcome', Says Boris Johnson

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Leaving the EU without a trade agreement would still be a “good outcome” for the UK, Boris Johnson will say on Monday,.
The prime minister will tell Brussels that if no agreement can be reached by the October 15 European Council, then both sides should be prepared to “accept that and move on”.
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It comes after a bombshell report in the Financial Times revealed the government plans to introduce new legislation to “consciously” undermine key parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
The move, described as a “nuclear option” in the paper, designed prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could also blow up the negotiations.
Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said it would be “an act of immense bad faith” that would sabotage the UK’s ability to sign trade agreements with other countries.
Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, said it would be the “repudiation” of the deal repeatedly described by the prime minister in the general election as “oven ready”.
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“This will significantly increase likelihood of no-deal, and the resulting damage to the economy will be entirely Tory inflicted. What charlatans,” she said.
Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, said it “would be a very unwise way to proceed”.
Johnson’s comments are the latest in a series of statements from senior government figures outlining a hardening stance towards the EU.
The UK’s negotiator David Frost and foreign secretary Dominic Raab both used interviews at the weekend to vow not to back down on the remaining sticking points.
Raab told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme that the negotiations had been “boiled down to two outstanding bones of contention” – control of UK fishing waters and the level of taxpayer support the government will be able to provide businesses – and argued neither “principle” could not be “haggled away”.
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Frost is due to hold another round of key negotiations in London with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, this week, as they look to find a solution to the remaining issues in order to have a deal readied for when the transition period comes to an end on December 31.
But the prime minister will make clear on Monday that time is running out if the two sides are to ratify an agreement in time for 2021.
“We are now entering the final phase of our negotiations with the EU,” Johnson is expected to say.
“The EU have been very clear about the timetable. I am too. There needs to be an agreement with our European friends by the time of the European Council on October 15 if it’s going to be in force by the end of the year.
“So there is no sense in thinking about timelines that go beyond that point.
“If we can’t agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on.”
Raab said on Sunday that he would prefer to leave with a deal and that there would be “damaging impacts” felt on both sides of the Channel if no deal was reached.
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Johnson, however, will argue that collapsing the trade talks next month would still represent “a good outcome for the UK” and that his administration was preparing for such an eventuality.
The prime minister is planning to say that no-deal means the country would have a “trading arrangement with the EU like Australia’s”, meaning it would fall back on trade protocols as set by the World Trade Organisation when doing business with its largest trading partner.
“I want to be absolutely clear that, as we have said right from the start, that would be a good outcome for the UK,” the PM will say.
“As a government we are preparing, at our borders and at our ports, to be ready for it.
“We will have full control over our laws, our rules, and our fishing waters.
“We will have the freedom to do trade deals with every country in the world. And we will prosper mightily as a result.
“We will of course always be ready to talk to our EU friends even in these circumstances.
“We will be ready to find sensible accommodations on practical issues such as flights, lorry transport, or scientific co-operation, if the EU wants to do that.
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“Our door will never be closed and we will trade as friends and partners – but without a free trade agreement.”
But Johnson, in an apparent bid to focus minds as another set of talks gets under way on Tuesday, will say that there is “still an agreement to be had”, one that is based on deals Brussels has previously struck with “Canada and so many others”.
According to Downing Street, the prime minister will add: “Even at this late stage, if the EU are ready to rethink their current positions and agree this I will be delighted.
“But we cannot and will not compromise on the fundamentals of what it means to be an independent country to get it.”
Labour’s Haigh said: “Just 10 months after signing a treaty promising to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, Boris Johnson’s government is already threatening to renege on the UK’s legal obligations. This would be an act of immense bad faith.
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“Not only would it be viewed dimly by future trading partners and allies around the world, it would make it more difficult for us to hold other governments to account if we cannot stick to our word and obligations that we have agreed to.”
It came after one of Theresa May’s former Number 10 advisers accused Frost of having a “brass neck”, after he said the former PM’s negotiators had “blinked and had its bluff called at critical moments” during talks over a Withdrawal Agreement.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--Novak Djokovic Disqualified From US Open After Hitting Line Judge With Ball

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Title favourite Novak Djokovic has sensationally defaulted from the US Open after hitting a line judge with a ball.
The top seed and 17-time grand slam champion had just dropped serve to trail Spanish opponent Pablo Carreno Busta 6-5 in the opening set of their fourth-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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He hit a ball behind him in annoyance that hit a female line judge.
A lengthy discussion followed between tournament officials and Djokovic as the Serbian argued his case to no avail.
There was no question Djokovic did not intend to hit the line judge, and the ball was not hit particularly hard, but it was clear immediately that the woman was hurt, with the Serbian rushing over to check on her condition.
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts after inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball after hitting it in reaction to losing a point against Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in New York. Djokovic defaulted the match. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) ASSOCIATED PRESS
He pleaded his case at length before accepting his fate, collecting his rackets and walking off the court.
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The decision will send shockwaves through the sport. Djokovic won his 17th slam singles title in Australia and was an overwhelming favourite to make it 18 in New York having not lost a match all season.
Djokovic is not the first player to have been defaulted for something similar, but it is extraordinary for it to happen at a grand slam and to the tournament favourite.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov was defaulted during a Davis Cup tie against Great Britain in 2017 after smashing a ball in anger that hit umpire Arnaud Gabas in the eye.
Tim Henman, meanwhile, was disqualified from Wimbledon 25 years ago for hitting a ball girl with a ball during a doubles match.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia and a tournament official tend to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain (Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA SIPA USA/PA Images


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--UK Reports 2,988 New Coronavirus Cases – The Biggest Increase In Three Months

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The UK has recorded almost 3,000 new cases of Covid-19 in a single day – the largest increase in more than three months.
Government data published on Sunday showed an increase of 2,988 cases over the previous 24 hours.
It was the biggest jump in new cases since May 22, when the positive coronavirus tests of another 2,959 people were reported.
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Health secretary Matt Hancock said the rise in cases was “predominantly among younger people”.
Want to know more? The Graphs Show How Bad Coronavirus Is In The Right Now
Number of new coronavirus cases reported in the UK each day Gov UK data
He told Sky News: “We are concerned about this rise in cases, of course we are. And it is predominantly among young people.
“But of course young people can pass on the disease to their grandparents and we don’t want to see that.”
There has been a trend of this happening across Europe, Hancock said.
“It’s so important that we follow social distancing,” he added.
Over the previous week, the UK had reported between 1,295 and 1,940 new Covid-19 cases each day. The UK total stands at 347,152.
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Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called the increase in cases “deeply concerning”, calling it a “stark reminder there is no room for complacency in suppressing Covid”.
Deeply concerning increase in cases and a stark reminder there is no room for complacency in suppressing Covid.
Combined with ongoing testing fiasco with ill people told to drive for miles, Matt Hancock must comes to Commons tomorrow to explain approach.https://t.co/G8uRBLu6Q4 — Jonathan Ashworth 😷 (@JonAshworth) September 6, 2020
He tweeted: “Combined with ongoing testing fiasco with ill people told to drive for miles, Matt Hancock must come to Commons tomorrow to explain approach”.
However, while there has been a sharp increase in the number of reported cases, the number of people dying in the UK has remained low.
The deaths of two people with Covid-19 were reported in the UK on Sunday.
In comparison, on May 22 – the last time the number of new cases neared 3,000 – the deaths of 222 coronavirus patients were recorded.
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The number of people in hospital in the UK with coronavirus has also remained low, with 756 people hospitalised with Covid-19 as of Thursday.
At the height of the crisis in April, there were almost 20,000 people in hospital with coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the UK has seen a significant increase in the number of people being tested for the virus in recent months.
dowell via Getty Images
Yvonne Doyle, the medical director of Public Health England, said 2,576 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in England overnight, compared to 1,477 on Saturday.
Doyle said that most of the new cases were people tested in the community.
“There were broad increases in cases of COVID-19 across England and although no single area accounts for the overnight change, Birmingham had the largest increase in overnight cases and the majority of new cases were in the North of England,” she said.
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“This is a reminder of the continued risk from this virus. People should continue to follow social distancing rules, wash their hands regularly and wear a face covering in enclosed spaces.
“We continue to monitor the situation. Our local Health Protection teams are working with local councils and Directors of Public Health to manage the increase.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--Jacob Blake Speaks Out From Hospital Bed: ‘It Hurts To Breathe. It Hurts To Sleep'

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Jacob Blake said he’s experiencing unrelenting pain in a newly released video recorded from the hospital bed where he’s recovering after being shot in the back multiple times by a Wisconsin police officer last month.
In the 57-second clip posted to social media Saturday by his attorney, Blake warned his supporters that life can change in an instant. The 29-year-old remains paralysed from the waist down after officer Rusten Sheskey of the Kenosha Police Department shot Blake seven times on August 23, Blake’s father said Friday.
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“Your life and not only just your life, your legs ― something that you need to move around and move forward in life ― could be taken from you like this,” Blake said in the video as he snaps his fingers.
Blake said he has staples in his back and stomach, and that he feels “nothing but pain” all day long.
“You do not want to have to deal with this shit, man,” Blake said in the video, adding: “It’s nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat.”
“Please, I’m telling you: Change y’all lives out there,” he continued. “We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out here, man. Because so much time has been wasted.”
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#JacobBlake released this powerful video message from his hospital bed today, reminding everyone just how precious life is. #JusticeForJacobBlake pic.twitter.com/87CYlgPDBj — Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 6, 2020
Blake’s shooting sparked protests in Kenosha and across cities across the US, including in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police in May. Moments before he died, Floyd stated repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe as three officers pinned him to the ground, including one who knelt on his neck.
Bystander video of the Kenosha shooting showed at least two police officers pointing their guns at Blake as he walked around a parked SUV toward the driver’s side door. As Blake opened the door, Sheskey grabbed the back of Blake’s shirt and proceeded to shoot him seven times in the back.
In the video, onlookers can be heard screaming as Sheskey opens fire.
Three of Blake’s sons ― ages 3, 5 and 8 ― were sitting in the back of the SUV when Blake was shot.
In a statement following the shooting, police said officers had been responding to a “reported domestic incident.” Some witnesses told The Chicago Sun-Times that Blake had been trying to break up a fight when police approached him.
During a virtual court proceeding on Friday, Blake pleaded not guilty to three criminal charges ― criminal trespass, sexual assault and disorderly conduct ― that were filed in July.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-09-06--Typhoon Haishen: 100,000 Families Told To Evacuate As Storm Edges Closer To Japan

High waves triggered by Typhoon Haishen crash against the coast in Kagoshima in southwestern Japan September 6, 2020, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Credit Kyodo/via REUTERS) Kyodo via REUTERS
More than 100,000 families have been urged to evacuate their homes in Japan as a typhoon draws closer to the country’s southern mainland.
Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe warned that Typhoon Haishen could make landfall in Kyushu, bringing “record rains, winds, waves and high tides”.
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“I am asking that people exercise the utmost caution,” Abe said.
The typhoon’s centre was near Yakushima on Sunday, moving north at 22 miles per hour, meteorologists reported.
The typhoon is forecast to approach the Goto Islands west of Nagasaki around 3am on Monday and then move to the Korean peninsula.
Posts on social media showed trees on Yakushima, an island 60 miles south of Kagoshima city, shaking violently in strong winds and driving rain.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned the typhoon could bring "record rains, winds, waves and high tides". ASSOCIATED PRESS
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The typhoon is expected to have sustained winds of up to 134 miles per hour by Monday, Reuters reported.
The news agency said that more than 100,000 households had been ordered to evacuate in Okinawa and in Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Nagasaki on Kyushu, Japan’s main southern island.
The typhoon has already cut power to almost 30,000 homes in Kagoshima and more than 3,000 in Okinawa, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s NHK reported that airlines had cancelled more than 500 flights departing from Okinawa and southern Japan.
Bullet train services in southern and western Japan have also been suspended, it said.
Typhoon Haishen comes just days after Typhoon Maysak, which smashed into the Korean peninsula on Thursday, leaving at least two dead and thousands temporarily without power.