inews--2020-04-02--Labour leadership election: polls close as party prepares to announce new leader

Labour leadership election : polls close as party prepares to announce new leader The winner was due to be announced at a special conference this weekend but it has been scaled back due to coronavirus Votes have been cast and the polls have closed in the Labour leadership contest as the party prepares to announce who Jeremy Corbyn 's successor will be .
Those who were eligible to vote in the race had until midday on Thursday to make their choice between Sir Keir Starmer , Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy .
The winner will be announced on Saturday but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been planned has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus .
Instead the announcement is expected to be made through an email sent out at around 10.45am .
The winner will then release a pre-recorded celebration video .
The finale of the election - which has been running for three months - is expected to be a more muted affair than it normally would be given the current lockdown in the UK .
Mr Corbyn , who was elected Labour leader in 2015 , announced he was stepping down after the party suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of last year .
Several MPs toyed with the idea of joining the race but eventually five candidates - Ms Long-Bailey , Ms Nandy , Sir Keir , Jess Phillips , and Emily Thornberry - had enough support to proceed to the second round of nominations .
Lisa Nandy , MP for Wigan reacts as she takes part in the last Labour Party Leadership hustings at Dudley Town Hall on March 08 , 2020 in Dudley , England .
( Photo : Getty ) Ms Phillips and Ms Thornberry later dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite Ms Long-Bailey having the support of Mr Corbyn 's allies and Momentum , Sir Keir has emerged as the consistent frontrunner and is widely expected to win .
The winner of the contest to become Labour 's deputy leader will also be announced , with members choosing between Angela Rayner Dawn Butler , Ian Murray , Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon .
On February 21 the ballot opened , with voting papers sent out to party members , members of affiliated trade unions and groups and 14,700 `` registered supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a one-off basis .

Votes have been cast and the polls have closed in the Labour leadership contest as the party prepares to announce who Jeremy Corbyn’s successor will be.
Those who were eligible to vote in the race had until midday on Thursday to make their choice between Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy.
The winner will be announced on Saturday but the “special conference” that had been planned has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus.
Announcement in days
Instead the announcement is expected to be made through an email sent out at around 10.45am. The winner will then release a pre-recorded celebration video.
The finale of the election – which has been running for three months – is expected to be a more muted affair than it normally would be given the current lockdown in the UK.
Mr Corbyn, who was elected Labour leader in 2015, announced he was stepping down after the party suffered its worst election defeat in decades at the end of last year.
Several MPs toyed with the idea of joining the race but eventually five candidates – Ms Long-Bailey, Ms Nandy, Sir Keir, Jess Phillips, and Emily Thornberry – had enough support to proceed to the second round of nominations.
Overshadowed
Ms Phillips and Ms Thornberry later dropped out after trailing the other three candidates.
Despite Ms Long-Bailey having the support of Mr Corbyn’s allies and Momentum, Sir Keir has emerged as the consistent frontrunner and is widely expected to win.
The winner of the contest to become Labour’s deputy leader will also be announced, with members choosing between Angela Rayner Dawn Butler, Ian Murray, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon.
On February 21 the ballot opened, with voting papers sent out to party members, members of affiliated trade unions and groups and 14,700 “registered supporters” who paid £25 to take part on a one-off basis.
The final stages of the contest have been largely overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak – putting a halt to hustings and campaign events.


inews--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Professor of intensive care medicine Dr Alison Pittard says 'we have no idea if we can

Coronavirus: Professor of intensive care medicine Dr Alison Pittard says 'we have no idea if we can manage the peak' of Covid-19

Coronavirus : Professor of intensive care medicine Dr Alison Pittard says 'we have no idea if we can manage the peak ' of Covid-19 Dr Pittard urged people to follow Government guidance to help make sure the peak 'falls within our capacity' An expert in intensive care medicine has said professionals `` have no idea '' whether the health service can manage the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak , makng it essential that people stay at home to reduce the level of transmissions .
The Government is trying to increase the NHS 's ability to treat those suffering from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospital in East London , with other similar temporary hospitals planned across the country .
However , it is facing questions over testing and ventilator capacity .
'Making sure that that peak is as low as possible' Dr Pittard said : `` We have no idea whether we can we will manage the peak or not and obviously , we will do our absolute best .
`` The most important thing that will have an impact on whether we can manage the peak or not , is making sure that that peak is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our capacity .
`` And the way that we can achieve that is by listening to the Government advice .
We all have a role to play in this .
Every single one of us is if we stay at home , we protect ourselves and we do n't spread the disease amongst the public .
'We start off from a low-point' A firefighter outside the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at ExCeL London ( Photo : Getty ) She said : `` We start off from a low-point , we do n't have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standpoint , we know we do n't have enough nursing staff or doctors to look after the patients .
`` So yes , staff are having to work in strange environments , they 're having to work in new shift patterns and they 're also having to deliver care in a very different way .
He told Good Morning Britain : `` If we get to a position where demand outstrips supply , and all the figures that I have seen so far look as if we wo n't get to that position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be able to stay within capacity if the social distancing works and that 's why the social distancing is so important . ''
He said : `` Of course we 've always said there will be huge challenges in dealing with this pandemic and if we get to a position where the requirement outweighs the supply then there will be some difficult decisions that people have to make .
But all our efforts are to making sure that does n't happen . ''

An expert in intensive care medicine has said professionals “have no idea” whether the health service can manage the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, makng it essential that people stay at home to reduce the level of transmissions.
Dr Alison Pittard, from the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, on Thursday urged people to follow Government guidance to help make sure the peak “falls within our capacity” during an interview on Sky News.
The Government is trying to increase the NHS’s ability to treat those suffering from the virus, building the 4,000 bed Nightingale Hospital in East London, with other similar temporary hospitals planned across the country. However, it is facing questions over testing and ventilator capacity.
‘Making sure that that peak is as low as possible’
Dr Pittard said: “We have no idea whether we can we will manage the peak or not and obviously, we will do our absolute best.
“The most important thing that will have an impact on whether we can manage the peak or not, is making sure that that peak is as low as possible and falls within our capacity.
“And the way that we can achieve that is by listening to the Government advice. We all have a role to play in this. Every single one of us is if we stay at home, we protect ourselves and we don’t spread the disease amongst the public.
“And we will be able to save lives not just NHS workers, but every member of the public can save lives.”
‘We start off from a low-point’
Dr Pittard said that the NHS is not starting from a position of strength when it comes to emergency care.
She said: “We start off from a low-point, we don’t have enough critical care beds from a normal standpoint, we know we don’t have enough nursing staff or doctors to look after the patients.
“And so it’s absolutely vital that we still try and deliver safe care.
“So yes, staff are having to work in strange environments, they’re having to work in new shift patterns and they’re also having to deliver care in a very different way.
“We normally do one-to-one nurse-to-patient ratios but we are having to stretch that as you say to six patients to one nurse.
“We are going to do our best to make sure it’s as safe as possible.”
‘Difficult decisions’
Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of PHE said the NHS looks set to remain “within capacity” if social distancing works.
He told Good Morning Britain: “If we get to a position where demand outstrips supply, and all the figures that I have seen so far look as if we won’t get to that position, certainly it looks as if we should be able to stay within capacity if the social distancing works and that’s why the social distancing is so important.”
Asked about new guidance for doctors should hospitals become overwhelmed with patients, he said that situation could lead to “difficult decisions” for medics.
He said: “Of course we’ve always said there will be huge challenges in dealing with this pandemic and if we get to a position where the requirement outweighs the supply then there will be some difficult decisions that people have to make. But all our efforts are to making sure that doesn’t happen.”
Additional reporting by Press Association.


inews--2020-04-02--Life on Mars: Gene Hunt to return for 'final chapter' of series, writer says

Life on Mars : Gene Hunt to return for 'final chapter ' of series , writer says Fire up the Ford Cortina - cult BBC time travel drama will be wrapped up with a final run says co-creator Dust down the Ford Cortina .
The writer of BBC time travel drama Life on Mars says the series which made DCI Gene Hunt a cult hero will return for a “ final chapter '' .
John Simm and Philip Glenister starred in the drama about a policeman who wakes up in 1973 after being hit by a car in the present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mystery of whether Simm ’ s Sam Tyler was dead , alive , or in a coma ran for two series and spawned an 80-set sequel , Ashes To Ashes .
An international hit for producers Kudos , the Bafta-winning show was remade in the US , Russia and China .
Co-creator Matthew Graham said the famously politically-incorrect Hunt , Tyler , and both series ’ period cars would be reunited for one final run .
“ We would never make another Mars unless we really had something to say and could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finally we have something , ” Graham wrote during a live Twitter viewing of the drama , which has returned to the BBC iPlayer .
This `` final chapter '' will be set in both the '70s Life on Mars timeline and Ashes to Ashes ' 1980s timeline , but `` mostly in an alternate now '' in Manchester and London .
The format will be of a `` TV show within our TV show '' called Tyler : Murder Division .
It will be spread over four and five episodes , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mars sparked spin-off series Ashes to Ashes , starring Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister ( Photo : BBC ) In a final cryptic clue about the new series , Graham wrote : “ There are bad things and there are monsters .
These things are real .
But to get to you they have to get through the Guv .
And the Guv is putting his driving gloves on.
” The BBC has yet to confirm that it will green light the new episodes .
Series co-creator Ashley Pharaoh claimed that the broadcaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did n't make `` financial sense '' .
Simm and Glenister , currently starring in ITV drama Belgravia , have said they are open to reprising the roles .
They had discussed a big-screen version of the story .
Fans speculated that the final series would also be given a David Bowie song title , such as Where Are We Now ?
or The Next Day .

Dust down the Ford Cortina. The writer of BBC time travel drama Life on Mars says the series which made DCI Gene Hunt a cult hero will return for a “final chapter”.
John Simm and Philip Glenister starred in the drama about a policeman who wakes up in 1973 after being hit by a car in the present day.
First aired in 2006, the mystery of whether Simm’s Sam Tyler was dead, alive, or in a coma ran for two series and spawned an 80-set sequel, Ashes To Ashes.
‘Final chapter’
An international hit for producers Kudos, the Bafta-winning show was remade in the US, Russia and China.
https://twitter.com/TremensDr/status/1245423840005697536
Co-creator Matthew Graham said the famously politically-incorrect Hunt, Tyler, and both series’ period cars would be reunited for one final run.
“We would never make another Mars unless we really had something to say and could push the envelope all over again. Finally we have something,” Graham wrote during a live Twitter viewing of the drama, which has returned to the BBC iPlayer.
https://twitter.com/TremensDr/status/1245423149287706633
This “final chapter” will be set in both the ’70s Life on Mars timeline and Ashes to Ashes‘ 1980s timeline, but “mostly in an alternate now” in Manchester and London.
Tyler: Murder Division
The format will be of a “TV show within our TV show” called Tyler: Murder Division. It will be spread over four and five episodes, and “then done”.
In a final cryptic clue about the new series, Graham wrote: “There are bad things and there are monsters. These things are real. But to get to you they have to get through the Guv. And the Guv is putting his driving gloves on.”
https://twitter.com/TremensDr/status/1245424824375291906
The BBC has yet to confirm that it will green light the new episodes. Series co-creator Ashley Pharaoh claimed that the broadcaster turned down a previous revival idea because it didn’t make “financial sense”.
Simm and Glenister, currently starring in ITV drama Belgravia, have said they are open to reprising the roles. They had discussed a big-screen version of the story.
Fans speculated that the final series would also be given a David Bowie song title, such as Where Are We Now? or The Next Day.


inews--2020-04-02--Benefits increase 2020: how much benefits, including Universal Credit, will go up by in April, and w

Benefits increase 2020: how much benefits, including Universal Credit, will go up by in April, and who is eligible

Benefits increase 2020 : how much benefits , including Universal Credit , will go up by in April , and who is eligible The Government 's benefits freeze is coming to an end after four years Some benefits claimants will see their payments increase from April as the four-year-long benefits freeze comes to an end .
The standard allowance for Universal Credit will increase by 1.7 per cent , raising the monthly total by over £5 for some claimants , or nearly £65 a year .
For some couples with a joint claim , the monthly payment will go up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Universal Credit will increase by 1.7 per cent ( Photo : Getty ) Why are some benefits increasing ?
The rates of some working age benefits including Universal Credit and Jobseeker 's Allowance will increase in spring because the benefits freeze is coming to an end .
Their rates were capped in 2016 following a decision by the former Conservative chancellor George Osborne .
It means that , for the last four years , payments have not risen in line with inflation to reflect the rising cost of living .
But last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
Some benefits will increase by 1.7 per cent , which was the rate of inflation for September 2019 .
Work and pensions minister Will Quince said in Parliament earlier this month : `` The Government are committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our society .
In this order , the Government propose to spend an extra £5bn in 2020-21 on increasing benefit and pension rates .
`` With this spending , we are upholding our commitment to the country ’ s pensioners by maintaining the triple lock and helping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; spending an additional £1bn on working-age benefits and ensuring that we continue to support working people ; and providing essential support to disabled people and carers . ''
Some MPs and charities have said that after a four-year freeze , the 1.7 per cent rate of uplift is not enough .
How much will benefits go up by ?
From April , some claimants will see their income rise increase by 1.7 per cent , in line with inflation .
From £498.89 to £507.37 a month , for couples with a joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) partner is aged 25 or over .
Disability and carer benefits are also set to increase by 1.7 per cent this year , however they were not subject to the benefits freeze .

Some benefits claimants will have seen their payments increase from this April as the five-year-long benefits freeze comes to an end.
It is the first cash increase claimants of working age benefits have seen since 2015.
For example, the standard allowance for Universal Credit is increasing by 1.7 per cent, raising the monthly total by over £5 for some claimants, or nearly £65 a year.
The Government has introduced another increase in response to the coronavirus outbreak, which has forced more people to apply for Universal Credit. From April, for 12 months, the Universal Credit standard allowance is increasing by £20 a week.
Why are some benefits increasing?
The rates of working age benefits, including Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance, are increasing because the benefits freeze is coming to an end.
Their rates were capped in 2016 following a decision by the former Conservative chancellor George Osborne. It means that, for the last four years, payments have not risen in line with inflation to reflect the rising cost of living.
The freeze affected Jobseekers’ Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance (personal allowances and work-related activity component, Income Support, Child and Working Tax Credit (non-disability-related elements), Housing benefits (various allowances/premiums and LHA rates), Universal Credit and Child Benefit.
Disability and carer benefits were not affected by the freeze.
But last year the Government announced the benefits freeze would end. Payments will increase by 1.7 per cent, which was the rate of inflation for September 2019.
The Government could spend an extra £5bn on the policy.
Work and pensions minister Will Quince said: “The Government are committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our society. In this order, the Government propose to spend an extra £5bn in 2020-21 on increasing benefit and pension rates.
“With this spending, we are upholding our commitment to the country’s pensioners by maintaining the triple lock and helping the poorest pensioners who count on pension credit; spending an additional £1bn on working-age benefits and ensuring that we continue to support working people; and providing essential support to disabled people and carers.”
Some MPs and charities have said that after a four-year freeze, the 1.7 per cent rate of uplift is not enough.
How much will benefits go up by?
From April, some claimants will see their income rise increase by 1.7 per cent, in line with inflation.
Universal Credit
From £317.82 to £323.22 a month, for claimants aged 25 or over in receipt of the standard allowance.
From £498.89 to £507.37 a month, for couples with a joint claim and where one (or both) partner is aged 25 or over.
Coronavirus increase
However, for the next 12 months, there will be a further increase on top of the annual uprating, which is equivalent to £1,040 a year, or £20 a week.
So the increase will be:
From £317.82 to £409.89 a month, for claimants aged 25 or over in receipt of the standard allowance.
The Working Tax Credit basic element will also increase by more than £1,000 for 12 months.
Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based)
From £73.10 to £74.35 a week, for a single person aged 25 or over, or a lone parent aged 18 or over.
Child benefit
Child Benefit will go from £20.70 to £21.05 a week.
Working Tax Credit (except the childcare element) and Child Tax Credit (except the family element) are also increasing by at least 1.7 per cent.
Disability and carer benefits
Disability and carer benefits are also set to increase by 1.7 per cent this year, however they were not subject to the benefits freeze.
The higher rate of Attendance Allowance is increasing from £87.65 a week to £89.15.
Carer’s Allowance will move from £66.15 a week to £67.25.
The weekly rate of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will also go up by 1.7 per cent. The enhanced PIP daily living rate and the highest rate for DLA will increase from £87.65 a week to £89.15.
For more details about the increases for different benefits and circumstances, click here.


inews--2020-04-02--Caroline Lucas: Lack of coronavirus testing in the UK is a shambles - we deserve to know why

Caroline Lucas : Lack of coronavirus testing in the UK is a shambles - we deserve to know why Why it is taking so long to reach the testing levels we need ?
That was the clear advice from the World Health Organisation in the very early days of this coronavirus pandemic but in the UK , it seems to have fallen on deaf ears .
While South Korea has run a rigorous and efficient testing programme , and Germany is reportedly testing up to 50,000 a day , we have tested just over 150,000 since this outbreak began .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ test frontline NHS staff , and are barely halfway to the Prime Minister ’ s target of 25,000 tests a day which he promised two weeks ago .
The British Medical Association says many doctors still have no idea about where or how they can get tested .
Meanwhile , as many as one in four doctors and nurses who are desperately needed to cope with the soaring numbers being admitted to hospital are having to self-isolate because a member of their immediate family is unwell .
And we don ’ t yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine whether they need to be off work .
What makes this even more scandalous is that some early testing of NHS staff who are self-isolating suggested that only 15 per cent had coronavirus , so the overwhelming majority were actually fit for work .
The sample size was very small , but nevertheless it underscores the abject failure of the Government to get on top of this in time , and the consequences for NHS staffing .
The shambles around testing doesn ’ t reflect well on the Government ’ s handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media suggest offers to provide testing equipment may have gone unanswered , there is doubt about the effectiveness of some testing kits , and Michael Gove ’ s statement on Tuesday that there was a shortage of the chemical agents required for testing has been directly contradicted by the Chemical Industries Association .
Which is it ?
No-one doubts how hard ministers and government medical advisers are working to ramp up the testing regime and make sure that tests are focused on those who most need to be tested .
But the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so long to reach the testing levels we need .
The NHS started a pilot programme , where NHS staff would test people for the coronavirus in their own home in late February , when there had been only a handful of cases in the UK .
What happened to this ?
Was it stopped ?
And if so , why ?
We have been told numerous times that the UK is three or four weeks behind our European neighbours , but we don ’ t seem to have used this time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come , not just by acquiring testing kits but also equipping all frontline staff , in the NHS and social care sector , with proper personal protective equipment .
It is unforgiveable that we are asking health and care workers to put their own lives at risk without proper protection .
There was clearly a false start with the Government ’ s initial strategy , outlined on 13 March but abandoned two days later for one based on the evidence that suppressing infection rates is what works best .
It seems that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK fell behind in the race to acquire testing kits and the specialist chemicals involved .
The health secretary , Matt Hancock , has now said hospitals should use spare laboratory space to test self-isolating NHS staff rather than leave most of the testing to Public Health England ’ s laboratories .
If the problem has been a shortage of laboratories , or limited capacity in PHE , why wasn ’ t this proposed before ?
The shortfall has created another problem too : the risk of unscrupulous and unregulated suppliers offering to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ validated or approved for sale .
So the danger is people who are desperate to know whether they have had the virus will acquire one of these tests and think they are “ safe ” when they aren ’ t .
Ministers have said on numerous occasions that they are following the science , which is clearly right .
But the science is only as good as the modelling , and the modelling is only as good as the data available .
To get good data , you need to test as widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means making the right political calls .

For a Government which likes to campaign and govern through three-word slogans, there is one which it seems to have completely missed – “test, test, test”.
That was the clear advice from the World Health Organisation in the very early days of this coronavirus pandemic but in the UK, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
While South Korea has run a rigorous and efficient testing programme, and Germany is reportedly testing up to 50,000 a day, we have tested just over 150,000 since this outbreak began. We are still not even managing to test frontline NHS staff, and are barely halfway to the Prime Minister’s target of 25,000 tests a day which he promised two weeks ago.
The British Medical Association says many doctors still have no idea about where or how they can get tested. Meanwhile, as many as one in four doctors and nurses who are desperately needed to cope with the soaring numbers being admitted to hospital are having to self-isolate because a member of their immediate family is unwell. And we don’t yet have the testing regime in place to determine whether they need to be off work.
What makes this even more scandalous is that some early testing of NHS staff who are self-isolating suggested that only 15 per cent had coronavirus, so the overwhelming majority were actually fit for work. The sample size was very small, but nevertheless it underscores the abject failure of the Government to get on top of this in time, and the consequences for NHS staffing.
The shambles around testing doesn’t reflect well on the Government’s handling of this crisis. Reports in the media suggest offers to provide testing equipment may have gone unanswered, there is doubt about the effectiveness of some testing kits, and Michael Gove’s statement on Tuesday that there was a shortage of the chemical agents required for testing has been directly contradicted by the Chemical Industries Association. Which is it?
No-one doubts how hard ministers and government medical advisers are working to ramp up the testing regime and make sure that tests are focused on those who most need to be tested. But the question remains as to why it is taking so long to reach the testing levels we need.
The NHS started a pilot programme, where NHS staff would test people for the coronavirus in their own home in late February, when there had been only a handful of cases in the UK. What happened to this? Was it stopped? And if so, why?
We have been told numerous times that the UK is three or four weeks behind our European neighbours, but we don’t seem to have used this time to prepare fully for what we knew was to come, not just by acquiring testing kits but also equipping all frontline staff, in the NHS and social care sector, with proper personal protective equipment. It is unforgiveable that we are asking health and care workers to put their own lives at risk without proper protection.
There was clearly a false start with the Government’s initial strategy, outlined on 13 March but abandoned two days later for one based on the evidence that suppressing infection rates is what works best. It seems that this wasted precious time and meant the UK fell behind in the race to acquire testing kits and the specialist chemicals involved.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has now said hospitals should use spare laboratory space to test self-isolating NHS staff rather than leave most of the testing to Public Health England’s laboratories. If the problem has been a shortage of laboratories, or limited capacity in PHE, why wasn’t this proposed before?
The shortfall has created another problem too: the risk of unscrupulous and unregulated suppliers offering to supply test kits which have not been validated or approved for sale. So the danger is people who are desperate to know whether they have had the virus will acquire one of these tests and think they are “safe” when they aren’t.
Ministers have said on numerous occasions that they are following the science, which is clearly right. But the science is only as good as the modelling, and the modelling is only as good as the data available. To get good data, you need to test as widely and accurately as possible – and that means making the right political calls.
The UK hasn’t done so. I think we should know why.
Caroline Lucas is the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion


inews--2020-04-02--Money Heist season 4: Netflix release date and time, cast and what to expect from the new series of

Money Heist season 4: Netflix release date and time, cast and what to expect from the new series of La Casa de Papel

Money Heist season 4 : Netflix release date and time , cast and what to expect from the new series of La Casa de Papel The creators have promised a bombshell season , as the Spanish smash hit returns for an eight-part fourth run Netflix 's Spanish smash hit Money Heist - or Casa de Papel in its native language , which sounds much better does n't it - is almost back on your screens for part four .
The crime drama , created by Alex Pina , is one of the streaming service 's most popular shows .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has signed an exclusive contract with Netflix for his future projects .
When is Money Heist part four on Netflix ?
This means Ursula Corbero returns as narrator Silene Oliveira , AKA Tokyo , along with Itziar Ituno as Raquel Murillo ( Lisbon ) , Alvaro Morte as Salvador Martin ( The Professor ) , Pedro Alonso as Andres de Fonollosa ( Berlin ) , Miguel Herran as Anibal Cortes ( Rio ) , Esther Acebo as Monica Gaztambide ( Stockholm ) , Jaime Lorente as Daniel Ramos ( Denver ) , Darko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Mario de la Rosa as Suarez .
There was speculation that Alba Flores ' Agata Jimenez ( Nairobi ) may have been killed off at the end of part three , but she has also been confirmed to be returning , so must have survived her bullet wound .
What should we expect ?
It is all very dramatic .
Part three saw the crew plan an even bigger heist than their first , in an attempt to rescue Rio , who had been captured by the authorities .
The finale saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank of Spain , where his gang were battling with the authorities , but the outlook was still looking bleak .
Here 's what creators Alex Pina and Javier Gomez Santander had to say : `` I think the next season will be a bombshell for many reasons .
`` We came from the third season with a feeling of vertigo , because it was the first one we produced for Netflix , we had used up a first robbery and we had to show that we could design a new one with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were so worried about that we got a lot of rhythm and milestones .
`` In this fourth season what we propose is to stop a little , lower the piston to be able to dramatically savour some characters and then return to hit a burst in the middle of the season .
It is a very special season . ''

Netflix‘s Spanish smash hit Money Heist – or Casa de Papel in its native language, which sounds much better doesn’t it – is back on your screens for part four.
The crime drama, created by Alex Pina, is one of the streaming service’s most popular shows. So popular, in fact, that Pina has signed an exclusive contract with Netflix for his future projects.
Here is everything you need to know about Money Heist‘s return.
When is Money Heist part four on Netflix?
The eight-part season was released globally in its entirety on Friday 3 April.
Each episode will run for between 41 and 57 minutes, similar to part three.
La Casa de Papel / Money Heist returns with Part 4 on April 3 pic.twitter.com/wIbepk4tyo — Queue (@netflixqueue) December 8, 2019
Who’s in the cast?
The good news is all the main crew are back for part four.
This means Ursula Corbero returns as narrator Silene Oliveira, AKA Tokyo, along with Itziar Ituno as Raquel Murillo (Lisbon), Alvaro Morte as Salvador Martin (The Professor), Pedro Alonso as Andres de Fonollosa (Berlin), Miguel Herran as Anibal Cortes (Rio), Esther Acebo as Monica Gaztambide (Stockholm), Jaime Lorente as Daniel Ramos (Denver), Darko Peric as Yashin Dasayev (Helsinki) and Mario de la Rosa as Suarez.
There was speculation that Alba Flores’ Agata Jimenez (Nairobi) may have been killed off at the end of part three, but she has also been confirmed to be returning, so must have survived her bullet wound.
What should we expect?
It is all very dramatic. Part three saw the crew plan an even bigger heist than their first, in an attempt to rescue Rio, who had been captured by the authorities.
The finale saw The Professor call a tank to the Bank of Spain, where his gang were battling with the authorities, but the outlook was still looking bleak.
Here’s what creators Alex Pina and Javier Gomez Santander had to say: “I think the next season will be a bombshell for many reasons.
“We came from the third season with a feeling of vertigo, because it was the first one we produced for Netflix, we had used up a first robbery and we had to show that we could design a new one with more adrenaline and strength. I think we were so worried about that we got a lot of rhythm and milestones.
“In this fourth season what we propose is to stop a little, lower the piston to be able to dramatically savour some characters and then return to hit a burst in the middle of the season. It is a very special season.”


inews--2020-04-02--Coronavirus in the UK: What will be in Matt Hancock's Covid-19 testing plan - and will it work?

Coronavirus in the UK : What will be in Matt Hancock 's Covid-19 testing plan - and will it work ?
Health Secretary will aim to get a grip on sluggish testing regime After another day of damning headlines and the outcry growing louder over the lack of testing of NHS staff for Covid-19 , ministers have vowed to spell out an action plan to significantly scale up the number of tests the UK will carry out .
What will his plan contain ?
The details are yet to be made public but it is widely expected that the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector to drastically increase its capacity to test for Covid-19 , focusing primarily on NHS staff .
Up to now , Public Health England has maintained strict control over the handling of testing , but Mr Hancock will now turn to the private sector for help .
Sir Paul Nurse , chief executive of the Francis Crick research institute - which could conduct 500 tests a day - called for a Dunkirk-style effort to increase test numbers .
`` We are a lot of little boats and the little boats can be effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government has put some big boats , destroyers in place .
That 's a bit more cumbersome to get working and we wish them all the luck to do that , but we little boats can contribute as well . ''
What else will be in the plan ?
He is likely to re-emphasise the Government ’ s plan to roll out millions of antibody tests , again prioritising the NHS workforce , that will check to see if people have already had the infection and have some immunity to it .
Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to begin randomised sampling of the population to see if the disease has spread through certain parts of the country .
This will be followed up with building longer-term diagnostic capacity with the pharmaceutical companies , to allow the UK to start navigating its way out of its lockdown .
Is any of this likely to work ?
Scientists have long been calling for university and private sector labs to be used to help increase testing capacity , so this will no doubt help boost the number of tests that can be carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the curve in terms of getting hold of testing kits , and the chemical reagents needed to administer the tests .
And despite early optimism from PHE that antibody tests could be up and running “ in days , not weeks or months ” , there is still no news as to whether any of the nine testing kits ordered by the Government are able to be used .
Such tests may not be ready until mid-May .
Why is this only happening now ?
This is the most pertinent question .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister calling on the private sector to help build more ventilators , now we are only just seeing the Health Secretary asking the private sector to help with testing .
But we are now one to two weeks away from the peak of the crisis , if the Government ’ s modelling is to be believed .
Just why these decisions weren ’ t taken weeks ago will be a question that may begin to haunt ministers during their daily press briefings .

After another day of damning headlines and the outcry growing louder over the lack of testing of NHS staff for Covid-19, ministers have vowed to spell out an action plan to significantly scale up the number of tests the UK will carry out.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is out of self-isolation today having come down with the virus himself last week and will announce a five point plan to dramatically increase testing for coronavirus.
What will his plan contain?
The details are yet to be made public but it is widely expected that the Government will now lean heavily on the private sector to drastically increase its capacity to test for Covid-19, focusing primarily on NHS staff. Up to now, Public Health England has maintained strict control over the handling of testing, but Mr Hancock will now turn to the private sector for help.
Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of the Francis Crick research institute – which could conduct 500 tests a day – called for a Dunkirk-style effort to increase test numbers. “We are a lot of little boats and the little boats can be effective,” he said. “The Government has put some big boats, destroyers in place. That’s a bit more cumbersome to get working and we wish them all the luck to do that, but we little boats can contribute as well.”
What else will be in the plan?
He is likely to re-emphasise the Government’s plan to roll out millions of antibody tests, again prioritising the NHS workforce, that will check to see if people have already had the infection and have some immunity to it. Mr Hancock is also likely to outline proposals to begin randomised sampling of the population to see if the disease has spread through certain parts of the country. This will be followed up with building longer-term diagnostic capacity with the pharmaceutical companies, to allow the UK to start navigating its way out of its lockdown.
Is any of this likely to work?
Scientists have long been calling for university and private sector labs to be used to help increase testing capacity, so this will no doubt help boost the number of tests that can be carried out. But the UK is still behind the curve in terms of getting hold of testing kits, and the chemical reagents needed to administer the tests. And despite early optimism from PHE that antibody tests could be up and running “in days, not weeks or months”, there is still no news as to whether any of the nine testing kits ordered by the Government are able to be used. Such tests may not be ready until mid-May.
Why is this only happening now?
This is the most pertinent question. Just as we saw with the Prime Minister calling on the private sector to help build more ventilators, now we are only just seeing the Health Secretary asking the private sector to help with testing. But we are now one to two weeks away from the peak of the crisis, if the Government’s modelling is to be believed. Just why these decisions weren’t taken weeks ago will be a question that may begin to haunt ministers during their daily press briefings.


inews--2020-04-02--10 most iconic concerts to watch online, from Beyonce and Taylor Swift to Radiohead and Nirvana

10 most iconic concerts to watch online , from Beyonce and Taylor Swift to Radiohead and Nirvana Sweaty stadiums might be a distant memory , but some of history ’ s most unforgettable concerts are available to watch right now You can pour some wine and stick on a bit of lounge-jazz and pretend you are in a swanky bar ( especially if you dim the lights and take out your contacts ) .
And while they can cancel football , they can ’ t stop you winning the Champions League on Fifa 20 .
Taylor Swift performs at ANZ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sydney , Australia .
( Photo : Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images ) The best bit is when she invites support acts Camila Cabello and Charli XCX up for a rendition of “ Shake it Off ” and the other two try to upstage Swift while taking care not to look as if they are trying to do so .
Magnificent .
Liam and Noel Gallagher perform on stage in Munich in 2009 .
( Photo : JOERG KOCH/DDP/AFP via Getty Images ) Mark Ritchie ’ s camera zooms in tightly on the performers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if you are there , you do get a sense of what it might be like to be on stage in the desert next to Beyoncé .
Bjork performs at Hammersmith Apollo during her Volta world tour .
( Photo : Jim Dyson/Getty Images ) Beyonce Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z at the European Premiere of Disney 's `` The Lion King '' .
( Photo : Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney )

Concert-going is one of the many pleasures we have had to give up as the coronavirus crisis has spiralled into an epoch-defining event. It is also an experience not easily replicated in your own home.
You can pour some wine and stick on a bit of lounge-jazz and pretend you are in a swanky bar (especially if you dim the lights and take out your contacts). And while they can cancel football, they can’t stop you winning the Champions League on Fifa 20.
An up-close encounter with your favourite band or artist is trickier to reproduce. It isn’t simply about the music.
It’s about the collective experience, the jostle for the bar, the bit where the performer leaves the stage and – plot twist – miraculously comes back for another three songs.
How can a Spotify playlist, or Chris Martin live-streaming from his attic, come close?
So, assuming you aren’t wealthy enough to pay for Mick Jagger to call around and knock out a few hits while maintaining a distance of two metres, you are out of luck.
Unless, that is, you consider the largely undiscovered world of the concert movie.
Yes, concert films are typically terrible. But there are a few gems that succeed in communicating the magic of live music without its attendant hassles. And best of all, you don’t have to run the gauntlet of iffy toilets, taxi queues and £6 pints.
Under present circumstances, it’s a win. Here are 10 you can catch right now:
Netflix
This two-hour feature captures the scale, ambition and unstinting navel-gazing that were the major features of Swift’s first all-stadium jaunt.
It was shot by Paul Dugdale – who has also directed video and concert movies for One Direction, Coldplay and Adele – from the vast AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the final night of Swift’s Reputation tour.
The Reputation concerts were undoubtedly an extravaganza.
But the price of entry was buying into the idea of Swift as one of the most interesting people alive. In particular, you needed to be invested in her feud with Kim Kardashian, who dubbed Tay-Tay a “snake”.
Hence the huge inflatable vipers that keep popping up as Swift romps through her catalogue.
The best bit is when she invites support acts Camila Cabello and Charli XCX up for a rendition of “Shake it Off” and the other two try to upstage Swift while taking care not to look as if they are trying to do so. Magnificent.
YouTube
Thirty-six years on, Stop Making Sense remains the gold standard for concert films, and is also a deconstruction of the live music experience itself.
In December 1983, Jonathan “Silence of the Lambs” Demme filmed David Byrne and friends playing over four nights at the 2,700-capacity Pantages Theatre at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles.
It begins with Byrne beat-boxing a ditty about a serial killer to loops from a ghetto blaster and expands to include the rest of the band, a carnival of support players and Byrne’s huge suit.
Byrne had a go at replicating the magic on his recent American Utopia tour.
But that was him and some hired hands, so lacked the undercurrent of tension that flowed from his complicated relationship with Heads bassist Tina Weymouth (“complicated” in that they couldn’t stand one another).
YouTube
Before the feuds, the terrible Beatles rip-offs and the grand pianos-and-Bentleys indulgences, Oasis were a quintet of rocket-fuelled ragamuffins taking on the world.
That early incarnation of the Gallaghers and their gang is thrillingly evoked in this documenting of their April 1995 concert at Southend Cliffs Pavilion.
It is a lot less glamorous than their more celebrated shows at Maine Road or Knebworth, which is where the charm lies. Still in their scrappy underdog phase, they power through formative anthems “Columbia”, “Rock’n Roll Star” and “Acquiesce”.
A kick to the shins of a concert film.
Netflix
Much like Swift and her Reputation movie, getting the most from this chronicling of Bey’s 2018 Coachella headliner involves buying into the idea that the ex-Destiny’s Child frontwoman is one of the most important people alive.
Backstage segments find her banging on at length about the huge sacrifices she puts into her music – she underlines her hard work by donning some apparently tatty tracksuits in rehearsals.
These sequences are worth putting up with, however, as the actual concert footage is astonishing – particularly at the start, when Beyoncé and what looks like a 500-piece band, all dressed as cheerleaders, deliver a super-sized “Crazy in Love”.
Mark Ritchie’s camera zooms in tightly on the performers. And, if you never quite feel as if you are there, you do get a sense of what it might be like to be on stage in the desert next to Beyoncé.
YouTube
This 2002 live film begins as every Björk concert should – with Ms Guðmundsdóttir manipulating a music box while covered in bird feathers. It doesn’t get weirder, though.
Instead, this is old-school Björk belting out the hits, captured gorgeously for posterity and with the Royal Opera House as a mood-enhancing backdrop.
Now TV
Bowie aficionados will point you towards DA Pennebaker’s Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture, which captured the singer’s final night fronting the Spiders from Mars, from Hammersmith Odeon.
But that movie was seemingly filmed without a functioning light source so that mostly all you see is Bowie’s huge orange quiff looming in the darkness. Cheesier but more enjoyable by far is this memento from the Thin White Duke’s tan and hair-product phase.
In the mid-80s, Bowie became properly famous for the first time, and he is clearly enjoying every moment as he schmoozes though the Let’s Dance album, plus assorted catalogue hits, at Vancouver’s PNE Coliseum.
YouTube
A Tori revival is long overdue. We could all do with some magic-realist piano-pop escapism at the moment.
She is at the height of her powers on this 2003 concert video capturing her performing – on an honestly quite overcast day – from Sound Advice Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Amos was promoting her last truly great record, Scarlet’s Walk, and the hits are alternately recreated in obsessive detail and twisted into strange new shapes. Time and again she straddles piano and organ, hammering at both with demonic intensity.
She also wears a cape, as every pop star should at some point in their career.
YouTube
Who among us wouldn’t want to descend into our basements – let’s pretend we all have basements – only to find Radiohead down there running through selected highlights from their 2007 chart-topper, In Rainbows?
Shot by VH1 the year after the LP’s release at the Hospital Club TV studios in Covent Garden, this is Radiohead at their most thrillingly stoic.
Thom Yorke was deep into his refusing-to-have-a-haircut phase while songs such as “15 Step” and “Reckoner” are both avant-garde and wickedly catchy.
Tidal
In 2004, Jay-Z announced he was retiring from the rap “game” with a farewell concert at Madison Square Garden (spoiler: he changed his mind). Guests included Mary J Blige, Missy Elliot, Diddy and erm, R Kelly.
So some parts of the performance have aged better than others.
The whole jamboree can be watched on Tidal, the streaming platform in which Jay-Z has a stake.
YouTube
This is a cheat, as it isn’t a concert movie in the usual sense.
Rather, it is a documentary following Kurt Cobain and bandmates through their pressure-cooker ascent to global stardom.
However, it brims with incredible live performances and also a bit where Cobain kicks a stage invader in the face and Dave Grohl rushes from behind his drums to intervene.
More than that, it captures the craziness of life on the road when you are as popular, and as ambivalent about fame, as Nirvana.
As their tour grows more deranged, so does the video so that by the end you will feel as if you’ve been stuffed inside a tumble dryer and spat out. Highly recommended.


inews--2020-04-02--'It's getting pretty desperate': Musicians have been left with no income and 'not enough' Government

'It's getting pretty desperate': Musicians have been left with no income and 'not enough' Government support during the coronavirus pandemic

'It 's getting pretty desperate ' : Musicians have been left with no income and 'not enough ' Government support during the coronavirus pandemic The Musicians Union has calculated that musicians have already lost over £20m of income since the start of the coronavirus crisis 'This was the year I was going to actually make profit' Gabriella said she will struggle to pay for food and bills on the amount ( Photo : Roger Goodgroves ) '' Everything has been wiped from my diary , '' she said .
`` I would have been leaving for Japan around now for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We would have already done a two weeks in the UK , Ireland and Paris before .
I was also on the Rob Brydon tour as well and we did eight days and then were doing the soundcheck on the Monday when the lockdown announcement was made .
Gabriella said she has some students she can teach online and is trying to find other ways to make money ( Photo : Philip Gatward ) Edmund Hastings , a singer and climbing teacher , has been left with no choice but to try and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had in the diary has been cancelled with both jobs so I am looking at a completely empty schedule , '' he said .
`` Being at the level that I am now , stuff comes in fairly far in advance so I tend to get booked up anything up to a year in an advance - but that has all been put on hold . ''
Edmund said he would normally be touring for 2 or 3 months a year but it 's all be cancelled “ Furthermore , as we learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been updating our call on Government and we are specifically asking for meaningful support for those who have been self-employed for less than a year ; for people who are part employed and part self-employed to be able to access support through both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employment Income Support Scheme ; plus calling for the removal of the £50,000 cap in the Self-employment Income Support Scheme , as no equivalent cap exists for employed people .
”

Motorists who bought clean cars to avoid paying London’s Ulez charge for polluting vehicles have criticised City Hall’s decision not to backdate a scrappage scheme for non-compliant vehicles.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan expanded the scrappage scheme at the last minute to include all residents with non-compliant vehicles.
From 21 August, all Londoners whose cars do not meet pollution standards can apply for a grant of up to £2,000 to buy a compliant vehicle, but those who have already swapped their vehicle will miss out.
The Ulez expansion will see those in the capital’s outer boroughs charged £12.50 a day to drive polluting cars from 29 August. The policy was blamed for Labour’s by-election defeat in Boris Johnson’s old seat of South Ruislip & Uxbridge.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had told Mr Khan to “reflect” on the policy and look at minimising the cost of living impact.
Michael Christopher, 56, from Enfield, north London, sold his diesel BMW five series five weeks ago for £3,000 and bought a replacement BMW for around £15,000 on a personal contract purchase, paying about £200 a month under the deal.
Not backdating the scrappage scheme to reimburse all drivers of non-compliant cars was “not fair”, he said, adding it seemed a “politically motivated” decision from Labour Mayor Mr Khan after the party’s surprise by-election defeat.
He told i: “I would imagine the trouble with what they’re announcing is that the vast majority of people who had non-compliant cars have probably already dealt with this.
“We’re only three weeks away from the scheme coming so the payout it sounds like they’re going to make is going to be relatively minimal.
“Most people have already sold their cars to deal with this problem. I’m not poor, I can absorb the pain of this. But I know other people who are really struggling with this.
“My nextdoor neighbor is a carpenter and he’s got a van that’s non-compliant and he’s had to go and get rid of that.”
Brian Gregory, policy director for voluntary organisation the Alliance of British Drivers, told i that not backdating the scrappage scheme’s expansion to help motorists who have bought replacement cars “just highlights the complete idiocy of the whole thing”.
“People who have changed vehicles because of their concerns about this scheme have effectively been caught in a revenue trap really because they have bought something which is not really necessary,” he added.
From the end of the month, motorists living beyond the capital’s north and south circular roads whose cars don’t meet minimum emissions standards will be hit with the fee if they drive at any time of the day of night.
The Mayor Of London’s office says outer London has the greatest number of premature deaths from air pollution, and is home to more than half of the 500,000 Londoners who live with asthma and are more vulnerable to the impacts of toxic air.
It also points out that nine out of ten cars driving in outer London on an average day won’t be affected.
All petrol cars made for UK use since 2006 are Ulez-compliant and exempt from charges, as are diesel cars made after 2016.
City Hall has also criticised the lack of central government funding for the capital’s scheme to junk dirty cars.
Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Bradford, which all have Clean Air Zones (CAZ), received a combined £230m in government funding for their scrappage schemes, but London and the south-east has received none.
Richard Munslow, 70, a driving instructor from Harrow, north-west London, swapped his diesel Vauxhall Corsa earlier this year in a £2,000 part exchange when buying a £20,000 compliant Ford Fiesta, using most of his savings to pay for it.
Although he would have been entitled to apply for the scrappage scheme at the time, the paperwork “looked like a nightmare”.
But he criticised the decision not to allow all drivers of non-compliant vehicles to retrospectively apply for the fee of up to £2,000.
Richard Munslow, 70, a driving instructor from Harrow, has criticised the decision not to backdate the expansion of the Ulez scrappage scheme to include drivers of non-compliant cars who bought clean vehicles (Photo: Supplied)
“If you weren’t in the scrappage scheme and you thought: ‘Well, I’m going to go and buy a new car’ and then you found you could have made the money – I’d be going down to City Hall and banging on the door.
“They’ve left it until the last minute and obviously the reason they’ve expanded it is the bad press they’ve been getting.
“People did something in good faith, or perhaps they felt they had to do it, and then they didn’t get the scrappage scheme. And now if they had waited until the last minute they would have done. It’s not fair on those people, certainly.”
He also called for the scrappage scheme to be expanded and include drivers who live in counties neighbouring London that travel into the capital.
“I’ve got family and friends that live in Hertfordshire, and I live in Harrow. And they’re saying: ‘You’ll have to come to us, we don’t want to come to you and pay £12.50’, which I can understand,” he added.
Last week, the Mayor won a High Court challenge brought by five Conservative councils who wanted the Ulez expansion to be ruled unlawful. The High Court also ruled clearly last week that Mr Khan was not obliged to provide support beyond London.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to air pollution, children are growing up with stunted lungs and thousands of people in our city are developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.
“The Mayor is doing all he can to support Londoners with the switch to cleaner vehicles, including today’s announcement that all Londoners with a non-compliant car will be eligible for the scrappage scheme.
“Unlike many other cities, London has not received a penny from the Government for its scrappage scheme. The Mayor continues to call on government to fund a targeted national scrappage scheme or provide additional funding to London.”


inews--2020-04-02--FTSE 100 today: Latest news as oil price rises on hopes of truce in Saudi-Russia price war

FTSE 100 today : Latest news as oil price rises on hopes of truce in Saudi-Russia price war European stock markets were flat on Thursday morning , in a calmer start to the day after huge swings over the past few weeks gave the FTSE 100 its worst quarter since 1987 .
Hopes of an end to oil price war Almost all of the top risers were energy or mining companies boosted by a rising oil price .
The commodity has been pushed higher after US President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to reach a deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war .
Vladimir Putin also called for a solution to the oil markets plunge , which has seen the price of a barrel of Brent crude hit by its worst quarterly drop on record , down 65.6 per cent in the first three months of the year .
The rise helped the share prices of companies including Royal Dutch Shell , which has two different shares on the market known as ' A ' and ' B ' shares .
Both rose by more than 8 per cent .
BP was also up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4.9 per cent .
Centrica dropped 5.7 per cent , as it also announced the postponement of its sale of its North Sea explorer Spirit Energy .
Elsewhere British Airways owner IAG was up 2.6 per cent after Reuters reported that the company is in talks with its union about a plan to suspend around 32,000 staff in response to the coronavirus outbreak .
Cruise operator Carnival , which is listed dually in London an New York , was the biggest loser on the FTSE 100 , dropping 7.6 per cent after it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and equity , borrowing at a high cost to weather the economic storm from the pandemic .
There was some good news from smaller companies on the stock exchange , with both Pets at Home and Gear 4 Music both upgrading their profit expectations .
Pets at Home also confirmed a string of donations and initiatives to support organisations and communities through the coronavirus crisis .
Russ Mould , investment director at AJ Bell , said the actions of companies during the health crisis could end up making a difference to their bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see Pets at Home be so generous including more than £1m going to pet charities , a £1m crisis fund for staff and discounts for NHS workers .
“ Increasingly consumers are noticing these kind gestures and how businesses are going above and beyond their normal duty to help others .
They will be the ones who are held in high esteem once the crisis ends and that could translate into increased customer loyalty .
”

European stock markets were flat on Thursday morning, in a calmer start to the day after huge swings over the past few weeks gave the FTSE 100 its worst quarter since 1987.
The blue-chip index of shares was up 1.3 per cent in the last half hour of trading, at 5,526.56.
Hopes of an end to oil price war
Almost all of the top risers were energy or mining companies boosted by a rising oil price. The commodity has been pushed higher after US President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to reach a deal soon to end their ongoing oil price war.
Vladimir Putin also called for a solution to the oil markets plunge, which has seen the price of a barrel of Brent crude hit by its worst quarterly drop on record, down 65.6 per cent in the first three months of the year.
Read More FTSE 100 has its worst quarter since 1987 after coronavirus pandemic causes series of market plunges
As of this morning, Brent crude was up 8.5 per cent at $26.85 a barrel.
The rise helped the share prices of companies including Royal Dutch Shell, which has two different shares on the market known as ‘A’ and ‘B’ shares. Both rose by more than 8 per cent. BP was also up 5.4 per cent while miner Evraz climbed 4.9 per cent.
The oil prices also helped American markets to open higher, even as fresh data showed the number of new jobless claims was double last week’s record high. There were 6.6 million Americans filing for unemployment this week, double the 3.3 million recorded last week.
But as London’s shares approached the close, lunchtime trading on the S&P 500 was picking up with a 1.4 per cent rise. Meanwhile the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.3 per cent.
Winners and losers
Among the FTSE 100’s losers was British Gas owner Centrica, which joined the roster of big companies cancelling its payouts to shareholders.
On Tuesday night, several banks scrapped their dividends following pressure from the Bank of England.
Centrica dropped 5.7 per cent, as it also announced the postponement of its sale of its North Sea explorer Spirit Energy.
Elsewhere British Airways owner IAG was up 2.6 per cent after Reuters reported that the company is in talks with its union about a plan to suspend around 32,000 staff in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Cruise operator Carnival, which is listed dually in London an New York, was the biggest loser on the FTSE 100, dropping 7.6 per cent after it raised $6.25bn by issuing new debt and equity, borrowing at a high cost to weather the economic storm from the pandemic.
Nation turns to pets and music
There was some good news from smaller companies on the stock exchange, with both Pets at Home and Gear 4 Music both upgrading their profit expectations. Pets at Home also confirmed a string of donations and initiatives to support organisations and communities through the coronavirus crisis.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the actions of companies during the health crisis could end up making a difference to their bottom line.
“It is also pleasing to see Pets at Home be so generous including more than £1m going to pet charities, a £1m crisis fund for staff and discounts for NHS workers.
“Increasingly consumers are noticing these kind gestures and how businesses are going above and beyond their normal duty to help others. They will be the ones who are held in high esteem once the crisis ends and that could translate into increased customer loyalty.”
This article was updated at 4.15pm


inews--2020-04-02--What time is the UK coronavirus speech today? Matt Hancock set to replace Boris Johnson - here's how

What time is the UK coronavirus speech today? Matt Hancock set to replace Boris Johnson - here's how to watch live

Yesterday Yvonne Doyle , the director of health protection for Public Health England , admitted that the early capacity of @ @ @ @ @ “ relatively small ” but said capacity would increase to “ hundreds of thousands in @ @ @ @ @ Doyle said : “ The number of tests undertaken in the NHS and Public Health @ @ @ @ @ just increasing at the moment .
“ There is capacity today for almost 3,000 and @ @ @ @ @ the important capacity is in the second strand , where we have five centres where @ @ @ @ @ get their testing done in order of priority.
” She added : “ NHS chief @ @ @ @ @ and the intention here is to get from thousands to hundreds of thousands within the @ @ @ @

The coronavirus briefing, so much a part of the UK lockdown, has only been airing intermittently in the past few weeks.
Today, Boris Johnson will give the latest update, in which he is expected to announce further easing of lockdown measures and new funding for the NHS.
The Prime Minister chaired the final daily press conference on Monday 30 June after those announcing eagerly-anticipated changes to coronavirus lockdown rules coming on 4 July in a lunchtime address to the House of Commons.
Daily coronavirus briefings, which came to an end after that, were introduced in response to calls for improved communication from the government on their plan to tackle the spread of Covid-19, and give the nation the latest updates on the pandemic.
When do the daily press briefings take place?
Rather than its familiar 5pm slot, today’s Downing Street briefing is expected begin earlier, at around 11.00am.
In general the press conferences took place between 4pm and 6pm, with the majority of the daily meetings tending to start just after 5pm on weekdays and at 2.30pm on weekends.
A number 10 spokesperson said that they would like to “see [the briefings held at] a consistent time.”
There were, of course, a few notable exceptions, such as when it was forced to a later time slot after the Prime Minister’s key adviser Dominic Cummings gave a rare public statement regarding him travelling from London to Durham during lockdown.
Who will appear at today’s press conference?
It has not been confirmed who will join Mr Johnson for today’s conference – or indeed if he will appear alone as became increasingly the norm in the briefing’s latter weeks.
As well as the the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, various other cabinet ministers stepped up in recent weeks, including Rishi Sunak, Alok Sharma, Grant Shapps and Michael Gove.
The Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and the Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance also became regular fixtures during the briefings, while the Head of NHS England Simon Stevens has made numerous appearances.
Where can I watch the press briefings?
The press briefings will be available to watch live on BBC News.
You can watch online through BBC iPlayer here, while Sky News has a live YouTube stream here.


inews--2020-04-02--How many coronavirus cases are there in my area? Latest UK Covid-19 figures by region

How many coronavirus cases are there in my area ?
Latest UK Covid-19 figures by region London is the worst affected area , followed by the Midlands and the South East As of 9am on Wednesday 1 April there have been 29,474 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK .
And as of 5pm on Tuesday 31 March , of those hospitalised , 2,352 have died .
The actual number of people who have or have had the coronavirus in the UK is expected to be far higher , as only around 152,000 have been tested .
The number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for at least a couple of weeks , before models predict they could stagnate and begin to decline .
Here is how the number of confirmed cases breaks down by area , using data from public health bodies .
Note : regional data is one day behind national figures .
London has the most confirmed cases of any region , with 8,341 so far .
Here is how it breaks down by borough : There have been 4,139 confirmed cases in the Midlands , with 734 of these being in Birmingham .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North East and Yorkshire .
People queue outside Costco in Glasgow to stock up on food and other essentials ( Photo : Getty )

As of 9am on Wednesday 1 April there have been 29,474 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK.
And as of 5pm on Tuesday 31 March, of those hospitalised, 2,352 have died.
The actual number of people who have or have had the coronavirus in the UK is expected to be far higher, as only around 152,000 have been tested.
The number of new cases is expected to increase daily for at least a couple of weeks, before models predict they could stagnate and begin to decline.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK: As of 9am 1 April, a total of 152,979 people have been tested of which 29,474 tested positive. As of 5pm on 31 March, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 2,352 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/IUqkO6W3Dx — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 1, 2020
Here is how the number of confirmed cases breaks down by area, using data from public health bodies. Note: regional data is one day behind national figures.
England
England has recorded a total of 24,638 cases, with 2,166 deaths.
London
London has the most confirmed cases of any region, with 8,341 so far.
Here is how it breaks down by borough:
Brent: 506
Southwark: 474
Barnet: 468
Lambeth: 462
Croydon: 380
Wandsworth: 360
Ealing: 350
Harrow: 347
Newham: 330
Bromley: 321
Westminster: 301
Lewisham: 285
Waltham Forest: 260
Tower Hamlets: 241
Enfield: 240
Hillingdon: 222
Hackney and City of London: 221
Hounslow: 214
Camden: 212
Merton: 208
Greenwich: 205
Redbridge: 196
Haringey: 194
Kensington and Chelsea: 191
Hammersmith and Fulham: 177
Islington: 174
Bexley: 147
Richmond upon Thames: 142
Sutton: 142
Havering: 133
Kingston upon Thames: 108
Barking and Dagenham: 130
Midlands
There have been 4,139 confirmed cases in the Midlands, with 734 of these being in Birmingham.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Birmingham: 734
Staffordshire: 329
Derbyshire: 307
Nottinghamshire: 275
Wolverhampton: 208
Worcestershire: 201
Walsall: 198
Warwickshire: 190
Leicestershire: 187
Northamptonshire: 187
Sandwell: 186
Dudley: 157
Derby: 143
Lincolnshire: 133
Coventry: 127
Solihull: 126
Nottingham: 120
Shropshire: 102
Leicester: 101
Stoke-on-Trent: 55
Telford and Wreckin: 48
Herefordshire, County of: 40
North East Lincolnshire: 23
North Lincolnshire: 23
Rutland: 4
South East
The South East has 3,108 confirmed cases.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Hampshire: 652
Surrey: 571
Hertfordshire: 480
Essex: 420
Oxfordshire: 234
Buckinghamshire: 195
Milton Keynes: 117
Slough: 115
Southampton: 100
Medway: 98
Luton: 91
Portsmouth: 79
Windsor and Maidenhead: 75
Wokingham: 67
Reading: 66
West Berkshire: 63
Thurrock: 62
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 58
Brighton and Hove: 49
Southend-on-Sea: 44
Bracknell Forest: 35
Isle of Wight: 14
North East and Yorkshire
There have been 2,829 confirmed cases in the North East and Yorkshire.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Sheffield: 541
Newcastle upon Tyne: 225
Leeds: 192
North Yorkshire: 149
County Durham: 131
Barnsley: 122
Sunderland: 109
Rotherham: 107
Kirklees: 101
Bradford: 95
Northumberland: 92
North Tyneside: 87
Gateshead: 80
Doncaster: 79
Wakefield: 79
Stockton-on-Tees: 60
Middlesbrough: 59
Calderdale: 54
Redcar and Cleveland: 51
East Riding of Yorkshire: 46
South Tyneside: 44
York: 35
Darlington: 24
Hartlepool: 15
Kingston upon Hull, City of: 14
North West
The North West has 2,413 cases.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Cumbria: 425
Lancashire: 368
Liverpool: 262
Manchester: 155
Salford: 129
Oldham: 114
Stockport: 107
Trafford: 104
Rochdale: 94
Sefton: 86
Wirral: 83
Tameside: 78
Cheshire East: 76
Bury: 75
St Helens: 72
Wigan: 67
Cheshire West and Chester: 65
Knowsley: 53
Bolton: 51
Warrington: 40
Halton: 32
Blackpool: 27
Blackburn with Darwen: 25
East of England
There are 1,841 cases in the East of England.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Kent: 455
Norfolk: 180
West Sussex: 160
Cambridgeshire: 141
Suffolk: 125
East Sussex: 84
Central Bedfordshire: 81
Bedford: 60
Peterborough: 36
South West
There are 1,085 cases in the South West.
Here is the breakdown by area:
Gloucestershire: 172
Devon: 128
Bristol, City of: 117
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly: 99
Wiltshire: 93
South Gloucestershire: 76
Somerset: 63
Dorset: 62
Plymouth: 56
Bath and North East Somerset: 45
North Somerset: 42
Torbay: 42
Swindon: 31
Wales
Wales has had 1,837 cases, with 98 deaths.
Here is how they break down:
Aneurin Bevan: 681
Cardiff and Vale: 460
Swansea Bay: 213
Cwm Taf: 210
Hywel Dda: 107
Betsi Cadwaladr: 91
Powys: 29
Scotland
There have been 2,310 cases recorded in Scotland so far, with 76 deaths.
Here is how they break down:
Greater Glasgow and Clyde: 632
Lothian: 311
Lanarkshire: 284
Tayside: 254
Ayrshire and Arran: 199
Forth Valley: 146
Grampian: 108
Dumfries and Galloway: 100
Fife: 96
Borders: 87
Highland: 58
Shetland: 30
Eileanan Siar (Western Isles): 3
Orkney: 2
Northern Ireland
There have been 689 cases in Northern Ireland, with 30 deaths to date.


inews--2020-04-02--Universal Credit: Nearly one million people apply to claim DWP benefit in two weeks during UK corona

Universal Credit: Nearly one million people apply to claim DWP benefit in two weeks during UK coronavirus outbreak

Universal Credit : Nearly one million people apply to claim DWP benefit in two weeks during UK coronavirus outbreak Almost 950,000 new claims were made between 16 and 31 March , according to the Department for Work and Pensions Nearly one million people have applied for Universal Credit in just over two weeks - up from around 100,000 claims that are usually made in a fortnight .
Demand for the benefit has surged amid the coronavirus pandemic , with the nationwide lockdown forcing many people out of work or to reduce their hours .
The Government has advised people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Credit if they are ineligible for statutory sick pay .
The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) said almost 950,000 new claims for Universal Credit - which has increased by £1,000 for 12 months - were made between 16 and 31 March .
Earlier i revealed around 500 people a minute visited the Universal Credit website after Chancellor Rishi Sunak 's speech last week , in which he announced that self-employed workers will not receive any financial help from the Government until June .
Around 10,000 existing DWP staff have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unprecedented demand for the benefit , and another 1,500 people will be hired to process applications .
`` The Government must wake up and take action , not leave people waiting days to verify their identity and five weeks to get the support they need , '' she added .
Demand for advance payments is also up , with people applying for the loans to cover their finances as they wait up to five weeks for their first payment .
The Salvation Army has warned that the loan system could cause a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people , calling it a `` point of critical failure that the Government must address '' .
Rebecca Keating , the Salvation Army 's director of employment plus service , warned that taking out a loan could mean people would have to choose between buying food or repaying the money .
'People should n't have to choose between hardship and debt' Labour MP for West Ham Stephen Timms , who is chair of the work and pensions committee , said the DWP `` should look very carefully '' at the Salvation Army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , it 's simply not sustainable for the DWP to force people to choose between suffering hardship now or struggling to repay debts for months to come .
`` Those who can will surely be tempted to keep working instead - increasing the risk of infection for them and those around them , '' he added .
Advances allow people to access money within the first few days of their Universal Credit claim , said the DWP .
Safeguards were in place to ensure repayments were affordable , it added .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times .
With such a huge increase in claims there are pressures on our services , but the system is standing up well to these and our dedicated staff are working flat out to get people the support they need , '' said a spokesman .

Nearly one million people have applied for Universal Credit in just over two weeks – up from around 100,000 claims that are usually made in a fortnight.
Demand for the benefit has surged amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the nationwide lockdown forcing many people out of work or to reduce their hours. The Government has advised people, including self-employed workers, to claim Universal Credit if they are ineligible for statutory sick pay.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said almost 950,000 new claims for Universal Credit – which has increased by £1,000 for 12 months – were made between 16 and 31 March.
Earlier i revealed around 500 people a minute visited the Universal Credit website after Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s speech last week, in which he announced that self-employed workers will not receive any financial help from the Government until June.
Around 10,000 existing DWP staff have been redeployed to the front line to meet the unprecedented demand for the benefit, and another 1,500 people will be hired to process applications.
Higher demand for advance payments
Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary Margaret Greenwood said the number of people trying to claim was “truly shocking”.
“The Government must wake up and take action, not leave people waiting days to verify their identity and five weeks to get the support they need,” she added.
Demand for advance payments is also up, with people applying for the loans to cover their finances as they wait up to five weeks for their first payment.
Around a quarter – 70,000 out of around 270,000 Universal Credit applications in one week – applied for an advance payment.
The Salvation Army has warned that the loan system could cause a “coronavirus debt crisis” for thousands of people, calling it a “point of critical failure that the Government must address”.
The charity urged the DWP to turn advance payments into non-repayable grants.
Rebecca Keating, the Salvation Army’s director of employment plus service, warned that taking out a loan could mean people would have to choose between buying food or repaying the money.
‘People shouldn’t have to choose between hardship and debt’
Labour MP for West Ham Stephen Timms, who is chair of the work and pensions committee, said the DWP “should look very carefully” at the Salvation Army’s proposal.
“In the current crisis, it’s simply not sustainable for the DWP to force people to choose between suffering hardship now or struggling to repay debts for months to come.
“Those who can will surely be tempted to keep working instead – increasing the risk of infection for them and those around them,” he added.
Advances allow people to access money within the first few days of their Universal Credit claim, said the DWP. Safeguards were in place to ensure repayments were affordable, it added.
“Universal Credit is delivering in these unprecedented times. With such a huge increase in claims there are pressures on our services, but the system is standing up well to these and our dedicated staff are working flat out to get people the support they need,” said a spokesman.


inews--2020-04-02--Coronavirus: Marks and Spencer to give staff 15% pay rise for working during lockdown

Coronavirus : Marks and Spencer to give staff 15 % pay rise for working during lockdown Any staff unable to work have been furloughed or given 12 weeks leave with full pay Marks and Spencer has pledged to give its employees a 15 per cent pay rise as they work to keep the nation fed during the coronavirus pandemic .
Both store and distribution staff will benefit from the raise , the retailer confirmed , and will be awarded to those continuing to work during the outbreak .
The `` additional pay reward '' is in recognition of the work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their teams as part of the national effort to provide customers access to food , drink , and other essentials .
The move comes after M & S said colleagues who have been furloughed due to economic challenges brought about by Covid-19 would receive full pay .
Most people in the same position will be getting 80 per cent of their earning under a new Government scheme .
M & S also said its approach to furloughing is voluntary .
Frontline staff who have commitments to care for others , or feel more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away while attempts are made to contain the virus .
Any workers who need to self-isolate for seven to 14 days have also been told they may do so on full pay , the high street retailer said , while pregnant staff , people over the age of 70 , or anyone with underlying health conditions specified by the Department of Health are already on 12 weeks paid leave .
M & S announced it is also planning to provide face shields to staff .
The company said they are being manufactured in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
They follow plastic `` sneeze guards '' installed at checkouts in stores , something a number of other supermarket brands have also done .
`` We are actively encouraging social distancing in our Foodhalls , and have already introduced a number of measures to help colleagues stay healthy and enable customers to shop for the essentials they need with confidence - from floor markings to the introduction of sneeze guards at till points .
`` The latest measure is the introduction of reusable face shields , which will be distributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

Marks and Spencer has pledged to give its employees a 15 per cent pay rise as they work to keep the nation fed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Both store and distribution staff will benefit from the raise, the retailer confirmed, and will be awarded to those continuing to work during the outbreak.
The “additional pay reward” is in recognition of the work employees are doing in order to support their teams as part of the national effort to provide customers access to food, drink, and other essentials.
The move comes after M&S said colleagues who have been furloughed due to economic challenges brought about by Covid-19 would receive full pay.
Most people in the same position will be getting 80 per cent of their earning under a new Government scheme.
Face shields and ‘sneeze guards’
M&S also said its approach to furloughing is voluntary. Frontline staff who have commitments to care for others, or feel more vulnerable, have been allowed to step away while attempts are made to contain the virus.
Any workers who need to self-isolate for seven to 14 days have also been told they may do so on full pay, the high street retailer said, while pregnant staff, people over the age of 70, or anyone with underlying health conditions specified by the Department of Health are already on 12 weeks paid leave.
M&S announced it is also planning to provide face shields to staff. The company said they are being manufactured in the UK and will be distributed this week.
Social distancing
They follow plastic “sneeze guards” installed at checkouts in stores, something a number of other supermarket brands have also done.
Sacha Berendji, M&S retail and operations director, said: “M&S fully supports the Government’s efforts to protect our NHS and save lives.
“We are actively encouraging social distancing in our Foodhalls, and have already introduced a number of measures to help colleagues stay healthy and enable customers to shop for the essentials they need with confidence – from floor markings to the introduction of sneeze guards at till points.
“The latest measure is the introduction of reusable face shields, which will be distributed to our hard working teams this week.”


inews--2020-04-02--Clap For Our Carers: what time the UK will say thank you to key workers with applause tonight - and

Clap For Our Carers: what time the UK will say thank you to key workers with applause tonight - and how to get involved

Clap For Our Carers : what time the UK will say thank you to key workers with applause tonight - and how to get involved The Clap For Our Carers campaign will see people across the UK applaud key workers on Thursday 2 April at 8pm The Clap For Our Carers campaign will see people across the UK applaud NHS , delivery drivers , shop workers and other key workers from the doorsteps , balconies or windows of their homes , in order to say thank you for all of their hard work .
The campaign website says , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , delivery drivers , shop workers , teachers , waste collectors , manufacturers , postal workers , cleaners , vets , engineers and all those who are out there making an unbelievable difference to our lives in these challenging times… bravo , you are amazing !
” What is happening to NHS staff during the coronavirus outbreak ?
NHS workers are classed as key workers so it ’ s currently very difficult for them to get time off , and there may be an increasing number of staff shortages if workers themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been an outpouring of goodwill to the NHS during the coronavirus outbreak ( Photo : AFP/Getty Images ) How can you take part in Clap For Our Carers ?
People taking part in Clap For Our Carers are being encouraged to live stream their participation ( Photo : AFP/Getty Images ) Italians and Spanish people have also been singing from their balconies and playing musical instruments in order to lift the spirits of not only their families , but their neighbours during the pandemic .
What are the symptoms ?

To thank the NHS workers and other key workers who are working tirelessly throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the UK, Thursday 28 May will once more see the weekly #ClapForOurCarers event dedicated to them.
This edition is set to be the last, with the campaign website explaining: “For nine weeks the community clap has become a huge televised event every Thursday at 8pm, but the final applause (for now) is upon us.
“Thursday 28th May 2020 marks the tenth national applause and will be the end in the current run, as lockdown begins to be eased.”
However, there are plans for it to become an annual event in the future: “Clap For Our Our Carers will continue to evolve its vision, with plans including an annual national event – Clap For Our Carers Day – taking place on 25th March 2021 (one year on from the first applause).”
The Clap For Our Carers campaign sees people across the UK applaud NHS, delivery drivers, shop workers and other key workers from the doorsteps, balconies or windows of their homes, in order to say thank you for all of their hard work.
What has happened to NHS staff during the coronavirus outbreak?
NHS workers are classed as key workers so it’s very difficult for them to get time off, and there may be an increasing number of staff shortages if workers themselves get ill from the virus.
The Government’s initial coronavirus action plan of 3 March included new measures designed “to save lives through delaying and flattening the peak of the epidemic”.
These include enabling “regulators to emergency register suitable people as regulated healthcare professionals, such as nurses, midwives or paramedics.
“This might include (but will not be limited to) recently retired professionals and students who are near the end of their training.”
However, frontline NHS staff are also currently not getting the protective equipment that they need in order to treat coronavirus patients.
Healthcare workers in hospitals throughout the UK have been voicing their concerns and frustration over the lack of personal protective equipment, known as PPE.
Workers explain that they are having to substitute the correct equipment with less effective items or even improvise with non-medical materials.
How can you take part in Clap For Our Carers?
The idea behind this campaign is to show our appreciation for doctors, nurses, GPs and every other NHS worker during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, alongside teachers, delivery drivers, shop workers, postal workers and other key workers.
The Clap For Our Carers website reads: “Clap every Thursday at 8pm on your doorstep, your balcony, your garden or front room.”
Similar events have already been held in countries including Spain, France and the Netherlands.
Italians and Spanish people have also been singing from their balconies and playing musical instruments in order to lift the spirits of not only their families, but their neighbours during the pandemic.


inews--2020-04-02--Coronavirus in the UK: NHS Nightingale hospitals to be built in Bristol and Harrogate

Coronavirus in the UK : NHS Nightingale hospitals to be built in Bristol and Harrogate The announcement follows the development of new hospitals in London , Manchester and Birmingham The new hospital , established in under a fortnight , will be available as soon as patients across London and the south of England need it ( Photo : DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty ) NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens will confirm that sites in the south west of England and Yorkshire - which will have up to 1,500 beds if needed - have joined Manchester and Birmingham as the latest locations for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The NHS Nightingale Hospital has 80 wards , each capable of hosting 42 beds ( Photo : Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty ) The announcement comes as the first NHS Nightingale hospital , at London ’ s Excel centre , will be officially opened on Friday .
The new hospital , established in under a fortnight , will be available as soon as patients across London and the south of England need it .
The next will be at the University of the West of England in Bristol , with 1,000 beds , while the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to care for up to 500 people .
A firefighter outside the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at ExCeL London ( Photo : Getty ) Sir Simon said : “ It ’ s nothing short of extraordinary that this new hospital in London has been established from scratch in less than a fortnight .
“ Now we are gearing up to repeat that feat at another four sites across the country to add to the surge capacity in current NHS hospitals . ''
A team of academic clinicians from King ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St Thomas ’ NHS Foundation Trust identified the novel method , known as “ LAMP ” .
They say it could help improve patient services in the wider community .
LAMP , stands for Loop mediated isothermal AMPlification , and has previously been used in tuberculosis and norovirus outbreaks away from centralised large-scale laboratories and without the need for skilled technicians .
Dr Claire Steves , from King ’ s , said : “ A cost effective and efficient diagnostic tool would be a game changer in current testing .
This is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will stimulate more interest and evaluation.
” The so-called Samba 2 machines are being deployed at hospitals in the city ahead of a nationwide NHS rollout .
One hundred machines are being made available thanks to a £2.4m donation from the businessman and philanthropist , Sir Chris Hohn .
Current tests can take 24 hours to deliver results .

NHS Nightingale hospitals will be built in Bristol and Harrogate to provide hundreds of extra beds during the peak of coronavirus.
The announcement follows the development of new hospitals in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens will confirm that sites in the south west of England and Yorkshire – which will have up to 1,500 beds if needed – have joined Manchester and Birmingham as the latest locations for major new facilities outside of London.
Each will serve the wider regions in which they are located.
Extra capacity
The announcement comes as the first NHS Nightingale hospital, at London’s Excel centre, will be officially opened on Friday.
The new hospital, established in under a fortnight, will be available as soon as patients across London and the south of England need it.
Birmingham and Manchester, offering up to 3,000 beds between them, will open next.
The next will be at the University of the West of England in Bristol, with 1,000 beds, while the one at the Harrogate Convention centre will be able to care for up to 500 people.
Add to ‘surge capacity’
Sir Simon said: “It’s nothing short of extraordinary that this new hospital in London has been established from scratch in less than a fortnight.
“The NHS, working with the military, has done in a matter of days what usually takes years.
“Now we are gearing up to repeat that feat at another four sites across the country to add to the surge capacity in current NHS hospitals.”
Rapid diagnostic machine could be a ‘game-changer’
Meanwhile, coronavirus test results could be ready in just 25 minutes through a method identified by scientists.
A team of academic clinicians from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust identified the novel method, known as “LAMP”. They say it could help improve patient services in the wider community.
The researchers piloted the test in a south London NHS care home with a Covid-19 outbreak, comparing it to standard tests using the traditional method called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).
LAMP, stands for Loop mediated isothermal AMPlification, and has previously been used in tuberculosis and norovirus outbreaks away from centralised large-scale laboratories and without the need for skilled technicians. Dr Claire Steves, from King’s, said: “A cost effective and efficient diagnostic tool would be a game changer in current testing. This is a small real-world study, but we hope it will stimulate more interest and evaluation.”
Scientists at a University of Cambridge spin-off company have also developed a new test that can diagnose Covid-19 in under 90 minutes.
The so-called Samba 2 machines are being deployed at hospitals in the city ahead of a nationwide NHS rollout. One hundred machines are being made available thanks to a £2.4m donation from the businessman and philanthropist, Sir Chris Hohn. Current tests can take 24 hours to deliver results.