theweekuk--2020-03-12--What’s on this weekend? From Calm with Horses to Rick Stein’s Secret France

The Week ’ s best film , TV , book and live show on this weekend , with excerpts from the top reviews .
“ Twenty years ago , Rick Stein discovered a grift that would define a millennium – that , once a year , the BBC will pay him to take a three-week trip to get drunk on expenses in any country he wants as long as he takes a three-man camera crew away for the ride – and Secret France is the natural conclusion of that .
He is very simply repeating a childhood holiday he once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to drink wine and go on backstage tours of cheese factories .
It is impossible to calculate how many penknives he might try to smuggle back on the ferry.
” “ A kind of West Ireland Mean Streets , Calm With Horses treads familiar ground — the push and pull between domestic happiness and a life of crime — but Nick Rowland ’ s feature debut thrives on strong performances , especially from lead Cosmo Jarvis , and a palpable sense of tension and simmering violence…Rowland ’ s filmmaking , from jump cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you into the edginess and despair that engulfs the characters .
For the most part , the mood hangs like a low cloud , the vividly realised bleakness amped up by Blanck Mass ’ foreboding electronic score.
” BOOK : The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt “ The victim of a kidnapping .
The survivor of the Charleston church shooting .
The son of a notorious drug dealer .
In The Gift of Forgiveness , Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt shares intimate conversations with 22 people who have gone through unfathomably difficult experiences—and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gift of Forgiveness , Schwarzenegger Pratt wrote the book she wished she ’ d had during a rough patch about two years ago .
‘ I was struggling with forgiveness in my own life , and had been for years , ’ Schwarzenegger Pratt recalls .
She says she found she was best ‘ helped and guided ’ by speaking to other people , and learning how they implemented forgiveness in their own lives.
” “ There ’ s more than a touch of Beckett to Shoe Lady .
Starring the excellent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shoe ( less ) lady , EV Crowe ’ s newest play is a queasily existential piece of work .
Viv is a modern , middle-class woman unmoored .
Quite literally – she ’ s an estate agent who ’ s staggering through her day , having lost one of her shoes .
Caught off balance , she attempts to regain some semblance of control , hobbling out of her house to a shoe shop , a café , her son ’ s birthday party – but most pressingly , to work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ I get so scared about how close we live to not being able to live , ’ she confesses .
’ It ’ s incredibly hard not to sink to the bottom.
’ ” At the Royal Court theatre , London until 21 March

The Week’s best film, TV, book and live show on this weekend, with excerpts from the top reviews.
TELEVISION: Rick Stein’s Secret France
Joel Golby in The Guardian
“Twenty years ago, Rick Stein discovered a grift that would define a millennium – that, once a year, the BBC will pay him to take a three-week trip to get drunk on expenses in any country he wants as long as he takes a three-man camera crew away for the ride – and Secret France is the natural conclusion of that. He is very simply repeating a childhood holiday he once had, but this time is allowed to drink wine and go on backstage tours of cheese factories. It is impossible to calculate how many penknives he might try to smuggle back on the ferry.”
Friday 13 March, 7.30pm on BBC 2
MOVIE: Calm with Horses
Ian Freer in Empire
“A kind of West Ireland Mean Streets, Calm With Horses treads familiar ground — the push and pull between domestic happiness and a life of crime — but Nick Rowland’s feature debut thrives on strong performances, especially from lead Cosmo Jarvis, and a palpable sense of tension and simmering violence…Rowland’s filmmaking, from jump cuts to impressive oppressive sound design, keys you into the edginess and despair that engulfs the characters. For the most part, the mood hangs like a low cloud, the vividly realised bleakness amped up by Blanck Mass’ foreboding electronic score.”
Released Friday 13 March
BOOK: The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt
Elena Nicolau in Oprah Magazine
“The victim of a kidnapping. The survivor of the Charleston church shooting. The son of a notorious drug dealer. In The Gift of Forgiveness, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt shares intimate conversations with 22 people who have gone through unfathomably difficult experiences—and how they found freedom through forgiveness…With The Gift of Forgiveness, Schwarzenegger Pratt wrote the book she wished she’d had during a rough patch about two years ago. ‘I was struggling with forgiveness in my own life, and had been for years,’ Schwarzenegger Pratt recalls. She says she found she was best ‘helped and guided’ by speaking to other people, and learning how they implemented forgiveness in their own lives.”
Published 10 March
STAGE: Shoe Lady
Ava Wong Davies in The Independent
“There’s more than a touch of Beckett to Shoe Lady. Starring the excellent, brittle Katherine Parkinson as Viv, the shoe(less) lady, EV Crowe’s newest play is a queasily existential piece of work. Viv is a modern, middle-class woman unmoored. Quite literally – she’s an estate agent who’s staggering through her day, having lost one of her shoes. Caught off balance, she attempts to regain some semblance of control, hobbling out of her house to a shoe shop, a café, her son’s birthday party – but most pressingly, to work. Viv is terrified of losing work. ‘I get so scared about how close we live to not being able to live,’ she confesses. ’It’s incredibly hard not to sink to the bottom.’”
At the Royal Court theatre, London until 21 March


theweekuk--2020-03-12--52 ideas that changed the world - 39. Selective breeding

In this series , The Week looks at the ideas and innovations that permanently changed the way we see the world .
This week , the spotlight is on selective breeding : Selective breeding is the method of breeding plants or animals with particular genetic characteristics to create offspring with a set of desired traits .
It is also known as artificial selection and has been used by humans for thousands of years to create food crops from wild plants , and to domesticate animals .
It begins with the decision about which characteristics are desired in the offspring .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will yield offspring with these characteristics from the general population .
The best offspring – those closest to having the desired traits – are then used to produce the next generation .
This process is repeated for multiple generations , until all offspring show the desired characteristics , explains the BBC .
Domesticated animals are typically known as breeds , while domesticated plants are often known as varieties , cultigens , cultivars or breeds .
Dogs are often selectively bred , when parents are selected by a breeder who makes sure the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done to create “ purebred ” puppies , without a mixture of genes from other breeds of dogs , for multiple generations .
It is also done to create “ cross-breed ” dogs , such as cockapoos – a mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle .
How did it develop ?
Humans have been selectively breeding animals and plants for thousands of years – certainly before they understood the science behind genetic variation .
Domestication of animals began around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago , when people in central Asia engaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The domestication of plants began sometime before 9500BC , says Encyclopaedia Britannica .
But it wasn ’ t until the 18th century that selective breeding of animals became standard scientific practice .
English agriculturalist Robert Bakewell is credited with being the first scientific breeder .
Before Bakewell , livestock of both sexes would be kept in the same fields , with random breeding happening as a result .
At his farm in Leicestershire Bakewell separated animals by gender , allowing mating only deliberately .
“ Furthermore , by inbreeding his livestock he fixed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desirable , ” says BBC History .
Plant breeding dates back to the beginning of agriculture , where humans saved seeds from their best performing plants and used them for planting new crops .
The first crops to be deliberately cultivated by humans include emmer wheat , einkorn wheat , peas , lentils , bitter vetch , barley , chickpeas and flax .
“ Some grew larger , tasted better or were easier to grind into meal , ” says agrochemical firm Monsanto .
“ They simply began to save seeds from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next year ’ s harvest.
” Scientific understanding of genetic variation developed a lot later than the practice of selective breeding itself .
The theory of evolution by natural selection was developed by Charles Darwin , who coined the terms “ selective breeding ” and “ artificial selection ” in his 1859 work On the Origin of Species to illustrate his ideas of natural selection .
“ Slow though the process of selection may be , ” Darwin wrote , “ if feeble man can do much by his powers of artificial selection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amount of change , to the beauty and infinite complexity of the co-adaptations between all organic beings , one with another and with their physical conditions of life , which may be effected in the long course of time by nature 's power of selection.
” They showed that where competition for food , space or a mate occurs in the wild , the less well-adapted organisms die or fail to reproduce .
The organism with better-suited characteristics survived and reproduced , resulting in incremental changes to a population ’ s traits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Selective breeding played a huge part in the development of humankind , largely because of its influence on agriculture .
Developing knowledge of how to cultivate the land more effectively and grow plants “ advanced the development of human society , allowing clans and tribes to stay in one location generation after generation ” , with these settled communities gradually evolving into villages , towns and cities , the New World Encyclopaedia says .
The domestication of livestock followed , further helping agricultural techniques to develop .
“ The earliest farming tools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People later developed metal farming tools , and eventually used ploughs pulled by domesticated animals to work fields , ” says National Geographic .
Improved agricultural productivity freed up workers for employment in other sectors of the economy , yielding industrial advances that led to the growth of cities across the world .
And , of course , selective breeding gave us pet dogs .
Look what we did to wolves https : //t.co/ediCp76yDt

In this series, The Week looks at the ideas and innovations that permanently changed the way we see the world. This week, the spotlight is on selective breeding:
Selective breeding in 60 seconds
Selective breeding is the method of breeding plants or animals with particular genetic characteristics to create offspring with a set of desired traits.
It is also known as artificial selection and has been used by humans for thousands of years to create food crops from wild plants, and to domesticate animals.
It begins with the decision about which characteristics are desired in the offspring. The next stage is choosing the parents that will yield offspring with these characteristics from the general population.
The best offspring – those closest to having the desired traits – are then used to produce the next generation. This process is repeated for multiple generations, until all offspring show the desired characteristics, explains the BBC.
Domesticated animals are typically known as breeds, while domesticated plants are often known as varieties, cultigens, cultivars or breeds.
Dogs are often selectively bred, when parents are selected by a breeder who makes sure the two dogs mate. This is often done to create “purebred” puppies, without a mixture of genes from other breeds of dogs, for multiple generations.
It is also done to create “cross-breed” dogs, such as cockapoos – a mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle.
How did it develop?
Humans have been selectively breeding animals and plants for thousands of years – certainly before they understood the science behind genetic variation.
Domestication of animals began around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, when people in central Asia engaged in hunting and gathering wild plants. The domestication of plants began sometime before 9500BC, says Encyclopaedia Britannica.
But it wasn’t until the 18th century that selective breeding of animals became standard scientific practice. English agriculturalist Robert Bakewell is credited with being the first scientific breeder.
Before Bakewell, livestock of both sexes would be kept in the same fields, with random breeding happening as a result.
At his farm in Leicestershire Bakewell separated animals by gender, allowing mating only deliberately. “Furthermore, by inbreeding his livestock he fixed and exaggerated those traits he thought were desirable,” says BBC History.


theweekuk--2020-03-14--Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 14 Mar 2020

The pilot of the plane carrying the footballer Emiliano Sala was not licensed to fly the aircraft that plunged into @ @ @ @ @ of them , according to an official study .
The Guardian reports that David Ibbotson @ @ @ @ @ or recently practised instrument flying , and the aircraft was travelling far faster than it @ @ @ @ @ the accident .

Pilot of fatal Emiliano Sala jet was not licensed to fly
The pilot of the plane carrying the footballer Emiliano Sala was not licensed to fly the aircraft that plunged into the sea, killing both of them, according to an official study. The Guardian reports that David Ibbotson had not completed night-flying training or recently practised instrument flying, and the aircraft was travelling far faster than it should have been just before the accident.


theweekuk--2020-03-15--Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 15 Mar 2020

Labour is being encouraged to send ballot papers to all members who have yet to vote in its leadership election @ @ @ @ @ some are still waiting for their chance to have their say .
The Observer says @ @ @ @ @ as a “ farcical ” situation in which they were having to provide high levels @ @ @ @ @ before being granted a vote .

Labour urged to send leadership ballots to all members
Labour is being encouraged to send ballot papers to all members who have yet to vote in its leadership election, after ongoing complaints that some are still waiting for their chance to have their say. The Observer says some members have described it as a “farcical” situation in which they were having to provide high levels of proof of their identity before being granted a vote.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Juventus prepare mega deals for Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo

Italy may be on lockdown because of coronavirus but that ’ s not stopping the football gossip columnists from reporting on potential transfer business .
According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport Serie A champions Juventus are preparing mega deals to extend Cristiano Ronaldo ’ s contract and to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur .
Ronaldo may have recently turned 35-years-old but his performances on the pitch prove that age is not an issue for the star striker .
In 32 games for Juventus this season Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in all competitions .
And since joining from Real Madrid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 53 goals in 73 games for the Turin club .
Ronaldo ’ s current deal - which is worth €31m ( £28m ) a year - expires in 2022 but Tuttosport says Juve are keen for their star man to stay .
They are preparing to offer him a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2024 - which will be beyond his 39th birthday .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take on the week ’ s news - try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Juventus are also looking for a new striker to come in and play alongside Ronaldo in their attack .
Tuttosport says that Spurs and England star Kane is wanted by the Serie A giants and they have made the 26-year-old their top summer target .
Three Lions skipper Kane has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Manchester City , but the Daily Express adds that Juve are prepared to spend €200m ( £181.6m ) on his transfer and wages to “ get the deal over the line ” .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want a switch to Italy then Juventus could make a move for Man City ’ s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take on the week ’ s news - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Italy may be on lockdown because of coronavirus but that’s not stopping the football gossip columnists from reporting on potential transfer business.
According to Italian newspaper Tuttosport Serie A champions Juventus are preparing mega deals to extend Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract and to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.
Ronaldo may have recently turned 35-years-old but his performances on the pitch prove that age is not an issue for the star striker.
In 32 games for Juventus this season Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in all competitions. And since joining from Real Madrid in 2018 the Portugal skipper has scored 53 goals in 73 games for the Turin club.
Ronaldo’s current deal - which is worth €31m (£28m) a year - expires in 2022 but Tuttosport says Juve are keen for their star man to stay.
They are preparing to offer him a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2024 - which will be beyond his 39th birthday.
Coronavirus: Italy calls for Uefa to postpone Euro 2020
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Kane on Juve’s target list
Juventus are also looking for a new striker to come in and play alongside Ronaldo in their attack.
Tuttosport says that Spurs and England star Kane is wanted by the Serie A giants and they have made the 26-year-old their top summer target.
Three Lions skipper Kane has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Manchester City, but the Daily Express adds that Juve are prepared to spend €200m (£181.6m) on his transfer and wages to “get the deal over the line”.
According to the Express if Kane does not want a switch to Italy then Juventus could make a move for Man City’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus.
Today’s back pages
Tyson Fury faces fresh probe over farmer’s claim and Mason Mount defies Chelsea’s self-isolation ban
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--US election 2020: will coronavirus crisis change the result?

To keep reading The Week ’ s concise , refreshing and balanced take on the world , please register your @ @ @ @ @ use the details you have shared to manage your registration.You agree to the processing , @ @ @ @ @ of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy @ @ @ @ @ the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription.You agree to the processing , @ @ @ @ @ of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy @ @ @ @ @ the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes , where we believe @ @ @ @ @ to do so , for example to send you communications about similar products and services @ @ @ @ @ more about our legitimate interest activity in our privacy policy .
‘ We ’ includes @ @ @ @ @ Publishing ( UK ) Ltd brands as detailed here

Sanders has taken something of a battering in the more recent primary elections against Biden, but USA Today suggests that coronavirus “gives Sanders a chance” to reshape the election, and highlights a “shocking” disconnect “between Biden and a large chunk of the electorate”.
She notes that medical problems contribute to 66% of all bankruptcies in the US. This has been a focal point of the campaign of Democratic primary candidate Bernie Sanders, whose key policy proposal is a universal healthcare system called Medicare for All – something both Joe Biden , his rival for the Democratic nomination, and Donald Trump are ardently against.
“The US is in a particularly precarious situation when it comes to slowing the spread of Covid-19,” Ana Kasparian writes in The Hill . “We’re the only developed nation that does not offer universal healthcare, and we rely on a gluttonous private health care industry that consistently prioritises profits over lives.”
However, the US’s decision to retain its for-profit healthcare system has posed significant problems in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The country has long resisted implementing the type of healthcare service seen in other developed nations, in which citizens are guaranteed taxpayer-funded healthcare that is either affordable or – as in the UK – free at the point of use. In the US, these systems are referred to as universal healthcare.
The virus has drawn sharply into focus the drawbacks of the current healthcare system in the US.
Here’s a look at how the virus might change the course of US politics.
But with a number of Democratic primary contests now being pushed back, it’s clear that this will be no ordinary election. As CNN ’s Chris Cillizza puts it: “Given all of that recent history and the scope of the challenge now facing the country, it looks like the 2020 vote will be known as the coronavirus election.”
President Donald Trump will square off against an opponent from the Democratic Party – Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders – in a bid to secure another four years in the White House.
The spread of coronavirus has even overshadowed one of the most important elections in US history : the presidential vote in November.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Trump’s response
As Chris Cillizza says, it is “getting ever more difficult to see how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – and how President Donald Trump is viewed as he combats it – won’t be a major pivot point in his chances of winning a second term”.
At the moment, it’s not looking good. Trump’s response – consisting mainly of downplaying the crisis on Twitter before suddenly enacting sweeping travel bans – has prompted a savage backlash from health experts and the media alike.
“The president’s early response to warnings about coronavirus was to minimise its severity, assuring Americans that it was under control and saying the virus might simply disappear when warm weather arrived,” USA Today adds. “Factual errors in his Oval Office address to the nation Wednesday required administration officials to offer corrections and clarifications afterwards.”
Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer, told The Guardian this week: “Denial, accusation, distraction, lies – these are his four principal responses to any rival.
“Only this time it’s not a person. When you think of that model, it doesn’t work with germs. A tweet doesn’t knock over a potential global pandemic.”
Stock market
One immediate metric of success from which Trump cannot hide is the country’s economy.
Global stock markets have been devastated by the virus, with billions of dollars’ worth of manufacturing, trade and travel halted across the world.
Since the start of the crisis, market volatility has only grown, with the S&P 500 posting its worst single-day loss since the Black Monday crash of 1987 last Thursday, before global stocks tumbled once again on Monday despite the US Federal Reserve’s emergency measures to address the economic slowdown.
And going by Bill Clinton’s candid admission in 1992 that US elections are won and lost on “the economy, stupid”, Trump could be in for a rough November.
So far, he has done little to help the situation. Last week, a presidential address was broadcast from the Oval Office in which he announced sweeping new restrictions on travel from Europe and scattered executive actions to help workers and businesses rocked by what he labelled a “foreign virus”.
The Straits Times reports that he “blamed allies for not adopting tough immigration measures that he said had prevented a wider outbreak in the US” – an approach which prompted Dow futures to plunge more than 1,000 points.
Turnout
On a more practical level, coronavirus appears to be threatening turnout in elections across the world, and the US may be next. For example, there was a record low turnout in French local elections on Sunday, with only 45.5% of potential voters going to the polls, compared with 63.5% in the last local elections in 2014. Iran saw similarly poor turnout in its parliamentary elections in late February.
Business Insider suggests that it is unclear whether fears about the virus will affect US voter turnout, but adds that if it is driven down, it could shape the entire election.
“Senior citizens have historically had the highest percentage of voter turnout. According to US census data, 66% of eligible voters 65 years old or older voted in the 2018 midterm elections – the highest out of any age demographic,” it says.
John Sides, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, told the site: “There is a difference between a factor that might affect turnout of certain individual voters at the margins and something that would affect the outcome of an election.
“Right now, a variety of factors appear to be propelling Biden to the nomination, and it’s unclear that Covid-19 will change that trajectory – even if older, and therefore Biden-leaning, voters are less likely to vote in some places.”
Nevertheless, Time magazine adds that fears over coronavirus “don’t appear to have impacted voter turnout in the 2020 US primaries so far.
“In fact, Democratic voter turnout on Super Tuesday went up, exceeding the levels from 2016 in at least a dozen states,” the magazine says.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Coronavirus: who is most at risk? Statistics on age, sex and underlying health conditions

The number of UK deaths from coronavirus has reached 55, with 1,543 cases recorded across the country.
The government’s initial change in strategy last week from containing the virus to delaying its spread means that many more cases might have gone unreported.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson dramatically stepped up the government response last night, advising all Britons to avoid gatherings and non-essential travel - and said that in the coming days the most vulnerable would be told to avoid social contact for 12 weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that illness due to Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is “generally mild”. So who is most at risk of more severe illness? Here are the statistics.
Age
According to WHO, about one in every five people who catch coronavirus will need hospital care.
Data experts at the University of Oxford note that the mortality risk – the number of people who are infected with the disease that die from it – is difficult to pin down because the exact number of total cases is not known and because the outbreak is ongoing.
However, they have examined statistics published in February by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in China, where the outbreak began. These show that older populations are most at risk. Of patients aged 80 years and above, 14.8% died. The proportion gradually decreases by age: 8% for people aged 70-79, 3.6% for 60-69, 1.3% for 50-59, 0.4% for 40-49, 0.2% for 10-49 and 0% for under-10s.
Sex
China’s CDC figures found that the fatality rate was 1.7% for women and 2.8% for men. More men were also generally affected by the virus.
However, a report from the University of California published in The Lancet said: “This sex predisposition might be associated with the much higher smoking rate in men than in women in China (288 million men vs 12.6 million women were smokers in 2018).”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Pre-existing medical conditions
WHO says people with “pre-existing medical conditions appear to develop serious illness more often than others”.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--IOC set for crisis talks over Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Abe says Games will go ahead - but IOC plan talks
While most sports have been wiped off the calendar because of the coronavirus pandemic the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games remain on the schedule - as things stand.
At the weekend the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged that the Games would be held as planned with the mega-event set to start in Tokyo on 24 July.
Al Jazeera reports that Abe has “no immediate intention to declare a state of emergency over the virus outbreak” and when asked about the Olympics he told reporters: “We will respond by closely coordinating with officials concerned, including the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. There is no change in this.
“We want to hold the Olympics as planned without any trouble by overcoming the spread of infections.”
Despite Abe’s comments the IOC is set to hold crisis talks on Tuesday with member organisations.
A source close to the IOC has told Agence-France Presse (AFP) that the conference call will “keep the international federations informed of the situation, as well as the National Olympic Committees and athletes”.
AFP adds that the IOC “will take stock of the actions taken” and the federations “will have the opportunity to ask questions”.
Coronavirus stops sport: what is cancelled or postponed?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Learmonth: Olympics need to be postponed
British athlete Guy Learmonth has called for clarity on the situation and believes that the Olympics should be postponed to October or even later.
The 800m runner, who captained Team GB at the 2019 European Indoor Championships, told The Guardian: “We have no idea how bad this is going to get, and what we have seen so far might be the tip of the iceberg.
“Of course the IOC and the whole world wants a successful Olympics. But for that to happen I strongly believe the event needs to be postponed - unless the authorities can guarantee it will be business as usual, which I don’t believe they can.
“Purely from an athlete’s point of view here, we need some clarity, transparency and flexibility. Because the press conference that I saw from the Japanese prime minister didn’t exactly fill me full of confidence that these Games are going to go ahead whatsoever.”
The 27-year-old added: “We have to be realistic. If the British government are saying the peak is going to hit us around May or June there might not even be any Olympic trials. The Australians have already had theirs cancelled and I fear that this is going to be happening a lot throughout Europe as the weeks and months go by.
“I’d be happy if they postponed until at least October - or maybe later to 2021 or 2022. At least that would give the athletes time to now plan, train, and more importantly, time for this virus to settle down.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Is coronavirus disease X?

Is coronavirus disease X?

Coronavirus is “ rapidly becoming ” the unknown “ disease X ” that scientists had warned about , a World Health Organization ( WHO ) expert has said .
WHO said in February 2018 that it was preparing for an unknown international epidemic it called disease X .
And Professor Marion Koopmans , head of viroscience at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam , has said coronavirus fits the profile .
In 2018 , WHO included “ disease X ” in its list of eight “ priority diseases ” that required immediate attention based on epidemic potential or lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a placeholder name adopted by WHO for any new pathogen that could cause a pandemic but was not yet known to scientists .
According to WHO at the time , disease X “ represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease , and so the R & D [ research and development ] Blueprint explicitly seeks to enable cross-cutting R & D preparedness that is also relevant for an unknown Disease X as far as possible ” .
Dr Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said back in 2018 : “ As experience has taught us , more often than not the thing that is going to hit us is something that we did not anticipate .
Just the way we didn ’ t anticipate Zika , we didn ’ t think there would be an Ebola that would hit cities.
” As such , “ X ” stands for unexpected , he said .
Writing in the journal Cell , Professor Koopmans said : “ Whether it will be contained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the Disease X category , listed to the WHO ’ s priority list of diseases for which we need to prepare in our current globalised society .
“ Initial resemblances with the SARS outbreak in terms of its origin , the disease associated with infection , and the ability to spread are clear.
” Koopmans said that increased globalisation had made stopping the spread of the virus harder : “ But since 2003 , global air travel has increased more than tenfold , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic are daunting.
” “ In a nutshell , Covid-19 is Disease X , ” says Peter Daszak , a disease ecologist and member of WHO ’ s R & D Blueprint group , in The New York Times .
“ Disease X , we said back then , would likely result from a virus originating in animals… would probably be confused with other diseases early in the outbreak and would spread quickly and silently ; exploiting networks of human travel and trade , ” says Daszak .
“ Disease X… would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu but would spread as easily as the flu .
It would shake financial markets even before it achieved pandemic status.
” As for a future after the new coronavirus outbreak , Daszak says : “ Pandemics are on the rise… yet the world ’ s strategy for dealing with pandemics is woefully inadequate.
” He continues : “ Pandemics are like terrorist attacks : We know roughly where they originate and what ’ s responsible for them , but we don ’ t know exactly when the next one will happen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ way – by identifying all possible sources and dismantling those before the next pandemic strikes.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Did WHO know that Covid-19 was coming ?
An article by the Daily Express in February headlined “ Did scientists know about coronavirus before outbreak ?
‘ Disease X ’ warning revealed ” implies experts may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 .
But “ the fact that the WHO was talking about ‘ Disease X ’ in 2018 does not mean that it knew about Covid-19 , ” says fact-checking website Full Fact .
“ It means they were aware that some kind of new disease might emerge in future , just as Covid-19 has.
” WHO expected a pandemic was coming , but did not know the specifics of that disease – and certainly not that it would be novel coronavirus .
Dr Josie Golding , epidemics lead at the Wellcome Trust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ X does not refer to a specific pathogen .
It is a term given to any as-yet unknown disease with the potential to cause a serious epidemic .
”

We will use the details you have shared to manage your registration. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy Policy.
Would you like to receive The WeekDay newsletter ?
The WeekDay newsletter provides you with a daily digest of news and analysis.
We will use the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy Policy.
We will use the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes, where we believe we have a legitimate case to do so, for example to send you communications about similar products and services we offer. You can find out more about our legitimate interest activity in our Privacy Policy.
If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here.
'We' includes The Week and other Future Publishing Limited brands as detailed here.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Premier League in peril: abandon season and take ‘seismic’ financial hit?

The Daily Mail claims that a “ growing number of Premier League clubs are ready to abandon this season ” because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The paper says that executives from all 20 clubs will hold talks via a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation .
English football has been suspended until 3 April and although that ban could be extended , there is also the possibility the season could be scrapped altogether .
“ The financial and legal implications of such a step would be seismic , ” reports the Mail .
“ But many clubs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving guidance that restrictions on crowds could be in place until the end of July .
“ The Premier League , EFL and FA have held talks about staging games behind closed doors to finish the season and honour broadcasting contracts , but given the rapid spread of the virus over the past week , many clubs are questioning whether such a measure is possible or desirable.
” Coronavirus stops sport : what is cancelled or postponed ?
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try The Week magazine .
Start your trial today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– A leading sports lawyer has said it ’ s “ almost inevitable ” that the Premier League season will be cancelled if games don ’ t begin again in April , the Daily Mirror reports , and the knock-on effect for clubs such as Liverpool , Leeds and West Brom would be huge .
Liverpool are currently 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are on course for their first league title in 30 years .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two promotion spots .
Sports lawyer Richard Cramer predicts that the impact of coronavirus on football in the UK will be like that of the two World Wars .
He told Sky Sports News : “ If they get the games going by the beginning of April , I think we should be all right .
“ But if we go through to May or June , it ’ s almost inevitable - it ’ s almost the equivalent of what happened in the world wars - that the season just has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
“ It ’ s obviously devastating for the likes of Leeds United and West Brom .
Those clubs are on the verge of promotion .
Also Liverpool , obviously .
“ It ’ s not a great thought , but they will have to abide by what the majority say and what decision is eventually made by the board of directors.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take on the week ’ s news - try The Week magazine .
Start your @ @ @

The Daily Mail claims that a “growing number of Premier League clubs are ready to abandon this season” because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The paper says that executives from all 20 clubs will hold talks via a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation.
English football has been suspended until 3 April and although that ban could be extended, there is also the possibility the season could be scrapped altogether.
“The financial and legal implications of such a step would be seismic,” reports the Mail.
“But many clubs feel they may have no option after receiving guidance that restrictions on crowds could be in place until the end of July.
“The Premier League, EFL and FA have held talks about staging games behind closed doors to finish the season and honour broadcasting contracts, but given the rapid spread of the virus over the past week, many clubs are questioning whether such a measure is possible or desirable.”
Coronavirus stops sport: what is cancelled or postponed?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Devastating for clubs
A leading sports lawyer has said it’s “almost inevitable” that the Premier League season will be cancelled if games don’t begin again in April, the Daily Mirror reports, and the knock-on effect for clubs such as Liverpool, Leeds and West Brom would be huge.
Liverpool are currently 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are on course for their first league title in 30 years. In the Championship Leeds and West Brom hold the two promotion spots.
Sports lawyer Richard Cramer predicts that the impact of coronavirus on football in the UK will be like that of the two World Wars.
He told Sky Sports News: “If they get the games going by the beginning of April, I think we should be all right.
“But if we go through to May or June, it’s almost inevitable - it’s almost the equivalent of what happened in the world wars - that the season just has to be cancelled and they start all over again.
“It’s obviously devastating for the likes of Leeds United and West Brom. Those clubs are on the verge of promotion. Also Liverpool, obviously.
“It’s not a great thought, but they will have to abide by what the majority say and what decision is eventually made by the board of directors.”
Coronavirus: Italy calls for Uefa to postpone Euro 2020
Today’s back pages
Tyson Fury faces fresh probe over farmer’s claim and Mason Mount defies Chelsea’s self-isolation ban
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Coronavirus: Italy calls for Uefa to postpone Euro 2020

The Italian Football Federation has called for the postponement of Euro 2020 so it can complete the Serie A season.
According to BBC Sport the Federation would prefer to prioritise its domestic season over the European Championships, which are scheduled to begin on 12 June and run until 12 July.
The Federation president Gabriele Gravina will table the motion on Tuesday at an emergency meeting of Uefa.
Like all domestic leagues in Europe, Serie A has been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and in an interview with broadcaster Sportmediaset, Gravina said: “We will propose that Uefa postpone the European Championship.
“We will try to get to the end of this championship [Serie A] because it is fairer and more correct after the many investments and sacrifices of our clubs.”
Coronavirus stops sport: what is cancelled or postponed?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Uefa summit
Representatives of Uefa’s 55 member associations have been invited to participate in Tuesday’s video conference meeting, which will also involve the boards of the European Club Association and the European Leagues, and a representative of world players’s union Fifpro.
The BBC says that “discussions will cover all domestic and European competitions, including the possible postponement of Euro 2020 by one year”.
The Italian Football Federation’s declaration is a change to its initial position, which was an acceptance that the Serie A season may not be completed or an abbreviated version involving play-offs would be implemented.
But Gravina’s ambition is to recommence the league in early May and complete it by 30 June, a month later than scheduled.
“If the league were to resume at the beginning of May, I would leave the question of training for the moment,” he said. “Let’s leave the boys at home, they have to recover physical and mental energy.”
Today’s back pages
Tyson Fury faces fresh probe over farmer’s claim and Mason Mount defies Chelsea’s self-isolation ban
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 16 Mar 2020

The UK has long insisted that it has killed only one civilian during five years of bombing and firing missiles @ @ @ @ @ Iraq and Syria .
Now the US says there is “ credible ” evidence the @ @ @ @ @ at least three occasions .
The BBC says the RAF method for identifying civilian casualties @ @ @ @

US says UK air strikes on Iraq killed civilians
The UK has long insisted that it has killed only one civilian during five years of bombing and firing missiles at Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. Now the US says there is “credible” evidence the UK has killed civilians on at least three occasions. The BBC says the RAF method for identifying civilian casualties has been criticised.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Today’s back pages: Tyson Fury faces fresh probe over farmer’s claim and Mason Mount defies Chelsea’

Today’s back pages: Tyson Fury faces fresh probe over farmer’s claim and Mason Mount defies Chelsea’s self-isolation ban

The Guardian and The Times report that UK Anti-Doping ( Ukad ) has launched an investigation into Tyson Fury over an allegation that false evidence was submitted in his defence after a failed drugs test in 2015 .
The story was first broken in the Mail on Sunday in which Martin Carefoot , a Lancashire farmer , alleged he was offered £25,000 by “ someone linked to the world heavyweight champion to falsely claim that he sold wild boar to the Furys ” .
The Times says that Fury and his cousin Hughie , also a boxer , tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blamed the result on eating uncastrated wild boar or contaminated supplements .
Carefoot said that though he didn ’ t receive any money he did sign two witness statements in which he falsely claimed to have supplied the wild boar .
In the ensuing legal battle , reports The Times , “ the Furys agreed in 2017 to a backdated two-year ban for both boxers ” .
Frank Warren , Tyson Fury ’ s promoter , responded to the new allegations by casting doubt on the farmer ’ s credibility but The Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face a ban of eight years if Ukad finds that false evidence was knowingly submitted ” .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take on the week ’ s news - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express are indignant to see that Mason Mount broke Chelsea ’ s self-isolation ban “ for a park kickabout with Declan Rice ” .
Mount had been instructed to steer clear of people following Callum Hudson-Odoi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the young frontman defied the Blues ’ s ban for a Sunday kickabout .
The Mirror predicts that Mount will receive “ a major dressing down from Stamford Bridge chiefs ” , while West Ham may also take a dim view of Rice - who hasn ’ t been told to self-isolate - for putting himself at risk .
Coronavirus stops sport : what is cancelled or postponed ?
Several newspapers report on the “ business as usual ” approach of rugby league , which , in contrast to practically every other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its fixtures at the weekend , although Leeds postponed their match against the Catalans on Saturday after a player was tested for coronavirus - a test which came back negative .
Castleford beat St Helens in the Super League and there ’ s some unintentional humour to be found in The Guardian ’ s report of the match .
“ We shouldn ’ t be playing , ” a St Helens fan called Dave tells the paper .
“ There ’ s a social responsibility to protect fans and help public health.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned as he and hundreds of Saints supporters travelled across the M62 to watch the match .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise , balanced take on the week ’ s news - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Fury and the farmer
The Guardian and The Times report that UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has launched an investigation into Tyson Fury over an allegation that false evidence was submitted in his defence after a failed drugs test in 2015.
The story was first broken in the Mail on Sunday in which Martin Carefoot, a Lancashire farmer, alleged he was offered £25,000 by “someone linked to the world heavyweight champion to falsely claim that he sold wild boar to the Furys”.
The Times says that Fury and his cousin Hughie, also a boxer, tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone but subsequently blamed the result on eating uncastrated wild boar or contaminated supplements.
Carefoot said that though he didn’t receive any money he did sign two witness statements in which he falsely claimed to have supplied the wild boar.
In the ensuing legal battle, reports The Times, “the Furys agreed in 2017 to a backdated two-year ban for both boxers”.
Frank Warren, Tyson Fury’s promoter, responded to the new allegations by casting doubt on the farmer’s credibility but The Times says the world heavyweight champion “could face a ban of eight years if Ukad finds that false evidence was knowingly submitted”.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Mount defies ban
The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express are indignant to see that Mason Mount broke Chelsea’s self-isolation ban “for a park kickabout with Declan Rice”.
Mount had been instructed to steer clear of people following Callum Hudson-Odoi’s positive test for coronavirus last week, but the young frontman defied the Blues’s ban for a Sunday kickabout.
The Mirror predicts that Mount will receive “a major dressing down from Stamford Bridge chiefs”, while West Ham may also take a dim view of Rice - who hasn’t been told to self-isolate - for putting himself at risk.
Coronavirus stops sport: what is cancelled or postponed?
Rugby League plays on
Several newspapers report on the “business as usual” approach of rugby league, which, in contrast to practically every other professional sport in the UK, fulfilled its fixtures at the weekend, although Leeds postponed their match against the Catalans on Saturday after a player was tested for coronavirus - a test which came back negative.
Castleford beat St Helens in the Super League and there’s some unintentional humour to be found in The Guardian’s report of the match.
“We shouldn’t be playing,” a St Helens fan called Dave tells the paper. “There’s a social responsibility to protect fans and help public health.”
Dave can’t have been that concerned as he and hundreds of Saints supporters travelled across the M62 to watch the match.
Today’s sport headlines
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--US police: don’t call 911 if you run out of toilet paper

Police in Oregon are asking people to stop calling 911 if they ’ ve run out of toilet paper .
“ It ’ s hard to believe that we even have to post this .
Do not call 911 just because you ran out of toilet paper .
You will survive without our assistance , ” said the department on its Facebook page .
Milk thief turns out to be sly fox When a man in Essex checked security camera footage after noticing his milk delivery had been stolen from his doorstep discovered the culprit was a fox .
Antony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now taken to grabbing his daily delivery before the sly thief can pinch it .
Exorcist says victim hovered for six hours A Catholic exorcist says he witnessed a victim possessed by a demon float up to the ceiling and stay there for six hours .
Ron Feyl-Enright said : “ In all the years I ’ ve done this , I could say I 've just done about 2,000 involving rituals .
In those 2,000 , I ’ d say maybe I ’ ve witnessed about at least a dozen times people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For more outlandish tales and news to make you smile , sign up for our Tall Tales email ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Police in Oregon are asking people to stop calling 911 if they’ve run out of toilet paper. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this. Do not call 911 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance,” said the department on its Facebook page.
Milk thief turns out to be sly fox
When a man in Essex checked security camera footage after noticing his milk delivery had been stolen from his doorstep discovered the culprit was a fox. Antony Neale, 55, said he has now taken to grabbing his daily delivery before the sly thief can pinch it.
Exorcist says victim hovered for six hours
A Catholic exorcist says he witnessed a victim possessed by a demon float up to the ceiling and stay there for six hours. Ron Feyl-Enright said: “In all the years I’ve done this, I could say I've just done about 2,000 involving rituals. In those 2,000, I’d say maybe I’ve witnessed about at least a dozen times people that would actually levitate.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more outlandish tales and news to make you smile, sign up for our Tall Tales email–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Anger as Trump alleged to have offered $1bn for German coronavirus vaccine

President Donald Trump has prompted anger after reportedly offering a German medical company “ large sums of money ” for exclusive rights to a future coronavirus vaccine .
According to Germany ’ s Welt am Sonntag , the US president offered $ 1bn ( £809m ) to biopharmaceutical company CureVac to secure the vaccine “ only for the United States ” .
However , in a press release , the company rejected “ any claims on a possible sale of the company or its technology ” .
Head of the company ’ s biggest investor , Christof Hettich , added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was out of the question , adding : “ We want to develop a vaccine for the whole world and not individual countries.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Get your first six issues for £6 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Responding the news of Trump ’ s alleged offer , German economic minister , Peter Altmaier , warned the president that “ Germany is not for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ German health minister , Jens Spahn , added that exclusive access to the vaccine for the Trump administration was “ off the table ” .
In the US , immigration lawyer Greg Siskind tweeted that Trump ’ s move to poach the vaccine from an apparently allied nation was “ basically declaring war on the world ” .
The New York Times reports that two senior American officials claim German news accounts have been “ overblown ” , specifically referencing “ any effort by the United States to secure exclusive access to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adds that Germany ’ s interior minister , Horst Seehofer , said that crisis meetings with ministers today will include discussion of a German defence strategy for the firm .
CureVac was founded 20 years ago by scientists at Tübingen University , with The Times reporting that the firm is privately owned and has raised at least €360m ( £324m ) from investors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .
The company hopes to have an experimental vaccine developed by June or July , and then to secure approval for testing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of the coronavirus pandemic so far , CNN said that the president has “ performed in such an underwhelming fashion that you have to wonder whether something is wrong ” .


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Leaked report warns coronavirus pandemic could hospitalise 7.9m Brits


theweekuk--2020-03-15--Coronavirus: ventilator shortage ‘due to decade of NHS underfunding’

An emergency manufacture of respirators will be necessary to treat those who become acutely ill with coronavirus , the government has admitted .
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said yesterday that the NHS currently has an estimated 5,000 ventilators , but added that it will need “ many times more than that ” to deal with the influx of patients expected to suffer from the coronavirus .
He refused to promise that everyone who needs a ventilator will have access to one , instead saying : “ We do n't make guarantees in healthcare.
” The chairperson of the British Medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK ’ s lack of ventilators when compared to other countries on “ a decade of under-funding ” .
Speaking to The Sunday Times , Nagpaul said : “ And now what ... we need to do , is make some really decisive decisions on how that limited resource is used in the best possible way for those who are going to need it .
“ That may require , and it should require actually , some major decisions on ceasing non-urgent routine care , a mass move towards many more consultations occurring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Get your first six issues for £6 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Meanwhile , people over the age of 70 are set to be told by Boris Johnson ’ s government to stay in strict isolation at home or in care homes for four months , in a move expected to be enforced “ within the coming weeks ” .
According to ITV News , the move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures being prepared to prevent the health service from “ falling over ” in the coming weeks and months .
Others steps include the forced requisitioning of hotels and other buildings as temporary hospitals , the takeover of private hospitals and the temporary closure of pubs , bars and restaurants .
“ The measures that we ’ re looking at taking are very , very significant and they will disrupt the ordinary lives of almost everybody in the country in order to tackle this virus , ” said Hancock .
Speaking to Sky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and the vulnerable to self-isolate for a long period of time would “ clearly not an easy thing for people to do ” , noting that it is “ not an easy thing for people to sustain ” .
Revealing the plan to ask over 70s to self-isolate , ITV political editor Robert Peston wrote that “ what keeps ministers and officials awake at night ” is the fear that the epidemic could overwhelm the NHS .
This , Peston added , could lead to ministers having to make “ appalling decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop treating people over a certain age , such as 65 ” .


theweekuk--2020-03-15--UK ministers told to drop ‘no successful examples’ of Russian interference line

Ministers have been told to no longer claim there have been “ no successful examples ” of Russian interference in UK elections .
Cabinet Office sources confirmed that the position has been quietly changed while an investigation into alleged hacking concludes .
The Observer reports that the subtle change-of-tack marks the first official admission that the Kremlin ’ s efforts to distort Britain ’ s political processes could have been successful .
The ongoing investigation concerns the apparent hacking of an NHS dossier seized on by Labour during the last election campaign .
The hacked NHS emails were spread online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Great Britain is practically standing on her knees working on a trade agreement with the US ” .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Get your first six issues for £6 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said : “ From the hacking of NHS emails to the St. Petersburg troll factories and bot farms , it ’ s clear that the Kremlin is pursuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manipulation that is undermining our democracy.
” Boris Johnson remains under ongoing pressure to publish a government investigation into Russian interference in recent UK elections .
The review was initially written by Parliament ’ s Intelligence and Security Committee , before being sent to the prime minister in October 2019 , according to then-Conservative MP Dominic Grieve , the cross-party group ’ s chair at the time .
It is based on analysis from Britain ’ s intelligence agencies and third-party experts including former MI6 officer Christopher Steele .
Steele was the author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a file of compromising information on US President Donald Trump .
Reuters says the report “ concluded Russian interference may have had an impact on the Brexit referendum ” , but added that the effect was “ unquantifiable ” .
According to The Sunday Times , the report also names nine Russian oligarchs and business people who have donated money to the Conservative Party .
These include Alexander Temerko , who formerly worked for the Kremlin ’ s Defence Ministry .
Temerko has reportedly gifted more than £1.2m to the party and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend ” .
Opponents of the government have accused Downing Street of sitting on the report “ because it might contain embarrassing revelations ” about Johnson and his party .

Ministers have been told to no longer claim there have been “no successful examples” of Russian interference in UK elections.
Cabinet Office sources confirmed that the position has been quietly changed while an investigation into alleged hacking concludes.
The Observer reports that the subtle change-of-tack marks the first official admission that the Kremlin’s efforts to distort Britain’s political processes could have been successful.
The ongoing investigation concerns the apparent hacking of an NHS dossier seized on by Labour during the last election campaign. The hacked NHS emails were spread online via Reddit, under the title “Great Britain is practically standing on her knees working on a trade agreement with the US”.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said: “From the hacking of NHS emails to the St. Petersburg troll factories and bot farms, it’s clear that the Kremlin is pursuing a deliberate strategy of online disinformation and manipulation that is undermining our democracy.”
Boris Johnson remains under ongoing pressure to publish a government investigation into Russian interference in recent UK elections.
The review was initially written by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, before being sent to the prime minister in October 2019, according to then-Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, the cross-party group’s chair at the time.
It is based on analysis from Britain’s intelligence agencies and third-party experts including former MI6 officer Christopher Steele. Steele was the author of the infamous dossier claiming Russia had a file of compromising information on US President Donald Trump.
Reuters says the report “concluded Russian interference may have had an impact on the Brexit referendum”, but added that the effect was “unquantifiable”.
According to The Sunday Times, the report also names nine Russian oligarchs and business people who have donated money to the Conservative Party.
These include Alexander Temerko, who formerly worked for the Kremlin’s Defence Ministry. Temerko has reportedly gifted more than £1.2m to the party and has described the prime minister as a “friend”.
Opponents of the government have accused Downing Street of sitting on the report “because it might contain embarrassing revelations” about Johnson and his party.


theweekuk--2020-03-15--UK airlines call for multibillion pound coronavirus bailout

Bosses at British airlines are calling for a multibillion-pound emergency bailout to stop the industry being destroyed by the coronavirus.
Trade body Airlines UK has called for urgent action, saying the government’s “prevarication” and “bean counting” had to stop.
The chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways’ majority shareholder, Virgin Group, will write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson today to warn that the sector needs immediate financial aid of up to £7.5bn to stay afload amid the ongoing pandemic.
The Guardian reports the funding could include “cash advances and guarantees” that credit card companies will not “withhold millions of pounds relating to payments that their customers have made for future flights and holidays”.
Sky News adds that this week could be “the bloodiest week in British aviation history”, with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and Ryanair all expected to announce “mass groundings of aircraft and potentially huge redundancies” as the pandemic continues.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important business stories and tips for the week’s best shares - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
British Airways warned employees last week that the industry is facing a “crisis of global proportions” that was worse than that caused by the 2003 SARS outbreak or the 9/11 terror attacks on New York. In a memo titled “The Survival of British Airways”, BA boss Alex Cruz said that the airline is to ground flights “like never before”.
“This crisis is going to be grim,” said Jon Horne, president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents more than 40,000 European pilots. “It is neither a Gulf War, nor Sars, nor 9/11, or the 2008 financial crisis, but all of them together.”
The call for aid comes after the US announced that it will extend its ban on travel from the European Union to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The extended ban, which will begin tomorrow, will hit vital routes for British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian Air. American Airlines has already announced that it is suspending nearly all of its long-haul international flights from today.
A UK government spokesman said: “We recognise how difficult the current situation is for the aviation sector and, across government, we are engaging with the sector’s leadership to support workers, businesses and passengers.”


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Coronavirus: five long-term changes to our lives

A leaked Public Health England document suggests that the coronavirus outbreak will last until spring 2021 and could see 7.9m people hospitalised in the UK .
The briefing makes clear that four in five of the population “ are expected ” to contract the virus , says The Guardian .
“ For the public to hear that it could last for 12 months , people are going to be really upset about that and pretty worried about that , ” said Paul Hunter , a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia .
“ I think it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of June , and come back in November , in the way that usual seasonal flu does .
I think it will be around for ever , but become less severe over time , as immunity builds up , ” he added .
While the mid-term effects of coronavirus are still the subject of speculation , there are some long-term changes that look increasingly likely .
The virus has revealed the hidden costs and fragility of global supply chains , triggering a “ backlash ” to globalisation , says Robert Armstrong in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bans on the export of medical supplies , while Donald Trump has even tried to buy exclusive access to Germany ’ s vaccine-making capability .
Attempts to prioritise national interest over international interest have mirrored citizens ’ individual acts of self-interest , like stockpiling toilet paper and leaving none for others .
“ Not surprisingly , the Covid-19 epidemic is already playing into today ’ s nationalist narratives , ” says Harold James , professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University , in the World Economic Forum .
“ It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ waning of globalisation ’ .
” But coronavirus “ is not the result of a flaw in the organisation of the world economy , in the way people , goods and money flow across the globe , ” says Armstrong .
“ It is a global crisis , not a crisis of globalisation.
” And a global crisis calls for a co-ordinated , global response .
“ Because we can ’ t do without globalisation , the imperative will be to find ways of managing and governing it , ” says Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more Britain alone .
Faced with a deadly virus , working with others is a matter of life or death .
“ This emergency will open the way for more , not less , international governance.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The global economy has already suffered badly from the spread of coronavirus .
The virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global economy ” with “ the potential to trigger a worldwide recession ” , says Forbes .
Rabobank stated on Tuesday – in the wake of Black Monday – that “ a global recession is now all but certain ” , while predicting global growth to hit 1.6 % of GDP by the end of the year , CNBC reports .
Countries are pledging billions in their attempt to swerve the worst of the economic downturn .
The UK chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget last Wednesday that the government would provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether it ’ s millions or billions of pounds , whatever it needs , whatever it costs ” .
Of the £30bn spending package Sunak announced , £12bn was pledged to tackle the impact of coronavirus .
But global efforts to ease the economic effects can only do so much , says The Guardian .
“ It also seems likely that the economic pain will go on for longer than originally estimated , ” writes Larry Elliott in the paper .
“ There is also a question of how long it will take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Policy action by central banks and finance ministries can help in this respect but only so much .
“ The chances are that the imminent recession will be U-shaped : a steep decline followed by a period of bumping along the bottom .
There will be recovery but it will take time and only after much damage has been caused , ” says Elliott .
“ The coronavirus epidemic has come with extraordinary , intense uncertainty , ” says The Atlantic .
“ Officials are not sure how many cases there are and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and households are uncertain of how long the danger will last and what measures governments might take to counter it .
People are afraid , as the market panic demonstrates , and it may take months for that fear to abate.
” The coronavirus lockdown in countries like Italy and China , and restrictions on movement in many others , has led to a sudden and dramatic change in working practices .
Working from home has gradually increased in popularity , with more than 1.54m British people doing so for their main job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Labour Force Survey .
That figure was up from 884,000 in 2008 .
But coronavirus has forced many people who previously worked in the office all or most of the time to work from home .
And the change is likely to be permanent , Karen Harris , managing director of a working trends consultancy , told Bloomberg .
“ Once effective work-from-home policies are established , they are likely to stick , ” said Harris .
Alex Hern , The Guardian ’ s technology editor , agrees .
“ It looks increasingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go back to how it was : many employees for companies who have sent all staff home are already starting to question why they had to go in to the office in the first place.
” Coronavirus has already led to a significant short-term change in consumer habits , even if that change is mainly people buying more toilet paper and stockpiling penne .
But there will be long-term changes felt across the world .
“ Consumption is driven by very strong motivations , like emotion , identity and social connection .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Erica Carranza , vice-president of consumer psychology at market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey , told Forbes .
“ But the values , habits and norms that shape what we consume and how we consume could shift dramatically.
” People may be more inclined to make choices based on their “ underlying sense of identity ” , says Forbes .
“ So , for example , people may be more likely to choose environmentally-conscious brands in the future , a trend that we already see in the culture.
” In 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned of a coming “ disease X ” , a placeholder name for a pathogen that could cause a pandemic but was not yet known to scientists .
Many experts – including those in the WHO research group who made the warning – believe coronavirus is the disease X they feared .
But despite warnings , governments across the world failed to invest enough and prepare for a potential pandemic .
And despite pledges of investment following Sars ( 2003 ) and Mers ( 2012 ) , interest in fighting pandemics went away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Too often , the surge of research attention and investment that novel outbreaks generate quickly wane when those outbreaks subside and other priorities take their place , ” said Jason Schwartz , assistant professor at Yale ’ s Department of Health Policy and Management .
Bruno Canard , a virologist at France ’ s National Centre for Scientific Research , said that some countries , most notably in the EU , launched co-ordinated research programmes following Sars , reports The Economic Times .
But when the financial crisis of 2008 hit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ scientific world on financial life support ” .
Scientists now hope that the lessons not learned before coronavirus will finally be adopted , and the world may be better prepared for future pandemics .

A leaked Public Health England document suggests that the coronavirus outbreak will last until spring 2021 and could see 7.9m people hospitalised in the UK. The briefing makes clear that four in five of the population “are expected” to contract the virus, says The Guardian. “For the public to hear that it could last for 12 months, people are going to be really upset about that and pretty worried about that,” said Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. “I think it will dip in the summer, towards the end of June, and come back in November, in the way that usual seasonal flu does. I think it will be around for ever, but become less severe over time, as immunity builds up,” he added. While the mid-term effects of coronavirus are still the subject of speculation, there are some long-term changes that look increasingly likely. Impact on globalisation The virus has revealed the hidden costs and fragility of global supply chains, triggering a “backlash” to globalisation, says Robert Armstrong in the Financial Times. There have been bans on the export of medical supplies, while Donald Trump has even tried to buy exclusive access to Germany’s vaccine-making capability. Attempts to prioritise national interest over international interest have mirrored citizens’ individual acts of self-interest, like stockpiling toilet paper and leaving none for others. “Not surprisingly, the Covid-19 epidemic is already playing into today’s nationalist narratives,” says Harold James, professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University, in the World Economic Forum. “It is entirely possible that Covid-19 will precipitate the ‘waning of globalisation’.” But coronavirus “is not the result of a flaw in the organisation of the world economy, in the way people, goods and money flow across the globe,” says Armstrong. “It is a global crisis, not a crisis of globalisation.” Skip advert And a global crisis calls for a co-ordinated, global response. “Because we can’t do without globalisation, the imperative will be to find ways of managing and governing it,” says Will Hutton in The Guardian. “No more Britain alone. Faced with a deadly virus, working with others is a matter of life or death.
“This emergency will open the way for more, not less, international governance.”–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Impact on global finance The global economy has already suffered badly from the spread of coronavirus. The virus is “the major uncertainty in the global economy” with “the potential to trigger a worldwide recession”, says Forbes. Rabobank stated on Tuesday – in the wake of Black Monday – that “a global recession is now all but certain”, while predicting global growth to hit 1.6% of GDP by the end of the year, CNBC reports. Countries are pledging billions in their attempt to swerve the worst of the economic downturn. The UK chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget last Wednesday that the government would provide “whatever extra resources the NHS needs… whether it’s millions or billions of pounds, whatever it needs, whatever it costs”. Of the £30bn spending package Sunak announced, £12bn was pledged to tackle the impact of coronavirus. But global efforts to ease the economic effects can only do so much, says The Guardian. “It also seems likely that the economic pain will go on for longer than originally estimated,” writes Larry Elliott in the paper. “There is also a question of how long it will take consumer and business confidence to recover. Policy action by central banks and finance ministries can help in this respect but only so much. “The chances are that the imminent recession will be U-shaped: a steep decline followed by a period of bumping along the bottom. There will be recovery but it will take time and only after much damage has been caused,” says Elliott. Skip advert “The coronavirus epidemic has come with extraordinary, intense uncertainty,” says The Atlantic. “Officials are not sure how many cases there are and how deadly the virus is. Businesses and households are uncertain of how long the danger will last and what measures governments might take to counter it. People are afraid, as the market panic demonstrates, and it may take months for that fear to abate.” Impact on working habits The coronavirus lockdown in countries like Italy and China, and restrictions on movement in many others, has led to a sudden and dramatic change in working practices. Working from home has gradually increased in popularity, with more than 1.54m British people doing so for their main job in 2018, according to the ONS Labour Force Survey. That figure was up from 884,000 in 2008.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--What is nudge theory?

What is nudge theory?

With countries such as China , South Korea , Italy and Iran locking down borders , shutting schools , banning gatherings and quarantining travellers , much has been made of the UK ’ s alternative approach to combating coronavirus .
The UK government is instead partly basing its plan on behavioural “ nudges ” , eschewing more extreme social distancing methods in favour of smaller social changes .
These behavioural changes include encouraging regularly washing your hands , not touching your face , not shaking hands with others , staying at home if you feel ill and self-isolating in response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s strategy is influenced by “ nudge theory ” – but is it the right approach ?
Nudge theory was first popularised by the behavioural economist Richard Thaler and political scientist Cass Sunstein in a 2008 book called Nudge : Improving Decisions about Health , Wealth and Happiness .
Writing in The Guardian , former economics professor and think-tank adviser Tony Yates explains that so-called “ nudging ” uses “ insights about our mental processes to change our behaviour through coaxing and positive assertion ” .
Rather than forcing us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ tweaks the environments in which we make choices ” .
As an example , Yates points to requiring people to opt out of organ donation ( as opposed to opting in ) to try to drive up donor numbers .
In the book , Thaler uses the example of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam , where authorities etched the image of a black housefly into each urinal in the men ’ s bathrooms .
“ It seems that men usually do not pay much attention to where they aim , which can create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thaler writes .
“ But if they see a target , attention and therefore accuracy are much increased.
” How is the UK government using it to tackle coronavirus ?
As Yates notes , nudge theory is not only informing what the UK government is doing , but also what it is not doing .
He notes that “ the government ’ s strategy has at its heart predictions about human behaviour ” , including insights that suggest early warning campaigns about social distancing and extreme measures can cause fatigue among the population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science shows that people start off with the best of intentions , but enthusiasm at some point lags ” , Chris Whitty , the government ’ s chief medical officer , has claimed .
Caroline Kamau , a senior lecturer in organisational psychology at Birkbeck , University of London , writes that the UK government consulted virologists , epidemiologists and behavioural scientists who said that the plan to combat the coronavirus should make “ people individually responsible ” .
This , Kamau writes , is why the government is encouraging methods of containment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tissues and self-isolating if you have symptoms , as opposed to closing schools , universities and large events .
Is it the right approach ?
Only time will tell whether the approach is the right one ; however , one medical expert has warned that “ the government is playing roulette with the public ” .
Richard Horton , editor-in-chief of medical journal The Lancet , wrote on Twitter : “ The UK government – Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson – claim they are following the science .
But that is not true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need urgent implementation of social distancing and closure policies.
” Meanwhile , The Daily Telegraph ’ s global health security editor Paul Nuki has reported that medical experts have accused the government of being “ seduced ” by behavioural scientists who are “ running a dangerous experiment ” in nudge theory that could go “ horribly wrong ” .
Kamau notes that there is no published evidence showing that applying nudge theory to something like coronavirus is “ empirically accurate ” , adding that “ using nudge theory to tackle coronavirus is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardian , Yates also points out that the government has not disclosed what studies and past evidence are guiding their current approach .
“ The evidence suggests that the impact of ‘ nudge ’ interventions on behaviour change is quite small , ” Kamau writes .
“ The risk that the virus will spread is therefore likely to be much higher than the mathematical modelling used by the UK government ’ s experts.
” Speaking to the Telegraph , Martin Hibberd , professor of emerging infectious disease at London School of Hygiene and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK response has clearly not been sufficient , as numbers are continuing to climb and we are at risk of following the trajectory of other European countries.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– This warning was echoed by Devi Sridhar , professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh , who tweeted : “ Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban large gatherings , ask people to stop non-essential travel , recommend employers shift to home working & ramp up the response .
“ Curve can only be shifted [ like South Korea and Singapore ] with govt action.
” The Washington Post has produced a number of graphics showing how “ if people are less mobile and interact with each other less… [ coronavirus ] has fewer opportunities to spread ” .
This followed advice by US health officials to avoid public gatherings , stay at home more often and to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Boris Johnson and his advisers “ respectfully disagree ” with the criticism of their plan .
Patrick Vallance , the government ’ s chief scientific adviser , said last week that on average one person infects two or three others .
“ You therefore have a very low probability of infecting a very high number of people in a stadium , ” he added .
However , the situation is changing by the minute , with the government due to give daily briefings on its plans .


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Sport shorts: Premier League Hall of Fame ceremony is cancelled and coronavirus concerns continue fo

Sport shorts: Premier League Hall of Fame ceremony is cancelled and coronavirus concerns continue for Olympics and Euro 2020

1. Hall of Fame event is off
The Premier League’s inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday is the latest sporting event to be cancelled because of coronavirus.
It was revealed last month that English football’s top-flight would induct the first two players to the Hall of Fame and also announce a shortlist of nominees.
2. Prem clubs to discuss season options
The Daily Mail claims that a “growing number of Premier League clubs are ready to abandon this season” because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The paper says that executives from all 20 clubs will hold talks via a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation.
English football has been suspended until 3 April and although that ban could be extended, there is also the possibility the season could be scrapped altogether.
Premier League in peril: abandon season and take ‘seismic’ financial hit?
3. Mount defies ban
The Daily Mirror is indignant to see that Mason Mount broke Chelsea’s self-isolation ban “for a park kickabout with Declan Rice”.
Mount had been instructed to steer clear of people following Callum Hudson-Odoi’s positive test for coronavirus last week, but the young frontman defied the Blues’s ban for a Sunday kickabout.
The Mirror predicts that Mount will receive “a major dressing down from Stamford Bridge chiefs”, while West Ham may also take a dim view of Rice - who hasn’t been told to self-isolate - for putting himself at risk.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For analysis of the biggest sport stories - and a concise, balanced take on the week’s news - try The Week magazine. Start your trial today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
4. Rugby league plays on
It was “business as usual” for rugby league at the weekend. In contrast to practically every other professional sport in the UK, Super League fulfilled its fixtures although Leeds postponed their match against the Catalans on Saturday after a player was tested for coronavirus - a test which came back negative.
Castleford beat St Helens 28-14 in the Super League and there’s some unintentional humour to be found in The Guardian’s report of the match.
“We shouldn’t be playing,” a St Helens fan called Dave tells the paper. “There’s a social responsibility to protect fans and help public health.”
Dave can’t have been that concerned as he and hundreds of Saints supporters travelled across the M62 to watch the match.
5. Italy calls for Uefa to postpone Euro 2020
Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina will table a motion for the postponement of Euro 2020 at an emergency meeting of Uefa tomorrow.


theweekuk--2020-03-16--Instant Opinion: ‘The battle for decency online’

The Week ’ s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media , with excerpts from each .
Every click counts in battle for decency online “ The world wide web came into an imperfect world and was bound to turn out to be , at times , a warped child of its ancient misogyny .
Twenty minutes on social media will make that clear , from mansplaining patronage to virtual MeToo .
Well-connected professional women in the West , old enough to know how to bat off harassment ourselves , should not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inventor Tim Berners-Lee ] points out .
How to rebalance it is up to campaigners like him , to governments , to vocal global women ’ s rights movements and to the big tech players at last being challenged to clean up their sites .
But it is also up to all of us who use it : every click counts , every misogyny needs challenging.
” The betrayal felt in the still-recovering areas hit by the Delhi riots makes coronavirus more of a threat “ In some of the worst-affected areas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stench of burning still lingers in the lanes , and even those who have lived here for two decades don ’ t yet feel safe enough to stay the night .
During and in the aftermath of the violence – I believe pogrom is the right word , given that the police looked on as Muslims were attacked , and some even allegedly joined in the violence – an ad hoc and decentralised citizen-led relief network emerged , taking the lead in rescuing people in distress ( a court order was needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the violence ) , providing immediate relief , and now helping survivors get back on their feet.
” 3 .
Tim Wu in The New York Times Don ’ t feel sorry for the airlines “ The United States economy needs an airline industry to function .
The industry is in that sense not a ‘ normal ’ industry , but rather what was once called a common carrier or a public utility : a critical infrastructure on which the rest of the economy relies .
The major airlines know that unlike a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed , collectively , to fail completely .
In practice , the public has subsidized the industry by providing de facto insurance against hard times in the form of bailouts or merger approvals .
And now here we go again .
We can not permit American and other airlines to use federal assistance , whether labeled a bailout or not , to weather the coronavirus crisis and then return to business as usual .
Before providing any loan relief , tax breaks or cash transfers , we must demand that the airlines change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and make basic changes in industry ownership structure.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a weekly round-up of the best articles and columns from the UK and abroad , try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– on life beyond the market There is an alternative to broken Western liberalism “ Because oppressive discourses work to favour those at the top of exploitative hierarchies , we should not simply remove the hierarchy but penalise those who subjugate others .
Equal political rights are therefore not enough : because historically power lay with white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be attacked .
Because we do not understand how our social roles are constructed , we do not understand the meaning of even our own words .
Those who hear us – particularly if they are members of marginalised groups – understand better than we do the true meaning of what we say .
Because discourse is itself a form of violence , free speech is no longer sacrosanct , and it is legitimate to meet violent language with violent direct action.
” Would Lolita Have Said ‘ Me Too ’ ?
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Nabokov ’ s novel ‘ Lolita ’ is that the reader never hears from the title character .
The story is told entirely from the perspective of Humbert Humbert , a man in his late 30s who kidnaps and repeatedly rapes his 12-year-old stepdaughter .
He ’ s an unreliable narrator who sees himself as a slave to Lolita ’ s seductive powers .
Humbert describes Lolita , whose real name is Dolores Haze , as playful and flirtatious , but she also cries at night and eventually runs away from him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and we don ’ t know what Lolita thinks of her abuser or to what extent she considers herself a victim .
”

The Week’s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media, with excerpts from each.
1. Libby Purves in The Times
on internet treachery
Every click counts in battle for decency online
“The world wide web came into an imperfect world and was bound to turn out to be, at times, a warped child of its ancient misogyny. Twenty minutes on social media will make that clear, from mansplaining patronage to virtual MeToo. Well-connected professional women in the West, old enough to know how to bat off harassment ourselves, should not ignore the real malevolences which [web inventor Tim Berners-Lee] points out. How to rebalance it is up to campaigners like him, to governments, to vocal global women’s rights movements and to the big tech players at last being challenged to clean up their sites. But it is also up to all of us who use it: every click counts, every misogyny needs challenging.”
2. Payal Dhar in The Independent
on violence in India
The betrayal felt in the still-recovering areas hit by the Delhi riots makes coronavirus more of a threat
“In some of the worst-affected areas, survivors are trickling back. But the stench of burning still lingers in the lanes, and even those who have lived here for two decades don’t yet feel safe enough to stay the night. During and in the aftermath of the violence – I believe pogrom is the right word, given that the police looked on as Muslims were attacked, and some even allegedly joined in the violence – an ad hoc and decentralised citizen-led relief network emerged, taking the lead in rescuing people in distress (a court order was needed to let ambulances through during the worst of the violence), providing immediate relief, and now helping survivors get back on their feet.”
3. Tim Wu in The New York Times
on a quid pro quo
Don’t feel sorry for the airlines
“The United States economy needs an airline industry to function. The industry is in that sense not a ‘normal’ industry, but rather what was once called a common carrier or a public utility: a critical infrastructure on which the rest of the economy relies. The major airlines know that unlike a local restaurant, they will never be allowed, collectively, to fail completely. In practice, the public has subsidized the industry by providing de facto insurance against hard times in the form of bailouts or merger approvals. And now here we go again. We cannot permit American and other airlines to use federal assistance, whether labeled a bailout or not, to weather the coronavirus crisis and then return to business as usual. Before providing any loan relief, tax breaks or cash transfers, we must demand that the airlines change how they treat their customers and employees and make basic changes in industry ownership structure.”