Matt Hancock pledges 100,000 virus tests a day
In Germany, researchers are planning to send out hundreds of thousands of tests to establish how many people have built up immunityEvery NHS worker forced to self- isolate has been promised a coronavirus test by the end of the month as the health secretary set a new target of 100,000 tests a day. Matt Hancock responded to public anger over the lack of testing with a five-point plan in what aides acknowledge is a significant gamble. The plan includes the use of commercial labs and confirmed that an immunity test was being used to carry out an “opinion poll” of how many people had been infected. Companies have responded with scepticism after Mr Hancock promised, in effect, to create a British diagnostics industry from scratch in the coming weeks. An industry source said that at a meeting with Mr Hancock “no specific dates or numbers were
Source:The Times
April 02, 2020 16:08 UTC
‘Zoom is malware’: why experts worry about the video conferencing platform
In the letter, James said Zoom had been slow to address security vulnerabilities “that could enable malicious third parties to, among other things, gain surreptitious access to consumer webcams”. “Zoom takes its users’ privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously,” the spokesman said. Security flawsA number of security flaws affecting Zoom have been reported in the past and as recently as this week. And a bug discovered this week would enable hackers to take over a Zoom user’s Mac, including tapping into the webcam and hacking the microphone. “While Zoom has remediated specific reported security vulnerabilities, we would like to understand whether Zoom has undertaken a broader review of its security practices,” the letter said.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 14:24 UTC
Softbank pulls out of $3bn Wework deal
Softbank had already invested $10.5 billion before making the $3 billion offer last October to save Wework from bankruptcyThe beleaguered flexible-office space provider Wework has been plunged into further trouble following an announcement from its largest investor that it is pulling out of an offer to buy $3 billion of extra shares. Softbank Group, a huge Japanese investor in tech firms, said that it had terminated a deal agreed last October that pulled Wework from the brink of insolvency. The deal involved a $3 billion tender offer for existing Wework shares, including $970 million for the shares of the company’s ousted chief executive Adam Neumann. This was on top of the $10.5 billion Softbank had already invested in the company. Now Softbank has announced that it can no longer proceed with the offer, saying that conditions for completing the stock sale were not
Source:The Times
April 02, 2020 11:03 UTC
Rishi Sunak denies wanting to break up UK
A Conservative Party member has claimed that the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had advocated the break-up of the UK because “it doesn’t make financial sense”Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has denied advocating the break-up of the United Kingdom because it would financially benefit England. The Conservatives ran an avowedly pro-Union campaign during December’s general election, with Boris Johnson insisting that he would not grant powers to hold a second Scottish independence referendum while he was prime minister. The Financial Times reported that Mr Sunak, who has attracted praise for his handling of economic mitigation measures during the coronavirus outbreak, is not wedded to maintaining the link between the four nations. “I remember discussing the future of the Union with Rishi and he argued that England should break away,” a party colleague told the newspaper. “He was advocating the end of the UK because it doesn’t make financial sense to him.
Source:The Times
April 02, 2020 11:03 UTC
Tiger King's Joe Exotic suggests Brad Pitt or David Spade should play him on screen
Star of the Netflix true-crime documentary shares his casting preferences, though the only actor so far attached to a project is Kate McKinnonJoe Exotic, the central figure in the hit Netflix true-crime series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, has named Brad Pitt or David Spade as his preferred actors to play him in any future film adaptation. Murder, madness and tigers: behind the year's wildest Netflix series Read moreTiger King describes the feud between Exotic, a big-cat collector who has also been convicted for animal abuse, and animal rescuer Carole Baskin, which resulted in Exotic attempting to hire an undercover FBI agent to kill Baskin after posting numerous threats against her on social media. Despite his criminal background, Exotic has emerged from Tiger King as a figure of unlikely popularity, with the Guardian’s André Wheeler describing him as the “mullet-wearing, gay, polyamorous exotic animal owner from rural Oklahoma [who has] become TV’s biggest talked about gay star”. No film adaptations are currently thought to be in development, but a drama TV series starring Kate McKinnon has been in the pipeline since November. Actors including Dax Shepherd, Edward Norton and Jared Leto have been playfully expressing interest in the role on social media.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 11:03 UTC
Georgia's rural hospitals were already strained. Then coronavirus came
Phoebe Putney Memorial hospital in Albany, Georgia, where Lopez works in one of the three ICU-turned-Covid units, has more than 1,000 people awaiting test results for the coronavirus. More than a quarter of the state’s deaths are in this rural county of 80,000. “The fact is that we serve such an enormous population.”The coronavirus pandemic spreading exponentially across the world is pushing hospitals in rural Georgia, already limited in resources and staff, to the brink. Phoebe Putney Memorial is also surrounded by four counties with no hospital. The third ICU at Phoebe Putney, the surgical care unit, has now become the third Covid unit, said Dr Steven Kitchen, chief medical officer at Phoebe Putney.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 10:41 UTC
Eddie Jones insists he retains desire to make England the best team in history
Eddie Jones will continue as England’s head coach until the next World Cup after deciding he still had unfinished business in the job. I think we’ve played some good rugby over the last four years and we can play even better rugby in the next three years. “Now we want to be the team that is remembered as being the greatest team the game has ever seen. “We are delighted that Eddie will continue as head coach to run England’s campaign to take us to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. “We are in regular dialogue with World Rugby and a lot of the other unions as well around the world.
Source:Express
April 02, 2020 10:30 UTC
'A perfect storm': US facing hunger crisis as demand for food banks soars
An unprecedented number of Americans have resorted to food banks for emergency supplies since the coronavirus pandemic triggered widespread layoffs. Quick guide How you can help food banks in the Covid-19 pandemic Show Hide How to help Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 40 million Americans relied on food banks to get enough to eat. As this demand grows, food banks are receiving far fewer donations from retailers as people are buying in bulk, so stocks are low. Donate money or supplies The Feeding America network of 200 food banks secures and distributes 4.3 billion meals each year through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. In Las Vegas, the Three Square food bank has increased weekly food distribution by 30%, from 1m to 1.3m lbs of food.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 09:12 UTC
Chancellor to overhaul business bailout
Good morning: The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will announce an overhaul of the government’s bailout scheme for businesses tomorrow in response to mounting criticism, our deputy political editor, Steven Swinford, reports this morning. Banks will be banned from asking small firms for personal guarantees on loans and the legal terms under which banks provide loans will be reexamined. The government will also remove a requirement for businesses to demonstrate that they have no other means of accessing funding. Another day, another swathe of dividends postponed or cancelled:● After 27 years of dividend growth, Bunzl will not pay a final dividend for 2019. The company, which sources and delivers goods such as toilet paper, till rolls and safety wear for factories, will also consider whether to
Source:The Times
April 02, 2020 07:52 UTC
Secret footage shows calves from Ireland beaten and kicked in France
Ireland’s dairy sector, which earned the country €4.4bn (£3.9bn) in export revenues last year, relies heavily on veal farms in mainland Europe to buy unwanted male dairy calves. Or both.”A year ago the two groups covered calf mistreatment at another Cherbourg feeding facility, Qualivia. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A video by Eyes on Animals and L214 last year appeared to show Irish calves being handled roughly on arrival in France. “The continuing export of Irish dairy calves is a welfare nightmare. A person who answered the Qualivia mobile number refused to identify themselves and said they had no further comment on the video of calf mistreatment filmed last year.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 06:56 UTC
So long and thanks for all the fish
Ask Jack comes to a close following the news that its long-running author has diedSo long and thanks for all the fishI am sorry to have to inform readers of the Guardian’s long-running Ask Jack column that its much-loved author, Jack Schofield, died on Tuesday. Jack was taken to hospital on Friday night following a heart attack and died on Tuesday afternoon. Jack spanned many different editors over his 37 years at the Guardian, including his last few with me. He will be sorely missed by those of us that knew him at the Guardian, but most of all by his readers. To those who have read, commented and emailed Ask Jack over the last 20 years, we want to thank you for being part of it.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 06:56 UTC
Dear Jeff Bezos, instead of firing me, protect your workers from coronavirus | Chris Smalls
Dear Jeff Bezos,When I applied to work at Amazon, the job description was simple. Now, because of Covid-19, we’re being told that Amazon workers are “the new Red Cross”. At the beginning of March, before the first confirmed case of coronavirus at the facility, I noticed people were getting sick. The result is that Amazon employees are going to work sick as dogs just so they can earn $2 per hour on top of their regular pay. The thing is, it won’t work.I am getting calls from Amazon workers across the country and they all want to stage walk-outs, too.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 06:45 UTC
Media deal with Facebook and Google more urgent with coronavirus taking jobs, says regulator
An agreement between the media companies and the digital giants such as Google and Facebook is more urgent than ever as the coronavirus decimates an already struggling industry, Australia’s competition regulator has said. A key recommendation of the ACCC’s digital platforms inquiry was to introduce a code of conduct to ensure news businesses on digital platforms are treated fairly and transparently. “Our media companies are in great difficulty, so that bargaining code that we’re facilitating between the media companies and the platforms is just all that more urgent,” Sims told ABC radio. “I think they were very much weakened by the impact of the digital platforms. “The government has said that if in May they haven’t made progress we’ll step in and mandate a code,” Sims said.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 06:33 UTC
Lecturers went on strike over insecure jobs – now we fear coronavirus cuts | Charlotte Morris
It’s no secret that around half of university teaching staff are on temporary contracts. This has been compounded by reports about academic job losses in Australia and hiring freezes in US universities. As an academic who until recently spent more than 15 years juggling temporary contracts, I know how the constant stress and uncertainty feels. In academia, so-called “temporary” staff range from new starters to those who are highly qualified and experienced. Many have families to support, and often rely on a patchwork of temporary contracts throughout the year.
Source:The Guardian
April 02, 2020 06:03 UTC
Arsenal face Everton, Wolves threat for £71m James Rodriguez transfer but boast advantage
Arsenal will face competition from Wolves and Everton for James Rodriguez - but may have one advantage over their two Premier League rivals in the race to sign the Real Madrid attacking midfielder. The Colombian playmaker is one of Real's most expendable assets as the La Liga heavyweights look to raise funds for their summer transfer plans. Rodriguez has only played 13 times this season, albeit partly due to injury, with only seven of those coming from the start. That's after having spent the previous two seasons on loan at Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga champions choosing to reject the chance to sign him permanently for £31million. Rodriguez's stock has fallen since his £60m switch from Monaco in 2014 after the World Cup in Brazil with fitness problems having heavily disrupted his time at the Bernabeu.
Source:Express
April 02, 2020 06:00 UTC