Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon
aims to alert you to the threats and opportunities that China and India present. China and India require serious attention; case of ‘hidden dragon and crouching tiger’.
Without this attention, governments, businesses and, indeed, individuals may find themselves at a great disadvantage sooner rather than later.
The POSTs (front webpages) are mainly 'cuttings' from reliable sources, updated continuously.
The PAGEs (see Tabs, above) attempt to make the information more meaningful by putting some structure to the information we have researched and assembled since 2006.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s government has petitioned a state court to stop any of the Chinese companies whose 59 apps it recently banned from obtaining an injunction to block the order, according to two sources and the legal filing.
FILE PHOTO: Smartphone with Chinese applications is seen in front of a displayed Indian flag and a “Banned app” sign in this illustration picture taken July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
India last month outlawed dozens of Chinese apps including ByteDance’s popular video-sharing app TikTok, Alibaba’s (BABA.N) UC Browser and Tencent’s (0700.HK) messaging app WeChat, saying they posed a “threat to sovereignty and integrity”.
Chinese firms have faced hostility since a border clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers, with Delhi intensifying scrutiny of Chinese imports and any funding from China.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the filing said the government had presented a so-called caveat in the High Court of the western state of Rajasthan, suggesting it expects one or more of the companies to challenge the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s ban.
Such caveats are typically filed to prevent a ruling in favour of companies without hearing the government, Indian lawyers said. The filing, which one of the sources said was presented on Friday, has not previously been reported.
“Let nothing be done till the applicants (government) are heard in the matter,” said the court filing signed by Additional Solicitor General of India Rajdeepak Rastogi.
GUARDING CYBER SPACE
The order to ban the apps was passed to safeguard “the interests of Indian mobile and Internet users and ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian Cyber Space,” said the filing, which was seen by Reuters.
It was not immediately clear why the government approached the court in Rajasthan and whether there were plans to file similar petitions elsewhere.
India’s IT ministry and the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Indian courts do not comment on cases.
Previously, China has expressed strong concern about the ban, which could hurt expansion plans and cost jobs, and said it may violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
None of the Chinese companies has yet mounted a legal challenge, with industry sources saying they were waiting for further clarity from the Indian government.
India’s IT ministry recently asked the companies associated with the 59 apps to answer a detailed questionnaire within three weeks on their business structure and data storage practices, the industry sources told Reuters.
The decision to ban the apps has jolted companies like ByteDance, which counted on India as an important growth market for TikTok and had plans to invest $1 billion in the country.
Forensic team work near a toppled vehicle which was carrying Vikas Dubey, accused of killing eight policemen, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India July 10, 2020, in this picture grab taken from a video. ANI/Reuters TV via REUTERS
LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – Indian police shot dead on Friday a man who had been accused of ordering the killing of eight policemen when he tried to flee from officers who had taken him into custody after he surrendered, officials said.
Vikas Dubey, who was on the run for over a week after he allegedly ordered the eight policemen killed, was shot dead in northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) after an accident as he was being taken to detention.
“We were bringing Dubey to the prison when a car he was in overturned … we had to shoot him because he stole a policeman’s gun and tried to flee,” said a senior police official in the state capital of Lucknow.
Dubey had been accused in 60 criminal cases, of various offences including attempted murder, and talk of his links with police and politicians has been dominating headlines ever since the shootout last week in which the eight police were killed and seven wounded.
Two of Dubey’s aides were killed in last week’s violence and a police officer posted near Dubey’s village was arrested over allegations that he helped him flee.
With a population of more than 200 million, UP is India’s most populous state. It has long been plagued crime and corruption.
Not a single person has been fined by police in England and Wales for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, according to new figures.
Just 10 tickets were handed out to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport, according to the data released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council on Friday.
The figures do not include fines given by Border Force, who have issued three penalties.
Two British nationals were fined at Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France, on June 28, while a European was issued a penalty in Hull the following day.FacebookTwitterAdvertisementhttps://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A trial is underway to use UV light to clean the handrails on escalators on London’s Tube network and is being assessed by Transport for London (TfL) with a view to rolling it out widely.
The device is connected to the escalator handrail and uses its motion to power a UV bulb that breaks down surface contamination to sanitise the handrail.
Andy Byford, London’s new Transport Commissioner, said: “A huge range of measures are in place across the transport network to ensure it is cleaner than ever, including the use of new hospital-grade substances, 1,000 hand sanitiser points, and a new trial of UV technology to sanitise hand rails.”FacebookTwitter
Today is the last day to register for free meals during the summer break and access the Covid-19 Summer Food Fund, which will allow schools to order free school meals vouchers for eligible children to cover the summer holidays.
Boris Johnson was forced last month into a humbling U-turn over providing the food vouchers for some of England’s poorest families after a campaign launched by footballer Marcus Rashford threatened to engulf his government in another crisis.
Deaths of 16 homeless people with Covid-19 may be underestimate – ONS
The deaths of 16 homeless people involving coronavirus were registered in England between March 26 and June 26, according to the Office for National Statistics.
But it stressed that the figure may be an underestimate of the true number of homeless people who have died with the virus.
It defined people as homeless who were sleeping rough, using homeless shelters and direct access hostels, or housed in emergency accommodation due to the pandemic at or around the time of death.
The 16 death certificates, mainly for homeless men, mentioned Covid-19 either as an underlying cause or a contributory factor.
Relatives of dementia patients should be key workers, say charities
Helen Pidd
Relatives of dementia patients should be treated as key workers so they can visit their family members and be tested for coronavirus where necessary, leading charities have told the government.
The heads of organisations including Dementia UK and the Alzheimer’s Society have signed a letter to the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, calling for visits to resume safely and for relatives to be given the same “key worker” access to care homes and coronavirus testing as staff, the BBC reported.
The letter reportedly argues the care given by family members is essential to the overall wellbeing of dementia patients, and that the social distancing restrictions have contributed to a “hidden catastrophe” in care homes, which have been closed to non-essential visitors since March.
Hancock said on Thursday that the government would be setting out details “in the next few days” of how Covid-secure care home visits could resume.
Alzheimer’s Society(@alzheimerssoc)
Today, dementia charities across the country are uniting with a single, urgent message in #OneDementiaVoice.
Peri-peri chicken chain Nando’s has today become one of the first major UK restaurant groups to confirm that it signing up to the Government’s ‘Eat in to help out’ scheme anounced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in his summer statement on Wednesday.
Diners will get a 50% discount off their restaurant bill – up to £10 per head – during August under Government plans to bolster the embattled hospitality sector. The deal will only apply from Monday to Wednesday and restaurants and pub chains must sign up to the scheme via a government website being launched next week. It is open to restaurant and pub chains as well as independent businesses.
A Nando’s spokesperson said: “We will be taking part in the ‘Eat in to help out’ campaign so our fans can look forward to great savings on their Peri-peri soon. We’re just working through the details and will have more to announce shortly.”
To get the best value for money, customers are likely to be drawn to “value” restaurants – and ordering meals costing no more than £20 a head. Children’s meals are covered, but not alcoholic drinks. Most restaurants reopening to diners after the lockdown are generally offering reduced menus.
Nando’s Chicken table marker with a menu Photograph: Stephen Barnes/Food and Drink/Alamy Stock Photo
The Gym Group, one of Britain’s largest operators of low-cost gyms, has set out plans to reopen almost all of its establishments in England from 25 July, with Covid-19 measures including apps for customers to check if gyms are busy.
Initially, 160 of its 179 branches will open on the first date permitted under government guidelines issued on Thursday, with the remainder – in Leicester, Scotland and Wales – to follow when restrictions are relaxed.
There will be a trial of 24-hour opening in a small number of establishments at first while new operating procedures are tried out, including spacing out equipment, limiting users at any one time, temperature checks on staff, improved ventilation and sanitation, and cleaning kit after each use.
The group will also encourage people to use gyms and leisure facilities at quieter periods by providing members with a live “gym busyness” online tracker and recent usage patterns.
The Gym Group has lost more than 20% of its membership during the four months of lockdown, despite freezing all payments, and has just under 700,000 remaining customers, with an average age of 32. It said it would give options for all members to continue to freeze payments if necessary.
An ‘Out Of Use’ marker on an exercise machine inside the Gym Group in Vauxhall, London, after it was announced that gyms will be allowed to reopen from 25 July. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
There’s been unease in some quarters today at reports that the UK government has rejected the chance to join the European Union’s coronavirus vaccine programme due to concerns over “costly delays.”
The EU is planning to spend around €2bn (£1.8bn) on the advance purchase of vaccines that are undergoing testing on behalf of the 27 member states.
More accurate and correct to say that the UK has chosen not to ask to join the EU vaccine programme. You don’t get to opt out when you’re not in by default. pic.twitter.com/xzSD5yA1zqJuly 10, 2020
A government minister has been reacting to fury from the beauty sector at government guidance that allows salons to open but which still prohibits facial treatments such as eyebrow threading and tinting.
Some detect double standards in the form of rules which allow for beard trimming to take place.
Caroline Dinenage, a minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, insisted the guidance on beard trimming was “actually quite tight” and said the scientific advice for now unfortunately meant that the restrictions on facial treatments had to remain.
Dizziana Gosney(@dizziana)
@10DowningStreet why is it possible that men can get their beards pampered in salons but the beauty therapy industry – a £7 billion industry!!! – can not offer facial treatments for women?!!! If this isn’t modern day sexism and misogyny I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. #beautysalonsJuly 10, 2020
The minister added: “Of course I want these services to be opened as quickly as anybody – I haven’t had my eyebrows done in months.”
“I totally understand the challenges and the frustrations, but we just have to err on the side of caution and keep people safe.”
Dinenage was also pressed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on what some view as an apparent reluctance on the part of some senior government figures, including the prime minister, to be photographed or filmed wearing face masks.
Dinenage said told the BBC’s Mishal Hussein she would “have to ask them”, while insisting ministers had been photographed and filmed wearing masks. She was not able to name others when asked.
The exchange came after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, faced criticism for not wearing a mask while taking part in a publicity stunt at a branch of Wagamama following the unveiling of an economic package this week.
Northern Ireland is moving ahead of the rest of the UK today by allowing the reopening of gyms 15 days ahead of England. No dates have been set for Scotland or Wales.
The Scottish government will scrap free university tuition for EU students next year – one of its key pledges after the 2016 referendum – as institutions continue to cope with a financial burden from the pandemic
Higher education minister Richard Lochhead said ministers had taken the decision with a “heavy heart”, blaming the “stark reality” of Brexit for the decision.
Referring to the financial stresses brought about by the impact of Covid-19, he said the money saved – which he estimated to be up to £19m for 2021-22 – will be kept within the higher education sector and the number of university places for Scottish students will rise as a result.
Students from EU countries have been eligible for free tuition since fees were scrapped, as is still the case for Scottish students.
Lochhead said: “That is the stark reality of Brexit and a painful reminder that our country’s decisions are affected by UK policies that we do not support and did not vote for. Our internationalism remains a key strength of higher education in Scotland.
“EU students who have already started their studies, or who start this autumn, will not be affected and will still be tuition-free for the entirety of their course.”
Theatres and music venues in England will be able to host physically distanced outdoor performances from Saturday 11 July under new government guidance, but industry figures are calling for more clarity on when full-capacity indoor performances can return.
The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, announced the relaxing of restrictions at Thursday’s 5pm press conference where he said performances can now take place as long as they are “outside and with a limited and socially distanced audience”.
“As I’ve seen for myself at the Royal Academy this morning, the National Gallery and as we’ll see shortly from the National Museums Liverpool, our cultural institutions are beginning to welcome back visitors,” he said.
“I’m really urging people to get out there and to play their part, buy the tickets for outdoor plays and music recitals, get to your local gallery and support your local businesses.”
The Royal Academy reopens its London spaces to its ‘Friends’ initially with an opening to the public due to follow. Photograph: Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
British government follows Scotland on quarantine for travellers from Serbia
The British government is removing Serbia from its list of countries from which people can return to or visit England without going into quarantine, bringing England into line with Scotland.
A spokesman said: “The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Serbia based on the latest data.
“As a result, the government has decided to remove Serbia from the list of countries from which passengers arriving in England are exempted from the need to self-isolate.
“We’ve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary. Both our list of exemptions and the FCO travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments.”
I’m going to seek some clarity in relation to the position in Wales.
Update: A spokesperson for the Welsh Government tells me that Wales is aligning with England on this.
The Guardian has the warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus is accelerating, while the Mirror focuses on the economic carnage wrought in the UK
More than nine in 10 commuters are complying with rules requiring face coverings on public transport, a Guardian snapshot has found – though conspiracy theories, confusion over public messaging and concerns over lack of enforcement are prompting concern.
In Glasgow on Wednesday, compliance with the measure to control coronavirus was almost 100% on buses, overground trains and the subway. The Guardian saw only one passenger with a bare face out of a total of 160.
In Manchester, 91% of 184 passengers surveyed on trams and buses were wearing face coverings. Around 99% of 225 passengers observed on London underground and at overground stations were wearing face coverings – including two moving from carriage to carriage on the tube with a paper cup, begging for small change.
A woman on a London bus wearing a face mask. Photograph: Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of coronavirus developments in the UK.
It’s a big day for the travel and hospitality sector – as well as would-be holidaymakers – with quarantine rules for people entering Britain from countries deemed “safe” being relaxed today, though the Scottish government is retaining a 14-day quarantine restriction for travellers from Spain.
In Scotland, the wearing of masks becomes mandatory today.
At around midday, Boris Johnson will take questions from the public as he hosts another edition of his so-called “People’s PMQs”, answering pre-selected questions about the government’s handling of the pandemic and other issues.
All of the above takes place against a bleak economic background, with many today digesting the latest job losses announced yesterday at Boots and John Lewis, who have plans to cut 5,300 jobs and close stores.
I’m Ben Quinn: you can tweet me at @BenQuinn75 or email ben.quinn@theguardian.com if you’d like to flag up developments that we should be picking up on.
Image caption Millions have now sat for the most important exam of their lives
This week around 10 million students across China have sat the Gaokao – a college entrance exam which determines their entire future.
Hanging over their heads, though, is the recent revelation that hundreds of other students before them were victim to an identity theft scandal which saw them robbed of their results.
For Chen Chunxiu, it was an exam that could change everything. Doing well in the Gaokao meant the farmer’s daughter had a shot of getting into her dream university. Failing meant it would remain just that – a dream.
She failed.
Denied admission to college, she took up various jobs – a factory worker, a waitress – before eventually becoming a kindergarten teacher.
But 16 years later, she found to her shock that she had, in fact, earned a place at the Shandong University of Technology – and enrolled there.
But it hadn’t been her. Her score – and in fact, her entire identity – was stolen by a girl whose relatives had pulled strings to make this happen.
Her case is just one of 242 student identity thefts that took place in Shandong province between 2002 and 2009, according to recent media reports.
A shocking tale of systemic cheating
The notoriously hard Gaokao – or “high school exam” – tests school leavers on their Chinese, maths, English and another subject of their choice.
It has been the focal point of the education system since the 1950s, with a break during the Cultural Revolution.
But it’s not just an exam. For millions – especially those in less privileged positions – it’s the ticket to success and upward mobility.
Image caption Failing the Gaokao is seen as bringing shame upon the family
The family of Ms Chen, whose story has been widely covered in China in recent weeks, had high hopes.
Because they lived in poverty and could only afford to fund one child’s education, they made her less academically-inclined older brother drop out of school to make way for her. This was rare in rural China, where typically the education of boys has been prioritised over that of girls.
It was with this hope that Ms Chen took the Gaokao in 2004. Back then, university students in China did not receive rejection letters – if you didn’t receive an acceptance letter, the assumption was simply that you didn’t get in.
So after waiting until September – when the university term usually begins – Ms Chen accepted that no letter was coming and decided to head to work in the city.
Then in May this year, she decided to enrol herself into a course for adults. Entering her details in an official government website, Ms Chen found that it listed her as having enrolled and entered university in 2004 and graduated in 2007.
But the picture shown wasn’t her. Slowly but surely, the truth started to emerge – revealing the shocking extent of cheating that had taken place.
According to state news outlet Xinhua, the imposter’s uncle – who was a local official – is accused of getting help from a local admissions director, who was able to access Ms Chen’s exam information.
Ms Chen had scored 546 out of 750, compared to her imposter, who had scored 303.
The imposter’s father then allegedly intercepted Ms Chen’s admissions letter at the county post office before it was posted. With help from Ms Chen’s high school principal, say reports, they faked an entirely new high school transcript bearing the imposter’s details.
The imposter’s relatives also worked with a police director and staff from the Shandong University of Technology to ensure the enrolment went through and that a blind eye was turned, it is alleged. Ms Chen – a relatively poor farmer’s daughter – did not stand a chance.
The imposter – whose real name is Chen Yanping – then assumed the identity of Ms Chen.
Until today, the imposter’s colleagues still know her as Chen Chunxiu, say media reports. Her degree has since been revoked and she has been sacked from her job. A government report says she is still under investigation.
“I want to ask her in person why she stole my identity,” the real Ms Chen told China’s CCTV in an interview. “You replaced me – what did you expect to happen to me? Are you so selfish?”
Her story has been met with widespread anger: many have questioned the point of working so hard for years for an exam that on the surface, promised equal opportunities for all.
“[Some people] have no idea how important the Gaokao is for those not so well off. Parents work so hard to support their kids… but their way is blocked by those with power,” said one person on Weibo.
‘What can a farmer do?’
According to Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at China’s National Institute of Education Sciences, Gaokao fraud can be divided into two sorts – the kind where where the victim has no idea and the other, where both parties mutually consent to it, perhaps for a fee.
The first category he says, typically involves oversight from more than just one party.
“Enrolment generally involves many parties – schools, examination institutes, enrolment offices, and household management department. So, if there’re loopholes in so many links, it can only show that it is… collaborative cheating”, Mr Chu told BBC Chinese.
In such cases victims are usually in “low social positions” and hence have little way of fighting back, even if they do eventually find out, he adds, as was the case for Ms Chen’s father.
“What can a farmer do?” he asked Chinese media. “If I was powerful, they wouldn’t have dared [do this to her].”
Image caption Parents wait nervously outside exam sites as their children take the Gaokao
At China’s parliament meeting last month, there were calls for college admission identity theft to be criminalised. One delegate said it was “much more harmful than [monetary] theft”.
Officials in Shandong say new processes are now in place to make sure such incidents will not happen again.
Students will need to submit their offer letter, identity card, residential certificate and an exam attendance certificate before their admission can be confirmed. University acceptance results will also be published online and sent via text message.
And Prof Cheng Fangping, at Renmin University, told BBC Chinese that as student documents were now largely online it was harder for them to be doctored.
The Ministry of Education has also announced that any students found to be involved in identity theft will not be allowed to enrol in university.
Image caption The incident has now been brought up to China’s top legislative body
Local authorities have launched an investigation into Chen Chunxiu’s case and 46 people have been punished.
Ms Chen is now trying to claim back what should have been her life, and she appealed to be re-admitted to the Shandong university.
After her initial rejection was met with public uproar, the university later said it would “actively strive” to help Ms Chen “realise her wishes”.
(Reuters) – Global coronavirus cases exceeded 12 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as evidence mounts of the airborne spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.
FILE PHOTO: Relatives pray before the cremation of a woman, who died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo
The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the novel virus, while others, such as China and Australia, implement another round of shutdowns in response to a resurgence in infections. Experts say alterations to work and social life could last until a vaccine is available.
The first case was reported in China in early January and it took 149 days to hit 6 million cases. It has taken less than a third of that time – just 39 days – to double to 12 million cases, the tally shows.
There have been more than 546,000 deaths linked to the virus so far, within the same range as the number of yearly influenza deaths reported worldwide. The first death was reported on Jan. 10 in Wuhan, China before infections and fatalities surged in Europe and then later in the United States.
The United States reported a daily global record of 56,818 new COVID-19 infections on July 3 when global cases reached the 11 million mark. The United States recorded a total of 3 million cases on Tuesday, and accounts for more than a quarter of both global cases and global fatalities putting President Donald Trump’s pandemic strategy under scrutiny.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for coronavirus after downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. The country has reported between 20,000 and 50,000 new cases daily since July 1. Brazil has more than 1.7 million cases and nearly 68,000 deaths.
The Reuters tally, which is based on government reports, shows the disease is spreading the fastest in Latin America. The Americas account for more than half the world’s infections and almost half its deaths. Brazil and the United States account for around 45% of all new cases since the beginning of July.
India – the country with the third highest number of infections – is battling an outbreak of more than 20,000 new cases each day.
In countries with limited testing capacity, case numbers reflect only a proportion of total infections. Experts caution that official data likely underrepresents both cases and deaths.
Image caption Heavy security was in place of the opening, including a bomb disposal unit
A new national security office has been officially opened in Hong Kong, placing mainland Chinese agents in the heart of the territory for the first time.
The office is one element of a sweeping new law which outlaws criticism of China’s government.
Hong Kong was, until the law was passed, the only part of China not subject to such policies.
The law has caused alarm in Hong Kong but officials say it will restore stability after violent protests.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that it was “actually relatively mild as far as national security laws are concerned” and would enable Hong Kongers to “exercise their rights and freedoms without being intimidated and attacked”.
Image caption The Chinese flag was raised outside the office in Causeway Bay
The temporary base of the new office is a hotel in Causeway Bay, the commercial district next to Victoria Park, which had long been the focal point of pro-democracy protest marches and rallies in Hong Kong.
The Chinese flag was raised outside the office, amid heavy security including a bomb disposal unit.
Luo Huining, head of the existing Hong Kong-Beijing liaison office, said the office would be “the envoy for Hong Kong’s safety and is also the gatekeeper of national security”.
Media caption Many Hong Kong residents are worried the new security law means the ‘one country, two systems’ principle no longer exists
Security agents from the mainland who are based in the new office will, for the first time, have the power to investigate people for a wide range of crimes defined by the new law, and potentially extradite them to the mainland for trial.
Chinese courts, which are controlled by the Communist Party, have a close to 100% conviction rate.
It has been heavily criticised globally for undermining freedoms guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” agreed as part of the handover, which gave the territory a lot of control over how it ran itself.
Several social media companies have said they will stop co-operating with the Hong Kong police on requests for user data over concerns about how it will be used, while TikTok has said it is pulling out of Hong Kong entirely.
The project is located in Sadhanoti district of PoK on Jhelum river and is expected to be completed in 2026.
PTI | New Delhi | July 7, 2020 2:47 pm
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (File Photo: IANS)
A Chinese company on Monday signed a USD 1.5 billion agreement with Pakistan to set up a hydropower project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the ambitious CPEC project. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan witnessed the signing of the agreement with China Gezhouba for “Azad Pattan Hydropower Project” at a ceremony here.
The project is located in Sadhanoti district of PoK on Jhelum river and is expected to be completed in 2026.
The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Originally valued at USD 46 billion, the CPEC projects were worth USD 62 billion as of 2017.
Uttarakhand forest officials came across the jumbo while identifying elephants that need to be radio-collared ahead of Maha Kumbh 2021
INDIA Updated: Jul 06, 2020 16:12 IST
Suparna Roy | Edited by Ashutosh Tripathi Hindustan Times, Dehradun
The researchers are trying to find out where the elephants spend time during the day so that a plan on tranquilising and radio-collaring them can be formulated. The elephants usually come out at night, when radio-collaring the animal is difficult. (HT photo)
The Uttarakhand forest department and researchers from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have come across a ‘giant’ elephant near Haridwar in Rajaji landscape recently which they say is so huge they can’t radio collar it. They said it is one of the biggest elephants they have come across in the Himalayan state, where the elephant population has crossed the 2000 mark, according to the elephant census released a few days back.
Bivash Pandav, a senior scientist from WII, who is heading the identification and selection process, confirmed that this was one of the largest animals found in the particular landscape.
“This elephant is likely to be one of the largest animals in the area around Haridwar forest division, where it primarily roams around and goes up to Uttar Pradesh. We have also seen it in the eastern part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve occasionally. It moves in the human-dominated area, except crop-raiding it has not attacked anyone,” said Pandav.
He added that this adult male elephant, approximately around 50 years of age, “roams around solitary and does not stay with the herd.”The ‘giant’ elephant spotted near Tedhipuliya region near Haridwar. (HT Photos)
The forest officials came across the jumbo while identifying elephants that need to be radio-collared ahead of Maha Kumbh 2021. The elephant is a suspected ‘problem elephant’ which ventures alone in the forests.
“There are many bulls (male elephants) roaming in the area and he is one of them. It would be difficult to radio-collar this elephant given its size as it is one of the largest elephants we have come across. We are still identifying problematic elephants which venture into human habitations that will be radio-collared for monitoring to ensure they don’t come into conflict with pilgrims during Maha Kumbh 2021. We have roughly identified around nine bulls who frequently use that area (where Maha Kumbh will take place),” added Pandav.
The researchers are trying to find out where the elephants spend time during the day so that a plan on tranquilising and radio-collaring them can be formulated. The elephants usually come out at night, when radio-collaring the animal is difficult.
Dr Aditi Sharma, senior veterinarian of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, said, “This elephant is most likely a full-grown nine feet animal. Usually, dominant male elephants found in this region grow eight feet, but this particular elephant is most likely around nine feet given its physical features.”
Uttarakhand forest department authorities with the WII are working on radio-collaring some of the elephants prone to straying into human habitations in a bid to prevent attacks on pilgrims, who are expected to congregate in Haridwar for the next year’s Mahakumbh.
The state government is waiting for approval from the Central government before putting into motion the radio collar exercise. State forest department officials said elephants usually venture into areas, where tents are set up for the Mahakumbh pilgrims.
Tedhipuliya and Shyampur regions, near Haridwar, are found to be some of the areas most prone to man-elephant conflict, forest officials said.
“Those elephants, which stray into human habitations, will be radio-collared. We’ll get a sense of their movement pattern after they’re radio-collared and work out a mechanism to prevent man-animal conflicts,” Sharma said.
The forest officials had started their preparations since last November, when man-animal conflict hotspots were identified and geo-tagged.
The idyllic Southeast Asian island will gradually reopen this month for domestic tourists, while maintaining a “strict health protocol” to prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19.
TRAVEL Updated: Jul 05, 2020 18:45 IST
Reuters | Posted by Saumya Sharma Karangasem, Indonesia
Bali conducted mass prayers on Sunday as the Indonesian resort island prepares to reopen to tourists shut out due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Representational Image)(Unsplash)
Bali conducted mass prayers on Sunday as the Indonesian resort island prepares to reopen to tourists shut out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than a thousand people attended a prayer at Besakih Hindu temple in the town of Karangasem, expressing gratitude for the handling of the new coronavirus on the island and seeking blessings for the start of a “new normal”.
Bali has reported 1,849 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths so far, while Indonesia as a whole has recorded 63,749 cases and 3,171 deaths since early March.
The idyllic Southeast Asian island will gradually reopen this month for domestic tourists, while maintaining a “strict health protocol” to prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, Bali provincial secretary Dewa Made Indra told reporters.
The local government expects to reopen Bali to foreign arrivals in September.
Tourism is Bali’s main source of income. Travel restrictions due to the pandemic have hammered the local economy.
The occupancy rate at Bali’s starred hotels plunged to 2.07% in May, according to Bali statistics bureau data, from 62.55% in December before the pandemic hit and down from 51.56% in May 2019. “What I hope is the best for Bali and … all the tourists will come to Bali and everybody will be happy and healthy again,” Robin Tesselar, a Dutch citizen staying in Bali, told Reuters after attending the Besakih prayers.
Tourism-related businesses are preparing to for the reopening by implementing the health protocols, aiming to improve them until Bali reopens for international tourists, said hospitality executive Yoga Iswara.
15-year-old girl encouraged by her marks, now aims higher and wants to a pursue a career in civil services.
SNS Web | New Delhi | July 5, 2020 4:05 pm
Representational Image (Photo: iStock)
Roshani Bhadoriya’s determination to pursue her studies by cycling 24 km every day to and from her school in Ajnol village in Bhind district of Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh has paid off as she has secured 98.75 per cent marks in her Class 10 exams.
15-year-old girl encouraged by her marks, now aims higher and wants to a pursue a career in civil services.
Daughter of a farmer, her father said he is proud of her achievement and would now arrange a transport facility for her to go to school.
She secured 98.75 per cent marks and 8th rank in the merit list of the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education’s Class 10 exams, the results of which were declared on Saturday.
Till Class 8 Roshani studied in another school where bus facility was available but after that, she shifted to a government school in Mehgaon, located around 12 km from Ajnol, where transport facility was not available, the father Purushottam Bhadoriya told news agency PTI.
“Since Roshani got enrolled in Class 9 of Mehgaon’s Government Girls’ School two years back, she had to cycle to reach school on several days due to unavailability of other modes of transport like taxis,” he said.
Roshani’s father said that he will now make some other transport arrangement for her to go to school.
The farmer, who also has two sons, said everybody in Ajnol is happy with her daughter’s feat as none from the village attained such academic success.
Roshani shared her school journey experience. She said, “It was difficult to go to school on a bicycle. Though I didn’t count, I cycled for about 60 to 70 days a year to reach the school. My father also took me to school on his motorcycle whenever he had time.”
The girl said after returning home, she used to study for seven to eight hours every day.
Roshani said her aim is to clear the civil service exams and become an IAS officer.
Mehgaon Government Girls’ School principal Harishchandra Sharma appreciated the student’s achievement and determination.
Restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas were able to reopen from midnight on Friday, but pubs had to wait until Saturday morning – a decision Downing Street said was intended to prevent any midnight partying.
“I know people across the country have missed going to the pub, and I am delighted they can open their doors again today. But there is no excuse for alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder, and the police stand ready to uphold the law,” Ms Patel wrote.
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned that the coronavirus pandemic “is a long way from gone”, while chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned of the danger of “super-spreading” the virus in pubs.
Boris Johnson said he did not want to return to a national closure of pubs but would “retain all measures in reserve”.
Green light for Formula 1 after negative Covid-19 tests
Formula One’s travelling circus was given a medical thumbs-up today when organisers announced that everyone involved at this weekend’s season-opening Austrian Grand Prix had tested negative for Covid-19, AFP reports.
In a statement, organisers in Spielberg said 4,032 personnel had been tested between June 26 and July 2 without a single positive result.
Formula One added that aggregated information, following further tests carried out every five days, will be published once a week.
Everyone who enters the F1 paddock must have a clean bill of health and be tested regularly.
This weekend’s race is the first of two on successive Sundays at the Red Bull Ring and is being run behind closed doors under strict health and safety protocols.
Brits not comfortable returning to normal
New polling from Ipsos Mori suggests that consumers in the UK aren’t raring to go out when lockdown is lifted.
Respondents were split evenly on the issue of going to the hairdressers, but enthusiasm for other post-lockdown activities appears to be much more muted.
NHS cleaners and porters were coronavirus ‘super-spreaders’ in hospitals
Cleaners, porters and office staff working for the NHS were “super-spreaders” of coronavirus within hospitals, according to initial results from a national screening drive.
Sir John Bell, who oversees the Government’s antibody testing programme, said domiciliary workers in some hospitals were found to have “sky-high” levels of antibodies compared to doctors and nurses who treated patients in intensive care.
The discovery has prompted health bosses to examine how lower-paid workers can be better protected from the virus in the event of a second coronavirus wave, he said. It comes amid growing suspicion that a large proportion of virus cases were spread by medical workers rather than in the community.
In May, the Government asked NHS health chiefs to test staff for coronavirus antibodies in their blood in order to map the spread of disease in hospitals.
UK hit by backlash from ‘excluded’ Portugal as it unveils quarantine-free countries
Britain faced a backlash last night from Portugal, one of our most popular tourist destinations, after ditching it from a list of 74 countries and territories that English holidaymakers can visit without quarantine.
Canada, the USA, China and Thailand were also excluded from the “amber” and “green” lists of countries to which English holidaymakers can fly and avoid quarantine on their return to the UK from Friday July 10.
Among those included on the lists were short-haul destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Croatia and Cyprus, as well as long-haul locations including Australia, Barbados, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam.
However, Portugal, where the Algarve is rated the third most popular European holiday spot for Britons, was left off because of a recent spike in Coronavirus cases in and around Lisbon.
Portugal’s foreign ministry said in a tweet it was “absurd” that Britain imposed quarantine on travellers coming from Portugal despite having 28 times more deaths from the coronavirus.
Charles Hymas, Dominic Penna and Jorge Branco have more here.
How many cases are in your area?
Comment: If there’s a second wave, who are we going to blame?
We all pray it doesn’t happen. But say there’s a second wave of Covid-19. Who will be to blame? Even at this early stage, a clear consensus is starting to form, writes Michael Deacon.
The answer is… us.
Look at the poll this week for ITV’s politics show, Peston. Respondents were asked who they would blame for a second wave: the Government, or the public? And, by a thumping ratio of two to one, they chose the public.
In other words: the British people will blame the British people, rather than the ministers who are actually in charge. A surprising result. After all, for the past four years the prevailing political narrative has been, “Ordinary people aren’t stupid. Blame the elite.” Suddenly it seems to be, “Don’t blame the elite. Ordinary people are stupid.”
An unexpected twist. Yet this, apparently, is the way things are headed. If a second wave comes, the Government can accuse the public of failing to show “common sense”. And we, it seems, will sheepishly agree.
Not everyone is happy about the Government’s priorities…
England reopening, in pictures
A client has their hair washed at Partridges hair salon, Wandsworth, South London CREDIT: PAThe first customers at the reopening of Jakes Barbers in Birmingham CREDIT: PAMore from Jakes Barbers in Birmingham CREDIT: PAA waitress serves pints of beer to customers at The Moon Under Water pub in Leicester Square CREDIT: BLOOMBERG
The UK art galleries reopening in July – and the best exhibitions to see
The first major institution to re-open in England will be the National Gallery in London, on July 8. The Barbican, Royal Academy and Tate galleries will follow before the end of July.
Smaller commercial galleries have already re-opened in England, as they’re classed as “non-essential retail” and were thus able to welcome visitors (and customers) back, as other shops were, from June 15.
Scottish institutions remain closed, with the next review of guidelines due no earlier than July 9. Their Welsh counterparts will not open before August. Northern Irish galleries, however, can re-open from July 3.
When will each of the major venues re-open, what will they be showing when they do – and what’s worth seeing?
Cal Revely-Calder and Lucy Davies have all you need to know here.
What the Covid cinema experience is actually like
Cinemas can reopen from today – but what can customers expect? Robbie Collin visits a Covid-ready venue to find out.
In the middle of the upstairs foyer at the Genesis Cinema sits an enormous pile of lavatories. They’re brand new ones, delivered earlier this week, and are being fitted before the place reopens tomorrow, 109 days after the coronavirus pandemic forced its doors shut.
“In January, I remember thinking, ‘When on earth are we ever going to be able to close all of our toilet facilities at once?’ ” says Tyrone Walker-Hebborn, who bought and restored the east-London venue in 1999 after it had lain derelict for more than 10 years. “So that’s been something, at least.”
Lean and avuncular, with a heavy-duty East End accent, the 54-year-old surveys the Herculean plumbing task before him and sucks in his cheeks. “It’s hard to believe we’ve had three months to do this and we’re still rushing to get finished,” he says.
JD Wetherspoon – which has over 900 sites – is handing out slips of paper for customers to fill in and place in a box in case they need to be contacted regarding Covid-19.
Guardian journalist Rob Davies has shared some pictures of what you can expect:
Catalonia places 200,000 people under lockdown
Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region has today locked down an area with around 200,000 residents near the town of Lerida following a surge in Covid-19 cases, AFP reports.
“We have decided to confine the del Segria zone following data confirming a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections,” Catalonia’s regional president Quim Torra told reporters, adding that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the area.
Hello cars and farewell mosh pits – is this the future of live music?
Speaking to industry insiders, Neil McCormick explains how the experience of going to gigs will soon be transformed.
You flash your biometric app for a visor-wearing doorman with an infrared thermometer. Fluorescent arrows lead to a table where pre-ordered drinks await. The band are spread across an outsized stage, playing in-house instruments over the venue PA.
A barrier ensures no stray droplets from the singer reach the front rows as they launch into their viral hit, Social Distance Blues. Dancers in face masks throw semaphore poses from personal circles on a demarcated dance floor. You raise your voice to sing along and consider it well worth that £400 you blew on a pair of tickets.
Meanwhile, down the dark end of the street, police gather to break up another squat rock show, following reports of an illegal mosh pit. Back at home, Zoomers tune into a live webcast, share highlights on social media platforms and clock up “likes”, wondering why anyone would want to be there in the flesh.
A customer eats a beloved Wetherspoons breakfast in Leicester Square, London CREDIT: BLOOMGBERGAndrew Slawinaki, 51, is served a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey CREDIT: PAFood is prepared in the new mobile catering van during the reopening of The Old Stables Restaurant at Allerton Manor Golf Club, Liverpool CREDIT: PAClients have their hair washed at the reopening of The Salon Leeds CREDIT: PAPariss Boseley-Yemm holds a thermometer at the reopening of The Salon Leeds CREDIT: PA
Pubs reopen to fight the battle against FOGO – fear of going out
“Timing has never been my strong suit,” says Trevor Brown, landlord of the Pickled Ploughman pub in Adderbury, Oxfordshire.
Nine months after he bought the pub, trade had just begun to take off in the local community when Boris Johnson ordered people to stop visiting watering holes amid growing fears over the spread of coronavirus. The Pickled Ploughman lost more than £10,000 in sales in just a fortnight and was eventually forced to shut under lockdown rules.
“The biggest hurt was at that point we didn’t know about the furlough scheme and all I could see was having to make 15 people redundant,” Brown says.
Emma Shepherd, landlord of the Blue Ball in Worrall, Sheffield, will welcome back customers following an even longer leave of absence. The pub, owned by Admiral Taverns, closed in early March for a major refurbishment that gave it a kitchen for the first time.
Hannah Uttley has more on pub landlords describing their battle for survival during lockdown. Read the full piece here.
Hospitality firms braced for £73bn coronavirus sales hit
The crisis in hospitality will cost the economy £73bn this year, experts warned as battered pubs and restaurants reopen today.
A combination of lost tourism, weak consumer spending and operating constraints due to social distancing mean that more than half of the industry’s £133bn annual sales are set to be wiped out in 2020, according to trade body UKHospitality.
The projections, which are based on official data, underscore the scale of the challenge facing pubs, restaurants and other hospitality outlets as they welcome back customers this weekend.
People in Wales told not to travel more than five miles to England
People in Wales must continue to follow the five-mile advice and stay local this weekend as pubs open over the border in England, the First Minister has said.
Mark Drakeford said that while those living very close to England may be able to visit pubs that are open, it would not be possible for the majority of people in Wales.
Police forces have also urged Welsh residents to heed the “stay local” advice while Transport for Wales said public transport should only be used for “essential travel”.
The “stay local” requirement in Wales will end on Monday when two households will be able to form one extended household – enabling families to be reunited. But pubs in Wales will only be allowed to operate outdoors from July 13.
“I certainly do say to people who are thinking of going across the border that the five-mile advice, the stay local regulations, remain in place in Wales this weekend,” Mr Drakeford said.
“So while there are populations very close to the border who may choose to travel, for most of us that will not be a possibility.”
Covid-19 cases rise in Melbourne
Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, has reported 108 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours.
This is the second-highest daily total recorded in the state since the outbreak began.
Although the country has largely managed to contain the virus – with only about 8,200 cases and 104 deaths across Australia so far – Melbourne has seen a surge in recent weeks.
In addition to 36 suburbs of the city already in lockdown, a further nine tower blocks of public housing are also being quarantined.
Activists, lawyers and public health experts have raised concerns about the decision to lock down the public housing towers.
Indonesia reports 1,447 new cases
Indonesia reported 1,447 new Covid-19 infections today, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said, taking the nation’s tally to 62,142, while 53 more deaths took its toll to 3,089.
Second wave will be ‘much more muted’
Without an effective testing and tracing system there will be a second wave in the UK, although “much more muted” than the first, according to an expert.
Professor Karl Friston, an epidemiologist at University College London, told BBC Newsnight: “If we do not really accelerate the find, test, trace and isolate then yes, there will be [a second wave].
“Perhaps it will be useful to say it’s not going to be the kind of wave we saw with the Spanish flu, this is going to be a much more muted second wave, that the models at the moment suggest will be in early January. It won’t be of the same magnitude as the first wave by far.”
When asked about what that death toll might be, Prof Friston gave the “laughably precise estimate” of 6,792 deaths under that particular modelling.
Super Saturday, in pictures
Desperate to fix that Covid hair cut? Blades Barbers in Norfolk opened its doors at 7am CREDIT: JASON BYESome couldn’t wait a moment longer – a stylist wears a protective mask as she cuts a customer’s hair just after midnight in Camden CREDIT: LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPEMen wait to enter a barbers in Ashford, Kent CREDIT: PACustomers ordering breakfast at the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London CREDIT: YUI MOK/PABar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, North London CREDIT: PA
‘People have to be tremendously cautious’
Covid-19 “is with us” and infection rates are still not coming down very fast, Professor Robert West, an epidemiologist from University College London told the BBC.
“We are looking at around 20,000 new infections a week and around 1,000 deaths a week and the rates aren’t coming down very fast so people have to be tremendously cautious here,” he said in an interview with BBC Breakfast.
Despite the hospitality sector doing “everything” it can to reopen safely, he added: “As we open up these businesses you will get more contact… and that means you will get more infections and unfortunately it means you will get more deaths.”
“The key here is do everything you possibly can to minimise the risk,” he urged.
How is the reopening different across the four nations?
Today might be dubbed “Super Saturday”, but only in England.
In Northern Ireland, pubs and restaurants reopened on Friday.
In Scotland, beer gardens and outdoor restaurants will be allowed to reopen from Monday July 6, and indoor areas can be used from July 15.
The Welsh Government has promised talks with the hospitality sector about a “potential phased” reopening, but no dates have yet been given.
Comment: Why I will be lifting a cautious pint to Super Saturday
It’s been a long six months since China revealed a new pathogen had broken out around a wet market in Wuhan, writes our global health security editor Paul Nuki.
Today, after three months, Britain’s pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, cinemas, museums and galleries are opening again. Hopefully, it will be a day we remember fondly; a day which, as Boris Johnson put it, marks “our long national hibernation beginning to come to an end”; an independence day to be celebrated with fireworks in years to come.
I will certainly be lifting a pint (perhaps two) but I will do so cautiously in a pub with hand sanitiser at the gate and a well-spaced beer garden.
I’ve managed to avoid Sars-Cov-2 so far and at 56, with a one-in-a-hundred chance of popping my clogs if I catch it, I want to keep it that way. There is, as yet, no evidence the bug is losing its potency, but the further away in time you get from the bat that sparked it, the greater that chance becomes.
Exclusive: I had the UK’s first covid-secure haircut
Without wishing to rub it in, for the thousands desperate to remedy overgrown roots and fraying split ends, I was the grateful recipient of the very first covid-secure haircut in the UK – and the experience was every inch as thrilling as I expected, writes Sonia Haria.
So, what was different? There were obvious changes from a pre-covid haircut from the get-go, at the salon Buller & Rice in Walthamstow, London, run by colourist Anita Rice and hairdresser Stephen Buller.
I had to arrive at the salon at my allotted appointment time with very minimal belongings, and I waited outside for a moment before Stephen opened the door for me. I then used their alcohol hand gel immediately, before being offered a cloth face covering to wear (which I kept on throughout my visit).
Although it isn’t a Government requirement for clients to wear a face covering throughout their hairdressing service, most salons including Buller & Rice are asking each customer to either bring their own, or wear one supplied by the salon. Both Stephen and Anita were wearing visors, which is a requirement in the Government guidelines issued last week.
The Telegraph’s Sonia Haria gets her hair done at Buller and Rice CREDIT: RII SCHROERStephen Buller and Anita Rice are ready for business CREDIT: RII SCHROER
Bustling queues outside Wetherspoons in Gloucester…
Liam Flood was first in the queue at 7.45am this morning and was later joined by three others as the doors of The Regal, a Wetherspoons pub in Gloucester, opened promptly at 8am CREDIT: MIKAL LUDLOW PHOTOGRAPHYLiam Flood had his pint of Guinness in hand moments later and was raising a toast to the pub sector that has been in lockdown all these weeks CREDIT: MIKAL LUDLOW PHOTOGRAPHY
Marriage ceremonies resume with confetti banned
Confetti will not be thrown for couples tying the knot today, as marriage ceremonies resume following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
With weddings allowed to take place across the country, the Government has advised against the popular tradition of showering newlyweds on the church steps for fear that guests could spread Covid-19.
Lauren Webb, a 28-year-old private tutor from Wrasbury who is marrying her partner Daniel Landi, 28, on Saturday said: “It’s a real shame we can’t have confetti as we had planned to have one of those iconic photos of us leaving the church being showered with confetti, I feel we are missing out.”
The bride and groom decided to defer their full celebrations until next year after the lockdown left them just 10 days to plan their wedding.
Newly published government guidance stated couples going ahead with nuptials should only welcome up to 30 guests, with no singing, dancing or food or drink at the chosen venue.
‘Zero-Covid Scotland can only happen with England’s cooperation’
Not everyone is feeling cheerful about England’s major easing of lockdown today.
Devi Sridhar, professor of global health at the University of Edinburgh and adviser to the Scottish Government on Covid-19 has said that the virus is still circulating in too high numbers for people to be going into pubs and bars, risking a chain of infections.
Prof Sridhar, who advocates for the elimination of the virus in Scotland so that things can return to normal more quickly, says this can only be done with England’s cooperation.
Careers service to get £32 million boost to help young through crisis
The National Careers Service (NCS) is to get a £32 million boost to help young people in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Treasury.
The extra funding will have an impact on more than a quarter of a million people, the Government said.
The move should lead to 270,000 more people receiving advice, according to the Government, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak set to announce next week that hundreds more recruitment advisers will be hired.
The funding will form part of an announcement by the Chancellor in the coming days on how the Government plans to deal with the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia’s death toll passes 10,000
Russia has passed another grim Covid-19 milestone, with 168 deaths reported in the last 24 hours bringing the official death toll to 10,027.
The country has also reported 6.632 new cases of the virus, raising the nationwide daily of infections to 674,515.
Nationwide clap planned to celebrate anniversary of NHS
A nationwide round of applause is set to take place on Sunday evening to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS, and people will also be encouraged to observe a minute’s silence and light a candle today in remembrance of people who have died during the coronavirus pandemic.
Boris Johnson is expected to take part, with Downing Street to be lit up blue tonight as a candle is lit at the Prime Minister’s official residence at 9pm.
Mr Johnson will meet NHS workers in the Number 10 garden on Sunday afternoon, and, speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Friday, urged the public to clap for “those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic”.
Other public buildings including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch will also be lit up in blue in tribute to the NHS.
What is opening today, and how will the lockdown rules change?
The biggest changes to lockdown rules have come into effect today – in England, at least – as part of the early July rule variations, with social distancing rules relaxed and various sectors of the economy, including pubs, restaurants and galleries, reopening.
Our reporters have all you need to know on what rules have changed for what’s being called “Super Saturday”.
Lindy Barack opens the gates at the reopening of The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, North London CREDIT: PAThe new normal in Britain’s biggest pub, measuring nearly 11,000 square feet CREDIT: PARobert Lees owns a number of pubs in the Scottish Borders, including The Newcastle Arms Hotel in Coldstream. Scotland isn’t quite reopening its pubs’ doors yet CREDIT: STUART NICOLManager Pat Fitzsimons cleaning the bar during final reopening preparations at The Faltering Fullback pub in North London CREDIT: PA
Police officers injured breaking up illegal music event in White City
Seven officers have been injured after police interrupted an unlicensed music event in West London.
Police were called to White City on Friday evening following reports of a number of people gathered at an estate.
Bricks and other missiles were thrown at police when they attempted to engage the group, forcing them to retreat before additional public order-trained officers arrived.
The additional officers then arrived on the scene to disperse the group and were met with further hostility and violence, police said.
A Dispersal Zone has been authorised in the area while a section 60 order is also now in place.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said seven officers had sustained injuries as a result of the clashes.
“Officers have responded to residents complaining about a large gathering, noise, anti-social behaviour and violence,” he said. “These gatherings are illegal and also pose a risk to public health.
“The violence shown towards officers this evening was totally unacceptable and we will not tolerate it in any form. Officers encountered bricks and other missiles being thrown at them.
“Our robust police response demonstrated that we will police incidents like these firmly and stop those intent on causing harm or disruption to our communities.”
More than 100 new cases in Victoria
Australia’s second most-populous state, Victoria, reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases since late March, forcing it to expand stay-home orders to two more suburbs and sending nine public-housing towers into complete lockdown.
The state recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, up from 66 on Friday and more than 70 new cases in each of the previous four days, forcing authorities to reimpose lockdowns in more than 30 suburbs earlier in the week.
“These numbers are a very real concern to all of us,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.
The spike in Victoria is being closely watched because the rest of the country has reined in the virus.
Tokyo confirmed about 130 new cases of infections of coronavirus on Saturday, a third consecutive day with more than 100 new cases, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Cases in Tokyo have risen to a two-month high, driven by the spread of the virus in the capital’s night spots.
Tokyo on Friday reported 124 new cases, up from 107 the day before, partly due to increased testing among nightlife workers in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts.
Japan’s infection rates remain far below many other countries but the rising number of cases and the possibility of renewed restrictions have put authorities and businesses on edge.
Pubs keen to see customers – but with new rules
Pubs across England took to social media to announce they were looking forward to opening their doors to patrons once again – but with some changes to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
The Duke of Edinburgh was among those who shared their excitement with pubgoers in south-west London on Friday night, ahead of Super Saturday.
“Hello Brixton! We’re excited to be reopening our doors again tomorrow and welcoming you all back after far too long away. As we all know, things are going to be different for a while but we are working hard to retain our legendary SW9 vibes whilst keeping everyone safe,” the pub tweeted.
“We’ve adjusted our beer garden to allow for social distancing. Please refrain from moving furniture. Contactless card payment please.
Donald Trump prepares for his speech at Mt Rushmore CREDIT: SAUL LOEB/AFP
As US President Donald Trump flew across the nation to gather a big crowd of supporters – most of them maskless and all of them flouting public health guidelines that recommend not gathering in large groups – a positive test for coronavirus hit close to home.
The Trump campaign confirmed during the president’s speech at Mt Rushmore that Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fundraiser for the campaign and the girlfriend of Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr, had tested positive for coronavirus while in South Dakota.
Both Ms Guilfoyle and Trump Jr, who serves as top surrogate for the president, are isolating themselves and have cancelled public events, according to Sergio Gor, chief of staff to the Trump campaign’s finance committee.
One of the first people to visit a hair salon since the nation went into lockdown has said it was nice to feel “like normal” again.
Sandra Jacobs was among the first people through the door at Tusk Hair in Camden on Friday night when the north London business opened its doors at midnight for the first time in three and a half months.
Despite the abundance of masks, aprons and faceshields serving as a reminder of the new normal of post-Covid society, Ms Jacobs said she was just relieved to be sitting in owner Carole Rickaby’s salon chair again.
“It’s such a relief, I can’t tell you,” she said. “My hair was everywhere. I’d been wearing hats to hide it.
“Although Carole is booked for two and a half weeks, I called her and she said I could come in at midnight, which I was grateful for.
“It was nice to feel a bit like normal again.”
Carole Rickaby cuts the hair of a customer at Tusk Hair in Camden after opening at midnight CREDIT: PA
Another day of record new cases in US
The US has notched 57,683 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed, the third consecutive day with record numbers of new infections.
The Baltimore-based university’s tracker showed the total number of cases since the pandemic reached the US at 2,793,022.
The university also recorded a further 728 fatalities, bringing the total US death toll to 129,405.
The new record case count came as infections surge in southern and western states, and as the United States – the hardest-hit country in the world in the pandemic – heads into the July 4th holiday weekend.
The Duke of Cambridge’s wish for a pint in his local after months of lockdown was granted when he visited a pub ahead of bars and restaurants reopening.
The duke and his family have visited the 600-year-old pub, hotel and restaurant, which is a few miles from their home of Anmer Hall, and William returned to show his support for Britain’s hospitality industry on the eve of customers returning.
After following health protocols and sanitising his hands with gel he asked landlords Anthony and Jeannette Goodrich: “Can I have a pint of cider please? I’m a cider man,” ordering a £4.15 pint of Aspall Suffolk Draught Cyder and a plate of chips.
The Duke of Cambridge takes a sip of cider at The Rose and Crown pub in Snettisham, Norfolk CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
The science of staying safe this weekend
After months of being kept apart from one another, finally the moment has arrived when we can have a good, old-fashioned get-together without worrying about coronavirus.
Or worrying too much, anyway. For while the rules now allow two households to gather together indoors, you’re still advised to keep social distancing in place. Saturday’s big family reunion won’t quite be the same as the ones you held in pre-Covid times.
Discharging hospital patients back into care homes was an “important source” of infection, government experts have admitted, as new figures show that more than half of care homes have had a confirmed case of Covid-19
Britain faced a backlash last night from Portugal, one of our most popular tourist destinations, after ditching it from a list of 74 countries and territories that English holidaymakers can visit without quarantine
The ‘giant’ elephant spotted near Tedhipuliya region near Haridwar. (HT Photos)
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 