Nachrichtenagentur Radio Utopie
Nachrichten direkt von der Quelle. Im Kontext sehen. News directly from the source. There is context in life. Deutsch, English. 24 h. – Democracy First!
(24.02.2023)
Critics say companies could be required by Ofcom to scan messages on encrypted apps for child sexual abuse material or terrorism content under the new law.
This has worried firms whose business is enabling private, secure communication.
Element, a UK company whose customers include the Ministry of Defence, told the BBC the plan would cost it clients.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s armed forces, said it would be “slightly perilous” to expect them to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Radakin said the use of armed forces to provide cover for striking workers would not impede operations, but suggested personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messenger app in the world, with more than 2 billion users, including around 40 million in the UK.
(10.12.2022)
WhatsApp is threatened with a shut down in Britain as ministers press ahead with plans to require easier access to messages for police and MI5, the messaging app has warned.
Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, told The Telegraph he was prepared to see the app blocked for British smartphone users rather than weaken its security.
Großbritannien plant unabhängig von der EU ein ähnliches Gesetz wie die Chatkontrolle. Sollte der jetzige Entwurf mit seinen Bestimmungen durchkommen, erwägt der weltweit größte Messenger einen Rückzug von der Insel.
(06.09.2022)
‘JULIAN is fighting for his survival and he’s going through hell, that’s the best way to put it,’ Stella Assange says when I ask how he’s doing.
The wife of the world’s most famous political prisoner is speaking to Declassified as part of her relentless battle to save her husband’s life.
Ben Wallace refutes General Sergei Shoigu’s allegations that the UK is helping Kyiv gather nuclear material to use on the battlefield
– Rishi Sunak, who launched his bid yesterday morning, has received public backing of more than 150 Tory MPs
– As of last night, 155 MPs said they are backing Mr Sunak, while 25 had spoken out in support of Ms Mordaunt
– A further 54 who were hoping Mr Johnson would return are yet to publicly reveal to whom they will now back
– Mr Johnson earlier said he had in fact reached the ‚very high hurdle of 102 nominations‘ as he bowed out
– Ms Mordaunt’s team, though, believe his decision to pull himself from the race will ‚propel her over the line‘
(3. August 2021)
24. Juni 2019: Der damalige U.S.-Außenminister Mike Pompeo fordert eine „globale Koalition“ gegen den Iran. passenderweise vorgetragen bei einem Blitzbesuch Pompeos in Saudi-Arabien.
4. August 2019: Ich lege mich fest und prognostiziere, dass „Bundeswehr-Marine .. noch vor Weihnachten unter Oberbefehl einer ausländischen Macht in den Persischen Golf entsandt“ wird.
(…)
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (E.M.A.S.O.H.), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.
Under fierce fire from journalists, Ms Truss refused to apologise for ‚trashing‘ the Tories‘ reputation – before abruptly walking out after eight minutes and just four question.
Downing Street will now be waiting anxiously to see if the PM has done enough to cling on, but the early response was not promising, with one former Cabinet minister telling MailOnline the PM had been ‚robotic‘ and made the situation far worse.
(today, 08.36 am)
In der Konservativen Partei nimmt einem Bericht der Londoner „Times“ zufolge der Widerstand gegen die britische Premierministerin und Parteivorsitzende Liz Truss zu. Führende Torys würden eine Ablösung der Regierungschefin nach nur gut einem Monat im Amt diskutieren, schrieb die Zeitung. Es gebe Überlegungen, einen gemeinsamen Kandidaten bzw. eine gemeinsame Kandidatin für die Parteispitze aufzustellen. Das Bauernopfer könnte allerdings Finanzminister Kwasi Kwarteng sein.
9:28AM
Tory MP: ‚I have lost confidence in the Chancellor and the PM‘
The mood among some Tory MPs is particularly grim this morning.
One tells me they have now lost confidence in Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng and that many MPs now believe the PM needs to be replaced.
They said: “I have lost confidence in the Chancellor and the Prime Minister for that matter. It is a total mess and there is no obvious solution.
“The vast majority of people [MPs] I speak to think she has to go.”
(3. August 2021)
24. Juni 2019: Der damalige U.S.-Außenminister Mike Pompeo fordert eine „globale Koalition“ gegen den Iran. passenderweise vorgetragen bei einem Blitzbesuch Pompeos in Saudi-Arabien.
4. August 2019: Ich lege mich fest und prognostiziere, dass „Bundeswehr-Marine .. noch vor Weihnachten unter Oberbefehl einer ausländischen Macht in den Persischen Golf entsandt“ wird.
(…)
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (E.M.A.S.O.H.), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.
In September 2021, the U.S., the UK and Australia established the AUKUS alliance, under which the U.S. and the UK will assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. China and many other countries have repeatedly expressed concerns over the transfer of nuclear weapon materials involved in the trilateral pact.
Auf der Generalkonferenz der Internationalen Atomenergie-Organisation (IAEO) in dieser Woche schlugen die Vereinigten Staaten, das Vereinigte Königreich und Australien einen Änderungsantrag zu einer IAEO-Sicherheitsresolution vor, um ihr U-Boot-Geschäft im Rahmen des Vertrags über die Nichtverbreitung von Kernwaffen (NVV) zu legitimieren, zogen ihn aber später nach Chinas Widerstand zurück.
“I am sure that under your leadership the deep friendship between Britain and Israel will be further strengthened in all fields,” tweets Netanyahu.
The former prime minister also adds his thanks to outgoing PM Boris Johnson “for his valued contributions to the excellent relations between our two countries.”
Follow updates here as the next Prime Minister is revealed as the winner of the Tory leadership contest is announced at Westminster’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre:
– In 2017 the UN General Assembly voted by a large majority(94-15) to refer the request for an advisory opinion on Diego Garcia to the International Court if Justice.
– In September 2018, 13 of the 14 judges of the ICJ concluded that the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia were illegally separated from Mauritius.
– In May 2019 the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly(116-6) to endorse the Court’s opinion that the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, belonged to Mauritius. Apart from the US and the UK only four countries AUSTRALIA, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives voted in favour of the British neo-colonial claim.
– In November 2019, Britain refused to abide by the ICJ opinion and for the US to leave Chagos/Diego Garcia.
– In 2020 the UN published a map showing Chagos/Diego Garcia as part of Mauritius.
Despite all this, the US sits tight on its key military base of Diego Garcia which is thousands of kilometres from its mainland. In contrast, China’s building of islands in the South China Sea is adjacent to its own territory.
The Security Service has admitted during the course of legal hearings that it stored the public’s data when it had no legal right to do so, and that it failed to disclose the problems either to the Home Office or to oversight bodies.
According to submissions presented to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, MI5 broke key legal safeguards by unlawfully retaining and using individual’s private data gathered through covert surveillance.
The memo circulated on Tory WhatsApp group reportedly attacks the former chancellor personally and accused him of having a “big tax and big spend agenda”.
According to The Telegraph, which first reported the “mucky memo”, the 424-word anti-Sunak missive was written by someone on the Thatcherite right of the party.
Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Grant Shapps and Mr Zahawi all promised to cut the tax burden on Sunday, while Mr Sunak has insisted it would be irresponsible to do so while the UK is still running a large budget deficit.
Ministers who are close to Mr Johnson have publicly denounced Mr Sunak’s track record and warned that he will reverse the achievements of the Government.
Jacob Rees-Mogg told Channel 4: “I will not be supporting Mr Sunak.” He has previously referred to him as “the socialist Chancellor” because of the pandemic spending he introduced.
Exclusive: Draft security bill would let spies and ministers enable killings and torture, warn charity and ex-minister
These steps come as part of a broader crackdown on the “spread of disinformation” called for by the Act, requiring platforms to “flag hate speech, eliminate any kind of terrorist propaganda” and implement “frameworks to quickly take down illicit content.”
Regarding alleged “disinformation,” these platforms will be mandated to create a “crisis response mechanism” to combat the spread of such content, with the Act specifically citing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the “manipulation” of online content that has ensued.
If the Home Secretary certifies the US request to extradite Julian Assange it will violate the prohibition against torture and set an alarming precedent for publishers and journalists around the world, Amnesty International said today, following the Westminster Magistrates’ Court decision this morning to issue an order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to the United States.
The case will now be sent to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who will decide whether to certify the US request by 18 May.
Seit Jahren bemüht sich das Vereinigte Königreich, Assange zu zermürben. Entscheidung zur US-Auslieferung erwartet
An Hierarchie und Autorität ist er gewöhnt, das Befolgen von Befehlen ist sein ganzer Lebensinhalt. Das Denken überlässt er lieber anderen, Anordnungen und Befehle zu hinterfragen kommt in seiner Welt nicht vor. Sein Streben ist auf maximalen Gehorsam gerichtet. Er ist erpicht darauf, seinem Herrn und Meister zu beweisen, dass er ein verlässlicher Diener ist. Was in vortotalitären Zeiten noch eine unschuldige, wenn auch etwas bemitleidenswerte „Qualität“ zu sein scheint, wird in totalitären Regimen zu einer Gefahr für alle diejenigen, die sich dem Regime nicht bedingungslos unterwerfen. Denn auf diese Weise wird der ganz normale Faschist zum verlängerten Arm des Regimes, trägt seine Ideologie bis in sein Privatleben hinein, wird zum eifrigen Denunzianten der non-konformen Nachbarn und Bekannten.
Die britische Regierung sieht aber keinen Zusammenhang. Noch immer heißt es im Bericht auf Seite 38 „die Rate der Krankenhauseinweisungen wesentlich höher bei ungeimpften als bei geimpften Personen“.
Die Aufschlüsselung der Todesopfer zeigt etwas ganz anderes: 92 Prozent der Menschen, die mit Covid gestorben sind, sind geimpft.
Quelle, Seite 43.
72 Prozent, also 3.687 von 5.084 Opfern, sind auch geboostert. Es ist wichtig zu betonen, dass die meisten der Verstorbenen sehr betagt sind, deren Tod nicht an Covid gelegen haben muss. 401 Personen waren ungeimpft.
Currently, people in England need to show proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow to enter large events and nightclubs.
A Whitehall source told the newspaper: ‚There was always a very high threshold for the policy and it looks increasingly likely in a couple of weeks that threshold won’t be met. The way cases are going it will be hard to justify renewing.‘
(December 2021)
At first glance the ONS data suggest that, in each of the older age groups, all-cause mortality is lower in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. Despite this apparent evidence to support vaccine effectiveness-at least for the older age groups-on closer inspection of this data, this conclusion is cast into doubt because of a range of fundamental inconsistencies and anomalies in the data. Whatever the explanations for the observed data, it is clear that it is both unreliable and misleading. While socio-demographical and behavioural differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated have been proposed as possible explanations, there is no evidence to support any of these. By Occam’s razor we believe the most likely explanations are systemic miscategorisation of deaths between the different categories of unvaccinated and vaccinated; delayed or non-reporting of vaccinations; systemic underestimation of the proportion of unvaccinated; and/or incorrect population selection for Covid deaths.
Seit Wochen zeigen die offiziellen Daten des Britischen UK Health Security Agency UKHSA (früher Public Health England PHE): Es sind derzeit keine Vorteile von Geimpften gegenüber Ungeimpften in den Altersgruppen der 30 bis 80 plus Jährigen bei Neuinfektionen erkennbar. Im Gegenteil: Ungeimpfte weisen ab den mittleren Altersgruppen die besseren Zahlen auf – Tendenz zunehmend.
Das war offensichtlich zu viel. Nun hat das UKHSA die anschaulichen Vergleichsgrafiken mit den Infektionsraten im neuen Bericht gecancelt.
(16.03.2021)
The objective of Global Britain is not to swagger or strike attitudes on the world stage. It is to use the full spectrum of our abilities, now amplified by record spending on both defence and science, to engage with and help the rest of the world. That is how we serve the British interest, and I mean the economic interest of people up and down the country. And as the vaccine programme begins to inspire a new global hope, we want to use this moment to heal, both literally and figuratively.
(17.02.2021)
Dr Dix added: ‚I think 40 days would be a real stretch but we would aim for something as good as that.
‚But certainly within 60 days and then, after that, we would start the manufacturing.‘
Manufacturing vaccines takes different amounts of time depending on the type of jab.
(09.02.2021)
It expects to have a vaccine designed to address the variant discovered in South Africa ready by autumn.
He was lambasted by backbenchers over the „pointless policy“ and accused of starting a „needless fight“ with his own party.
Mr Zahawi defended the introduction of vaccine passports which he said would „reduce transmission and serious illness“.
Boris Johnson is already facing a major rebellion over the plans, with more than 50 Tories expected to mutiny.
(01.09.2021)
Chris Bryant then asks about reports that British officials told people to go to the airport on the very day of the terrorist attack.
Dominic Raab says the travel advice was changed the night before the attack, and people were told not to come to the airport. The team was shifted from the Barons Hotel through to the airport to protect them.
He says he saw the report and „I need to investigate it“, but doesn’t reject the possibility.
(01.09.2021)
The foreign secretary promised he would investigate a serious allegation that British officials told Afghans to proceed to the airport’s Abbey gate on Thursday last week, despite a specific warning that Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) was preparing a terror attack that day.
Nearly 200 people were killed in a double bombing at and near the gate used for the British evacuation – but BBC’s Newsnight has reported that Afghans were sent emails earlier that day asking, in one case, if they were “at the correct gate? Abbey gate”.
(01.09.2021)
“Please advise that you are at the correct gate? Abbey Gate on hawa on Shawasi Street,” one UK staff member wrote to the interpreter in an email seen by the BBC.
The interpreter decided not to go to Abbey Gate because he felt the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous and said that had he followed the advice he was given, he would “be no more”.
(01.09.2021)
Emails seen by Newsnight show that even though the UK and US deemed a threat to the airport to be imminent, the British embassy told people to „use the Abbey Gate [near] to the Baron Hotel“.
Almost 200 people were killed in the explosion, including two UK citizens.
The UK government said it was investigating the emails.
(31.08.2021)
“We coordinated very closely with the US, in particular around the Isis-K threat, which we anticipated although tragically were not able to prevent, but it is certainly right to say we got our civilians out of the processing centre by Abbey gate, but it is just not true to suggest that other than securing our civilians inside the airport that we were pushing to leave the gate open.
“In fact, and let me just be clear about this, we were issuing changes to travel advice before the bomb attack took place and saying to people in the crowd, about which I was particularly concerned, that certainly UK nationals and anyone else should leave because of the risk.”
(30.08.2021)
The British Ministry of Defence declined to respond to allegations they were to blame for keeping the gate open, but said in a statement: ‚Throughout Operation Pitting we have worked closely with the US to ensure the safe evacuation of thousands of people.
(30.08.2021)
The Pentagon criticised the leaking of the call details reported in Politico, telling the news website: “This story is based on the unlawful disclosure of classified information and internal deliberations of a sensitive nature.
“As soon as we became aware of the material divulged to the reporter, we engaged Politico at the highest levels to prevent the publication of information that would put our troops and our operations at the airport at greater risk. We condemn the unlawful disclosure of classified information and oppose the publication of a story based on it while a dangerous operation is ongoing.”
(30.08.2021)
Commanders calling in from Kabul relayed that the Abbey Gate, where American citizens had been told to gather in order to gain entrance to the airport, was “highest risk,” and detailed their plans to protect the airport.
“I don’t believe people get the incredible amount of risk on the ground,” Austin said, according to the classified notes.
On a separate call at 4 that afternoon, or 12:30 a.m. on Thursday in Kabul, the commanders detailed a plan to close Abbey Gate by Thursday afternoon Kabul time. But the Americans decided to keep the gate open longer than they wanted in order to allow their British allies, who had accelerated their withdrawal timeline, to continue evacuating their personnel, based at the nearby Baron Hotel.
Die US-Botschaft hatte US-Bürger, die sich am Abbey Gate, East Gate oder North Gate aufhielten, in der Nacht zu Donnerstag dazu aufgerufen, das Gebiet „sofort“ zu verlassen. Großbritanniens Staatssekretär im Verteidigungsministerium, James Heappey, sprach noch am Morgen von der Drohung eines „ernsthaften, unmittelbaren, tödlichen Angriffs“ binnen Stunden auf den Flughafen oder die von westlichen Truppen genutzten Zentren.
(25.08.2021)
The Telegraph understands that unless Mr Biden relents, UK troops are due to start to withdraw from Kabul airport towards the end of the week as they are expected to step up efforts to evacuate as many as 6,000 people.
He said: „The UK Government’s overriding priority has been to secure Kabul airport so that flights can leave.
„The call was delegated to a Minister of State because I was prioritising security and capacity at the airport on the direct advice of the Director and the Director General overseeing the crisis response.
„In any event, the Afghan Foreign Minister agreed to take the call, but was unable to because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.“
It has been reported that help for interpreters who supported British troops was delayed because Mr Raab was “unavailable” to make a call to call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar on Friday.
Mr Raab reportedly delegated the call to a junior minister.
The British government vowed to evacuate hundreds of Britons and eligible Afghan nationals but their efforts have been suspended due to crowds of people invading the runway.
(30 May 2013)
Since 2006, on a conservative estimate, it has cost £15m a day to maintain Britain’s military presence in Helmand province. The equivalent of £25,000 will have been spent for every one of Helmand’s 1.5 million inhabitants, more than most of them will earn in a lifetime, it says.
By 2020, the author of a new book says, Britain will have spent at least £40bn on its Afghan campaign, enough to recruit over 5,000 police officers or nurses and pay for them throughout their careers. It could fund free tuition for all students in British higher education for 10 years.
(08.06.2021)
And the final cost is likely to be even higher because the bill disclosed by Defence Minister James Heappey only counts cash from a special Whitehall pot for the conflict.
Revealing the cost in a written parliamentary answer, Mr Heappey said: “As at May 2021, the total cost of Operation Herrick to HM Treasury Special Reserve is £22.2billion.”
Published by D. Clark, Sep 21, 2020
Between UK October 2001 to March 2020 there have been 454 fatalities of military and civilians for the United Kingdom in Afghanistan under Operation Herrick. The years with the most fatalities were 2009 and 2010, with both years seeing more than a hundred deaths.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: „Protecting British nationals and ensuring their safety as they leave Afghanistan is our top priority.
„Over the next few weeks, we shall all do our very best to support the Afghan government and those that have worked with us over 20 years.“
Laut unbestätigten Refinitiv-Schiffverfolgungsdaten sollen mehrere Öltanker ein automatisches Statussignal gesendet haben, laut dem sie aufgrund außergewöhnlicher Umstände manövrierunfähig sein sollen.
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (EMASOH), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.
Der tödliche mutmaßliche Drohnenangriff auf einen Öltanker vor der Küste Omans sorgt weiterhin für erhebliche internationale Spannungen. Die USA kündigten gestern ein gemeinsames Vorgehen mit Großbritannien, Israel, Rumänien und weiteren Staaten gegen den Iran an, den sie für den Angriff auf den von der Firma eines israelischen Unternehmers betriebenen Tanker verantwortlich machen.
– Creation of extra travel alert has been opposed by Tory rebels and Rishi Sunak – who has written letter to PM
– Ministers signed off proposals last week to create ‚amber watch list‘ which could plunge holidays into chaos
– Travellers heading to the likes of Spain and Italy could see the countries suddenly move on to dreaded red list
– Whitehall source claims idea has now been shelved, amid opposition from Tory MPs and letter from Mr Sunak
Nach Angaben des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums hatte das britische Marineschiff um 11:52 Uhr Ortszeit die russische Grenze überquert und fuhr drei Kilometer weit in die Küstengewässer am Kap Fiolent auf der Krim. Die Halbinsel wird vom Vereinigten Königreich nicht als russisches Land anerkannt und für „illegal besetztes ukrainisches Gebiet“ gehalten.
Der Zerstörer wurde im Voraus über den eventuellen Einsatz von Waffen im Falle einer Verletzung der russischen Staatsgrenze unterrichtet. Eine Reaktion auf die Warnung blieb jedoch aus.
Das russische Verteidigungsministerium sprach von einer Verletzung russischer Hoheitsgewässer durch einen britischen Zerstörer und Warnschüssen. London dagegen wies diese Darstellung zurück: Die „HMS Defender“ sei lediglich auf einer „friedlichen Durchfahrt durch ukrainische Gewässer“ gewesen.
Our correspondent, who had been invited aboard the ship before the incident happened, describes more than 20 aircraft in the skies above the British ship – and says two Russian coastguard boats shadowed the vessel, at times just 100 yards away.
Russia claims the illegally-annexed peninsula and its waters are its territory, but Britain says its ship was passing through Ukrainian waters.
– Boris Johnson is facing the prospect of a damaging revolt by dozens of MPs in crucial lockdown vote tonight
– Government all-but guaranteed victory as Labour is backing the move but opposition seems to be growing
– Leaked Whitehall document has suggested that a number of restriction will stay even after new July 19 date
Between 1995 and 2002 four recruits – the so-called ‘Deepcut Four’ – were found shot dead in separate incidents at the former Army training camp in Surrey. Sean Benton, 20; Cheryl James, 18; Geoff Gray, 17, and James Collinson, also 17, were all on guard duty at the time of their deaths. In each case, the army concluded that the young soldiers had taken their own lives.
It was a conclusion that their grieving families could never accept…
– Experts say Covid-19 is being turned into a ‚mild disease‘ in Britain, like the flu
– In an open letter they accuse Ministers and advisers of exaggerating the threat
– The scientists called on the Government to remove all Covid restrictions in June
Britain is prepared to launch nuclear weapons if the country was faced with an exceptionally destructive attack using cyber or other “emerging technologies”, according to the integrated defence review.
The stark statement marks a change from existing UK policy, which had been that Trident missiles could only be launched against another nuclear power, or potentially in response to extreme chemical or biological threats.
(18.12.2020)
Government scientists at the Porton Down laboratory in Wiltshire have been conducting experiments on the new strain, and have confirmed ministers‘ fears about it being far more infectious than the original strain of the virus.
(17.01.2021)
I have been criticised by a family doctor on the grounds that a question I put to the PM in Parliament was ‘demoralising for NHS staff’.
I am at a loss as to how this could be the case.
The question to the PM was this:
“Pubs cannot compete with supermarkets for off-sales. Even within a household, people cannot play tennis or golf. Notwithstanding the assault on liberty and livelihoods, why are the regulations pervaded by a pettifogging malice?”
A senior Conservative MP urged anti-vaccination campaigners to keep going with their fight against government restrictions and told them NHS capacity figures were being „manipulated“ to exaggerate the scale of coronavirus, Sky News can reveal.
Another burning question which will determine how gung-ho ministers can be with easing restriction is to what extent the vaccines stop people from spreading Covid.
The Government has commissioned a study to investigate the vaccines and their role on transmission, which is being overseen by Public Health England. It is focused on frontline healthcare workers who’ve been jabbed.
(08.01.2021)
The MPs also express concern about the government presenting statistics in a misleading way, and urge ministers to take care to maintain public confidence in them.
„There is nothing to fear from openness,“ said Tory MP Greg Clark, who chairs the committee.
The European Commission has warned it will impose controls on vaccines that could affect the UK’s supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which is shipped from its manufacturing base in Belgium.
But vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News on Tuesday: “I’m confident that the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered.
(11.01.2021)
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In these exceptionally grim times we’re all – Boris Johnson included – looking for a saviour to rise from these streets. And right now that salvation appears to be the England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty. Just about the only person left whom anyone can trust to tell the country the naked truth about coronavirus.
They rubbished those who knew what they were talking about. Professors Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance were “Messrs Doom and Gloom”, “fear-mongering” and “self-serving”. That Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam used their tiny amount of spare time to volunteer in hospitals suggests that’s not true. Now, as the death toll still rises, the same people crawl from the woodwork to demand we lift all restrictions as soon as the most vulnerable are vaccinated.
(03 September 2020)
At the moment it seems that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive result is the only criterion required for a case to be recognised.
“In any other disease we would have a clearly defined specification that would usually involve signs, symptoms, and a test result,” says Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at the University of Oxford and the editor of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. “We are moving into a biotech world where the norms of clinical reasoning are going out of the window. A PCR test does not equal covid-19; it should not, but in some definitions it does.”
Trademark symptoms of seasonal flu could be mistaken for symptoms of Covid-19 if the individual tests positive for the virus, it is claimed.
More than eight in ten people who test positive for coronavirus show none of the main symptoms at the time they are tested, a major study by UCL previously revealed.
However, those who test positive when they have cold symptoms may mistake them as being a part of the virus – adding to fears that it is taking a new guise as fresh strains emerge.
– The Cabinet Office refused to deny that the draconian new laws were incoming after UK’s streets were busy
– They instead pointed to Matt Hancock’s vague statement on rules earlier today: ‚Follow the rules we’ve got‘
– Hancock refused to speculate when asked if harsher measures coming, such as curfews and closing nurseries
– Whitehall source said potential changes included introducing ban on people leaving their homes more than once a week
Sir John Bell, regius chair of medicine at the University of Oxford, said stubborn NHS bureaucrats were standing in the way of a high-speed mass inoculation programme that could prevent many further deaths.
“The NHS has the theoretical capacity to immunise everybody in five days if they want to, but I don’t get the sense they are really motivated,” Bell told the Times.
Prof Whitty commended the public for their efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19 and noted the hope offered by various vaccines, but he echoed other experts in saying it would be some weeks before the jabs start to reduce the number of people taken to hospital.
(03 September 2020)
At the moment it seems that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive result is the only criterion required for a case to be recognised.
“In any other disease we would have a clearly defined specification that would usually involve signs, symptoms, and a test result,” says Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at the University of Oxford and the editor of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. “We are moving into a biotech world where the norms of clinical reasoning are going out of the window. A PCR test does not equal covid-19; it should not, but in some definitions it does.”
(30.05.2020)
Normally, two doctors are needed to certify a death, one of whom has been treating the patient or who knows them and has seen them recently. That has changed. For Covid-19 only, the certification can be made by a single doctor, and there is no requirement for them to have examined, or even met, the patient. A video-link consultation in the four weeks prior to death is now felt to be sufficient for death to be attributed to Covid-19.
As a result, ministers are considering introducing tougher measures as part of the crackdown, including possibly making face masks mandatory in busy outdoor areas.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has appeared in adverts urging us to stay at home as the new variant of the virus rips across the country.
The Spanish High Court’s investigation is currently stalled. Six months after Judge De la Mata requested judicial cooperation from US authorities, asking them for identifying information about the IPs that accessed UC Global’s servers, the US justice system has yet to respond. US prosecutors demanded to know the judge’s sources, and De la Mata sent additional information, but no reply has been forthcoming.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has also failed to comply with De la Mata’s request to take statements from the lawyers who were spied on while working with Assange.
(09 Dec 2020)
Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty were asked if there was something that could be done in the structure in scientific advice that could be a bit more forensic about those restrictions on the sector that have a very big impact on certain people. The scientific advisers said they are trying very hard to get data but can´t give specific data on it, and nor can anyone else across the world.
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that Boris Johnson’s tier system is “no longer strong enough” to deal with the new more virulent variant of coronavirus.
(30.12.2020)
The Wrexham plant is able to produce around 300 million doses of the vaccine each year, and has been producing 150,000 phials a day for months in readiness to roll out the vaccine across the UK.
The CP Pharmaceuticals lab will carry out the „fill and finish“ stage of the manufacturing process. This involves dispensing the vaccine into vials ready for it to be sent out across the country.
The 18-month agreement with parent company Wockhardt was announced back in August.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab could be approved early next week by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), after the final cut of data was submitted by the Government last Monday.
But Whitehall sources said that while they hoped the vaccine would be available that week, it was by no means certain, and the authorisation could be delayed until the beginning of January.
The delay has caused frustration in Whitehall and the NHS, with the vaccine taking much longer to meet approval than the Pfizer vaccine, which was rolled out in the UK last week.
At an emergency press conference, Boris Johnson announced a third of England, including London and swathes of the home counties, will be shifted up to the brutal new tier from midnight.
Mr Marsh told MailOnline the new rules – which close non-essential retail and ban overnight stays in infection spots – meant little, because Mr Johnson has ‚lost the good will of the people‘ over the festive period.
The Prime Minister has announced tougher restrictions for large parts of South East England with a new Tier 4: ‘Stay at Home’ alert level.
The decision follows a rapid rise in infections attributed to the rapid spread of a new variant of COVID-19.
Based on preliminary modelling data, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) now consider that the new strain can spread significantly more quickly and could increase R by 0.4 or more. New and existing data will continue to be analysed as we learn more about the variant.
Government scientists at the Porton Down laboratory in Wiltshire have been conducting experiments on the new strain, and have confirmed ministers‘ fears about it being far more infectious than the original strain of the virus.
(…)
The meeting of ministers was expected to continue late into the night, with Whitehall sources refusing to rule out a press conference on Saturday to announce additional restrictions.
However, there are major question marks over how the additional spending will be paid for while Downing Street has also been forced to deny that the new money for the military is simply an attempt to impress US President-elect Joe Biden.
There is growing speculation that some of the money could come from the foreign aid budget, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak due to set out the Government’s one-year Spending Review next week.
The UK is setting up „RAF Space Command“, a wing of the Armed Forces which will be capable of launching Britain’s first rocket as early as 2022, the prime minister has announced.
Boris Johnson said a military investment of £16.5 billion will also fund the development of Artificial Intelligence and a National Cyber Force aimed at targeting terrorism, organised crime and hostile state activity.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace updates MPs – returning to the House of Commons after their Christmas break – on the latest in the Middle East, following the assassination of Iran military leader Qassem Suleimani last week. He makes the statement in place of Boris Johnson, who is chairing a meeting of the UK national security council to discuss the crisis.
Mr Corbyn branded the drone strike on the leader of Iran’s feared Quds Force an “assassination” and told the House of Commons that it was widely regarded as illegal.
And he accused the prime minister of hiding away from scrutiny after Mr Johnson sent defence secretary Ben Wallace to answer MPs’ questions on the 3 January killing in Baghdad.
(05.12.2019)
In the absence of Mr Johnson, who is on a Caribbean holiday with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds, Defence minister Ben Wallace said Washington has a right to respond to earlier attacks from Iran that resulted in an assault on the US embassy in Baghdad.
The ICC said it took the findings very seriously. The MoD has said the allegations are unsubstantiated.