fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
With the coronavirus mutating, what does this mean for us?
By: Dr Dad
Tags: Coronavirus, Coronavirus Update, UK, Covid 19, Drdad

The flights have been suspended, yet again. But this time, it’s a mutant virus, a newer version of the existing coronavirus.

There are a lot of questions in everyone’s mind, so let’s start one by one.

Dr Dad on a quick telephonic conversation with Dr. Gaurav Nigam, MD, put forward the following questions and now it is here for you to read.

Q.Is this new variant a new virus?

A. No, the new variant is a mutated version of the existing virus, also being called as B.1.1.7.

Q.Why do mutations occur?

A. Mutations occur as the virus replicates. Sometimes in the cycle of virus spread, certain sequences get changed in the virus and that’s called a mutation.

Q.What is the difference between the mutant virus and the old SARS COV2?

A. The newly mutated virus has few mutations. Around 23 of them. Whereas most of them were either damaging to the virus, but they also pointed towards how the virus may spread.

Q.Does this mean this virus will spread more easily?

A. As not much data is yet available but what different agencies are telling, according to them, this virus is much more transmissible than the older virus. It is spreading rapidly in southern England. Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, estimates that the variant has an increased transmission rate of 50 to 70 percent compared with other variants in the United Kingdom.

Q.Does this virus cause severe symptoms and disease?

A. So far the studies have not pointed out the disease being more severe than the infection from sars cov 2.

Q.What is the origin of this new variant?

A. As the virus infects the host, the immune system starts clearing the virus. But, in some immunocompromised patients, the virus lives for a longer time and thus replicating for a longer duration. During this duration, there are high chances for the virus to undergo mutation.

There’s also a theory that when the virus infects certain animals like minks etc, they act as a reservoir for the virus and that might also help in the mutation.

Q.What about the existing vaccine? Will it not be effective anymore?

A. The answer to this is most likely No. As the immune system makes protein against the antigen when it is introduced through the vaccine, the antibodies that are made should ideally take care of the newer variation as well.

Though this is too early to say anything with 100 % certainty most experts are saying that the current vaccines should be more or less effective.

This being a new mutation, scientists all over the world are trying to study it and gather the information that might be useful for further advances.

For the time being: the traditional precautions of handwashing, social distancing, and wearing masks is definitely a winner.

Source: https://drdad.in/with-the-coronavirus-mutating-what-does-this-mean-for-us/
滯英港人成立即時通訊群組爭取包機回港
By: C Y S
Tags: Hong Kong, Government, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
台灣明起暫停收寄往英國郵件
By: C Y S
Tags: Taiwan, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
英國多處再次實施嚴格防疫措施
By: C Y S
Tags: Government, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
The new coronavirus transformation deadens the English Isles
By: Piotr Dariusz Makowski
Tags: News, UK, Coronavirus, Writing

fot. Stephen Lock / Zuma Press/Forum

As another strain of the coronavirus is spreading in the South East of Britain, experts in London have decreased designs to slacken the limitations for Christmas.

Therefore, more nations suspend traveler traffic with Incredible England. The new variation of the coronavirus — which has been given the assignment VUI-202012/01 — is associated with spreading quicker than the current one, which implies an expansion in the quantity of individuals contaminated and issues for clinics. It additionally rapidly replaces different renditions of the infection and has changes that probably influence a significant piece of the infection. A portion of these changes increment its capacity to contaminate cells.
英報專欄作家籲英政府盡早準備BNO移民問題
By: C Y S
Tags: UK, Elections

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
Medicine Tutoring
Tags: Tutoring, UK, Income Stream, Medical Student, Medicine

If you need any help with the following:

Interviews

UCAT

BMAT

A Level or GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Maths

Trial lessons are offered so you can try it out for free for the first 30 minutes to see how you like the lesson before getting any lessons.

Then give me an email on intesar1998@gmail.com
Brexit: what does it mean for immigration and UK/EU expects?
By: Nic Conner
Tags: UK Politics, Eu, UK, Deal, Brexit

I’ll be writing a guide on what the Brexit deal means to SMEs for Rangewell. One thing I won’t cover is immigration but for those interested, I will put the key points here:

In short, there is nothing new in terms of ‘freedom of movement’. It’s actually not covered in the treaty. It was already agreed though that from 1st January 2021, EU/UK nationals will still have short term visa-free access of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

It’s actually a BIG WIN that immigration isn’t covered. This means the UK has the freedom to run its own immigration policy without being tied to a treaty.

If (unadvisably) the UK ever wanted to stop visa-free access for one or more EU member state, let's say they introduced short-term visa’s for French and Bulgarians nationals, then it wouldn’t actually be illegal (treaty breach) to do so. EU has said if the UK did then it would mean a ‘visa war’ - they will apply ‘a series of increasing measures’ up to a full suspension of our 90-day visiting rights.

If you want to stay in the EU for longer than 90 days, then you have to follow those nations immigration rules. For the UK this means we have the full power to set our own immigration policy for EU nationals staying longer than 90 days. BIG WIN

Good news for expatc

The treaty doesn’t really cover immigration at all but does cover benefits which are a MAD (mutually assured destruction) issue.

The treaty is a win for British and EU expats. Expats will not lose their right to a state old-age pensions or the right to things like maternity benefits in the EU nation they live and work.

Benefits are coordinated between the UK/EU, so you can only claim unemployment in either the UK or an EU nation. You won’t lose your benefits if you go back to the UK for a 90-day visit.

There are BIG WINS for the most contentious benefit issues. The UK is free to set its own rules on a host of benefits and is not tied to commitments to pay for things like family benefits. If (let’s say) you claim for child care but your kids live in Italy, then the UK can choose not to pay it.

One of the first things to happen after the vote to leave the EU in 2016 by then Prime Minister, Theresa May was to say that EU nationals in the UK are welcome. This was repeated by Boris Johnson when he became Prime Minister in 2019. BIG WIN

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021. You must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020.

On the other hand for British national living in the EU, it is not as simple. Theresa May pushed hard for the EU to make a decoration in line with the UK’s own Settled Status Scheme. Unfortunately, the EU has not reciprocated. This means for UK nationals living in the EU they will have to apply through their respective countries for residence.

In summary:
COVID-19: Nine UK returnees test positive in Telangana
By: India Ahead News
Tags: UK, Ninereturnees, Covid 19

A total of nine more returnees from the United Kingdom (UK) who arrived in Telangana after December 9 tested COVID-19 positive on Friday (December 25).



With this, the tally of COVID-19 cases among the returnees reached to 16. Samples of the 16 people have been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Micro Biology (CCMB) for genome sequencing to confirm its variant.



Dr G Srinivasa Rao, the Director Public Health of Telangana said, ‘’Out of 1,200 UK returnees, 926 have been tested and 16 tested positive for COVID-19 (including previous 7). These people were in immediate contact with 76 others- they have been put under quarantine. 16 members samples sent to #CCMB- results expected in 2 days’’.



Earlier, last week, a new strain of the coronavirus was found in the UK. Following the detection, the Andhra Pradesh medical and health department on Friday noted that total UK returnees to the state for the last one month is 1,148, out of which 1,040 have been traced till now.



88 of them are being traced, 18 are from other states and 16 have invalid addresses. The department said, ‘’982 of the returnees are put in quarantine. Four persons found positive and their fresh samples sent to CCMB and NIV Pune for testing. It will take three days to get the result. There is no need to panic and all actions are being taken by the department’’.
英欧双方谈判代表完成了协议谈判，欧委会主席的一句感言似乎道出了所有类似场景的那几分滋味
Tags: UK, Eu

英欧双方谈判代表完成了协议谈判，欧委会主席的一句感言似乎道出了所有类似场景的那几分滋味

~*~*~*~*

Ursula von der Leyen :

“Normally you feel joy after a trade agreement,” she added. “Today I only feel quiet satisfaction and relief. This is a difficult day for some and for our friends in the U.K., I want to say parting is such sweet sorrow.”
英國工黨批貿易協議未有足夠保障
By: C Y S
Tags: Government, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
National award recognition (NARIC)
By: Mark Benniman
Tags: Education, Life Lessons, UK, Employment Opportunities, Naric

National award recognition (NARIC)

My national award recognition was first written in 2006 and then rewritten in 2009, if it were rewritten again now it would say the same thing. Mark Benniman Dec 25, 2020·2 min read

I can say that having my national award recognition written in 2006 was an attempt to show the world the value of my UK qualifications and then getting it rewritten in 2009 was a way of saying I’m still here but nothing has changed when it probably should have.

I know it may sound bizarre and a bit like moaning but it seems to me that I’ve simply been ignored in the world of work for more than ten years now. Things like a NARIC award recognition are there to open doors, and people should be interested in what you have to offer as an educated person, it should be in their interests to consider employing you having met the challenges you’ve had to overcome in your university education. In 2009 government statistics in the UK said that only 7% of the adult population had a postgraduate education, I was 41 years old in 2009 and I had two postgraduate qualifications.
The Orca app for investment: a clear way to your objectives
By: Orca App
Tags: Fintech, Investment, UK, Finance, Startup

No one likes second-hand information. No one likes third-party involvement. No one wants obstacles in their way, right? Whenever you have a relationship triangle, it’s always trouble (no insinuations). That’s why direct is always better. Direct buying, direct selling, direct access, direct information.

Where does Orca get its stock news from? Directly from Dow Jones. Dow Jones? Yes, exactly: as in, the Dow Jones index. It makes sense, right? If it deals with public companies and their valuations, it should have first-hand information and news about them. Well, Orca wants you to have that too, that’s why the news you see on the Orca app comes directly from Dow Jones.

The rest of our data comes from the London Stock Exchange — again, directly, without intermediaries or third parties. That’s not only a good tactic to help you make informed investment decisions: it’s also at the heart of Orca’s mission to make investment news as accessible as possible, hot off the presses and fresh from the oven. Often, however, news feeds on apps can get jumbled and confused, when the news on the ticker is coming thick and fast. But, not to worry — Orca allows you to filter and categorise the news the way you want. Sort by date, by stock, by market sector — any way you like.

With Orca, you’ll get all your updates in real-time. Not an hour later, not even a minute later — live. As soon as the London Stock Exchange knows it, you know it. As soon as Dow Jones says it, you hear it. When it comes to your favourite stocks, Orca will keep you up to date at all times.

By the way, that’s not to say that Orca is one of those needy always-on apps, demanding your constant attention. Nor do you have to worry that, if you close the app you’ll lose all your progress. Oh no, not with Orca. This app gives you the freedom to set postponed orders, trailing stops, and other features so that you live your life, safe in the knowledge that your investments are in Orca’s hands.

Get it on iOS and Android
6 benefits of outsourcing Payroll and Tax in UK
By: Access Financial
Tags: UK, Payroll, Outsourcing, United Kingdom, Business

It is a type of PEO or professional employer organization services companies when it comes to payroll outsourcing companies. Although on providing payroll and tax administration service that generally goes hand in hand they have chosen to specialize on the same.

The following is the reason why you should consider outsourcing payroll and tax in UK:

1. Cost reduction.

To your entire HR department, just how much do you pay? Companies may not even have an HR department or even a HR staff when they are operating in small to medium scales. Most likely, they would have a single payroll administration office on-board. As backup and small business generally have a single computer guy or even hire a moonlighting IT expert every once in a while, the large scale companies have an entire IT department.

2. Focus on core operations.

Payroll work is mundane and even the most loyal employee will feel so even when she do not complain out loud as a matter of fact. You can be sure that the time spent on anything not payroll-related is time well-spent even when you get someone who do not mind doing the payroll work. The payroll work is by no means a strategic as it do not play a role in branding or in increasing market share or in generating product exposure is what the reason here is. Your staff will be able to focus on core operations with the payroll outsourced to the third parties.

3. Compliance.

These are generally bundled with the payroll services as the payroll outsourcing companies that can also offer tax administration services. They get to carry out filing and tax-related work is what it means. They know the ins and outs of the tax laws of your state so that you can be sure that compliance to government tax rules and regulations is checked is what is better here.

4. Good feedback from employees.

Nobody likes to receive paychecks which are incorrect is something that we should face. To have to consult the payroll officer about it, it is a hassle. You are reasonably sure that you are acquiring the services of people who can do the payroll-related tasks efficiently with the outsourcing payroll work.

5. Accountability.

Glitches may not be altogether avoided so you might have hired the experts. There could be issues with the paperwork as the paychecks may be delayed here. it is up to the payroll service company to take care of the issue as you do not have to deal with the headache here.

6. Security.

With the idea of third-parties gaining knowledge about an aspect of their operations when the truth is payroll companies are good at curbing security problems as a lot of business operators are not comfortable. You get to have a little piece of mind at least in terms of payroll so he can focus on more important business aspects like polishing the supply chain or carrying out the marketing campaign by outsourcing payroll and tax administration services to the 3rd parties.
British Elections Explained
By: Penguin Politics
Tags: Boris Johnson, UK, Elections, Politics

You’ve definitely heard about British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, But, Do you know how he got elected in The First Place? Well to many British Elections seem very confusing, and complicated. But, its actually a very similar system to Americas Electoral College. In America there are 538 electors made up of representatives and senators. In The UK, There are 650 total parliamentary seats made up of 650 Counties. 1 county = 1 seat. To win the election you must have 326 of 650 seats, which is a majority. What parties are there? Well, The 2 main parties are Labour and Conservative. There are also 3 big Third Parties, The Liberal Democrats, Democratic Unionists, and Scottish National Party. To give you an example, lets analyze The 2019 election. Boris Johnsons Conservative Party won with 365 seats. Jeremy Corbyns Labour came second with 203 seats. The Scottish National Party had 48, The Liberal Democrats had 11, and The Democrat Unionists had 8, and 15 seats went to other third parties. Now that you have an understanding of British Elections, you can note the similarities between Britains Electoral Process and Americas Electoral Process.
英國武肺變種病毒疑源自南非
By: C Y S
Tags: Government, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
What we know till now about the new strain of covid-19 in the UK?
Tags: Virus, UK, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Credit: Richard Borge



The new strain of SARS-CoV-2 the virus which causes Covid-19 in the UK which has been called VUI 202012/01 is considered 70% more transmissible than the earlier ones according to the figures shared by UK prime minister Boris Johnson

It has changed the genetic mutation in the spike protein which makes it easier to bind with our cells it carries 14 mutations which include 7 in the spike protein this is a relatively large number compared to the global one.

When was this new strain first discovered?

It was found in September and now it’s nearly 2/3rd of cases in December, mutations are common in the case of the virus but in this case, it is mutating rapidly and affecting the parts that are important to the virus and the ability of the virus to infect cells which makes it easier to spread among humans.

This may have been spread by a patient with lower immune power who couldn’t fight the virus and became the breeding ground for the virus to mutate. There is no evidence as of now that it is more deadly than the earlier ones.

There was a similar variant that was found in South Africa with some of the same genetic mutations but it’s unrelated to this one, but still many countries closed their borders with South Africa.

Has this happened before?

The D614G mutation and A222V of SARS-CoV-2 had been found in Europe in February.

Now the virus is spread across countries like Denmark, Netherlands Australia from the UK.

Earlier UK health secretary Matt Hancock had told that the virus was ‘out of control’ and parts of england will have the highest tier restriction until the vaccine roles out.

How many countries have banned travel restrictions from the UK?

More than 50 countries have imposed travel restriction from the UK this includes India, Netherlands, Germany, China, Ireland, France, Belgium etc.

How will it affect Christmas?

From 25th December in tier 4 of England you will not be able to meet people indoors unless you live with them or they are part of support bubble, You will be able to make Christmas bubble in tier 1,2,3 cities.

There are different rules for Christmas bubble if you live in Scotland, wales and northern Ireland.

Will the vaccine work?

There is good news that the vaccines will be effective at least for now against this new strain as vaccines train the immune system to attack the different part of the virus even if the part of the spike has been mutated.

But the virus is in the path of vaccine escape where the virus changes so it dodges the effect of the vaccine but the vaccine can also be updated.

source :

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55388846

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
This is How This Country Rewards The NHS (Merry Christmas)
By: Clément Bourcart
Tags: Humor, UK, Healthcare, Government, Covid 19

This is How This Country Rewards The NHS (Merry Christmas)

The NHS is getting STOMPED ON — Photo by Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash

Me? An average project manager working for some corporation.

What do I get for Christmas? A lovely hamper box of my choice, like the other 3,000 employees of the company, filled with nice treats and pies.

My other half? A dedicated NHS worker and now a registrar, after 6 years of practice, too many ultra-competitive exams for me to keep count, and 6 years of study prior to all that.

What do she and her colleagues get for Christmas and New Year’s?

This:

A £5 voucher…

Which cannot be used on snacks, “hot or cold drinks”(salad, maybe?)…

And which cannot be used until May (and only for one week).

By the way, this is from the hospital who admitted and treated the very first case of Covid-19 in the UK.

By the way, my other half (once getting coughed at by an infected patient) and her colleagues were on the front line.

And about half of her team have dropped like flies — infected by the virus, passing it on in most cases to their own partners, and risking their and their families’ lives as a result.

“Come on, NHS workers. The lot of us have stood outside our comfy doorsteps, getting paid to stay at home, and clapped for 60 seconds every Thursday for about a month. What else do you want? Don’t take the piss now. Clean up that Covid mess (and whatever this new fast-spreading variant is), before helping yourselves to the biscuits.”

WTF.

Hang on, wait.

In addition to an unusable £5 voucher, here is what came from the hospital’s management team:

A tin of original Pringles, the size of my thumb.
英國與歐盟達成自由貿易協議
By: C Y S
Tags: UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
EU publishes mini-deal on offer to no-deal UK
By: Stephen Douglas
Tags: UK Politics, European Union, UK, United Kingdom, Brexit

Summary: Continued air, freight, fisheries and bus travel between EU and UK is subject to UK agreeing to the same level-playing field provisions UK is resisting in the main negotiation.

Gibraltar excluded from this no deal mini-deal offered by EU.

EU has just published as draft legislation (“Communication”) the four elements of the mini-deal it’s offering 🇬🇧 in the event of no main deal before Jan 1st.

It’s basically a bare bones mini-deal, provided the UK agrees to similar “level-playing field” provisions it’s resisting in the main talks on the main deal.

Smart move by the EU.

Extreme Brexiteers have been betting for four years that they could troll the EU into offering good “no deal” terms.

Now we have these terms.

Security cooperation is not included in the EU’s bare 🦴 offer.

If UK resists respecting level-playing field stuff in this bare 🦴 mini-deal, aeroplanes will stop flying.

Can the UK 🇬🇧 govt goad the population into resisting the terms of either this mini-deal now clearly on offer or the actual deal on offer, even if it means the island is cut-off in all areas apart from these four limited areas (fishing, bus, freight and air transport)?

I doubt it.

Documents available via EU:

https://lnkd.in/dYCB2Pa
Attend UK Education Virtual fair — 5th Feb -27th Feb 2021
By: Anurag Sharma
Tags: Students, Education, UK

Meet the top 50+ UK Universities and Institutions Online

Want to study in the UK? Apply and secure your spot at your dream UK university from the safety comfort of your home. Attend IDP’s virtual UK education fair and get a chance to meet face to face with representatives of top universities and institutions of the UK online with IDP.

There’s nothing quite like living and studying in the UK and we at IDP, with over 50 years of experience in helping students study abroad, can guide you better in choosing right course and help you connect with the right university that suits you and your study requirements.

With UK institutions rolling out blended learning, you’ll be offered online classes before face-to-face teaching kicks in. Want to learn more? Sign up to participate in our free online event happening across India from 5th Feb 2021 to 27th Feb 2021.

Event Highlights

· Interact over one- on- one video chat with international representatives & faculty from UK Universities

· Discuss about programs, eligibility, scholarships and post study work opportunities

· Apply for 2021 intakes

· Know about the online to face to face transition learning options available for students

· Avail application fee waivers*, and much more

Find the list of participating UK institutions and city-wise fair schedule here: https://www.idp.com/india/uk-education-fair/

With over 50+ universities participating in IDP’s biggest UK virtual education fair, this is a great opportunity for you if you’ve planning to study in the UK in 2021. You can meet your preferred universities in person and discuss any queries you have in mind such as, covid19 updates, visa application process and more.

You can also avail free online pre-counselling with our international education experts and get answers to all your queries related to studying in the UK. Learn more at, www.idp.com/india/study-in-uk/
The New Covid-19 Variant Might Not Even Be a ’British Mutant’
By: Elad Simchayoff
Tags: Health, UK, World, Science, Covid 19

The New Covid-19 Variant Might Not Even Be a ’British Mutant’

Photo by Matthew Waring on Unsplash

A Logical Fallacy

It is commonly considered nowadays that the 1918 ‘Spanish flu’ probably wasn’t originated in Spain at all. During World War 1, Spain remained neutral and wasn’t subjected to censorship of the press. The local Spanish media was the only one extensively reporting about the pandemic spreading through the country. As it was the only one reporting, the international community mistakenly assumed it was the first one affected. The most severe pandemic in recent history was attributed to Spain by a simple case of fallacy.

On December 14, the British government announced that a new variant of the Covid-19 virus was identified. Over 1,100 cases were diagnosed, mainly in the South and East of England.

It took a few days, and the world reacted in concern and panic. More than 40 countries banned UK arrivals. European countries, mainly France and Ireland, closed their borders to the UK. Hundreds of delivery trucks were barred from crossing the border and left stranded. There’s a fear of a food shortage due to the travel ban. Many feared of medicine shortage and possible problems with the transport of the Covid-19 vaccine coming from Belgium to the UK.

All over the world, people were talking about ‘the UK variant’. Admittedly, a much catchier name than the official ‘VUI — 202012/01’.
2020’s Top Ten Stories: a couple on the frontline
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: LGBTQ, UK, Case Study, Military, Covid 19

2020’s Top Ten Stories: a couple on the frontline

In at number 6 is a couple who helped out on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. As we countdown to 2021, we are taking a look at some of our most-read stories from the last year. Ministry of Defence Follow Dec 22, 2020 · 3 min read

Each day in the run-up to New Year’s Day we will be reposting our most-read stories by you from 2020.

So far we’ve had;

10 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: Inside Strategic Command

9 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: Airborne soldiers make history

8 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: What kit does an Apache Pilot carry?

7 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: 5 things to know about the Poseidon

Wedded to the cause: a couple on the frontline

This married military couple stayed apart to help fight coronavirus.

Major Chantelle Miller and her wife Staff Sergeant Tara Miller stepped up to the challenge of working apart to help their country fight coronavirus.

The Millers are no strangers to a fast-paced schedule but when the opportunity came to volunteer, they jumped at the chance to help.
2020’s Top Ten Stories: The COVID Support Force
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: Coronavirus, UK, Military, Corona, Covid 19

2020’s Top Ten Stories: The COVID Support Force

Each day in the run-up to New Year’s Day we have been reposting our most-read stories from 2020.

Other stories featured in the top-ten are;

10–2020’s Top Ten Stories: Inside Strategic Command

9 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: Airborne soldiers make history

8–2020’s Top Ten Stories: What kit does an Apache Pilot carry?

7–2020’s Top Ten Stories: 5 things to know about the Poseidon

6–2020’s Top Ten Stories: a couple on the frontline

5–2020’s Top Ten Stories: Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA)

4–2020’s Top Ten Stories: Poseidon protects UK waters against Russian warship

3–2020’s Top Ten Stories: Better to die than be a coward

2–2020’s Top Ten Stories: The Royal Engineer’s first female Squadron Sergeant Major

Military Aid to Civil Authorities: The COVID Support Force

To support the UK’s response to the coronavirus outbreak back in March, up to 20,000 Service personnel were on standby to help, when requested.

At times of crisis, the Government often calls upon the military to contribute to the national response due to their specialist skill-set and equipment. This is called Military Aid to Civil Authorities or MACA.

As the Government and nation began to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, behind the scenes a team of military planners from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force were embedded within Government departments to offer expert advice.

The military also assisted with bringing British citizens home from affected areas around the world such as China and Japan.

Royal Air Force Police dog handler alongside a repatriation flight of British citizens from China.

The UK Armed Forces then put an additional 10,000 military personnel at a higher level of readiness. Earmarked for their specialist skills, these Servicemen and women were trained and ready to deploy around the country to support public services if the Government asked them to.
UK Inflation Continues to Fall
Tags: UK, Economics, Inflation

By Saniya Jain

Bethan Staton wrote an article for the Financial Times about the fall of inflation in the UK in November 2020. Staton talked about the disinflation in consumer prices, they rose at an annual rate of 0.3 per cent in November, compared to the 0.7 per cent the previous month. Stanton claimed this will be reversed in the future; however, this sharp decline in inflation is not likely to increase immediately, at least not in the last 3 quarters of 2021. The reasoning being, “price conscious consumers, excess capacity, limited earnings and curtailed economic activity are likely to limit inflation in the near term at least,” Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to EY ITEM Club, said.

In simpler terms, due to increased uncertainty about the future, mass redundancies, lower consumer confidence, lack of animal spirits and a tightening in financial and credit conditions during this pandemic, it is likely that the government won’t be able to reach their low and stable 2% inflation goal. As people save more due to precautionary measures, leading to a savings glut, and firms reigned animal spirits lead them to making more lay-offs, it will be difficult to shift the UK’s aggregate demand curve outwards and increase price level (i.e inflation). Furthermore, the effect covid-19 and government policies have on supply and demand, will also determine what happens to inflation.

On the other hand, the sharp changes in demand — the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme and a VAT cut reduced prices in restaurants and cafés, which supported consumers purchasing power versus the partial closure of some industries and the decreased likelihood of businesses being able to generate increased demand through price cuts/sales, suggest that although inflation rate is low currently, during the expansion (recovery) period of our economy, it is likely that inflation will rise.
The Independent & Spotlight
By: Spotlight Media Labs
Tags: Politics, Newspapers, UK, News, Startup

Spotlight Media Labs and ESI Media announced today that The Independent and Indy100 will be joining Spotlight’s rapidly-growing list of news and specialty publishers.

“We are excited to add The Independent and Indy 100 to Spotlight’s ever-expanding international news platform, giving us a front-row seat to the UK and foreign affairs,” said Tamer Morsy, founder and CEO of Spotlight.

“We are delighted that our renowned, high-quality journalism will sit on the Spotlight platform alongside an already impressive array of local and international news sources. Adding content from The Independent and Indy100 to the Spotlight platform represents an excellent opportunity to bring our award-winning journalism to an ever-wider audience. The Independent is now Britain’s largest digital quality news brand, having surpassed the readership of The Guardian, Times, and Telegraph, with the US consistently performing as the brand’s biggest market. The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time and we are excited to bring our unique editorial voice to Spotlight users as part of this collaboration.” — Sophie Hanbury, Director, Syndication and Licensing Partnerships, ESI Media

Spotlight Media Labs (https://spotlightnews.us) is a fresh news distribution company dedicated to the unfiltered and unbiased delivery of content from a broad range of publications. The Company’s SpotlightNews® mobile and web applications provide a quality reading experience free of pop-ups, screen takeovers, and sponsored links. With its proprietary MyNewsstand™ technology, users can tailor their news feed to the publications and topics they are interested in. SpotlightNews® uniquely targets college students and young alumni, counting over 100 college newspapers amongst its publisher partners.

Spotlight’s mission is to support publishers of all sizes by offering them national reach on a state-of-the-art digital platform. Spotlight offers advertisers a prized younger demographic owing to its early focus on college and university publications. Spotlight delivers to publishers incremental readership from this younger demographic and pledges to return to them 70 cents of every dollar their content generates on the platform.
Air India announced the cancellation of all passenger flights to Oman for a week
By: Lucas Bakker
Tags: Covid 20, UK, Coronavirus, Oman

Air India of December 21 suspended all outgoing and incoming passenger flights for Oman for per week from December 22. The suspension may be powerful from 1 am on December 22 to December 28.

The country wide airliner said that the choice became taken after the Sultanate (Oman) introduced to shut all journey retailers amid COVID-19 spread.

Earlier withinside the day, Oman halted passenger traffic via air, land and sea ports for per week. However, it has exempted freight offerings from the ban.

The choice to halt the passenger flights for per week has been taken through the Supreme Committee that’s tasked with tackling COVID-19, stated Gulf News.

This suspension to begin w.e.f. 23.fifty nine hours, twenty second December 2020. Consequently, flights from India to the United Kingdom shall stand briefly suspended throughout the above stated period,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation stated in a announcement on Twitter on December 21.

Apart from India, nations like Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium have already introduced regulations on journey to the United Kingdom.
Sault — Untitled (Rise)
Tags: UK, Sault, Inflo

in In Bitcoin We Trust
Real Leather Jackets in USA
By: Global Dezigns
Tags: Zainleathers, UK, Mens Fashion, USA, Women Fashion

Real Leather Jackets in USA

Zain leathers manufactures all kinds of Real leather jackets in USA Newyork and Europe and all over the world. Leather Jackets are the most favorable outerwear that can provide superb results in the winter season. It is available in many styles and of different materials like cowhide, goatskin, lambskin, full-grain, top-grain, etc. But Zain leathers jackets are unique because it is specially built to meet the quality standards of America. We always choose real leather and use only high-quality refined leathers to produce valuable styles.

we offer various jackets at very reasonable prices. Just like we have women’s vests and vests, women’s flight jackets, women’s tweed jackets, and so on. We have different types of leather jackets and are available in different sizes for men and women. Look around the website and take the time to choose the coat that suits you best.

Zain leather jackets has its unique that’s why we never compromise on choosing the quality leather for our jackets. We have experienced professional team who create jackets with great designing and stitching. That includes styles like motorcycle, superhero, cafe racer, and a biker.

Harley-Davidson leather jackets

Men leather jackets

Women’s Leather jackets

Mens Fashion leather Jacket

Womens Fashion Jackets

Tv series leather jackets
Santiago E-Prix Postponed due to COVID-19
By: Luciano Calamante
Tags: Motorsport, Coronavirus, UK, Formula E, Chile

The Santiago E-Prix, Formula E’s first race of the 2021 season, has been postponed due to Chile closing its border with the United Kingdom after a mutation of COVID-19 was found.

The race was originally scheduled for 16–17 January. Formula E issued a short statement on social media announcing the date has been now delayed, and that the championship is working to reschedule races for later in the first quarter of 2021.

“In consultation with the Santiago municipality, the Santiago E-Prix has been postponed,” reads the statement.

“The races will no longer take place as a double-header on January 16 and 17 and we are working with the city to finalize dates on which to stage the races later in Q1 of 2021.”
Launching a Travel Startup during a Pandemic
By: Henry Popiolek
Tags: Travel, Staycation, UK, Startup, Business

Staze began with a boom. Or at least, it felt like that to us.

The month was February, Corona was still just a beer and we were in our first few weeks of full swing. Guests had begun booking our great deals on last minute stays faster than the website could keep up, we were revenue-generating and optimistic!

And then suddenly Boris appeared on TV.

He told us we’d have to stop trading now and for the foreseeable future. This was a crucial blow for a business yet to establish itself. The hallowed milestone of product/market fit was impossible if your market couldn’t use your product.

And what was Covid going to do to travel anyway? How long would this pandemic last? Could we really continue? Before long some of our property partners were closing down, and potential investors were getting cold feet. We were uncertain.

But as lockdown & restricted living went on… and on and on… we realised that Covid wasn’t an invitation to give up, it was a reminder that what we were building mattered. Here’s 3 reasons why we stuck at it, and why Covid has made us more determined than ever to build Staze into the home of spontaneous travel.

🟡 You need travel

Be it to visit a particular city, to wander in a new landscape or for no particular reason at all, we all need travel. This fact stared us all in the face after day 55 of lockdown working in the same room with just pixels for company.

If ever there were a time for the travel bubble to burst, it was 2020. And yet it absolutely hasn’t, with the summer seeing an unprecedented staycation bonanza.

If this surreal social experiment has taught us anything, it’s that travel is a fundamental human need.

🟡 You don’t need plans

When the ability to plan is taken out of your hands — everything still turns out okay. Having fewer long-term plans may take some getting used to, but it creates the space for spontaneity.

And oddly, the lack of fixed expectations is exactly what tends to make great trips so memorable. Last minute travel is special.

🟡 Life is short, we’ve all got catching up to do

The moment is not yet, but it’s coming.

That need for freedom is building in all of us. The drive to explore somewhere new, to escape from our familiar surroundings.

Booking last minute is liberating, living spontaneously is fun and one day in the near future there’ll be no longer be rules against it.

Launching Staze during the pandemic has focussed our minds on preparing for that day. We’re building the product that will make spontaneous travel 10x better and we can’t wait for the world to reopen.

Conclusion

The pandemic gave us an overwhelming constraint, forcing us to rethink just about everything about our product & the market we were targeting. With the benefit of hindsight it’s clear that this early adversity has shaped Staze into what it is today.

Now with a growing team and with the light at the end of the tunnel inching ever closer, we are still firmly set on our mission of helping people travel more by enabling spontaneity.
Media Laws: Vaccine Whispers
By: Rosie Moon
Tags: Uae, Journalism, UK, Covid-19, Media Law

Media Laws: Vaccine Whispers

With the UAE on its way back to normality, could it be that tighter media laws & restrictions could be a major contributor in overcoming COVID-19? Rosie Moon Dec 22, 2020·6 min read

Photo by: Matthew Henry

It would be more than appropriate to label the year that was 2020, as well as the continued trauma that is predicted to continue through to 2021, as a period of uncertainty. It’s no surprise that we are more engaged with our phones, headline news and social media probably more so than ever. However, it is hard to ignore the rumours that circulate our life today, which could be having increased damaging effect on the way we view the world we live in.

In her recent TED talk, Anthropologist Heidi Larson draws detailed attention to how medical rumours originate, spread and fuel resistance to vaccines worldwide, as well as their relation to political and social turbulence. The main issue highlighted in relation to these rumours, is that they stem from broken trust with Government powers and world leaders. Using the Polio vaccine as an example, rumours regarding the safety of the vaccine led to the Kano state boycotting the programme, which resulted in the disease spreading to 20 more countries — all at the cost of a rumour.

My favourite rumour regarding the latest news of the new coronavirus vaccine in the UK, is that the government or special intelligence is rolling out the vaccine as a way to micro-chip the population and track our every move. No offence Karen, but I’m not sure MI5 are worried about your recent trip to Homebase. However, with so much information at our disposal it has become almost impossible to know who to trust. I’m going to explore the role that the media has to play in formulating rumours in regard to COVID-19, and how differentiating laws in different parts of the world may be part of the reason why some places are living a relatively back-to-normal life.
A guide to your first visit to Birmingham
By: Food, Travel - Byfoodandtravel.Com
Tags: Travel, Birmingham, UK, City Guide

While most tourists head straight to London, only a few visit United Kingdom’s sleeping giant, the unique Birmingham. It is just 90 minutes by train from London and the second largest city in UK. Birmingham is a historic city and played an important role during the Industrial Revolution. Although the city’s industrial past is evident, a long and successful reconstruction project has gradually transformed Birmingham into a vibrant and modern city. The sights of the city are many, interesting and unique. Birmingham also has an important cultural scene, while its culinary scene is very active and refreshing (it is the city in the UK with the most Michelin stars). In our article we try to present a guide for your first visit to the city in an effort to present the most significant highlights.
2020’s Top Ten Stories: What kit does an Apache Pilot carry?
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: Nato, UK, Pilot, Apache, Military

2020’s Top Ten Stories: What kit does an Apache Pilot carry?

In at number 8 is a look inside of an Apache pilot’s kit. As we countdown to 2021, we are taking a look at some of our most-read stories from the last year. Ministry of Defence Follow Dec 22, 2020 · 5 min read

Each day in the run-up to New Year’s Day we will be reposting our most-read stories by you from 2020.

So far we’ve had;

10 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: Inside Strategic Command

9 — 2020’s Top Ten Stories: Airborne soldiers make history

Apache pilot: what’s in my kit?

Ever wonder what an Apache helicopter pilot takes along during a mission? Here’s a tour of one pilot’s kit 👇

“My I’m a British Army Apache pilot on Operation CABRIT in Estonia. The Apache’s speed, mobility and weight make it invaluable to ground operations all over the world.

The Apache attack helicopter can operate in all weather, day or night. It can detect, classify and prioritise up to 256 potential targets in a matter of seconds. It carries a mix of weapons including rockets, Hellfire missiles and a 30mm chain gun.

Here is the kit that we carry inside the aircraft. 🚁👇

“First I have my Apache helmet. It’s got a dark visor and a microphone that comes down to cover your mouth.

“The helmet also holds the helmet-mounted display system that we have inside the Apache cockpit. The helmet is linked to the aircraft system on the Apache, meaning that the cameras and guns on the aircraft follow your head movement.

Helmet Mounted Display give the pilot flight information such as height, speed and location.

“Next, we’ve got our personal weapons system. In the army, we’re all soldiers first before we’re aircrew.

“This is our SA80 carbine variant. It’s much shorter than a standard rifle and that’s so we can fit it inside the cockpit.
英國倫敦突封城30萬人出走
By: C Y S
Tags: Government, UK

A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics.
Driving Simulator Market Worth $6.1 Billion By 2027
By: Gaurav Shah
Tags: Automotive, Aviation, UK, Technology, Marine

The global driving simulator market size is expected to reach USD 6.1 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 3.4% over the forecast period, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing research & development activities focused on developing autonomous vehicles, coupled with growing demand for advanced driving assistance systems, are expected to drive the market in the forecast period. The use of simulators for vehicle testing helps automotive manufacturers to assess the real-time performance of the vehicles in a dynamic but controlled environment.

Driving simulator acts as a training platform for training new as well as experienced drivers for commercial and project-oriented purposes. These machines are used for providing driving lessons ranging from basic to expert levels. Moreover, they help the trainers and the researchers in determining the behaviour patterns of the drivers under several unavoidable circumstances, including sudden braking.

Furthermore, simulators are used across various platforms in the aviation industry to train pilots of commercial aircrafts and helicopters and military aircrafts. These machines are also gaining momentum in the motorsports and gaming industry. Car and bike simulators are increasingly used in gaming zones and arenas as well as amusement parks. They enable higher player engagement in the game, thereby increasing their popularity globally.

Click the link below:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/driving-simulator-market

Further key findings from the study suggest: