Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Boris Johnson digs in as coronavirus travel scandal engulfs his controversial chief adviser

He also chastised members of the media for not standing two metres apart when gathered outside his London home.

Johnson and his most senior ministers have launched a major operation to save the polarising adviser from being forced out of Downing Street, arguing Cummings and his wife Mary Wakefield did not breach the rules because they were worried about the welfare of their young son and wanted to be near Cumming’s elderly parents and sister.

The rules at the time said anyone with symptoms must not leave their home under any circumstances and should not visit family members for any reason, however deputy chief medical Jenny Harries did tell a press conference held before the trip that a situation where two sick parents were unable to care for a child might warrant an “exceptional circumstance”.

Wakefield had coronavirus symptoms when the couple drove to Durham but Cummings did not, calling into question whether those exceptional circumstances existed at the time of the trip.

Cummings eventually developed symptoms and was bedridden for more than a week. Wakefield later wrote a piece for the Spectator describing the ordeal but never mentioned that they had left London for support. In the same piece, she wrote of emerging “from quarantine into the almost comical uncertainty of London lockdown”.

Loading

Downing Street officials also told political journalists at the time that Cummings was off work and self-isolating “at home”.

The scandal, revealed via a joint investigation by The Guardian and Daily Mirror, is a political danger for Johnson. The opposition and even some Tory MPs have said it shows one set of rules applies to political figures and another to the general public.

A senior member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, Professor Neil Ferguson, resigned earlier this month after he was caught breaking the lockdown rules to meet a woman he was in a relationship with.

Many of the same ministers who blasted Ferguson rushed to defend Cummings in a volley of tweets on Saturday that threaten to undermine the country’s public health messaging.

In an unprecedented defence of a government staff member by cabinet ministers, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Attorney-General Suella Braverman and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove all said Cummings did nothing wrong.

“Caring for your wife and child is not a crime,” Gove said.

Dominic Cummings is a key figure inside Downing Street and trusted ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Credit:AP

Johnson has given Cummings his “full support” however the situation is fluid and Cummings’ future is in doubt.

Acting Durham police commissioner Steve White on Saturday described Cumming’s conduct as “unhelpful” and “frustrating”.

“Given the whole ethos of the guidance and regulations issued from the government was to reduce the spread, regardless of the reason, by travelling to County Durham when known to be infected was unwise,” he said.

“To beat this crisis we need to be selfless as millions have been.”

Downing Street has claimed that “at no stage was Cummings or his family spoken to by the police about this matter” as was reported by The Guardian and The Daily Mail.

However a statement from Durham police said officers were told “that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city”.

Loading

“Officers made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house,” the statement said.

“In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.”

The Labour opposition has called for an inquiry into the affair and said Johnson must answer details about whether he knew Cummings had moved to Durham during the lockdown.

“The lockdown rules were very clear: if you or anyone in your household was suspected of having COVID-19 you must immediately self-isolate and not leave the house,” the party said in a statement.

“However, the Prime minister’s chief adviser appears to believe that it is one rule for him and another for the British people. This will cause understandable anger for the millions of people who have sacrificed so much during this crisis.”

Most Viewed in World

Loading

Source by [author_name]

Victoria records 19th coronavirus death

His death brought the state death toll to 19 yesterday, and the national toll to 102. 

A medical practitioner performs a COVID-19 test at a drive through testing clinic in the carpark of Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Australia. (Getty)

It is not yet known how the man contracted the illness. 

Victoria’s confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 10 yesterday, four of which were detected in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. 

Three cases were picked up through community testing, three others are being investigated and another was reclassified. 

None of the new cases are linked to the Cedar Meats outbreak in Melbourne west, responsible for 111 cases.

Nine people are in hospital, including three in intensive care.

Runners are seen in a group at Albert Park Lake in Melbourne. (AAP)

The state’s transport union wants all passengers to be required to wear face masks but government authorities have said they are relying on a national panel of experts which has determined masks are unnecessary for routine public transport.

Victorian Prep, Year 1, Year 2, Year 11 and Year 12 students are preparing to return to classrooms on Tuesday. 

The state remains on track for pubs, restaurants and cafes to open to limited numbers from June 1, but decisions regarding public spaces including playgrounds are yet to be made.

Meanwhile, the Muslim community will celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan today, though the festival will feel much quieter than usual.

Eid – the end of Ramadan – traditionally involves visits to the mosque and large community events, none of which can happen under current restrictions.

Source by [author_name]

Hong Kong lawmaker: Our young are fighting for their future – CNN Video

0

Activists in Hong Kong are decrying China’s move to pass a hugely controversial national security law for Hong Kong, in what could be the biggest blow to the city’s autonomy and civil liberties since its handover to Chinese rule in 1997. CNN’s Anna Coren reports.

Source link

Boris Johnson defends top adviser over lockdown journey

0

Dominic Cummings drives away from his home in London on May 23 after allegations he broke coronavirus lockdown rules in March. | Daniel Leal-Olivas | AFP via Getty Images

Labour Party has demanded an ‘urgent inquiry’ into Dominic Cummings’ 400-kilometer trip.

LONDON — Boris Johnson and his Cabinet have rallied to defend Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s most senior adviser, following reports he went against government guidance by driving 400 kilometers to be with family in March while his wife had coronavirus symptoms.

The prime minister has given Cummings “full support,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Saturday, despite calls for his resignation from opposition parties.

Speaking at Downing Street’s daily press conference, Shapps insisted Cummings’ decision to drive from London to Durham, in the north of England, at the end of March was appropriate because he was traveling to be close to extended family who could care for his child should he and his wife become too ill.

Government guidelines say that those displaying symptoms should self-isolate at home for seven days and family members for 14 days.

Asked whether Cummings’ decision was within the guidelines, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries declined to comment on the individual case but cited safeguarding issues, such as risks to vulnerable adults and children, as examples where “common sense” could be applied to the rules.

However, she added, public health guidance was “absolutely clear” that symptomatic people should “stay at home, take yourself out of society as quickly as you can and stay there unless there is that extreme risk to life.”

Cummings himself defended his actions, telling reporters outside his London home that he “behaved reasonably and legally … It’s a question of doing the right thing. It’s not about what you guys think,” he said.

The Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats have called on Cummings to resign, while the main opposition Labour Party has written to the U.K.’s most senior civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, demanding an “urgent inquiry” into the matter.

“The British people have made important and painful sacrifices to support the national effort, including being away from family in times of need,” Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves said in the letter. “It is therefore vital that the Government can reassure the public that its most senior figures have been adhering to the same rules as everyone else.”

Fielding repeated questions about Cummings’ decision to travel and whether it could undermine public adherence to coronavirus guidance, Shapps said: “Mr. Cummings is in the public eye, but the reality of the matter is that a four-year old child’s welfare is the important thing.”

“Parents will ask themselves what they would do if they had no other support around and eventually you’d either have to turn to external support, not from your family, or try and be close enough to your family to provide that care, which is what happened in this case.”

However, he said he did not know what other support networks Cummings might have had in London that could have avoided the lengthy trip.

Cummings himself developed coronavirus symptoms shortly after this wife, Mary Wakefield, according to her own account of the family’s experience, which does not mention the journey to Durham. Cummings went on to suffer severe symptoms, but Downing Street did not disclose that he had self-isolated in Durham, until reports in the Guardian and the Mirror on Friday evening.

The papers reported that police from Durham Constabulary had spoken to the Cummings family about the matter — something Downing Street’s own statement contradicted.

“Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for,” a No. 10 spokesperson said.

“His sister and nieces had volunteered to help so he went to a house near to but separate from his extended family in case their help was needed. His sister shopped for the family and left everything outside. At no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported. His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines. Mr. Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally.”

However, Steve White, acting police, crime and victims’ commissioner for Durham said officers had “acted appropriately,” adding that Cummings’ actions had been “most unwise.”



Source by [author_name]

Coronavirus updates LIVE: JobKeeper extension urged after ‘error’ as global COVID-19 cases surpass 5.2 million, Australian death toll stands at 102

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

Source by [author_name]

Alabama’s Coronavirus Outlook Is Worsening As State Reopens

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — With Alabama’s coronavirus caseload worsening while casinos, churches and more reopen, the state’s most recognizable person had some stern words about bringing COVID-19 under control.

“You need to be staying 6 feet away from me, and haven’t I told you you have to wear a mask when you’re in this building?” University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, himself wearing a mask emblazoned with “Roll Tide,” scolded the school’s elephant mascot in a video released as the state reopened more.

Perhaps Saban’s rant — which tied the prospects of fall football to disease control in a football-crazy state — will be the thing that makes people see a need for renewed vigilance in a place where life is largely back to normal despite a deepening health crisis.

From the Gulf Coast to the lush Tennessee Valley, Alabama’s political leaders and health experts are struggling to make many residents see the continued need for social distancing, crowd limitations and wearing masks after Gov. Kay Ivey reopened much of the economy.

Cases are on the increase, but health officials say it’s impossible to determine whether the rise is linked to additional testing or an actual increase in disease. Yet state statistics also show hospitalizations are up since early April, which has some health officials worried.

The situation in Alabama has become worse over the past 14 days, according to an AP analysis of testing data from The COVID Tracking Project. New daily cases have risen to 307 from 268, and the rate of daily tests coming back positive has increased from 6.7% to 7.5%. The AP used seven-day rolling averages to account for daily variability in the testing data. Data includes counts through Thursday.

In Jefferson County, the state’s most populous area with nearly 660,000 residents, officials cited increasing cases and hospitalizations Friday in announcing more stringent rules than those enacted by Ivey.

The Republican governor, like President Donald Trump, hasn’t modeled recommended behavior by regularly appearing publicly in a mask. But she has urged residents to do what’s necessary to stem the spread of the disease while saying a vaccine could someday be created “right here in sweet home Alabama.”

“It takes all of us, y’all, being vigilant, and adhering to these social distancing guidelines in order to stop the spread of this disease,” she said.

So far, it’s unclear whether Ivey’s calls for “personal responsibility” have had much of an effect as businesses and other gatherings places reopen with restrictions on capacity and sanitation.

The parking lots outside some Birmingham-area restaurants and breweries are filling up again, and the state’s beaches have been packed since reopening April 30. About two dozen adults and children filled a reopened suburban playground Friday; no one wore a mask, and no one was cleaning the slides and swings between uses.

Some people are trying to stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart, as required under state orders, but others aren’t. In many public places, it’s rare to see a covered face.

“As I’ve gone out to some of these retail stores, I’ve noticed that people are not wearing masks,” Dr. Rachael Lee, an infectious diseases expert with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told an online news conference.

Omar Mohammad, a 17-year-old who skipped his own graduation from Spain Park High School in Hoover because of the pandemic, said people seem to have dropped their guard after state orders that loosened restrictions.

“I’ve seen people being like, `I can go get my nails done, so it can’t be too bad,’” he said.

Leaders in Republican-controlled, deeply conservative Alabama, like many states, are stuck between trying to revive a lagging economy and prevent the spread of disease.

As of Friday, more than 13,400 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in Alabama, and 533 had died. Most people recover from COVID-19, but patients with other health problems and the elderly are particularly susceptible.

Meanwhile, state unemployment has reached levels not seen in decades. Alabama’s jobless rate jumped to 12.9% in April during the economic shutdown linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the worst in nearly 38 years, the state said.

The state’s overall health trend worries disease experts including Lee. Jefferson County had its highest case count yet this week, she said, and the capital of Montgomery, where about 200,000 people live, is looking like a disease hot spot.

“I’m actually concerned about the numbers,” she said. “As we have been watching over the past couple of weeks, those numbers have either been at the same level or they’re slowly going up.”

AP writer Nicky Forster contributed from Berkley, Massachusetts.



Source by [author_name]

Reports: UK to cut Huawei’s involvement in 5G network

0

A Huawei stand in central London | Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Boris Johnson wants to reduce Chinese tech giant’s involvement in building network to zero by 2023, according to British media.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to reduce the role of Huawei in the U.K.’s 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, according to reports in the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Johnson has instructed officials to draft plans that would reduce Huawei’s involvement in building the U.K.’s 5G phone network to zero by 2023, the Telegraph reported.

The move marks a departure from the U.K. government’s previous position. In January, Johnson said he would allow the Chinese tech giant to build up to 35 percent of its 5G phone network but block access to “sensitive core” parts of the network.

The push for new plans comes amid growing backlash among Conservative MPs against Chinese investment and a lack of transparency around Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Telegraph.

The paper also reported Johnson hopes to ramp up trade talks with the United States, which has been one of the most vocal critics of the U.K.’s decision to allow Huawei into its market.

Downing Street and Huawei did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.



Source by [author_name]

Pakistan Airlines crash: Black box found as government announces financial aid

There were two survivors, while no fatalities were reported in the densely populated area of the city where the aircraft crash-landed yesterday.

Pakistan International Airlines flight PK 8303, an Airbus A320, was flying from Lahore to Karachi with 99 people on board when it went down in mid-afternoon while trying a second landing attempt.

Provincial governor Imran Ismail, center, in blue coat, and Pakistan’s aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar, center in black waistcoat, visit the site of Friday’s plane crash, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020 (AP)

“The black box had been found late yesterday, we are handing it over to the inquiry board,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said today. He said that included both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

Meeran Yousaf, the provincial Health Department spokeswoman, said only 19 of the bodies from Friday’s crash have been identified and that most of the bodies were badly burned. Eight people on the ground were injured, including four who are still hospitalised, and all residents are accounted for, she said.

The plane crashed near Jinnah International Airport, in the poor and congested residential area known as Model Colony. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafiz Khan said the aircraft destroyed or heavily damaged 18 homes.

Pakistan’s aviation minister today promised compensation for the family members of victims killed in yesterday’s plane crash, as he visited the site where the passenger plane came down in a residential neighbourhood in the coastal city of Karachi.

Family members of an air hostess Anam Maqsood, who was killed in Friday's plane crash, mourn for her death at their home in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020
Family members of an air hostess Anam Maqsood, who was killed in Friday’s plane crash, mourn for her death at their home in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020 (AP)

Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Pakistan’s aviation minister, also confirmed all repair costs will be covered by the government, and it will be holding a full independent inquiry with officers from Pakistan’s air force and representatives from Airbus, and other experts will also carry out a counter inquiry.

Army and civil administration personnel were clearing through the debris in the Karachi neighbourhood on Saturday and assisting residents whose homes had been damaged.

Survivor describes moments before crash

When the plane jolted violently, Mohammad Zubair thought it was turbulence. Then the pilot came on the intercom to warn that the landing could be “troublesome.”

Moments later, the Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed into the crowded neighbourhood. Zubair was one of just two surviving passengers.

In this photo released by the Sindh Press Information Department, Pakistani provincial minister Saeed Ghani, second from right, meets Mohammad Zubair who survived a plane crash, at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 22, 2020
Pakistani provincial minister Saeed Ghani, second from right, meets Mohammad Zubair who survived a plane crash, at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 22, 2020 (AP)

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdul Sattar Kokhar said the Airbus A230 was carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members. The only other survivor of the crash was Zafar Masood, a bank executive.

In a telephone interview from his hospital bed, Zubair, a mechanical engineer, said flight PK8308 had taken off on time from the eastern city of Lahore at 1pm. It was a smooth, uneventful flight until the aircraft began its descent near Karachi shortly before 3pm.

“Suddenly the plane jerked violently, once and then again,” said Zubair.

The aircraft turned and the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. They were experiencing engine trouble and the landing could be “troublesome,” the pilot said. That was the last thing Zubair remembered until he woke up in a scene of chaos.

“I saw so much smoke and fire. I heard people crying, children crying.”

He crawled his way out of the smoke and rubble, and was eventually pulled from the ground and rushed into an ambulance.

Celebrity couple among victims

Many of the passengers aboard the flight were families returning home for the holiday, said Science Minister Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry.

Between the coronavirus pandemic and the plane crash, this year has been a “catastrophe,” he said.

“What is most unfortunate and sad is whole families have died, whole families who were travelling together for the Eid holiday,” he told The Associated Press.

Social media and local news reports said Zara Abid, an actor and an award-winning model, was among those killed.

People carry the casket of the victims of Friday's plane crash for funeral prayers in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020
People carry the casket of the victims of Friday’s plane crash for funeral prayers in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020 (AP)

A senior banker, his wife and three young children were also reportedly killed.

Shabaz Hussein, whose mother died in the crash, told The Associated Press he identified her body at a local hospital and was waiting to take it away for burial.

The airline’s chief executive, Arshad Malik, said on Friday the last message received from the pilot indicated there was a technical problem.

Another senior civil aviation official told Reuters it appeared the plane had been unable to lower its landing gear for the first approach.

Seconds before the crash, the pilot told air traffic controllers he had lost power from both engines.

A transmission of the pilot’s final exchange with air traffic control, posted on the website LiveATC.net, indicated he had failed to land and was circling to make another attempt.

Pakistan Airlines crash
Seconds before the crash, the pilot told air traffic controllers he had lost power from both engines (9News)

“We are proceeding direct, sir — we have lost engine,” the pilot said.

“Confirm your attempt on belly,” the air traffic controller said, offering a runway.

“Sir, mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday Pakistan 8303,” the pilot said before the transmission ended.

PIA Chairman Arshad Malik told reporters yesterday that an independent inquiry would be held but said the aircraft was in good working order.

Airbus said the jet first flew in 2004 and was fitted with engines built by CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and France’s Safran.

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan announced soon after the crash that there would be an inquiry.

What is Pakistan International Airlines’ safety record?

Since its establishment in 1946, Pakistan International Airlines has lost more than 30 aircraft as a result of flight crashes or other events, and another 20 incidents have been fatal in the past.

There have been four other accidents involving PIA planes over the last decade, with the most recent incident involving Flight 661 in December 2016 where a crashed in the city of Havelian killed 47 people on board.

Ten years before that, Flight 688 from Multan to Lahore crashed into a field and burst into flames minutes after takeoff, killing all 41 passengers and four crew members on the plane.

Pakistan army soldiers and police commandos stand guard while they cordon off a street leading to the site of a plane crash, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020.
Pakistan army soldiers and police commandos stand guard while they cordon off a street leading to the site of a plane crash, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 23, 2020. (AP)

– Reported with Associated Press and AAP

Source by [author_name]

Tablet interactive: Coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus pandemic is proving to be one of the toughest challenges of our generation. Visit our special coronavirus homepage to find important news updates, a link to our coronavirus newsletter, clear, useful information and tips for your wellbeing through this emergency. Visit our coronavirus data centre to see the latest data from your local area, across Australia and around the world.

Tap below to follow our daily live blog.

Source by [author_name]

Boris Johnson’s Top Adviser Accused Of Flouting Coronavirus Lockdown Rules

0

LONDON (AP) — The British government faced accusations of hypocrisy on Saturday after the revelation that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, traveled more than 250 miles to his parents’ house during a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

The Guardian and Mirror newspapers reported that Cummings, who lives in London, was seen at the property in Durham, northeast England, at the end of March. A lockdown that began March 23 stipulated that people should remain at their primary residence, leaving only for essential local errands and exercise, and not visit relatives. Anyone with symptoms was told to completely isolate themselves.

Durham Police said that officers went to a house on March 31 and “explained to the family the guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.” Police did not mention Cummings by name.



Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, and advisor Dominic Cummings, left. Cummings is accused of flouting coronavirus lockdown rules.

Johnson’s office said in a statement that Cummings made the trip because his wife was showing coronavirus symptoms, he thought he was likely to also get sick, and relatives had offered to help look after the couple’s young son. It said Cummings stayed in a house “near to but separate from” his extended family.

Downing St. said Cummings believed he had behaved “reasonably and legally.”

Cummings, a contentious figure who has a spiky relationship with the media, was one of the architects of the successful “Brexit” campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, and later was appointed Johnson’s top aide.

The government has previously said that Cummings spent some time off work with coronavirus symptoms. He is one of a slew of senior British government figures to contract COVID-19, including the prime minister, who spent three nights in intensive care at a London hospital.

Cummings, 48, is one of several senior U.K. officials who have been accused of flouting the lockdown rules that they advocated for the rest of the country.

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson stepped down as a government scientific adviser earlier this month after a newspaper disclosed that his girlfriend had crossed London to stay with him during the lockdown. In April, Catherine Calderwood resigned as Scotland’s chief medical officer after twice traveling from Edinburgh to her second home.

Dave Penman, the leader of civil servants union the FDA, said “the prime minister needs to understand how heartbreaking this lockdown has been for so many families and the sacrifices that have been made up and down the country.” He said Johnson must explain why “it looks like there is one rule for those at the center of government and one rule for rest of the country.”

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced widespread criticism over his government's response to the pandemic, which s



Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced widespread criticism over his government’s response to the pandemic, which saw him initially downplay the threat of the virus and delay sending the country into lockdown. He later contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a week.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus



Source link