Britain’s top medical and scientific advisers have defended the decision to introduce a lockdown in England on Thursday after questions were raised if the tightened restrictions were necessary.
Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there was a real risk of hospitals being overwhelmed and thousands of lives being lost if action was not taken.
Evidence suggests that the reproduction number (R rate) of Covid-19 is already falling in England but crucially it remains above one – meaning the virus is still spreading.
“What we can see is that the R remains above one everywhere, the epidemic continues to grow,” Sir Patrick told a parliamentary committee.
Prof Whitty said that while case numbers appeared to be flattening in areas of northern England, some hospitals in the region had reached higher Covid occupancy levels than earlier in the year. In the south-west, meanwhile, cases are rising faster and there is less hospital capacity as a result.
“The inevitability that if your R remains above one, even if it is by quite a small amount, once you’ve actually got to a high level of bed usage you’ve got very little headroom,” he said.
Prof Whitty added that new infections were dropping at a slower rate among older people, who are at a greater risk from the virus compared to youngsters.
Sir Patrick apologised for sharing a graph which predicted as many as 4,000 deaths a day from Covid-19 in the worst case scenario if no action was taken. There has been criticism that the graph was based on outdated information.
He was asked by MP Graham Stringer if it was “sensible or fair” to have frightened a lot of people around the country without explaining that it was based on weeks-old data.
“I think I positioned that, and if that didn't come across then I regret that, but I positioned that as a scenario from a couple of weeks ago, based on an assumption to try to get a new reasonable worst-case scenario,” Sir Patrick responded.
Prof Whitty also said there was a solid chance of the lockdown ending on December 2 as currently planned.
"The aim of this is to get the rates down far enough that it's a realistic possibility to move into a different state of play at that point in time," he said.
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
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Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
