Covid-19: Rule-breakers ‘increasingly likely’ to be fined – Cressida Dick
Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick
wrote in the Times that Londoners have been hosting raves, house parties and gambling events.
Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder extradition to US blocked by UK judge
She said: “Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.”
Wealdstone: Boreham Wood derby off after Covid-19 case in Stones’ squad
Wealdstone’s derby trip to Boreham Wood has become the fifth bank holiday Monday fixture in the National League to be called off due to coronavirus.
Both sides had agreed to move the game from Wealdstone’s Grosvenor Vale ground after damage caused by Storm Bella.
But it has had to be postponed anyway – the third successive Wood game called off due to opposition Covid-19 cases.
Their National League fixture with Barnet on 26 December was one of two games the Bees had to postpone after positive tests within their squad.
Boreham Wood were also given a bye to the fourth round of the FA Trophy three days earlier after scheduled opponents Yeovil chose to withdraw following a confirmed coronavirus case at Huish Park.
In addition to Monday’s match, Wealdstone have also postponed Saturday’s home game against Maidenhead United with Stones players self-isolating in line with government guidelines.
Monday fixtures between Barnet and Maidenhead, Chesterfield and King’s Lynn Town, Dagenham & Redbridge and Bromley, and Sutton United and Dover Athletic have already been called off.
Acton car crash: Woman admits manslaughter
Rhian Beresford admits killing Stefan Melnyk, who was hit by a car and died in Acton in March.
mice control
Women’s Super League: Wales manager Jayne Ludlow set to be named West Ham boss
Wales manager Jayne Ludlow is set to be named the new West Ham boss following Matt Beard’s departure.
Ludlow, 41, who has been in charge of the national team since 2014, was formerly director of women’s football and first-team manager at Women’s Super League club Reading.
Beard left West Ham by mutual consent in November.
BBC Sport reported last month that Birmingham City manager Carla Ward was also a target for the West Ham job.
West Ham sit 10th in the WSL table with two wins from their opening nine games.
They won 4-0 at bottom-of-the-table Bristol City on Sunday and face 11th-placed Aston Villa in their next fixture.
‘Kevin’s identity was stolen by police after he died’
The officers who used the identities of Kevin, Rod, Neil and Michael infiltrated groups including the Animal Liberation Front, Class War and the Revolutionary Communist Party. Their true identities, like most of their colleagues’, remain secret, as do even the cover names of more than 50 other police. More than 40 officers are said to have taken the names of dead children.
Coronavirus pandemic: Tracking the global outbreak
Image copyright
Getty Images
Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than three million confirmed cases in 185 countries and more than 200,000 deaths.
The United States alone has more than one million confirmed cases – four times as many as any other country.
This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus since it emerged in China in December last year.
How many cases and deaths have there been?
The virus, which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
It is spreading rapidly in many countries and the number of deaths is still climbing.
Note: The map and table in this page uses a different source for figures for France from that used by Johns Hopkins University which results in a slightly lower overall total.
The US has by far the largest number of cases, with more than one million confirmed infections, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University. With more than 60,000 fatalities, it also has the world’s highest death toll.
Italy, the UK, Spain and France – the worst-hit European countries – have all recorded more than 20,000 deaths.
In China, the official death toll is approaching 5,000 from about 84,000 confirmed cases. Numbers for deaths jumped on 17 April after what officials called “a statistical review” and critics have questioned whether the country’s official numbers can be trusted.
Note: The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average
The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March. This is when an infectious disease is passing easily from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time.
More than three million people are known to have been infected worldwide, but the true figure is thought to be much higher as many of those with milder symptoms have not been tested and counted.
While the US and much of Europe has been hit hard by the virus, some countries have managed to avoid similar death tolls.
New Zealand, for instance, says it has effectively eliminated the threat for now after fewer than 1,500 cases and just 19 deaths.
The country brought in some of the toughest restrictions in the world on travel and activity early on in the pandemic but is now relaxing some of these. This week some non-essential businesses will be reopening but most people will still have to stay at home and avoid all social interactions.
While some countries are beginning to ease restrictions, others are only now starting to impose them as cases and deaths begin to rise.
Across Latin America, where many economies are already struggling and millions live on what they can earn day-to-day, there are concerns about the strain the growing number of virus cases could put on health care systems. Of particular concern are Ecuador and Brazil.
Ecuador has already seen its health system collapse – thousands have died from the virus and other conditions that could not be treated because of the crisis. While Brazil has also seen a steep rise in both cases and deaths, with every state in South America’s largest country affected.
Across the world, more than 4.5 billion people – half the world’s population – are estimated to be living under social distancing measures, according to the AFP news agency.
Those restrictions have had a big impact on the global economy, with the International Monetary Fund saying the world faces the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The UN World Food Programme has also warned that the pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger.
Europe beginning to ease lockdown measures
The four worst-hit countries in Europe are Italy, the UK, Spain and France – all of which have recorded at least 20,000 deaths.
However, all four countries appear to have passed through the peak of the virus now and the number of reported cases and deaths is falling in each.
Germany and Belgium also recorded a relatively high number of deaths and are now seeing those numbers decrease, though as Belgium has a far smaller population than Germany the number of deaths per capita there has been higher.
How countries across Europe are deciding to move out of lockdown varies, with the EU saying there is “no one-size-fits-all approach” to lifting containment measures.
Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift its lockdown and return to a “new normality” by the end of June. Children there under the age of 14 are now allowed to leave their homes for an hour a day, after six weeks in lockdown.
In Italy, certain shops and factories have been allowed to reopen and the prime minister says further measures will be eased from 4 May.
In France, the prime minister said this week that non-essential shops and markets will open their doors again from 11 May, but not bars and restaurants. Schools will also be reopened gradually.
Other European countries easing restrictions include Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Germany, where children’s play areas and museums have been told they can reopen and church services can resume, under strict social distancing and hygiene rules.
In the UK, where there have been more than 170,000 confirmed cases and at least 26,000 deaths, lockdown measures are still in full effect. The prime minister has promised a “comprehensive plan” in the next week on how the government will get the country moving again.
New York remains epicentre of US outbreak
With more than one million cases, the US has the highest number of confirmed infections in the world. The country has also recorded more than 60,000 deaths.
The state of New York has been particularly badly affected, with 18,000 deaths in New York City alone, but Governor Andrew Cuomo says the toll “seems to be on a gentle decline”.
Mr Cuomo has suggested some parts of his state could begin to reopen after the current stay-at-home order expires on 15 May.
At one point, more than 90% of the US population was under mandatory lockdown orders, but President Trump has stated that he will not be renewing his government’s social distancing guidelines once they expire on Thursday and some states have already begun to lift restrictions.
Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina have all allowed some businesses to reopen in recent days following official unemployment figures that showed more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs since mid-March.
But public health authorities have warned that increasing human interactions and economic activity could spark a fresh surge of infections just as the number of new cases is beginning to ease off.
White House coronavirus taskforce coordinator Dr Deborah Birx has said social distancing should remain the norm “through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases”.
Max Malins: Saracens full-back out for three months after breaking foot against Exeter
Saracens full-back Max Malins has had surgery to repair a broken foot, ruling him out for three months.
The 23-year-old former England Under-20 international suffered the injury in Sarries’ 14-7 defeat at Premiership leaders Exeter on 29 December.
He will now begin a rehabilitation programme following Monday’s successful operation but is expected to be out of action until April.
Saracens are bottom of the Premiership table on -7 points.
The reigning champions were docked 35 points and fined £5.36m in November for breaching salary cap regulations.
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur – BBC Sport
TEAM NEWS
Southampton await news on whether strikers Shane Long and Michael Obafemi will be available after suffering with injury and illness respectively.
Defender Yan Valery is also doubtful due to an infection.
Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko available again after they missed the draw with Norwich due to suspension.
However, Heung-min Son is still banned and Ben Davies, Hugo Lloris and Danny Rose remain on the injury list.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@Mark_Scott_: A lot has changed since these two last met in September in what proved to be the final league victory of Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Tottenham.
Some felt Ralph Hasenhuttl was more likely than Pochettino to be out of a job first following Southampton’s 9-0 annihilation against Leicester, but he has since steered them clear of the relegation zone and reckons that awful evening has actually been the catalyst for their recent upturn in form.
Defensive issues have been an unexpected feature of Jose Mourinho’s spell at Spurs, although the club struggled at the back on their travels throughout 2019, having gone a year without an away clean sheet in the league.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl: “We are a much more competitive team at the moment.
“We have found a way that works and it is not a coincidence now that we are continuously taking points and we are able to force problems for every opponent.
“The level is now clear, the benchmark is clear. We will not lean back; we will go further forward and try to extend our performances.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
I feel Tottenham have so much quality that if they get it right against Southampton, who are on a nice little run, then they will win comfortably.
Prediction: 0-2
Lawro’s full predictions v Britain’s Got Talent comedian Kojo Anim
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Southampton’s 2-1 victory last season ended a run of six consecutive home league games without a win against Spurs.
- Tottenham have won 11 of the 15 league meetings since Southampton returned to the top flight in 2012 – their most victories in that period against any Premier League club.
Southampton
- Southampton’s tally of 13 points from the past seven rounds of fixtures is only bettered by Liverpool and Manchester United.
- Their only two Premier League home wins this season were against the current bottom two sides, Watford and Norwich City.
- Saints are looking to avoid equalling their club top-flight record of 16 consecutive home fixtures without a clean sheet, set from March 1998 to January 1999.
- Danny Ings has scored half of his team’s 24 league goals this season, the highest proportion of any player in the top flight.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Since Jose Mourinho took over as head coach, only Liverpool have won more Premier League points than the 16 by Spurs.
- It is a year to the day since Tottenham last kept a clean sheet away from home in the league, in a 3-0 win over Cardiff.
- They have conceded a goal in 17 successive away league matches, their longest top-flight run without a clean sheet since April 1976 to April 1977.
- Spurs haven’t lost their first league game of a calendar year since 2009, winning eight and drawing two.
- Harry Kane has scored in six consecutive league appearances against Southampton – only three players have had longer streaks versus a single Premier League opponent, led by Robin van Persie’s eight-match run against Stoke.
Croydon stabbing: Man, 60, found injured in street dies
Image copyright
Google
The victim was found suffering from stab wounds outside a property in Woodcroft Road
A 60-year-old man has been stabbed to death in a residential street in south London.
Police and ambulance crews were called to reports of a stabbing in Woodcroft Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, at 21:30 GMT on Monday.
The victim was found outside a property with knife injuries and was pronounced dead at 21:49, the Met Police said.
A 50-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and taken into custody.
The suspect became unwell while in custody and was transferred to hospital where he is in a stable condition, police said.
Det Ch Insp Simon Harding said: “The victim was found injured in a residential street. While it is not a heavy footfall location, there may have been members of the public travelling through Woodcroft Road who saw something.
“I urge those people to come forward and speak to my officers without delay.
“No matter how insignificant you think it may be please do make the call.
“We are building the sequence of events leading up to and immediately following this attack which has led to a man’s death, your call could complete the picture.”
Inquiries into the circumstances continue.