Month: July 2021

Move to Level 0 is ‘encouraging milestone’, says business chief

Scotland moves to a ‘modified’ Level 0 from tomorrow, Monday 19th July.

Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said: “The confirmation that Scotland will move to Level 0 on 19th July marks another encouraging milestone towards the full re-opening of Scotland’s economy and business’s ability to recover.

“The fact remains though that the modified framework deviates away from what businesses had been preparing for and moving the goalposts at this late stage will cause uncertainty, negatively impacting on business confidence and recovery.

“The postponing of the phased return of offices will be a bitter blow for employees and employers alike, many of which had been getting ready to welcome employees back into offices from next week. T

“his will also sound alarm bells for those town and city centre businesses, reliant on office worker footfall and custom, who now need to wait another month until those workers start to return.

“Scotland’s hospitality sector, one of the hardest hit by restrictions, will be concerned that anticipated restrictions were not lifted, including little reprieve for the night-time economy, with challenging restrictions on trading remaining.”

On changes to rules for self-isolation and quarantine, Liz Cameron said: “A greater four-nations alignment on international travel restrictions and self-isolation is positive, however, until all restrictions are lifted many businesses operating in Scotland’s travel and tourism sector simply won’t be able to open.

“The international travel industry is vital to Scotland’s wider tourism and hospitality sectors, and it’s essential that financial support for these businesses is not only continued but enhanced to allow them to fully recover when restrictions do finally lift.”

On moving beyond Level 0, Liz Cameron said: “Our view is clear that we should continue on the path set out towards the lifting of all restrictions on the 9th of August as planned.

“The role of the Scottish and UK Government must evolve to enable businesses and communities to operate with autonomy, according to personal circumstances, business preferences and sectoral requirements.”

STUC General Secretary, Roz Foyer, said: “We welcome the more cautious approach set out today by the First Minister. The trade union movement has consistently called for a cautious approach to easing restrictions, based on the data in conjunction with vaccine uptake.

“Many workers will be breathing a sigh of relief at the continuation of mandatory use of face masks. However, for hospitality staff, many of whom will not yet be fully vaccinated, the announcement of larger indoor events may understandably cause fear and worry.

“When planning for the return to office working, we need employers to work with trade unions and employees to consider a phased and flexible approach for their return to work, ensuring workers’ health and wellbeing is protected while working from home or in the office.”

BBC’s commitment to Scotland to be discussed with MPs

BBC spend in Scotland has fluctuated in recent years and, despite Ofcom praising the BBC’s ability to support Scotland’s creative economy, the BBC missed its spend quota in Scotland last year.

 In addition, recent reports have suggested that control of two BBC Scotland studios could be taken over by BBC Studioworks in Elstree, Hertfordshire.  

The Scottish Affairs Committee held a previous session with BBC Scotland in 2018.

MPs will use Monday’s session to explore topics including: 

  • The BBC’s commitment to Scotland;
  • The BBC’s performance in Scotland;
  • UK Government support for public service broadcasting;
  • The impact of the rise of streaming services and social media;
  • How an increasingly digital world could impact the ease at which non-English content – such as BBC Alba and BBC  Radio nan Gàidheal – can be found.

Ofcom has found that people in Scotland watch the most broadcast television of any UK nation, with BBC One productions being the top three most-viewed shows in Scotland in 2019.  

Witnesses:

Tuesday 20 July, from 10am

  • Steve Carson, Director, BBC Scotland
  • Louise Thornton, Head of Multiplatform Commissioning, BBC Scotland
  • Gary Smith, Head of News and Current Affairs, BBC Scotland

University study identifies genes linked to severe Covid-19 risk

An international group of scientists have discovered 13 DNA sequences that are associated with people developing the most severe form of Covid-19.

The identification of the sequences – known as genetic markers – could provide targets for future therapies using repurposed drugs, experts say.

A graphical representation of DNA with coronavirus floating around it

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh joined a global effort to compare the genetic information of almost 50,000 Covid-19 patients with samples provided by healthy volunteers from biobanks, clinical studies, and direct-to-consumer genetic companies like 23andMe.

The team found key differences in 13 genetic markers of Covid-19 patients compared with healthy volunteers. The genes partially explain why some people become seriously ill with Covid-19, while others are not affected.

By pooling the large amount of data from 25 countries, the scientists were able to produce robust analyses more quickly, and from a greater diversity of populations, than any one group could have on its own.

The team also identified factors such as smoking and high body mass index as reasons why some people suffer from Covid-19 more acutely.

Of the 13 genetic markers identified so far, two occur more often among patients of East Asian or South Asian ancestry than in those of European ancestry.

One of these two markers, near the FOXP4 gene, is linked to lung cancer. The different FOXP4 sequence associated with severe Covid-19 increases the gene’s expression, suggesting that inhibiting the gene could be a potential treatment strategy, experts say.

Other genetic markers associated with severe Covid-19 included DPP9, a gene also involved in lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, and the TYK2 gene, which is implicated in some autoimmune diseases.

The latest findings come from the COVID-19 Host Genomics Initiative, which have been published in Nature.

The initiative has grown to be one of the most extensive collaborations in human genetics and currently includes more than 3,300 researchers and 61 studies from 25 countries.

The University of Edinburgh led study GenOMICC (Genetics of Susceptibility and Mortality in Critical Care) is one such project that contributed data to the COVID-19 Host Genomics Initiative.

GenOMICC started in 2015 as an open, global consortium of intensive care clinicians dedicated to understanding genetic factors that influence outcomes in intensive care from diseases such as SARS, influenza and sepsis.

Throughout the pandemic it has been focused on Covid-19 research in partnership with Genomics England.

Researchers will continue to identify additional gene regions associated with infection and severe disease, and will begin to study what factors lead symptoms persisting in some patients for months.

GenOMICC is funded by the charity Sepsis Research FEAT, the Intensive Care Society, Wellcome, UK Research and Innovation, Scotland’s Chief Scientist Office, the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Institute for Health Research.

Dr Kenneth Baillie, GenOMICC’s chief investigator and Academic Consultant in Critical Care Medicine and Senior Research Fellow at University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, said: “By working together across the whole world, we are able to accelerate discovery for the benefit of patients.

“This new international analysis builds on the colossal effort made by patients and intensive care research teams across the whole UK in the GenOMICC study.”

Picture (top): kirstypargeter via Getty Images

Cllr Kate Campbell: “We’re making Edinburgh a Living Wage city”

Councillor KATE CAMPBELL, Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, writes about Edinburgh’s ambitions to be a Living Wage city.

Fair work. You’d think in Scotland in 2021 we wouldn’t need the ‘fair’. Just the concept of work in one of the most prosperous, democratically developed and progressive nations in the world – it should just include a presumption that work will be fair.

But sadly, that isn’t the case.

We’ve too many workers in our city paid the minimum, not the living wage – that’s around 38,000 people who earn less than £9.50 per hour.  Many don’t have job security or guaranteed hours. Many have little or no access to training or development and lack any form of representation through trade unions.

I’m not going to pretend that the City of Edinburgh Council alone can fix this. We can’t. But there are some things we can do.

Firstly – we’re going to make Edinburgh a Living Wage city.

Step one is to acknowledge all the fantastic employers in our city. We need to champion the people and organisations who recognise the value of their staff. And the benefit of investing in them. And we need to come together to promote those benefits.

We’re setting up a group of existing living wage employers across different sectors. We’ll work together to understand the barriers that prevent organisations becoming living wage employers, and how we can break down those barriers. And then we’ll put together an action plan.

It’s clear that in Edinburgh tourism is a major employer, and we know that hospitality is one of the areas that has historically struggled to pay the living wage.

But hospitality businesses have also been hit hard during the pandemic – reduced capacity due to social distancing, closure due to lockdowns, outbreaks and the need to self-isolate.

As labour shortages arise from Brexit there will be a need for businesses to offer more to retain skilled staff. Fair work and the living wage will be absolutely key.

Over recent years we’ve seen customers ask more of businesses – sustainability is a good example. People want to spend money with organisations that they believe are contributing to saving the planet, or at least working hard to mitigate any negative impacts from their activity. It costs more – but customers value sustainability so it pays for itself.

So, it’s important that as customers we are asking for the same ethical values of fair employment – because as citizens we will all benefit.

The pandemic has hit many hard but people on the lowest wages, and small businesses, have undoubtedly borne the brunt. Let’s all be part of the recovery to a better city. It’ll be hard for some businesses to make the leap to becoming living wage employers – so let’s make sure we support and encourage them.

This article first appeared in the Evening News

Self-isolation for ALL travellers returning from France

Beta variant may evade vaccines, experts warn

Decision taken to protect public health in Scotland

Fully vaccinated travellers returning to Scotland from France will still be required to self-isolate from tommorow (Monday 19 July).

The decision follows concerns about the persistence of Beta variant cases in France, given this variant – also known as B.1.351 – may evade vaccine protection. It means that anyone who has been in France in the previous 10 days will need to quarantine on arrival to Scotland in their own accommodation and will need a day two and day eight coronavirus (COVID-19) test, regardless of their vaccination status.

From Monday 19 July, travellers from other amber list countries will not be asked to self-isolate if they have been fully vaccinated through the NHS in the UK and 14 days have passed since their second vaccination.

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said: “Nobody wants travel restrictions in place for any longer than is absolutely necessary.

“We have been clear that the green, amber and red lists can change at short notice. It important we act quickly to limit the risk of importation of variants of concern which could undermine the rollout of our vaccine programme.”

UK Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We have always been clear that we will not hesitate to take rapid action at our borders to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the gains made by our successful vaccination programme.

“With restrictions lifting on Monday across the country, we will do everything we can to ensure international travel is conducted as safely as possible, and protect our borders from the threat of variants.”

It was announced last night that Mr Javid has tested positive for Covid.

Mr Javid met with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor on Friday, and both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should be self-isolating.

By good fortune, though, our heroes won’t have to go through this tiresome self-isolation inconvenience – it seems the plucky pair are participants in a ‘pilot programme’ in which daily tests replace that tedious self-isolation. How fortunate is that !!

BUT WAIT …

REVERSE FERRET ALERT!!!

CHANGE OF PLAN: The prime minister and chancellor will now self-isolate as normal after contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive for coronavirus.

Case numbers continue to rise ahead of the lifting of rules on social contact in England tomorrow, so-called ‘Freedom Day’. Respected epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson said this morning that 100,000 cases per day are ‘almost inevitable’.

Some freedom …

More information on international travel and quarantine

Threipmuir Reservoir: body found

Police in Edinburgh have confirmed that a body has been found in the Threipmuir Reservoir following a recovery operation after a man was seen getting into difficulties in the water around 5.35pm on Wednesday, 14 July.

Formal identification is yet to take place, but the family of the man, who have asked for privacy, have been made aware.

There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Thriepmuir Reservoir car park and the path alongside the reservoir, is now reopen to the public.

Sextortion: Webcam Blackmail

Criminals befriend victims online using fake identities, persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of a webcam, often by using attractive women/men to entice the victim to participate.

The webcam videos are recorded, then used by threatening to share them with the victims’ friends & family, unless the victim pays money.

The best way to protect potential victims is to encourage them to be careful about whom you befriend online just as you would offline, especially when considering sharing intimate images.

For further help and support, visit Police Scotland website:- 

http://ow.ly/SZrY50FuHMd

Heart Research UK Healthy tip – Healthy breakfast

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

A survey by Action on Salt has found that second to bread, bacon is one of the biggest contributors of salt to the UK diet, with many brands containing at least as much salt as seawater!

Too much salt in your diet can cause your body to hold onto more water which puts pressure on your heart and arteries by increasing your blood volume. This weekend, why not start the day in a heart-healthy way?

Here are a few tips below for doing just that:



Reduce Processed Meats

Try swapping processed meats like bacon, for healthy protein sources such as oily fish (salmon, pilchards, mackerel) or eggs. When it comes to salt, try to avoid ‘canned in brine’ and ‘smoked’ options and instead opt for grilled or baked fish and add your own choice of salt-free flavouring.

Crushed black pepper, chopped tomatoes, lemon, herbs, or even turmeric can all add extra flavour to your meal, without the added salt.

Swap out Breads

Moderately processed foods such as wholegrain bread can be eaten in moderation, but there are other options if your goal is to reduce your salt intake. Why not try serving a poached egg on a baked Portobello mushroom instead of bread, or cook up a naked veggie burger or burrito?

For added taste, crisp up your vegetables with a light spray of rapeseed oil, and add a little paprika and black pepper. Wilted spinach, vine tomatoes, grilled peppers and chia seeds will also add colour and flavour to your meal.

Maximise your Fruit and Vegetables

Vegetables and fruits are a great source of nutrients and contain little-to-no salt whilst ‘bulking up’ your meal.

Smoothies are also a great way to get one of your ‘5-a-day’ and they can be really filling and yummy too. Be sure to stick to no more than 150ml per day to maintain healthy daily sugar levels as it can be easy to consume lots in one go when fruit is blended.

As an alternative breakfast why not try our Banana Breakfast Smoothie recipe or try adding a handful of fresh fruit to your morning porridge?

Euro 2020 VAR decisions 14.39% less controversial than English Premier League, research reveals

VAR and refereeing were unlikely highlights of this summer’s European Championships, with new research revealing the technology’s use to be 14.39% less controversial than the English Premier League.

Research onVAR at the Euros from bookmaker William Hill has combined reactionary metrics such as Tweet volume, text sentiment analysis, articles generated and associated levels of engagement, culminating in a bespoke, first-of-its-kind controversy rating being assigned to each of the 18 overturns.

And this summer’s pan-European football tournament, which comprised 24 teams, 51 matches and 11 host cities, returned an average controversy rating of 4.40, going some way toward resurrecting its ailing reputation at what many believed was a seminal moment for the technology.

In all, there were just 18 overturns by the 22-strong VAR team based in Nyon, who shaved 17.84% off a pre-tournament average of a change every 3.25 matches, since February 2019.

Five of those 18 overturns led to goals, six led to the awarding of penalties (four of those missed), three goals were allowed after offside and six disallowed, there was one disallowed for handball, and two red cards brandished, as a result of the technology’s unobtrusive patrol.

In all there were 276 incidents checked in 51 matches (5.4 a match) with 93.5% of on-field calls correct. Of 30 tight offside calls, nine required review, but the VAR team ensured a 100% accuracy on these.

“I believe that Europe has the best VARs in the world,” said chairman of UEFA’s Referees Committee, Roberto Rosetti. “We feel that VAR is an incredible tool for football, because it helps prevent clear and obvious refereeing mistakes.

“The 18 VAR corrections at the EURO were all 100% right, which shows the quality of the work that the VAR teams did. We can accept referees’ mistakes on the field – these can happen – but it’s very difficult to accept mistakes by VARs in front of a video screen.

“Consequently, we were pleased that the EURO VARs’ decisions were so reliable.”

Mario Gavranovic’s ruled-out winner (6.63) in a 1-1 group-stage draw with Wales claimed the unenviable accolade of ‘most controversial VAR call of the tournament’, the Swiss forward adjudged to have been inches offside (correctly). That was one of 21 tight offside calls in the first 36 games of the tournament, and one of six warranting review.

Karim Benzema’s strike (6.0) for France in their 1-0 group-stage win over Germany too, was one of those clinically accurate offside calls by the VAR team. On this occasion Kylian Mbappe strayed just offside as part of a free-flowing counter. 

Elsewhere, Matthijs de Ligt’s card upgrade to red, for deliberate handball, in the Netherlands’ last 16 clash with Czech Republic was rated at 5.92.

But with all three proven to be technically correct, we have seen fewer controversies, less outrage, no game-defining errors and most importantly no lengthy VAR interruptions over the past four weeks.

Europa League Final VAR Françoi Letexier (6.63) was the most controversial VAR official, 10.5% more controversial than Juan Martínez Munuera, Amsterdam ArenA (5.305) pipped Football Arena Munich and Olimpico in Rome to be the most controversial stadium, and the final five minutes of the 90 were comfortably most controversial too.