EBay to drop American Express over ‘unacceptably high fees’

5 June 2024, 17:54

Ebay-American-Express. Picture: PA

Online merchants have become increasingly combative with payment processors in recent years over the fees they charge to accept payments.

Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online.

It is a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards.

But it is not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx’s business practices by walking away, most notably the warehouse chain Costco nearly a decade ago.

“After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally, effective August 17, due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions,” said eBay spokesman Scott Overland.

Mr Overland said that eBay customers have become aware of new ways to pay for items, making payments more competitive than ever before, and AmEx was no longer a necessary partner for eBay.

After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally, effective August 17, due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions

EBay spokesman Scott Overland

EBay has increasingly been offering customers buy now, pay later options on purchases through Apple Pay, PayPal and other companies like Klarna and Affirm.

“We know that the vast majority of eBay customers are willing to use alternative payment options to continue enjoying buying and selling on our marketplace,” Mr Overland said.

Online merchants have become increasingly combative with payment processors in recent years over the fees they charge to accept payments.

Amazon had a similar fight with Visa in the UK roughly two years ago, where Amazon threatened to drop Visa as a payment acceptance type over what it also called high fees.

Visa and Amazon eventually resolved their differences and there was no disruption of service.

Like other payment processors, AmEx takes a percentage of each transaction a merchant processes on their network.

We find eBay’s decision to drop American Express as a payment choice for consumers to be inconsistent with their stated desire to increase competition at the point of sale

Adam Isserlis, AmEx

The fee varies by industry, and the fees that the largest merchants pay are typically a closely guarded trade secret.

The National Retail Federation says the average fee to accept a credit card is roughly 2% but can be as high as 4% on premium rewards credit cards like AmEx.

In a statement, American Express says that eBay’s cost to accept AmEx cards is “comparable to what eBay pays for similar cards on other networks” and that AmEx cardmembers typically spend double at eBay than on other networks.

“We find eBay’s decision to drop American Express as a payment choice for consumers to be inconsistent with their stated desire to increase competition at the point of sale,” said Adam Isserlis, a spokesman for AmEx.

AmEx has been on an aggressive campaign, under its current chief executive Steve Squeri, to be a more universally accepted payment option across all merchants in an effort to combat the negative image that AmEx is less accepted and only available for its cardmembers for travel, dining, high-end shops or in dense urban areas.

AmEx says its cards are now accepted at 99% of the places that Visa and Mastercard are accepted in the US, a metric it achieved in 2019.

But there have been setbacks along the way.

When Costco announced it would drop American Express in 2015, it was a major blow to AmEx since Costco represented roughly 10% of cardmember loans. It was also one of AmEx’s most prominent partnerships.

Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods estimate that eBay may represent roughly 0.5% of AmEx’s worldwide network volume and it is unlikely that AmEx will move much on pricing with eBay.

By Press Association

UN secretary-general calls for ‘windfall’ tax on profits of fossil fuel companies

5 June 2024, 17:44

Climate Causes of 2023 Heat. Picture: PA

The burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal is the main contributor to global warming caused by human activity

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for a “windfall” tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, calling them the “godfathers of climate chaos”.

In a bare-knuckled speech timed for World Environment Day, Mr Guterres, who has repeatedly spoken out about the threat of climate change, said that global emissions of carbon dioxide must fall 9% each year to 2030 for the 1.5C target to be kept alive.

The burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal is the main contributor to global warming caused by human activity.

He called on advanced economies in the Group of 20 countries, who are holding a summit in Brazil next month, to take the lead.

“We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unliveable lands,” Mr Guterres said.

His speech came as the UN weather agency predicted that there is an 80% chance that average global temperatures will surpass the 1.5C target laid out in the landmark Paris climate accord within the next five years.

The World Meteorological Organisation said that the global mean near-surface temperature for each year from 2024 to 2028 is expected to range between 1.1C and 1.9C hotter than at the start of the industrial era.

It also estimated that there is nearly a one in two chance – 47% – that the average global temperatures over that entire five-year span could top 1.5C, an increase from just under a one-in-three chance projected for the 2023-2027 span.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s climate service says last month marked the hottest May ever, capping 12 straight months of average monthly temperature records amid high and rising concerns about global warming.

The EU’s Copernicus climate change service, a global reference for tracking world temperatures, cited an average surface air temperature of 15.9C last month, or 1.52C higher than the estimated May average before industrial times.

Mr Guterres spoke from the American Museum of Natural History in New York in a bid to revive focus on climate change at a time when many national elections, and conflict in places like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan this year have seized much of the international spotlight.

He repeated concerns about subsidies paid out in many countries for fossil fuels, which help keep prices low for consumers.

“Climate change is the mother of all stealth taxes paid by everyday people and vulnerable countries and communities,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the godfathers of climate chaos, the fossil fuel industry, rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”

Mr Guterres said that global emissions of carbon dioxide must fall 9% each year to 2030 for the 1.5C target under the Paris climate accords to be kept alive.

But temperatures are “heading in the wrong direction,” he said. They rose 1C last year.

“We are playing Russian roulette with the planet. We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” Mr Guterres said, adding: “The truth is, we have control of the wheel.”

He appealed to “global finance”, alluding to banks and international financial institutions, to help contribute money, saying “innovative sources of funds” are needed.

“It’s time to put an effective price on carbon and tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies,” he said.

But Mr Guterres said that all countries and people must join the fight, including the developing world, such as by ending deforestation and meeting targets to double energy efficiency and triple renewables by 2030.

Some critics say Mr Guterres, which such alarmist speeches, puts too much focus on stirring emotions than focusing on science that lays out the actual threat.

But UN officials and non-governmental groups acknowledge that the secretary-general has little power beyond the “bully pulpit”, his perch at the head of the world body, to stir people, governments and business to change.

By Press Association

MH370 breakthrough as investigators plan to use sea explosions to solve mystery of aircraft's location

Pressure signals could be used to locate the missing plane. Picture: Alamy/Google Maps

By Emma Soteriou

30 May 2024, 14:52

A breakthrough in the mystery of the missing MH370 flight could be on the way as fresh plans have been proposed to use sea explosions to uncover its location.

The Boeing 777 plane carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014.

Researchers have found that audio signals captured at a hydroacoustic station off the coast of Australia could hold the answer to the mystery.

Unique acoustic signatures are created when aircrafts crash, which can travel more than 3,000km through the water.

It has now been suggested that a series of controlled underwater explosions could help in finding a more precise location of the wreckage.

The system was previously used in the search for ARA San Juan, an Argentinian sub that disappeared in 2017.

Read more: Expert claims to have found Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 wreckage on Google Maps

Read more: MH370 mystery could be solved as underwater search expert vows state-of-the-art new hunt for wreckage

A wing flap found on Pemba Island, Tanzania was previously identified as a missing part of Flight MH370. Picture: Getty

Dr Usama Kadri from Cardiff University’s School of Mathematics said: "Our analysis shows clear pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes were detected on hydrophones, even at distances exceeding 3,000km.

"In the case of MH370, official investigations concluded the aircraft must have crashed near the 7th arc, the point at which the last communication between the plane and INMERSAT [a British satellite telecommunications company] occurred.

"The main search area at the 7th arc lies less than 2,000km away from the hydroacoustic station at Cape Leeuwin, Australia, with no impediments to filter out the signal.

"However, within the time frame and location suggested by the official search, only a single, relatively weak signal was identified."

Dr Kadri went on to say: "It is relatively straightforward and feasible and could provide a means to determine the signal’s relevance to MH370, prior to resuming with another extensive search. If found to be related, this would significantly narrow down, almost pinpoint, the aircraft’s location.

"On the other hand, if the signals are found to be unrelated, it would indicate a need for authorities to reassess the time frame or location established by their official search efforts to date."

Mr Wilson has alleged he found the site wreckage on Google Earth. Picture: Google Maps

It comes after it was claimed that the wreckage of the missing flight MH370 had been found on Google Maps.

Technology expert Ian Wilson said he believed he had identified the wreckage of the ill-fated flight in the Cambodian jungle.

Mr Wilson said: "Measuring the Google sighting, you're looking at around 69 metres, but there looks to be a gap between the tail and the back of the plane.

"It's just slightly bigger, but there's a gap that would probably account for that."

At the time, an expensive multinational government search failed to turn up any clues, although several pieces of debris washed ashore on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands.

A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing, but it sparked moves to bolster aviation safety.

Firefighters using ice immersion to treat heatstroke victims as temperatures soar above 100F in parts of US

Dangerously hot conditions produced triple-digit temperatures in Arizona - and forecasters say they are likely to top 110F (43.3C) in some areas later this week.


Wednesday 5 June 2024  UK

Firefighters in Phoenix demonstrate the ice immersion therapy on a dummy. 

Firefighters are immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to hospitals as temperatures soar in the US southwest.

Dangerously hot conditions in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, produced triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday - and forecasters say they are likely to top 110F (43.3C) in some areas by Thursday, prompting excessive heat warnings.

Phoenix Fire Department hopes employing the new tactic of using cold water immersion therapy will save more lives.

At least 645 people in Maricopa County - home of Phoenix and many of its suburbs - died from heat-related causes last year - a 52% increase on the previous year.

"Just last week we had a critical patient that we were able to bring back before we walked through the emergency room doors," said Fire Captain John Prato.

"That's our goal - to improve patient survivability."

There were 645 heat-related deaths in Phoenix's Maricopa County last year. 

The fire chief said the medical technique is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol.

It involves packing ice cubes inside an impermeable blue bag around a patient's body.

He said the technique could dramatically lower a person's body temperature in minutes.

Phoenix Fire Captain John Prato demonstrates the new protocol. 

Tuesday's temperatures reached 106F (41.1C) in Bullhead City, Arizona, 104F (40C) in Phoenix and 103F (39.4C) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Highs in California included 112F (44.4C) at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, 108F (42.2C) in Needles and 104F (40C) in Palm Springs.

By Wednesday afternoon, much of an area stretching from southeast California to central Arizona will see "easily their hottest" weather since last September, forecasters said.

Excessive heat warnings have been issued for Wednesday morning through to Friday evening for parts of southeast California, southern Nevada and Arizona.

"We've been seeing a severe uptick in the past three years in cases of severe heat illness," said Dr Paul Pugsley, medical director of emergency medicine with Valleywise Health, a network of taxpayer-funded hospitals in Arizona. Of those, about 40% do not survive, he added.

Cooling down patients long before they get to the emergency department could help, Dr Pugsley said.

Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix used the technique to treat patients last summer, said Dr Aneesh Narang, assistant medical director of emergency medicine at the hospital.

"This cold water immersion therapy is really the standard of care to treat heatstroke patients," he said.

CLIMATE CRISIS IS  CRISIS OF CAPITALI$M

Austria closes Danube for shipping as deadly floods spread across central Europe

dpa (www.dpa.de). 

Alle Rechte vorbehalten
By Euronews with AP

Published on 05/06/2024 - 

Flooding caused by torrential rain that killed five people in Germany over the weekend has spread across Austria and Hungary overnight Tuesday.


The entire Danube in Austria has been closed after its banks burst in Linz, the country's third-largest city.

The river, which flows over 350 kilometres of Austria, was shut down for shipping after heavy rainfall caused floods in both Austria and Germany.

The decision to close comes after flooding turned deadly in southern Germany on the weekend, where five people were killed.


Police confirmed on Tuesday that a woman's body was recovered from a car that sank into floodwater in Bavaria.

The woman was found in the town of Markt Rettenbach after ignoring barriers blocking a flooded road on Monday and driving off the road into a field.

The bodies of four other people who died in the floods were found on Sunday and Monday, three of them in basements.

A 22-year-old firefighter was killed during a rescue operation.

The old town is flooded by the Danube in Passau, Germany, Tuesday June 4, 2024. 

Armin Weigel/(c) Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten

The German DWD weather service declared the rainfall, which has hit southern Germany for days, had ended on Tuesday. Water levels remain at high levels, however.

Markus Söder, the minister-president of Bavaria, has announced that the state government will provide those affected with at least €100 million in financial aid. He declared the as "serious."

Firefighter killed, ICE train derails as catastrophic flooding continues in southern Germany

At least five dead in floods in southern Germany as situation remains critical

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the impacted areas on Tuesday, saying it was the fourth time this year he was on a similar mission.

He added the German government "will do everything we can, including using the possibilities offered by the federal government, to ensure that help can be provided quickly."

The weather has also impacted nearby Hungary and Poland, which both predicted heavy rainfall in the coming days.

Reconstruction After Floods in Thessaly to Cost €3.5 Billion, Mitsotakis Says

ByTasos Kokkinidis
June 5, 2024

Mitsotakis is briefed at the newly established Regional Center for Civil Protection Operations of Thessaly. Credit: Press Office of the Greek PM

The cost of rebuilding Thessaly in central Greece after last year’s destructive floods, which killed 17 people, will reach 3.5 billion euros, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday.

In September 2023, Storm Daniel deluged Thessaly, one of Greece’s breadbaskets, destroying homes, businesses and infrastructure.

“It was essentially the biggest natural disaster that the Greek state had to manage in its history and our estimate is that the total cost of the reconstruction of Thessaly will exceed 3.5 billion euros,” Mitsotakis said during Tuesday’s visit to the region, adding that the state is more prepared than in the past to deal with its financial aftermath.

“If this natural disaster found us in another economic situation, things would certainly be much more difficult,” he said.

Mitsotakis opened the Regional Center for Civil Protection Operations of Thessaly and the new facilities of the Regional Fire Administration of Thessaly.

“The regional coordination center, gives us much greater operational readiness and, most importantly, a much better insight into the real conditions in the field,” the Greek PM said.

“Our government is making a great effort to strengthen Civil Protection in the country, spending more than 2 billion euros, primarily of European resources, to strengthen Civil Protection infrastructure,” he added.

Proposals to deal with the Thessaly floods

Dutch experts have proposed massive infrastructure works, including the relocation of entire villages, in Greece’s Thessaly Plain to prevent future floods.

After the deadly floods of last September in Thessaly Greece requested the assistance of the Dutch experts of HVA, an agricultural development & asset management company with experience of mega projects around the globe.

The Netherlands has developed know-how during its constant battle with the sea and the management of the waters of the River Rhine.

It proposes, among other things a series of measures such as controlled flooding, relocation of villages and agricultural land, building dams, opening tributaries and changing agricultural production.

HVA’s scientists who spent weeks examining the Thessaly Basin say that work should be completed within six years.

They warn that the region is facing the risk of completely exhausting its water reserves. They also say that inhabitants should get used to phenomena such as the Mediterranean cyclones that hit twice in the last three years.

“The inhabitants of Thessaly also have to accept”, say the Dutch scientists, “as the inhabitants of other European countries have been forced to do after severe floods, that some areas will have to be ceded to give space to the rivers.”

They propose that more space must be given to the three main rivers in Thessaly: Acheloos, Pinios, and also Litheos, which cross the city of Trikala.

BAD NEWS

Supporters think ecstasy has potential to treat PTSD, but FDA panel rejects psychedelic drug

ByDenise Dador 
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 


Federal health advisers have rejected the first-ever proposal to use MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, but supporters of MDMA therapy praise its effectiveness.

Federal health advisers have rejected the first-ever proposal to use MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. The nonbinding vote is a potential setback for psychedelic advocates hoping to move the banned drugs into the mainstream.

A panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration cited flawed study data, questionable research conduct and significant drug risks, including the potential for heart problems, injury and abuse.

However, strong supporters of MDMA therapy continue to praise its effectiveness, including advocate Lori Tipton who took part in the drug's clinical trials.

Doctors diagnosed the New Orleans resident with post traumatic stress disorder after Hurricane Katrina hit her hometown.

"My brother passed away from an overdose. And then after that, my mother took the lives of two women and then took the life of herself. And I was the person who discovered their bodies within the house," Tipton said. "I had crazy mood swings, panic attacks, insomnia. I had intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation."

Various forms of therapy didn't help. In 2018, she enrolled in a clinical trial to test the psychedelic drug MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy or molly.

Tipton underwent three supervised sessions where she was given microdoses followed by patient-guided talk therapy. She says reconnecting with buried memories opened an avenue for self healing.

"It allowed me to see that from a very different perspective, and to understand, like the amount of shame that I was holding on to and fear," Tipton said.

For now, the panel is not recommending MDMA move into the medical mainstream and felt the risks didn't outweigh the benefits.

"The only way to obtain this treatment legally in this country at this time is through clinical trials," Lalim Health founder Dr. April Soto said.

Dr. Soto says mind altering medications can help patients come to terms with their trauma.

Lykos Therapeutics, the company sponsoring the study, presented two late stage study results.

"67% of patients who had the MDMA no longer met criteria for PTSD," Dr. Soto said, compared to 32% of patients on the placebo.

She emphasizes the need for a meticulous medical evaluation due to the known safety risks that include hypertension, elevated blood pressure and tachycardia.

After six years, Tipton has not needed more MDMA therapy and remains an advocate.


"Unbelievable, the amount of lives that can save, unbelievable, you know, that's my experience with it at least," Tipton said.

MDMA is the first in a series of psychedelics - including LSD and psilocybin - that are expected to come before the FDA for review in the next few years as part of a resurgence of interest into the drugs' medical potential, which advocates claim could transform the treatment of mental health disorders.

The FDA usually follows the panel's recommendation, but they're not required to. Their final decision is expected Aug. 11.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Apollo invests $11B for 49% of Intel Ireland factory JV

Intel has entered into a definitive agreement under which Apollo-managed funds and affiliates will lead an investment of USD 11 billion to acquire from Intel a 49% equity interest in a joint venture entity related to Intel’s Fab 34.

Business | June 05, 2024

Located in Leixlip, Ireland, Fab 34 is Intel’s leading-edge high-volume manufacturing (HVM) facility designed for wafers using the Intel 4 and Intel 3 process technologies. 

To date, Intel has invested USD 18.4 billion in Fab 34. Through this deal, Intel says it can continue the build-out of Fab 34 while also unlocking and reallocating a portion of the investment to other areas of the company. 

Intel has committed billions of dollars to reclaim process leadership and expand its worldwide capabilities in leading-edge wafer fabrication and advanced packaging capacity globally as part of its transformation plan.  

Under the agreement, the joint venture will have rights to manufacture wafers at Fab 34 to support long-term demand for Intel’s products and provide capacity for Intel Foundry customers.

 In the joint company, Intel will own a 51% controlling stake. Fab 34 and its assets will remain fully owned and operated by Intel. The goal of the deal is to provide cash to the business at a lower rate than Intel's equity, strengthening its already robust balance sheet. From a ratings standpoint, the joint venture investment is anticipated to be seen as equity-like.

Under the agreement, the joint venture will have the rights to manufacture wafers at Fab 34 to support long-term demand for Intel’s products and provide capacity for Intel Foundry customers. Intel will have a 51% controlling interest in the joint venture. Intel will however retain full ownership and operational control of Fab 34 and its assets.

“Intel’s agreement with Apollo gives us additional flexibility to execute our strategy as we invest to create the world’s most resilient and sustainable semiconductor supply chain. Our investments in leading-edge capacity in the U.S. and Europe will be critical to meet the growing demand for silicon, with the global semiconductor market poised to double over the next five years,” said David Zinsner, Intel CFO in a press release.

Russian cyber criminal gang behind ransomware attack on London hospitals that forced cancellation of major surgeries

5 June 2024, 10:11

Russian cyber criminal gang behind ransomware attack on London hospitals that forced cancellation of major surgeries. Picture: Alamy

By Christian Oliver

Russian cyber criminals are behind a ransomware attack affecting London's hospitals that has prevented patients from undergoing major surgeries and blood transfusions.

A "critical incident" has since been declared that has led to a "severe reduction in capacity" since the attack midday Monday.

Memos to NHS staff at King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas', the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London Children's Hospital, as well as primary care services in the capital, said there had been a "major IT incident".

Former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre Ciaran Martin said the Russians were behind the attack which targetted London's NHS services though pathology firm Synnovis.

"We believe it is a Russian group of cyber criminals who call themselves Qilin," Mr Martin said.

Ciaran Martin during an international panel discussion on global cyber issues in Glasgow. Picture: Alamy

"These criminal groups - there are quite a few of them - they operate freely from within Russia, they give themselves high-profile names, they've got websites on the so-called dark web, and this particular group has about a two-year history of attacking various organisations across the world," he told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.

"They've done automotive companies, they've attacked the Big Issue here in the UK, they've attacked Australian courts. They're simply looking for money."

He said it is "unlikely" the Russian hackers would have known they would cause such serious primary healthcare disruption when they set out to do the attack.

He added: "There are two types of ransomware attack. One is when they steal a load of data and they try and extort you into paying so that isn't released, but this case is different. It's the more serious type of ransomware where the system just doesn't work.

"So, if you're working in healthcare in this trust, you're just not getting those results so it's actually seriously disruptive. "This type of ransomware has affected healthcare all over the world.

"It's particularly damaging in the United States, and where this type of cyber attack is different in terms of its impact from others, is that it does affect people's healthcare. So it's really one of the more serious that we've seen in this country."

He said the Government has a policy of not paying but the company would be free to pay the ransom if it chose to. Regarding patient data, he said: "It's not really a question of data in this one, it's a question of the services.

"The criminals are threatening to publish data, but they always do that. Here the priority is the restoration of services."

Ambulance Entrance of A&E at King's College Hospital, London. Picture: Alamy

Synnovis is a provider of pathology services and was formed from a partnership between SynLab UK & Ireland, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Some procedures and operations at the hospitals have been cancelled or have been redirected to other NHS providers as hospital bosses establish what work can be carried out safely.

NHS officials said they are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to understand the impact of the attack. Synnovis said the incident has been reported to law enforcement and the Information Commissioner.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said on Wednesday that her "absolute priority is patient safety".

On social media site X, formerly Twitter, Ms Atkins wrote: "Throughout yesterday I had meetings with NHS England and the National Cyber Security Centre to oversee the response to the cyber attack on pathology services in south-east London.

"My absolute priority is patient safety and the safe resumption of services in the coming days."

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported one senior NHS manager saying: "It's everyone's worst nightmare. The difficulty will be that when you have total system downtime, the volumes of tests will be huge. Even if you could transport samples around London to other labs how would you get the results back as they are not integrated in that way?

"Urgent tests will have to be managed onsite. They will no doubt be asking GPs to send urgent tests only, to manage volumes."

Another source told the HSJ the attack presented a huge problem for urgent and emergency care at the hospitals as they would not be able to access quick-turnaround blood test results.

Synnovis said on Wednesday it was unable to comment further on the attack but confirmed a taskforce of IT experts from the firm and the NHS were working to fully assess the impact and what action is needed.

A spokesman for NHS England London region said on Tuesday that Monday's incident was "having a significant impact" on the delivery of services at Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and primary care services in south-east London.

 

Fears NHS cyber attack impact on London hospitals 'will last weeks' as operations and blood transfusions cancelled

Main entrance to Guy's Hospital. Picture: Alamy 

By Kit Heren

@yung_chuvak

4 June 2024,

The impact of a cyber attack on NHS hospitals in London that has seen operations cancelled and delayed blood transfusions is set to last for weeks.

A critical incident was declared on Tuesday at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Kings College hospitals, which cancelled operations.

Staff were unable to access an IT system needed for blood transfusions.

The IT hack is affecting the systems used at the Royal Brompton, heart and lung specialist Harefield Hospital, Guy's, St Thomas' & King's College hospitals.

Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals have been forced to cancel all transplant surgeries. Nearby hospitals in London are accepting extra patients.

GP surgeries in the London boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark and Lambeth are also affected.

Read more: Critical incident declared as London hospitals cancel operations due to 'cyber attack'

Read more: Junior doctors timed strikes days before election to coincide with Labour's NHS announcement, Health Sec suggests

London, UK. 4 June 2024. A general view of the exterior of St Thomas’ Hospital. Picture: Alamy

And the impact of the hack could last for "weeks, rather than days", according to Ben Clover, bureau chief at the Health Service Journal, an industry publication.

He told LBC: "This is one of the things that is so disturbing to my contacts in the NHS is that you can have IT failures within a hospital [and] they usually get fixed fairly quickly."

"People are expecting this to take weeks, rather than days, so it’s a really, really worrying time."

Read more: Three newborn babies who were found dumped in parks in London over seven years belong to the same parents

Read more: Man plucked to safety from crane as fire rages at building site in Canning Town in east London

The cyber attack affected IT system run by private company Synnovis, which apologised for the incident.

Roy Lilley, a health service analyst, said: "This system is responsible for not only the distribution of blood and blood products, but also pathology.

"Pathology is where you go when you need blood tests and all the other tests done, urine and so on, and in a modern hospital you can’t move really without pathology tests."

Earlier, the CEO of Guy’s and St Thomas’ wrote to stage saying there was a ‘critical incident’ affected pathology services.

“This is having a major impact on the delivery of our services, with blood transfusions being particularly affected.

In a statement Mark Dollar, Synnovis CEO, said: "On Monday June 3, Synnovis – a partnership between two London-based hospital Trusts and SYNLAB - was the victim of a ransomware cyberattack. This has affected all Synnovis IT systems, resulting in interruptions to many of our pathology services.

"It is still early days and we are trying to understand exactly what has happened. A taskforce of IT experts from Synnovis and the NHS is working to fully assess the impact this has had, and to take the appropriate action needed. We are working closely with NHS Trust partners to minimise the impact on patients and other service users.

"Regrettably this is affecting patients, with some activity already cancelled or redirected to other providers as urgent work is prioritised. We are incredibly sorry for the inconvenience and upset this is causing to patients, service users and anyone else affected. We are doing our best to minimise the impact and will stay in touch with local NHS services to keep people up to date with developments.

"We take cybersecurity very seriously at Synnovis and have invested heavily in ensuring our IT arrangements are as safe as they possibly can be. This is a harsh reminder that this sort of attack can happen to anyone at any time and that, dispiritingly, the individuals behind it have no scruples about who their actions might affect.

"The incident is being reported to law enforcement and the Information Commissioner, and we are working with the National Cyber Security Centre and the Cyber Operations Team. We will share further updates as we know more, but regret that we are unable to respond to individual queries from the media at this time – thank you for your understanding."

“Some activity has already been cancelled or redirected to other providers at short notice as we prioritise the clinical work that we are able to safely carry out.”

Clinical staff were told that “our pathology partner Synnovis experienced a major IT incident earlier today.”

The husband of a patient asked yesterday: "My wife has a phlebotomy appointment at 7.40am for gestational diabetes checks amongst other things.

"She received a text at 7pm this evening saying phlebotomy services are cancelled until further notice. What can she do? Is the appt still taking place? Really poor comms."

A spokesman for King's College Hospital in London confirmed it was affected by the cyber attack.

The incident is thought to have occurred on Monday, meaning some departments could not connect to their main server. In a letter to staff, King's said the "major IT incident" was having a major impact on the delivery of services, with blood transfusions particularly affected.

Some procedures have been cancelled or redirected to other NHS providers, it said.

Russian hackers responsible for London hospitals cyber attack, expert says

by Sofia Villegas
05 June 2024
@SofiaVillegas_1


Russian gang could be behind major cyber attack on NHS hospitals | Alamy

Ther former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, claims a Russian cyber gang is behind the cyber attack that has affected major London hospitals.

Martin said the group, known as Qilin, has a “two-year history” of attacking organisation across the globe.

Yesterday, King’s College hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trusts, including the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London children’s hospital, confirmed they had been hit by the cyber breach on pathology service firm Synnovis.

The incident led to operations being cancelled and patients being redirected while staff were also unable to conduct blood transfusions.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Martin said: “These criminal groups – there are quite a few of them – they operate freely from within Russia, they give themselves high-profile names, they’ve got websites on the so-called dark web, and this particular group has about a two-year history of attacking various organisations across the world.

“They’ve done automotive companies, they’ve attacked the Big Issue here in the UK, they’ve attacked Australian courts. They’re simply looking for money.”

He added it was “unlikely” the Russian cyber group would have known they would cause such serious primary healthcare disruption when they set out to do the attack.

He continued: “There are two types of ransomware attack. One is when they steal a load of data and they try and extort you into paying so that isn’t released, but this case is different. It’s the more serious type of ransomware where the system just doesn’t work.

“So, if you’re working in healthcare in this trust, you’re just not getting those results so it’s actually seriously disruptive.

“This type of ransomware has affected healthcare all over the world.

“It’s particularly damaging in the United States, and where this type of cyber attack is different in terms of its impact from others, is that it does affect people’s healthcare. So, it’s really one of the more serious that we’ve seen in this country.”

He said the government had a policy of not paying but Synnovis would be free to pay the ransom if it chose to.

“The criminals are threatening to publish data, but they always do that. Here, the priority is the restoration of services,” he added.

UK health secretary Victoria Atkins has confirmed via X that she has met with NHS England and the National Cyber Security Centre to oversee the response to the cyber-attack on pathology services in south-east London.

Critical incident over London hospitals' cyber-attack

St Thomas’, including the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, is among the affected trusts

Major hospitals in London have declared a critical incident after a cyber-attack led to operations being cancelled and emergency patients being diverted elsewhere.

It applies to hospitals partnered with Synnovis - a provider of pathology services.

King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ - including the Royal Brompton and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital - and primary care services are among those affected.

The incident has had a "major impact" on the delivery of services, especially blood transfusions and test results.


It is thought to have happened on Monday, meaning some departments could not connect to a main server.

Some procedures have been cancelled or have been redirected to other NHS providers as the hospitals try to establish what work can be carried out safely.

The NHS said emergency care continued to be available.

GP services across Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley, Southwark and Lambeth boroughs have also been affected.

A spokesperson from Synnovis said the company had sent in a "taskforce of IT experts" to "fully assess" the impact.

The NHS apologised for the inconvenience and said it was working with the National Cyber Security Centre to understand the impact.

'Go home and wait'

One patient, Oliver Dowson, 70, was prepared for an operation from 06:00 at the Royal Brompton. He was told by a surgeon at about 12:30 that it would not be going ahead.

“The staff on the ward didn’t seem to know what had happened, just that many patients were being told to go home and wait for a new date," he said.

“I’ve been given a date for next Tuesday and am crossing my fingers.

"It’s not the first time that they have cancelled, but that was probably staff shortages in half-term week.”

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Vanessa Welham from Streatham, south-west London, said her husband's blood test at Gracefield Gardens health centre was cancelled on Monday evening.

"My husband received a text message last night advising his appointment this morning had been cancelled due to circumstances beyond their control, and that all major south London hospitals are unable to take any bookings for an indefinite period of time.

"He went on to the Swift website and made a new appointment - the earliest available was June 17, but that's probably questionable."

'Incredibly sorry'


A spokesperson for NHS England London region confirmed Synnovis was the victim of a ransomware cyber attack.

“Emergency care continues to be available, so patients should access services in the normal way, and patients should continue to attend appointments unless they are told otherwise," they said.

"We will continue to provide updates about the impact on services and how patients can continue to get the care they need."

A spokesperson for Synnovis said: "We are incredibly sorry for the inconvenience and upset this is causing to patients, service users and anyone else affected.

"We are doing our best to minimise the impact and will stay in touch with local NHS services to keep people up to date with developments."

'Harsh reminder'


The spokesperson added it had "invested heavily" in "ensuring our IT arrangements are as safe as they possibly can be".

"This is a harsh reminder that this sort of attack can happen to anyone at any time and that, dispiritingly, the individuals behind it have no scruples about who their actions might affect.

"The incident is being reported to law enforcement and the Information Commissioner, and we are working with the National Cyber Security Centre and the Cyber Operations Team."

Cyber security expert Steve Sands, from the Chartered Institute for IT, said ransomware threat was now an "ever-present danger to critical institutions from schools to hospitals".

He added: “Of course, the perpetrators have no conscience, and they will attack any organisation whose cyber defences are not sufficiently robust.

“We need to ensure that all public sector organisations have contingency plans in place to manage cyber attacks, that staff are regularly trained on risk and there is sufficient investment in software resilience.

“Whoever forms the next government needs to make sure the NHS has this resource and that it is spent correctly, to ensure that lives are not put at risk.”

The government said it was providing support

Prof Awais Rashid, head of the Bristol Cyber Security Group at the University of Bristol, said digital infrastructures were often a complex combination of many different systems and third-party service providers.

"Hence, cyber-attacks can have significant and substantial cascading impacts as we are seeing in this unfolding situation where critical health services are being impacted."

A government spokesperson said patient safety was its priority and support was being provided to the company.

"We are working [with Synnovis] to minimise the impact on services for a number of NHS organisations in south-east London."

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RANE is a global risk intelligence company that delivers risk and security professionals access to critical insights, analysis and support to ensure business continuity and resilience for our clients. For more information about RANE's risk management solutions, visit www.ranenetwork.com.