Tuesday, August 04, 2020

WORD OF THE DAY
Top scientist slams 'shroud of secrecy' around 'shambolic' government coronavirus decisions as ministers try to get UK moving with eat-out discount launch and return to work - despite rising cases, lockdown fears and civil service revolt
Sir Paul Nurse hit at 'shroud of secrecy' on government coronavirus decisions 

Francis Crick Institute chief said some of the key policies had been 'shambolic' 

Civil servants rebelling over Boris Johnson's call for people to return to offices



Jun 29, 2020 - Definition of shambolic. chiefly British. : obviously disorganized or confused.
shambolic (comparative more shambolic, superlative most shambolic). (Australia, Britain) Chaotic, disorganised or mismanaged. [from 1952] quotations ▽.
English · ‎Pronunciation · ‎Adjective

shambolic definition: Brit., Informal confused, disorderly, chaotic, etc.Origin of shambolic from shambles (noun)...

sham·bo·lic
/ˌSHamˈbälik/
adjective
INFORMALBRITISH
  1. chaotic, disorganized, or mismanaged.
    "the department's shambolic accounting"
    Similar:
    chaotic
    disorganized
    muddled
    confused
    in (total) disarray
    at sixes and sevens
    unsystematic
    haphazard
    hit-or-miss
    scrappy
    fragmented
    inefficient
    all over the place
    all over the shop
    all over the map
    all over the lot
    Opposite:
    efficient
    organized



By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 3 August 2020

A top scientist has slammed the 'shroud of secrecy' around the government's coronavirus decisions - as civil servants rebel over Boris Johnson's call for people to return to offices.

Sir Paul Nurse, chief of the Francis Crick Institute, raised concerns that crucial choices seemed to be made by a 'black box' in Whitehall with the results sometimes 'shambolic'.

He insisted more transparency and scrutiny was needed to get the 'best results'.

The intervention came as the government faces a fresh backlash about mixed messaging. Treasury subsidies for eating out at restaurants are launched today, and advice that everyone should work from home is being downgraded.

However, there are also mounting rumours about tightening coronavirus rules in some areas, with fears of a looming second wave.

Civil servants have complained they are being used as guinea pigs for the return to offices, with claims of more cases at the heart of government over the past fortnight.

Sir Paul Nurse, chief of the Francis Crick Institute, raised concerns that crucial choices seemed to be made by a 'black box' in Whitehall with the results sometimes 'shambolic'
Boris Johnson: 'Hands, face, space... and get a test'

Sir Paul, a geneticist and former president of the Royal Society, warned ministers that the decision-making process was too opaque.

'Decisions are too often shrouded in secrecy. They need challenge and we need processes to ensure that happens,' he said.

'If they are going to keep the trust of the nation, they need to make those discussions more public.'

He added: 'It sometimes seems like a 'black box' made up of scientists, civil servants and politicians are coming up with the decisions.

'It needs to be more open. We need greater transparency, greater scrutiny and greater challenge to get the best results.'

Despite mounting concern about a second wave forcing a delay to the next phase of lockdown easing, Mr Johnson said last week that it was safe for people to return to work.

'It is safe to go into a Covid-secure workplace; people should understand that,' he said.

However, according to the Times, several senior figures in department have recently been forced to self-isolate.

Risk assessments suggest most departments will not be able to operate offices at more than half capacity even in the Autumn. The current level of staff in workplaces is around a fifth.

'You can't experiment and virtue signal with people's health,' one Whitehall source told the newspaper.

'There will be a small increase in numbers — hopefully that will see off ministers, and by the time we get further down the track it may be that they're back working from home again.'


Despite mounting concern about a second wave forcing a delay to the next phase of lockdown easing, Boris Johnson said last week that it was safe for people to return to work

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior mandarins, said: 'The majority of civil servants are currently working successfully from home, delivering vital public services.

'Ministers need to recognise this and allow the civil service to manage this transition, without pressure to virtue signal for a pattern of working that has already changed for good.'

The PM's spokesman said: 'We have been sharing data extensively with local authorities and local public health teams in order to help inform the decisions that they are taking on dealing with outbreaks.

'More broadly there has been regular publication of documents relating to Sage's discussions and minutes of meetings.

'Both the chief scientific adviser and the chief medical officer, and their deputies, have answered questions extensively in public on this, both before Parliament and in briefings with journalists.'

There is speculation that Mr Johnson could have to ban travel in and out of local lockdown areas, and order over-50s to shield.

The radical proposal is under discussion as Downing Street shakes up its crisis response in the wake of localised flare-ups.

Keen to avoid another national lockdown and derail the economic recovery, a 'flexible' strategy to restrict movement in and out of target areas with high infection rates are being hammered out in Whitehall.

The notion of domestic travel bans has resurfaced in recent days, having initially been touted in the early stages of the pandemic when London bore the brunt of cases and was feared to be an epicentre.

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UPDATED
Microsoft talks to buy TikTok's U.S. operations spark ire in China
 


Yingzhi Yang, Kane Wu


BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - A potential shotgun wedding to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) for TikTok’s U.S. operations provoked an outcry on Monday on Chinese social media as well as criticism from a prominent Chinese investor in TikTok owner ByteDance.

The U.S. tech giant formally declared its interest on Sunday after President Donald Trump, who has cited national security risks posed by the Chinese-owned short video app, reversed course on a planned ban and gave the two firms 45 days to come to a deal.

The proposed acquisition of parts of TikTok, which boasts 100 million U.S. users, would offer Microsoft a rare opportunity to become a major competitor to social media giants such as Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Snap Inc (SNAP.N).

RELATED COVERAGE

Trump says he does not mind if Microsoft buys TikTok


Trump: U.S. should get 'substantial portion' of TikTok operations sale price


Shares in Microsoft, which owns the business social media network LinkedIn and is also seeking to buy TikTok’s Canadian, Australian and New Zealand interests, rose nearly 3% in early trades on Monday.ByteDance has not publicly confirmed the sale talks. But in an internal letter to staff on Monday seen by Reuters, the company’s founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said the firm had started talks with a tech company it did not identify to clear the way “for us to continue offering the TikTok app in the U.S.”

Clinching a deal that will satisfy all parties and potentially act as a lightning rod for U.S.-China relations will be a tall order.

People close to the situation have told Reuters that all of TikTok could be worth $50 billion, but the forced sale of the U.S. division and some other units alone will likely yield much less than that.

“A forced deal under Washington’s shotgun could open up for endless litigations if it should result (in) an unfavorable outcome to existing private shareholders,” said Fred Hu, chairman of Primavera Capital Group, an investor in ByteDance and one of China’s best known private equity groups.

Hu said Microsoft was a credible buyer but questioned how selling large parts of TikTok’s operations at such an early stage of its growth could ever be a good deal for ByteDance.

“It absolutely makes no sense. Bytedance is an innocent victim of the mad politics and mad geopolitics. It is a sad outcome for Bytedance, for entrepreneurial capitalism, and for the future of global commerce,” he said.


Tech bankers in Asia said investment banks working on the deal would have to be careful not to antagonize Trump.

“This is not a standard M&A situation...this is hard to predict,” said one senior banker with a U.S bank in Hong Kong, saying that it would be a question of how to structure a deal in a way that would keep Washington happy.

Zhang’s letter to staff also said ByteDance did not agree with the stance taken by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinizes deals for national security risks, that it must fully divest TikTok’s U.S. operations.

“We disagree with this CFIUS conclusion,” the letter said but added: “...we understand the decision in the current macro environment.”

ByteDance did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The Chinese government declined to comment specifically on the Washington’s move to force a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The United States has been “stretching the concept of national security”, presuming that companies are guilty without evidence, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing after being asked about U.S. actions against Chinese software companies.

The topic “ByteDance has agreed to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations” was one of the most discussed subjects on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform on Monday, with over 920 million views.

Some commentators criticized ByteDance, saying it has not shown as much backbone as Huawei Technologies, also in the crosshairs of U.S.-China tensions and now on a U.S. trade blacklist.

“(ByteDance) kneeled down so fast that it didn’t even wait for the Chinese government to retaliate,” said one comment that was ‘liked’ over 5,000 times.

While TikTok is ByteDance’s most well known app globally, the company makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising on Chinese apps including Douyin - a Chinese version of TikTok - and news aggregator app Jinri Toutiao.


Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Yilei Sun in Beijing and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Additonal reporting by Lun Tian Yew in Beiing; Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty


Exclusive: TikTok's Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal - sources




Echo WangAlexandra AlperDavid Shepardson

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China’s ByteDance has agreed to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok completely in a bid to save a deal with the White House, after President Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app, two people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

U.S. officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. ByteDance’s concession will test whether Trump’s threat to ban TikTok is a negotiating tactic, or whether he is intent on cracking down on a social media app that boasts it has 100 million users in the United States.

Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One late on Friday that he would issue an order for TikTok to be banned in the United States as early as Saturday. “Not the deal that you have been hearing about, that they are going to buy and sell... We are not an M&A (mergers and acquisitions) country,” Trump said.

Late on Saturday, Peter Navarro, director of the White House’s office of trade and manufacturing policy, told Fox News that Trump would be taking action on TikTok on Sunday or Monday.

ByteDance was previously seeking to keep a minority stake in the U.S. business of TikTok, which the White House had rejected. Under the new proposed deal, ByteDance would exit completely and Microsoft Corp would take over TikTok in the United States, the sources said.

Some ByteDance investors that are based in the United States may be given the opportunity to take minority stakes in the business, the sources added. About 70% of ByteDance’s outside investors come from the United States.

“The administration has very serious national security concerns over TikTok. We continue to evaluate future policy,” the White House said in a statement, declining to comment on whether Trump would accept ByteDance’s concession. ByteDance in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.

“We are here for the long run. Continue to share your voice here and let’s stand for TikTok,” TikTok U.S. general manager Vanessa Pappas said in a video published on the app on Saturday.

Under ByteDance’s new proposal, Microsoft, which also owns professional social media network LinkedIn, will be in charge of protecting all of TikTok’s U.S. user data, the sources said. The plan allows for a U.S. company other than Microsoft to take over TikTok in the United States, the sources added.

“What’s the right answer? Have an American company like Microsoft take over TikTok. Win-win. Keeps competition alive and data out of the hands of the Chinese Communist Party,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.

As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong’s autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world’s two largest economies.


ByteDance has been considering a range of options for TikTok amid U.S. pressure to relinquish control of the app, which allows users to create short videos with special effects and has become wildly popular with U.S. teenagers.

ByteDance had received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The proposal valued TikTok at about $50 billion, but some ByteDance executives believe the app is worth more than that.

ByteDance acquired Shanghai-based video app Musical.ly in a $1 billion deal in 2017 and relaunched it as TikTok the following year. ByteDance did not seek approval for the acquisition from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for potential national security risks. Reuters reported last year that CFIUS had opened an investigation into TikTok.


APP SCRUTINY

The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Ordering the divestment of TikTok would not be the first time the White House has taken action over such concerns.

Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it bought in 2016, for $620 million after being ordered by CFIUS to divest.

In 2018, CFIUS forced China’s Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify U.S. citizens.

ByteDance was valued at as much as $140 billion earlier this year when one of its shareholders, Cheetah Mobile, sold a small stake in a private deal, Reuters has reported. The startup’s investors include Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp.

The bulk of ByteDance’s revenue comes from advertising on apps under its Chinese operations including Douyin - a Chinese version of TikTok - and news aggregator app Jinri Toutiao, as well as video-streaming app Xigua and Pipixia, an app for jokes and humorous videos.


China will not accept U.S. 'theft' of TikTok: China Daily


SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will not accept the “theft” of a Chinese technology company and is able to respond to Washington’s move to push ByteDance to sell short-video app TikTok’s U.S. operations to Microsoft, the China Daily newspaper said on Tuesday.

The United States’ “bullying” of Chinese tech companies was a consequence of Washington’s zero-sum vision of “American first” and left China no choice but “submission or mortal combat in the tech realm”, the state-backed paper said in an editorial.

China had “plenty of ways to respond if the administration carries out its planned smash and grab”, it added.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Monday it was in talks with ByteDance to buy parts of TikTok after U.S. President Donald Trump reversed course on a plan to ban the app on national security grounds and gave the firms 45 days to strike a deal.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said over the weekend that Trump would take action shortly against Chinese software companies that shared user data with the Chinese government.

The Global Times newspaper, which is also government-backed, said U.S. treatment of ByteDance and Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], now on a U.S. trade blacklist, was indicative of U.S. efforts to separate its economy from China’s.

China had “limited ability” to provide protection to these Chinese companies by retaliating against U.S. companies because the United States had technological superiority and influence with its allies, it added.

“China’s opening-up to the outside world and disintegrating the U.S. decoupling strategy should be priorities,” it said in an editorial.

The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party.

Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Stephen Coates



White House adviser Navarro suggests Microsoft divest China holdings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House trade adviser Peter Navarro suggested on Monday that Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) could divest its holdings in China if it were to buy the Chinese owned short-video app TikTok.


“So the question is, is Microsoft going to be compromised?” Navarro said in an interview with CNN. “Maybe Microsoft could divest its Chinese holdings?”

President Donald Trump has agreed to give China’s ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft, three people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.


U.S. officials have said TikTok, under its Chinese parent, poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok in the United States after dismissing the idea of a sale to Microsoft.

In an earlier interview with Fox News Channel, Navarro said any potential buyer of TikTok that has operations in China could be a problem.

Navarro cited Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Skype platform, saying they “effectively are enablers of Chinese censorship, surveillance and monitoring.”


Microsoft has over 6,000 employees in China and offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou.

While the company has been there for decades, business from China accounts for just over 1% of the company’s revenue, Bloomberg reported Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith stating at a conference in January.

Widespread piracy of Windows and Office once prevented the company’s cash cow from bringing in money.

The company is now pushing its Azure cloud service to customers in China, via a partnership with local data service provider 21Vianet.

Its crown jewel is arguably a research center in Beijing, which has produced a number of alumni who have gone on to executive positions at Alibaba, ByteDance, Xiaomi, and facial recognition unicorns Sensetime and Megvii.

It also was the site of origin for the so-called “ResNet” paper, currently the most-cited AI paper according to Google scholar metrics.


Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey and Pete Schroeder; Additional reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Christopher Cushing
ANOTHER BRIX IN THE WALL  UPDATED 
A COLLEAGUE AND A GENTLEMAN
Dr. Fauci swooped in to defend coronavirus czar Dr. Birx after Trump called her 'pathetic' for acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse in the US

Lauren Frias 

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Saturday, April 4, 2020, in Washington. Associated Press/Patrick Semansky

Top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci defended White House coronavirus czar Dr. Deborah Birx after President Donald Trump criticized her for her stark assessment of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, Birx said that the US is entering a "new phase" of the pandemic, as surges in cases can be attributed to asymptomatic carriers who don't know they are infected and make it much more difficult to identify, isolate, and contact trace the virus within communities.

Trump took Birx's analysis as a criticism of the US pandemic response, accusing her of offering such a grim assessment to curry favor with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has condemned the coronavirus czar for not doing enough to confront the president's faulty claims on the pandemic.

During a virtual press conference, Dr. Fauci explained the reasoning behind's Birx's use of a "new phase," saying that the US is seeing a much more "insidious" spread of the virus, making it difficult to suppress and contain its spread throughout communities.

Dr. Anthony Fauci came to the defense of White House COVID-19 czar Dr. Deborah Birx after President Donald Trump slammed her for acknowledging that the coronavirus is getting worse in the US.

On Sunday, Birx said the US is entering a "new phase" of the coronavirus pandemic as some states see uncontrolled surges in cases by asymptomatic individuals.

Her comments on the pandemic came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the coronavirus czar "enabled" the president and has not done enough to confront his misguided claims about the coronavirus.

Trump, however, took Birx's stark assessment of a "new phase" as a blow to the US response to the coronavirus, accusing Birx of acknowledging the worsening pandemic in order to appeal to Pelosi's criticisms.

"So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics," Trump tweeted Monday. "In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!"

In a virtual press conference with Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Fauci elaborated on Birx's analysis of a "new phase" of the pandemic by explaining that she was referring to the prevalence of "inherent community spread" in the US.

"The reason why she's saying it's a new phase is because, throughout the country, when you have community spread, it's much more difficult to get your arms around that and contain it," Fauci said during the press conference.

"There are spreads where you know where it is and you can contain it," he added, citing examples like outbreaks in a nursing home, meat-packing facility, or prison, but inherent community spread is "insidious."

"There are people who are spreading it who have no symptoms at all, and we know that definitely occurs," the infectious disease expert continued. "It's difficult to identify it, and it's difficult to do identification, isolation, and contact tracing."

Birx and Fauci's viewpoints of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic stand at odds with the president's, as he continues to refer to confirmed infections in the US as "embers" that can be quickly stamped out.

The US has reported more than 4.7 million cases and over 155,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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6 months after declaring the coronavirus a global health emergency, WHO director says there may never be a 'silver bullet' for the novel coronavirus.

A survey suggests 2.5% of Italians have COVID-19 antibodies, which would be 6 times more than the official count of cases. 

'Parents in a school district in Georgia, are demanding in-person classes. But hundreds of employees have tested positive or been exposed to COVID-19, revealing the biggest blind spot in the fight to reopen schools. 


Trump claims lockdowns 'do not prevent infection in the future' and undermines Dr. Fauci's push to reconsider shutdowns in certain states.


Donald Trump calls his Covid coordinator 'pathetic' after she said virus was widespread across US


Pelosi and other Democrats have gone after Deborah Birx, accusing her of tailoring her messages for Trump.


Donald Trump speaks during an appearance at Double Eagle Energy in Midland, Texas.
Image: SIPA USA/PA Images

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has lashed out at his coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx after she sounded a grim warning about the pandemic’s new surge.

Trump, angered by what he sees as overly pessimistic media coverage of his handling of the pandemic, said Birx had given into pressure from the Democrats’ Nancy Pelosi to sound negative.

“Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!” he tweeted.

Yesterday, Birx told CNN that the United States, which has already seen nearly 155,000 deaths from Covid-19, is entering “a new phase” of viral spread.

“It is extraordinarily widespread,” she said. “To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus.”

Trump said that Birx’s warning was issued only after she was attacked by the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi and other Democrats have gone after Birx, a veteran public health expert, over what they say is her willingness to tailor her messages to win approval from Trump.

“I think the president is spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee, so I don’t have confidence there, no,” Pelosi said on ABC television.

Yesterday, the White House sprang to Birx’s defence.

“It is deeply irresponsible of Speaker Pelosi to repeatedly try to undermine & create public distrust in Dr Birx, the top public health professional on the coronavirus task force,” Alyssa Farah, director of strategic communications, tweeted.
It’s also just wrong. Period. Hard stop.

Trump, however, changed tack with today’s tweet.

So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics. In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2020Source: Donald J. Trump/Twitter


The other main public face of the US medical response to the coronavirus, Dr Anthony Fauci, has come in for frequent rough treatment at the hands of the White House and sometimes Trump himself.

Fauci’s typically hard-nosed assessments of the disease’s progress regularly counter more rosy versions promoted by the president.

Trump has called Fauci “alarmist,” suggested he is misleading the public, and last week said it was unfair that the doctor’s public approval ratings are so much higher than his own.

© – AFP 2020




Trump Turns His Back On Dr. Birx After She Incinerated Her Reputation For Him




THE INTELLECTUALIST



Dr. Deborah Birx said the coronavirus is now widespread across the US. President Trump called her comments "pathetic."


President Donald Trump lashed out publicly at Dr. Deborah Birx on Monday, suggesting that she hurt him by acknowledging that the coronavirus is now widespread across the United States, according to The Hill.
  • “Trump targeted Birx over a weekend response to criticism from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who questioned Birx’s credibility in responding to the pandemic,” the news outlet reported, calling Birx’s response to Pelosi’s criticism “pathetic.”
  • The president tweeted: “So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics. In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!”
  • Trump’s tweet marked the first time he has criticized Birx in public, The Hill noted, though it is not the first time he has undercut one of his own public health officials during the pandemic.
  • Pelosi had said of Birx, “I think the president is spending — spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his — she is his appointee. So I don't have confidence there, no.”
  • And Birx responded on Sunday: “I have tremendous respect for the Speaker. And I have tremendous respect for her long dedication to the American people.”
  • She added a warning: “What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread ... it’s more widespread and it’s both rural and urban. To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus. And that is why we keep saying, no matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance, do the personal hygiene pieces.”
UK
Spurs' Rose says tired of police stopping him to ask if car is stolen


FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, London, Britain - November 20, 2019. Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose arrives at the training centre Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley

(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose has said he is tired of racial discrimination after being regularly stopped by police and asked if his car is stolen.

The 30-year-old England international said he has had similar experiences for the last 15 years.

“The last time, last week, when I’d just been at my mum’s house, I had pulled up in a car park so the engine was off,” he told the Second Captains podcast.


“The police pulled in and they brought a riot van, three police cars and questioned me. They said they’d had a report that a car had not been driving correctly.

“I’m like: ‘So why does that make it my car?’ I got my ID out and they breathalysed me. It’s just one of those things to me now. Each time it’s: ‘Is this car stolen? Where did you get it from? Can you prove that you bought this car.’”

Rose said such incidents had made him sceptical about the prospects of lasting change.


“I just give up with hoping that things will change because that’s some people’s mentality towards racism.”

Rose said last year that he could not wait to leave football because he had had enough of the racism in the game.


Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford

'The man who built the peace': Irish and British front pages react to the death of John Hume

Newspapers have extensively covered the life of John Hume in today’s front pages.

NEWSPAPERS IN IRELAND and Britain have this morning reacted to the death of the Northern Ireland peace leader John Hume.

Hume died yesterday aged 83. He was one of the primary architects of the Good Friday Agreement and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 1998.

The Irish Times described Hume as “the man who built the peace” in its wraparound front page. The paper includes several tribute articles to Hume.

Tuesday's @irishtimes front page. John Hume, the man who built the peace. Tribute supplement to the outstanding Irish politician of modern times pic.twitter.com/AXddG8BL8s— Liam Ryan (@LiamPRyan91) August 3, 2020Source: Liam Ryan/Twitter

The Irish Independent led its front page with the famous image of Hume being detained by a soldier in Derry in 1971.



Irish Independent front page.

The Irish Examiner led with an iconic quote from Hume: “I want to see Ireland as an example to men and women everywhere of what can be achieved by living for ideals, rather than fighting for them, and by viewing each and every person as worthy of respect and honour.”

The front page of today's Irish Examiner. #JohnHume

Print subscriptions (free delivery): https://t.co/NKXOECzq2B
ePaper: https://t.co/UPXgsBJfmS pic.twitter.com/BNyEInkgpY— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) August 4, 2020Source: Irish Examiner/Twitter


The Irish Daily Mirror led with the headline: “Peace be with you John.”

Irish Daily Mirror front page.

The Irish Daily Star described Hume as “a giant of peace”.

Tuesday’s front page pic.twitter.com/fzfzDmyM3s— Irish Daily Star (@IsFearrAnStar) August 3, 2020Source: Irish Daily Star/Twitter

The Belfast Telegraph also went with a striking full-page front cover of Hume.

An iconic front page of tomorrow's Belfast Telegraph as the City of Derry and Northern Ireland mournes the death of peacemaker John Hume - “When people are divided, the only solution is agreement.” @BelTel https://t.co/PRHWt0dChV pic.twitter.com/gtoD4ppvq0— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) August 3, 2020Source: Kevin Scott/Twitter


The Irish News featured extensive coverage of Hume’s life.

'PEACEMAKER'

Front page of @irish_news paying tribute to the life and legacy John Hume.

'More than any other individual, John Hume was responsible for the delivery of peace. He ultimately succeeded in his steadfast aim of changing Ireland for the better.' pic.twitter.com/35VX0nFJme— Brendan Hughes (@brendanhughes64) August 3, 2020Source: Brendan Hughes/Twitter

In Britain, John Hume made the front page of two national papers.

The Guardian features an image of Hume and includes tributes where he is called “a titan and a visionary”.

Guardian front page, Tuesday 4 August 2020: Russians stole secret documents from ex-minister’s personal email pic.twitter.com/md03tP0XMt— The Guardian (@guardian) August 3, 2020Source: The Guardian/Twitter

The Financial Times featured the famous image of Hume and described him as a “voice of peace”.

Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Tuesday 4 August https://t.co/MVNZSNkX7y pic.twitter.com/8l1LBZ92EE— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) August 3, 2020Source: Financial Times/Twitter