UK hot weather forecast: New maps show Britain baking in 48-hours – 20C mini-heatwave hits

In spite of the warm weather, owing to the coronavirus outbreak, the Government advice remains to stay at home except for essential business. You should only go out to shop or to obtain medicine, exercise once a day or go to work if you cannot do so from home. The Met Office tweeted: “Even though the weather is looking largely dry with some warm spells of sunshine for some of us over the weekend, please protect the #NHS and save lives by #Stayingathome.”

Forecaster Claire Nasir explained a “warm conveyor belt of air bringing very high temperatures” will arrive on Sunday.

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The UK will be warmer than Mediterranean hotspots Greece and Portugal.

At the beginning of the day, some lingering fog patches will clear with rain across northern Scotland but with the rest of the country will remain dry.

Ms Nasir warned the warmth will be fighting out with “some strong winds” with the potential for gales in the west.

In this part of the south coast the breeze is set to be 40mph but around Tiree in Scotland winds will reach speeds of 48mph.

These winds could result in the weather feeling a lot cooler.

London has a chance of hitting 20C (68F) but this will feel more like 14C (57.2F).

The NHS website says despite lockdown: “You can use your garden, if you have one.”

The advice for coronavirus social distancing still applies to neighbours over a garden fence.

You must stay two metres apart at all times.

There are no weather warnings out in force for the next week.

There are no flood warnings out either – severe or otherwise.

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A total of 28 flood alerts are out in force.

These are concentrated mainly in the south of England.

To find if your area is affected, please visit https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings.

Nicola Maxey, a spokeswoman for the Met Office, said: “For many Sunday will be a T-shirt and barbie day.

“The east of the country will have the warmest weather.”

Parts of the country are forecast to hit 20C (68F).

By comparison, Athens will be 14C (57.2F) while The Algarve will be 16C (60.8F).

Across Saturday, the south and the east of England are expected to the warmest parts of the country.

London will hit 16C (60.8F) in the afternoon.

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Coronavirus fury after Democrats form committee to monitor Trump’s response

The majority party has argued that there are already enough oversight measures in place in the $2trillion (£1.6trillion) stimulus bill passed by Congress last week.

Pelosi announced on Thursday that she is creating a House Select Committee on the coronavirus crisis.

The committee will appoint both Democrats and Republicans, and will have subpoena power to seek information from the Trump administration.

The House Speaker said: “It would have subpoena power that’s for sure.

“It’s no use having a committee unless you have subpoena power, and we would hope that there would be cooperation because this is not a kind of an investigation of the administration it’s about the whole [response].”

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy raised concerns at the proposal on Fox & Friends on Friday.

He said: “This isn’t about oversight, it sounds like pure politics.

“Let’s take care of the crisis at hand right now.

“We have five different oversights already looking at this and this is what she comes up with?”

The CARES Act passed last week includes a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee to locate and investigate waste and abuse of spending under the bill.

On Thursday President Trump attacked the Democrat response commenting: “I want to remind everyone here in our nation’s capital, especially in Congress, that this is not the time for politics, endless partisan investigations.

“Here we go again.

“They’ve already done extraordinary damage to our country in recent years.

“It’s witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt, and in the end it’s people doing the witch hunt who are losing — and they’ve been losing by a lot.

“And it’s not any time for witch hunts.”

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House Speaker Pelosi has told the Republican leadership the panel will be bipartisan.

It will be chaired by House Democratic Whip James C. Clyburn of Missouri.

Lawmakers have passed three relief packages to address fallout from the virus.

President Trump signed a $2trillion (£1.6trillion) bill last week to send checks to many Americans.

It also sets up a $500billion (£407billion) corporate liquidity fund and provides $377billion (£307billion) in aid to small businesses, among other provisions.

So far America has reported a quarter of the world’s 1,094,324 coronavirus.

As of Friday, America has confirmed 276,037 cases.

Of that number, 7,385 have died after contracting COVID-19.

New York has the most cases in the US, with 102,863 cases and 3,218 deaths.

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African migrants in Morocco wait for aid as coronavirus bites

RABAT (Reuters) – Thousands of African migrants without revenue during Morocco’s coronavirus lockdown could run out of money for food and essentials, and rights groups have urged the government to offer them the same cash help it has promised to citizens.

The North African country has imposed a month-long lockdown restricting movement to purchases of food or medicine and to staffing some key jobs, with 761 cases of the coronavirus confirmed, including 47 deaths.

Saddou Habi, 30, who came to Morocco two years ago from Guinea, and decided to stay rather than trying to reach Europe after getting a job in a restaurant, said his money will run out in 10 days.

“I have been helping my four other flat mates whose financial situation is worse than mine,” he said.

“We are respecting all measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus but we need urgent help to go through these difficult times,” he said.

The government has promised monthly support of about $120 a month to households where the main provider has lost work in the informal economy because of the lockdown.

At present, that aid will go to people with a “free health service” card available only to Moroccans. The government plans to roll it out to people who do not have the card, but has not said if this would be extended to migrants.

The state will also pay about $200 a month to workers in private companies who are registered with the state social insurance scheme.

It leaves most of the 50,000 migrants who have obtained official residency permits since 2013 without help. The far larger number of undocumented migrants, many of them homeless or seeking to pass through Morocco to reach Europe, face even less chance of assistance.

The National Human Rights Council and the Moroccan Association for Human Rights have urged the government to help. The finance ministry did not respond when asked if migrants would become eligible for state aid.

‘WE HAVE TO SHOW SOLIDARITY’

Habi has applied for a residency permit, but is still waiting for it to be issued. He lives in the poor Hay Nahda district of Rabat, where houses made of bare concrete blocks press up against each other.

Local rights groups and charities have distributed food in poor districts to both Moroccans and migrants, but the lockdown has made it harder to distribute such supplies.

Living conditions are worst for homeless sub-Saharans in northern Morocco, near the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which migrants often try to reach across a thicket of high wire fences.

The majority of migrants work in the informal sector earning barely enough money to meet their basic needs for a day, said Ousmane Ba, a Senegalese migrant who heads a community group.

The government needs to do more to shelter homeless migrants living in the forests in northern Morocco and help them avoid contagion, he added, speaking by phone from the city of Nador, near Melilla.

So far, the government has put more than 3,000 homeless people, including migrants, into shelters located in schools, stadiums and other buildings for the duration of the lockdown.

“We are all in the same boat in the face of the coronavirus storm. We have to show solidarity with one another for all to be rescued,” Ba said.

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Health unit reports 50 cases of COVID-19 in City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County

There are now 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the City of Kawartha Lakes and 14 in Northumberland County, the region’s health unit reported Friday.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit released the data at 1:30 p.m. Friday, noting its information can be up to 25 hours behind current updates. There also remains one confirmed case in Haliburton County. The health unit noted there was a “duplication” error issued Thursday which stated there were 15 cases in Northumberland County.

Of the 50 cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes, the health unit reports 17 deaths related to COVID-19. However, Dr. Michelle Snarr, medical director of Pine Crest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, reported Friday morning another four deaths at the long-term care home.

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The death toll stands at the facility is 20 along with one spouse of a resident, Snarr noted, bringing the municipality’s total to 21.

In a message on Twitter issued Friday, City of Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham reminded residents to simply “stay home” this weekend to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.


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TREASURIES-Investors disregard grim jobs report, again

 (Updates with market activity, Fed purchase plan details)
    By Ross Kerber
    BOSTON, April 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury yields held steady
on Friday despite a grim federal jobs report, in a replay of a
similar dynamic from the day before, as investors tried to grasp
the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the new
coronavirus.
    The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year note was
down 2.3 basis points at 0.6041% in afternoon trading. 
    That was close to where it stood at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT)
when a closely watched U.S. Labor Department report showed the
American economy shed 701,000 jobs in March. The figure signaled
the abrupt end of a historic 113 straight months of employment
growth as stringent measures to control the novel coronavirus
outbreak shuttered businesses and factories, confirming a
recession is under way.
    Yields did rise in the afternoon, with the 10-year note
hitting a session high of 0.623%, before falling back, after the
Federal Reserve outlined a schedule of Treasury purchases for
next week that will be less aggressive than its current
pace.
    For the most part, the trading echoed that of Thursday when 
investors also disregarded a record rise in jobless claims to
more than 6 million.
   Analysts said the muted market reaction to the dramatic jobs
reports reinforced how investors are focused more on measures of
public health and the effectiveness of government responses.
    "This is the smallest market impact I’ve ever seen from the
payrolls number," said Justin Lederer, Treasury analyst for
Cantor Fitzgerald.
    "This data doesn't mean that much, until we get a better
picture of how the whole situation plays out," he said.
    Wall Street's main indexes fell more than 1.5% on Friday.

    A closely watched part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve
measuring the gap between yields on two- and 10-year Treasury
notes, seen as an indicator of economic
expectations, was at 37 basis points, nearly the same as 
Thursday's close.
    The two-year  U.S. Treasury yield, which
typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up
1.1 basis points at 0.2308% in afternoon trading.
    Since Wednesday, the figure several times dropped close to
0.20%, a level last reached in 2013, as analysts judge it 
unlikely the Fed will raise interest rates anytime soon.
    The 10-year note's yield was also within sight of its
all-time low of 0.318% reached on March 9, and far below the
levels near 2% seen at the start of the year. 
    With bond yields so low, dividend-paying stocks are getting
a fresh look from investors. 
    
    April 3 Friday 4:50PM New York / 2050 GMT
                               Price                  
 US T BONDS JUN0               182-2/32     0-17/32   
 10YR TNotes JUN0              139          0-28/256  
                               Price        Current   Net
                                            Yield %   Change
                                                      (bps)
 Three-month bills             0.0975       0.0991    0.003
 Six-month bills               0.15         0.1522    0.002
 Two-year note                 100-73/256   0.2308    0.011
 Three-year note               100-148/256  0.3024    0.023
 Five-year note                100-142/256  0.3875    -0.001
 Seven-year note               100-182/256  0.5212    -0.015
 10-year note                  108-144/256  0.6041    -0.023
 30-year bond                  119-124/256  1.2195    -0.049
                                                      
   DOLLAR SWAP SPREADS                                
                               Last (bps)   Net       
                                            Change    
                                            (bps)     
 U.S. 2-year dollar swap        23.00         0.00    
 spread                                               
 U.S. 3-year dollar swap        13.75        -1.25    
 spread                                               
 U.S. 5-year dollar swap        11.25         0.00    
 spread                                               
 U.S. 10-year dollar swap        4.75        -0.25    
 spread                                               
 U.S. 30-year dollar swap      -43.00        -1.75    
 spread                                               
 
    

 (Reporting by Ross Kerber; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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Kennedy granddaughter and her 8-year-old son missing after canoe ‘overtaken by winds’

Robert F. Kennedy‘s granddaughter and her son are missing after a canoeing accident in Chesapeake Bay on Thursday.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and son Gideon, who is 8, reportedly “popped into a canoe” to retrieve a ball that landed in the water, husband David McKean explained to the Washington Post.

They were visiting with family at her mom’s property in Shady Side, Maryland, when the incident occurred.

The canoe and paddle were recovered on Thursday evening, per the Post, and an intensive search is still underway.

“They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn’t get back in,” McKean told the publication.

In a statement to People, Maryland Department of Natural Resources confirmed that the 40-year-old and her son’s boat “appeared to be overtaken by strong winds.”

They didn’t identify the missing woman and her child, but revealed similar details as David, saying they “may have been paddling the canoe from a residence … out into the bay to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore.”

According to the Baltimore Sun, a local resident called 911 at around 4:30 p.m. when he reportedly saw the woman and her son in a small canoe or kayak from the Columbia Beach community pier.

Maeve is the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, the grandniece of former President John F. Kennedy and daughter of former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

—

[email protected]

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Coronavirus: City of Kelowna says bylaw officers will provide education, warnings during pandemic

The City of Kelowna says its bylaw officers will provide assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, but that when it comes to issuing tickets to public health order scofflaws, Interior Health will be the one doling out fines.

On Friday, the city issued a press release on the subject following last week’s announcement by the provincial government that it was enlisting the help of municipal bylaw officers in enforcing public health orders.

In the Okanagan, that news translated into bylaw officers providing education roles and giving warnings, but not handing out tickets to those ignoring public health orders.

“With further clarification from Interior Health this week, bylaw enforcement will focus first on educating members of the public,” David Gazley, bylaw services manager for Kelowna, said in Friday’s press release.

“They can also issue formal warnings when warranted and will contact Interior Health when ongoing non-compliance is occurring,” said the city.

“Officers will also accompany health officers to deliver orders or tickets to those who refuse to comply with public health orders, if that’s needed.”

Global News has reached out to Interior Health regarding health officers and tickets, including asking what the minimum and maximum fines are.

Meanwhile, the city says residents can report health-order scofflaws, be they businesses or members of the public, by calling 250-469-8686 between 6 a.m. and midnight, or by emailing [email protected]

The city added that significant and urgent concerns that arise beyond these hours can be directed to the RCMP non-emergency line at 250-762-3300.


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Putin ‘sees himself as irreplaceable’, experts warn, as Russia set to approve bold law

The country’s strongman President endorsed the legislation last month after it sailed through Russia’s parliament with only one politician opposing it. The law, which is due to go to a public vote once the coronavirus outbreak has eased, will allow President Putin to seek two further six-year terms when his current term ends in 2024. It would also give the President more say in how Moscow’s power ministries are run, explains Dr Rasmus Nilsson, an expert in Russian and post-Soviet politics.

Mr Putin would wield more power in the interior ministry, the foreign affairs ministry and the domestic security services, he said.

Dr Nilsson told Express.co.uk: “There’s a bit more to it than allowing the President to stay around for longer.

“He does not feel like he has a successor whom he can trust to come in and take over the ship at home and he’s worried. He is worried for the state as well as his personal worries.”

He added: “Of course he also sees himself as irreplaceable.

“It’s important when we talk about Putin we talk about him as a system.

“If Putin left not only could that endanger his safety, it could endanger the safety of the system.

“Anybody coming in would have their own power base and that would make everybody worried.”

Dr Nilsson, a teaching fellow in Russian foreign and security policy at University College London, said Mr Putin’s “main function is to be an arbiter”, balancing the interests and demands of those in his inner circle.

He said if a stranger were to suddenly appear on the scene and take up the post it would jolt members of the system.

As it stands, Mr Putin would not be able to run for president again in four years’ time because of the country’s term limits.

But he should have no worries about that as the new legislation is widely expected to pass in the constitutional plebiscite.

Dr Alexandra Smith, reader in Russian studies at the University of Edinburgh, said many Russian voters who may not necessarily be big Putin fans will back him as they do not believe anyone would represent their country so boldly on the international stage as he does.

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The lack of domestic media scrutiny of the President also means Russia’s 144.5million inhabitants are regularly fed one-sided stories unless they tune into foreign news, she explained.

Dr Smith told Express.co.uk: “Society is divided but they are still more supporting of Putin [than otherwise] because Putin has for a long time used a certain narrative which promoted Russia’s pride.

“He has a lot of control over the media and a lot of people really don’t see a different point of view.”

Dr Smith also cited Mr Putin’s “personal appeal” to millions of voters as one reason why they support him.

She said both young and old voters view favourably his strong links with the Russian Orthodox church and his desire to “keep Russian spirituality” a part of everyday life.

The recent law endorsed by Mr Putin would see a proclamation of a “belief in God” inserted into the revised constitution.

Dr Nilsson said they failure of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to put forward any credible arguments on how he would solve the country’s problems convinces many people President Putin is their only man.

“I am not a betting man but if I were I would bet almost all of my non-existent fortune on this,” Dr Nilsson said when asked about the chances of the public vote passing.

“I think it is extremely likely.

“The vast majority of Russians are not necessarily huge Putin fans but look at it from the point of view ‘what’s the alternative?’”

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UK ramps up coronavirus trials but results 'a few months away'

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Friday it was launching the biggest clinical trial of possible treatments for coronavirus in the world but a leading health official cautioned that the results were likely a few months away.

Almost 1,000 patients from 132 hospitals had been recruited in 15 days and thousands more were expected to join in the coming weeks, the health department said.

The trial is testing medicines more commonly used to treat malaria and HIV, and is designed so that when further medicines are identified, they can be added to the study within days.

England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam said the next round of clinical trials should include new medicines, including those that might be in development for other diseases and might “have a role to play”.

But he was cautious on the timeline for results of the trials.

“I know that there’ll be a question about when are we going to get some results from these clinical trials, and my straight answer to you is: ‘I don’t know.’ I think it’s going to be a few months,” he told a news conference.

Health Minister Matt Hancock said that until possible treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, were shown to be effective, the only protection against it was to stay at home.

He said that so far clinical trials had been focused on repurposing existing drugs and steroids for treatment of COVID-19.

“We’ve also set up an expert therapeutics taskforce to search for and shortlist other candidate medicines for trials,” Hancock said.

“We need more patients to volunteer to be part of these trials because the bigger the trials, the better the data and the faster we can roll out the treatments, if – and only if -it’s proven to work.”

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Guelph grocery store employee spit on by ‘impatient’ customer: police

Guelph police say a grocery store employee was allegedly spat on by a customer on Wednesday evening.

It happened at the Zehrs near the intersection of Eramosa Road and Stevenson Street at around 6:45 p.m, according to police.

Const. Kyle Grant said a customer was waiting in the checkout line and became impatient with the wait and ultimately spit on a woman.

“Spitting on someone is considered an assault,” he said.

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Guelph police have released photos of two people seen leaving the store, but Grant didn’t specify which person is alleged to have spit on the clerk.

He acknowledged that the measures implemented by grocery stores to stop the spread of COVID-19 have slowed things down a bit.

“It’s important that everyone has that patience and understands that this isn’t being done to inconvenience people, this is being done to keep everyone healthy, to keep everyone safe,” he said.

In a statement, parent company Loblaws Companies Limited said the incident is truly disturbing and they will not tolerate any sort of abuse against our colleagues.

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