Author Archives: Mark Valladares

Back, and refreshed after the Easter weekend…

2 big stories

The Guardian is claiming as an exclusive its story that the United Kingdom missed three chances to join the EU scheme to bulk-buy PPE. Given that there are evident shortages and that, as a result, health and care workers are going unprotected, this is another reminder that the Government have been slow to act, and equally slow to co-operate where there might be advantage in doing so.

Bernie Sanders has endorsed Joe Biden. Now that may seem obvious, but given that Hillary Clinton lost as much because Sanders supporters stayed at …

It’s the weekend, and even this column gets a lie in. Well, that’s my excuse, anyway!

2 big stories

There’s been a lot of controversy over the apparent delays in repatriating British tourists trapped overseas. But it isn’t as easy to arrange these things as you might think. Austrian Airlines have been collecting citizens from around the world, and in this interview, one of their pilots explains some of the issues encountered.

But how did we get to this at all? The Guardian has gone back to the source of the pandemic, Wuhan.

Coronavirus infections began cropping up in Wuhan in December

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As an extension to the lockdown appears imminent…

2 big stories

I’ve previously picked up on the gloomy prognosis for small business in the light of the coronavirus crisis, but there is growing evidence that the promised funds will come too late for many. Reuters reports that, according to the British Chambers of Commerce;

1% of companies had received funds from the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, while 8% said their application had been unsuccessful.

Another 7% received government grants for small businesses, but double that proportion applied unsuccessfully.

Although some of the survey was conducted before the government relaxed rules to allow

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