2020-04-06_Daily_Express

10 Daily Express Monday, April 6, 2020

Deadly

By Martyn Brown

CORONAVIRUS:

THE VIRUS

IN BRIEF

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CHINA was blamed today for

costing lives and hindering the

fight against coronavirus by

spreading disinformation about

the disease.

MPs slammed the Communist

state for “false comments” about

the virus which has killed more

than 65,000 people across

the world.

The Commons Foreign Affairs

Committee said that as the

country where the outbreak

originated, China should have

played a central role in collecting

data on its spread.

Instead, the committee said,

Beijing had from the outset

sought to “obfuscate” over what

was really happening.

It called on the Government,

working with international allies,

to actively “confront and rebut”

disinformation coming from

foreign powers.

In its report, the committee

also said Iran and Russia were

responsible for disseminating

false information about Covid-

19 and suggested other countries

were also involved.

Its main criticism, however,

was reserved for China.

MPs highlighted the way Li

Wenliang, the doctor in Wuhan

who first raised the alarm about

the new disease, was forced to

confess to “making false com-

ments” before his death from the

virus in February. The committee

said: “Such deliberate mislead-

ing of the WHO (World Health

Organization) and scientists in

other countries obscured analy-

sis in the critical early stages of

the pandemic.

“Disinformation about Covid-

19 has already cost lives. It is

essential that the Government

issues clear and transparent

messages at home to confront

and rebut disinformation spread

by foreign powers. It must also

work closely with allies to

present a united front where

possible and to help ensure that

vital international research

efforts are not compromised by

propaganda and bad data.”

Committee chairman Tom

Tugendhat said Beijing had ini-

tially “allowed disinformation to

spread as quickly as the virus”.

He said: “Rather than helping

other countries prepare a swift

and strong response, it is increas-

ingly apparent that they manipu-

lated vital information about the

virus in order to protect the

regime’s image.

“The Government needs to

tackle these lies with a clear and

quick response, working with

our allies to show a united front

in the face of false facts and

deadly disinformation.” The

spending in response to the

crisis. The report, titled

Coronavirus Compensation:

Assessing China’s Potential

Culpability And Avenues Of

Legal Response, argues China

actively covered-up the

coronavirus outbreak.

HJS experts say decisions in

the early days of the outbreak,

such as not cancelling flights

from London to Wuhan, were

skewed by misinformation

from China. The report reads:

“China is responsible for

Covid-19 – and if legal claims

were brought against Beijing

they could amount to trillions

of pounds.” In a letter to Boris

Johnson, 15 Tory MPs, led by

former deputy PM Damian

Green, write: “Legally binding

international healthcare

regulations require states to

provide full information on all

potential pandemics.

“Over time, we have

allowed ourselves to grow

dependent on China and have

failed to take a strategic view

of our long-term economic,

technical and security needs.”

It has also emerged that

British security services are

reportedly no longer ruling out

the possibility that coronavirus

leaked from a Chinese

research lab in Wuhan.

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CHINA owes Britain

£351billion in coronavirus

compensation, a major study

suggests today.

And if Chinese authorities

do not pay willingly then the

Government should pursue

the matter through the

international courts, the Henry

Jackson Society (HJS) said.

The foreign policy think-

tank says the impacts of

coronavirus could have been

mitigated if China had been

honest about the outbreak.

Britain’s slice of the

compensation sum includes

the full cost of Chancellor

Rishi Sunak’s economic

Bailout... Chancellor Rishi Sunak bailout and hike in NHS

£75million operation to bring

people back to the UK in the

face of travel restrictions

caused by the coronavirus.

The Foreign Office said 10

airlines had joined its

scheme and that it would

also charter flights to airlift

Britons from Bolivia,

Ecuador and the Philippines.

By Alexander Britton

More flights to return stranded Britons

FLIGHTS to bring back

stranded Britons from the

Indian cities of Delhi, Goa

and Mumbai will begin next

week, the Government has

said. It is continuing with a

Virus fight...

Emergency

services

spray roads

in India

yesterday

By Martyn Brown

Senior Political Correspondent

Picture: AMIT DAVE/REUTERS

CORNER shops and

convenience stores have

enjoyed a massive surge in sales as

shoppers avoid supermarket queues

to buy their groceries locally, a

report said yesterday.

Data from analysts Kantar shows

that grocery sales at independent

retailers – including Spar, Nisa,

Premier, Londis and Costcutter –

have outpaced the record growth

of supermarkets and discounters

after coronavirus-related stockpiling

left many shelves bare.

Fraser McKevitt of Kantar said:

“Lots of people are combining their

daily exercise with going to the local

shop which is disproportionately

benefiting independent retailers.

“Regular trips to smaller local

stores are also likely to continue.”

THE Harrogate International

Festivals’ summer season is the

latest cultural victim of the pandemic.

The organisers of the North

Yorkshire spa town’s not-for-profit

festival announced “with deep regret

and sadness” that this year’s season

• including the Harrogate Music
  Festival, Theakston Old Peculier
  Crime Writing Festival, and Children’s
  Festival – had been cancelled.
  But the prestigious Theakston Old
  Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
  2020, supported by the Daily Express
  and WH Smith, will still take place,
  with the winning novel unveiled in
  late July. The crime-writing festival
  will be rescheduled for next year.
  Harrogate International Festivals
  will be launching a virtual festival
  experience for fans to enjoy at home.
  For more information, visit http://www.
  harrogateinternationalfestivals.com.

Celebrating... Dexter with his family

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Dexter Lee

whose birthday holiday had to

be scuppered has been cheered up

by a visit from the boys in blue.

Dexter wants to be a policeman

and mum Anna through friends

asked if officers could drive past

and wave. In fact, Sergeant Mark

Wilson and Merseyside Police

mascot Bobby paid a visit, with a

goodie bag and a superhero card.

Dexter’s grandparents joined from

their cars, along with neighbours.

The youngster and his big brother

Freddie tried out the blues and twos

in the police van, while baby brother

Mason, aged six months, looked on.

Anna and dad Rob said: “We are

so overwhelmed by the effort the

police went to today.

“It has brought a lot of cheer to us

and the whole neighbourhood.”