Kit Yates

Conservative peer quits after Lords probe into PPE deals It comes after a Lords standards probe into his contacts with ministers and advisers during the pandemic.

The VIP lane was rotten to the core.
A national scandal.

Axel Springer poised to buy Telegraph in £500mn deal German media group has gatecrashed a proposed acquisition by the owner of the Daily Mail

I really don't miss having to cover the Telegraph takeover story, the world's most tedious media saga.

But this is INTRIGUING: @danielthomasldn.bsky.social says the Daily Mail deal to buy the Telegraph might collapse and Axel Springer might end up in control.
www.ft.com/content/e5cb...

Tate was trying to get to Dubai on a bus.

When they got to the Saudi border everyone was told to get off for passport and baggage checks and Tate decided to stay on - presumably because the bus was air conditioned and he didn't want to stand in a queue.

He then got detained by Saudi guards.

😂

"TRUST YOUR NERDS"

Covid inquiry chair defends cost and length of process on final day Baroness Heather Hallett said completing the hearings in under four years was an achievement but critics have questioned its cost.

"If implemented, my recommendations should reduce the number of deaths, reduce the suffering and reduce the social and economic cost," she [Baroness Heather Hallett] said.

I've got a feeling that that is a mighty big "If".

'I'm still haunted that he died alone': The last voices of the Covid inquiry Bereaved families have the final say as the Covid inquiry completes three years of public hearings.

“Michael deteriorated in hospital. His cough became so severe he had to send a WhatsApp message to tell her he was being put on a ventilator
Two weeks later, the family was told he would never recover and that doctors were going to reduce his life support”

The Maths of Life and Death *SELECTED AS ONE OF THE SUNDAY TIMES SCIENCE BOOKS OF THE YEAR* "This is an exquisitely interesting book. It's a deeply serious one too and, for those like me who have little maths, it's delightfully readable" - IAN MCEWAN "An exciting new voice in the world of science communication" - MARCUS DU SAUTOY "An extremely th

World of Books is selling The Maths of Life and Death (Hardback!) for just £6.60.
That's a 67% discount.
Get it while it's hot:

Covid inquiry chair defends cost and length of process on final day Baroness Heather Hallett said completing the hearings in under four years was an achievement but critics have questioned its cost.

"If implemented, my recommendations should reduce the number of deaths, reduce the suffering and reduce the social and economic cost," she [Baroness Heather Hallett] said.

I've got a feeling that that is a mighty big "If".

Those wonderful moments when the headline has updated, but the picture hasn't.

I had a great time visiting the @universityofexeter.bsky.social of Living Systems Institute (LSI-Exeter) yesterday to give the Distinguished Speaker's lecture.

Interested audience, great questions and a lovely place.

Thanks for having me.

"The number of measles cases in London continues to rise with growing concerns that it is further spreading into other regions."
www.itv.com/news/202...

How to Expect the Unexpected has a random 39% off on amazon at the moment.
Just £6.72 for 120K words.
Seems like value for money when you think how much you'd pay to send someone a greetings card!
www.amazon.co.uk/How...

fell for it again award

My dad used to tell me this story. I’ve told it to my kids. So good.

I had a great time (literally) climbing the career ladder yesterday with Max Klymenko.
The University of Bath

Exclusive: US CDC cancels February vaccine adviser meeting; no new one set yet A U.S. vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for later this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not be held, with no new dates announced, according to a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

A US vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for later this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will not be held, with no new dates announced. Over the last year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr) has stepped up efforts to rew...

TAT: [Attacking Science]

That’s definitely in the mix, but it’s not the only reason.

Mom whose 7-year-old has brain swelling from measles still wouldn’t vaccinate EXCLUSIVE: South Carolina parents living in the state’s measles epicenter tell Rhian Lubin of their devastation after their unvaccinated 7-year-old son, Ethan, developed encephalitis, a complication f...

Full story here: www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

This is so dark.
The disinformation runs so deep.

That was epic.
Nice work GB men’s curling team.

Curling must be unique amongst sports with regards to how much we Brits are completely embedded in it for two weeks and how much we couldn't care less about it for the other 206 weeks.

US NIH director Bhattacharya to temporarily run CDC U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will step in as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Trump administration official said on Wednesday, part of a broader shakeup within the health department ahead of midterm elections.

Things just go from bad to worse over in the US.

The woman who mapped the Atlantic from her living room Marie Tharp charted the ocean floor before she had even sailed on its surface, and despite her theories being dismissed as ‘girl talk’. Her pioneering achievements were only fully recognised after her death

"Marie Tharp charted the ocean floor before she had even sailed on its surface, and despite her theories being dismissed as 'girl talk'. Her pioneering achievements were only fully recognised after her death."

This is wrong in just so many ways I can’t even count them.
Maybe counting is hard because I’m trying to use that ruler!

Ah, the well known sequence of counting numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 16, 9, 10, 10…
Wtf

There is a measles outbreak in London, which has been widely reported.

Vaccination rates are low.

And we have been warned that an outbreak could be large.

Some of the reasons are due to misinformation and disinformation. Thankfully the Government appears to be waking up.

A thread.

What is herd immunity and why is it so important for keeping measles at bay? With the first UK measles death for several years reported recently, I ask how we can prevent such tragedies in the future

Worth revisiting this piece from last summer given the current measles outbreaks around the country to better understand what we can do to prevent them.

What’s going on with Measles in England? An explanation of where we are, how we got here and what we can do

A great explanation from Prof Christina Pagel on the current situation with measles in the UK:
Where we are, how we got here and what we can do.

Well worth a read to get a deeper understanding.