Jurgen Klopp has urged the city of Liverpool to launch its “fightback” against coronavirus as he appeals for everyone to get tested.
The Liverpool Football Club manager's plea comes as troops were posted to the northern English city this week for the UK government's first citywide testing regime, which began on Friday.
Liverpool residents are being offered repeat tests - regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.
Klopp is a star recruit in the government’s efforts to get as many Liverpudlians tested as possible.
“Let’s start the fightback against Covid - let’s get tested,” the Liverpool boss said.
“Regular testing has kept the Premier League going and allowed us to be out on the pitch every week.
“It takes 10 seconds to take a test and 10 days to make a difference.
“Let’s help Liverpool get out of Tier 3. Do it for yourself, your family, your colleagues and your city. Let’s do it together, let’s do it for Liverpool.”
If the two-week pilot is successful, the rapid testing scheme could be rolled out elsewhere as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lockdown "exit strategy".
About 2,000 soldiers were sent to the city this week to help carry out the tests.
Liverpool testing commander Lieutenant-General Tyrone Richard Urch said the rapid tests could deliver a result in under an hour.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We're piloting the lateral flow device, which is the test that can be done very quickly.
“I’m led to believe we can have results in under an hour.”
Liverpool was the first area to be put into the very high alert level of England's three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions.
A national lockdown in England began on Thursday.
New infections have stabilised at about 50,000 a day, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday, indicating a levelling off in the steep rise of cases even before the country was pushed into its second shutdown.
The ONS said there was an estimated daily 45,700 new cases per day in the week to Oct 31, down slightly from the previous week's estimate of 51,900.
Liverpool's director of public health Matthew Ashton said the aim of the pilot was to lower levels of the virus in the city and exit national lockdown in a “stronger” position to tackle further outbreaks, hinting that the pilot could go on for longer than 10 days if it proved successful.
Mr Ashton told the BBC: "One of the things I want to make sure of is that the pilot lasts long enough for us to be able to see the impact of it.
"We are open for an initial 10 days, but I'm not getting the readings that it's 10 days and turn off.
“We are able to expand it, extend it, to make sure the pilot fits."
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, whose brother died of Covid-19 last month, said the pilot could save lives and "get the city out of tier three restrictions".
Mr Johnson said on Thursday the kind of cheap new tests being used in Liverpool "can be a massive and possibly decisive use to us in this country in defeating the virus".
The government has already spent £12 billion ($16 billion) on testing programmes across the UK.
But researchers say most members of the public have been failing to isolate after testing positive, and support staff have struggled to reach all of their contacts to limit the spread of the virus.
Pressure is continuing to build on the government to ensure England emerges from lockdown on December 2.
MPs including former prime minister Theresa May this week criticised Number 10 for using data that was “riddled with errors” to justify the second shutdown.
Modelling had suggested that virus deaths could hit 1,500 per day - surpassing the first peak in spring.
The projection was quietly revised down last night, with the incorrect graph removed and replaced with another.
Mrs May asked whether “figures were chosen to support the policy rather than the policy being based on the figures”.
Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said he “regretted” that he did not make clear that the scenarios were models rather than projections.
Meanwhile, a leading Oxford geneticist suggested people should be paid to receive the Covid vaccine in an attempt to build up herd immunity.
Prof Julian Savulescu said such incentives could help overcome public resistance to getting the inoculation due to health and safety fears.
The incentive could be either financial or “payment in kind” - such as being allowed to take off a face mask in public, he suggested.
He wrote in the Journal of Medical Ethics: "The advantage of payment for risk is that people are choosing voluntarily to take it on.
“As long as we are accurate in conveying the limitations in our confidence about the risks and benefits of a vaccine, then it is up to individuals to judge whether they are worth payment.”
Scientists say 50 to 80 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity but the government won’t be making the any vaccine mandatory.
Prof Savulescu did not believe mandatory vaccinations were ethical without eliminating the risk of a vaccine.
"However, another way of looking at this is that those at low risk are being asked to do a job, which entails some risk, albeit a very low one,” he said.
“So they should be paid for the risk they are taking for the sake of providing a public good.”
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20flat-six%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E525hp%20(GT3)%2C%20500hp%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E465Nm%20(GT3)%2C%20450Nm%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh944%2C000%20(GT3)%2C%20Dh581%2C700%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGrowdash%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESean%20Trevaskis%20and%20Enver%20Sorkun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERestaurant%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20Judah%20VC%2C%20TPN%20Investments%20and%20angel%20investors%2C%20including%20former%20Talabat%20chief%20executive%20Abdulhamid%20Alomar%2C%20and%20entrepreneur%20Zeid%20Husban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
