UK PM to meet bereaved Covid families group
September 28, 2021, 10:23 am

UK PM to meet bereaved Covid families group

Covid-woman sad for losting someone

The BBC reported, Boris Johnson will meet a campaign group representing families bereaved by Covid later, after declining to meet them since last year.

According to the BBC, the prime minister will host Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice for a private reception in Downing Street, alongside senior officials.

He declined to meet them last year - citing a threat of legal action over an official pandemic inquiry.

The BBC mentioned, the government has since said an official probe will begin next spring.

It said, the meeting comes a week before the group attends the Conservative Party annual conference, which begins in Manchester on Sunday.

The BBC added, the group says it was initially denied permission to attend, before subsequently being told they could after "the news broke in the media".

The group, representing families with relatives who have died with the virus, has been asking for a meeting with Mr Johnson since last year.

In September, he said he would be "happy to meet" them, when their "litigation" against the government had concluded.

The group had written to the government in August, saying it was considering a judicial review of the decision not to hold an immediate public inquiry.

But the group denied that legal action had started - and labelled Mr Johnson's reason for not meeting them a "poor excuse".

In May, Mr Johnson announced a statutory public inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic would begin in spring 2022.

The families say they will use the meeting to share stories of how their loved ones died, and repeat their calls for a public inquiry to start now.

They have asked for the reception to be held outside, and for social distancing to be maintained.

Group co-founder Jo Goodman, whose 72-year-old father died after contracting Covid in the early stages of the pandemic, told BBC Breakfast they had heard "almost nothing about the next steps" since the official inquiry was announced.

She added they were "really glad to be finally meeting the prime minister", adding: "it's just a shame it's taken 15 months since we first requested a meeting".

She added: "Every day that the inquiry doesn't start is a day that lives are potentially being needlessly lost."

"Although it feels as if the government is trying to move forward from the pandemic and trying almost to say the pandemic is over, actually we're still losing a thousand people a week.

"What we want to know is that we're doing absolutely everything we can to save lives going forward.

"We feel we have to be the voice for those people who are still at risk, for those families who are yet to be bereaved."

Source: BBC

Egyptian President inaugurates largest wastewater treatment plant in the world Power Conflict: Traditional Governments vs. Social Media

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.