All posts tagged: lockdown

‘I just want to feel like me again’: the women still waiting for breast reconstruction years after lockdown | Women’s health

‘I just want to feel like me again’: the women still waiting for breast reconstruction years after lockdown | Women’s health

Published by Sam Flores

Every time she lifts her arms to get dressed or hang out her washing, Julie Ford gets a painful reminder of one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. At 7am one day in April 2021, she had gone into hospital, alone and wearing a mask, to have her right breast and lymph nodes removed in a bid to stop breast cancer from spreading. Later that day, still groggy from the anaesthetic, in pain and with surgical drains hanging from both sides of her chest, she had staggered to the door with the help of two nurses. She was eased into a friend’s car and driven home to fend for herself. While Julie’s breast had been removed, it was not reconstructed. Usually, both procedures are carried out in the same operation. But as reconstruction using tissue from the patient’s abdomen is a complex, eight-hour procedure requiring a large surgical team, it was considered “non-essential” and paused by most NHS trusts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like hundreds of women with breast cancer who underwent urgent …

I used Pixel’s lockdown mode for a week, and it solves a problem Apple hasn’t

I used Pixel’s lockdown mode for a week, and it solves a problem Apple hasn’t

Published by skeptic

Unlocking your phone with your face or fingerprint is easy, useful, and fast, but it also makes it easier for others to access your phone. All they need to do is swipe your fingerprint real fast, or aim the phone at your face, and they’re in. Passcodes are much harder to force you to enter, and courts are much more willing to protect them under the Fifth Amendment. Google’s stock Android phone, the Pixel, includes a feature called lockdown mode, and it’s a fantastic way to quickly and temporarily require a pass code to unlock it. I used it for a week to see how much of a hassle it is, and frankly, it’s become my favorite way to safeguard my info when I’m out and about. It’s something I wish my iPhone had going for it. What lockdown mode actually does It’s a single, focused fix The fastest way to enable lockdown mode on a Google Pixel is by pressing the Volume up and Power buttons. Holding the power button down just pulls up …

Apple Says No iPhone in Lockdown Mode Has Ever Been Hacked

Apple Says No iPhone in Lockdown Mode Has Ever Been Hacked

Published by skeptic

Apple says it has no record of a successful spyware attack against any device running Lockdown Mode, the opt-in security feature it introduced in 2022. “We are not aware of any successful mercenary spyware attacks against a Lockdown Mode-enabled Apple device,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch. Lockdown Mode is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and dramatically restricts certain system features that are commonly exploited by mercenary spyware. When enabled, it blocks most message attachment types, disables certain complex web technologies, and prevents devices from automatically joining non-secure Wi-Fi networks, among other restrictions. Apple designed the feature specifically to protect high-risk users such as journalists, activists, lawyers, and others who may be personally targeted by sophisticated nation-state-level attacks. Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, head of the security lab at Amnesty International, said he and his colleagues “have not seen any evidence of an iPhone being successfully compromised by mercenary spyware where Lockdown Mode was enabled at the time of the attack.” Digital rights organizations including Amnesty International and the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab have documented …

Doctor reveals whether we’re heading for meningitis lockdown

Doctor reveals whether we’re heading for meningitis lockdown

Published by Sam Flores

The number of cases of meningitis linked to an outbreak in Kent has dropped as thousands of young people in the area are vaccinated against the disease. Confirmed cases have fallen from 23 to 20, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in an update on Sunday morning, after they were downgraded following further testing. Meanwhile, suspected cases under investigation have also fallen from 11 to nine, meaning the total number of cases is 29, down from 34 on Saturday. Two people, 18 year old Juliette Kenny, and an unnamed University of Kent student, have died following the start of the outbreak. And now a doctor has explained whether a national lockdown in an effort to halt the spread of the outbreak is on the cards. Dr Ahmed, who has almost half a million followers on TikTok, where he describes himself as “healthcare Gordon Ramsay”, said he recognised people are concerned about the outbreak, but issued a note of caution. “Ok, untwist your panties, put them back in the drawer, and listen,” he said. “Yes, …

Fact check: Meningitis B vaccine and false ‘lockdown’ claim

Fact check: Meningitis B vaccine and false ‘lockdown’ claim

Published by Sam Flores

It is also worth noting that the vaccine protection is very good, but not perfect. Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer in public health medicine at the University of Exeter Medical School, said the vaccine offers about 70-90% protection against the most common forms of menB meningococcal disease, and about 50-70% protection against the most invasive forms. Source link

Hebron under Israeli lockdown amid wider West Bank annexation plans | Israel-Palestine conflict

Hebron under Israeli lockdown amid wider West Bank annexation plans | Israel-Palestine conflict

Published by Sam Flores

NewsFeed Israel’s occupation strategy has carved the Palestinian city of Hebron into zones of control and inserted hundreds of settlers among Palestinian citizens. Israel’s widely condemned plans for the occupied West Bank mean its Hebron model could be copied elsewhere. Nida Ibrahim breaks it down. Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Source link

iPhone Lockdown Mode protects your data, even from the FBI – here’s how to use it

iPhone Lockdown Mode protects your data, even from the FBI – here’s how to use it

Published by skeptic

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Lockdown Mode drastically limits iPhone features to stop targeted attacks. It is extreme, reversible, and meant for high-risk users, not everyone.  Enabling it can even block law enforcement’s forensic tools after a seizure. The iPhone has a little-known but extreme security feature called Lockdown Mode, and most people will never need it. It’s in the news this week after the FBI reportedly seized a journalist’s phone but could not access it because Lockdown Mode was enabled. Introduced with iOS 16 about four years ago, Lockdown Mode is available to anyone, but it is really meant for people facing serious, targeted threats, such as reporters, politicians, and activists. It does exactly what the name suggests: it locks down your iPhone by aggressively shutting off features and reducing the ways attackers, or even law enforcement, can try to access it. Also: 14 secret codes that unlock features on your Android and iPhone When enabled, Lockdown Mode blocks most message attachments …

School plunged into lockdown after man seen with ‘suspected weapon’ | UK | News

School plunged into lockdown after man seen with ‘suspected weapon’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

A UK school was plunged into lockdown after a man at a nearby bus stop was seen with a “suspected weapon”. Earlier today, John Spence Community High School in North Shields reportedly decided to take measures as a precaution. Northumbria police was called after 2.15pm of a report that had been made, citing “suspicious activity” on Preston Road North. Police officials reached the spot to find the man, but the person who was the subject of the report had already left the area. Police maintained a visible presence in the neighborhood afterward, aiming to calm tensions and provide a sense of stability for residents who felt shaken by the incident. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 2.15pm today (Monday), we received a report of suspicious activity on Preston Road North in North Shields. “It is understood a male who was sighted at a bus stop on the road was thought to be carrying a suspected weapon. Officers attended to carry out enquiries and offer reassurance to the wider community, however the person in question …