News

NHS trusts urge people to 'walk like penguins' through the snow

With yet more freezing temperatures expected in the UK today, NHS trusts have issued an odd edict urging members of the public to 'walk like penguins' in order to avoid falls in the snow.

Japanese PM faces mounting pressure over pandemic response

Japanese PM faces mounting pressure over pandemic response

'Ground-breaking' unmanned combat aircraft project in Northern Ireland

More than 100 jobs will be supported by production of a new unmanned combat aircraft in Northern Ireland.

Pressure grows on PM to reopen schools amid warning children are pandemic's 'forgotten victims'

The prime minister and education secretary are coming under increasing pressure to reopen schools.

Cold and bright conditions to give way to wind and rain in the week

The Met Office said the risk of flooding will return as temperatures rise.

Man to be sentenced for ‘disturbing’ murders of wife and pensioner

Brave passer-by Sandra Seagrave, 76, was killed after rushing to the aid of beloved schoolteacher Amy Appleton.

Michael Rosen backs campaign for big funding rise for NHS

Michael Rosen, the poet and children’s writer and one of the best-known Covid survivors, is backing a campaign for a massive cash injection into the NHS and social care. The New Deal for the NHS, organised by the patient-led pressure group Just Treatment, says the pandemic has exposed the need for “transformative investment” of £33bn a year in the NHS or 1.5% of GDP. In foreword to a pamphlet setting out the plan, Rosen, who spent 48 days in...

White House, bipartisan group of lawmakers discuss Biden's COVID-19 relief plan

White House officials and 16 moderate Democratic and Republican senators discussed President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan on Sunday, The Washington Post reports, with several lawmakers saying they want to see aid targeted to those who are most in need. The hourlong Zoom call was organized by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and led by National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. Biden has called for unity and wants to see...

Mexican officials confirm President López Obrador has COVID

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,, revealed he's tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home with 'mild' symptoms.

Why Christina Ricci filed a restraining order against her husband

Rioters set fire to Dutch coronavirus testing centre as new curfew comes into effect

A young crowd of rioters have burnt down a coronavirus testing centre in a conservative Dutch fishing village, as the first night of a nationwide curfew was met with a largely peaceful – but occasionally incendiary – response. The angry mob was also accused of destroying police cars and pelting officers with bricks and fireworks in Urk, situated 50 miles northeast of Amsterdam, prompting the mayor to invoke emergency powers and call for riot...

Pets may need to be vaccinated to stop Covid-19 spread, scientists suggest

Cats and dogs may be the a concern in the not too distant future as we look at controlling the spread of coronavirus

Is Trump's impeachment trial worth the trouble if it's likely to renew rancour and division?

The starting gun for Donald Trump's second impeachment trial is fired today with the Article Of Impeachment sent to the US Senate.

‘It's Obviously A Lot Easier When You Have More Shared Values’ - Jacinda Ardern On Biden As President

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it is “obviously easier” with "more shared values”, when pressed on her feelings about President Donald Trump versus the current US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that being “woke” was “important for everybody”.

Vaccine centre staff offering 'leftover' jabs to friends and family

Senior staff within the NHS are calling for action to be taken against vaccine centre staff who are offering 'leftover' coronavirus jabs to their friends and family under the age of 70.

From factory to faraway village: behind India's mammoth vaccination drive

From factory to faraway village: behind India's mammoth vaccination drive

A Minute Of Kindness: The Military Veterans Who Cleaned DC Streets After Capitol Riot

After the deadly insurrection of the US Capitol carried out by pro-Trump supporters, a group of veterans helped to clean the streets of Washington, D.C. and remove the marks left by the hatred and violence of January 6th. The effort was organised by the non-profit group Continue to Serve, a group of military veterans who support social justice causes including Black Lives Matter, voter safety and immigration.

The daily grind never felt sweeter: New Zealanders should enjoy their Covid-free liberties

A chap working in the prime minister’s department mentions in passing that he’s on holiday in Golden Bay, that amazing republic of long, empty beaches lapped by the Tasman ocean, at the top of the South Island. “Too much sand,” he texts. “Too much sun.” He’s plainly in heaven. In normal circumstances I’d hate someone for enjoying a holiday while I’m back at work but things are different this year. Most working New Zealanders are back to the...

Spanish officials under fire for jumping queue for Covid-19 vaccine

A steady drip-feed of public officials admitting to having been vaccinated ahead of priority groups has sparked uproar on social media in Spain at a time when several regions are tightening restrictions in an effort to curb a spike in infections. Several local mayors admitted to getting vaccinated before their turn, while the regional health chief of the exclave of Ceuta was heavily criticised both for getting vaccinated early and for saying he...

Exclusive: Taiwan ministry says TSMC will prioritise auto chips if possible

Exclusive: Taiwan ministry says TSMC will prioritise auto chips if possible

Chiefs, Buccaneers to face off in Super Bowl LV

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-24 on Sunday night, securing the team's spot in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs are now heading to their second consecutive Super Bowl, hoping to become the eighth NFL franchise to win back-to-back titles. The Chiefs were down 9-0 to start, but led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the team made a quick comeback, scoring 21 straight points. The Chiefs also had one of...

NHS's targets are on course as 491,970 people get the jab in one day

Saturday alone saw 491,970 people get their first dose and 1,043 get their second, the highest daily figures so far. Some 397,333 vaccines were needed each day to reach the Government's target.

Russian hack of US agencies exposed supply chain weaknesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — The elite Russian hackers who gained access to computer systems of federal agencies last year didn't bother trying to break one by one into the networks of each department. Instead, they got inside by sneaking malicious code into a software update pushed out to thousands of government agencies and private companies. It wasn't surprising that hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in what's known as the supply chain to...

Mexican president's past health woes sharpen focus on COVID-19 diagnosis

Mexican president's past health woes sharpen focus on COVID-19 diagnosis

Vaccine programme continues to expand with 32 new centres across England

More than 30 new vaccination centres are due to open in England this week as the drive continues to protect the population against COVID-19.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is reportedly going to run for governor of Arkansas

There could soon be another Huckabee in the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former President Donald Trump's second White House press secretary, is expected to announced on Monday that she will run for governor of Arkansas, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as Arkansas' governor from 1996 to 2007. Due to term limits, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) will be out of office in...

UK to launch global climate adaptation effort with partner countries

UK to launch global climate adaptation effort with partner countries

The best social media posts about the day Biden replaced Trump

San Francisco Ballet: A Midsummer Night’s Dream review – two acts of pure dance run smooth

Now that all arts consumption is online, geography is no barrier, and there are chances to see shows that rarely land on UK shores. San Francisco Ballet opens its 2021 digital season with one such work, George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from 1962. In Britain we have our own classic take on the Shakespeare comedy, Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, made two years later in 1964. But while both are based on the same Mendelssohn music...

Holocaust survivor: We are not typical – most Jews died

Speaking ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27, retired medical doctor Dr Martin Stern, 80, recalled how, as an infant living in the same Amsterdam neighbourhood as Anne Frank in 1942, he was taken in by Cathrien and Johannes Rademaker, friends of his parents, following the death of his mother in hospital, and while his father was in hiding from the Nazis.

Large parts of UK wake up to winter wonderland

What are the most common surnames in Oceania?

Boost to Brit's Covid battle as more Britons agree to have the vaccine

The proportion of the public who plan to have the Covid-19 jab is now above the level scientists say is needed to achieve herd immunity and stop the virus spreading.

What the papers say – January 25

Many of Monday’s papers are led by the education implications of the pandemic.

Top advisor warns France probably needs new lockdown as early as February

France probably needs to move into a third lockdown, perhaps as early as the February school holidays, because of the circulation of new variants of the virus, the government's top medical adviser on COVID-19 policy said on Sunday. French schoolchildren have two weeks off in February, but the entire month is a holiday month as three different zones stagger the start of their holidays by one week, with the first starting on Feb. 6. "We probably...

Promise of prosperity for North and Midlands ‘four times harder’ to deliver because of Covid-19, report warns

Birmingham is the city facing the biggest challenge, followed by Hull and Blackpool

Four face court charged with criminal damage after toppling of Colston statue

The bronze memorial to the 17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020.

Johnson faces Tory anger over continued school closures

Conservative MPs warned the Prime Minister that children are becoming the ‘forgotten victims’ of the pandemic.

Thousands of EU care workers in UK face losing immigration status

Thousands of care workers in the UK risk being criminalised and losing their right to work overnight, according to a new report that issues a stark warning about a lack of knowledge of the EU settlement scheme. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) warns that the care sector faces being “devastated” at a time when it has already been brought to its knees by the coronavirus pandemic, as a large cohort of its workforce are unaware...

DOMINIC LAWSON: The more money you make, the happier you will feel

DOMINIC LAWSON: Dr Killingsworth had created a smartphone app called Track Your Happiness, and this generated no fewer than 1,725,994 responses from 33,391 employed people aged from 18 to 65

Sophy Ridge on Sunday highlights

This week the guests are Health Secretary Matt Hancock and First Minister Of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster.

FILE PHOTO: An employee of the El Viso nursing home, Yadira Toral holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Madrid, Spain January 7, 2021.

FILE PHOTO: An employee of the El Viso nursing home, Yadira Toral holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Madrid, Spain January 7, 2021.

Joe Biden to drop Donald Trump’s military transgender ban – reports

Mr Biden has been widely expected to overturn the Trump policy in his early days in office.

Cabinet row as ministers consider plans to bus arrivals to hotels for quarantine

Cabinet row as ministers consider plans to bus arrivals to hotels for quarantine

Trump impeached for historic second time

President Trump has been impeached for a historic second time after the House of Representatives got enough votes to charge him.

Splintered coalition reflects fate of Egypt's uprising a decade on

Splintered coalition reflects fate of Egypt's uprising a decade on

Reigning champion Chiefs dump Bills 38-24 in AFC title game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took the Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating decades to make their third Super Bowl appearance. Now, the defending champs are headed there for the second straight year. Showing no lingering effects from his concussion, Patrick Mahomes sliced up Buffalo's secondary with ruthless efficiency Sunday night, helping the Chiefs roll to a 38-24 victory over Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC championship game. The reigning...

Coronavirus vaccine: 6.3 million receive jab

Parents' fury at schools shambles with no return for kids expected until after Easter

As classes could remain shut as late as May, setting disadvantaged pupils back even further, angry parents are demanding the PM gets a grip on the situation

Covid-19 pandemic has been ‘deliberately exploited’ to spread conspiracy theories that scapegoat minorities

‘We need to learn where identity-based prejudice can lead if it's not checked or challenged’