Contingency plans are being drawn up over fears a quarter of public sector workers could be absent due to the Omicron wave of COVID infections. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told ministers to test preparations for a possible worst-case scenario as daily coronavirus numbers continue to hit record levels. All government departments are also renewing
Politics
The medical chiefs leading the UK’s battle against coronavirus have been recognised with top awards in the New Year Honours list. England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and his deputy Professor Jonathan Van-Tam have been given knighthoods, along with the chief medical officers for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton, and Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith. Image:
Further restrictions triggered by COVID must be an “absolute last resort” and the UK will now have to “live alongside” the virus in 2022, Sajid Javid has said. The health secretary has said the wave of Omicron infections will “test the limit of finite NHS capacity even more than a typical winter”, with reports suggesting
Nicola Sturgeon has said it is her “expectation” that new COVID restrictions in Scotland will be in place until 17 January, as she urged people to “stay at home right now more than normal”. Since 27 December, nightclubs in Scotland have been forced to close unless they operate as a pub with table service and
Boris Johnson has used his New Year’s message to claim that the UK finds itself in an “incomparably better” position than this time last year when it comes to coronavirus. In a message that will be posted on social media on Friday, the prime minister will say the country has met its target of offering
Newly-released files from the National Archives have revealed George W Bush’s worries over his experience, negotiations over Diana’s funeral, and mooted plans to redesign the House of Commons. Here are some of the key revelations from the release of Cabinet Office and Number 10 files from the first years of Tony Blair’s premiership between 1997
Boris Johnson has praised the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for saving “many millions of lives” as the UK marks becoming the first country to approve the COVID vaccine exactly one year ago. On 30 December 2020, the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot became the second coronavirus jab approved by the UK’s independent medicines regulator – after Pfizer/BioNTech. To date, almost
Boris Johnson has said “up to 90%” of people currently in intensive care with COVID-19 have not had their booster jab as he urged the nation to take up the offer. Speaking to broadcasters, the prime minister said there are 2.4 million eligible double-jabbed people yet to take up the offer of a booster and
Ted Shaker, NFL broadcaster John Madden’s longtime producer at CBS, tells a story about a moment he had with the legendary NFL coach that stuck with him for the rest of his life. #CNN #News
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky joins New Day to discuss the CDC’s decision to shorten the Covid-19 isolation period. #CNN #News
Former Nevada Senator and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has died at the age of 82, according to a statement from his wife Landra Reid. #CNN #News
The Downing Street Christmas party furore has ended a year of notable political scandals with yet another one. All eyes have been on the Conservatives as 2021 draws to a close, but they were not the only party to have been hit by embarrassing events. But as the party of government for more than 10
The debate over whether vaccine mandates should apply to air travel intensifies as coronavirus cases continue to soar. CNN’s Michael Smerconish discusses with Dr. Zeke Emanuel. #CNN #News
Priti Patel has ordered a review of the laws surrounding crossbow ownership. Under current legislation, people over 18 can legally purchase or possess a crossbow without needing a licence or any checks. It is an offence for anyone under 18 to buy or keep a crossbow or for anyone to sell a crossbow to someone
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is to hold meetings with energy bosses today to address rapidly rising gas and electricity prices. Mr Kwarteng will meet with the bosses of major energy suppliers who are likely to ask the government for tax cuts and the relaxation of green levies. Last week, the industry’s trade body Energy UK
Jackie Weaver has revealed how her time in the spotlight this year “continues to feel like something that will not be here tomorrow” after going viral with a council meeting video. The 63-year-old became one of the most popular social media memes of the year after Handforth Parish Council’s infamous Zoom meeting went viral in
New restrictions are coming into force today in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in a bid to curb rising coronavirus cases. Further rules have not been announced in England, with Boris Johnson saying before Christmas that the data is being monitored but as yet does not justify stricter measures. It is understood school closures are
Former cabinet ministers who remain in parliament earn an average of £162,000 on top of their MP salary from the private sector in their first year after leaving government, Sky News research has found. The figure, arrived at by analysing data from the register of members’ interests between 2015 and 2021, excludes earnings from media
The nominees for quirkiest stories of 2021 are … CNN’s Jeanne Moos has the envelope. From the guy who swallowed an airpod to the teen smacked by a seagull while on an amusement park ride we look back at some of the videos that won over the internet in 2021. #CNN #News
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s premier space observatory of the next decade, successfully launched from French Guiana. Webb will peer into the very atmospheres of exoplanets, some of which are potentially habitable, and it could uncover clues in the ongoing search for life outside of Earth. #CNN #News